From NBC's Ali Weinberg
A bipartisan group of governors praised President Obama’s announcement to speed up the start date for states to opt out of policies enacted under the health care law.

Speaking at a press conference during the National Governors’ Association winter meeting, NGA Chair and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) said that while she wasn’t ready to endorse the plan as the head of the NGA, she was sure that many governors would support it.

“I can assure you there’s a considerable amount of interest among the governors,” she said, adding that she and her Republican vice chair, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, would have to consult with their fellow governors before endorsing the plan.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas also praised the announcement – a sign of its bipartisan support (given that Brownback was one of 28 Republican governors to sign a letter in support of the lawsuits against the health care law in Virginia and Florida).

“This offers a little bit of flexibility, which I think is a positive thing. But it doesn’t change the overall objection to the bill,” Brownback said.

Gregoire added that during the governors’ meeting with President Obama today, he requested that the governors form a bipartisan group that would come up with ways to reduce Medicaid costs, possibly with the end goal of recommending a package of changes to Congress.

Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah really doesn’t like the new health care law, and he used some not-so-legislative language to say so last week.

"Every state has different demographics, every state has different problems," said Hatch of the health care reform effort while speaking to a Republican student group at Utah State University on Friday. "It's good to allow them to work out their own problems rather than a one-size-fits-all federal government dumb-ass program. It really is an awful piece of crap."

According to the university’s Utah Statesman newspaper,  the mild-mannered Morman lawmaker later apologized for the language, saying he does not swear often and that he would “repent” for using harsh words about an issue about which he is very passionate.

Hatch is up for re-election in 2012 and is likely to face a primary challenge. In his remarks Friday, Hatch aligned himself with the Tea Party – the same conservative activists who ousted Hatch’s former colleague Bob Bennett from the GOP Senate nomination last year – on issues of spending and the deficit.

"I agree with the Tea Party people,” he said. “I think it's about time we reared up in this country and said ‘Enough, we're spending way too much, we're going into debt too far."

From NBC's Doug Adams and Mike Isikoff
Last night, the hacker group called "Anonymous" brought down the Web site of Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group heavily funded by the billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch.

AFP has been very active in the Wisconsin standoff over collective bargaining rights,  spending more than $400,000 in TV ads in support of Gov. Scott Walker's plan.

Anonymous temporarily disabled the AFP site for a few hours through a DDOS or "distributed denial of service" attack. The group targeted AFP and the Koch brothers because of their support of Gov. Walker, saying in a statement: "Their actions to undermine the legitimate political process in Wisconsin are the final straw."

Anonymous has carried out dozens of computer attacks in recent months in defense of liberal causes, especially Wikileaks. Last December, the group brought down the web sites of Mastercard and Visa, because the companies had stopped processing donations for Wikileaks. The FBI is investigating the Mastercard/Visa attacks, and a grand jury in San Jose is considering charges this week.
 
On Friday, Anonymous pressured PayPal to back off its refusal to process donations for Army PFC Bradley Manning's legal defense fund. Last month, they hacked into the computers of a major cyber security firm, HB Gary, and published tens of thousands of embarrassing emails.

Here's the press release condemning the attack from Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity

And here's the press release from Anonymous, calling for a boycott of Koch Industries and its affiliated paper company, Georgia Pacific.

A report by economist Mark Zandi from Moody’s says that Republicans’ plan to cut spending would cost 700,000 jobs through 2012, the Washington Post reports.

Republicans, however, are pushing back, trying to discredit Zandi (who was an economic adviser to John McCain's campaign), calling him the "chief architect" of the stimulus.

"When considering the latest study from Mark Zandi on the GOP’s efforts to rein in government spending, let’s not forget that he was the chief architect of the Democrats’ failed stimulus plan," wrote Brian Patrick, a spokesman for Majority Leader Eric Cantor. "Even as unemployment climbed into the double digits, Mr. Zandi continued to defend this failed policy. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he would come out against the GOP’s common-sense efforts to put an end to more stimulus-style spending."

The Des Moines Register gets Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R), while in D.C. for the National Governors Association meeting, to break down the potential GOP presidential field.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 2008 caucus winner: “I’m not even sure he’s going to run. But if he does, I think he’s obviously the favorite.”

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty: A “fine governor” and Iowa neighbor “going about it in the right way. He’s putting an organization together.”

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour: “I go way back with him. Don’t underestimate Haley.”

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels: “The first governor that really took the fiscal bull by the horns.”

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum: “There are a lot of social conservatives in Iowa.”

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: “He’s not going to spend as much money or as much organization in Iowa” as he did in 2008.

*** UPDATE *** Branstad made these remarks to PBS. Apologies to our friends there.

From NBC's Athena Jones
During remarks at a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors on Monday, President Obama waded into the debates going on in states like Wisconsin, where the governor is battling unions over collective bargaining rights, and New Jersey, whose chief executive has consistently argued the state must reduce its commitments to state workers.

AP

President Obama speaks during a bi-partisan meeting of governors in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington today.

"Those of you who are in this room obviously are on the front lines of the budget debate," Obama said.

He joked that even if the governors did not admit it, the Recovery Act had helped them deal with budget challenges over the past two years, but said that as those funds phased out states faced touch choices on everything from schools to prisons to pensions. He mentioned his own move to freeze the salaries of federal employees for two years because of the country's tough fiscal situation and said that everyone should be prepared to give up something to solve our shared budget challenges.

"I think most public servants agree with that," the president said. "Democrats and Republicans agree with that. In fact many public employees in your respective states have already agreed to cuts. But let me also say this, I don't think it does anybody any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified or their rights are infringed upon."

The president, who also used his remarks to continue to make his case for investments in education, innovation, infrastructure to "win the future", went on to argue that in order to attract the best and brightest teachers, firemen and others to public service, they must be fairly compensated for their work.

"So yes we need conversation about pensions and Medicare and Medicaid and other promises that we've made as a nation and those will be tough conversations but necessary conversations," he continued. "As we make these decisions about our budget going forward though, I believe that everyone should be at the table and the concept of shared sacrifice should prevail."

The budget battles in places like Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana and other states have taken center stage as lawmakers struggle to balance state budgets in the face of declining tax receipts and high unemployment. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has made a name for himself by talking tough about his state's need to bring down the cost of state pensions and other programs.

Among those governors in attendance in the State Dining Room in the room were Illinois' Pat Quinn, Oregon's John Kitzhaber, Texas' Rick Perry, Mississippi's Haley Barbour, South Carolina's Nikki Haley, New Jersey's Christie, Virginia's Bob McDonnell and Massachusetts' Deval Patrick.

Obama to Barbour: Here's lookin' at you?
There was a light moment near the beginning of the president's remarks when he shared a little 2012 humor, sparking a moment of uproarious laughter.

"I hope today all of you feel free to make yourselves at home," he told the group of governors. "For those of you with a particular interest in the next election, I don't mean that literally."

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, considering a 2012 run, was in attendance.

Administration officials who attended the event, which included a question-and-answer session with the governors that was closed to cameras, included Chief of Staff Bill Daley, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Gene Sperling, the director of the National Economic Council.

