Matt Latimer of The Daily Beast offers some suggestions for how members of the Republican second tier — everyone except Mitt Romney and Rick Perry — can make their precious moments on camera sparkle tonight in yet another presidential debate. Click here for the story.
In case you were wondering, Bill Gates is still the richest American. For the complete list of the top 400, click here.
Lois Romano offers a profile of Michele Bachmann, who has gone from a backbencher in Congress to a contender for the GOP presidential nomination, in this week’s issue of Newsweek magazine. Click here for the full story.
Frank Bruni of the New York Times offers a look at the vanishing act of GOP front-runner Mitt Romney, who has been described as “the missing Mormon, the phantom front-runner and (courtesy of Ben Smith of Politico) a denizen of the Mittness Protection Program.”
Couple his low profile with his history of reinvention and you wind up with a candidate who campaigns in disappearing ink. It’s tough to get a read on him, and he leaves no strong impression.
Click here for the latest polls.
Bill McClellan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch admits he should have voted for Hillary instead of Obama.
“Saturday Night Live” star Kristen Wiig plays Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in a spoof of Bachmann’s tea party response to the State of the Union address.
Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post takes a look at the early contenders for the GOP nomination for president in 2012. He contends all of the Republicans considering carry at least one major flaw that could keep them from victory. He lists the Achilles’ heel of some of the best-known candidates.
Saturday morning shorts while trying to digest the stunning news that Charlie Sheen has reportedly checked himself into a rehab facility after suffering a hernia during an all-night party with five porn stars:
• On the eve of the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth, the Washington Examiner offers a retrospective on the nation’s 40th president.
• Politico reports third-term Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann has developed a fan base like 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s: Energized, fiercely loyal and capable of making a critic’s life miserable with threats of political retribution. Meanwhile, Gail Collins of the New York Times writes: Is Michele Bachmann the new Sarah Palin? And do we really need a new Sarah Palin? Shouldn’t the first one be made to go away before we start considering replacements?
• Twenty-five years have passed since the Challenger space shuttle exploded 73 seconds into its flight. From the Associated Press: “ … images of the exploding space shuttle still signify all that can go wrong with technology and the sharpest minds. The accident … remains NASA’s most visible failure. … It was the world’s first high-tech catastrophe to unfold on live television.
• As the clock continues to count down on the Cardinals’ contract negotiations with Albert Pujols, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports the slugger will veto any trade proposals should that strategy emerge.
