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 …

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 …

Oklahoma mom calling 911 asks if shooting an intruder is allowed  —  (CNN) — Home alone with her 3-month-old son, Sarah Dawn McKinley of Blanchard, Oklahoma, said she decided to make a stand when two men tried to break into her home on New Year's Eve.  —  McKinley, who had been widowed less …

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.

Santorum commits Republican sacrilege: Attacks Ronald Reagan  —  BRENTWOOD, N.H. — Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum committed one of the gravest sins in Republican politics on Wednesday evening by knocking the revered former President Ronald Reagan at a packed town hall meeting.

Rift Between Olbermann and Current TV Deepens: ‘Everybody Is Replaceable’  —  Keith Olbermann returned to the airwaves Wednesday night, but the rift between the bad boy anchor and his superiors at Current TV has not dissipated a day after he refused to lead the network's coverage of the Iowa caucus, TheWrap has learned.

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.

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.

Kodak Teeters on the Brink  —  Eastman Kodak Co. is preparing to seek bankruptcy protection in the coming weeks, people familiar with the matter said, a move that would cap a stunning comedown for a company that once ranked among America's corporate titans.  —  The 131-year-old company …

Ron Paul Raises $13 Million, Has Long-Term Strategy  —  Ron Paul is raising big bucks.  Other than Mitt Romney, no candidate has more resources now to wage a drawn-out campaign.  —  The Ron Paul campaign reports raising $13 million for the fourth quarter of 2012.

Newt Gingrich suffers from super PAC buyer's remorse  —  Not long ago Newt Gingrich seemed to be a big fan of super PACs.  —  The former House Speaker two years ago called the new legal framework that gave rise to unlimited fundraising by outside groups a “great victory for free speech” …

RFK grandson forming exploratory committee for Barney Frank seat  —  Joseph P. Kennedy III is leaving his job as a prosecutor and laying the groundwork to run for the House seat that retiring Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has held for three decades.  —  Kennedy is forming an exploratory committee …

California panel declares high-speed rail project “not financially feasible”  —  When the California legislature undertook the most expensive public-works project in American history, they also created an independent review board to ensure that the LA-to-San Francisco high-speed rail project would have solid financial footing.

Not Your Father's Republican Party  —  Norman J. Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.  —  There is no doubt that Republicans are fragmented now as they move formally to try to choose a presidential nominee.  Echoing Jim Rutenberg of The New York Times …

How Many Stephen Colberts Are There?  —  There used to be just two Stephen Colberts, and they were hard enough to distinguish.  The main difference was that one thought the other was an idiot.  The idiot Colbert was the one who made a nice paycheck by appearing four times a week on …

Obama plans to cut tens of thousands of ground troops  —  (Reuters) - The Obama administration will unveil a “more realistic” vision for the military on Thursday, with plans to cut tens of thousands of ground troops and invest more in air and sea power at a time of fiscal restraint, officials familiar with the plans said on Wednesday.