ARIZONA: The Arizona Republic lists "The Babeu factor" in its themes to watch for tonight's debate. "Romney can consider himself lucky if Babeu's name doesn't come up at the forum, but CNN moderators at past debates have not been shy about injecting late-breaking controversies into their line of questioning."

The Republic also notes that Romney’s fundraising in the state has slipped since his last run.

GEORGIA: The Atlanta Journal Constitution: "The pro-Mitt Romney super PAC Restore Our Future is training its anti-ads on a resurgent Rick Santorum in Ohio, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi. But, in Georgia, the group continues to gun for the man who used to call this place home: Newt Gingrich. A Restore Our Future ad that broke Tuesday night on Atlanta TV stations questions Gingrich’s ties and allegiances to former President Ronald Reagan, whom Gingrich often invokes in speeches and debates. It features a black-and-white clip from a 1986 speech in which the then-Georgia congressman declares, “President Reagan is clearly failing.”"

MICHIGAN: Michiganders are being bombarded with robo-calls, writes the Detroit Free Press. "Some freep.com readers said Tuesday that they had heard messages from former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. But most said the majority of the messages they heard were from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. His robocalls included one in which his wife, Ann Romney, spoke about her husband and another replaying Santorum's endorsement of Mitt Romney, a Michigan native, in the 2008 presidential election. (It indicates it was from 2008)."

PHOENIX, AZ -- Rick Santorum told a crowd of supporters here Tuesday tonight that "I will defend everything I say," a comment that took on another layer of significance as reports surfaced of 2008 remarks in which he said Satan is threatening America.

"I've been told that when you don’t read off a teleprompter, they may find a thing or two and say, 'Oh he said this and he might mean this' and the media complains so much about these structured candidates and how they are all so robotic. And then of course when they have a candidate that doesn’t do any of those things they say, 'Oh he’s really out there, you have to worry about what he says.' No you don’t, because I will defend everything I say."

The remark came after Santorum spent most of the day as the banner story on the Drudge Report website about a speech he gave at Ave Maria University in Florida in which he is quoted saying "Satan is attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity, and sensuality as the root to attack all of the strong plants that has so deeply rooted in the American tradition."

When asked to respond to the comments, he told reporters after the event "I believe in good and evil.  I think if somehow or another if because you're a person of faith and you believe in good and evil is a disqualifier for president, we're going to have a very small pool of candidates that can run for president."

But pressed about the nearly four year old remarks, Santorum remained defiant. “Look, guys, These are questions that are not relevant to what’s, what’s being discussed in America today…If they want to dig up old speeches of me talking to religious groups they can go ahead and do so but I’m going to stay on message.”

The old comments add to a growing list and much more recent list of controversial things the candidate has said on the campaign trail.

Over the weekend in Ohio he questioned President Obama's theology and suggested the president discriminates against disabled people.

The remarks have drawn scrutiny from the media, but have been untouched by his rivals in the presidential race because they are lines that many times draw applause from the conservative electorate they are all vying for.

Instead, the majority of scrutiny Santorum has received is over his record on spending and the 16 years he spent in Congress.

In front of about 250 supporters at Tuesday’s rally, he said his chief rival Mitt Romney “has run as a liberal, a moderate and a conservative."

“I have never changed my views, ever," Santorum said.  “See who will win and run as a conservative.  I will ensure you that I will actually run as a conservative.”

HUDSONVILLE, MI -- Making her pitch for Mitt Romney's candidacy during stops in conservative corners of Michigan, Ann Romney said Tuesday that her husband was a “little reluctant” about running for president in 2012.

“Mitt was a little reluctant. And when we were making this decision, I thought to myself, you know what? This country is in so much trouble,” Ann said to about 200 Republicans gathered at a GOP luncheon here in Hudsonville.

The remarks reflect just how involved Ann seems to have been in her husband’s decision to run -- and the toll that losing the battle for the GOP nomination in 2008 may have had on him.

They also offer a window into how one political spouse coaches a politician commonly viewed as remote in his interactions on the campaign trail.

“It wouldn’t be worth it at all if we just went in there, and we just shuffle the chairs around,” Ann recalled advising her husband of his plan to pursue the presidency. “I’m not in for that. I’m in for, you’re going to go in there, and you’re going to knock heads.”

The tough talk won polite applause at the luncheon.

Later, Ann Romney returned to softer themes common to her stump speeches, including her husband’s sensitivity and care when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998.

The message seemed to fill a picture of Romney that some said had been missing.

“I think she, as a woman, as a wife,” said voter Jane Jelgerhuis about Ann, “made the case for her husband that was probably more effective than anything I’ve heard him say.”

