Charles Krauthammer: Chris Christie CPAC snub a mistake  —  Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer says it was a “vast overreaction” and “mistake” that CPAC officials didn't invite GOP New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to its upcoming conference.  —  “I think this is a vast overreaction and it's a mistake.

Republicans are losing the spending argument  —  For the past several years, congressional Republicans have focused relentlessly on a single message: Washington — led by President Obama — is spending too much money, and it needs to stop.  —  But according to new Washington Post-ABC News polling …

Sequester: A secret plan  —  President Obama's massive and voluble campaign against the sequester has a deep political motivation that is not apparent on the surface.  He is engaging in a battle he knows he'll lose.  Republicans are not going to budge on agreeing to tax hikes to avoid …

A matter of principle  —  What the Hagel fight did  —  Now that President Obama will finally have the defense secretary he wanted in Chuck Hagel, the question arises: Was the anti-Hagel fight worth it?  Why did Republicans decide to fight it if they weren't going to win?

Bloomberg's cash paves way to Jackson's seat  —  A multimillion-dollar ad blitz by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to stop an NRA-backed House candidate in Illinois paid off Tuesday night, as local official Robin Kelly crushed more than a dozen Democratic candidates vying to replace disgraced former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

As Budgets Face Cuts, Austerity Kills Government Jobs  —  WASHINGTON — The federal government, the nation's largest consumer and investor, is cutting back at a pace exceeded in the last half-century only by the military demobilizations after the Vietnam War and the cold war.

Rand Paul Explains His Surprise Vote For Chuck Hagel  —  “The president gets to choose political appointees,” Paul says.  —  Image by Gary Cameron / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said his support for a filibuster against Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel never meant that he would vote against Hagel's confirmation.

Pope speaks of “rough seas” of papacy at emotional farewell  —  (Reuters) - Pope Benedict bid an emotional farewell at his last general audience on Wednesday, acknowledging the “rough seas” that marked his papacy “when it seemed that the Lord was sleeping.”  —  In an unusually public outpouring …

House expected to pass Senate version of VAWA bill this week  —  After a year-long fight over how to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), House Republicans are now prepared to allow a vote this week on the Senate-passed language.  —  The House Rules Committee on Tuesday evening approved …

This Charming Man: An Interview With Morrissey  —  I don't think I really need to introduce you guys to Morrissey, but just in case: He's been an icon for, oh, more than three decades now.  He began his career in the early '80s as the frontman (and heart) of the Smiths before going solo in 1987 …

U.P. State Senator Tom Casperson Is Some Kind Of Birther  —  State Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, was on Michael Patrick Shiels' Lansing radio program today and had some fun and interesting things to say about where President Obama was born.  —  Casperson, whose name might sound familiar …

Reason for mass release of illegal immigrants “hard to believe,” Boehner says  —  House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Tuesday in an interview with CBS News blasted the “outrageous” move by federal immigration officials to OK the release of hundreds of illegal immigrants as a way to save money ahead …

Supreme Court Weighs Future Of Voting Rights Act … Once again, race is front and center at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.  And once again, the bull's eye is the 1965 Voting Rights Act, widely viewed as the most effective and successful civil rights legislation in American history.

NBC/WSJ poll: Public wary about sequester cuts, but Obama in stronger political position than GOP  —  With automatic, across-the-board spending cuts set to begin Friday, majorities of Americans believe they aren't a good idea and say the contentious budget negotiations make them less confident …

Liberal Super PAC Goes After Mitch McConnell's ‘Chinese’ Wife  —  A Democratic group is under sharp criticism for controversial online messages about Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's wife.  —  For months, the liberal super PAC Progress Kentucky has attacked McConnell and held demonstrations at his offices and home.

The Sequester Revelation  —  Obama has the legal power to avoid spending-cut damage.  —  And when the Republicans opened the seventh seal of the sequester, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black and the stars fell unto the Earth; and our nation's ability to forecast severe weather …

Dov Hikind apologizes for blackface costume  —  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A New York assemblyman who at first vigorously defended wearing blackface, an Afro wig and a basketball jersey to a costume party apologized Monday, saying he didn't mean to hurt anyone.  —  Democratic Assemblyman Dov Hikind wore …

ABC strengthens political coverage  —  Memo to Washington: ABC News is serious about politics.  —  In recent weeks, ABC News president Ben Sherwood has been courting political reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other outlets in an effort to strengthen the network's D.C. bureau …

Wave of Immigrants Released Ahead of Automatic Budget Cuts  —  In a highly unusual move, federal immigration officials have released a wave of detainees from immigration detention centers around the country in an effort to save money as automatic budget cuts loom in Washington, officials said.