Top Items:


Odds of a Brokered Convention Are Increasing — We're finally close enough to Super Tuesday to get a sense of how the overall delegate count might work out in the GOP primary. The end result: Assuming that none of the four candidates drops out of the race, it looks increasingly …
RELATED:


Romney Wins Arizona; Tight Race in Michigan — SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Mitt Romney won the Arizona primary on Tuesday, based on surveys of voters leaving polls, but was locked in a tight battle with Rick Santorum in Michigan, where Mr. Santorum hoped to use his strong showing in his rival's native state …

G.O.P. Greek Tragedy — Rick should scat. — Mitt Romney needs to be left alone to limp across the finish line, so he can devote his full time and attention to losing to President Obama. — Robo-Romney, who pulled out victories in his home state and in Arizona, and Sanctorum are still in a race to the bottom.
Discussion:
The Caucus, Boston Herald, The PJ Tatler, The Hinterland Gazette, Daily Kos and Connecting.the.Dots

Santorum Loses Catholic Vote—But Did He Ever Have It? — As they awaited the final results from Michigan, probably the single biggest topic of conversation in the chattering classes last night was the shocking news from the exit polls that Rick Santorum had lost Michigan Catholics to Mitt Romney by a 44-37 margin.
Discussion:
The New Republic, hanoverhenry's Diary, Outside the Beltway and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


Michigan and Arizona primaries 2012: Mitt Romney wins ugly
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, Bloomberg, The Hill, neo-neocon, Washington Post, 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com, Marbury, NationalJournal.com, CNN and The Moderate Voice

Ron Paul calls Romney a ‘flip-flopper’ in new ad
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Poll finds Santorum up by double-digits in Ohio
Discussion:
CNN, The Moderate Voice and Indecision Forever

Romney's new Web ad says Obama's ‘Kill Romney’ strategy failed
Discussion:
CNN

Rick Santorum: I regret saying John F. Kennedy speech on religion made me want to throw up
Discussion:
The Spectacle Blog and ABCNEWS

5 takeaways from Arizona and Michigan
Discussion:
A Certain Enthusiasm, Pirate's Cove and Algemeiner.com

Are the Rich Completely Undeserving of Sympathy? — I saw a fair amount of chortling this morning about this Bloomberg piece on wealthy financial-industry types who are having to cut back because of plummeting bonuses. And to be sure, some of the cuts are in the “Call me a Waaaah-mbulance” category: can't go to Aspen any more?
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money and Balloon Juice
RELATED:


Wall Street Bonus Drop Means Trading Aspen for Discount Cereal — Andrew Schiff was sitting in a traffic jam in California this month after giving a speech at an investment conference about gold. He turned off the satellite radio, got out of the car and screamed a profanity.
Discussion:
TBogg, Mock, Paper, Scissors, Boing Boing, Gothamist and Gawker

The Democrats' nightmare scenario — If Republicans regain the Senate, will they seek to reform the filibuster, sweeping away an obstacle that bedeviled Dems and making it far easier for them to enact their own agenda with a simple Senate majority? — Matt Steinglass argues that the GOP …


Franklin Graham apologizes for questioning Obama's faith — WASHINGTON (RNS) Evangelist Franklin Graham apologized Tuesday (Feb. 28) to President Obama for questioning his Christian faith and said religion has “nothing to do” with Graham's decision not to support Obama's re-election.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, The Democratic Daily, Balloon Juice and USA Today
RELATED:

Report: Rev. Franklin Graham apologizes to Obama
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, News Desk, The Political Carnival and Religion Dispatches


Will Olympia Snowe Join Americans Elect? — Olympia Snowe's retirement statement seemed like it dropped a huge hint, and I'm surprised it hasn't received any attention: … This sounds exactly like the kind of rhetoric emanating from Americans Elect, the third-party group that believes …


North Korea Agrees to Suspend Nuclear Work — WASHINGTON — North Korea agreed to suspend nuclear weapons tests and uranium enrichment and to allow international inspectors to verify and monitor activities at its main reactor, the State Department and the North's official news agency announced on Wednesday …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Algemeiner.com and Truthdig
RELATED:

U.S.-DPRK Bilateral Discussions
Discussion:
News Desk, American Spectator and msnbc.com


D.C. archdiocese: Denying Communion to lesbian at funeral was against ‘policy’ — Deep in grief, Barbara Johnson stood first in the line for Communion at her mother's funeral Saturday morning. But the priest in front of her immediately made it clear that she would not receive the sacramental bread and wine.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Daily Caller and WJLA-TV

House subcommittee votes to repeal healthcare reform law's ‘death panel’ — Bipartisan legislation to repeal the healthcare law's cost-control board sailed through a House panel on Wednesday, raising pressure on the Senate to take up the bill and dealing President Obama a political blow.
Discussion:
Hot Air, LifeNews.com and The PJ Tatler


U.S. Sees Iran Attacks as Likely if Israel Strikes — WASHINGTON — American officials who have assessed the likely Iranian responses to any attack by Israel on its nuclear program believe that Iran would retaliate by launching missiles on Israel and terrorist-style attacks on United States civilian and military personnel overseas.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Dish and Israel Matzav
RELATED:

Netanyahu will ask Obama to threaten Iran strike
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, ABCNEWS and LewRockwell.com Blog


Support for gay marriage takes dramatic leap in California, new poll shows — A new poll shows gay marriage has arrived in California - in public opinion if not in state lawbooks. — Golden State registered voters now favor same-sex unions by 59 percent to 34 percent …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Daily Dish, Towleroad News #gay, Steve Rothaus' Gay …, Law Blog and Joe. My. God.


Do Women Count? — Yesterday, after I made some snarky comment, a friend asked me if I was Eeyore. The truth is, I'm a mash-up of Eeyore and Tigger. Tigger bounces up and down gleefully whenever I talk about gay rights. But today I'm talking about the ladies again, so get ready for Eeyore.


Obama makes a play for Scalia — Not surprisingly, the federal government quotes that opinion a lot in its court briefs. — Sutton hinted that he didn't like the mandate but said Supreme Court precedent favors a growing expansion of Commerce Clause power and that Congress has latitude to address national problems.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland


Chu: DOE working to wean U.S. off oil, not lower prices — The Energy Department isn't working to lower gasoline prices directly, Secretary Steven Chu said Tuesday after a Republican lawmaker scolded him for his now-infamous 2008 comment that gas prices in the U.S. should be as high as in Europe.
RELATED:

Worried Dems pressing Obama on gas prices
Discussion:
Speaker, CNNMoney.com, ThinkProgress, Politico and Washington Wire


Whatever Happened to Ted Turner? — The “Mouth of the South” is no longer as he devotes his time (and $1 billion) to the U.N., jets between 28 homes and four girlfriends, misses Jane Fonda and opens up to THR about Rupert, Jerry and his abuse as a child. Says a friend: “He's definitely changed.”
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller and The PJ Tatler


Illinois GOP Congressional Candidate: ‘The Holocaust Never Happened’ — Jones, a neo-Nazi, wants runs to be GOP candidate for Congress — Art Jones wants to be the U.S. Representative from the 3rd district of Illinois, which encompasses part of the South Side of Chicago and its suburbs.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Hinterland Gazette

Rules Chairman Dreier announces retirement after 16 House terms — House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) on Wednesday morning announced from the House floor that he would not seek reelection this year. — “We all know that this institution has an abysmally low approval rating …
Discussion:
Politico