Mitt Romney builds case for inevitability  —  HANOVER, N.H - Hours after Chris Christie signaled he believes Mitt Romney is the Republican party's inevitable nominee, Romney and the rest of the GOP field went about proving him right.  —  Romney again outclassed the opposition in Tuesday's Bloomberg/Washington Post debate.

A Modest Proposal: Call Obstruction What It Is  —  Here is the headline in the online home page of the NYT, about Obama's “pass this jobs bill, pass it now” proposal.  Note the word “fails”:  —  The subhead and the rest of the article make clear that more Senators voted for the bill than against it — 50 to 49.

Issa Issues Subpoena to Holder in Fast and Furious Investigation  —  Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a subpoena Wednesday to Attorney General Eric Holder as part of his investigation into the gun trafficking operation known as “Fast and Furious.”

Occupy L.A. Speaker: Violence will be Necessary to Achieve Our Goals  —  Citizen journalist Ringo captured this speaker at the Occupy Los Angeles camp a few days ago letting the cat out of the bag: After dismissing nonviolence as a dead end, he admits that for the Occupiers to achieve their goals …

99 Percenters, Meet the 53 Percenters  —  In response to Occupy Wall Street, some conservatives are blasting the 47 percent of Americans who don't pay federal taxes.  Do they have a point?  —  The slogan doesn't exactly sing: “We are the 53 percent!”  But this new campaign …

A conspiracy only Bachmann could create  —  As tempting as it is to simply ignore Michele Bachmann's nonsense, there was one gem from last night's debate that I really enjoyed. … What's amusing about this is how truly ridiculous Bachmann's silly conspiracy theory — and imaginary exchange with the president — really is.

Cafe Milano: Where They Know You're ‘Very’ Important  —  Responding to speculation that allegedly Iran-linked terrorists were planning to blow up Cafe Milano in Georgetown, Tim Noah wonders what the deal is with Cafe Milano, a very expensive but fundamentally “meh” Italian restaurant:

Wall Street's Gullible Occupiers  —  The protesters have been sold a bill of goods.  Reckless government policies, not private greed, brought about the housing bubble and resulting financial crisis.  —  There is no mystery where the Occupy Wall Street movement came from …

Heartbreak for Huma as new messages reveal how Anthony Weiner called her parents ‘backwards thinking’ and compared her to his ‘sextees’ in vulgar messages  — Accused his successor Bob Turner of being ‘just another rich businessman trying to buy himself an election’

Plot to kill ambassador unraveled on SW border  —  The unraveling of an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States came from a surprising place — the front lines of the drug war along the Mexican border.  —  And like a Hollywood thriller, the murder-for-hire tale cuts …

Obama: 'I'm a fourth-quarter player'  —  (CNN) - President Barack Obama compared his re-election bid to a game of basketball, to make the point to Democratic supporters that he's a strong closer.  —  The president made his comments Tuesday night at the second of two campaign fundraisers in Florida.

‘Underwear bomber’ pleads guilty on all charges  —  The Nigerian student who attempted to blow up a plane over Detroit with a bomb sewn into his underwear pleaded guilty at a trial Wednesday.  Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who said after the botched Christmas Day attack that he was affiliated …

TPM2012  —  Barney Frank Slams Newt Gingrich For Calling For His Imprisonment  —  Is it a violation of Congressional decorum to call for your former colleagues to be thrown in jail?  Newt Gingrich lobbed a bomb early in Tuesday's Bloomberg/Washington Post debate by telling the audience …

Does Anyone Have a Grip on the G.O.P.?  —  It wasn't that long ago that Republican moneymen and operatives in Washington were moping around K Street like Eeyore in the Hundred Acre Wood, lamenting their party's extremist image and casting about for a candidate with a chance of beating Barack Obama in 2012.

Carbon tax in Australia  —  Australia's House of Representatives has just passed legislation for a carbon tax[1].  Passage by the Senate is assured, so that, as long as the government can survive another year (it needs the support of three independents to muster a one-vote majority), the tax will come into effect in mid-2012.