Rush Limbaugh mocks GOP establishment  —  Rush Limbaugh mocked the Republican establishment on his radio show Wednesday for being “shocked” by Rick Santorum's three-state win, saying, “I can't believe how insulated they are.”  —  “They're literally shocked.  The Republican establishment had no idea this was percolating out there.

USCCB Spokesman: Hawaii Bill ‘Not Much of a Compromise’ to Fix Contraception Mandate (1731)  —  Religious groups maintain drumbeat of opposition.  Romney launches petition campaign.  —  WASHINGTON — As religious groups maintain their drumbeat of opposition to the new federal rule mandating …

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 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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tee Pawed  —  Last night's big loser was Mitt Romney.  The runner-up: Tim Pawlenty, the former GOP governor of Minnesota.  He just lost the veepstakes.  —  I like Pawlenty.  Last year, when it became clear that Mitch Daniels and a few others weren't going to run for president …

Six Republican Senators — Including Snowe And Collins — Co-Sponsored Federal Contraception Mandate In 2001  —  Republicans have gone to war against President Obama's regulation requiring employers and insurers to provide contraception coverage, portraying the measure as a “government takeover” …

Cardinal Edward Egan Just Withdrew His Apology For The Catholic Sex-Abuse Scandal  —  St. John Chrysostom, once said “The road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.”  —  Here's proof that he was right.  —  In an interview this week with Connecticut Magazine, Cardinal Edward Egan …

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.

Asia's mountains ‘lost no ice in 10 years’  —  Meltwater from Asia's peaks is much less then previously estimated, but lead scientist says the loss of ice caps and glaciers around the world remains a serious concern  —  • In pictures: the best images of the earth from space

Banks Near $25 Billion Pact on Foreclosure Probe  —  Government officials are on the verge of an agreement worth as much as $25 billion with five major banks, capping a yearlong push to settle federal and state probes of alleged foreclosure abuses by lenders.

Washington Legislature Is First in the Nation to Reverse its DOMA Mistake and Pass a Marriage Equality Bill  —  Fifteen years ago the Washington state Legislature overrode Gov. Gary Locke's veto and passed the discriminatory “defense of marriage act” (DOMA) to prevent gay and lesbian couples from obtaining civil marriage licenses.

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.