Obama also spoke about his support for moving up the date by which states can use waivers on mandates for the health care under the Affordable Care Act -- provided they can offer plans that cover as many people and cut costs -- and about his request to governors to create a bipartisan group to work with Secretary Sebelius on ways to reduce Medicaid costs.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Athena Jones
Hillary Clinton used to get this kind of treatment from the opposing party, circa 2007.

President Obama this morning took another swipe at presumed 2012 candidate Mitt Romney for his health-care plan today at the president's speech before a bipartisan group of governors at the White House.

"I know that many of you have asked for flexibility of your states under this law," Obama said. "In fact, I agree with Mitt Romney, who recently said he's proud of what he accomplished on health care in Massachusetts and said he supports giving states the power to determine their own health care solutions. He's right. Alabama's not gonna have exactly the same needs as Massachusetts or California or North  Dakota. We believe in that flexibility, so right now under the law -- under the Affordable Care Act --  Massachusetts and Utah already operate exchanges of their own that are very different -- operate them in their own way, and we made sure that the law allowed that."

Zing.

Then the president touted his plan to move up the date that states can request waivers from 2017 to 2014.

"The same applies for other requests like choosing benefit rules that meet the needs of your citizens, or allowing for consumer-driven plans and health savings accounts," Obama said. "And this recognition that states need flexibility tailor their approach to their unique needs is why part of the law says that beginning in 2017, if you can come up with a better system for your state to provide coverage of the same quality and affordability as the Affordable Care Act, you can take that route instead.

"Now some folks have said well that's not soon enough, so a few weeks ago Oregon Sen Ron Wyden, a Democrat, and Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, and Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, they proposed legislation that would acclerate that provision, so it would allow states to apply for such a waiver by 2014 instead of 2017. I think that's a reasonable proposal. I support it. It will give you flexibility more quickly while still guaranteeing the American people reform. If your state can create a plan that covers as many people as affordably and comprehensively as the Affordable Care Act does, without increasing the deficit, you can implement that plan and we'll work with you to do it."

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro
President Obama is endorsing a plan to let states ask for waivers on mandates in the health-care law earlier, starting 2014, instead of 2017. The news was first reported by the New York Times. Some bullet points:

-- This doesn't mean states can opt-out of hitting specific coverage targets, but if they have other ideas that would still cover as many people, they can circumvent some of the health-care law's requirements.

-- He will endorse the concept of the Ron Wyden-Scott Brown legislation, which moves up the start date when states can seek waivers from the health-care law from 2017 to 2014, they are called "innovation waivers" - if they can come up with ways to incentivize people to buy insurance rather than require it.

As the law currently stands, an indvidual state can basically seek a waiver from any part of the law starting in 2017, if they can prove they will meet the coverage and affordability options stated in the president's health-care law.

This allows states to:

-- introduce new options for coverage
-- have some flexibility in choosing whether to make some Medicaid recipients purchase insurance through exchanges
-- seek a waiver from the individual mandate

This new plan would move that start date up to 2014.

The Times frames this as Obama "seeking to appease disgruntled governors." More from the Times:

Senior administration officials said Mr. Obama would reveal to the National Governors Association in a speech on Monday morning that he backs legislation that would enable states to request federal permission to withdraw from the law's mandates in 2014 rather than in 2017. The earlier date is when many of the act's central provisions take effect, including requirements that most individuals obtain health insurance and that employers of a certain size offer coverage to workers or pay a penalty.

The announcement is the first time Mr. Obama has called for changing a central component of his signature health care law, although he has backed removing a specific tax provision that both parties regard as onerous on business. The shift comes as the law is under fierce attack in the courts and from Republicans on Capitol Hill and in statehouses around the country.

Reid and Boehner both blink -- for now… But who has the harder job if a two-week stopgap passes?... Obama meets with the governors at 11:00 am ET… Boehner criticizes Obama administration’s DOMA decision… Republicans admit that Obama might be tough to beat in 2012… Newt to form his exploratory committee soon… First Read’s timetable for the other potential presidentials… Palin’s numbers decline in Iowa… And Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t speak in Yazoo City, MS in 1962, as Haley Barbour previously recounted.  

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Both Reid and Boehner blinked: As NBC's Ken Strickland reported on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office released a statement suggesting that Congress is moving toward a deal avoiding a government shutdown, at least in the short term, as the Democrats said they were "encouraged" by reports about the stop-gap spending bill House Republican are expected to pass and send to the Senate on Tuesday. It appears that both sides blinked: Democrats have agreed to the GOP’s $4 billion number for the size of the cuts over the two-week extension, while the GOP agreed to many of the particular cuts from President Obama’s budget. (Irony alert: Although Beltway pundits panned Obama’s budget for not going far enough, it created the roadmap for this first round of cuts.) But this is the easier part. If Democrats and Republicans reach this deal, it buys them just two weeks, and then we’ll watch this process play out again over legislation to keep the government operating for the rest of the year. By the way, the two-week stop-gap would expire right when Obama is supposed to travel to South America.

*** But who has the harder job after the stopgap passes? The question is who has the harder job with the longer spending measure -- Reid (with his moderates who are up for re-election in 2012) or House Speaker Boehner (with his Tea Party freshman)? Right now, it looks like Reid might have the tougher job. Why? Because the GOP has won the debate on cutting. The only question is what the number will be. Need more evidence that the Senate moderates are running this show on the Dem side?

*** Obama and the governors: At 11:00 am, Obama and Vice President Biden meet with a bipartisan group of governors, who are in DC for the annual National Governors Association meeting. (It's a lengthy list of attendees at this morning's event but expect the White House to have a little news to showcase following the event.) In his remarks at a dinner for the governors last night, Obama told them they had a partner in the White House, despite any ideological differences (as evidenced by the budget standoff in Wisconsin). “One thing that we all absolutely share is the belief in the American Dream and the confidence that when our people get opportunities… [O]ur goal has to be to find ways to find common ground and to work together, and I’m confident that we can do that moving forward.” Policy-wise, the issue governors are grappling with is Medicaid. The Washington Post: Democratic and Republican governors, burdened by crushing budget pressures from Medicaid, said Sunday that federal officials should allow them more freedom to change eligibility rules and other aspects of the public health insurance program for the poor. But they displayed sharp ideological differences over how far such flexibility should go.”

*** Boehner criticizes Obama on DOMA: As we noted last week, the real sign whether the politics of gay marriage has changed is if the Obama administration’s decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act would be an issue a week later. Well, that story has been buried by the news in the Middle East, the standoff in Wisconsin, and the sheen of Hollywood. That said, in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Boehner criticized the administration’s move. “It strikes me as something that’s just as raw politics as anything I’ve seen knowing that a lot of people who believe in DOMA are probably not likely to vote for him and pandering to the other side on this issue.” More Boehner: “[I]f the President won’t defend DOMA then you’ll see the House of Representatives defend our actions in passing a bill that frankly passed overwhelmingly.” Yet just the fact that Boehner believes that Obama is playing “raw politics” here is a clear indication how the issue is no longer as potent for Republicans as it was in 2004. Moving in the direction of gay marriage in the past has never been viewed as some sort of political move for the center before.

