No excuse to lift the filibuster  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) revealed on “Fox News Sunday” that defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel responded to his letter jointly signed by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) asking whether he made the reported comment at Rutgers University that the State Department …

Obama's Plan Sees 8-Year Wait for Illegal Immigrants  —  WASHINGTON — A plan by President Obama for an overhaul of the immigration system would put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship that could begin after about eight years and would require them to go to the back of the line behind …

HILLARY CLINTON UNVEILS FIRST PHASE OF NEW LIFE — Rubio's last laugh — POTUS golfs with Tiger — 10th anniv. of Iraq war is March 19; MSNBC special 9 p.m. — Yoko Ono is 80  —  EXCLUSIVE: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will hit the paid speaking circuit this spring (likely April or May) …

Alec fast & slur-ious  —  Blasts Post fotog in a ‘racist’ rant  —  Actor Alec Baldwin allegedly called a black Post photographer a racial epithet, a “crackhead” and a “drug dealer” during a confrontation on an East Village street yesterday morning, prompting police to intervene.

Peres to give Obama Medal of Distinction  —  President will honor his American counterpart for standing with Israel ‘in times of crisis’  —  It is doubtful US President Barack Obama will rack up many tangible policy achievements during his upcoming Middle East trip.

College: Fire professor who forced students to vote for Obama  —  A tenured professor who forced her students to sign pledges that they would vote for President Obama last November should be fired, the college's president recommended.  —  Sharon Sweet, an associate professor of mathematics …

Reaganism After Reagan  —  TODAY'S Republicans are very good at tending the fire of Ronald Reagan's memory but not nearly as good at learning from his successes.  They slavishly adhere to the economic program that Reagan developed to meet the challenges of the late 1970s and early 1980s …

Former Gov. Palin to address CPAC 2013  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will speak at next month's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).  —  “We are pleased to again welcome Governor Sarah Palin to CPAC in March,” said American Conservative Union (ACU) Chairman Al Cardenas in a statement.

Historic oversight corrected: Film ‘Lincoln’ inspires look into slavery vote  —  Oscar-nominated “Lincoln,” which depicts the political fight to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, played a role in Mississippi officially ratifying the amendment this month — a century and a half later.

In GOP Civil War, No Easy Answers  —  Republicans continue to argue about whether the party needs to take steps to prevent the next Christine O'Donnell, Sharron Angle, Todd Akin and Ken Buck, as well as how it might do so.  —  Those inept and seriously flawed candidates lost races that other Republicans would have won easily.

No, Obama Is Not My Daddy - He's My Employee  —  The grotesque spectacle of the State of the Union address, with its lengthy receiving line of adoring sycophants, demonstrates why the President is operating under the delusion that he is more than just our President.

Colorado House passes bills on background check fees, universal background checks,15-round magazine limit  —  A bill requiring gun purchasers to pay the costs of their own background checks cleared the Colorado House on Monday, the same day the chamber passed bills requiring background checks …

Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns to retire  —  Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns announced on Monday that he would retire in January 2015, a surprise decision by a Republican senator who was considered in a strong position for reelection next year.  —  The retirement of Johanns — a former GOP governor …

Terrorist serving life for role in 1993 WTC bombing reportedly sues to end solitary  —  A convicted terrorist serving life with no parole plus 240 years for masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing has reportedly filed a lawsuit arguing he should be let out of solitary confinement.