Sarah Palin on Barack Obama speech: ‘WTF’  —  Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday night that President Barack Obama's call for “winning the future” during his State of the Union address is best framed by the acronym it shares with a much different phrase — “wtf.”

DeMint open to 2012 presidential bid, advisers say  —  Washington (CNN) - News that South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint will travel to Iowa on March 26 to address a conservative forum organized by Rep. Steve King is sparking another round of chatter that DeMint might launch a dark horse bid for the White House in 2012.

SOTU not exceptionalist enough?  —  If there's one thing President Obama did go on about a bit about in the State of the Union, it was American exceptionalism — as the National Journal's Ron Fournier noted at some length.  —  Two who didn't entirely notice were Speaker John Boehner and Kathleen Parker.

O, Mark Salter!!  —  McCain wordsmith revealed as “anonymous” author of “O” the novel.  —  Confirmed by sources, but there were lots of in-plain-sight clues that led to Salter's Maine door.  —Simon and Schuster topper Jonathan Karp was Salter's editor on books he did with Senator McCain.

What Caused the Financial Crisis?  —  Congress's inquiry commission is offering a simplistic narrative that could lead to the wrong policy reforms.  —  Today, six members of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission—created by the last Congress to investigate the causes of the financial crisis—are releasing their final report.

Uganda gay rights activist David Kato killed  —  David Kato led condemnation of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill  —  A Ugandan gay rights campaigner who last year sued a local newspaper which outed him as homosexual has been beaten to death, activists say.  —  Police have confirmed the death …

To target Fox News over ‘Nazi’ label, rabbis make use of Murdoch's other media  —  A coalition of rabbis wants Fox News chief Roger Ailes and conservative host Glenn Beck to cut out all their talk about Nazis and the Holocaust, and it's making its views known in an unusual place.

Better off bankrupt  —  States should have the option of bankruptcy protection to deal with their budget crises.  —  During the 2008 financial crisis, the federal government reacted in a frantic, ad hoc fashion, tapping taxpayers for bailouts galore, running roughshod over the rights …

Reid, McConnell swear off changes to filibuster  —  The top Democrat and top Republican in the Senate agreed Thursday to swear off seeking major changes to rules in the chamber in this Congress — and the next one.  —  Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced a series of rules changes …

Thousands in Yemen Protest Against the Government  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — Yemen, one of the Middle East's most impoverished countries and a haven for Al Qaeda militants, became the latest Arab state to see mass protests, as thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in the capital and other regions demand a change in government.

When the politically fueled murder of a 9-year-old girl in Arizona is NOT national news  —  All of America continues to mourn the unbelievably tragic loss of Christina Green, the 9-year-old granddaughter of former Phillies' manager Dallas Green who was killed, along with five adults …

California Lawmaker Receives Racist Death Threat Warning ‘Rush Limbaugh Will Kick Your Ch-nk Ass’  —  Last week, California State Sen. Leland Yee (D) called on right-wing hate radio host Rush Limbaugh to apologize for mocking Chinese President Hu Jintao and the Chinese language by speaking gibberish …

Jon Huntsman's Inner Circle  —  Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is seriously considering a run for president in 2012.  —  U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (R) appears to be leaning toward a run for president in 2012 and a team of political operatives and fundraisers have begun informal talks …

Airport bans toy soldier's three-inch rifle from plane... because it's a safety threat  —  Airport officials ordered a holidaymaker carrying a toy soldier onto a plane to remove its three-inch gun - because it was a safety threat.  —  Ken Lloyd was stunned when he was told he could not go on the plane …

Dealing With Assange and the Secrets He Spilled  —  This past June, Alan Rusbridger, the editor of The Guardian, phoned me and asked, mysteriously, whether I had any idea how to arrange a secure communication.  Not really, I confessed.  The Times doesn't have encrypted phone lines, or a Cone of Silence.