*** Tough to beat? Politico’s Martin writes that Obama “is going to be a lot tougher to defeat than he looked late last year,” which is consistent with much of the conventional wisdom after the president’s legislative victories in December and his Arizona speech in January. And that’s a view shared by top Republicans. Said Mike Huckabee: “The people that are sitting around saying, ‘He’s definitely going to be a one-term president. It’s going to be easy to take him out,’ they’re obviously political illiterates -- political idiots, let me be blunt.” The reasons: the power of incumbency, the Obama campaign’s infrastructure and fundraising, and history. “Just once since 1896, he noted, has a sitting president lost his re-election after taking over from the opposite party four years earlier: Carter in 1980.”

*** Newt’s next: Yesterday, the AP reported that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich -- as expected -- “intends to take a formal step in the next two weeks toward a run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.” Newt spokesman Rick Tyler told NBC: "We have said for weeks now that Newt will decide whether or not to move to an explore phase by late February/early March. We are sticking to that schedule.” Also on Sunday came this front-page New York Times story on Gingrich: "If Mr. Gingrich moves forward with a presidential bid ... he will start with a reputation as one of his party’s most creative thinkers and a record of leading Republicans back to power in the 1990s and confronting Democrats on spending. But he will also have to grapple with aspects of his life and career that could give pause to elements of the Republican primary electorate, including a lack of a well-established association with religious conservatives and attendant questions about his two divorces."

*** The others: Here is when the other GOP potential presidentials are expected to make up their minds: Barbour (not until the legislative session in Mississippi ends in April), Daniels (not until the legislative session in Indiana ends in April/May), Huckabee (in “the next few months” and he added by the "summer" yesterday), Huntsman (after his ambassadorship expires on April 30); Pawlenty (in the next few weeks), Romney (sometime this spring?), Santorum (in the next three months), and Trump (in June, post "Apprentice"). Right now, only one Republican has formed an exploratory committee: Herman Cain.

*** Palin’s numbers slip in Iowa: And what about Palin? Per a new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll, “Palin's favorability has ebbed with Iowa Republican likely voters, whose most active members make up the state's presidential caucus electorate, in the past 15 months… Palin's favorability has slipped among Iowa Republicans who say they will vote in 2012 to 65 percent in the poll taken this month from 71 percent in November 2009.” What’s more, “The new poll shows fewer likely voters who are Republicans view Palin very favorably, 18 percent, than the 27 percent who did so in the Register's November 2009 poll.”

*** King and I: This is yet another tough story for Barbour on the issue of civil rights. The headline in the Jackson Clarion-Ledger: “Gov.'s memories of King may be inaccurate.” From the story, regarding Barbour’s statement to the Weekly Standard about seeing an MLK speech in Yazoo City, MS in 1962: “A search of the King Papers at the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute and the papers of David Garrow, author of the definitive biography on King, Bearing the Cross, failed to find evidence King spoke in Yazoo City in 1962.”

Countdown to continuing resolution’s expiration: 4 days
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 165 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 253 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 343 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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It appears Republicans aren’t so confident they can beat Obama now. “Having gone from despondency in 2008 to euphoria last November, a more sober GOP is wincing in the light of day as they consider just how difficult unseating an incumbent president with a massive warchest is going to be, even with a still-dismal economy,” Politico’s Martin writes. Karl Rove calls Obama “a favorite, albeit a slight favorite.” And: “[A]side from the traditional advantages of incumbency, Republicans are also fretting about the strength of Obama’s campaign infrastructure, the potential limitations of their own field and, particularly, the same demographic weaknesses that haunted them in 2008.” Plus, there’s the lackluster GOP field…

All about 2012 fundraising? The Hill: “Obama makes Oscar cameo.” “The president appeared in a montage of man-on-the-street interviews, during which participants were asked to name some of their most memorable songs from movies,” the paper writes. His favorite: "As Time Goes By," from "Casablanca."

Over the weekend, President Obama said Khaddafy has to go. "When a leader's only means of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule," the White House said in a statement.” The New York Post notes, “The strong words from Obama, who had previously stayed mum on the Mideast madman's fate, came during a phone chat with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. ‘The president and the chancellor shared deep concerns about the Libyan government's continued violation of human rights and brutalization of its people,’ read the statement.”

So now rejecting federal funds are about the “risk” of “cost overrun”? “Our taxpayers aren’t going to take the risk of the cost overrun,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott told CNN. “I haven’t seen how we can do it,” he added.

Former President Bush “canceled a scheduled speech Saturday at a business leaders' conference in Denver after learning the WikiLeaks head was also invited to speak to attendees via satellite,” the New York Daily News reports. “‘Upon learning that Julian Assange had recently been invited to address the same summit, President Bush decided to cancel his appearance,’ Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in a statement. ‘The former President has no desire to share a forum with a man who has willfully and repeatedly done great harm to the interests of the United States,’ he added.” 

“House Republicans and Senate Democrats began negotiating a short-term continuing resolution last week when it became clear five days were insufficient to resolve differences over a larger spending bill for the remainder of fiscal 2011 that cleared the House on Feb. 19. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled Friday that he was inclined to support a short-term CR proposed by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), although the Nevada Democrat attempted to couch his position as a Republican capitulation,” Roll Call reports. “‘The plan Republicans are floating today sounds like a modified version of what Democrats were talking about. We’re glad they think it’s a good idea, but we should keep our focus on what we need to do to cut spending and keep our economy growing in the long-term,’ Reid spokesman Jon Summers said in a statement.”

“Tea party activists did not seem impressed as Rep. Joe Barton tried to brag about the $60 billion in budget cuts in the House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government,” Roll Call reports from a Tea Party Patriots summit in Phoenix. “They interrupted the Texas Republican as he touted ‘the largest spending cuts in history’ as a ‘good start in the right direction.’ Members of the Tea Party Patriots gathered at the first-ever policy summit here shouted back, ‘More, more.’” In response, Barton said, “I hear it,” adding, “You’re not going to get to the finish line the first time you set out.” And here was the reaction: “That was the wrong thing to say to this crowd,” Ken Campbell, a California-based activist, said. “People didn’t believe him. Where has he been all these years?” 

(By the way, what does it say when the Tea Party is shouting down Joe Barton?)

On “Meet the Press” yesterday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) defended his budget proposal that would strip public workers of collective-bargaining rights. He twice deflected when asked by NBC’s David Gregory why he wouldn’t take concessions from unions to balance the state budget. On the third time he was asked, Walker said as a former local official, “I know that collective bargaining has a cost.” He even claimed that the budget repair bill was “less restrictive” than the federal government. (It’s unclear what he meant, since many federal workers are unionized.) On the perception of hypocrisy, on why he wasn’t trying to strip police or fire fighters of their collective-bargaining rights (both groups endorsed his candidacy), Walker said this is “not a values judgment” on teachers, but “is about protecting public safety,” noting that he couldn’t afford police or fire fighters striking for even a day.

State police didn’t remove about 600 protestors from the state Capitol.

There’s this headline from Saturday’s Wisconsin State Journal: “More than 70,000 protesters participate in rally at Capitol.” “For a second straight Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets around the state Capitol — braving temperatures in the mid-teens — for the largest day yet in their continuing struggle to stop Gov. Scott Walker's plan to essentially end collective bargaining rights for most public employees. Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said early Saturday afternoon that the number of protesters — nearly all of whom opposed Walker's plan — was in excess of 70,000, the estimated number of protesters in attendance last Saturday.”   

