Why the Tea Party Is Folding on the Debt Limit  —  They were never irrational, just delusional  —  “You've got to know when to hold them and when to fold them”—thus spake Michele Bachmann in an interview with The Washington Post last week.  Bachmann is, of course, the high priestess of not knowing when to fold them.

Why I'm Getting Sick of Defending Obamacare  —  Incompetence, politics, and delays frustrate advocates of health care reform.  —  It's getting difficult and slinking toward impossible to defend the Affordable Care Act.  The latest blow to Democratic candidates, liberal activists …

Shirley Temple Black, Screen Darling, Dies at 85  —  Shirley Temple Black, who as a dimpled, precocious and determined little girl in the 1930s sang and tap-danced her way to a height of Hollywood stardom and worldwide fame that no other child has reached, died on Monday night at her home in Woodside, Calif. She was 85.

Team Clinton started talks on 2016 White House run night of Obama's victory  —  Members of Team Clinton started talking about a 2016 presidential bid months before the former first lady left the State Department.  —  The night President Obama won his second term, Allida Black and Adam Parkhomenko …

Holder Urges States to Repeal Bans on Felons' Voting  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Tuesday urged states to repeal laws that prohibit felons from voting, a move that would restore the right to vote to millions of people.  —  The call was mostly symbolic …

Bevin, McConnell and TARP  —  Matt Bevin, who is challenging Sen. Mitch McConnell in a Republican primary, calls the 2008 federal bailout of banks and Wall Street giants “irresponsible” and says he would have opposed it as a senator.  —  Yet back in 2008, as an investment fund president …

HealthCare.gov to be out of service  —  HealthCare.gov will be out of service for two and a half days beginning on Feb. 15 — the last day people can sign up to obtain coverage that begins on March 1.  —  The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services announced in a blog post on Monday …

A balanced look at college sex offenses.  —  The headline in the New York Times's Education Life section reads “Stepping Up to Stop Sexual Assault.”  The story, by reporter Michael Winerip, is more balanced than that.  —  Unlike many journalists writing about this subject, Winerip acknowledges the problem of wrongful accusation.

McCaskill: I Wouldn't Campaign With Obama This Year  —  Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said Tuesday that she wouldn't roll out the welcome mat for President Obama if she were seeking re-election in Missouri this year.  —  McCaskill was asked during an appearance on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” …

Obama: Syria Peace Talks Far From Achieving Goal  —  President Barack Obama says peace talks to end Syria's civil war are far from achieving their goal of halting violence and facilitating a political transition.  —  Obama says the situation on the ground in Syria is horrendous.

American Lugers Annoyed by Group's Gay Rights Video  —  KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — There was a ripple of discontent over a gay rights issue at the Sochi Games on Tuesday, but it had nothing to do with Russia.  —  Several American doubles lugers said they were irritated …