THE BREITBART/O'KEEFE-IZATION OF AMERICAN POLITICS, PART MCMLXXVII  —  I haven't been able to watch the Benghazi hearings, but I've checked my Twitter feed, and the lefties who've been watching are 100% convinced that Hillary Clinton has been wiping the floor with the Republicans who are trying to take her down.

Pentagon to remove ban on women in combat  —  PATRICK BAZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES - U.S. Army female soldiers listen to a briefing as they prepare to leave on a mission in Ramadi, Iraq, on Oct. 26, 2004.  Senior defense officials say Pentagon chief Leon Panetta is removing the military's ban on women serving in combat.

Obama Speech Leaves G.O.P. Stark Choices  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's aggressive Inaugural Address on Monday presented Congressional Republicans with a stark choice over the next two years: accommodate the president's agenda on immigration, guns, energy and social programs and hope …

Boehner: Obama's goal is to ‘annihilate’ the Republican Party  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he believes the primary goal of President Obama's second term is to “annihilate the Republican Party.”  —  “Given what we heard yesterday about the president's vision for his second term …

Everything You Think You Know About Health Care Spending Is Wrong  —  This is the chart that I think ought to dominate the conversation about public-sector health care spending in the United States, and yet it is curiously ignored.  The data show government health care spending per capita in the United States and Canada.

Virginia State Senate Moves Ahead on Electoral College-Rigging Bill  —  Congressional clerks open certificate envelopes from different states during a joint session of the 113th Congress to count the Electoral College votes January 4, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

So what if abortion ends life?  —  I believe that life starts at conception.  And it's never stopped me from being pro-choice  —  Of all the diabolically clever moves the anti-choice lobby has ever pulled, surely one of the greatest has been its consistent co-opting of the word “life.”  Life!

Union Members Summary  —  For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Wednesday.  —  Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov  —  UNION MEMBERS — 2012  —  In 2012, the union membership rate …

Joe Biden ‘intoxicated’ by 2016 run  —  Joe Biden summoned more than 200 Democratic insiders to the vice presidential residence Sunday night to chat about the 2012 triumph — but many walked away convinced his rising 2016 ambitions were the real intent of the long, intimate night.

Sen. Durbin: Democrats lack votes to pass talking filibuster reform  —  Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), a leading liberal, said Wednesday Democrats do not have enough votes to implement the talking-filibuster reform.  —  He said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …

2/23/2013 Will Be A Day of Resistance  —  “The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed.  The agitation it produces must be submitted to.”  — Thomas Jefferson Yes, Barack Obama did beat Mitt Romney in 2012.  But, he was reelected as President- not king.

Your daily jolt: GPB producer resigns over hiring of Chip Rogers  —  News that former state Sen. Chip Rogers has been given an executive position at Georgia Public Broadcasting with a hefty starting salary of $150,000 has prompted the resignation of a longtime executive producer at the network.

Contemplating Obama's Place in History, Statistically  —  With President Obama's second term under way, we have begun to see more reflections on how he might come to be regarded historically.  —  As common sense might dictate — and as the statistics will also reveal — it is far too soon to conclude very much about this.

Aretha Franklin ‘Really Laughed’ About Beyonce Lip-Sync Controversy  —  Beyonce sings the National Anthem at the inauguration, Jan. 21, 2013.  ; Singer Aretha Franklin performs during the inauguration ceremony for President Obama at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009.