The governors of swing states are being hit up for a lot of support by potential 2012 candidates, Politico writes. “With a wide-open GOP nomination fight, the nation's 29 Republican governors are some of the most sought-after endorsements of all. But most are staying mum about who they might back, and with good reason — an unusually high number of their contemporaries are considering a run.” 

“Former Utah Sen. Bob Bennett urged Republicans to nominate a presidential candidate with a ‘national view,’ and not focus on the ideological purity found in the early caucuses and primaries,” Politico writes. “’If you're going to nominate a national candidate, don't make the mistake of assuming that those who attend the early caucuses and early primaries speak for the nation as a whole,’ he said, speaking to Greta Van Susteren on Fox News on Friday.”

BARBOUR: Appearing on Meet the Press, Gov. Haley Barbour said he would make his decision on whether to run for president in April, regardless of which candidates jump into the race in the meantime. “Barbour, the former Republican Governors Association (RGA) chairman who's considering running, wouldn't outline his criteria for deciding whether or not to run, only to say that it was mostly a family decision,” The Hill writes. 

CHRISTIE: Some, including Sarah Palin, have hit Michelle Obama for her anti-obesity campaign. Christie, however, lined up with Mike Huckabee in siding with the first lady, per the New York Daily News. "I think it's a really good goal to encourage kids to eat better," he said. "I've struggled with my weight for 30 years and it's a struggle. If a kid can avoid that in his adult years or her adult years, more power to them." Christie added that "I don't want the government deciding what you can eat and what you can't eat," but said " I think Mrs. Obama being out there encouraging people in a positive way to eat well and to exercise and to be healthy - I don't have a problem with that."

GINGRICH: “Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, intends to take a formal step toward entering the 2012 presidential race within the next two weeks, after months spent traveling to important primary and caucus states, Republican officials said yesterday,” AP reports.

“Newt Gingrich today vigorously disputed the initial version of Newsmax.com article that inaccurately suggested Gingrich advocated President Obama be impeached over his decision to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court,” Greta Van Susteren reported on Friday. “’Congress has every responsibility to demand President Obama live up to his constitutional obligations, but impeachment is clearly not an appropriate action,’ said Gingrich.” 

HUCKABEE: “Mike Huckabee says he's not at war with Republicans who are attacking Michelle Obama's anti-obesity initiatives.” Politico writes. "’I didn't say they're all wrong - let's be clear, because then it sounds like I'm in a war with Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Rush Limbaugh, which I'm not,’ Huckabee told Chris Wallace on ‘Fox News Sunday. ‘But what Michelle Obama is proposing is not that the government should tell you that you can't eat dessert.’” 

“The Republican presidential prospect leading in early Iowa polls began a tour across the state today with few signs he is actively investigating a 2012 campaign,” the Des Moines Register writes. “Huckabee’s two-day tour through Iowa’s largest media markets is aimed at promoting his new book. And the first of six stops shed little light on whether Huckabee is cultivating the relationships he will need if he runs again.” 

“Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee defended his methodical approach to deciding whether to launch a 2012 presidential bid as he set out on a two-day book-signing tour of Iowa on Sunday,” the Quad City Times writes. “‘My experience is Iowans take their time. They don’t just rush out and compulsively buy in on a candidate the first week he comes to town,’ Huckabee said.” 

PALIN: “Sarah Palin's popularity has declined among the very voters the former Alaska governor would need to impress first were she to seek the 2012 Republican nomination for president, The Des Moines Register's new Iowa Poll shows… Palin's favorability has slipped among Iowa Republicans who say they will vote in 2012 to 65 percent in the poll taken this month from 71 percent in November 2009.”

Chris Christie has some advice… "I think if she wants to prove she's ready for this, you've got to have some unscripted moments," he said on CBS.

PAWLENTY: “Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty accused President Obama and Democrats of ‘coddling’ unions and applauded the Tea Party movement as ‘modern-day Paul Reveres,’” The Hill writes. “Speaking to a convention of Tea Party activists in Phoenix on Saturday, the Republican White House hopeful sounded a populist tone while blasting unions and Democrats. ‘Thank you for standing up to the ruling class ... and big bailed-out businesses,’ he told attendees.” 

“The tea parties ‘are going to have a lot to say about who the nominee is in 2012,’ former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty told Roll Call.”

ROMNEY: Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, an Obama friend, said on ABC’s This Week, per the Boston Globe: "I think one of the best things he [Romney] did was to be the co-author of our health care reform, which is model for national health care reform.”

“Sen. Orrin Hatch says he would support former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney over former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. for president in 2012, citing Romney's efforts on behalf of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City,” the AP says. 

IOWA: “Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said Saturday Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses will remain the leadoff 2012 nominating contest, whether Florida lawmakers agree to move that state’s primary to meet national GOP rules or not,” the Des Moines Register writes. If Florida remains out of compliance, ‘We will move up,’ Branstad, a Republican, told CNN Saturday while attending the National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington, D.C. ‘We did it last time. We will do it again. We will be first and New Hampshire will be after us.’”

SOUTH CAROLINA: Gov. Nikki Haley told ABC that she isn’t endorsing anyone for president yet. “’I want all of the candidates to come to South Carolina. I want the people of South Carolina to get to see them the way I know them. I want them to campaign hard. When the right time comes, I will endorse, but there is no one that I feel like I owe at this time,’” Haley said, according to WSOC TV. 

From NBC's Ken Strickland
A statement released late Friday by the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggests Congress is moving towards a deal to avoid a government shutdown--at least for the short term.  Democrats say they are "encouraged" by reports about the short term spending bill that House Republicans are expected to pass and send to the Senate on Tuesday.

"The plan Republicans are floating today sounds like a modified version of what Democrats were talking about." said Reid's spokesman Jon Summers in a statement.

A senior Democratic aide warned that the devil was in the details, and that leaders had yet to examine the full details of the entire House bill, which would fund the government for two weeks and includes $4-billion in spending cuts.

Still, Democrats appear to be much more optimistic about the short term fix than they had been earlier this week.

What's changed?

Yesterday, Senate Democrats said they were combing through the president's 2012 budget request, looking for spending cuts that could be applied this year. They also said they'd entertain cutting $8.5-billion worth of earmarks in the current spending bill that was passed by Congress in December.

Today, as House Republicans announced some of the details of their short term bill, they also cited earmarks and included similar cuts from the president's 2012 budget. (You can read the House proposal here.)

In a written statement, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said the House bill "focuses on bipartisan ideas to reduce federal spending."

"President Obama and congressional Democrats agree with Republicans that these are potential areas to reduce spending, removing any excuses they have offered for demanding their status quo spending levels,” McConnell wrote. “As a result, there is now a clear path to finishing this short-term measure before the March 4th deadline."

Privately, Senate Republicans feel they have boxed Reid into a procedural corner and forced him to accept the House-backed bill. GOP aides say it would have been almost impossible for Reid to pass a Democratic bill before the government runs out of money at the end of next week.

 If an agreement can be reached for a short term fix, a much larger fight remains on a longer-term bill that would fund government operations through September.

The long term bill that House Republicans passed last week contained $60-billion in spending cuts. Senate Democrats called it dead on arrival.

