Announcing Operation Hilarity: Let's keep the GOP clown show going!  —  It's time for us to take an active role in the GOP nomination process.  That's right, it's time for those of us who live in open primary and caucus states—Michigan, North Dakota, Vermont and Tennessee in the next three weeks …

Exclusive: Santorum releases four years of tax returns  —  Rick Santorum said they would come this week, and here are four years worth of his taxes, from years 2007 through 2010.  —  They can be found here, here, here and here.  The returns are the most in number that have been released …

Michigan governor to back Romney  —  Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) - Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder plans to endorse Mitt Romney at a campaign event on Thursday, a GOP source confirmed to CNN.  —  The governor will announce his support in Farmington Hills, Michigan, at a meeting of the area chamber of commerce.

Heartland Institute Responds to Stolen and Fake Documents  —  FEBRUARY 15, 2012 - The following statement from The Heartland Institute - a free-market think tank - may be used for attribution.  For more information, contact Communications Director Jim Lakely at jlakely@heartland.org and 312/377-4000.

OMB director undercuts legal case for Obamacare  —  Testifying before Congress this morning, President Obama's acting budget director Jeffrey Zients directly undercut one of the administration's key legal defenses of its national health care law as it nears a hearing before the Supreme Court.

Chimichangamalangarepaorale  —  So, leftist WaPo Columnist Dana Milbank “inadvertently” mocks latinos by stating “The Chimichanga?  It may be the only thing Republicans have left to offer Latinos.”  And subsequently Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina tweets that this is “the line of the day” and the twitterverse is afire.

Farage On Greek Chaos: “You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet”  —  Outspoken and oracular MEP Nigel Farage bombards his fellow unelected officials with 'you can't handle the truth' comments as he points out the total contradiction that is the European Parliament's (and 'Puppet Papademos') …

Iran helping al Qaeda plot attack on West, intelligence sources say  —  LONDON — Iran and al Qaeda's core leadership under Ayman al Zawahiri have established an operational relationship amid fears the terror group is planning an attack against the West.  —  There are concerns such an attack …

Santorum: Birth control ‘harmful to women’  —  Yesterday I speculated on some of the reasons Rick Santorum has problems with women voters.  This interview from 2006 sure isn't going to help  —  For starters, does he realize that married women (men too!) use birth control?

Social conservatives press Obama on administration's birth-control mandate  —  A group of social conservative lawmakers on Wednesday intensified its push to overturn President Obama's new birth-control mandate.  —  The lawmakers, representing both parties and both chambers, said the president's recent …

Greece spiralling into catastrophic depression  —  NOTE: WE DO NOT STORE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS(ES) BUT YOUR IP ADDRESS WILL BE LOGGED TO PREVENT ABUSE OF THIS FEATURE.  PLEASE READ OUR LEGAL TERMS & POLICIES  —  Greece is expecting to agree the terms of European leaders for a rescue package …

Newt Gingrich: The most disliked politician in America  —  Newt Gingrich hasn't just fallen in the GOP presidential race; he may be the most unpopular person in American politics right now.  —  Two new polls out this week show the former House speaker with an absolutely atrocious favorability rating.

Chris Christie Ignores Gov. Gregoire's Outreach On Marriage Equality, Hopes To Swiftly Veto Measure  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) hopes to put the politically delicate question of same-sex marriage behind him and is prepared to swiftly veto a bill extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians …

Sun team probing “sustained criminality”: source  —  (Reuters) - An investigation into Rupert Murdoch's top-selling British newspaper, the Sun, has uncovered evidence that it paid tens of thousands of pounds in retainers to public officials for tipoffs, a source with knowledge of the probe said on Wednesday.

Payroll tax deal would take first real bite from Obama's health law  —  The payroll tax cut package under discussion in Congress would take the first real bite out of President Obama's healthcare reform law, according to congressional aides and lobbyists.  —  A tentative deal struck late …

California Audit Finds Broad Irregularities in Foreclosures  —  An audit by San Francisco county officials of about 400 recent foreclosures there determined that almost all involved either legal violations or suspicious documentation, according to a report released Wednesday.

Staggering: Obama to Cut Nukes by 80%  —  RUSH: There are some things happening today that are downright scary.  The regime, led by Barack Hussein Obama, is weighing options for reducing our US nuclear force, including a reduction of up to 80% in the number of deployed warheads, 80%.

Female Passengers Say They Were Targeted for TSA Body Scanners  —  TSA agents in Dallas singled out female passengers to undergo screening in a body scanner, according to complaints filed by several women who said they felt the screeners intentionally targeted them to view their bodies.