Earlier Tuesday, Ann visited a diner in Battle Creek where she pledged that the state of Michigan –- where she and Romney grew up -– would be “foremost” in their minds.

“We care very much about the people here. We care very much about jobs, and job creation here,” said Ann.

Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro are ready to answer your questions, so please post any you have below! 

You can also tweet us, @NBCFirstRead, @mmurraypolitics or@DomenicoNBC, or post on our Facebook page.

Mitt Romney said Tuesday that cutting spending slows growth in the economy -- a rhetorical slip more akin to an argument a Democrat might make than a Republican.

Speaking in Shelby Township, MI, the former Massachusetts governor took a question about the Simpson-Bowles fiscal commission empaneled by President Obama to address the nation's deficit and debt issues. In his response, he said that addressing taxes and spending issues are essential.

"If you just cut, if all you're thinking about doing is cutting spending, as you cut spending you'll slow down the economy," he said in part of his response. "So you have to, at the same time, create pro-growth tax policies."

That sort of comment was sure to raise the eyebrows of fiscal conservatives in the GOP, who have long preached a message of fiscal restraint as a path to economic growth.

"It's hogwash. It confirms yet again that Romney is not a limited government conservative," said Andy Roth, the vice president for government affairs at the fiscally conservative Club for Growth. "The idea that balancing the budget would not help the economy is crazy. If we balanced the budget tomorrow on spending cuts alone, it would be fantastic for the economy."

Romney is set to unveil a new, more detailed economic plan later this week, especially as he works to shore up primary victories in Arizona and his native Michigan.

But he's offered an insight into his thinking by endorsing a previous fiscal plan (the Cut, Cap and Balance plan, which calls for cuts to spending, a cap on the growth of government spending, and a balanced budget amendment) that doesn't necessarily rely on accompanying tax reforms.

The Obama administration has been particularly clear about its view that cutting spending would strangle off any hope of an economic recovery. Jack Lew, the new White House chief of staff made that point in a Feb. 12 appearance on "Meet the Press."

"I think that there's pretty broad agreement that the time for austerity is not today," Lew said. "We need to be on a path where over the next several years we bring our deficit under control. Right now we have a recovery that's taking root and if we were to put in austerity measures right now, it would take the economy in the wrong way."

Romney's comment, if nothing else, would represent a rhetorical departure from the rest of the Republican Party, which has done battle with the Obama administration over the past year about the best course for economic growth.

"We’re listening to the people who sent us here to cut spending so we can grow our economy," House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said just less than a year ago, at the height of a fight between Obama and congressional Republicans over funding the government.

***UPDATE*** Romney spokesman Ryan Williams commented on the comments:

The governor’s point was that simply slashing the budget, with no affirmative pro-growth policies, is insufficient to get the economy turned around.  However, he believes that budget cuts – especially in the context of President Obama’s unprecedented spending explosion – are a step in the right direction.  As he made clear in his economic plan, he believes that spending cuts that reduce the size of government and balance the budget are crucial to economic growth and job creation.

PHOENIX, AZ -- Rick Santorum told a crowd of Arizona Republicans today that he was "an outsider when he was inside" Washington, arguing he fought corruption and wasteful spending during his 16 years in Congress.

In his first campaign stop in Arizona, the former Pennsylvania senator pushed back against the onslaught of attacks he is now facing with his rise as a frontrunner in the Republican presidential contest.  Rival Ron Paul released a television ad in Michigan today attacking Santorum's spending record and Mitt Romney's campaign blasted out another round of opposition research calling Santorum a career politician.

But here at a Lincoln Day Luncheon, Santorum said that despite his time serving both in the House and Senate, he was never part of the Washington establishment. 

"When we came to Congress, we came and we shook things up to its very core," Santorum said about himself and former Rep. Frank Riggs, who now serves as the campaign's Arizona state chairman.

Without using Romney's name, Santorum said the former Massachusetts governor can portray himself as a Washington outsider due to his 1994 Senate bid.

"I think it’s really fascinating that here’s the guy who was outside of Washington, who was not a Senator or Congressman—not because he didn’t try—he just never got elected,” Santorum said.

"You see all these commercials, Rick Santorum is a big spender, but they never once mention, talk about how I voted for any increase in the appropriation bills. Why? Because I never did," said Santorum. "I voted to cut appropriation bills. They never talk about how I voted for a tax increase. Why? Because I never did in 16 years of public life … I voted for smaller government, lower taxes, less regulation -- the things that we need desperately in this country."