"We should keep our focus on what we need to do to cut spending and keep our economy growing in the long-term," said Reid's spokesman Jon Summers."But the 'my way or the highway' approach Republicans have been taking in the past only signals a desire for a government shutdown that our country can't afford. We hope this is a sign that they have abandoned it and will work with Democrats moving forward."

While Republicans say they “welcome” the news that Democrats appear fairly warm to their two-week spending proposal, GOP House leader Eric Cantor reiterated his party’s demand for deeper slashes to the longer-term measure that would fund the government until the end of the fiscal year.

“I’d caution my Senate Democrat colleagues to make sure that their cuts are significant and serious spending reduction proposals, not just minor efforts to trim around the edges,” he said in a statement.

Msnbc.com's Carrie Dann contributed.

A little update on how the Obama administration and the NSC in particular are monitoring the humanitarian issues in Libya. (This is NOT to be confused with the ongoing human-rights violations that the U.S. government is monitoring and chronicling via intelligence agencies for potential future prosecution.)

Officials are preparing for a full-fledged "humanitarian crisis," but emphasize that it's not at that point yet -- not even close -- meaning people still have access to basics like food and water. In fact, there's a surprising amount of optimism about the situation... FOR NOW, depending on Khadaffy.

The greatest need: medical supplies; a close second are medical personnel.

Right now, senior aides tell me a slew of Egyptian doctors are going across the border and performing heroic work. One person called these folks the "unsung heroes" so far.

But the bottom line is clinics inside Libya are completely overrun and the need for supplies and doctors is great. A few NGOs have gone in (they prefer not to name them for safety reasons), and all of this is happening via the Egyptian border.

There are three challenges the Obama administration foresees going forward:

1) continuing violence strains an already overloaded ad-hoc medical system;

2) fear that the country's supply lines for basics like food and water get cut off (so far, that hasn't happened but if the violence continues, they assume it happens);

3) a steady flow of information (we in our news organization realize this problem, and they have it, too; that said, the informal communication system that's formed to deliver information to folks across the border to Egypt and then relay it around the world has been working surprisingly well, so one aide said to me).

Right now, the United Nations has spent more time pulling its folks out, but the Obama administration and other countries are pressuring the U.N. to get their humanitarian teams ready to go in. The U.N. is usually hesitant about going into a country without permission apparently.

One FINAL reason for optimism about being able to prevent a full-fledged humanitarian crisis in the country: The relative open borders of Tunisia and Egypt will make it fairly easy to get NGOs and supplies into the country.

Of course, the biggest caveat is Khadaffy and how violent he gets.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
The House GOP on Wednesday proposed a continuing resolution of $4 billion in cuts over two weeks. Here's the itemization of those cuts.

House GOP press release:

The House Appropriations Committee today unveiled a short term Continuing Resolution (CR) to provide funds to keep the government operating over the next two weeks until a compromise can be reached on a year-long funding bill. The CR, which includes $4 billion in spending reductions, will prevent a government-wide shut down that would occur on March 4th - if no agreement between the House, Senate and White House is reached on a longer-term funding bill.

The CR contains funding to allow all government agencies and programs to continue operating at the current level of spending for the next two weeks, until March 18, 2011, except for several programs that will be terminated or cut.

A summary of the $4 billion in cuts included in the two week, short term CR follows:
Program Cuts/Terminations:
This CR terminates funding for eight programs. These terminations include:
 Election Assistance Grants = -$75 million. This termination was requested in the President's budget request. The states have yet to spend large amounts of funding provided by this program, and both the House and Senate proposed eliminating the program last year.

 Broadband Direct Loan Subsidy (U.S. Department of Agriculture) = -$29 million. No funds were requested for this program in the President's budget request. This program is duplicative of several other federal programs, and the Agriculture Inspector General has uncovered abuses and inconsistencies in the program as well as a lack of focus on the rural communities it is intended to serve.

 Smithsonian Institution Legacy Fund = -$30 million. No funds were requested for this program in the President's budget request. The Legacy Fund was intended as a one-time only appropriation for revitalization of the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building. Sufficient private contributions were raised and the Legacy Fund monies were released in December, 2010.

 Striving Readers program (U.S. Department of Education) = -$250 million. This termination was requested in the President's budget request. This program has a large amount of unused funds, and is essentially duplicative of the Title 1 program that provides $14 billion annually in reading assistance to at-risk students.

 LEAP program (U.S Department of Education) = -$64 million. This termination was requested in the President's budget request. This program has accomplished its original objective of "stimulating" all states to establish need-based student grant programs, and federal aid is no longer required.

 Even Start (U.S. Department of Education) = -$66 million. This termination was requested in the President's budget request. Three national evaluations have found that participants in this program make no greater literacy gains than non-participants. The Office of Management and Budget has identified this program as "ineffective."

 Smaller Learning Communities (U.S. Department of Education) = -$88 million. This termination was requested in the President's budget request. Both governmental and non-governmental research has shown no evidence that creating smaller learning communities within high schools makes a difference in academic achievement.

 Highways - Additional General Fund spending (Federal Highways Administration) = -$650 million. No funds were requested for this use in the President's budget request. This one-time, non-recurring funding addition was provided in fiscal year 2010 and distributed to all States through the existing, authorized highway formula. Removing these funds will have no impact on the authorized, mandatory side of the highway program and its limitation of obligations.

TOTAL Terminations Savings = $1.24 billion
Earmark Terminations:
The CR eliminates funding that was made available in fiscal year 2010 that would have gone to earmarked programs and projects. These earmark cuts include:
Energy and Water

-$56 million - Army Corps of Engineers, Investigations
-$341million - Army Corps of Engineers, Construction
-$80 million - Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi River
-$39 million - Army Corps of Engineers, Operations and Maintenance
-$38 million - Bureau of Reclamation, Water and Related Resources
-$292 million - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
-$13 million - Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
-$3 million - Nuclear Energy Research and Development activities
-$37 million - Fossil Energy Research
-$77 million - Office of Science - science research
-$4 million - Defense Environmental Cleanup
-$3 million - Other Defense Activities
-$13 million - National Nuclear Security Administration - Office of the Administrator
-$0.3 million - Nuclear Nonproliferation - equipment upgrades

Homeland Security

-$1 million - DHS Undersecretary for Management - logistics training
-$1 million - Customs and Border Patrol Salaries and Expenses - solar powered batteries program
-$43 million - Customs and Border Patrol Construction - facility construction projects
-$1 million - Transportation Security Administration - National "Safe Skies" Alliance
-$4 million - Coast Guard Operations and Expenses - Operations System Center
-$17 million - Coast Guard Acquisition, Construction, and Improvements - shore construction projects
-$4 million - Coast Guard - alteration of bridges
-$20 million - National Programs and Protection Directorate - cyber-security and infrastructure projects
-$5 million - Office of Health Affairs - bio-preparedness
-$103 million - FEMA State and Local Programs - university and emergency operations center grants
-$25 million - FEMA Pre-disaster Mitigation Grants
-$41 million - Science and Technology - research projects

Labor, HHS, Education

-$49 million - Training and Employment Services
-$1 million - Mine Safety and Health Administration
-$40 million - Labor Department, Salaries and Expenses
-$397 million - Health Resources and Services
-$21 million - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-$15 million - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
-$3 million - CMS, program management
-$21 million - Children and Families Services program
-$1 million - Child Care Development Block Grant
-$6 million - Administration on Aging
-$2 million - HHS Office of the Secretary, departmental management
-$5 million - School Improvement Programs
-$229 million - Department of Education - Innovation and Improvement
-$32 million - Safe Schools and Citizenship Education
-$22 million - Special Education
-$5 million Rehabilitation Services and Disability Research
-$129 million - Higher Education
-$16 million - Institute of Museum and Library Services

Legislative Branch

-$0.2 million - Library of Congress Salaries and Expenses - digitalization program

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development

-$22 million - HUD Neighborhood Initiatives
-$173 million - HUD Economic Development Initiative
-$293 million - Surface Transportation priorities
-$25 million - Rail Line Relocation

TOTAL Earmark Savings = $2.7 billion
TOTAL CR Spending Cuts = $4.01 billion
Note: This CR legislation is scheduled to be on the House floor on Tuesday next week. For a copy of the bill text, please visit.

