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Tracking the GOP race to 2012Today, a Public Policy Polling survey finds that President Obama, in potential 2012 matchups, leads Newt Gingrich 53-36, Mike Huckabee 52-39, Sarah Palin 56-37, and Mitt Romney 53-35; Politics Daily profiles Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour as a potential candidate; a Bobby Jindal-backed bill to make gubernatorial records more transparent has passed the Louisiana Senate; Rep. Mike Pence will host three forums in three states to talk about… More »

Today we learned that, according to a federal judge, the government can't use "substantial support" to justify detention; President Obama broadcasted a White House meeting live; a hard drive containing sensitive information has gone missing from the National Archives; a new TV ad compares Obama to JFK; Newt Gingrich says Democrats should oust Nancy Pelosi; and Obama has rebuked his predecessor's doctrine of preempting state laws. More »

The day in 2012 news: "GOP Kingmaker" / top finance guy Fred Malek insists he's not leaning towards an endorsement of anyone right now, and that sounds about right; 59 percent of Minnesotans say its somewhat likely he'll run for president in 2012--according to Rasmussen; The New Republic's Zvika Krieger profiles Jon Huntsman and says he'll be biding his time in China; Bristol Palin and her son, Tripp, will appear on the cover of PEOPLE magazine, keeping the Palins… More »

Today we learned the details of the administration's CAFE announcement; two University of Chicago law profs think President Obama's SCOTUS pick will be center-left, not traditionally liberal; the CIA has hundreds of pages of records describing its destroyed interrogation tapes; faith groups have launched a health reform campaign, including radio ads; and Donald Rumsfeld says he had nothing to do with biblical references in classified briefings. More »

Today we learned that President Obama will announce his SCOTUS nominee next week, according to administration officials; the House GOP continues its campaign against closing Guantanamo; the government is still resting on the state-secrets privilege in al-Haramain; Wolfram|Alpha doesn't know who Obama will nominate to SCOTUS; Judicial Confirmation Network is taking aim at three SCOTUS possibles; the Supreme Court refused to hear challenges to California's medical… More »

Today we learned that President Obama wants to keep military commissions for detainees but expand detainee rights, saying commissions are "appropriate" and "legitimate"; Amnesty International and the ACLU are irate at the decision; Lakhdar Boumediene is on his way to France, where he'll face terrorism charges; 2,083 FISA court wiretaps were approved in 2008; the White House is trying to sell its tribunals policy to allies; CIA Director Leon Panetta told his… More »

Today we learned that the RNC is mocking Obama's efforts at credit card reform; Nancy Pelosi hit back at the CIA and her critics; Rahm Emanuel's Secret Service codename is Black Hawk; the Senate voted against two credit card reform measures; the CIA rejected Vice President Dick Cheney's request to release memos allegedly showing the fruits of harsh interrogation; the House Energy and Commerce Committee has drafted an outline of health reform legislation; and… More »

Today we learned that the Department of Transportation will cancel a Bush-administration plan to auction off runway time at New York City airports; AIG CEO Edward Liddy says AIG needs more money...unless the economy gets really bad; former FBI interrogator Ali Soufan told the Senate Judiciary Committee that harsh interrogation techniques don't work as well as regular ones; Condoleezza Rice's former top aide said the same; liberals in Minnesota set up a billboard… More »

Today in politics, we learned that Charlie Crist has the backing of his party's campaign arm, and that he's popular among GOP voters in his state; the Philadelphia Inquirer has hired John Yoo as a columnist; Liz Cheney thinks her father is right to speak out; new TV ads will pressure centrist senators on health care; President Obama plans to cut taxes for the rich; Pew and the Sunlight Foundation have mapped TARP's geographical influence; Arlen Specter receieved a… More »

Today we learned that health care industry leaders are pledging to work toward President Obama's goals; Iran has freed journalist Roxana Saberi; Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari thinks the U.S. deserves some blame for the Taliban threat; an overhaul of the corporate tax code likely isn't on the way; embryonic stem cell research funding could impact the national electoral map; the Defense Department named a new top commander in Afghanistan; "socialism" is… More »

Today we learned that Americans support Bush-era harsh interrogations; the Treasury may want troubled banks to fire people; Rep. Patrick McHenry says the Reagan era is over; Sen. Arlen Specter has found a new home atop the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, thanks to the good graces of Sen. Dick Durbin; Congress won't subpoena Manny Ramirez after his failure of an MLB drug test (Manny says a prescription medicine from a doctor was to blame); President Obama… More »

Today we learned that Maine had legalized gay marriage (though the federal government won't recognize them); Bristol Palin campaigned for abstinence; Levi Johnston disagreed; one of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's former clerks said the left shouldn't look for a Scalia antidote; John McCain said detainees are war criminals, and can be held during war; the NRCC advertised its opposition's unchecked power; Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks it's time to have the marijuana debate;… More »