Why Hagel Matters  —  According to various reports, Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel for defense secretary.  Beinart puts the nomination in context: … To my mind, this is his core qualification.  Unlike so many of the lemmings and partisans of Washington DC, Hagel actually called out the catastrophe of the Iraq War as it happened.

The Education of John Boehner  —  Leverage for the next clash: GOP willingness to let the spending sequester take effect.  —  What stunned House Speaker John Boehner more than anything else during his prolonged closed-door budget negotiations with Barack Obama was this revelation …

Be Ready To Mint That Coin  —  Should President Obama be willing to print a $1 trillion platinum coin if Republicans try to force America into default?  Yes, absolutely.  He will, after all, be faced with a choice between two alternatives: one that's silly but benign, the other that's equally silly but both vile and disastrous.

Hillary Clinton back at work - with a football helmet  —  Hillary Clinton went back to work as secretary of state this morning and was greeted by colleagues showing off their sense of humor.  —  First off, we got the official State Department photo of her hosting the weekly meeting of assistant secretaries of state.

The Outside Man  —  Yes, I've heard about the notion that I should be nominated as Treasury Secretary.  I'm flattered, but it really is a bad idea.  —  Part of the reason is that I am indeed the World's Worst Administrator — and that does matter.  Someone else can do the paperwork …

CASTING VOTES  —  Here's a safe prediction for 2013: few people will pine for the Presidential campaign of 2012.  Even Barack Obama's most ardent supporters acknowledge that his victory provided little of the euphoria of four years ago.  Not many Republicans have longed to hear …

The conservative movement is still an elaborate moneymaking venture  —  The story of FreedomWorks' big Glenn Beck payout encapsulates the right-wing media  —  The conservative media movement exists primarily as a moneymaking venture.  As Rick Perlstein explained in the Baffler …

After Pinpointing Gun Owners, Paper Is a Target  —  WHITE PLAINS — Local newspapers across the country look for stories that will bring them national attention, but The Journal News, a daily nestled in a wooded office park in a suburb north of New York, may have gotten more than it bargained for.

Man ID'd as Rand Paul's son arrested at airport  —  A teenager identified in several media outlets as the son of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and the grandson of former presidential candidate Ron Paul was arrested Saturday morning at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The Seduction of John Brennan's “Moral Rectitude”  —  As has been floated over the last few days, Obama will reportedly appoint John Brennan CIA Director later today.  —  FWIW, having John Brennan in a position where he will be subject to Congressional oversight-rather than the oversight-free …

Joe Arpaio Dispatches Armed Volunteer Posses To Begin School Patrols … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Arizona Politics, Video, Maricopa County, Arizona, Arpaio School Patrols, Joe Arpaio Armed Posse, Joe Arpaio School Patrols, Joe Arpaio Schools, Politics News

The Big Fail  —  It's that time again: the annual meeting of the American Economic Association and affiliates, a sort of medieval fair that serves as a marketplace for bodies (newly minted Ph.D.'s in search of jobs), books and ideas.  And this year, as in past meetings …

Delaware Town Takes Down Anti-Hispanic Signs After Public Outrage  —  The small community of Milford, Delaware took swift action over the weekend after a barrage of criticism over signs posted in several public parks that appeared to be anti-Hispanic.  —  A Daily Kos blogger documented …