Poll: Romney slipping in South Carolina, holds just 2 point lead over Gingrich  —  Despite a historic sweep of the first two nominating contests in the GOP field, Mitt Romney holds just a two percentage point lead in South Carolina, his smallest lead of 2012.

Should The Times Be a Truth Vigilante?  —  I'm looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by newsmakers they write about.  —  One example mentioned recently by a reader: As cited in an Adam Liptak article on the Supreme Court …

3 billionaires who'll drag out the race  —  Meet the three billionaires who could drag out the GOP presidential primary, bloody up front-runner Mitt Romney and weaken the odds of defeating President Barack Obama: Sheldon Adelson, Foster Friess and Jon Huntsman, Sr.

Justice Department approved recess appointments  —  President Barack Obama's decision last week to snub Congress and make a series of recess appointments while the Senate claimed it was technically in session had the legal blessing of the Justice Department, according to a formal legal opinion released Thursday.

Obama's 2011 fundraising haul: Bush's league  —  The Obama campaign and Democratic National Committee raked in a combined $68 million in the fourth quarter, bringing their total 2011 haul to $250 million — an impressive take but not quite up to the blistering pace set by the Bush-Cheney reelection machine over the same period.

Afghan leader Karzai condemns ‘US Marines body desecration’ video  —  Afghan President Hamid Karzai has condemned a video that appears to show US Marines urinating on the bloodied corpses of several Taliban fighters.  —  The Taliban has also criticised the video as “shameful” but said it would not derail attempts at peace talks.

Laura Bush wanted Jeb to run for president in 2012  —  SARASOTA  —  Former first lady Laura Bush wishes there were one more candidate in the Republican presidential primary: Jeb Bush.  —  Speaking to a sold-out Sarasota audience on Wednesday, Bush said she had hoped that her brother-in-law …

The World According to Nancy Pelosi  —  In her first speech on the House floor, Nancy Pelosi spoke out on AIDS.  Many of her colleagues thought she was crazy for doing so.  Twenty-five years later, she's not finished pushing the LGBT envelope in Washington.

Homeland Security watches Twitter, social media  —  (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's command center routinely monitors dozens of popular websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, WikiLeaks and news and gossip sites including the Huffington Post and Drudge Report, according to a government document.

2012 ELECTIONS: Veteran Rep. Lewis to retire  —  Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, has announced he will not seek an 18th term in Congress and will retire.  —  bgoad@pe.com  —  U.S. Rep. Jerry Lewis, who has represented Inland Southern California in Washington for more than three decades …

Click to rate Rating (0)  —  Reply to ‘fly over country’ What garbage.  Do you get your information from a loudmouth uninformed Republican Senator.  The National Health Service doesn't keep tally on how much is spent on each patient.  It doesn't let people die.

Mormons in America  —  Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society  —  With a Mormon candidate among the front-runners for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, a musical about Mormons playing on Broadway and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) …