Paul Ryan's budget: Social engineering with a side of deficit reduction  —  Here is Paul Ryan's path to a balanced budget in three sentences: He cuts deep into spending on health care for the poor and some combination of education, infrastructure, research, public-safety, and low-income programs.

Missed chance: Obama's tax problem  —  President Obama faces huge, and probably insurmountable, obstacles to reviving a grand bargain — none higher and more difficult to overcome than his decision to increase taxes by $600 billion in December.  —  At the time, Obama claimed victory …

Transcript: President Obama's Exclusive Interview With George Stephanopoulos  —  GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  —  Mr. President, thank you for doing this.  —  PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  —  It's great to be here.  —  GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  —  So, you've done all meetings on Capitol Hill …

CPAC muddle mirrors GOP mess  —  It's not hard to make fun of CPAC.  From the presence of Donald Trump to a meaningless straw poll to a cavalcade of fringe-dwelling book merchants, the event has become more carnival than conservative salon.  —  What is more notable about this year's rendition …

2016 Hillary-Michelle ‘Dream Ticket’ floated … Hillary Clinton hasn't stepped into the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries yet and there's already buzz growing for the ultimate grrl power ticket: Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama.  —  “All due respect for President Obama and Vice President Biden …

How Bill Clinton Inspired The 47 Percent Filmmaker  —  WASHINGTON — Bill Clinton won the presidential election for Barack Obama.  But it wasn't his masterful Democratic National Convention speech or the advice he offered the president's reelection campaign.

Where the Sun Don't Shine  —  President Obama promised transparency and open government.  He failed miserably.  So why do Washington watchdog groups look the other way?  —  President Obama has failed to deliver on few promises as miserably as his vow to create a more transparent and open government.

Ukrainian Attack Dolphins on the Loose  —  If you're swimming in the Black Sea, beware dolphins with weapons strapped to their heads.  —  flickr/mr_t_in_dc  —  Dolphin scientist Justin Gregg brings us this slightly disturbing, if hilarious, bit of Delphic news.

George P. Bush running for Texas land commissioner  —  AUSTIN — George Prescott Bush filed the official paperwork Tuesday to run for Texas land commissioner next year, hoping to use a little-known but powerful post to continue his family's political dynasty in one of the country's most-conservative states.

Sources: NRA won't oppose background check deal - if Democrats cede tough records fight  —  Senators negotiating a bill mandating background checks for all gun buyers are privately expecting the National Rifle Association not to fight the measure — provided the legislation does …

AP Exclusive: Applying for health care not easy  —  Associated Press/J. David Ake - A draft copy of the 21-page of a Health and Human Services Department form proposed for use to apply for low-cost insurance from Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program ...more

Obama looking for way to resume White House tours for school groups  —  President Obama said his administration was looking at ways to resume White House tours for school groups.  —  “This was not a decision that went up to the White House,” noted Obama in an ABC News interview aired on Wednesday …

See the Adams Morgan Sinkhole  —  The message from AlertDC was pretty ominous: “MPD reports a large sink hole in the 1900 block of Biltmore Street NW.  The sink hole is described as 25 feet deep and expanding from east to west.  Biltmore Street is closed between 19th Street and Cliffbourne Pl NW.

chris huhne ridiculed on his first day in wandsworth jail  —  Shamed MP Huhne mocked by warder in jail Tannoy prank  —  DISGRACED MP Chris Huhne was ridiculed on his first day in Wandsworth jail yesterday — when a warder called him to breakfast by yelling: “Order!  Order!”

The troubling things I learned when I re-reported Bob Woodward's book on John Belushi.  —  John Belushi in Animal House, 1978 Courtesy of Universal Pictures  —  A little more than a week ago, during an interview with Politico, Bob Woodward came forward to claim he'd been threatened in an email by a …

Obama's approval drops as Americans take a dimmer view of his economic policies  —  The afterglow of President Obama's reelection and inauguration appears to have vanished as increasingly negative views among Americans about his stewardship of the economy have forced his public approval rating …