Rick Perry brings CPAC crowd to its feet  —  NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry delivered one of the best-received speeches so far at the Conservative Political Action Conference, bringing the audience to its feet and eliciting loud cheers Friday morning as he outlined …

CPAC Panelist: It Is ‘A Liberal Lie’ That States Ban Gay Marriage  —  Conservative radio host Michael Medved said Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference that no state has ever banned gay marriage and any claim to the contrary is “a liberal lie.”

The religious right's 5 most demented persecution fantasies  —  Anti-Christian oppression takes many forms, apparently: Hipsters.  Paperwork.  Johnny Weir's wardrobe.  —  AMANDA MARCOTTE, ALTERNET  —  You could call it chutzpah, except they'd probably claim that word oppresses them …

Ukrainian Lessons for an American President  —  There is the question of how to respond practically to Putin's aggression and there is the question of how to respond intellectually.  The latter is no less important than the former, because the Ukrainian crisis is not a transient event …

Millennials in Adulthood  —  Detached from Institutions, Networked with Friends  —  Overview  —  The Millennial generation is forging a distinctive path into adulthood.  Now ranging in age from 18 to 331, they are relatively unattached to organized politics and religion, linked by social media …

A story too good to check: Paul Ryan and the tale of the brown paper bag  —  “The left is making a big mistake here.  What they're offering people is a full stomach and an empty soul.  The American people want more than that.  This reminds me of a story I heard from Eloise Anderson.

Activists to Kerry: Keystone a ‘bigger mistake’ than Vietnam  —  Academy Award-winning actor Jared Leto and 13 other young activists, including the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, are calling on Secretary of State John Kerry to reject the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

The Republican Party's Pot Dilemma  —  NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Christopher Beach was trying to defend keeping marijuana illegal to a roomful of conservatives, and it was not going well.  —  When Beach insisted the drug war has not been a complete failure, laughter rippled through the crowd.

Ralph Reed Compares Barack Obama to George Wallace  —  US News & World ReportLibrary of Congress  —  Top social-conservative strategist Ralph Reed compared President Barack Obama to segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Tea Party Still Winning GOP Debate - NBC News  —  Why the Tea Party is still winning... And why GOP incumbents are going to have to fight tooth and nail to hold on to their jobs... Attitudes about the health-car...

Study: ObamaCare not reaching uninsured  —  ObamaCare isn't achieving its primary goal of extending coverage to the uninsured, according to a new study.  —  The survey released Thursday by the McKinsey & Co. consulting firm found that only 27 percent of people who have selected a plan …

Last Word From Bartcop  —  Bartcop, who was one of the original (and best) liberal bloggers, died today.  —  This is the end of an era.  Bartcop, one of the original liberal bloggers, died this morning of flu, pneumonia and leukemia.  He inspired many of us, and left a legacy of hard hitting yet …

Otter's career in film, as it were, is a cautionary tale  —  A Western shot in Idaho in 1993 was rereleased with many sex scenes.  —  Did you hear the one about the guy who went to see a man about a horse and ended up in a soft-core porn movie?  —  It is not a joke.

Counter Putin by Liberating U.S. Natural Gas  —  The de facto ban on exports should have been stopped long ago.  Now world events demand it.

EPA debunks one Bridgegate conspiracy  —  The Environmental Protection Agency has cleared New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration of allegations that it suspiciously shut off an air pollution monitor during last fall's lane closings on the George Washington Bridge.

‘Piers Morgan Live’ to end in 3 weeks  —  CNN's Piers Morgan will officially end his primetime show at the end of the month and will be temporarily replaced by alternating hosts, including Bill Weir and Jake Tapper, network sources told POLITICO on Friday.  —  Morgan's departure from primetime sets …

McCain: Obama Is ‘Near Delusional In Thinking The Cold War Was Over’  —  What détente?  —  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) ratcheted up his rhetoric against President Barack Obama on Friday, accusing his administration of being “near delusional” in their assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin …

Democrats filibuster an Obama nominee.  —  Yesterday marked a first for President Obama, as one of his nominees was deprived of Senate confirmation by a Democratic filibuster.  The 47-52 procedural vote that blocked the nomination of Debo Adegbile as assistant attorney general for civil rights …