The Gingrich Tragedy  —  Of all the major Republicans, the one who comes closest to my worldview is Newt Gingrich.  Despite his erratically shifting views and odd phases, he continually returns to this core political refrain: He talks about using government in energetic but limited ways to increase growth, dynamism and social mobility.

The Real G.O.P. Dark Horse: None of the Above  —  Two of my favorite analysts, Rhodes Cook and Josh Putnam, have a good debate going about just how plausible it is that a Republican who is not currently running for president could enter the race later and potentially win it (probably necessitating a brokered convention).

Michele Bachmann Becomes Fifth GOP Candidate To Reject Donald Trump Debate  —  ABC News' Michael Falcone reports:  —  DES MOINES — Another one bites the dust.  —  Michele Bachmann has officially said “no” to the Donald Trump-moderated Newsmax debate scheduled for later this month.

Record High Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Toward Congress  —  But voters are more inclined to say their own representative deserves re-election  —  PRINCETON, NJ — About three-quarters of registered voters (76%) say most members of Congress do not deserve re-election, the highest such percentage Gallup …

All the G.O.P.'s Gekkos  —  Almost a quarter of a century has passed since the release of the movie “Wall Street,” and the film seems more relevant than ever.  The self-righteous screeds of financial tycoons denouncing President Obama all read like variations on Gordon Gekko's famous …

Mitt's granite fortress under siege  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. - Mitt Romney, whose team has been working New Hampshire for nearly five years, has a coordinator in most of the state's 234 towns.  Newt Gingrich, who opened an office here less than a month ago, has a state director who's never worked on a campaign before.

N.Y.U. to Offer Classes on Occupy Wall Street … Occupy Wall Street is becoming a teachable moment for New York City college students.  —  New York University plans to offer two classes next semester on the protest movement, whose participants frequently marched and rallied around the school's Greenwich Village campus this fall.

GOP seeks to cut unemployment benefits  —  GOP leaders hope to build momentum for an end-of-year tax package with sweeping reforms to federal unemployment benefits.  —  The Republican proposal is expected to reduce the total number of weeks unemployed workers are eligible for aid …

A Liberal's Lament on Kagan and Health Care  —  Should Elena Kagan recuse herself in the ACA case?  —  Elena Kagan was appointed by Obama from within his administration shortly after health care reform passed.  Should she hear the case before the Supreme Court?

Obama: More jobs in jobless benefits than Keystone  —  President Obama said that he will delay his vacation and keep Congress in session until the passage of his desired payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits extension — two proposals that Obama said would create more jobs …

Google Currents is hot off the press  —  We strive to give you beautiful and simple ways to experience all the content the web has to offer, such as sharing photos on Google+, watching YouTube videos and discovering books, movies and music from Android Market.

Obama Endorses Decision to Limit Morning-After Pill  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama, who took office pledging to put science ahead of politics, averted a skirmish with conservatives in the nation's culture wars on Thursday by endorsing his health secretary's decision to block over-the-counter sales …

‘Furious’ twisting  —  For the sake of argument, let's assume that everything Attorney General Eric Holder told the House Judiciary Committee yesterday was true.  —  That the answer to several questions about who ordered Fast and Furious — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' …

Obama's campaign for class resentment  —  In the first month of his presidency, Barack Obama averred that if in three years he hadn't alleviated the nation's economic pain, he'd be a “one-term proposition.”  —  When three-quarters of Americans think the country is on the “wrong track” …

GOP Objects To ‘Millionaires Surtax’; Millionaires We Found?  Not So Much  —  For the second week in a row, the Senate on Thursday voted down proposals to extend the payroll tax holiday through next year.  In the case of the Democrats' proposal, Republicans objected to the “millionaires surtax” that would be used to pay for it.

Jon Corzine Dodges the Fraud Question  —  It's as if Jon Corzine's PR machine is in top spin mode.  You'll recall Jon Corzine is the former head of Goldman Sachs and former CEO of MF Global that appeared in front of Congress yesterday to answer questions about an estimated $600 million …

About Virginia Postrel  —  Virginia Postrel writes about commerce and culture, innovation, economics and public policy.  Shes the author of “The Future and Its Enemies” and “The Substance of Style,” and is writing a book on glamour.  —  U.S. Universities Feast on Federal Student Aid: Virginia Postrel

Officials Confirm Authenticity of Iranian TV Images Showing Lost U.S. Drone  —  U.S. officials have confirmed to Fox News that images aired by Iranian state television do in fact show the secret U.S. drone that went down last week in eastern Iran.  —  “Yep, that's it,” one senior official told Fox News.