Marco Rubio's drinking problem  —  Twitter exploded during Sen. Marco Rubio's Republican response to the State of the Union, as the Florida senator appeared a little sweaty and dry-mouthed at mid-speech, taking an awkward swig from a bottle of water that had been placed off-camera.

Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address  —  The following is the text as prepared for delivery of President Obama's State of the Union Address, as provided by the White House:  —  PRESIDENT OBAMA: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:

Rep. Jackson Lee warns against more spending cuts: 'We're at the bone almost'  —  Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) urged her colleagues to reach a compromise to prevent spending cuts through sequestration, arguing that government programs are already as lean as they can be.

Roy Blunt says Republicans have votes to delay Chuck Hagel nomination  —  Sen. Roy Blunt signaled Wednesday that there may be enough votes in the Senate to delay debate on the nomination of Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon.  —  Blunt (R-Mo.) said he believed there were 40 votes in the Senate that indicated …

Obama Pushes for Increase in Federal Minimum Wage  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama called on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour from $7.25 and to automatically adjust it with inflation, a move aimed at increasing the earnings of millions of cooks, janitors, aides to the elderly and other low-wage workers.

State of the Union 2013: Bill Shuster apologizes for saying Obama lied  —  House Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster apologized Wednesday for calling President Barack Obama a liar after the State of the Union speech.  —  Shuster (R-Pa.), speaking to POLITICO from Statuary Hall minutes after the speech …

Challenged for His Seat at 89, a Senator Does Not Go Gentle  —  WASHINGTON — As he approached his 89th birthday this year, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey was finally considering retirement, an option he had tried a decade earlier and hated so much that he jumped at the chance to return to political life.

The President's Dream State  —  President Obama at last night's State of the Union address  —  By any measure, President Obama's first term was consequential.  In four years, he signed an $800 billion stimulus program into law, laid the foundation for universal health insurance …

The Rap on Rubio  —  Not long ago, scrolling for a movie, I saw that “Notorious” was on.  —  How can you resist Cary Grant as an American spy in Rio recruiting Ingrid Bergman to seduce and betray a Nazi played by Claude Rains?  —  But it turned out to be a very different “Notorious,” …

Buckley Rule — According to Bill, not Karl  —  The Buckley Rule has been much invoked in recent weeks, in this space and elsewhere, and on almost every occasion it has been both misquoted and misapplied.  As one who was present at the formulation, I feel obliged to record the “originalist” intention.

Obama touts State of the Union plan to spur US manufacturing  —  President Obama on Thursday argued that White House proposals to boost American manufacturing would keep the nation's middle class “growing” and “thriving” by spurring the launch of new factories across the country.

Obama Peddles a Dangerous Fantasy About the Debt Crisis  —  Fiscal Policy: President Obama now says the deficit problem is all but fixed, so we can stop all this unpleasant talk about spending cuts and get on with government spending.  Maybe this is good politics, but it's reckless policy.

Planned Parenthood targets Ken Cuccinelli  —  Planned Parenthood's political arm is going on the offensive against Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli.  —  The Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC are teaming up today to launch a campaign against Cuccinelli …