WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Myanmar's foreign minister and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a call on Saturday the United States is "committed to walking down the path of reform" with the Southeast Asian nation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has opened a wide lead over his rivals in the South Carolina primary election race, trouncing Newt Gingrich and gaining momentum in his march toward the party's nomination, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — After weeks of dancing around their diverse backgrounds, Rick Santorum today attempted to draw a  clear contrast between himself and Mitt Romney, saying his blue collar upbringing makes him a better candidate in crucial swing states than Romney’s experience at a private...

SUMTER, S.C. — Amid shaking hands and signing campaign posters, Mitt Romney did something he has never done before on the ropeline: He took out his wallet and handed a wad of cash to a woman waiting to shake his hand. The woman, 55-year-old Ruth...

Group says Santorum has best chance of beating Mitt Romney.

(01-14) 15:58 PST Mount Pleasant, S.C. (AP) -- Rick Santorum's quest to emerge as the chief alternative to Mitt Romney received a boost Saturday from a group of evangelical leaders and social conservatives who voted to...

A group of about 150 conservative Christian leaders and political activists has endorsed Santorum for president after a two-day meeting in Texas.

Ex-senator piles onto the front-running "Bain executive" while sharpening his populist, electability messages to S.C. voters

South Carolina woman says God brought her to Romney

Keystone Stater tells Palmetto State crowd  U.S. "should have kept our mouth shut" when car-bomb killed an Iranian nuclear scientist. Santorum: "If these are people who are developing a weapon to be used to either destroy the state of Israel or to spread terror — a reign of terror — around the world, we shouldn't [...]

Pennsylvanian tells Mark Halperin in Mt. Pleasant how he sees the significance of the conservative leaders' endorsement. Santorum: "To my knowledge they've never done something like this. The fact that they would have such diversity...but yet they were able to come together and rally in that sense of super majority way...behind a candidate...just hopefully should [...]

From Smythson to Poundland, the exploitation of the young desperate for internships continues unabated The Labour party has yet to pass judgment, but for many hard-working people the immediate reaction to the story of Cait Reilly, the 22-year-old geology graduate compelled to sweep floors for nothing at Poundland, must have been: where can I get one? References, obviously, essential. Most domestic employers would not, I think, insist on geology – a Russell Group geography degree would do just as well – but let's not be picky. It would be a pleasure to have any pleasant, highly educated, preferably strong, young girl to assist with tidying and housework, knowing this will progress her career as choreographed by the government's "sector-based work academy". Frustratingly for those of us hoping to mentor the young in this way, the free geology graduates are only being distributed at this time to larger, commercial partners such as Tesco and, of course, Poundland, where Ms Reilly....

AP: SHOOTING WAR WITH IRAN POSSIBLE THIS YEAR

On the one hand, Mitt Romney's landslide win in New Hampshire put him solidly on a course to focus on the general election last week. On the other hand, a new series of attacks on his years as a venture capitalist forced him to engage more directly than before with his primary rivals. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports from Aiken, S.C.

Evangelical conservatives met in Texas this weekend and decided to throw their support behind former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, but some fear the support is too little, too late. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich finished a distant second at the meeting. NPR's Joel Rose reports.

About 150 social conservatives meeting in Texas voted to back Rick Santorum's candidacy in a last-ditch effort to stop the front-runner's march to the GOP presidential nomination. The gathering reflected dissatisfaction with Mitt Romney and their belief that they needed to unite behind one contender if they had any hope of derailing him.

President Obama — with the help of a few household items and a Republican-friendly idea — promised Saturday to make the federal government more pro-business.

THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

KASIE HUNT Associated Press SUMTER, S.C. The criticism of Mitt Romney is getting personal. His rivals have... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

The audience at a presidential forum here Saturday booed Newt Gingrich for criticizing Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital after Mike Huckabee, the host, told the crowd that candidates would not be allowed to attack each other.

Leaders of prominent conservative Christian groups threw their support Saturday behind Santorum in the Republican presidential contest, an attempt to rally around a single challenger to front-runner Mitt Romney.

For both Mitt Romney and President Obama, ratings of favorability and unfavorability that are about even.

In South Carolina, debate over his work as a businessman has spared Mitt Romney an inquisition on social issues.

In a country unspoiled by centuries of racism and racial stereotyping, Jodi Kantor's "The Obamas" would likely be seen as a sympathetic if gossipy and theatrical portrait of the First Couple, striving to do their best for their country and their family as President Obama wrestled with a broken economy, two wars and a radicalized Republican Party determined to make him fail. We don't live in that unspoiled world, however, so the book has become a flashpoint, with right-wingers seizing on tiny unflattering tidbits and Michelle Obama herself telling tell Gayle King that it fosters "an image that people have tried to paint of me since the day that Barack announced, that I'm an angry black woman." I'm on record (on "Hardball" Wednesday) saying I wish the First Lady hadn't felt the need to defend herself; she's one of the most admired women in America, just behind Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey, a multiracial feminist troika that itself shows how far we've come. Especially when it.....

Charles Krauthammer says Romney should use GM against Obama if he pulls the Bain card on him. HANNITY: If you had to give him advice, how would you advise [Romney]. What would you say is the best answer? (in terms of how to respond to questions about his involvement with Bain) Charles Krauthammer: Number one. Never use the phrase net-net. It makes you sound like some cold-blooded capitalist. Number two. Heres what I would do, a jujitsu on Obama, and say look, Obama and the government went in and tried to rescue GM and Chrysler. What did they do? They went in and they slimmed it down. A lot of workers lost their work. A lot of dealerships were closed. The Pontiac line and other lines were shut down. A lot of individual suffering. And that was the Democrats, that was the government. That was the people who supposedly are the ones who care about the workers of the middle-class. Thats what you have to do when a business is about to go under and everyone is going to lose his job. You slim..

BLUFFTON, S.C. (AP) South Carolina may be fertile ground for attacks on Mitt Romneys corporate takeover record. The state has suffered a long string of shuttered textile plants and other workplaces. At 9.9 percent, it has one of the nations highest unemployment rates. And like its fellow Deep South states, its Republican electorate has a disproportionate number of blue-collar workers and noncollege graduates. That combination could make South Carolina a good test of efforts by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry to paint the GOP presidential...

DUNCAN, S.C. -- As soon as Newt Gingrich wrapped up his remarks on Friday night at a forum hosted by the Republican Parties of Greenville and Spartanburg counties, it was Rick Santorums turn to take the stage. But Gingrich ensured that the spotlight remained on him. As the former Pennsylvania senator began his remarks to hundreds of GOP activists gathered inside a high school cafeteria, Gingrich drew most of the media on hand to a nearby hallway where he held a press conference apparently timed to steal Santorums thunder. Gingrich took a pass when asked how, over the next week, he...

Alexis Simendinger, RCPAnticipating his Jan. 24 State of the Union address, a leaner budget proposal in February, and a platform that could support him during a competitive re-election bid, President Obama on Friday said Congress should grant him special authority to shrink government on a fast-track basis.The outlook for congressional cooperation to allow the president special executive power to consolidate the Small Business Administration with the Commerce Department, as well as other business-related government responsibilities, appears murky considering the hyper-partisan climate during an election year.That...

