The Problem Was the Wife  —  The problem was the wife.  Aides to Newt Gingrich have resigned from his presidential campaign in protest of what they felt was a takeover by Callista Gingrich, the candidate's wife since 2000.  —  The euphemism offered by departing staffers was they disagreed with Gingrich's “strategy” for the campaign.

Sarah Palin snub by Margaret Thatcher aides infuriates US rightwing  —  Rush Limbaugh joins supporters accusing Thatcher's circle of disgracing former PM with ‘Palin is nuts’ comment  —  A firestorm on the US right has erupted after the Guardian reported that Sarah Palin will be denied …

Alaska poised to release Palin emails  —  FRIDAY: More than 24,000 pages will be available in Juneau.  —  JUNEAU — The state of Alaska will release thousands of Sarah Palin's emails from her first two years as governor today, a disclosure that has taken on national prominence as she flirts with a run for the presidency.

Weiner can't afford to quit the DC day job  —  Even if scandal-stained Rep. Anthony Weiner didn't want to stay in office, he needs to stay in office.  —  Unlike many of his peers in the House, Weiner doesn't have a business or even a law degree to fall back on.

House Dems to call for expiration of Bush tax rates in debt-limit deal  —  A group of House Democrats is calling for any deal to raise the debt ceiling to bring about the end of the Bush tax rates for the wealthy.  —  The lawmakers, led by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), also say that …

Rule by Rentiers  —  The latest economic data have dashed any hope of a quick end to America's job drought, which has already gone on so long that the average unemployed American has been out of work for almost 40 weeks.  Yet there is no political will to do anything about the situation.

Two separate and reliable source in Texas tell me serious preparations are being made for Governor Rick Perry, 61, to seek the Republican nomination for president.  —  Dave Carney and Rob Johnson — the former top Perry aides who on Thursday left Newt Gingrich's campaign …

The Lone Star Jobs Surge  —  The Texas model added 37% of all net U.S. jobs since the recovery began.  —  Richard Fisher, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, dropped by our offices this week and relayed a remarkable fact: Some 37% of all net new American jobs since the recovery began were created in Texas.

Is Iowa Still Relevant for Republicans?  —  Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, after speaking at the Mediacom 2012 Presidential Candidate Series in Des Moines a few weeks ago.  —  Iowa's Republican presidential contest just can't seem to catch a break.

Rick Santorum's Case for Big Government  —  Like many social conservatives, he insists you can't have small government without strong families and religious faith.  Don't many Americans already lack those things?  —  Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels stoked controversy in the conservative movement …

Do more on jobs, Dems tell Obama  —  Senior Senate Democrats are growing frustrated by what they see as President Obama's passivity on the economy, and are beginning to discuss a large infrastructure package funded by tax increases.  —  Some Democrats, such as Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin …

Ruling Favors a 10-Inch Citizen of France  —  PARIS — France was punished on Thursday for not taking proper care of its hamsters.  —  The Court of Justice in Luxembourg, the European Union's highest court, ruled Thursday that France had failed to protect the Great Hamster of Alsace …

Germany Concludes E. Coli Tainted Bean Sprouts  —  BERLIN — After days of confusion, German authorities finally concluded on Friday that an E. coli infection, which has claimed at least 29 lives, unsettled the nation and thrown European agriculture into disarray, had been caused …

Exclusive: Clinton in talks about possible move to World Bank  —  (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been in discussions with the White House about leaving her job next year to become head of the World Bank, sources familiar with the discussions said Thursday.

Rocky start for DNC chairwoman  —  Democrats knew they were getting an outspoken partisan when Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz took over the reins of the Democratic National Committee a month ago.  —  But they might not have known just how outspoken.  —  In the four weeks since she succeeded Tim Kaine …

Brash Style Alienates Weiner From Peers  —  Even as top Democrats intensified pressure on him to resign, Representative Anthony D. Weiner of New York tried to power through the day on Thursday and suggest things were getting back to normal.  —  “I'm going to go back to my community office …

Poll: Majority Of Weiner's Constituents Think he Should Stay In Office  —  While lawmakers from Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D-NY) own party have now begun to call for his resignation, a Marist poll released Thursday night finds that his constituents think he should stay.

Behind the Scenes, Plans for Insurance Exchange  —  Gov. Rick Perry has made no secret of his disdain for federal health reform or for one of its key tenets, a Travelocity-like state insurance marketplace in which consumers could choose from public and private health plans.

Evidence That Weiner Was Talking Dirty to Underage Girls?  Part 3  —  Early this morning I posted Evidence That Weiner Was Talking Dirty to Underage Girls?  Part 2.  In that post, I provided evidence that Weiner had discussions with an underage girl ("Ethel") regarding fighting for his country in a cape and tights.