Trump: 'I don't get Rick Santorum;' talks Romney cabinet position  —  Donald Trump sits down with CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield to discuss GOP candidates for president as well as what position he would want in Mitt Romney's cabinet.  —  Trump says, “Rick Santorum was a sitting senator …

Why White House sees political opportunity in the contraception battle  —  (Public Religion Research Institute) The controversy over the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation's decision to eliminate funding to Planned Parenthood—and subsequent reversal— continues.

CNN's Roland Martin suspended for homophobic tweets  —  On Super Bowl Sunday, Roland Martin of CNN issued some homophobic tweets that got him in trouble with gay organizations and this blog.  CNN stayed silent on the matter, until just moments ago, when it issued this statement:

The 2012 Index of Dependence on Government  —  Abstract: The great and calamitous fiscal trends of our time—dependence on government by an increasing portion of the American population, and soaring debt that threatens the financial integrity of the economy—worsened yet again in 2010 and 2011.

Congress' Job Approval at New Low of 10%  —  Republicans and Democrats equally negative  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A record-low 10% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, down from 13% in January and the previous low of 11%, recorded in December 2011.

Republican Enthusiasm Issue is Real  —  The paltry turnout in the Republican Presidential contests over the last week reflects what we've seen in our recent national polling: Democrats are now more excited about voting this fall than Republicans are, reversing the enthusiasm gap that plagued the party in 2010.

The White House Has No Opinion About Whether the Senate Should Pass a Budget - Today's Q's for O's WH - 2/8/12  —  TAPPER: President Obama is going to be introducing his outline for a budget.  Fed Chair Bernanke has said the lack of a budget having been passed by the Senate has had an adverse affect …

Poll finds broad support for Obama's counterterrorism policies  —  The sharpest edges of President Obama's counterterrorism policy, including the use of drone aircraft to kill suspected terrorists abroad and keeping open the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have broad public support …

Study: ‘Conservative’ Movies Make More Money Than ‘Liberal’ Movies (Exclusive)  —  Patriotism and traditional values, like those displayed in “Thor,” “The Artist,” “Soul Surfer” and “Hugo,” are what moviegoers want, says a group that will honor such films at an awards gala Friday.

The Gasoline “Bubble”?  —  Since we are all trying to get to know Ricky Santorum a bit better, at least until such time as a barrage of attack ads reduce him to a whimpering wreck huddling under a stack of fetus posters, it's worth noting he has some pretty exotic ideas outside the cultural arena.

Grassley: House GOP doing Wall Street's bidding on STOCK Act  —  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) accused his Republican counterparts in the House of doing the bidding of Wall Street by removing a provision from the STOCK Act that would have required political intelligence firms to register in a similar fashion to lobbyists.

CPAC Set to Host White Nationalist Leader  —  Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, along with several Republican senators and congressmen, are set to appear at the American Conservative Union's Conservative Political Action Conference, but the GOP brass aren't the only ones set to be at CPAC.

Video shows officers beating motorist in diabetic shock  —  Loading the player...  Adam Greene is on his stomach as a pack of police officers pile on him, driving their knees into his back and wrenching his arms and legs.  One officer knees him in the ribs; another kicks him in the face.

Thoughts on the Ninth Circuit's Same-Sex Marriage Decision  —  1. This is going up to the Supreme Court.  I suspect that the backers of Prop. 8 won't even ask for en banc review by the Ninth Circuit, since they're unlikely to win there.  Depending on how quickly they file their petition for certiorari …

Schneiderman's Last-Minute Cancellation Spells Trouble for Foreclosure Fraud Settlement  —  NY AG Eric Schneiderman abruptly cancelled press conference re settlement (Photo: azipaybarah, flickr)  —  As I mentioned in last night's roundup, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman abruptly cancelled …

The making of gay marriage's top foe  —  Salon exclusive: How Maggie Gallagher's college pregnancy made her a single mom, and a traditional marriage zealot  —  In September 1978, Yale freshmen would not have voted Maggie Gallagher the member of the Class of 1982 most likely to get pregnant before graduation.