Stephanie McCrummen, Wash PostIn a suburban Virginia living room, Earline Coe, solid Democrat and Obama loyalist, dials again.Hello, may I speak with Ellen? she says, tapping a pen on a long list of names.

Quin Hillyer, American SpectatorSince I wrote this little blog post the other day, picked up at Real Clear Politics, all of a sudden (by coincidence; Im not claiming I had anything to do with it, but just am remarking on how rapidly the meme has taken off) all sorts of people are suddenly realizing that Mitt Romney is hardly the candidate with the best chance to beat Barack Obama.It certainly isnt all at the Center for Individual Freedom, but we did have a written colloquy on the subject the other day, with Troy Senik and Ashton Ellis insightfully joining me in weighing in. Actually, Jonathan Last...

Tod Lindberg, Wkly StdIf you can take Romney down, you take him down; you can make it up to the capitalists later.What was noteworthy about Tim Pawlentys brief excursion into the GOP field was his inability to pull the trigger against Romney: One day last June, Pawlenty called Romneys Massachusetts health care reform legislation "Obamneycare," elevating himself above the rest of the field by slapping a target directly on the frontrunner; the day after at a GOP debate, Pawlenty couldnt quite bring himself to get in Romneys face with the charge. He backed down. He just didnt...

Mitt Romney is being maligned as a vulture capitalist who enjoyed firing workers -- while amassing his own huge fortune -- but rivals' attacks on the former private-equity player's business record may be one of the best things that ever happened to his presidential campaign.

President Obama is asking Congress for fast-track authority to shrink the federal government, creating an election-year talking point even if House Republicans reject his request. Obama's plan - to do away with the...

John Bolton says military, not Obama, deserves credit for bin Laden's death

Two more ads to air in S.C. target former Mass. governor and his time at Bain Capital

Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock hits out at "cowards" within his party who have criticised Ed Miliband.

's statues and her election symbol of elephants carved out of stone have been covered, the Congress' pro-Muslim sops have been shot down, the officials believed to be biased in favour of the ruling party have been transferred by the Election Commission and bundles of cash meant for distribution among voters have been seized. The country is ready for another electoral bout among political parties under the commission's stern, impartial gaze, which promises that the contests will be free and the outcome fair.

Barely a day has gone by without Newt Gingrich complaining about the inaccuracy of ads run against him by a superPAC supporting Mitt Romney. Now that an anti-Mitt Romney film bought by a pro-Gingrich superPAC has been criticized for inaccuracies, Gingrich asked that they be fixed or taken down entirely.

Bonjour, Monsieur Romney. Newt Gingrich unveiled perhaps the silliest slander of the campaign season Friday by mocking Romney’s ability to — Mon dieu! — utter a few words in halting French.

Mitt Romney made an appeal to veterans here in what could be considered the political equivalent of the doctrine of overwhelming force.

The president announced a new campaign to shrink the federal government, a proposal notable less for its goal than for its challenge to a hostile Congress.

The group running the video, a pro-Gingrich “super PAC,” made no move to alter the work and gave no indication of retreat from using its excerpts in television commercials.

The closing of a factory in Gaffney, S.C., by Bain Capital, Mitt Romney’s firm, is cited in his rivals’ attacks, but few in town remember the closing, or care.

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Rick Santorum said Friday that Republican rival Mitt Romney is “bland and boring” and comes across too much like voters’ bosses to capture the GOP nomination. Saying Romney is a strong businessman, Santorum told voters here: “It doesn’t necessarily mean that you want your boss running for president, right?” He followed up in a fundraising email: “Republicans are again thinking about nominating another bland and boring candidate for president — Mitt Romney.” AP …

Transcript from ThinkProgress: VOICEOVER: Today Christian Conservatives are supporting Mitt Romney because he shares their values: the sanctity of life, the sacredness of marriage, and the importance of the family. In 2007 Senator Jim DeMint said of Romney, He feels passionately that the value of human life begins at conception. Sen. Jim DeMint: He feels passionately that the value of human life begins at conception. (Byron York, DeMint On Romney, National Review, 1/9/07) VOICEOVER: Founder of Women Affirming Life Mary Ann Glendon says: MARY ANN GLENDON: The pro-life movement has worked so hard for so many years in the effort to change peoples hearts and minds on the life issues. That like Ronald Reagan, like Henry Hyde, Mitt Romney should be welcomed as a great success story for the pro-life movement. VOICEOVER: And Pro-Life Attorney James Bopp Jr. says: Both conviction and courage are necessary for the effective pro-life leadership, and Romney, in office, displayed both.

Mitt Romney fired back at criticism of his private equity background Friday with a new television ad running in South Carolina that characterizes his opponents attacks as "embarrassing." Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry have criticized Romney for his tenure as CEO of Bain Capital. Perry has called Bains actions "vulture capitalism," and a super PAC supporting Gingrich has released a half-hour documentary titled "King of Bain," which paints Romney as a "corporate raider." The super PAC, Winning Our Future, is airing portions of the film in TV...

Jennifer Rubin, Washington PostA smart reader, who asked to be cited only as an executive search consultant in the D.C. area, expressed better than many professional conservative commentators the inherent silliness of the purported distinction being made by Newt Gingrich (and some allies) between good capitalism (Apple) and bad(Bain) capitalism. He e-mails me:While bashing Mitt Romney, Gingrichs super PAC mouthpiece, Rick Tyler, used Steve Jobs as an example of a good capitalist.

Ryan Lizza, New YorkerMitt Romney has been successful at most of the major endeavors of his adult life. By the standards of the private-equity world, Bain Capital was a wild success when he led it in the nineteen-eighties and nineties. In 2002, he really did revive the failing Winter Olympics. His tenure as governor of Massachusetts was mixedhe was not very popular in the state by the end of his termbut he did pass one of the most innovative health-care laws in the nation. And he hasnt fared too poorly in Presidential politics. He started seeking the nomination of his party in...

Erick Erickson, RedStateIts a different horserace of sorts this week and from here on out. Gone are the individual prospects of each candidate. We have the real front runner now Mitt Romney. The question remaining is which candidate, if any, can cause Mitt to stumble.No non-incumbent has ever swept Iowa and New Hampshire within a Republican Primary until Mitt Romney. He did it while getting less votes in 2012 in Iowa than he got in 2008, but with substantially more votes in New Hampshire, including among independents.

Ronald Brownstein, National JournalConservatives have never enjoyed a more commanding position in the Republican Party. In Congress, they dominate the House and Senate caucuses. At the grassroots, they provided the shock troops for the tea party uprising that powered the GOPs 2010 landslide. They supply almost all of the leading voices on the talk-radio and Fox News circuit that provides the Right with its powerful system of perpetual mobilization. More than three-fifths of Republican primary voters in 2008 identified with the conservative label.

(Reuters) - The United States pressed the European Union on Friday for hard evidence that it has complied with a trade ruling on subsidies to planemaker Airbus in a showdown that could kick off the next stage in the world's largest and costliest trade dispute.

