John Boehner's big bet  —  House Speaker John Boehner has dug in.  —  If the let-the-cuts-happen approach on the sequester seems risky — especially with President Barack Obama blaming Republicans for everything from kids not getting vaccines to long lines at the airport — the alternative for Boehner is worse.

Republicans Sign Brief in Support of Gay Marriage  —  WASHINGTON — Dozens of prominent Republicans — including top advisers to former President George W. Bush, four former governors and two members of Congress — have signed a legal brief arguing that gay people have a constitutional right to marry …

Right cheers Bob Woodward ‘fact check’  —  Conservatives in the media have found themselves armed with political ammunition in their battle with President Barack Obama over the impending sequester from a surprising source — Bob Woodward.  —  The journalism icon's fact check on the sequester …

GOP Seen as Principled, But Out of Touch and Too Extreme  —  Images of the Parties: A Closer Look  —  OVERVIEW  —  At a time when the Republican Party's image is at a historic low, 62% of the public says the GOP is out of touch with the American people, 56% think it is not open to change and 52% say the party is too extreme.

Entry 4: Forget Seth MacFarlane's sexist jokes.  This was the End of Men Oscars.  —  To: Dan Kois and Troy Patterson  —  We're one reproductive-technology breakthrough away from not needing men at the Oscars  —  I promise to spare you a long-form exegesis of Seth MacFarlane's opening number …

Illinois 2 Special: The Real Range of Gun Control  —  Tuesday's special election in Illinois' 2nd District has been dominated by gun control — an issue magnified by the $2.2 million Michael Bloomberg's political action committee has dropped into the Chicago contest to attack two candidates.

Chris Christie not invited to CPAC  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, seen as one of his party's top prospects for the White House in 2016, has not been invited to speak at the annual conservative gathering hosted by CPAC, a source familiar with the decision confirmed.

Our Second Adolescence  —  In Friday's column, I wrote that the Obama administration has no plan to avoid the sequester save raising taxes on the rich.  That was unfair.  The White House approach is not what I would like, but it is more balanced than I described.  —  Humiliation is a good teacher.

Walter Jones, GOP Congressman, Hits Dick Cheney Over Iraq War  —  Dick Cheney, Video, HuffPolitics Blog, Walter Jones, Dick Cheney Water Jones, Walter Jones Dick Cheney, Walter Jones Iraq, Walter Jones Iraq War, Politics News  —  Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), an outspoken critic of the war in Afghanistan …

It's Time to See Joe McCarthy For the Hero He Was  —  Freshman Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is just the latest in a long series of public figures to be reviled for “McCarthyism” following his recent questioning of Chuck Hagel, President Obama's nominee for secretary of defense.  The response?

Edward Blum defies odds in getting cases to Supreme Court  —  The odds are daunting: Last term, 8,952 cases were filed at the Supreme Court.  The justices agreed to schedule a mere 79 for oral argument.  —  That's a 0.88 chance of having your case reviewed.

Kerry defends liberties, says Americans have “right to be stupid”  —  (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry offered a defense of freedom of speech, religion and thought in the United States on Tuesday telling German students that in America “you have a right to be stupid if you want to be.”

DOJ to Federal Judge: We Can Force Your Wife to Violate Her Religion  —  (CNSNews.com) - While presenting an oral argument in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last fall, a lawyer for the U.S. Justice Department told a federal judge that the Obama administration believed …

Gaza rocket slams South for first time since truce  —  Grad explodes in Ashkelon; first such attack by terrorists in Gaza since the ceasefire following Operation Pillar of Defense.  —  Palestinian terrorists broke a three month ceasefire on Tuesday and fired a rocket from Gaza into southern Israel.

Police: Man arrested for sending harassing e-mails to state Rep. Rhonda Fields  —  (Brennan Linsley, Associated Press file)  —  Denver police have arrested a Colorado Springs man for sending racially and sexually offensive e-mails to state Rep. Rhonda Fields, including one that said he hoped …