Newt Gingrich: If Mitt Romney Wins South Carolina, It's Over … South Carolina Primary Election , South Carolina Primary Election 2012 , Politics News  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — Newt Gingrich came clean Tuesday afternoon, admitting that if he can't win this state's primary on Saturday …

Unbowed by protests, Lamar Smith to move ahead on piracy bill  —  House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) vowed to push forward with his controversial anti-piracy bill on Tuesday as popular websites prepared to go dark in protest.  —  “I am committed to continuing to work …

‘Occupy’ protesters suspected of throwing smoke bomb over White House fence  —  WASHINGTON - The Secret Service was responding Tuesday night to an escalating protest that may have involved one or more smoke bombs being thrown over the White House fence.  —  An estimated 1,000 protesters have gathered.

Recess appointments might not hold  —  Some legal experts, including those who have sided with President Obama on other constitutional issues, think there is a good chance the courts could overturn his recent recess appointments.  —  Legal experts said courts could invalidate Obama's appointments …

Mitt Romney Sent Millions to Mormon Church  —  Republican presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney walks toward his campaign plane, Jan. 11, 2012 in Bedford, Mass. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)  —  Underscoring the prominent, if little discussed role that Mitt Romney played …

The Book On Mitt Romney: Here Is John McCain's Entire Opposition Research File … The Book On Mitt Romney: Here Is John McCain's Entire Opposition Research File  —  Politics Buzz A document found online by BuzzFeed appears to be John McCain's entire, 200-page opposition research file …

Obama's jobs council report says ‘drill’  —  President Obama's jobs council called Tuesday for an “all-in approach” to energy policy that includes expanded oil-and-gas drilling as well as expediting energy projects like pipelines.  —  “[W]e should allow more access to oil …

Democrats file 1 million signatures for Walker recall  —  Petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker are delivered Tuesday to the Government Accountability Board headquarters in Madison.  Recall supporters filed about twice as many signatures as they needed.  Republicans, meantime …

Did Rick Santorum Win the Iowa Caucuses, Not Mitt Romney?  —  Incorrect precinct numbers from one Iowa town, and a 20-vote misallocation to Mitt Romney, casts his eight-vote victory in question—along with his claim to be the only candidate to win both Iowa and New Hampshire.

Why They Stood and Cheered  —  Gingrich confronts the left's insidious theory of racial supremacy.  —  Bye-Ku for Jon Huntsman  —  Call me crazy, but  —  I think insulting voters  —  Will warm them to me  —  The live-audience reaction to Republican presidential debates is a matter …

Romney Caricatures Himself  —  Mitt Romney, in all likelihood, is going to walk away with his party's presidential nomination.  Yet from the standpoint of positioning himself for the general election, the primary season has been a disaster for him.  Romney's campaign has worked hard …

Colorado Catholics Ask Church Goers To Oppose Civil Unions  —  The Colorado Catholic Conference is urging parishioners to oppose the state's pending civil unions bill, the Denver Post reports, and is distributing flyers during mass asking church goers to pressure lawmakers into defeating the measure.

White House locked down because of ‘smoking objects’  —  The White House was locked down Tuesday night because of “smoking objects” found near the North Portico as hundreds of protesters rallied outside the executive mansion, Secret Service officials said.  —  “We had approximately 1,000 …

Dear Andrew Sullivan: Why Focus On Obama's Dumbest Critics?  —  A major defense of the president exaggerates Obama's accomplishments and misses the point: his scandalous transgressions against rule of law.  —  After reading Andrew Sullivan's Newsweek essay about President Obama, his critics …

Romney Reveals his Tax Rate is ‘Probably Closer to 15 Percent’  —  FLORENCE, S.C. — Mitt Romney revealed for the first time today that his effective tax rate is “closer to 15 percent,” suggesting that he pays less in taxes than many middle income Americans despite being worth an estimated $250 million.