JACKSON, Mississippi (Reuters) - Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said on Friday he would ask a court to overturn the majority of former Governor Haley Barbour's 222 pardons of convicts because they failed to meet constitutional requirements.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich called on supporters on Friday to correct or scrap a just-released documentary that portrays rival Mitt Romney as a corporate raider who cost thousands of Americans their jobs.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) - Frances Woodard is so sick of being bombarded by political commercials, especially the negative ads, that she thinks she will skip voting in South Carolina's upcoming presidential primary.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama asked Congress on Friday for broad powers to overhaul the U.S. government and untangle what he called an "outdated bureaucratic maze" that makes it hard for U.S. businesses to sell their goods abroad.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge in Virginia on Friday refused to order that candidates Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman be added to the ballot in the state's March 6 Republican presidential primary election after they failed to qualify.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - He is being maligned as a "vulture" capitalist who enjoyed firing workers - while amassing his own huge fortune - but rivals' attacks on Mitt Romney's business record may be one of the best things that ever happened to his presidential campaign.

In a new ad airing in South Carolina, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is pushing back on criticisms of his career at a venture capital firm. Both former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have argued that Romney destroyed jobs and lives at the venture firm Bain Capital by buying up and then shuttering struggling companies. A super PAC supporting Gingrich is airing ads in South Carolina attacking Romney’s record, using footage drawn from a 30-minute documentary called “King of Bain.” Read full article >>

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is the undisputed frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination even as he continues to endure whispers that he is simply too moderate to win over a majority of the GOP. Read full article >>

Michelle Obama has no reason to complain about her treatment at the hands of Jodi Kantor, whose book, “The Obamas,’’ presents her in such overwhelmingly positive light that Connie Schultz’s New York Times review said admiringly that it was the first book about the Obama presidency to give the first lady her due. Read full article >>

Will South Carolina’s evangelical Christians vote for Mitt Romney? Read full article >>

Our colleagues at In the Loop say that as much as the media hate to admit it, the GOP primary is over. It has been a wonderfully wacky GOP primary fight, with endless debates and new front-runners du jour... But the post- New Hampshire reality is setting in... Read full article >>

DUNCAN, S.C. — Newt Gingrich came here itching for a fight, hoping to consolidate conservative support behind his candidacy and hopefully loosen Mitt Romney’s tightening grip on the GOP nomination. But, two days in, he keeps backpedaling and veering off-script. Read full article >>

In a suburban Virginia living room, Earline Coe, solid Democrat and Obama loyalist, dials again. “Hello, may I speak with Ellen?” she says, tapping a pen on a long list of names. It is supposed to be a good list, one generated by the Obama campaign’s data wonks in Chicago, who have sorted their files of millions of voters and identified these as likely recruits in a renewed version of the vaunted grass-roots operation that propelled Obama’s 2008 victory. Read full article >>

After a year of interminable feuds with congressional Republicans who made smaller, cheaper federal government a political crusade, President Obama on Friday signaled his intention to do some sail-trimming of his own. Read full article >>

President Obama this morning will ask Congress to give him authority to significantly shrink the federal government by merging six agencies dealing with trade and commerce, a senior administration official said.

Saying he does not want false claims made on his behalf, Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich on Friday morning called on a "super PAC" that supports him to withdraw commercials it ran in South Carolina criticizing Mitt Romney and his old company Bain Capital.

Fresh off a visit to a local shooting range, Rick Perry stopped by a packed restaurant in South Carolina emphasizing his credentials as governor of Texas and as a member of the U.S. Air Force, staying away from the criticism of front-runner Mitt Romney that has swirled in the news in the past few days.

As Mitt Romney's campaign took to the television airwaves to counter Republican attacks on his experience in private equity, his campaign released a new radio spot emphasizing his opposition to abortion in a targeted appeal to evangelicals who will play a key role in the South Carolina primary.

Following Newt Ginrich's fusillade of attacks against Mitt Romney's time at Bain Capital -- including a 29 minute documentary -- a number of outside observers are pushing back against the idea that Romney was involved in some sort of corporate raiding to fill his own pockets at the expense of hard-working middle class Americans. In Politico today Steve Rattner writes that you can blame Mitt Romney for many things but Bain isn't one of them. Most important, Bain Capital is not now, nor has it ever been, some kind of Gordon Gekko-like, fire-breathing corporate raider that slashed and burned companies, immolating jobs wherever they appear in its path. Wall Street has its share of the “vulture capitalists” that Texas Gov. Rick Perry enjoyed mocking in South Carolina earlier this week. But Romney was almost the furthest thing from Larry the Liquidator. Instead, with modest exceptions (keep reading to learn more about these), Bain Capital was a thoroughly respectable — nay,......

Oh c'mon! A new ad from the Newt Gingrich campaign called "The French Connection," paints Mitt Romney as a tax-raising, moderate, elitist who will "say anything" to get elected. Exhibit A? He speaks French. "Just like John Kerry." "Bonjour, je m'appelle Mitt Romney," Romney says in the ad, a bite from a 2002 video he made to introduce volunteers to the Salt Lake City Olympics, whose official languages are English and French. This is the second time we've seen Romney's French past used against him this week. In the over-the-top documentary, "When Mitt Romney Came To Town," the pro-Gingrich super PAC Winning Our Future repeats parts of the Salt Lake City clip several times. But Romney isn't the only one with a French connection, Foreign Policy points out. Gingrich lived in France for a few years as a teenager and knew "enough French to survive." And in 2009, he compared himself to French president Charles de Gaulle. Gingrich's attacks on Romney's history of "vulture.....

By the time this election is said and done, Mitt Romney's experience in private equity will have been discussed a million times. And for most Americans, there will STILL be no clarity about what private equity actually is or what Romney did at Bain. Take, for example, CNBCs recent gaffe. Their correspondent, Eamon Javers, reported that Bain Capital was one of the consulting companies that took part in the auto-bailout, and that the consulting firm recommended that the number of dealerships in the U.S. be reduced. CNBC has since retracted that report because it was Bain Consulting that was involved in the auto bailouts, and that company has no relationship with Bain Capital. Unfortunately, there's the internet. That means that conservative blogs like Hot Air and The National Review pounced on the story. Here's the scathing original report on it from Hot Air: CNBC speculates that this might explain why Obama’s “car czar,” Steve Rattner, ended up slobbering all over Bain in..

MItt Romney is a very, very rich man. Here's how rich.  The website Wealth-X says he'd be the third richest person to run for president since George H.W. Bush in 1989. Romney hasn't released his tax returns, despite Sarah Palin's recent call for him to do so, but if he did so they might simply confirm his estimated net worth of $250 million means that he ranks in the top 3,140 wealthiest people in the county, meaning, among other things, that he's technically part of the 0.001 percent.      Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook. Join the conversation about this story » See Also: RON PAUL CAMPAIGN: It's Officially A Two-Man Race I'M NOT MITT: Stephen Colbert Says He Might Run For President MITT ROMNEY: Anger Over Wealth Distribution Is All About 'Envy'

A photo of Mitt Romney has been making its way around Twitter and the internet, purporting to show the ultra-rich former executive getting his shoes shined while on an airport tarmac.  Steve Kornacki of Salon, thought this photo showed Mitt as an out-of-touch member of the ultra-elite. And he said so on The Rachel Maddow Show: He’s getting a shoe shine! We put this on Salon earlier today. I’m not sure where it originated. But it never looks good for a politician to be getting a shoe shine, you know, on a tarmac but it looks terrible when it’s Mitt Romney and this is your image and background. It looks worse when it’s the year 2012 and the economy is in such a bad place, and the Democrats are going to be going after your party for being the one that sort of favors the people who get shoe shines on tarmacs! The image even made its way into the attack documentary, "When Mitt Romney Came To Town" put out by a SuperPac aligned with Newt Gingrich.  One problem. Just look........

