Brutal Newt Gingrich Ad in the Works  —  Newt Gingrich is responding to last night's debate with a brutal new ad accusing Romney of trying to mislead, deceive, and distort his way to the White House.  —  Here's the money line: “What kind of man would mislead, distort and deceive just to win an election?

Ron Paul signed off on racist newsletters in the 1990s, associates say  —  Ron Paul, well known as a physician, congressman and libertarian , has also been a businessman who pursued a marketing strategy that included publishing provocative, racially charged newsletters to make money and spread his ideas …

No Need to Panic About Global Warming  —  There's no compelling scientific argument for drastic action to ‘decarbonize’ the world's economy.  —  Editor's Note: The following has been signed by the 16 scientists listed at the end of the article:  —  A candidate for public office …

The economic chart that may doom the Obama presidency  —  In his State of the Union response the other night, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels neatly summed up Mitt Romney's (who has a roughly 90 percent chance of being the GOP nominee according to Intrade) economic case against President Barack Obama …

Elliott Abrams Caught Misleading on Newt  —  As Ronald Reagan used to say: Well.  —  Yesterday we took note of former Reagan State Department official Elliott Abrams' piece over at NRO that went after Newt Gingrich on his relationship with Reagan.  While voting regularly with Reagan …

Sounding Off  —  At the risk of sounding like the shtetl police, there's a right way and a wrong way for American Jews to argue with one another.  The right way focuses on whose ideas are better—for America, for Israel, for the Jewish community, and for the world.

Voters polarized over Barack Obama, poll finds  —  President Obama's third year in office elicited some of the most polarized job approval ratings ever, as the differences between Republican and Democratic views of the president stood at near-record highs, a new survey shows.

Huntsman steps away from politics in new job  —  Jon Huntsman accepted a new position as chairman at the Huntsman Cancer Foundation on Thursday, the cancer research center announced this week.  —  Huntsman's position was effective immediately on Thursday, meaning he had a new job just 10 days …

Romney Packed Debate Hall With Supporters, Gingrich Aide Says … 2012 Election , Barack Obama , Newt Gingrich 2012 , Republican Presidential Primary , Rick Santorum , Elections 2012 , Newt Gingrich , Video , FL Election , FL Election 2012 , FL Primary , FL Primary 2012 …

Gov. Jan Brewer releases letter she handed to Obama  —  PHOENIX - In a sudden about-face, Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday evening made public a copy of the letter she handed President Obama during their high-profile encounter a day earlier that dominated national news, the blogosphere and water-cooler conversation.

FRC: ‘Rebel Fleet Surrenders to Gay Empire’  —  After first going after Girl Scout cookies, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins is now attacking the game Star Wars: The Old Republic for allowing same-sex relationships.  Stephen Reid of Bioware announced that players in the MMO …

Buffett: Criticism is ‘ridiculous’ … Warren Buffett's secretary, after being pointed out on national television during Tuesday's State of the Union speech, now is facing criticism over her salary and second home.  —  Debbie Bosanek and her boss both declined Thursday to disclose how much she's paid, saying it's private.

Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice  —  There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.  —  The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults.

Mitt Romney's Tax Problem … This has been interpreted as a dig at Mitt Romney, whose personal wealth and comparatively low tax rate have been front-and-center in the campaign these past weeks.  Romney finally released his tax returns on Thursday, revealing a 2010 income of $27 million and a federal tax rate of 13.9%.

Alabama School Under Scrutiny After Official Tells A Student To Remove A Gay Rights Sweatshirt  —  The Southern Poverty Law Center has warned an Alabama school district against infringing on a student's freedom of speech.  Elizabeth Garrett, an openly gay sophomore at Brookwood High School …

Yes, the Romneys Converted Mitt's Dead Atheist Father-in-Law to Mormonism  —  Gawker's substantial Mormon readership has come through for us: Two readers have sent us confirmation that Edward Davies, Mitt Romney's militantly atheist father-in-law, was indeed posthumously converted to Mormonism …