Showing a renewed interest in Santorum, the Romney campaign was quick to counter.  Ryan Williams, a spokesman from Romney, emailed out a statement: “Republican primary voters have a clear choice. Mitt Romney spent his career helping turn around companies, the Olympics, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. At the same time, Congressman/Senator Rick Santorum spent his career in Washington, voting repeatedly to increase the debt ceiling and his own pay."

Santorum, latest Republican candidate to surge in the polls, is finding renewed scrutiny not only from his rival candidates, but also the national media.  Recent comments questioning President Obama's theology and suggesting the president discriminates against disabled people have put under the microscope.

"Will you be the generation that sat on the sidelines and watched as candidate after candidate comes up and the national media takes their axe out to try to destroy them in every way possible as they’ve done with every single republican candidate," Santorum said.

Initially, Santorum advisers did not view Arizona as a state where they could have much impact, but recent polls show him closer than expected to Romney ahead of the state's Feb. 28 primary.

Santorum will hold a rally in Phoenix tonight before heading to Tuscan for an event ahead of Wednesday night's debate.

While Congress has yet to deliver the bill to his desk, President Obama today praised the body for passing a ten-month extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance, although he urged them to pass more of his legislative priorities.

"In the end, everyone acted in the interests of the middle class, and people who are striving to get into the middle class through hard work, Obama said in remarks at the White House Tuesday morning.

The president also said the passage of the legislation, which the White House says would give the average worker an extra $40 a pay period, could help pay for gas, which is at record highs for this time of year.

"That $40 helps to pay the rent, the groceries, the rising cost of gas," Obama said, "which is on a lot of people's minds right now."

Obama said that while Congress had done the "right thing" on tax cuts, he had proposed many other measures that the White House believes will help economic recovery.

"Now my message to Congress is:  Don’t stop here.  Keep going," he added, laying out three specific directives: approving a program that would expand access to mortgage refinancing for some underwater homeowners; funding programs to reward small businesses who keep jobs in America; and passing the so-called "Buffett rule" to raise taxes on individuals earning more than $1 million.

Obama added that if Congress did not act on these programs, he would find avenues around the legislature to accomplish the same goals.

"With or without Congress, every day I’m going to be continuing to fight for (Americans).  I do hope Congress joins me, he said, urging them not to spend "the coming months in a lot of phony political debates."

While today's event was held to commemorate the passage of the bill, Congress has not yet presented Obama with a document to sign, which sometimes is accompanied by a public event featuring members who supported the legislation.

But White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said during today's briefing with reporters that the delay was not a political maneuver meant to prevent the president from staging a signing ceremony.

"Sometimes it takes time for Congress to deliver a bill," after a reporter broached the premise of political motivation.

While Rick Santorum's positions on social issues and religion have been getting plenty of attention, President Barack Obama's campaign team took specific aim today at his economic policies, discussing both Santorum and Mitt Romney's plans for tackling the deficit. 

The conference call with reporters was one of the first times that Team Obama has taken explicit aim at Santorum and placed him at the same level as chief rival Romney. Obama backers alleged that both Romney and Santorum's tax cut and defense spending proposals would actually add trillions to the national debt over 10 years. 

Campaign economic advisor and Harvard professor Jeffrey Liebman estimated that Romney's proposals to boost both corporate tax cuts and defense spending -- plus relatively muted spending cuts -- would raise the deficit to at least 6 percent of GDP in 2016. He said the same number could be as high as "7, 8, 9 percent of GDP" for Santorum. 

Obama's proposal, his team says, would reduce the deficit to just 3 percent of GDP in the same year. That's in comparison to a current CBO "alternative scenario" -- which assumes the extension of the Bush tax cuts -- that would put the deficit at 5 percent of GDP in 2016.

On the call, campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt declined to re-address the recent controversy over Santorum's "theology" comments, saying that the campaign responded to it over the weekend. 

(LaBolt last week called Santorum's comment "the latest low in a Republican primary campaign that has been fueled by distortions, ugliness, and searing pessimism and negativity.")

"What's clear is that Sen. Santorum is focused on issues that divide Americans rather than the issues that the American people are focused on right now, which is who's going to restore our economic security for the middle class and who's going to create jobs now," he added today.

*** UPDATE *** The Romney campaign sends along this response: "President Obama is in no position to criticize Mitt Romney's proposals to cut taxes and restore fiscal responsibility," spokesman Ryan Williams said. "After all, this is the President who just proposed the largest tax increase in American history and has given us four straight trillion-dollar budget deficits.  Middle-income Americans have been crushed by the Obama economy and millions of American workers have just given up looking for work.  This was the president who told us that if he didn't fix the economy in three years, he'd be looking at a one term proposition.  It's time to collect."

