Back on the Trail  —  When disgraced South Carolina governor Mark Sanford decided to run for office again, he asked his ex-wife, Jenny, for her blessing.  Whether he has her vote is another matter.  —  Late last year, a few days before Christmas, former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford embarked on a delicate political mission.

First Thoughts: A truce - for now  —  Both sides declare a budget truce — for now... How a Grand Bargain could still take place... And why achieving a Grand Bargain has been so difficult... NYT on a GOP that's united on just one issue right now: taxes and spending... Obama …

Apple's Planned ‘IWatch’ Could Be More Profitable Than TV  —  While Tim Cook has dropped hints that Apple Inc. (AAPL) is hard at work on a television to drive the next era of growth, the company's wristwatch-style device, still in development, may prove more profitable.

Jeb Bush pushes back against pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants  —  Former Florida governor - and potential GOP presidential candidate - Jeb Bush said this week that a pathway to citizenship should not be a component of an overhaul of the nation's immigration system.

Samsung's New Smartphone Will Track Eyes to Scroll Pages  —  Samsung's next big smartphone, to be introduced next month, will have a strong focus on software.  A person who has tried the phone, called the Galaxy S IV, described one feature as particularly new and exciting: Eye scrolling.

Recovery in U.S. Lifting Profits, Not Adding Jobs  —  With the Dow Jones industrial average flirting with a record high, the split between American workers and the companies that employ them is widening and could worsen in the next few months as federal budget cuts take hold.

Priest burns picture of pope in CHURCH in protest at resignation as ‘rock star’ cardinals gather to choose successor  —  It ought to have been the most serene of days for the former Pope.  —  But Benedict XVI's first Sunday in retirement has been sullied by a village priest who burnt a photograph of him during Sunday mass.

Bill Cosby Slams Republicans Who Sat Through SOTU: As Bad As Civil Rights-Era Segregationists  —  One of the key issues currently being decided by the Supreme Court is whether or not racism has ended sufficiently to gut the Voting Rights Act, or as conservative hero Justice Antonin Scalia calls it, “racial entitlement.”

One study explains why it's tough to pass liberal laws  —  Last year, a group of political scientists took a random sample of state legislators and asked them a slew of questions, most of which boiled down to: “What do your constituents think about policy?”  Do they support gay marriage?

Hill Poll: President's support for Israel found wanting by many voters  —  Three times as many voters believe the Obama administration is not supportive enough of Israel as believe it is too supportive, according to a new poll for the Hill.  —  The proportion of voters who now say the president does …

Republicans and Their Faulty Moral Arithmetic  —  Conservative values and money issues are worth less than concern for the poor.  —  In the waning days of the 1992 presidential campaign, President George H.W. Bush trailed Bill Clinton in the polls.  The conventional wisdom was that Mr. Bush seemed …

Obama pushing to diversify federal judiciary amid GOP delays  —  In Florida, President Obama has nominated the first openly gay black man to sit on a federal district court.  In New York, he has nominated the first Asian American lesbian.  And his pick for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit?

President Obama to pick Gina McCarthy, Ernest Moniz to lead EPA, DOE  —  President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate EPA air chief Gina McCarthy as the agency's next administrator and MIT physicist Ernest Moniz to take over the Energy Department.  —  The long-anticipated announcements …

Obama's Fault  —  Our feckless leaders may be incapable of passing a budget, but, boy, can they pass the buck.  The White House spent last week in full campaign hysteria, blitzing online followers with the message that heartless Republicans are prepared to transform America into …

As Automatic Budget Cuts Go Into Effect, Poor May Be Hit Particularly Hard  —  WASHINGTON — The $85 billion in automatic cuts working their way through the federal budget spare many programs that aid the poorest and most vulnerable Americans, including the Children's Health Insurance Program and food stamps.

Olbermann Angling for Return to ESPN  —  Keith Olbermann was in Los Angeles on Friday being deposed for a reported $70 million lawsuit he filed against his most recent employer, Current TV, with the trial expected to begin in May.  Whether the court rules in favor of Olbermann or the network …

‘Israel lobby’ to push for aid despite sequestration cuts  —  The long-dreaded sequestration has arrived, bringing with it potentially catastrophic consequences for governmental programs designed to benefit those most in need.  The NAACP estimates these across-the-board cuts will result …

Jeff Sessions Isn't a Wonk McCarthyite, or a Wonk Anything  —  Jeff Sessions, probably not ordering up a subscription to New York.  —  Last week, I wrote an item that made what can only be called a highly unflattering assessment of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions.

Mooching Off Medicaid  —  Conservatives like to say that their position is all about economic freedom, and hence making government's role in general, and government spending in particular, as small as possible.  And no doubt there are individual conservatives who really have such idealistic motives.