Radioactive Releases in Japan Could Last Months, Experts Say  —  WASHINGTON — As the scale of Japan's nuclear crisis begins to come to light, experts in Japan and the United States say the country is now facing a cascade of accumulating problems that suggest that radioactive releases of steam …

Sadly, the primary process might help Sarah Palin  —  It is difficult to believe, but the first election for the next president of the United States is less than a year away.  —  The New Hampshire primary is alive and well and headed toward a date of Valentine's Day next year …

Fiddling While Libya Burns  —  PRESIDENT Obama says the noose is tightening around Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.  In fact, it is tightening around the Libyan rebels, as Colonel Qaddafi makes the most of the world's dithering and steadily retakes rebel-held towns.

'She's becoming Al Sharpton, Alaska edition'  —  Sarah Palin has played the sexism card, accusing critics of chauvinism against a strong woman.  —  She has played the class card, dismissing the Bush family as “blue bloods,” and complaining that she is the target of snobbery by people …

Hackers Just Released What They Say Is A Damning Trove Of Emails About Bank Of America And Its Mortgage Practice  —  Hacker group Anonymous (aka OperationLeaks on Twitter) just released what they say is a trove of damning documents on Bank of America.  —  You can find them here: bankofamericasuck.com

Source of the Kaine Senate buzz  —  The rumor floating around Twitter is that Tim Kaine told his class at the University of Richmond that he planned to run for Senate.  The origin of this still-unconfirmed rumor is a student identified only as “Greg” “Gray” calling into Rob Schilling's radio show on WINA.

Chamber Of Commerce's Top SCOTUS Litigator Admits Justices Give Special Treatment to Chamber  —  A new study co-authored by conservative Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner confirms something that has been obvious to Supreme Court watchers for years — the Roberts Court places a huge thumb on the scale in favor of corporate interests.

Cable News Viewership Declines Double Digits in 2010 … After years of audience growth, cable news may have hit a wall.  —  According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's annual State of the News Media report, cable news viewership for CNN, MSNBC and Fox News fell substantially in 2010 …

Japan, Reno humor in Barbour's shop  —  Every morning, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's press secretary sends to Barbour's staff and other allies a list of press clippings, along with a daily compendium of birthdays, historical notes, and jokes — which have recently included humor …

Sen. Rubio to oppose new spending bill  —  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) said Monday that he won't support any new short-term measures to fund the government and keep it running.  —  Rubio, the freshman conservative senator, ruled out supporting the forthcoming measure by House Republicans to extend funding …

Michele Bachmann's Historical Blunder  —  ABC New's Amy Walter and Amy Bingham report:  —  A blunder of historical fact - not proportions - tainted Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's first visit to New Hampshire this weekend.  Speaking to students and conservative activists in Manchester …

Duke guaranteeing $10 million line of credit for DNC  —  Duke Energy Corp., whose CEO is leading the fundraising for the Democratic National Convention, is guaranteeing a $10 million line of credit for the event.  —  The credit line from Fifth Third Bank is apparently the first time such an arrangement …

NPR: O'Keefe ‘Inappropriately Edited’ Video; Exec's Words Still ‘Egregious’  —  An update on our post from Sunday about the questions that have been raised regarding conservative political activist James O'Keefe's editing of his secretly recorded video of then-NPR chief fundraiser Ron Schiller slamming conservatives.

Another Inside Job  —  Count me among those who were glad to see the documentary “Inside Job” win an Oscar.  The film reminded us that the financial crisis of 2008, whose aftereffects are still blighting the lives of millions of Americans, didn't just happen — it was made possible by bad behavior …