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 …

Face It: Romney's the Nominee  —  The media will desperately try to persuade you there is still a Republican race.  Do not pay attention.  —  Is there anyone not annoyed by Mitt Romney's narrow win in the Iowa caucus?  Conservatives are disappointed because they recognize …

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.

Keith Olbermann Clashes With Current TV  —  The broadcaster Keith Olbermann is famous for estranging himself from his bosses, be it at ESPN, Fox or MSNBC.  —  At his new home, Al Gore's Current TV, he has done it in record time.  —  Mr. Olbermann, who was hired last year to be the top star …

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.

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 …

Gingrich off base on judiciary  —  GOP PRESIDENTIAL hopeful Newt Gingrich recently made disturbing comments regarding the judiciary.  He proposed that Congress should be able to impeach judges whose decisions he believes to be wrong.  If elected, he would abolish courts that displease him …

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.

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.

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.

Obama to cut “tens of thousands of ground troops” from military  —  The last time the US did this, we at least had the illusion of a “peace dividend” and unrivaled supremacy as the world's only superpower.  Now we're fighting a tough war in Afghanistan, and China's expanding its military might, if not its belligerence yet.

Scott Walker, undaunted by recall, urges governors to cut state budgets boldly  —  Embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said politicians should boldly pursue a budget-cutting agenda even if Tea Party enthusiasm and popular support fades away.  —  Walker, speaking at the American Enterprise Institute …

Denver woman arrested for punching, damaging $30 million Clyfford Still painting  —  Clyfford Still painting.  The damage to the painting is identified as “1957-J-No. 2.”  (Denver Post file photo)  —  A 36-year-old Denver woman, apparently drunk, leaned against an iconic Clyfford Still painting worth …