Rush Limbaugh's show targets jerks, judging from the latest ads  —  Advertisers learned something about Rush Limbaugh's demographic this week.  —  “Here we thought lots of pleasant, upstanding people were listening to and enjoying the rational things Rush had to say,” dozens of companies said.

It's Always A Conspiracy: Derrick Bell Edition  —  Yesterday, the Breitbart empire stepped up to the plate, called their shot, swung, missed, hit themselves in the face with the bat, then took a triumphant trot around the bases as spectators looked on with piteous and mocking wonder.

How Would Santorum Do Without Gingrich?  —  One of the reasons to be skeptical that Rick Santorum could win the Republican nomination is that we now have a pretty good idea of how the vote will play out from state to state — and the coalition that he is building seems short of a majority.

Pat Robertson Says Marijuana Use Should be Legal  —  Of the many roles Pat Robertson has assumed over his five-decade-long career as an evangelical leader — including presidential candidate and provocative voice of the right wing — his newest guise may perhaps surprise his followers the most: marijuana legalization advocate.

Senate rejects move to fast-track Keystone  —  The Senate on Thursday rejected an attempt to fast-track the Keystone XL pipeline — barely.  —  The White House and Democratic leadership squeaked out a 56-42 vote on an amendment to the Senate's highway bill, winning only because 60 votes were needed for passage.

US offered Israel advanced weaponry in exchange for delaying Iran attack: report  —  WASHINGTON — The US offered to give Israel advanced weaponry — including bunker-busting bombs and refueling planes — in exchange for Israel's agreement not to attack Iranian nuclear sites, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported Thursday.

U.S. Unemployment Up in February  —  Underemployment is 19.1%, up from 18.7% in January  —  PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, increased to 9.1% in February from 8.6% in January and 8.5% in December.  —  The .5-percentage-point increase …

William Smith, the invisible candidate  —  William R. Smith is the invisible candidate.  —  No one has seen him; no one has heard him speak.  Outside of his home county of Pike, there is probably no Democrat who could recognize him on sight.  —  Tuesday, the Waverly resident won …

Joe the Plumber blows a gasket on CNN  —  Samuel Wurzelbacher, who on Thursday morning accused CNN of being like TMZ and trying to trap him with “gotcha questions,” explained to POLITICO immediately following the tense interview that he is “sick of the gossip and drama.”

International Slutty Women's Day: A Story in GIFs  —  The year was 2012.  Women were basically just hanging out.  —  You know, doing lady stuff.  —  We'd gotten used to the fact that, for decades, people have been trying to tell us what to do.  —  That we should pay attention …

Mitt: Pay for Your Own Damn College!  —  And get off my lawn while you're at it.  —  Earlier this week, a pretty interesting and telling exchange took place at a Mitt Romney town hall meeting.  A student asked Romney what he would do to make college more affordable for students who struggle to pay for it.

OMM done with JC Penney  —  The leader of a pro-family advocacy group says only time will tell whether JC Penney's decision to have a high-profile homosexual entertainer as its spokesperson was a good business decision.  —  Despite opposition from the American Family Association's advocacy …

From Penthouse publisher to U.S. House candidate?  Boca's Marc Bell considers campaign  —  Boca Raton investor Marc Bell, CEO of the company that owns Penthouse magazine, is considering a run for Congress.  Bell is registered with no party affiliation but says he'd run as a Democrat.

Dogging Mitt Romney  —  I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but Mitt Romney once drove to Canada with the family Irish setter on the roof of the car.  —  Seamus, the dog-on-the-roof, has become a kind of political icon.  You cannot go anywhere without running into him.

U.S. Warns Apple, Publishers  —  Justice Department Threatens Lawsuits, Alleging Collusion Over E-Book Pricing  —  The Justice Department has warned Apple Inc. and five of the biggest U.S. publishers that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books, according to people familiar with the matter.

Our Corrupt Politics: It's Not All Money  —  Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption from America's Most Notorious Lobbyist  —  WND, 303 pp., $25.95  —  Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress—and a Plan to Stop It  —  Twelve, 317 pp., $26.99

Did Health-Care Reform Cost Democrats the House?  —  House Democrats march to their doom.  —  Some of my favorite bloggy political scientists have a new paper out about the political effects of health-care reform.  The paper argues, “health care reform may have cost Democrats their House majority.”

Wind farms in Pacific Northwest paid to not produce  —  Wind farms in the Pacific Northwest — built with government subsidies and maintained with tax credits for every megawatt produced — are now getting paid to shut down as the federal agency charged with managing the region's electricity grid …

Baby's Death Renews Debate Over a Circumcision Ritual  —  Prosecutors are investigating the death of a newborn boy who died in September after contracting herpes through a controversial practice of ritual circumcision, reviving a debate in New York over safety and religious freedom.

Senate Democrats Ask I.R.S. for More Scrutiny of Nonprofit Political Groups  —  Senate Democrats on Friday will ask the Internal Revenue Service to institute a “bright line test” to ensure that tax-exempt organizations devote less than half their activities to politics and to prevent corporate donors …

Bob Dole: Romney Must Answer for Health Care Mandates  —  Mitt Romney's campaign sent out a short statement of support this morning from 1996 Republican nominee Bob Dole, boosting Romney in Saturday's Kansas caucuses.  —  We thought we'd email Dole for some elaboration.  He called back.

Op-Ed Contributor: Reforms for the New Upper Class  —  THERE'S been a lot of commentary from all sides about my recently published book, “Coming Apart,” which deals with the divergence between the professional and working classes in white America over the last half century.