After his election as Republican National Committee chairman a year ago, Reince Priebus inherited an organization that was more than $20 million in debt and that had lost some of its biggest donors.

Additionally, Priebus got off to a slow start; as this author wrote back in July, the RNC under his watch actually raised less in the second quarter of 2011 than the Michael Steele-led RNC did in the second quarter of 2009.

But things have begun to turn around for Priebus on the fundraising front.

After raising just $37.3 million in the first half of 2011, the RNC raised nearly $51 million in the second half -- actually outraising the Democratic National Committee over that same period of time. (However, the DNC outraised the RNC for all of 2011, about $110 million to $88 million.)

What's more, the RNC has cut its debt in half -- from more than $20 million in January to $11.8 million now.

And in a reversal of Steele's biggest shortcoming -- which was spending, not necessarily raising money -- the RNC currently has more than $23 million in the bank as of Jan. 31, compared with the DNC's more than $15 million.

RNC officials point to a few reasons for the turnaround. One, they've lured back some of the big donors who jumped ship during the Steele era. Two, they've been more effective (and cost-effective) in getting grassroots donors to contribute (raising $5.9 million out of its $10.4 million Jan. 2012 from those giving less than $200). And three, they've made a concerted effort to show RNC donors -- both big and small -- the fruits of their labors (like their web videos).

"They want to know we're making the case [against President Obama and the Democrats] every day," RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer tells First Read.

Below is a month-by-month look at the RNC vs. DNC fundraising since Jan. 2011:

Republican National Committee
Jan. 2011: $5.7 million
Feb. 2011: $5.3 million
March 2011: $7.2 million
April 2011: $6.1 million
May 2011: $6.2 million
June 2011: $6.8 million
July 2011: $6.1 million
Aug. 2011: $8.2 million
Sept. 2011: $9.3 million
Oct. 2011: $8.5 million
Nov. 2011: $7.2 million
Dec 2011: $11.6 million
Jan. 2012: $10.4 million

Democratic National Committee
Jan. 2011: $7.2 million
Feb. 2011: $7.1 million
March 2011: $6.7 million
April 2011: $14.0 million
May 2011: $10.5 million
June 2011: $12.2 million
July 2011: $6.9 million
Aug. 2011: $5.4 million
Sept. 2011: $14.7 million
Oct. 2011: $8.0 million
Nov. 2011: $6.7 million
Dec. 2011: $8.9 million
Jan. 2012: $13.3 million

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Mitt Romney promised on Tuesday to unveil a more specific economic plan later this week, one that that would integrate his views on tax policy, spending and entitlement reform into one complete package.

Romney, who's set to make a major economic address at Ford Field in Detroit on Friday, teased the new plan, which seems aimed at quieting critics who have attacked his economic plan for lacking specificity.

"What I'm going to be doing over the coming days, is I'm going to be talking about how to make all three of those things work together," Romney told a attendees at a town-hall style meeting here some 25 miles north of Detroit.

Romney, who said he laid out the "beginnings" of his ideas in his 2011 book "No Apology," described a platform that would include spending cuts, "flatter, fairer and simpler" taxes that he said would encourage growth, and and specific reforms to entitlements like social security and medicare.

While Romney did not elaborate much beyond that point, he did provide a clue to his thinking in answering a question from a Tea Party supporter, who asked Romney for his views on the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles debt commission which was organized by, then largely abandoned by, President Obama.

"I think very highly of their recommendations, let me start out by saying that," Romney said. "I find it extraordinary that the president of the United States would bring together a group of such esteemed individuals from both sides of the aisle and say to them, how can we balance our budget, and at the same time, how can we create tax policies that encourage growth. Because both are important. If you just cut, if all you're thinking about doing is cutting spending, why, as you cut spending you'll slow down the economy. So you have to, at the same time, create pro-growth tax policies. And so the Simpson-Bowles Commission attempted to do that in their own way."

"I'm not endorsing every single aspect of their proposals, but I'll be coming out with some proposals of my own this week that describe how I'd cut, [and] how I'll create more pro-growth tax policies," Romney added, standing in front of a giant sign reading "Cut the Spending."

For Romney, who has long said he favors elements of Simpson-Bowles, a full embrace of the commission's recommendations would be complicated. Simpson-Bowles proposed a roughly three-to-one ratio of spending cuts to tax increases. Romney, along with every other GOP candidate, said they would reject even a ten-to-one cuts versus tax increases plan at a debate in August.