Are we headed for the first government shutdown in 16 years? How we got here – an explainer, a new NBC-Wall Street Journal poll. The latest jobs report, Scott Walker on Meet the Press, Huckabee’s book tour kicks off, Obama meets with Mexico’s Calderon, raises money in Florida.

Edited by Domenico Montanaro and Andrew Gross. Special thanks to Morgan Parmet and Catherine Chomiak.

From NBC's Luke Russert and Mark Murray
Georgia Congressman Paul Broun (R) has confirmed that he received this question at a town hall on Tuesday: "Who's going to shoot Obama?"

According to the Athens Banner-Herald, which first reported the news, Broun responded to the question this way: "The thing is, I know there’s a lot of frustration with this president. We’re going to have an election next year. Hopefully, we’ll elect somebody that’s going to be a conservative, limited-government president that will take a smaller, who will sign a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare."

Broun's spokeswoman told the Georgia newspaper: “Obviously, the question was inappropriate, so Congressman Broun moved on.”

Now, after the outburst gained national attention, Broun has issued a statement condemning any suggestion or threat of violence aimed at the president or any other elected official.

Tuesday night at a town hall meeting in Oglethorpe County, Georgia an elderly man asked the abhorrent question, “Who’s going to shoot Obama?” I was stunned by the question and chose not to dignify it with a response; therefore, at that moment I moved on to the next person with a question. After the event, my office took action with the appropriate authorities. I deeply regret that this incident happened at all. Furthermore, I condemn all statements—made in sincerity or jest—that threaten or suggest the use of violence against the President of the United States or any other public official. Such rhetoric cannot and will not be tolerated.

*** UPDATE *** TPM is reporting that, per witnesses, Broun "laughed when an elderly man at his town hall meeting this week asked 'Who's gonna shoot Obama?'"

The 2012 GOP battle begins… Huckabee hits Romney on health care; Team Romney responds; and Team Palin piles on… Romney’s health-care problem: Tea Party conservatives don’t like any mandate, state or federal… The six Republicans who are strong bets to run… The six Republicans who are sitting on the sidelines… Pawlenty addresses the Tea Party Patriots tomorrow… The latest from Wisconsin… National Journal on the most polarizing Congress… The misinformed: 22% believe the health law was repealed and another 26% are unsure or unwilling to say… Is Ensign really defending prostitution in Nevada?... And “Meet” has McCain and Scott Walker.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** The 2012 GOP battle begins: Politicos of all stripes have been wondering, “When is the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination going to begin?” A good starting point, we’ve always assumed, was the moment front-runner Mitt Romney found himself fully on the defensive on RomneyCare. Well guess what -- it has begun, and it was started by someone who might not even run in 2012. In his new book, Mike Huckabee writes, "Ever since the debate over [the national health care] program began, it’s been compared to 'RomneyCare,' the failed statewide health care program implemented by none other than my fellow GOP member Mitt Romney when he was governor of Massachusetts.” Romney's spokesman responded to National Journal: “Mitt Romney is proud of what he accomplished for Massachusetts... What's important now is to return to the states the power to determine their own health care solutions by repealing Obamacare. A one-size-fits-all plan for the entire nation just doesn't work." But then Palin's communications aide, Rebecca Mansour, re-Tweeted this line: "Romney spokesman: He's darned proud of RomneyCare."

*** Tea Party conservatives don’t like any mandates, state or federal: And so we’re off, folks. Romney realizes he's going to get hit with health care, so he's owning it. And his states-rights defense -- that Massachusetts pursuing its own health-care fixes is different than the federal government doing it -- is a legitimate one. But here’s the problem for Romney: The libertarian-influenced Tea Party doesn’t like being told what to do by any government, local, state, or federal. That’s the trouble with Massachusetts’ health mandate, and that's the REAL issue Romney has to deal with. And it very well could be the defining issue in the GOP race, just like Hillary Clinton’s vote for the Iraq war resolution was in 2007-2008. Then again, had Team Clinton not made some key mistakes (going all-in in Iowa, discounting the caucus contests), she might have very well won the Democratic nomination. So maybe Romney can navigate his way on this issue. But one thing he needs is a large field, and what if he doesn't get that?

*** The six who are running: After spending the last several weeks dipping their toes in the Iowa and New Hampshire waters, after selling their books, after speaking to reporters, and after assembling early campaign teams, we have a pretty good idea of the early 2012 GOP field. This list isn’t exhaustive, but these six Republicans look to be sure bets to get in the race: Haley Barbour (who will announce his decision by April or May), Jon Huntsman (who seems likely to get in after his ambassadorship ends on April 30), Newt Gingrich (who will make up his mind by the end of this month), Tim Pawlenty (who will decide in “the next few weeks”), Mitt Romney (whose team has been laying low), and Rick Santorum (who will decide in the next three months).

*** The six who are sitting on the sidelines: So that’s likely your field by the spring/early summer, along with the Herman Cain, Gary Johnson, and maybe even Donald Trump (gulp). But here’s a story that will likely compete with the GOP six-pack: the Republicans on the sidelines who could jump in the race. That includes the folks who haven’t made up their minds (but who also haven’t really prepped for a run and so are being treated by donors as NON-candidates): Michele Bachmann, Mitch Daniels, Mike Huckabee, and Sarah Palin. And then there are those who maintain they’re not running (but who will remain part of the discussion anyway): Jeb Bush and Chris Christie. Don’t underestimate the impact that the focus and chatter on the Sideline Six -- up until New Hampshire’s filing date -- could have on the GOP race. Even today, the New York Times’ David Brooks devotes his column urging Daniels to get in the race. Expect to see more of this…

*** Partying with the Patriots: And staying with the 2012 GOP race, a prominent Tea Party group, Tea Party Patriots, is holding a three-day summit that begins today in Phoenix. Speaking at the confab will be Pawlenty, Cain, and Ron Paul (who’s someone else to watch in the emerging 2012 field). A Pawlenty spokesman sends First Read this preview of T-Paw’s speech, which will take place tomorrow: “The Governor will reiterate his call to hold the line on the debt ceiling, repeal Obamacare and stand up to public employees' unions. He'll talk about his record of conservative success in a liberal state like Minnesota, and share stories about cutting spending and taxes, and standing up to public employees unions." By the way it was fascinating to see Pawlenty and Romney’s reactions yesterday to Wisconsin. Pawlenty went all in for the governor; Romney simply dipped a toe in, issuing a statement that didn't even mention Scott Walker by name.