The group targets White House on Solyndra.

President wants to consolidate six business and trade departments into one.

The group targets White House on Solyndra.

With just more than a week before the crucial South Carolina GOP primary,  more than 100 conservative Christians and evangelical leaders will gather in Texas this weekend to discuss which of the GOP candidates they will be backing in the race for the White House.  ABC News has...

Rick Perry on his attacks on Mitt Romney, plus Stephen Colbert on super PACs

Gingrich Up on OTUS – The big mover on the OTUS News Political Stock Market this week? Net Gingrich. He was at 34 last Friday. He’s over 44 in late trading today. He is Romney’s strongest challenger in South Carolina. What’s unclear is if he’s...

(01-13) 11:27 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is attending a $45,000-per person fundraiser near the White House, with no media allowed. Democratic officials say about 20 people were at the campaign event....

(01-13) 11:49 PST Bluffton, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina may be fertile ground for attacks on Mitt Romney's corporate takeover record. The state has suffered a long string of shuttered textile plants and other workplaces....

(01-13) 12:30 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- An anti-union group has filed the first legal challenge to President Barack Obama's controversial recess appointments. The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation argues...

(01-13) 14:40 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two pro-business advocacy groups on Friday filed the first legal challenge to President Barack Obama's recent recess appointments, asking a federal judge to find them...

(01-13) 04:09 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- Torn between reality and their political dreams, leading conservatives are defending Mitt Romney against attacks on his work in the private sector even as they search for a more...

The Massachusetts police officer who arrested President Barack Obama's uncle on drunken driving charges has had nine on-duty accidents during his 15 years on the Framingham police force.

South Carolinians warming up to the Yankee governor with Southern values in a way they did not in 2008

New 30-second spot says candidate's former firm created "thousands of jobs"

The Obama campaign is targeting Mitt Romney's business record -- using the same line of attack employed by Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry

Mr. Obama wants the authority to make changes to the executive branch that Congress would then have to approve or deny

The latest poll out of South Carolina shows Newt Gingrich giving Mitt Romney a run for his money in the third primary contest

Social conservative leaders are warning that Romney nomination will discourage the base, but opposition to Obama seems enough to motivate them

GOP candidate wants to show firm that specialized in merging and downsizing companies to make them more profitable in positive light

The GOP front-runner fights attacks on his record as a venture capitalist with a new ad in South Carolina.

Newt Gingrich is calling on the "super PAC" supporting him to clean up inaccuracies in its ad and movie attacking Mitt Romney.

In new 30-second SC TV spot, Romney camp explains the company's purpose and hits back at his '12 rivals. Announcer: "We expected the Obama administration to put free markets on trial. But as the Wall Street Journal said, 'Mr. Romney's GOP opponents are embarrassing themselves by taking the Obama line.'" Read the script below. VOICEOVER: [...]

New CNN/ORC national poll of registered Republican voters: Romney 34 Gingrich 18 Paul 15 Santorum 15 Perry 9 Huntsman 4 Conducted Jan. 11 — 12, 2012. Margin of error 4.5 points.

At rally with with Haley, McCain and Bolton in the popular South Carolina destination, frontrunner and crew tee-off on the President. Bolton goes after POTUS on foreign policy, says the country "doesn’t believe the role of America in the world is to be a well-bred doormat." More Bolton: "He just doesn’t care about national security [...]

The great debate about whether Mitt Romney was a vulture capitalist or venture capitalist at Bain Capital is useful and interesting, but not for the reasons many people pretend it is. The country benefits from a frank discussion about the wages of capitalism and what limits, if any, we should place on free markets. But [...]

First minister invites PM to discuss referendum and likens Westminster's treatment of Scotland to behaviour towards Ireland Alex Salmond has invited David Cameron and Nick Clegg to visit Scotland to discuss the UK government's proposal to accelerate the timetable for a referendum on Scottish independence. The Scottish first minister, who is meeting Clegg in Dublin at a meeting of the British-Irish Council, said he wanted the talks to take place in a consensual manner. But Salmond launched a strong attack on the UK government for what he described as bullying tactics as he appeared to draw a parallel between London's treatment of Scotland and its historic behaviour towards Ireland. "I am sure many people in Ireland will remember that sometimes people who are in leadership positions in big countries find it very difficult not to bully small countries," Salmond told RTE on Friday morning. "What we have seen over the last week is a most extraordinary attempt to bully and........

Scotland's first minister and UK's deputy PM meet at British-Irish council summit in Dublin • Read the key points from today on Scottish independence • Read more: Salmond attacks UK's 'bullying tactics' 1.40pm: Incidentally Rachelrmac put up a comments asking if readers wanted Scotland to leave the UK, asking readers to "recommend" that post if they wanted Scotland to leave, and recommend her second post if they wanted it to stay in the UK. So far the score is 269 for Scotland to leave, 650 for it to stay. Thanks for all your comments. 1.35pm: Here are the key points from today's developments: • Alex Salmond, the Scottish first minister, has invited David Cameron and Nick Clegg for talks in "Edinburgh, London or wherever" over the Scottish independence referendum. The deputy prime minister's spokesman said that Scottish secretary Michael Moore had written to Salmond inviting him to take part in discussions on the subject. • At a meeting of the British-Irish Council in........

Berwick-upon-Tweed is in England these days, but townspeople know what devolution has brought their neighbours in Scotland Surveying the view from Meg's Mount looking at the North Sea and the Scottish coastline to the north, Holy Island to the south, it is clear why Berwick-upon-Tweed is such a divided place. It is the last English town before Scotland and changed allegiance repeatedly in medieval times. Berwick was LS Lowry's favourite holiday destination and the town hall clock is instantly recognisable from his oil painting of the view from the town's walls. Some people are adamant they are English and their loyalty lies with Northumberland. Others feel an affinity to Scotland as they gaze enviously over the border wishing they had free prescriptions, lower university fees and a better system of financing care homes. A few miles away at the border, a huge sign announcing Welcome to Scotland is pockmarked with stickers. On the English side, an equivalent sign disappeared one..

