John McCain: Getting Back To Maverick, With An Eye On Retirement  —  WASHINGTON — Last August, a few minutes before GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan took the stage at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., I was hurrying down a flight of stairs to get to the floor to watch.

Juan Williams' plagiarism problem  —  EXCLUSIVE: Fox News pundit blames researcher for word-for-word similarities.  “Unacceptable,” says Hill editor  —  In a case of apparent plagiarism, Fox News pundit Juan Williams lifted — sometimes word for word — from a Center for American Progress report …

How the GOP forced President Obama's hand  —  President Barack Obama used to want a grand deficit deal because he philosophically believed it was best for the country, and politically believed it was best for him.  —  Now he needs it because he has no choice.

Exclusive: Elisabeth Hasselbeck Leaving The View After Nine Years, Viewers Found Her “Too Extreme and Right Wing”  —  The people have spoken.  Elisabeth Hasselbeck, one of the five cohorts of ABC's daytime talk show The View, will not be returning to the couch next season …

John Brennan Sworn in as CIA Director Using Constitution Lacking Bill of Rights  —  According to the White House, John Brennan was sworn in as CIA Director on a “first draft” of the Constitution including notations from George Washington, dating to 1787.

To praise the February jobs report is to embrace the New Normal economy  —  The headline numbers show a decent month for the US labor market in February.  Nonfarm payrolls rose by 236,000 last month (246,000 in the private sector), the Labor Department said, beating economist expectations of 160,000.

Andrew Breitbart and James O'Keefe Ruined Him, and Now He Gets $100,000  —  Former ACORN employee Juan Carlos Vera sued after being wrongly portrayed as a willing participant in an underage sex-trafficking scheme.  Breitbart still hasn't corrected the item!

Secret supper  —  President Barack Obama has been hosting a lot of high-profile dinner companions lately, but here's one guest list that didn't leak for a week:  —  On March 1st, the president, First Lady Michelle, former President Bill Clinton and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enjoyed …

The Market Speaks  —  Four years ago, as a newly elected president began his efforts to rescue the economy and strengthen the social safety net, conservative economic pundits — people who claimed to understand markets and know how to satisfy them — warned of imminent financial disaster.

Dow 36,000 Author: I Was Right!  —  James K. Glassman is an interesting and noble figure on the American right for his willingness to continue to defend the symbols of right-wing economic thought that have been discarded by fellow conservatives because they expose the ridiculousness of the whole project.

School Confiscates Cupcakes Decorated with Toy Soldiers  —  A Michigan elementary school is defending its decision to confiscate a third-graders batch of homemade cupcakes because the birthday treats were decorated with plastic green Army soldiers.  —  FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS.

Feinstein: Veterans May Have PTSD And Should Not Be Exempt From Assault Weapons Ban  —  At a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Thursday, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) opposed an amendment to her Assault Weapons Ban legislation that would allow military veterans to continue to buy the firearms that would be banned.

Google to Pay $7M to Settle Wi-Spy Case With More Than 30 U.S. Attorneys General  —  Google will soon settle with the attorneys general representing more than 30 U.S. states over its Street View cars collecting data from unsecured Wi-Fi networks, multiple sources said.

A Reconstruction of Regional and Global Temperature for the Past 11,300 Years  —  1College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.  —  2Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.