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.

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 …

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.) …

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!

Wayne LaPierre of N.R.A. Has Angry Response to Obama  —  WASHINGTON — Wayne LaPierre, the executive director of the National Rifle Association, angrily accused President Obama on Tuesday of demonizing law-abiding gun owners and of wanting to put “every private personal firearms transaction right under …

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.

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.

Sting operations reveal Mafia involvement in renewable energy  —  PALERMO, Italy — Inside a midnight-blue BMW, a Sicilian entrepreneur delivered his pitch to the accused mafia boss.  A new business was blowing into Italy that could spin wind and sunlight into gold, ensuring the future …

Release Detail  —  January 23, 2013 - New Jersey Voters Back Christie's Rap On GOP 5-1, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Tell Lautenberg To Step Aside  —  Gov. Christopher Christie was right to criticize Congressional Republicans for delaying a vote on Hurricane Sandy relief …

Flawed Diamond  —  A vanity project masquerading as anthropology.  —  Over the decades, academic scholarship, with its jargon and narrowness, has grown both impenetrable and unenlightening to general readers.  Few academics even attempt to look at the big picture or to render their prose intelligible to the public at large.

Bob Schieffer must be straight  —  Editor's note: LZ Granderson, who writes a weekly column for CNN.com, was named journalist of the year by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and is a 2011 Online Journalism Award finalist for commentary.  He is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com.

These adult movie posters shocked in the 50s and 60s... But in the light of today's disturbing trend for sexting, over-exposure and limitless online porn they seem tame  — Comes as Government advise parents to keep a closer eye on their children's internet and phone use

Rand Paul to Hillary: Let's face it, you should have been fired over Benghazi  —  Via Gateway Pundit, I figured he might be the boldest Republican questioner but I had no idea how bold.  The key line: “I think it's good that you're accepting responsibility because no one else is.”

America's fiscal policy is not in crisis  —  The urgent challenge is to promote economic recovery  —  The US confronts huge challenges, at home and abroad.  Its fiscal position is not one of them.  This is a highly controversial statement.  If one judged by the debate in Washington …

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 …