Exclusive: Jeb Bush Meets with Former Aides near White House  —  Washington, D.C. — Former Florida governor Jeb Bush met Monday with a group of his former staffers at the J. W. Marriott hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, just steps from the White House.  Bush, a potential 2016 presidential contender …

Former Florida GOP leaders say voter suppression was reason they pushed new election law  —  Former GOP chair, governor - both on outs with party - say voter fraud wasn't a concern, but reducing Democratic votes was.  —  VOTE ()  —  A new Florida law that contributed to long voter lines …

Guest on Fox News to Discuss Benghazi Attack Is Given a Quick Exit  —  Thomas E. Ricks, the veteran defense reporter and author, said he expected his Monday morning appearance on Fox News to last about three minutes.  It ended, in fact, after 90 seconds — his last sentence was a description …

Santorum: 'I'm Open' to 2016 Run  —  Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum says he is “open” to another run for president in 2016.  Santorum was asked about a possible presidential campaign Monday at THE WEEKLY STANDARD.  —  “I'm open to it, yeah,” Santorum replied.

Revenge of the Reality-Based Community  —  My life on the Republican right—and how I saw it all go wrong.  —  I know that it's unattractive and bad form to say “I told you so” when one's advice was ignored yet ultimately proved correct.  But in the wake of the Republican election debacle …

NYT Reporter Falls for Hamas Ploy  —  NYT's David Carr thinks terrorists are journalists because they spray-painted ‘TV’ on their car  —  The New York Times has again attempted to negate the presence of terrorists in the Gaza Strip.  Reporter David Carr claims that two senior Hamas terrorists killed …

How Not to Appeal to Asian Americans  —  House Committee on Education and the Workforce Dem / Flickr  —  Of the various post-election stories, the GOP's “Latino problem” is one of the most prominent.  At some point over the last three weeks, every prominent Republican leader has had something …

The U.S. Supreme Court Allows New Challenge To Obamacare To Go Forward  —  Under the heading of “it's not over until it's over”, the United States Supreme Court has vacated a decision by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, ordering the appellate court to hear arguments on the constitutionality …

CFTC Charges Ireland-based “Prediction Market” Proprietors Intrade and TEN with Violating the CFTC's Off-Exchange Options Trading Ban and Filing False Forms with the CFTC  —  CFTC also charges TEN with violating a 2005 CFTC cease and desist order  —  Washington, DC - The U.S. Commodity …

TIME HONORS SANDRA FLUKE AS ‘PERSON OF THE YEAR’ FINALIST  —  Just when you think Time magazine can't make any more of a mockery of itself, they nominate Sandra Fluke, contraception advocate extraordinaire, as a candidate in their Person of the Year 2012 poll:

Filibuster fight seizes Senate  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday blasted Democratic-led efforts to reform the filibuster, warning that the changes would “poison” relations in the already-gridlocked Senate.  —  The Kentucky Republican said changing the filibuster …

Marijuana's foot in the door  —  SMALL-TIME MARIJUANA use will soon be legal in Colorado and Washington state.  Sort of.  —  This month voters in those states approved ballot measures permitting possession of up to an ounce of pot.  But the federal government has not changed its policy, which labels the drug an illegal substance.

Donald Trump: Mean-Spirited GOP Won't Win Elections  —  More ways to share...  Mixx  —  Stumbled  —  LinkedIn  —  Vine  —  Buzzflash  —  Newstrust  —  Technocrati  —  Forward Article  —  Ronald Kessler reporting from Washington, D.C. — The Republican Party will continue …

AP nixes ‘homophobia’, ‘ethnic cleansing’  —  The Associated Press has nixed “homophobia,” “ethnic cleansing,” and a number of other terms from its Style Book in recent months.  —  The online Style Book now says that “-phobia,” “an irrational, uncontrollable fear, often a form of mental illness” …

A Master of Tax Avoidance  —  Warren Buffett has an op-ed in today's NY Times on one of his most popular themes: The rich should pay more in taxes.  At first blush, his position seems noble: A rich guy says that people like him should pay more to support the commonweal.

The Truce On Drugs  —  What happens now that the war has failed?  —  Cannabis is a highly persuadable plant.  It thrives in Afghanistan; it grows beautifully in Mexico.  It can prosper indoors or outdoors, in contained environments or expansive ones.  Even on the essentials, like soil, light, and water, accommodations can be made.

Poor management, not union intransigence, killed Hostess  —  The company had done almost nothing in the last 10 years to modernize or expand its offerings.  —  Striking workers picket at the Hostess Bakery in Los Angeles.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times / November 16, 2012)  —  Let's get a few things clear.