The Hillary Moment  —  President Obama can't win by running a constructive campaign, and he won't be able to govern if he does win a second term.  —  When Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson accepted the reality that they could not effectively govern the nation if they sought re-election to the White House …

Newt Gingrich was a lobbyist, plain and simple  —  Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) arrives for a meeting in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill March 31, 2011 in Washington, DC.  Gingrich met with about 20 freshman Republican members of Congress and discussed ways …

Deficit Deal Fell Apart After Seeming Agreement  —  WASHINGTON — The one sliver of real hope came a week ago, in the darkened Capitol on the Sunday night after Veterans Day.  —  Called away from dinner tables, the Jets-Patriots game on television and, in one case, a soccer team party …

Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden Draw Boos at NASCAR Event  —  First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden were grand marshals at today's NASCAR season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, appearing as part of their charitable campaign to support military veterans and their families.

First Thoughts: Worst.  Congress.  Ever?  —  Worst.  Congress.  Ever?... The Super Committee's failure is the latest evidence to back up that assertion... The blame game begins over the Super Committee... Then again, gridlock could end up succeeding to produce as much as $6 trillion …

Ayotte, Bass get behind Romney  —  Congressman Charlie Bass will endorse the GOP presidential candidacy of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Monday, The Telegraph has confirmed.  —  Bass will make it official when Romney tours the BAE Systems plant on Spit Brook Road in Nashua and then addresses employees.

America's new poor  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO … In Forsyth County's rolling subdivisions near Atlanta, Easy Street seems to run forever.  What recession?  The average household here earns $88,000 - the highest in Georgia, 13th highest in America.  —  But for more families here, prosperity is a pretense.

Where in the world is Obama?  —  The president was in Hawaii while the supercommittee hit stall speed.  What is new about this?  Very little.  —  Throughout his term, President Obama has avoided leading on the issue of fiscal responsibility.  He walked away from his own commission …

When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality?  —  Some of my Republican friends ask if I've gone crazy.  I say: Look in the mirror.  —  It's a very strange experience to have your friends think you've gone crazy.  Some will tell you so.  Others will indulgently humor you.  Still others will avoid you.

Jose Pimentel Is Charged in N.Y.C. Bomb Plot  —  A Manhattan man who became fascinated by the American-born Muslim militant Anwar al-Awlaki was arrested on charges of plotting to build and detonate bombs in New York, city officials announced on Sunday night.

Boring Cruel Romantics  —  There's a word I keep hearing lately: “technocrat.”  Sometimes it's used as a term of scorn — the creators of the euro, we're told, were technocrats who failed to take human and cultural factors into account.  Sometimes it's a term of praise …