*** The latest news from Wisconsin: The state Assembly -- though not the state Senate -- approved Gov. Scott Walker’s budget legislation. “Just after 1 a.m., Republicans cut off debate on Gov. Scott Walker's bill and in pell-mell fashion the body voted 51-17 to pass it. In the confusion, nearly one-third of the body - 28 lawmakers including 25 Democrats, two Republicans and the body's lone independent - did not vote on the bill at all,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. “Democrats erupted after the vote, throwing papers and what appeared to be a drink in the air. They denounced the move to cut off debate, questioning for the second time in the night whether the proper procedure had been followed.” The debate in Wisconsin could be a topic of conversation when President Obama and Vice President Biden meet at the White House at 11:00 am ET with the Democratic governors, who will hold a media avail after that. The governors are in DC as part of the National Governors Association meeting, and Obama hosts a dinner for all the governors on Sunday.

*** The most polarizing Congress: The cover story in the latest issue of National Journal observes that the past Congress was more polarized than in any previous Congress since the publication began its annual vote ratings in 1982. “[T]he overall level of congressional polarization last year was the highest the index has recorded, because the House was much more divided in 2010 than it was in 1999,” the magazine says. “Back then, more than half of the chamber’s members compiled voting records between the most liberal Republican and the most conservative Democrat. In 2010, however, the overlap between the parties in the House was less than in any previous index. Just five House Republicans in 2010 generated vote ratings more liberal than the most conservative House Democrat, Gene Taylor of Mississippi. Just four Democrats produced ratings more conservative than the most liberal Republican, Joseph Cao of Louisiana.”

*** The misinformed: You can only shake your head at these numbers: A Kaiser Family Foundation poll “found extensive public confusion about the health care law, with 22% of Americans incorrectly believing it has been repealed and another 26% unsure or unwilling to say.” Folks, the law HAS NOT been repealed. As we said when yet another poll showed a sizable portion of the American public thinking that -- incorrectly -- President Obama is a Muslim, everyone deserves blame here. The politicians. The citizenry. And especially the news media. We aren't doing our jobs when the populace is this misinformed. As a collective, look at how the court decisions striking down the health law get covered vs. the decisions to uphold it. And then look at the conservative media outlets and their coverage of this issue.

*** Ensign supports prostitution in Nevada? You can’t make this up; in fact, you’d think this was straight out of The Onion: “Senator John Ensign is breaking with Nevada's senior senator over the issue of legalized prostitution, saying leave it alone,” Las Vegas’ KTNV reported. ‘You know, that's a county by county issue and I think and it should be left to the counties,’ said Ensign after a town hall meeting in Henderson Wednesday.”

*** On “Meet the Press” this Sunday: NBC’s David Gregory will interview John McCain from Cairo, as well as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Plus: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Dem Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, and the Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel.

Countdown to continuing resolution’s expiration: 7 days
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 168 days (h/t Frank Lavin)
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 256 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 346 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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The Wisconsin State Journal headline: “Tempers explode as Assembly passes controversial budget repair bill.” “Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly took the first significant action on their plan to strip collective bargaining rights from most public workers, abruptly passing the measure early Friday morning before sleep-deprived Democrats realized what was happening. The vote ended three straight days of punishing debate in the Assembly that made it the longest continuous session in Assembly history.” Now, it heads to the Senate.

Cracking Down: “Wisconsin state troopers were dispatched yesterday to the doorsteps of some of the AWOL Democratic senators in hopes of finding at least one who would come back to allow a vote on a measure to curb the power of public-employee unions,” the AP writes. “The stepped-up tactic ordered by the Republican head of the Senate came amid reports that at least a few of the missing senators were returning home at night to pick up clothes, food, and other necessities, before rejoining their colleagues in Illinois.”

“The protest can continue, but the party is almost over,” the Wisconsin State Journal adds. “Come Saturday, nearly two weeks after it started, the non-stop, drum-circle chant-a-thon that has consumed the state Capitol could officially end. Lawmakers approved a rule change this week that clears the way for Capitol police to close down the statehouse at 6 p.m. on Saturday and end the biggest rally in recent memory. The only question now is whether Gov. Scott Walker will ask the officers to enforce the rule.”

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel editorial page, which endorsed Walker during the campaign, writes of the prank call, “What wasn't funny was the revealing peek the incident provided behind the veil of the Walker administration.”  ‘Koch’ at one point said he thought about ‘planting some troublemakers’ in the massive crowds protesting Walker's bill. Walker demurred - but not because that would be wrong, a modern version of a Nixon dirty trick. ‘We thought about that,’ Walker said. He declined the offer because the ‘ruckus’ might put pressure on him to give in. As the call wound down, ‘Koch’ suggested he'd jet Walker off to California ‘and really show you a good time.’ ‘All right,’ the governor said. ‘That would be outstanding.’ Actually, it would be unethical.”

And there’s this… “Madison's mayor and police chief Thursday called on Gov. Scott Walker to explain statements he made in a secretly recorded phone conversation that he ‘thought about’ planting troublemakers among the thousands of demonstrators at the Capitol. ‘Someone in his inner circle raised seriously the possibility of hiring people to come in and apparently create violence in my city,’ Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said. ‘I find it appalling, and I want to know who that was.’”

A new AFL-CIO ad hits Walker on the prank call.

The Boston Globe’s editorial page takes on Walker: “Many states, including Massachusetts, need to take a fuller account of the promises they’ve made to public-employee unions. Even as legislatures scrape for revenue amid a weak economy, the costs of long-established pension and health care benefits continue to grow. But new legislation proposed in Wisconsin by Republican Governor Scott Walker looks less like a serious effort to manage the cost of government than like a political vendetta against a traditional Democratic interest group. Worse yet, his uncompromising approach is likely to hinder a more thoughtful discussion of public-employee contracts — not just in Wisconsin, but in statehouses from coast to coast.”

The New York Times: “President Obama’s decision to abandon his legal support for the Defense of Marriage Act has generated only mild rebukes from the Republicans hoping to succeed him in 2012, evidence of a shifting political climate in which social issues are being crowded out by economic concerns.” Examples: “In the hours that followed, Sarah Palin’s Facebook site was silent. Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, was close-mouthed. Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, released a Web video — on the labor union protests in Wisconsin — and waited a day before issuing a marriage statement saying he was ‘disappointed.’”

“Others, like Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, and Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi, took their time weighing in, and then did so only in the most tepid terms. ‘The Justice Department is supposed to defend our laws,’ Mr. Barbour said.”

Gallup has more from its latest poll testing presidential hopefuls: “[Respondents] focused on government spending and power are most likely to favor Huckabee or Romney, while those focused on the economy favor Romney or Palin. Republicans who say social and moral values are most important favor Huckabee or Palin.”

DANIELS: Following up on Politico’s earlier scoop, Princeton’s school paper, the Daily Princetonian, makes note of Mitch Daniels’ conviction on charges of drug use as a Princeton undergraduate, after which he said he thought any political aspirations were shot: “More than 20 years later, Daniels, now the governor of Indiana, has proved his own nay-saying wrong, emerging as a national political figure that many speculate will make a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.”