Still, a more robust plan, well sold, from Romney might quiet critics who have said his economic ideas presented thus far lacked specifics and bold reforms, and could help improve his fortunes in the host of contests on the horizon for Super Tuesday.

Today, in his only public event of the day, Romney went back to basics stylistically, holding only his second town hall style event since South Carolina. He fielded a host of questions on topics as varied as selecting justices for the Supreme Court (Romney labeled himself a strict constructionist on judges, and pointed to Roberts, Alito and Scalia as his kind of appointees), to the Federal Reserve (audit it), to Rick Santorum (hasn't been vetted, not a fiscal conservative.)

In an only-in-Michigan touch, attendees munched on paczki, a Polish Fat Tuesday treat, during Romney's introduction. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Romney co-chair here, looked to set expectations low for the former Massachusetts governor's home state, labeling Romney the "comeback kid," and referring to the on-again-off-again frontrunner as an "underdog" here -- twice.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Newt Gingrich waits to be introduced for a speech on the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives in Oklahoma City, Okla., Tuesday morning.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Newt Gingrich has one last debate before Super Tuesday -- the day that could effectively end his presidential hopes if he has a poor showing in the 11 states that vote March 6. (Gingrich is on only 10 of those ballots.)

But Gingrich, who when strapped for cash rode a wave of debates to the top of the polls, doesn’t seem to be putting any more emphasis on this debate, which takes place Wednesday evening in Mesa, Ariz.

"Every debate is important," the former House speaker told members of his traveling press corps as he left the Oklahoma State House, noting that this debate is not more important than any others.

Despite the debate being tomorrow night, the former speaker contended the debate was "too far away" to know how he would prepare for it. Though, as of right now, according to the campaign, Gingrich will have no public events on debate day -- an unusual schedule for the candidate.

Gingrich has had multiple events on past debate days and sometimes even watches movies -- namely Anchorman and Bridesmaids -- to prepare.

Gingrich’s two debate performances in South Carolina are partially credited with his come-from-behind win in the Palmetto State, but his less-than-stellar performances in Florida prevented him from gaining momentum in the Sunshine State primary.

While he seems to be downplaying Wednesday night’s debate with Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul, Gingrich needs a strong showing to try and push his way back into the spotlight and win Georgia, among other states, early next month.

"See you in Arizona," Gingrich repeated with a smile to the press as he walked toward his campaign bus following his last public event before the debate.

Updated 8 p.m. ET: NEW YORK -- Jon Huntsman's failed presidential campaign burned through his final few dollars in January before he dropped out of the race, leaving him with debt and IOUs to vendors.

In its January report released to the Federal Election Commission last night, the campaign showed that Huntsman ended his White House bid more than $5 million in debt -- with only $670.17 of cash on hand at the end of January. Huntsman exited the race on Jan. 16 after failing to gain traction following a third-place finish in New Hampshire.

In his final sprint to the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, Huntsman received $400,000 in largely individual contributions. He also loaned himself $50,000 in personal cash on Jan. 4, less than week before the New Hampshire primary. However, it wasn't enough. The Huntsman campaign spent about $560,000 in January.

The former Utah governor-turned-Ford executive board member owes a lot of people money. Most notably he owes Strategic Perceptions -- a media strategy group spearheaded by his campaign's former media adviser Fred Davis -- $355,000.

Many individuals still await paychecks from Huntsman, according to the FEC report.

Landon Parvin, a Republican speechwriter, is owed $27,500. Huntsman's New Hampshire state director, Sarah Crawford Stewart, is expecting $10,000. And about $8,000 is due to three of his top staffers:
-- national spokesman Tim Miller,
-- campaign manager Matt David
-- and advance man Conyers Davis.

Huntsman also owes senior strategist John Weaver's consulting firm TF/Weaver Strategies LLC more than $40,000.

Although Huntsman focused entirely on New Hampshire in the final stages of his campaign, he owes his senior South Carolina advisers Richard Quinn & Associates $55,806 in payments, after initially launching a three-state strategy that also included Florida. Other major debts include Grandslam Finance $241,500, law firm Arent Fox LLP $244,000, polling and consulting firm Ayres McHenry $99,000, Evolve Social Media $164,000, the Ingram Group $110,000 and Pacific Fundraising $81,000. He also owes several young campaign field staffers hundreds of dollars.

Huntsman's former campaign manager Matt David said that the former ambassador to China will repay his debt "aggressively."

