Top Items:

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 …
RELATED:

First Thoughts: Newt-mentum returns? — Is Newt-mentum returning?... Even if so, Gingrich faces two challenges: time and math... Romney's wealth and Bain Capital have been THE story in the GOP race for the past 10 days (and counting)... Are the first Obama TV ads going up?
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's … and The Caucus

The bitter backstory between Newt Gingrich and Romney backer, Susan Molinari — Later today, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign will host a Newt Gingrich-bashing conference call with two surrogates, former Rep. Susan Molinari and former Sen. Jim Talent. — Molinari's dislike for Gingrich spans more than a decade.
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Palin: I'd vote for Gingrich in South Carolina
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Wonkette, New York Times, The Reaction and CNN

Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum set South Carolina expectations
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and CNN

Obama up 5 on Romney nationally
Discussion:
Washington Post, The American Independent, Hot Air, Daily Kos, The Caucus, Ballot Box, Gothamist, INSTAPUTZ, No More Mister Nice Blog and Guardian

Gingrich doubles down on promise to follow Obama around the country to force debates
Discussion:
CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog and Political Mojo

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 …
RELATED:


Google will protest SOPA using popular home page
Discussion:
Emily L. Hauser, Techdirt, Political Mojo and TechCrunch

SOPA protests shut down Web sites
Discussion:
Scientific American, The Mahablog and US Politics

It's Baaaaaaaaack: Lamar Smith Says SOPA Markup To Resume In February
Discussion:
The Hill, Deadline.com, Daily Kos and Making Light, more at Techmeme »

Announcement: Raw Story to go dark on January 18 to protest SOPA/PIPA
Discussion:
Networking Blog, Computerworld, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh and Crooks and Liars, more at Mediagazer »

‘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.
Discussion:
RedState, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, The Heritage Foundation, Hot Air and Weasel Zippers
RELATED:


Taxpayers on Hook for D.C. Protester's Potties — The Capitol installed 17 Don's Johns for today's Occupy protests. They were lined up next to the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial seen in the background. — America's taxpayers, already on the hook for watching over the Occupy movement's three-month seizure …
Discussion:
americanthinker.com, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and The Lonely Conservative

Protest Sapped of Cash
Discussion:
Associated Press, NewsBusters.org blogs, Weasel Zippers, New York Magazine, Hot Air, The Politico, ThinkProgress, The Hill and Gothamist

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 …
Discussion:
americanthinker.com and Prairie Weather


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 …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Shakesville, Grim's Hall and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


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 …
RELATED:

New Obama OMB director a Bain alum
Discussion:
Pat Dollard, Betsy's Page, Hot Air and The Politico

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 …
Discussion:
Questions and Observations and Betsy's Page

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 …
RELATED:


Enough signatures collected to recall Wisconsin governor
Discussion:
americanthinker.com, The Moderate Voice and Crooked Timber


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 …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and The Raw Story


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.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and Taegan Goddard's …


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 …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, Jared Bernstein, American Prospect and Economix


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.
Discussion:
The Spot and Joe. My. God.


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 …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish and Mediaite


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 …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo and The Hill
RELATED: