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 …

Colorado Democrat: Women Don't Need Guns If They 'Feel Like They're Going To Be Raped'  —  Chill, women, says Colorado Democrat Rep. Joe Salazar.  While arguing for the disarmament of college students, Salazar says that even if women feel like they're going to be raped, they may not, so who needs a firearm for protection?

Sexy U.S. Presidents: Would You Hit It Or Quit It?  —  How bone-able are these presidential h0tties?  —  Katie Notopoulos  —  an hour ago  —  28 responses

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 …

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 …

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) …

Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns to retire  —  Heineman gave few hints about his thinking in a Monday press conference, in which he thanked Johanns for his service.  The governor said he was considering getting into the race but had not made a final decision and that he had yet to speak to his wife …

Why Barron's Went With That Preposterous Cover About Obama Turning America Into Greece  —  In case you missed it, quiet financial newspaper Barron's took a huge swipe at Obama in its latest cover, promising that if he got his way, the US would be on the road to Greece.

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.

Mexican Supreme Court: American Cases Demand Marriage Equality  —  In a sweeping ruling striking down a ban on same-sex couples' marriages in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico's Supreme Court says U.S. Supreme Court cases support marriage equality.  —  A gay couple takes part in a mock wedding in Monterrey, Mexico, on February 16, 2013.

GOP senators waiting for Obama outreach  —  President Barack Obama will need Republican senators to pass his ambitious agenda — and the White House has even identified the top prospects.  —  But after months of buildup and a week since his State of the Union address, key aides on the Hill …

Jersey City assemblyman ‘likes’ two racy, violent Facebook pages  —  Assemblyman Charles Mainor, seen here in June 2011, is in hot water after a constituent complained about two websites Mainor (Photo by The Jersey Journal)  —  Jersey City Assemblyman Charles Mainor is in hot water again …

Marco Rubio is against administration's Rubio-esque immigration plan  —  Comprehensive immigration reform remains one of the few issues where Washington is making process.  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) has been shopping his plan to Republicans and Democrats, while in his State of the Union …

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.

Obama needs a ‘Plan B’ on guns  —  Editor's note: David Frum, a CNN contributor, is a contributing editor at Newsweek and The Daily Beast.  He is the author of eight books, including a new novel, “Patriots,” and a post-election e-book, “Why Romney Lost.”  Frum was a special assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002.

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.

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.

Newtown shooter motivated by Norway massacre, sources say  —  Law enforcement sources say Adam Lanza was motivated by violent video games and a strong desire to kill more people than another infamous mass murderer.  —  Sources say Lanza saw himself as being in direct competition with Anders Breivik …

House OKs gun bills  —  A package of four Democratic gun-control bills cleared the Colorado House on Monday and is now headed to the Democratic-led Senate, where the votes could be close.  —  Senate committees could take them up as early as this week if they wanted.

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.