Alex Salmond invited David Cameron and Nick Clegg to visit Scotland to discuss the UK government's proposal to accelerate the timetable for a referendum on Scottish independence

POLITICO'S Click reports that Oprah backs the president, but feels no need to officially re-endorse him: During an interview with CNN in South Africa, the queen of talk gave the president a non-endorsement endorsement by singing his praises without actually saying the words, “I’m endorsing Barack Obama.” “I don’t need to endorse him because I am a 100 percent supporter of him and I’ve already endorsed him,” Oprah explained. She said that her major presence on the campaign trail in 2008 was to help educate people. “My own friends didn’t even know who he was at the time,” she explained. Trying to squeeze an endorsement out, the interviewer asked, “You not publicly endorsing him is not a sign of disappointment?” “Oh, absolutely not,” replied Oprah, who is in South Africa to cheer on the first graduating class of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Presented By: Strengthen Customer Relationships   Ads by Pheedo

In what could lead to a big reorganization of the federal government, President Obama will ask Congress for the power to merge departments and agencies to help streamline government and improve efficiency, POLITICO has confirmed. The president's first priority would be combine the trade and commerce departments, according to a senior administration official. The news was first reported by the Associated Press. The president would request fast-track consolidation authority that would allow him to propose agency mergers that would then be subject to an up-or-down vote from Congress within 90 days. Under the terms of the president's proposal, lawmakers would still need to grant the president the the fast-track authority and approve each of his proposals. The initiative is designed to highlight the president's commitment to smarter, leaner and more efficient government — a theme he sounded in his 2011 State of the Union address, almost one year ago. And it gives the president a....

Despite a heavy barrage of attacks on Congress over the payroll tax cut and a stalled jobs act, President Obama hasn't moved the needle much in public perceptions or trust of the Republican Congress, according to a new survey. While Congress as a whole has reached new lows in terms of popularity (at a low of 13 percent approval in a recent Gallup survey), Americans are more evenly divided over who they trust to set the course of the country. According to a new Gallup poll, 46 percent of Americans would prefer President Obama to have more influence over the direction the nation takes, while 42 percent of Americans would prefer Republicans in Congress. Unsurprisingly, Democrats prefer Obama 88 percent to 6 percent, while Republicans prefer the GOP in Congress 92 percent to 3 percent. Independents back the president 44 percent to 37 percent. These numbers are essentially unchanged since the start of 2011.  

  POLITICO's Morning Score correspondent James Hohmann reports that the Obama campaign is launching a broadside assault on Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital, keeping the story alive just as some of Romney's GOP opponents are beginning to let up. Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter has written a four-page memo outlining Romney's record at the venture capital firm Bain, writing "Romney’s business record doesn’t reflect the virtues of free enterprise so much as the worst exploitation of it." "President Obama - who, like Mitt Romney, earned a degree from Harvard and all the opportunities that affords - began his career helping jobless workers in the shadow of a closed-down steel mill. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, made millions closing down steel mills," Cutter writes. "Taking advantage of an uneven playing field, where there was one rulebook for those at the top and another for everyone else, Mitt Romney and his friends made money hand over fist while working.....

  Donovan and I report: Stepping firmly onto Republican turf, President Barack Obama will announce Friday that he will ask Congress for the power to merge agencies to streamline government and improve efficiency. First up on his list: merging six different independent trade, business and commerce agencies, including most of the functions of the Commerce Department, the Small Business Administration and the Office of the U.S. Trade representative, into a new, unnamed Cabinet agency to create a more efficient experience for entrepreneurs and business managers. “The government we have is not the government we need. The last reorganization of the whole government was done by Herbert Hoover,” Jeff Zients, deputy director for management and chief performance officer at the Office of Management and Budget, told reporters. “Since then, agencies have been layered on top.”  

  We still have Dick Nixon to kick around, it seems. President Obama, in announcing a restructuring proposal for the federal government, took a shot at a predecessor, President Richard Nixon — blaming him for the inefficient placement of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the Commerce Department. "If you're wondering what the genesis of this was apparently, this had something to do with President Nixon being unhappy with his Interior Secretary for criticizing the Vietnam War. So he decided not to put NOAA in what would have been a more sensible place," Obama said in remarks today. Part of his reorganization would move NOAA from Commerce to the Interior Department.  

With all the attacks on Mitt Romney's background at Bain Capital, POLITICO's Alex Burns notes that the Obama administration has a fair share of people with backgrounds in venture capital or private equity: The most prominent among them is Jack Lew, the new White House chief of staff, who was previously a managing director at Citi Alternative Investments. Nancy-Ann DeParle, a deputy chief of staff who helped lead the president’s health care reform effort, was a managing director at CCMP Capital. Jeffrey Goldstein, the recently-departed undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, was a managing director at Hellman & Friedman before he joined the administration. He’s returning to the private equity firm now that he has resigned. Former auto czar Steve Rattner came out of the world of private equity before briefly working with the administration, and defended Bain Capital from attacks in a POLITICO op-ed this week. A number of Obama advisory board members and........

  President Obama's plan to ask Congress for the power to merge agencies and streamline government has the potential to divided Republicans. Here are some early reactions from both sides of the aisle.

The New Jersey governor opens up to Oprah about his personal struggle.

The governor discusses criticism, falling in love over doughnuts and trying to get healthy for his kids.

In a candid interview with Oprah, the New Jersey gov. calls Obama 'charismatic and "genuine."

He says they should reinstate the authority that past presidents had to reshape the executive branch.

Gingrich drops the Bain bomb (sort of)

Obama campaign attacks Romney on Bain

Americans say they want him, not Republican lawmakers, to have the most influence.

Though he supports a wide-range of LGBT initiatives, the president has yet to make the final leap in supporting marriage equality.

Maybe even if it weren't a general-election year, President Obama would still be proposing that Congress give him the power to merge federal agencies to make the government smaller and more efficient. But it is an election year and the president's proposal gives him a way to counter GOP charges that he's a big-government Democrat.

Rupert Murdoch isn’t holding back on Twitter — he called Gov. Cuomo a “chicken” during an odd tweet during Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City address.

While Jay-Z didn’t win over the 99% percent with his Occupy Wall Street-inspired shirts, wife Beyonce is taking a political stance with her own designs.

President Obama is asking Congress for more power to shrink the federal government. The commander in chief proposed merging six trade and commerce agencies on Friday, a move analysts are interpreting as an attempt to quiet Republican critics who say Obama wants to balloon the government.

BEN FELLER AP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON President Barack... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

The Associated Press The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Barack Obama is calling the Myanmar government's decision to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

President Barack Obama will ask Congress on Friday for greater power to shrink the federal government, and his first idea is merging six sprawling trade and commerce agencies.

Will Mitt Romney’s work at Bain cost him the general election, if he becomes the GOP nominee? Take the First Read poll to weigh in.

The Times's Economix Blog breaks down a speech given by Alan B. Krueger, the chairman of the White House's Council of Economic Advisers and an accomplished labor economist.

In an election climate largely defined by the anxieties of the middle class, working people are now more likely than not to face a choice in November between two candidates who sometimes seem to have trouble relating to them.

The campaign’s fund-raising total in the final three months of 2011 easily bested his Republican rivals and matched George W. Bush’s at the same point in his re-election bid.

Republican National Committee leaders, meeting in New Orleans, implored fellow Republicans from around the country to unite around a message aimed at President Obama, not one another.

