Romney speech falls flat in Detroit  —  Mitt Romney spoke to several empty seats Friday in Detroit, in a speech that offered Democrats more fodder for their attacks and failed to deliver the major economic address his campaign promised.  —  Television cameras showed rows of empty chairs …

David Albo, Virginia Lawmaker, Says Wife Wouldn't Have Sex Because Of Transvaginal Ultrasound Bill  —  Virginia's controversial transvaginal ultrasound bill hit one Republican lawmaker close to home.  In the bedroom, to be precise.  He said a fellow lawmaker's television discussion of the bill cost him sex with his wife.

Newt OK with gay marriage referenda  —  With same-sex marriage laws passing in Maryland and Washington state and New Jersey headed for a fall referendum on the issue, Newt Gingrich said at the Washington state capitol this morning that he's basically comfortable with states enacting gay marriage laws by popular vote.

American Muslim Judge Who Imposed Sharia in Pennsylvania Court Threatens to Jail Infidel Victim for Blasphemy — releasing recorded audio of the case  —  Infidel victim, Ernest Perce, has received 471 verifiable threats. … This is why we must have sharia legislation in America.

‘Right Wing Lice’  —  Bigoted and hateful rhetoric from a New York Times columnist.  —  A month ago, Charles Blow of the New York Times blocked this columnist on Twitter in reaction to our pointing out that one of his tweets was fallacious.  The Blow tweet in that incident was racially charged but offensive only to logic.

A Letter to the Obama Campaign  —  Dear Mr. Messina:  —  Because every American has the right to take part in the public discourse on matters that affect the future of our country, I feel compelled to respond directly about a fundraising letter you sent out on February 24 denouncing Koch.

Pelosi 2008: Bush to Blame for High Gas Prices; Pelosi 2012: Wall Street to Blame for High Gas Prices  —  Obviously the Democrats are worried their golden boy will be taking heat for skyrocketing gas prices so this week they've gone on the offensive.  Their diversionary tactics …

Rick Santorum speaks at super PAC fundraiser  —  Rick Santorum on Thursday afternoon slipped away from the campaign trail to speak to a fundraiser for a supportive super PAC, despite denying previous reports that he planned to do so.  —  The fundraiser drew between 20 and 25 donors …

Los Angeles Times launches new membership program  —  Starting March 5, online readers will be asked to buy a digital subscription at an initial rate of 99 cents for four weeks.  Readers who do not subscribe will be able to read 15 stories in a 30-day period for free.

Exclusive: State Department quietly warning region on Syrian WMDs  —  The State Department has begun coordinating with Syria's neighbors to prepare for the handling of President Bashar al-Assad's extensive weapons of mass destruction if and when his regime collapses, The Cable has learned.

Arlen Specter: Rick Santorum ‘so far to the right’  —  ‘I intend to watch the campaign.  I intend to make a decision on the merits,’ Specter said.  AP Photo  —  Close  —  Former Sen. Arlen Specter said Friday that he thought fellow Pennsylvanian Rick Santorum was too extreme to be president.

Did Jeb Bush Actually Say That?  —  We may be reaching critical mass in the belief that this pathetic field of Republican candidates has jumped the shark...even many Republicans have come to that conclusion.  Politico today cites several sources that Jeb Bush said this during a post-speech question …

City Teacher Data Reports Are Released  —  Updated After a long legal battle and amid much anguish by teachers and other educators, the New York City Education Department released individual performance rankings of 18,000 public school teachers on Friday, while admonishing the news media …

Democratic governors discuss bypassing Congress with Obama  —  President Obama met with a group of Democratic governors on Friday and discussed plans to work around Congress toward policy goals.  —  Gov. Jack Markell, the Democratic governor of Delaware and the vice chairman …

Karen Santorum: husband's presidential run is 'God's will'  —  Rick Santorum's wife granted a rare interview Thursday, telling conservative talk show host Glenn Beck that she initially had been against her husband running for president but finally concluded it was “God's will.”

Gingrich Calls Obama's Embrace of Algae Energy ‘Weird’  —  FEDERAL WAY, Wash.— Newt Gingrich has been hitting Obama's energy speech since the president delivered it Thursday, calling the speech funny enough to be on SNL and “something worthy of Leno or Letterman.”

Denying women coverage under any guise is a big step backward  —  MAYBE YOU saw the pictures.  Five middle-age men seated at a congressional hearing table to discuss freedom of religion and contraception.  And not a single woman was on the panel.  Unbelievable.