John Boehner's big bet  —  House Speaker John Boehner has dug in.  —  If the let-the-cuts-happen approach on the sequester seems risky — especially with President Barack Obama blaming Republicans for everything from kids not getting vaccines to long lines at the airport — the alternative for Boehner is worse.

Republicans Sign Brief in Support of Gay Marriage  —  WASHINGTON — Dozens of prominent Republicans — including top advisers to former President George W. Bush, four former governors and two members of Congress — have signed a legal brief arguing that gay people have a constitutional right to marry …

CPAC to feature potential presidential candidates, GOP internal battle, and no Christie  —  Just months after their losses in the 2012 election, Republicans and conservatives are setting a vibrant — and crowded — stage at next month's closely watched political cattle call.

5 things to watch in crowded Illinois primary  —  Guns, racial politics and a billionaire out-of-town mayor: The special House election to succeed disgraced former Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has featured all of those things in spades.  —  A National Rifle Association-friendly ex-congresswoman …

Right cheers Bob Woodward ‘fact check’  —  Conservatives in the media have found themselves armed with political ammunition in their battle with President Barack Obama over the impending sequester from a surprising source — Bob Woodward.  —  The journalism icon's fact check on the sequester …

Entry 4: Forget Seth MacFarlane's sexist jokes.  This was the End of Men Oscars.  —  To: Dan Kois and Troy Patterson  —  We're one reproductive-technology breakthrough away from not needing men at the Oscars  —  I promise to spare you a long-form exegesis of Seth MacFarlane's opening number …

Former surgeon general C. Everett Koop dead at age 96 … Koop was surgeon general from 1982 to 1989.  —  C. Everett Koop, the former surgeon general who brought frank talk about AIDS into U.S. homes, has died at his home in Hanover, N.H., officials at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth said Monday.

Walter Jones, GOP Congressman, Hits Dick Cheney Over Iraq War  —  Dick Cheney, Video, HuffPolitics Blog, Walter Jones, Dick Cheney Water Jones, Walter Jones Dick Cheney, Walter Jones Iraq, Walter Jones Iraq War, Politics News  —  Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), an outspoken critic of the war in Afghanistan …

Dems, GOP tee up rival sequester bills in Senate as deadline nears  —  Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate are teeing up rival bills aimed at shielding their members from blame when an $85 billion cut to federal spending takes effect on Friday.  —  The Senate will vote this week …

Gaza rocket slams South for first time since truce  —  Grad explodes in Ashkelon; first such attack by terrorists in Gaza since the ceasefire following Operation Pillar of Defense.  —  Palestinian terrorists broke a three month ceasefire on Tuesday and fired a rocket from Gaza into southern Israel.

Farrakhan Cheers Hagel's ‘Jewish Lobby’ Comment  —  Chuck Hagel may not be having much luck winning over Republican senators, but at least someone is aware of his moral fiber — Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam.  Yesterday he delivered his annual address at the Saviours …

Most Say Spending Cuts Would Have Major Impact on Economy, Military  —  Little Partisan Difference in Views of Sequester's Impact  —  OVERVIEW  —  While many Americans may be resigned to seeing automatic spending cuts in the budget sequester go into effect, the public is concerned about the potential impact of the reductions.

Assemblyman Defends Wearing Blackface to Party  —  A prominent Brooklyn assemblyman defended himself on Monday after attracting attention for wearing blackface to a party he hosted this weekend to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim.  —  The assemblyman, Dov Hikind, a Democrat …

Democrats Enjoy 2-1 Advantage Over GOP Among Hispanics  —  Democratic dominance consistent across all age groups  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Hispanic adults are more than twice as likely to identify as or lean Democratic than Republican, according to Gallup Daily tracking data collected throughout 2012.

Police: Man arrested for sending harassing e-mails to state Rep. Rhonda Fields  —  (Brennan Linsley, Associated Press file)  —  Denver police have arrested a Colorado Springs man for sending racially and sexually offensive e-mails to state Rep. Rhonda Fields, including one that said he hoped …

Our Second Adolescence  —  In Friday's column, I wrote that the Obama administration has no plan to avoid the sequester save raising taxes on the rich.  That was unfair.  The White House approach is not what I would like, but it is more balanced than I described.  —  Humiliation is a good teacher.

DOJ to Federal Judge: We Can Force Your Wife to Violate Her Religion  —  (CNSNews.com) - While presenting an oral argument in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last fall, a lawyer for the U.S. Justice Department told a federal judge that the Obama administration believed …

GOP lawmaker: Obama using fake Twitter messages in fight over gun control  —  A Texas Republican on Monday said President Obama's gun control campaign is a fraud based on fake messages over Twitter.  —  Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) accused Obama of trying to make support for his position look stronger …