“On almost every contemporary issue there is a populist, middle-class argument to be made against elite liberalism. Yet the Republican class in charge seems ossified in its inability to make a counter-argument for the middle class. Never has the liberal agenda been so vulnerable, a logical development when bad ideas have had five years to prove themselves as very bad ideas. When Obama is all done he will have taken high presidential popularity ratings, a supermajority in the Senate, and a large margin in the House and lost them all — if only the Republicans can make an adequate case that they represent the middle class, the Democrats only the very wealthy and the very dependent.” – Victor Davis Hanson/PJ Media

“When conservatives say American exceptionalism is imperiled, they’re onto something. In fundamental ways, America isbecoming less exceptional. Where Gingrich and company go wrong is in claiming that the Obama presidency is the cause of this decline. It’s actually the result. Ironically, the people most responsible for eroding American exceptionalism are the very conservatives who most fear its demise.” – Peter Beinart/National Journal

“If the GOP actually believed these things, then there would be a special prosecutor appointed right now to investigate the IRS,” he said. “If the GOP actually believed in the Constitution, there would be a special prosecutor for the NSA and a special prosecutor for the reporters that have been spied on and threatened.” – The Blaze

“President Barack Obama twice blamed Fox News Channel for misinforming the public on issues that have bedeviled his presidency in the past year during a pre-Super Bowl interview with the network’s Bill O’Reilly.” – Newsmax

“Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, former vice president Al Gore asserted that it’s crucial for global philanthropists to impose ‘fertility management’ on Africa. No one called that racist. – Newsbusters

“Josh Rogin gets this bombshell from two of the Senators in the closed-door meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry, who briefed them and thirteen other members of Congress on progress in Syria. In short, it doesn’t exist. The chemical-weapons inspection regime set up by Russia to protect Bashar al-Assad is nothing short of a joke, and the peace talks are going exactly where everyone else knew they would … nowhere. Kerry told his former colleagues that he has lost faith in Obama’s policies, and now the US must intervene to stop Syria from being taken over by radical Sunni terror networks.” – Hot Air

“The actor was found dead from an apparent drug overdose by his screenwriter friend around 11am Sunday morning, police said. He was found with a needle stuck in his arm, sources told FOX411.” – Fox News

“Huge. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, during a two-hour press conference weeks ago, had repeatedly insisted that he knew nothing about lane closures on a bridge leading into New York City, after allegations emerged that the lanes were shut down to punish a mayor who failed to endorse the governor’s re-election bid. Now, The Times said, it turned out ‘Christie Knew.’ Huge.” – Washington Times

“People learn from their mistakes. Or they can—and should. Which is the reason we should try to learn from the revelations of mistakes about health care and health insurance since the passage of ObamaCare. The evidence is not all in. But it seems that Americans are not behaving as ObamaCare’s architects—and many critics—expected.” – Michael Barone/WSJ

“Republicans have every right to feel giddy about their odds in November, what with putting over half of the Democrat-held seats up in play or outright favored in them, but they must remain focused. Their odds of winning are tied directly into their ability to avoid wedge issues within their party and perceived ‘wackiness’ among their crop of candidates. These two pitfalls cannot be understated: the GOP must avoid both, or it will face a catastrophic collapse in fortunes.” – The Federalist