Obama joins Wisconsin's budget battle, opposing Republican anti-union bill  —  MADISON, WIS. - President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits …

Willie Sutton Wept  —  There are three things you need to know about the current budget debate.  First, it's essentially fraudulent.  Second, most people posing as deficit hawks are faking it.  Third, while President Obama hasn't fully avoided the fraudulence, he's less bad than his opponents …

GOP votes to defund Obama's policy ‘czars’  —  The House GOP approved an amendment to a government-spending bill that would block funding for the Obama administration's so-called policy “czars,” appointed advisers to the president that have been much-criticized by Republicans.  —  The vote was 249-171.

On Long Island, Palin Opens Up and Plays Coy  —  WOODBURY, N.Y. — Sarah Palin did not visit Iowa or New Hampshire on Thursday, and she did not drop by South Carolina or Nevada.  But inside a country club ballroom here, as she logged another stop as a paid speaker, she said she could not wait much longer to decide her future.

Pawlenty to keynote large tea party event  —  (CNN) - Tim Pawlenty will headline an inaugural policy summit being put on by one of the largest national tea party groups in the U.S.  —  Tea Party Patriots announced Friday morning that the former Minnesota governor and probable 2012 GOP presidential candidate …

GOP activists in Iowa divided on whether Palin can carry 2012 banner  —  WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - A group of Republican activists was sorting out the field of prospective 2012 presidential candidates on a cold night here recently when talk turned to Sarah Palin.

Bahrain tense amid funerals  —  Military keeps capital Manama under lockdown, a day after a deadly police assault on anti-government demonstrators.  —  [WARNING: This video contains images that some viewers may find disturbing]  —  Troops and tanks have locked down Manama, the Bahraini capital …

Who's Polarizing America?  —  American politics just keeps getting more polarized.  Be assured that Obama wants it that way.  I argue in Radical-in-Chief that Obama's long-term hope is to divide America along class lines (roughly speaking, tax payers versus tax beneficiaries).

Boehner says any stopgap spending bill must trim federal budget further  —  As the House continued its marathon debate Thursday over a bill to fund the federal government, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) acknowledged that Congress might not reach agreement over spending cuts before the government runs out of money next month.

Administration asks judge to tell the states that healthcare law isn't optional  —  The Obama administration is asking a federal judge who struck down the healthcare reform law to clarify that states must still implement the overhaul as the appeals process plays out.

Bill OK'd to end collective bargaining with schools  —  Register or log in using your account on these websites.  —  Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH  —  NASHVILLE — The Senate Education Committee voted along party lines Wednesday to abolish collective bargaining between teachers unions and school boards across the state.

Facebook Adds ‘Civil Union,’ ‘Domestic Partnership’ To Relationship Status Options … Facebook has added two new relationship status options users can include in their online profiles: “in a civil union” and “in a domestic partnership.”  —  The new fields are being rolled out in the U.S …

Warning for GOP: Beware ‘Arrogance of Power’  —  The Ohio Republican Says His Party Could Suffer Same Fate as Dems at the Polls  —  Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has a warning for his fellow Republicans: Beware “the arrogance of power,” or voters will do to you what they did to Democrats last year.

Rand Paul on Sarah Palin, Dostoevsky and dad  —  Rand Paul may still be green to the ways of the U.S. Senate (he only assumed office in January) but he's got a lot to say about the political state of the country.  Most of his new book, “The Tea Party Goes to Washington,” …

Tucson Firefighter Refused to Respond  —  PHOENIX — A Tucson firefighter refused to respond to the Jan. 8 shooting rampage that wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords because of political differences with his crew, delaying his unit's arrival at the scene, according to internal department records.