Q And just one final question. Any reason why you kept cameras away from the President visiting his campaign reelection headquarters? MR. CARNEY: It was an OTR. I think it was a brief -- a brief drop-by. Q You guys love when we cover OTRs at delis, at barbeque restaurants. MR. CARNEY: I think this was -- Q Campaign reelection headquarters, thats not -- MR. CARNEY: -- on the fly and brief. The President was very gratified to have the opportunity. I think it underscores the point Ive been trying to make from here in answer to questions about the Presidents reelection campaign, which is that he is here in Washington focused on doing his job as President. He is -- Q So you werent concerned that pictures of this would make it look otherwise? MR. CARNEY: Well, no. I mean, look, he obviously had campaign events last night in Chicago that you all covered. I mean, were not hiding the fact that he is engaged in some campaign activities. But as a -- Q A little bit. You try to minimize it. MR.....

Charles Krauthammer says that Obama, with the inadvertent help of Republicans themselves, has made the presidential race about inequality and the one percent to deflect from the debt crisis and overspending. Krauthammer also says the vote against raising the debt ceiling next week will be overshadowed by the events in South Carolina.

OReilly discusses the media and their reporting on Michelle Obama.

In a new advertisement, Mitt Romney fires back at his GOP rivals who are attacking his work at the private equity firm Bain Capital. He is being accused of killing American jobs. "We expected the Obama administration to put free markets on trial," the Mitt Romney said in response to attacks on his work with Bain. "But as the Wall Street Journal said, Mr. Romneys GOP opponents are embarrassing themselves by taking the Obama line."

Lost in the political shuffle in New Hampshire was an epic U.S. Supreme Court decision this week in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. By an astounding, unanimous 9-0 margin, the usually ideologically divided Supreme Court slapped down President Obamas radical doctrine that the federal government can tell a church who it must employ as a minister if the church violates anti-discrimination employment provisions. The Obama administrations claim that there is no special protection for clergy in our Constitution, the...

With public attention focused on the GOP primaries, the White House quietly promoted another self-dealing lobbyist to serve as President Obamas top domestic policy adviser. Promises? What broken promises? Cecilia Munoz, the current director of intergovernmental affairs at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., will now serve as head of the Domestic Policy Council. Shell wield heightened influence at Obamas daily morning briefings and expand her reach from immigration issues to education, health care and beyond. Gushing headlines heralded the advancement of Obamas top Hispanic civil...

WASHINGTON -- For Mitt Romney, its the best of times and the worst of times. While his New Hampshire win brings him closer to the Republican nomination, his campaign narrative against President Obama may be unraveling. The plotline is simple: With a comatose economy and stubbornly high unemployment, Romneys private-sector experience makes him a better job creator than Obama. There are problems. Not only does the economy seem to be strengthening, but Romneys business background is being turned against him. By Republicans, no less. We understand the achievements of Bill...

Rep. Buck McKeon, Wash PostAfter no hearings and no input from Congress, President Obama unveiled a new strategy last week that unilaterally changed long-standing bipartisan defense policy. As he spoke, flanked by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and a host of military brass, some of the presidents language may have sounded familiar.A year ago Britain, our predecessor superpower, announced sweeping defense cuts that have reduced its military to a shadow of its former capability.

Byron York, ExaminerPerhaps the most striking thing about the current fight over Mitt Romneys career in private equity is how little we know about it. Romney has based his campaign on his experience in private business -- he talks about it much more than his time as governor of Massachusetts -- and yet, unlike his governorship, Romneys business experience has not been the topic of long and detailed public examination and debate.

Minors face up to 40 years in prison after video surfaces of 10-year-olds assaulting younger boy.

A new word has become more common the Obama administration's lexicon: veto. After three years spent cultivating the image of a middle ground-seeking compromiser-in-chief, the White House appears to have made a 180-degree turn. Three veto threats have been floated against major pieces of legislation. President Barack Obama suddenly refuses take any gruff from Congressional Republicans.

(Reuters) - A year ago, the Obama administration suffered from a post-bailout hangover and kept a low profile at the annual Detroit auto show with a smaller U.S. industry just beginning to pull out of its worst-ever downturn.

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Preaching a conservative message is a better way to connect with the growing U.S. Hispanic community than to mention the Republican Party by name, the nation's first Hispanic tea party group president said at an Austin forum on Thursday.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) - These are desperate times for Newt Gingrich.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama formally notified Congress on Thursday that he plans a $1.2 trillion increase in the U.S. debt limit, prompting Republicans to level election-year charges that deficits are out of control.

BLUFFTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Looking to recapture the magic of his Iowa surge, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is bringing to South Carolina the shoe-leather strategy that propelled him to a near-win in the Midwest state.

President Obama formally notified Congress on Thursday of his intent to raise the nation’s debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion, two weeks after he had postponed the request to give lawmakers more time to consider the action. Read full article >>

You can now follow @MichelleObama on Twitter. The Obama 2012 campaign launched the account Thursday morning with two tweets. Read full article >>

Thursday night, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) visits “Late Show With David Letterman.” In an early clip released by CBS, McCain discusses his thoughts on the GOP presidential canddiates, and the whereabouts of his former running mate, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Read full article >>

President Obama appears increasingly unlikely to break the billion-dollar fundraising mark for his 2012 reelection campaign — although he will almost certainly have a financial advantage over his eventual Republican opponent in November. Read full article >>

In a web video released in the wee hours of Thursday morning, Jim Messina, who is managing President Obama’s re-election race, had a message for those speculating about how much the incumbent might raise in pursuit of a second term. Read full article >>

Speaking to about 30 people at a restaurant north of Columbia, Rick Perry left out his "vulture capitalist" attack on Mitt Romney's work with Bain Capital. But in an interview with Fox News that came afterward and played on the restaurant's big-screen TVs, he repeatedly defended his criticism.

During an hour-long interview with Piers Morgan last night Newt Gingrich defended his recent slew of brutal attacks on Mitt Romney as the only option he was left with. "I concede that every effort I made to stay positive and every effort I made to talk Romney out of doing this failed. That you can't -- you know you can't unilaterally disarm unless you want to get out of the race. And since this is the objective reality. We have no choice. And so we have to match -- in some way, we have to have effective advertising that matches their advertising or literally no matter how good your ideas are, no matter how big your crowds are the weight of television and radio and direct mailing. In Iowa it was, you know, 45 percent of all the ads were attacks." He also framed his relentless focus on Romney's history with Bain Capital, something even Jon Huntsman has asked him to dial back on, as his doing Romney some sort of campaign preparatory favor. And I've said up front, I think....

The 2012 candidate says any job lost is a "tragedy."

Candidate tells South Carolinians he understands how capitalism 'needs to work.'

The campaign released the "Runway to Win" line of designer swag

(01-12) 13:55 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama hauled in more than $68 million for his campaign and the Democratic Party during the final three months of 2011, a show of force that allows him to compete _...

The president's re-election team announced its latest fundraising totals, asking voters to keep giving

With the government in need of more money to borrow, Obama notified Congress Thursday that the debt limit needs to be raised again

The "super PAC" supporting Mitt Romney is out with a scathing ad that hits Newt Gingrich for making "desperate attacks" against him.

George Osborne has raised the issue of local public sector pay bargaining which could see nurses, teachers, council workers and prison officers paid different rates in different parts of the country.