"Governor Huntsman will be repaying his debt quickly," David told NBC News. "It's going to be a combination between fundraising and personal funds. We haven't really started the fundraising yet but we have already been moving aggressively on other fronts. Since the end of January and the FEC reporting period, we have paid all of the staff and many of the consultants."

Huntsman will conduct the fundraising via email solicitations and events in the coming weeks that are likely to remind voters that he has backed Mitt Romney. Huntsman has long been considered by many in the Republican party as an ideal secretary of state and a viable candidate for other cabinet level positions.

Following a vacation with his family and time away from the campaign trail, Huntsman has returned to Washington. He now serves on the board of Ford Motor Co. and Huntsman Corp. He also serves as the chairman of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, established by his father, Jon Huntsman Sr., who contributed millions to fund his son's campaign efforts.

In addition to the Paul campaign's latest TV ad, here's more evidence in the emerging Mitt Romney/Ron Paul bro-mance: The Paul camp is now passing around oppo on Rick Santorum.

With Santorum potentially on the brink of upsetting Romney in Michigan next week, the Paul campaign is targeting the former Pennsylvania senator for what it says is hypocrisy -- after Santorum criticized Romney on the 2002 Winter Olympics.

“He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake City Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake games,” Santorum told a crowd in Ohio on Saturday. “In an earmark for the Salt Lake Olympic games."

The Romney campaign claims the money was for post-9/11 security at the Olympics.

And in an email to NBC News, a senior Ron Paul campaign source points out that in 2001 Santorum voted for legislation that -- you guessed it -- provided millions for security at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Here's a link to the vote, as well as the summary of the legislation.

An order from the U.S. Supreme Court raises the very distinct possibility that it will hear the contentious issue of affirmative action in the heat of the presidential campaign this fall.

The court agreed to take up a challenge to a policy at the University of Texas that allows a student's race to be taken into account in deciding on freshman admissions.  The Supreme Court, in 2003, said race could be used as a factor -- in order to achieve a more diverse student body.

But the court has changed since then. Sandra Day O'Connor, who approved of the concept, has been replaced by the generally more conservative Samuel Alito.

With the court once again wading into this issue, affirmative action in school admissions may be in trouble. The court could hear this case in October or the first week of November.

Raising the stakes for defenders of affirmative action is this development: Justice Elena Kagan has taken herself off the case, because she worked on the issue while serving in the Obama Justice Department. That takes a potential vote in favor of affirmative action off the court.

The latest sign of the emerging Mitt Romney/Ron Paul bro-mance: The Paul campaign is airing a new TV ad in Michigan that hits Rick Santorum on the very points that the Romney camp has been raising (voted to raise the debt ceiling, increase spending).

Do note that this Paul ad is being released BEFORE Paul even starts campaigning in Michigan (he'll do so in the coming days) and as his team focuses more on the upcoming caucus contests (like Idaho and North Dakota) instead of the Arizona and Michigan contests, which don't appear to factor into the Paul campaign's delegate plans.

After all, Arizona is winner take all, and Michigan is winner take all per congressional district.

Per NBC's Anthony Terrell, the ad will also air in the upcoming Super Tuesday states.

The transcript:
Is this dude serious?
Fiscal conservative, really?
Santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling 5 times
Doubled the size of the Department of Education
Then supported the biggest entitlement expansion since the ‘60’s.
Not groovy.
Santorum voted to send billions of our tax dollars to dictators in North Korea and Egypt.
And even hooked Planned Parenthood up with a few million bucks.
Rick Santorum a fiscal conservative?
Fake.

One week until the Michigan (and Arizona) primary… The most important seven days of Romney’s political life?... Is Romney’s campaign cash drying up? (Check out that burn rate.)… Super PAC fundraising eclipses campaign fundraising on the GOP side, but that isn’t true on the Dem side… Adelson: “I might give $10 million or $100 million to Gingrich”… Santorum increasingly throwing rhetorical red meat… Politics of the pump… Obama to tout payroll tax-cut extension… And Obama camp says Romney, Santorum will increase the deficit.

Adam Eschbach / AP

Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, pauses for a moment during a rally in Boise, Idaho at Guerdon Enterprises Friday, Feb. 17, 2012.

*** One week out: The next seven days until Michigan's primary may very well be the most important of Mitt Romney's political life. They could determine if he becomes the GOP nominee; if he does not; and if we might enter -- as we've described it before -- the political equivalent of Thunderdome, with either a "brokered" or "contested" convention in August. All of these things are on the line for Romney next Tuesday. And in between, he will have two big opportunities to right his campaign’s ship: 1) Wednesday night’s debate in Arizona and 2) Friday’s economic speech in Detroit. 

