The Grand Strategy Behind Obama's Recess Appointment  —  Large American flags for all, Daily Show correspondent soundalikes for others!  —  President Obama's decision to use a recess appointment to seat Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was a no-brainer …

Rick Santorum Rakes In $2 Million In Two Days, Plans ‘Major’ South Carolina Ad Buy  —  ABC News' Shushannah Walshe, Michael Falcone and Jake Tapper and report:  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — Enjoying a wave of momentum from his near-win in the Iowa caucuses, Rick Santorum's campaign is raising money faster than ever before.

For vision and national unity, Huntsman for GOP nominee  —  DISSATISFACTION WITH the economy, expressed in spasms of anger toward Wall Street and Washington; the dashed hopes of many who believed that Barack Obama's election would create a new spirit of unity; and genuine uncertainty …

Santorum Denies Making Racially-Charged Claim After Apparently Acknowledging Saying It  —  The NAACP and the Urban League have condemned GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum for reportedly saying in a rant against welfare this week, “I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money.”

Partisan Politics and Vicious Assaults  —  First it was Alan Colmes; now it is Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, who went on MSNBC to mock Rick Santorum for how he and his wife Karen dealt with the death of their son Gabriel.  (A severe prenatal development led to his very early delivery …

House GOP weakened, divided  —  House Republicans aren't looking for another bloody battle on the payroll tax.  They don't think it's worth stepping into the ring with President Barack Obama during his 2012 crusade against Congress.  —  But they are willing to fight each other — over policy, strategy and leadership.

Santorum Insists On Comparing Marriage Equality To Polygamy In Heated Exchange With Students  —  Addressing a college student convention in Concord, New Hampshire moments ago, Rick Santorum was put on the defensive by numerous members of the audience who pressed him about his opposition to marriage equality.

How to fight liberals: Imitate them  —  Impressed by the effectiveness of the liberal Center for American Progress, a group of conservative journalists and operatives is preparing to engage in their own sincerest form of flattery - launching their own advocacy group with a similar name and mission but very different target.

Obama Describes Refocused Strategy for Leaner Military  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama outlined a broad new military strategy for the United States on Thursday, one that refocuses the armed forces on threats in Asia and the Pacific region, continues a strong presence in the Middle East …

What If Obama Loses?  —  Imagining the consequences of a GOP victory.  —  Facebook Twitter Digg Reddit StumbleUpon Delicious  —  It's a common complaint—we've certainly made it over the years—that too much political campaign coverage focuses on the horse race.

Jobs Picture: Claims Fall, Job Creation Surges; Layoffs Ease  —  The news is all good for the jobs market so far in 2012: Separate reports Thursday showed a surge in private-sector job creation, a sharp drop in weekly unemployment claims and planned layoffs at their lowest level in six months.

Harder for Americans to Rise From Lower Rungs  —  WASHINGTON — Benjamin Franklin did it.  Henry Ford did it.  And American life is built on the faith that others can do it, too: rise from humble origins to economic heights.  “Movin' on up,” George Jefferson-style, is not only a sitcom song but a civil religion.

Mitt Romney out of control  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — If this is Mitt Romney's idea of a victory rally, one shudders to think what would have happened if he had lost the Iowa caucuses.  —  The day after his impossibly thin eight-vote victory, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination flew …

Restaurant Sign Reads, ‘No Politicians, No Exceptions’  —  PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — It's common for presidential candidates to make the rounds at New Hampshire restaurants, but one has had enough of the visits.  —  The sign at the entrance of Colby's Breakfast & Lunch in Portsmouth reads “No Politicians, No Exceptions.”

Three charged in John Doe investigation of Walker aides  —  By Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel  —  Three individuals - including a former top aide to Gov. Scott Walker - were charged Thursday with felonies as part of the ongoing John Doe investigation into Walker staffers.