The Chancellor's cash incentive to freeze council tax gets the brush-off from the East Midlands' Labour cities.

Only a tribalistic craving for central control explains the prime minister's urge to defend the UK against Scottish autonomy Here we go again. Ireland gone. Scotland going. Next is Wales, and then where? Cornwall? The Isle of Wight? There is no knowing what the ineptitude of London politics may do to the British confederacy. The latest row over yes or no to Scottish "independence" is mere play-acting. The real issue is option three, "devo max". London hates it. Scotland craves it. For the past week constitutionalists have been dragged from their cobwebs to pore over laws and documents. This is pointless. When dissident provinces are set on separatism, the minutiae of referendum law will not stop them. Look at Bosnia, Slovakia, Kosovo, Macedonia – each different but starting from the same source. Britain went to war to break up the Yugoslav union. Many Britons yearn for the break-up of the European one. Why do they fight to sustain the United Kingdom as it manifestly........

Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter, a former Pennsylvania senator, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Democrats should dump President Obama and put Hillary Clinton at the top of the presidential ticket: Asked during an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board Tuesday whether Mrs. Clinton should replace Mr. Biden, Mr. Specter replied, "That's the second-best alternative. A better alternative is to make Hillary the [presidential] nominee. As long as we're talking about dumping, let's go to the core problem."  

  President Obama returned to his adopted hometown of Chicago last night — doing three fundraisers, visiting his Chicago home and thanking staff and volunteers at his campaign headquarters. "It's all my neighbors!" Obama said at one fundraiser, giving thanks and recognition to former bosses, campaign volunteers and friends from the Windy City. The president also expressed concern that his Hyde Park home was dragging down property values in the neighborhood. "Is somebody mowing the grass in front of my house? I'm going to go over there," he said. "I don't want people talking about me. 'He's a good president but nobody's mowing the lawn. Bringing down property values.'"  

  POLITICO's Glenn Thrush reports: The Obama campaign and Democratic National Committee raked in a combined $68 million in the fourth quarter, bringing its total 2011 haul to $222 million — an impressive take but not quite up to the blistering pace set by the Bush-Cheney reelection machine over the same period. The contributions exceed the $60 million number floated by campaign officials but represent a small drop-off from the $70.1 million Obama-DNC receipts collected in the previous three months. Of the October-to-December cash, $42 million went to Obama’s coffers, with $24 million headed to the DNC — a bit less than the $70.4 million raised by the Bush-Cheney-RNC campaigns in late 2003.  

First Lady Michelle Obama has launched a Twitter account, with the handle @michelleobama.  

The Washington Post's Al Kamen catches this nugget in President Obama's address to supporters yesterday in Chicago: “The first bill I signed — a bill that said that we’re going to have equal pay for equal work because I want my daughters treated the same way as my sons.” It's not the first time that a rhetorical hypothetical has tripped up the president, as when a "Muslim faith" reference was taken wildly out of context.  

Former BusinessWeek chief economist Michael Mandel asserts that the White House has made a critical pivot in its position on trade and American jobs.

President Obama has officially asked for a debt ceiling increase of $1.2 trillion in a letter to congressional leaders on Thursday. Under the terms of the August budget compromise, the increase will occur unless both the House and Senate pass a resolution against it. That's an unlikely scenario given Democratic control of the Senate, but House majority leader Eric Cantor's office tells POLITICO that the House will vote on a disapproval resolution next Wednesday. President Obama initially asked for an increase on Dec. 27 — but delayed sending the official request to Congress. Congressional leaders wanted to delay until their caucuses came back into town in mid-January.  

My colleague Glenn Thrush reports that the widely held perception that President Obama's reelection campaign will raise a billion dollars may actually be depressing fundraising: Barack Obama’s brain trust, party officials and fundraisers now concede the myth of Obama’s “billion-dollar” money bomb — pumped by some Democrats last year as a base-rousing tactic — might be the culprit behind recent fundraising totals that are good, but not quite as good as hoped. It’s an ironic development: Obama and his team are typically masters at managing expectations, and were able to defeat Hillary Clinton’s campaign by shattering her aura of inevitability with shocker wins in Iowa and South Carolina nearly four years ago to the day. “It’s a tough environment to raise money in already, but it’s made worse by the fact that people think we already have enough,” a New York-based Democratic bundler told POLITICO hours after the campaign announced it had raised $68 million jointly with the........

Is Obama disinterested in politics? (AP | Erica Werner)

Do you think Mitt Romney should provide more answers about his record at Bain Capital? Yes - Being more transparent would help. : 3897 No - Whatever he says will just be used as ammunition against him. : 1148 Maybe - But he should wait a little and see if the story burns out on its own first. : 622 I'm not sure. : 79 Total Votes: 5746

(Flickr/Leader Nancy Pelosi) Michelle Obama We're excited today to launch @michelleobama as a new way for you to connect with First Lady Michelle Obama and the President's campaign. Ellen DeGeneres I love that you're on Twitter @MichelleObama! Finally a forum to discuss the important topics with you. Have you been watching The Bachelor? Alec Baldwin Even if Paul's message appeals to you, he is a poor messenger. Jason Ryan Not a joke: RT @threatpost: DHS to Give Talk on “Deceptive Dating Tactics” at Online Dating Conference Nancy Pelosi Thank you-yellow curry was excellent! RT @PhatThaiSF thanks for stopping by our truck @NancyPelosi-so nice to meet you! Continue reading post...

The "iCarly" cast praised the first lady for turning out a fun, blooper-free performance.

The first lady says she's the 'alpha' when it comes to Bo.

Obama's decision to snub Congress and make appointments has the department's legal blessing.

A majority of South Carolinians are indifferent to her endorsement, a POLITICO/Facebook poll finds.

He's planning a multi-pronged response to rivals.

SOPA, PIPA the storyline at 2012 CES.

Iran wants UN help to stop killing of nuke scientists

Senate GOP goes for throat on Keystone.

POLITICO teams up with Facebook to offer an inside look at the 2012 conversation.

His campaign worries expectations may be too high.

She says that Romney brought his Bain problems on himself by not being transparent.

Obama Imbues the Spirit of Lady Gaga Singing "Born This Way." Well...

Obama's campaign raised a lot of cash in 2011, exceeding its internal goals, according to reports. But it's worried about a rumored $1 billion goal — as in the amount the president intends to raise and spend on his re-election — which the campaign says is a myth.

Steven Rattner, the Wall Street financier who oversaw the Obama Administration's successful rescues of General Motors and Chrysler, now comes to the aid of some other beleaguered members of corporate America — Mitt Romney in his former role as a private-equity CEO, and Bain Capital, the company the Republican presidential candidate once ran.

Former South Dakota Gov. and Rep. William Janklow died Thursday after a short battle with brain cancer. Janklow is remembered as a combatant politician who many loved to hate. His political career ended after a car accident that killed a Minnesota motorcyclist. Janklow returned to the public eye last summer, though, when he threatened to sue the Army Corps of Engineers over flooding on the Missouri River.

When President Obama talks about the causes of the recession and the road out of it, he has consistently found fault in the financial services industry — and stressed the importance of making things. Now, with the Republican presidential nomination within reach of former venture capitalist Mitt Romney, those same words from Obama can sound mighty pointed.