*** Campaign cash drying up? For Romney, what’s also at stake at next week’s Michigan primary is whether or not his campaign funds begin to dry up. Yesterday, the Romney campaign reported raising $6.5 million in primary funds for the month of January. Yet more importantly, its burn rate was more than 287% (spending $18 million-plus last month, versus raising $6.5 million), and it now has $7.7 million in the bank (compared with President Obama’s nearly $76 million). This begs the question: When will we start seeing Romney writing checks to his campaign, like we saw in 2007-2008? In fact, has he already written the check? (We won’t know that until March 20, the next reporting period.) Here are the other fundraising hauls for January: Gingrich $5.6 million ($1.8 cash on hand), Paul $4.5 million ($1.6 cash on hand), and Santorum $4.5 million (nearly $280k cash on hand). And on Friday, we found out Obama raked in $11.9 million in January, with the DNC and other committees bringing in an additional $17.2 million.

*** It’s a bird, it’s plane, it’s the Super PACs! But to demonstrate the power of the Super PACs and their influence on the GOP race so far, the January fundraising for these Super PACs eclipsed what the actual Republicans raised. “The Super PAC backing Mr. Romney, Restore Our Future, raised $6.6 million in January and spent close to $14 million, much of it on advertisements battering Mr. Gingrich in Iowa and Florida,” the New York Times writes. “A Super PAC backing Mr. Gingrich raised much more that month — almost $11 million… The super PAC backing Mr. Santorum, the Red White and Blue Fund, raised about $2 million in January, much of it from Foster S. Friess.” It’s worth noting that a Michigan loss for Romney also probably dries up much of this Super PAC money, too. What about the pro-Obama Super PAC, Priorities USA Action? According to NBC’s Carrie Dann, the organization raised just $58,815 in January, which probably explains why Team Obama made its reversal on Super PACs…

*** Adelson: “I might give $10 million or $100 million to Gingrich”: Don’t miss these remarks from Gingrich’s top Super PAC benefactor, Sheldon Adelson: “I might give $10 million or $100 million to Gingrich,” he told Forbes magazine. “I’m against very wealthy people attempting to or influencing elections. But as long as it’s doable I’m going to do it. Because I know that guys like Soros have been doing it for years, if not decades. And they stay below the radar by creating a network of corporations to funnel their money. I have my own philosophy and I’m not ashamed of it. I gave the money because there is no other legal way to do it.” And also don’t miss what the Wall Street Journal reported last week -- Adelson is willing to use his money to go after Santorum. (Adelson apparently is uncomfortable with some Santorum’s more conservative social policy positions.) According to the January fundraising report, Adelson and his wife gave a combined $10 million to the pro-Gingrich Super PAC Winning Our Future. Wow.

*** Lots of red meat for the base: Just like the other former surging Romney alternatives before him -- Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich -- Santorum has been tossing around A LOT of rhetorical red meat lately. The theology comment. The criticism of some free pre-natal screenings. The allusion to Hitler. He even made a Rev. Wright reference on Fox last night (as well as last week). The Santorum of Iowa (nice guy trying to show he’s more than just a conservative bomb-thrower) has morphed back into the rhetorical bomb-thrower? Is this what the base wants? As we’ve written about before, there is a chunk of the Republican base that wants someone to talk tougher on the president; at least tougher than Romney talks.

*** On the trail: Romney stumps in Michigan (and so does his wife) before heading to tomorrow’s debate in Arizona… Santorum holds two events in Phoenix, AZ, including a rally at 7:30 pm ET… And Gingrich remains in Oklahoma…

*** Politics of the pump: After previously facing the financial industry’s collapse, the BP spill, the European debt crisis, the Japanese tsunami, and the Arab Spring, here’s the latest external event -- largely outside the White House’s control -- that could impact the U.S. economy: another round of high gas prices. “Just as the recovery is finally looking real, surging fuel prices are once again looming as a major threat to the financial health of U.S. consumers and the broader economy,” the Los Angeles Times says. The politics of gas prices are always dangerous. After all, this is something that almost every American consumer sees, and every news organization (local or national) is ready to cover it (and usually LEAD their broadcasts with it). The one silver lining for the Obama administration: Given that gas prices were at highs just last summer, were consumers already pricing this in their budgets? That said, NBC’s Ali Weinberg notes that the Obama White House pushed several news items yesterday (like a Houston Chronicle story on increased oil production) to deflect charges from Republicans that the administration is to blame for the higher gas prices. The White House moves yesterday also indicate how nervous they are about the politics of the pump story.

