Romney keeps away from Tea Party  —  Possible presidential contender isn't courting activists  —  Tea Party activists in New Hampshire say the former Massachusetts governor has been largely inaccessible to them.  (Mary Schwalm/Associated Press)  —  WASHINGTON — New Hampshire Tea Party …

A rival SOTU response  —  The Tea Party Express emails supporters that Rep. Michelle Bachmann — passed over for a leadership spot, much less the response to the State of the Union — will deliver her own response:  —  Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has confirmed with us that she will broadcast …

Glenn Beck in June 2010: 'You're Gonna Have to Shoot Them in the Head'  —  But, of course, “both sides do it!”...  sigh...  [via Stephen Webster at RAW STORY]...  The video above was from June 10, 2010.  —  “You need to go back to June —  June of this year, 2010,” …

White House reboots on economic advice  —  Signaling a shift to a new phase of the administration's response to the nation's economic woes, President Barack Obama will sign an executive order Friday establishing a new Council on Jobs and Competitiveness that will be lead by General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt.

Everything starts with repeal  —  Suppose someone - say, the president of United States - proposed the following: We are drowning in debt.  More than $14 trillion right now.  I've got a great idea for deficit reduction.  It will yield a savings of $230 billion over the next 10 years …

Rep. Broun: Mixed Seating At SOTU Is “A Trap” To “Silence Republicans” When “Barack Obama Spews Out All His Venom”  —  1 hour and 16 minutes ago — Matt Finkelstein  —  The tragic shootings in Tucson prompted calls for civility from politicians on both sides of the aisle, including Sen. Mark Udall's …

Sen. Murkowski questions approach to health repeal  —  Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Thursday cast doubt on the manner in which Republicans have attempted to repeal the healthcare law.  —  Murkowski (Alaska) said that she would vote to repeal the law if a vote was held in the Senate …

Giuliani vs. Palin in 2012?  —  (CNN) - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he's more likely to run for president if former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin runs.  —  In an interview on CNN's “Piers Morgan Tonight,” Giuliani, who dropped out of the 2008 Republican presidential primary …

I'm declaring February a Palin-free month.  Join me!  —  Though it is embarrassing to admit this in public, I can no longer hide the truth.  I have a Sarah Palin problem.  —  I have written about her in 42 columns since Sen. John McCain picked her as his presidential running mate in 2008.

A Path Is Sought for States to Escape Their Debt Burdens  —  Policy makers are working behind the scenes to come up with a way to let states declare bankruptcy and get out from under crushing debts, including the pensions they have promised to retired public workers.

McChrystal denies claims of secret military crusade against Islam  —  WASHINGTON — Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal says he is not part of a religious order waging war on Islam despite recent assertions by acclaimed journalist Seymour Hersh.  —  Speaking in Qatar earlier this week …

Giffords arrives in Houston  —  Tucson, Arizona (CNN) — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Friday left the Tucson hospital where she had been treated since being shot in the head January 8, traveling down streets lined with well-wishers before flying to the Houston, Texas, hospital where she will continue her recovery.

Paul Ryan is Your 2011 State of the Union Responder  —  Mike Allen scoops that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), the new Budget Committee chairman, will give the response to the State of the Union.  That's a smart and surprising choice.  The GOP has a new crop of non-white statewide electeds …

Brother of Harry Potter star jailed for attacking her  —  The brother of a Harry Potter star has been jailed for six months for a “prolonged and nasty” attack in which she was beaten and branded a “slag” for dating a non-Muslim.  —  Afshan Azad, 21, who played Padma Patil …

One year later: Citizens United  —  The first anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission was marked Friday in classically Washington fashion — with protests, press conferences, dueling panel discussions and talk of a new effort by liberal groups …

Poll Finds Wariness About Cutting Entitlements  —  As President Obama and Congress brace to battle over how to reduce chronic annual budget deficits, Americans overwhelmingly say that in general they prefer cutting government spending to paying higher taxes, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Newt Gingrich tells Georgia Republicans he'll be a candidate in '12  —  In the last 24 hours, former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich has touched base with several prominent Republicans in his former home state, telling them that he intends to make a run for president in 2012 using Georgia as his base …

Don't raise the debt limit - reform entitlement spending  —  Five years ago, a freshman senator made a case against allowing the federal government to go deeper into debt.  —  “The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure,” he said.

Promise kept: All Texas Republicans vote to repeal health reform; Democrats cry foul  —  In the end, it was a political exercise — predictable and orderly.  —  Every Texas Republican — indeed every House Republican — did what they promised to do in the campaign: They voted to repeal …

165 House Republicans endorse defunding USAID  —  As the budget battle inside the Republican Party heats up, a large group of conservative House Republicans called Thursday for a drastic defunding of the U.S. Agency for International Development and a host of other programs.