President Barack Obama might be powerful and well-known, but the White House got some real star power Wednesday: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stopped by for a chat with the chief executive.

Mitt Romney swept into South Carolina on Wednesday in pursuit of a confirming victory in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, buoyed by a second straight electoral triumph, bulging campaign coffers and warm words from the state's pre-eminent practitioner of tea party politics.

So now Newt Gingrich takes this bottom-feeding campaign of his to South Carolina, comparing himself to both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher on his way out of New Hampshire, somehow still operating under the delusion that he is the only Republican who can defeat Barack Obama in November.

President Barack Obama hauled in an impressive $68 million in the final three months of last year, filling his 2011 campaign coffers with a total $222 million, his re-election team announced Thursday morning.

Michelle Obama has entered the Twittersphere. The First Lady’s Twitter account debuted on Thursday, amassing more than 92,000 followers by early afternoon. “Hi, everyone, and thanks for the warm welcome.

Falling under the heading of much too little and way too late, the big news from the White House today is that President Barack Obama will soon float changes to the corporate income tax laws, in the hope to change...

I don't know much about Gawker, but I'm learning that no identification is needed for participation in the antics. The "story" I viewed (which is too bad to link to here) showed...

Today, Republican Senators received a 23 page legal opinion from the 'Eric Holder Justice Department', which [as expected] concluded that President Obama did have the U.S. Constitution, or at least its' lack of a clear definition...

By cartoonist Leon Kuhn whose work can also be seen on his own website http://www.leonkuhn.org.uk where postcards of some of his cartoons can be ordered.

See Leon Kuhn's page on "SpideredNews | Politics" at http://www.spiderednews.com/LeonKuhn.htm

We ask one of President Obama's closest advisers to give us a personal perspective of the president.

Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert expose power of the political action committee.

Serious condition delays trial until at least March 26.

Franklin Graham weighs in on GOP contenders Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich.

CBS News White House correspondent Bill Plante discusses President Obama's move to consolidate government agencies and whether the announcement is just good politics.

President Obama called on Congress to give him the authority to consolidate the government agencies that help American businesses. NBC's Kristen Welker reports from the White House. (Nightly News)

CNN's John King talks about President Obama's plan to shrink government: a little late but smart politics.

In an interview with the Al Arabiya television channel, British Prime Minister David Cameron has praised the Arab League for its work in Syria and warned that Iran remains a "clear threat".

First Lady promotes military families with iCarly cameo.

The author of the book, "The Spy Who Jumped Off the Screen," Thomas Caplan, has a cool secret. He was college roommates with Bill Clinton. Jeff Glor asks him about his experiences.

First Lady Michelle Obama dances with the cast members of "iCarly." She makes a cameo appearance in an upcoming episode.

President Obama announced on Friday his plan to trim the federal government. CNN's Dan Lothian reports.

President Obama urges companies to bring jobs back to the United States and make products stamped "Made in America."

MIchelle Obama and the "iCarly" cast dance at a screening of an episode of the show that features the first lady.

Jan. 13 - Republican presidential candidates focused on South Carolina and Florida ahead of the nation's next primary on January 21rst. Deborah Gembara reports.

The President addresses talks about American made products and in-sourcing.

John King, Paul Begala, and Kevin Madden discuss Obama's plan to shrink government and the ongoing GOP race.

The first lady sat down with Gayle King to discuss how much she loves her job and how much she puts into it, calling herself "a 112 percenter"

Texas governor jokes during stop in South Carolina.

Doctors in London have agreed to evaluate a set of conjoined twins from Cameroon. CNN's Katie Walmsley reports.

Mitt Romney and his supporters have launched a more forceful response to rivals who are criticizing his business record and trying to blunt his momentum. Janet Hook has details on Campaign Journal.

President Obama congratulates TODAY for 60 years, while first lady Michelle Obama jumps at the chance to take the show into a commercial break with the iconic phrase “This is TODAY on NBC.” (TODAY)

Peter Snow, who has a model railway in his loft, explained why the British love railways and why he preferred trains to his famous swingometer.

Oprah Winfrey explains there's no reason for her to endorse Pres. Obama because everyone know who he is.

The Guardian's Nick Watt took a new year work-out with TV's Mr Motivator as he looked back over the Westminster headlines of the week when Parliament went back to work in 2012.

President Obama is asking Congress to allow him to merge six agencies. Bill Plante reports.

The cut in child benefit for 1.5m higher-earning families could save the government £2.4bn a year.

Education Secretary Michael Gove says dismissal will be a last resort, as new rules are announced which will allow head teachers in England to sack poor teachers more quickly.

Former John McCain campaign adviser, Taylor Griffin, says attacking Mitt Romney's Bain credentials in South Carolina is a dangerous game that might help out the Democrats in the long term.

Candidate tells South Carolinians he understands how capitalism "needs to work."

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has apologised for the frustration felt by people trying to use the London 2012 ticket resale site.

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich's camps spent Friday sparring over TV ads that criticize Romney's tenure at Bain Capital. WSJ's Elizabeth Williamson reports for Mean Street from Washington. Photo: AP.

Hardeep Singh Kohli admits being part of the "Braveheart brain drain" who left Scotland for work in London, but would rush back if it became an independent nation.

Jan. 12 - Republican presidential contenders step up their campaigns ahead of the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.

WSJ's Neil King on Campaign Journal reports from South Carolina on how the intense GOP campaign battle impacting on voters there and whether Rick Perry's big bet on the state is paying off.

Comedy Central star is coy about his decision to run in South Carolina primary.

The former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown has warned of a bleak future for newspapers in an era where people are turning to other sources for information and are not prepared to pay for their news.

The former tabloid editor Kelvin MacKenzie says David Cameron is 'nuts' not to support Scottish independence as it would give the Conservatives a big party advantage in what was left of the UK.

Author of "The Obamas" Jodi Kantor responds to criticism of the book and defends her work.

Bob Schieffer announces Sunday's line-up: presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, plus Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and author of "The Obamas," Jodi Kantor.

2008 GOP candidate supports Romney, but has crusaded against shadowy groups.

President wants to consolidate six business and trade departments into one.

Former first lady Laura Bush told a Sarasota, Florida audience she and her husband, former president George W. Bush, urged the former Florida Governor to run. NBC’s Brian Williams reports. (Nightly News)

CNN's John King talks to Rep. Jim Scott about politics and the Tea Party.

The 2012 candidate says any job lost is a "tragedy."

Jerry Seib on Campaign Journal gives us his take on the GOP battle for votes in South Carolina and looks ahead to Monday's Wall Street Journal/Fox News GOP candidate debate in Myrtle Beach.

CNN's Pier Morgan talks to author Jodi Kantor about her new controversial book "The Obamas."

Jan. 11 - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Iran's threats to close the Strait of Hormuz are "provocative and dangerous." Deborah Lutterbeck reports.

The government has suffered a series of defeats in the Lords over its controversial welfare reforms.

First Lady Michelle Obama gives Gayle King an extended tour of the White House's East Wing and discusses her family life.