Behind the Susan Rice meeting meltdown  —  In just two quick meetings on Capitol Hill, Susan Rice may have blown up any goodwill she had with the very senators she'll need for confirmation if she's ever tapped as the next secretary of state.  —  Over the past two days …

Mitt Romney: A good man.  The right fight.  —  Over the years, one of the more troubling characteristics of the Democratic Party and the left in general has been a shortage of loyalty and an abundance of self-loathing.  It would be a shame if we Republicans took a narrow presidential loss …

President uses hashtag ‘My2K’ in fiscal cliff PR effort  —  (CNN) - The White House looked to harness the power of social media - again - to boost its public relations push on the fiscal cliff by launching the #My2K hashtag Wednesday.  —  The effort to popularize the Twitter subject hashtag coincided …

Rep. McIntyre wins recount  —  Blue Dog Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) will serve his ninth term in Congress after his Republican opponent conceded Wednesday night following a recount that upheld initial election results.  —  GOP candidate David Rouzer dropped out of the contest …

Lamar Smith, Global Warming Skeptic, Set To Chair House Science Committee … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Climate Change, Climate Change, Climate Change, NASA, Video, Obama: Take 2, House Committee On Science, House Science Committee, NASA Funding, Rep. Lamar Smith, Global Warming Deniers …

Obama campaign: 'There's more to come'  —  More than a million people responded to Obama for America's survey about the group's direction and the vast majority said they are interested in volunteering in support of the president's agenda.  —  In an email sent Wednesday to survey participants …

Resistance on Method for Curbing Filibuster  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Harry Reid of Nevada knew he would anger Republicans when he threatened to change the rules of the Senate to make it harder for the minority to gum up legislation.  But he is also running into resistance from fellow Democrats …

Transcript: TIME's Interview with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi  —  [Note: TIME had spelled the president's surname as “Morsy” based on his Ph.  D. dissertation for the University of Southern California; his advisers in Cairo say the preferred spelling is now Morsi.]  —  TIME: You're on the world stage now.

John Heilemann Makes Lindsey Graham Joke on ‘Morning Joe;’ Edited Out of 8am Reair  —  Just after 6am, on “Morning Joe” this morning, Joe, Mika and guest John Heilemann were talking about yesterday's New York Times article about “the three amigos” Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham …

Rick Warren: Being Gay Is Like ‘Punching A Guy In The Nose’ Or Consuming Arsenic  —  Megachurch pastor Rick Warren remains as ill-informed on gay identity as ever.  Unfazed by the notion that there may be a biological cause for homosexuality, Warren told Piers Morgan on CNN this week that acting …

Convicted former Rep. Mel Reynolds wants Jackson seat in Congress  —  Clout Street  —  Disgraced former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds said he will ask voters to focus on his congressional experience rather than his state and federal criminal record as he announced his bid today for the seat held by Jesse Jackson Jr., who has resigned.

In Silicon Valley, Technology Talent Gap Threatens G.O.P. Campaigns  —  SAN FRANCISCO - I live in Brooklyn, where President Obama won 81 percent of the vote earlier this month.  It's hard to find anywhere in the country that is more Democratic-leaning.  —  But San Francisco qualifies.

Grover Norquist is winning  —  You might think that Grover Norquist would be in hiding right now.  Republicans are parading before the cameras, one after the other, to proclaim their intention of breaking his anti-tax pledge.  And yet Norquist is everywhere.  He's doing television shows and talking with reporters.

Problems With a Reporter's Facebook Posts, and a Possible Solution  —  Start with a reporter who likes to be responsive to readers, is spontaneous and impressionistic in her personal writing style, and not especially attuned to how casual comments may be received in a highly politicized setting.

DIY graphic design  —  The diagram leaked to the Associated Press this week is nothing more than either shoddy sources or shoddy science.  In either case, the world can keep calm and carry on.  —  This week the Associated Press reported that unnamed officials “from a country critical …