Going After Rick  —  America is going bankrupt, Iran is going nuclear, the Obama administration is going after religious liberty.  And Mitt Romney is going after Rick Santorum.  —  Which is fine (sort of).  Romney's in a political fight, and politics ain't beanbag, as Romney has tried to say.

Why birth control is a good wedge issue against the GOP  —  Some time around the end of February, the Senate will vote on the Blunt-Rubio amendment, which would allow insurers and employers to deny coverage for birth control or any other medical services simply on the grounds that they find them morally objectionable.

GOP demands apology for Obama campaign manager's ‘chimichanga’ tweet  —  Republicans are demanding an apology Wednesday from President Obama's campaign manager after a tweet that they argue was insulting toward Latino Americans.  —  Jim Messina, who is helming the president's re-election effort …

Why Obama Will Embrace the 99 Percent  —  The last time I considered Barack Obama's re-election chances in this magazine, in mid-November, things were looking pretty bleak for the president.  The statistical model I used measured three key factors — a president's approval rating …

Santorum: Birth control ‘harmful to women’  —  Yesterday I speculated on some of the reasons Rick Santorum has problems with women voters.  This interview from 2006 sure isn't going to help  —  For starters, does he realize that married women (men too!) use birth control?

Female Passengers Say They Were Targeted for TSA Body Scanners  —  TSA agents in Dallas singled out female passengers to undergo screening in a body scanner, according to complaints filed by several women who said they felt the screeners intentionally targeted them to view their bodies.

Study: Sierra snowfall consistent over 130 years  —  Snowfall in the Sierra Nevada has remained consistent for 130 years, with no evidence that anything has changed as a result of climate change, according to a study released Tuesday.  —  The analysis of snowfall data in the Sierra …

PolitiFact responds to Rachel Maddow  —  Rachel Maddow made yet another stinging attack on PolitiFact last night, calling the Tampa Bay Times' fact-checking project “a disaster” (see video).  —  Via email, PolitiFact editor and Tampa Bay Times Washington bureau chief Bill Adair responds to the criticism:

Media Matters tax-exempt status may face new scrutiny from Congress  —  Congressional Republicans are now interested in examining the Media Matters For America's tax-exempt status, The Daily Caller has learned.  Doing so would cause the GOP to wade into the complex world of tax laws that govern …

Washington's War in Yemen Backfires  —  Soldiers with the 25th Mechanized Brigade near the front lines in Zinjibar Yemen.  Image credit: Richard Rowley, Big Noise Films  —     —  Gen. Mohammed al-Sumali sits in the passenger seat of his armored Toyota Land Cruiser as it whizzes …

White House issues veto threat for House transportation bill  —  The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto a wide-ranging transportation package from House Republicans.  —  The administration raised concerns about a provision to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, and argued …

Health Costs, Gov't Regulations Curb Small Business Hiring  —  Nearly half of small-business owners name these issues  —  PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. small-business owners who aren't hiring — 85% of those surveyed — are most likely to say the reasons they are not doing so include …

7 very tired political cliches  —  4. “America is at a crossroads” : 24 mentions  —  “We are at a crossroads in our system of government and our personal lives,” wrote Pieter Verboom in a letter to the editor, appearing in the Chico Enterprise-Record on Jan. 23.

Did OMB director not get the mandate memo?  —  It's the kind of “oops” moments every high-ranking administration official dreads.  You're testifying before Congress, you answer a question the wrong way, and — oops! — you just undermined the administration's defense of the health care law.

Maine, Iowa Caucus Mishaps Prove It's Time for a Better System  —  It's déjà vu as missing precincts mean Mitt Romney may not have won Maine after all.  This year's mistaken outcomes are not surprising when you consider how flawed the entire caucus system is.

Chavez allies attack new opponent Capriles as Jewish, gay  —  Venezuelan presidential hopeful Henrique Capriles, seen at a rally in La Guaira Jan. 27, has been attacked over his sexuality, Jewish ancestry and his selection as opposition candidate.  —  Allies of President Hugo Chavez …

Chris Christie Ignores Gov. Gregoire's Outreach On Marriage Equality, Hopes To Swiftly Veto Measure  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) hopes to put the politically delicate question of same-sex marriage behind him and is prepared to swiftly veto a bill extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians …

Palin: Obama Is ‘Underestimating the Wisdom of Women’  —  (CNSNews.com) - Both Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin appeared on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, but not together.  —  The former governors, in separate interviews, had a little to say about each other, but more to say about President Obama.

Deported Dad Begs North Carolina To Give Him Back His Children  —  Every morning since the first of his three boys was born in 2007, Felipe Montes would wake early and prepare breakfast for his wife and children, get his boys ready for their day, change them, feed them and when he could not arrange …

Federal funds flow to clean-energy firms with Obama administration ties  —  Sanjay Wagle was a venture capitalist and Barack Obama fundraiser in 2008, rallying support through a group he headed known as Clean Tech for Obama.  —  Shortly after Obama's election, he left his California firm …

Why Do Democrats Want to Protect Voter Fraud?  —  Suffrage: A new study finds that nearly 2 million dead people remain on voter registration rolls.  So tell us again why Democrats oppose voter ID laws that would help prevent these errant registrations from being exploited?

Santorum to North Dakota: Terrorists ‘will bother you’  —  (CNN) - Rick Santorum warned a quiet North Dakota audience Wednesday that their state's booming oil industry positioned the region as a prime target for terrorism.  —  “Folks, you've got energy here.  They're going to bother you.

The Republican War on Women: Invading the Vagina in Virginia  —  The Republican Party has declared war on the dignity of women.  This war on women is emerging as a centerpiece of the Republicans' 2012 election strategy.  Around the country, women are being told that they should feel shame …