GINGRICH: Before speaking at the Palm Beach County Lincoln Day dinner, Newt Gingrich told the Palm Beach Post that “he's within a week or two of deciding whether to run for president. He also said that “Florida could produce a vice presidential candidate on the 2012 GOP ticket. ‘Florida has two and maybe three potential vice presidential candidates right now, maybe four if you count Jeb Bush,’ Gingrich said. He mentioned Sen. Marco Rubio, U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, and Gov. Rick Scott.”

HUCKABEE: “Mike Huckabee thinks all the early evidence suggests he, not the former Massachusetts governor [Mitt Romney], is the Republican Party’s presidential front-runner,” National Journal writes of an interview with the former governor.

(If you’re the front-runner, though, don’t you clearly have to be running?)

Huckabee “stopped by Comedy Central on Thursday to riff with his biggest fan in the fake punditry, and the two played off each other like he had never left the set. Huckabee, the original beneficiary of the so-called Colbert Bump, paid due deference to his political patron of Comedyland,” Politico writes.

“Even though Mr. Huckabee has said that President Obama will be a formidable opponent for any Republican nominee,” the New York Times writes, “he was quick to add that his own decision about seeking the party’s nomination was not going to be based on Mr. Obama’s political standing. ‘No, because I don’t know if you could get any weaker than he is now,’ Mr. Huckabee said. ‘I really don’t. I mean, every day he does something that just astonishes me in his political naiveté.’”

“Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will make several stops in Iowa on Sunday and Monday on a book tour as he considers whether to run for president in 2012,” the AP notes. “Huckabee's first stop is at 2 p.m. at Sam's Club in Davenport on Sunday and his last is Monday night at 7:30 p.m. at Borders in West Des Moines. In between, he'll be in Dubuque, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.”

HUNTSMAN: Politico notes a potential legal snafu for Huntsman’s political action committee, Horizon PAC, which a PAC staffer called a “campaign-in-waiting” for the ambassador to China: “If Huntsman overtly signaled that aides should prepare an operation to help elect him president, that would put him in dangerous territory, lawyers said. That’s because anything resembling campaign activity on Huntsman’s part could potentially run afoul of the Hatch Act, which restricts executive branch officials from campaigning for office — or authorizing others to campaign and raise money on their behalf.”

PALIN: Republican activists in key conservative early primary states are turning on Sarah Palin, McClatchy writes. “At a recent gathering in South Carolina, the site of a crucial early presidential primary next year, party activists said the former Alaska governor didn't have the experience, the knowledge of issues or the ability to get beyond folksy slang and bumper-sticker generalities that they think is needed to win and govern.”

PAUL: “Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) told supporters his Presidents Day ‘money bomb’ raised $730,000 and that he will boost his political travel in the coming weeks,” Roll Call writes. So, he’s going to New Hampshire.

PAWLENTY: “Tim Pawlenty slammed Wisconsin Democrats on Wednesday for leaving the state to prevent the passage of a bill that would curtail collective bargaining rights for the state’s public employees,” the Minnesota Independent writes. “Pawlenty called them ‘ninnies’ who ‘skedaddled,’ and he said the controversy is not ‘Fantasy Island’ but ‘Alice in Wonderland.’"

Pawlenty “will hold a luncheon and political briefing for his Washington, D.C., supporters and others on Monday at Carmine’s restaurant in Penn Quarter, according to an invitation obtained by Roll Call.”

SANTORUM: “Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said Thursday in Iowa that President Obama’s decision to instruct his administration not to prosecute violations of the federal ban on same-sex marriage would ignite the issue in the 2012 Republican presidential campaign,” the Des Moines Register writes.

Channeling First Read, The Hill notes that some of the GOP’s power players are sitting on the sidelines and maybe waiting for 2016. 

Writing about the GOP governors who are challenging the Obama White House – more than ever challenged Bill Clinton in the 1990s -- National Journal’s Ron Brownstein writes, “Whatever the governors’ motivations (one man’s posturing, after all, is another man’s principle), their unreserved enlistment into Washington’s wars marks a milestone. It creates a second line of defense for conservatives to contest Obama even after he wins battles in Congress. It tears another hole in the fraying conviction that state capitals are less partisan than Washington. And it creates a precedent that is likely to encourage more guerilla warfare between Democratic governors and a future Republican president.” 

“Virginia took a big step yesterday toward eliminating most of the state’s 21 abortion clinics, approving a bill making rules so strict the medical centers would likely be forced to close, Democrats and abortion-rights supporters said," AP writes. "Governor Bob McDonnell, a Republican, supports the measure, and when he signs it into law, Virginia will be the first state to require clinics that provide first-trimester abortions to meet the same standards as hospitals. The requirements could include structural changes such as widening hallways, increased training, and mandatory equipment the clinics do not have.” 

Democrats are searching for cuts, NBC’s Ken Strickland reports. A Democratic source tells Strickland that Republicans are "trying to confuse people" by suggesting Democrats object to any spending cuts.

Sen. Patty Murray, head of the DSCC, called the GOP proposal nothing more than a “Trojan Horse.”

The Hill notes that with Obama’s cuts and some others, they would be more than halfway between $0 and the $61 billion in cuts House Republicans wanted. But “some of Obama’s proposed cuts, such as one to low-income heating assistance, face steep opposition among Democrats.”

Senate Democrats in the fiscal “Gang of Six” want to separate out Social Security from the plans for entitlement reductions. Democrats believe it’s an easier fix and they may want to have it as a political issue heading into 2012. Might they announce something next week?

Rep. David Wu (D-OR) is facing calls to resign from Republicans in his state after reports of erratic behavior during his campaign. “In the weeks before the election, staffers staged two ‘interventions’ to try to get Wu admitted to a psychiatric hospital, according to Willamette Week,” per the New York Daily News. 

NEVADA: The headline for a local affiliate in Nevada: “Sen. Ensign: Leave prostitution alone.” Two days after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called on Nevada to abandon legalized prostitution, Sen. John Ensign (R), who was embroiled in a cheating scandal, said of the cathouse culture, "You know, that's a county by county issue and I think and it should be left to the counties.”

NEW YORK: “Once again, the tea party movement is poised to play a critical role in deciding a New York special election,” Roll Call writes. “But major questions remain in New York’s 26th district over whether grass-roots conservatives will support the establishment favorite, state Assemblywoman Jane Corwin (R), or the tea party’s sentimental favorite, Iraq War veteran David Bellavia (R). Their decision could help deliver the traditionally Republican seat to Democrats, although Bellavia appears to be running as a third-party candidate regardless.”

“The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced plans Thursday morning to go after several Republicans for recently endorsing budget cuts to ‘restrict women’s access to legal and lifesaving health care services while preserving taxpayer subsidies for Big Oil companies,’” Roll Call reports. “It is among the first efforts linking the GOP to budget cuts aimed at Planned Parenthood. Women, of course, are a key demographic who voted in unusually high numbers for Republicans last November and could play a pivotal role in 2012. … The Republican targets include Reps. Ann Marie Buerkle (N.Y.), Nan Hayworth (N.Y.), Robert Dold (Ill.), Jon Runyan (N.J.) and Steve Stivers (Ohio).”