*** Obama to tout payroll tax cut extension: And don’t be surprised if you hear President Obama mentioning that the payroll tax-cut extension, which Congress passed on Friday, will get consumers with rising gas prices. At 11:35 am, Obama and Vice President Biden hold an event at the White House, where they will tout the passage of the legislation. “The president,” the White House says, “will be joined by Americans who have shared their stories on WhiteHouse.gov and Twitter about what $40 a paycheck means to them. Because of this bipartisan action, the typical American family will still see an extra $40 in every paycheck.” The White House adds that the actual legislation will be signed into law later this week.

*** Obama camp says Romney, Santorum will increase the deficit: By the way, the Obama campaign is out with this memo from Policy Director James Kvaal: “Gov. Mitt Romney and Senator Rick Santorum claim they will champion spending cuts deep enough to cut taxes and balance the budget. In fact, they have both proposed irresponsible and reckless tax plans that would drive up the deficit by trillions of dollars, while their claims to balance the budget through spending cuts are completely unrealistic. Romney’s plan would increase the deficit by at least $175 billion a year.”

Countdown to Arizona and Michigan primaries: 7 days
Countdown to Super Tuesday: 14 days
Countdown to Election Day: 259 days
Text FIRST to 622639, to sign up for First Read alerts to your mobile phone.
Check us out on Facebook and also on Twitter. Follow us @chucktodd, @mmurraypolitics, @DomenicoNBC, @brookebrower

Click here to sign up for First Read emails.

*** Tuesday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: Americans Elect’s Elliott Ackerman and No Labels’ Mark McKinnon on whether 2012 could be like 1992 with a legitimate third option for president…  NBC’s Peter Alexander with the latest from the Romney campaign on the trail in Michigan and a deep dive with Inside Michigan Politics’ Bill Ballenger on how Michigan has treated various Romneys on the ballot over the decades… NBC’s Ali Arouzi with the latest from Iran… More 2012 news with the roundtable of Politico’s Lois Romano, former RNC Chair Michael Steele and former Obama White House spokesman Bill Burton.

*** Tuesday's "Jansing & Co." line-up: MSNBC's Chris Jansing interviews Santorum Communications Director Hogan Gidley, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown,  The Nation’s  Ari Melber, the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, Democratic Strategist Steve McMahon, advertising executive Howard Berman, and the Washington Institute’s Michael Singh.

*** Tuesday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include MSNBC’s Richard Wolffe, Salon’s Steve Kornacki, Ana Marie Cox, and MSNBC contributor Robert Traynham.

*** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, GOP political donor Fred Malek, presidential historian Michael Beschloss, NBC’s Ali Arouzi, NBC’s Richard Engel, the New York Times’ Mark Leibovich, and the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart.

*** Tuesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Steve Deace and Michael Smerconish on 2012, and Dr. Margorie Greenfield on Santorum and pre-natal care.

Bloomberg notes the difference in approaches between Romney and Santorum: “Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney focused on the economy and government spending in Ohio yesterday, while rival Rick Santorum was in Michigan exhorting voters to back him as a way of promoting their own values with primaries approaching in both states.”

The Arizona Republic previews tomorrow night’s debate, noting that immigration as well as housing will likely come up, but likely so will social issues, given some of Santorum’s recent comments.

The New York Post looks at the stakes tomorrow, too. “Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are sharpening their jabs for a debate showdown tomorrow, their last face-to-face confrontation before the increasingly tight GOP presidential primaries in Arizona and Michigan next Tuesday. Debates have marked a turning point at several junctures in the topsy-turvy 2012 Republican race, and the debate will be Romney’s best chance to blunt Santorum’s rapid rise.”

GINGRICH: Newt Gingrich said yesterday this, per NBC’s Alex Moe: "Defeating Barack Obama becomes, in fact, a duty of national security," Gingrich told a crowd of about 4,000 people on the campus of Oral Roberts University. "Because the fact is, he is incapable of defending the United States." 

Wow. Forbes: “Billionaire Sheldon Adelson Says He Might Give $100M To Newt Gingrich Or Other Republican.”

PAUL: “In March 2005, David James called Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) Congressional office for some documentation,” Roll Call reports. “James’s nonprofit group, the Liberty Committee, had paid for one of Paul’s flights, and James needed a receipt or boarding pass to document the expense. He’d been pushing Paul for the paperwork and now, on the phone, he was ‘putting his foot down.’”

ROMNEY: The Boston Globe’s Johnson has a lengthy look at where Romney’s campaign goes from here: “Mitt Romney is entering a pivotal stretch in his quest for the Republican presidential nomination. … Even members of the Romney camp concede [they’re] in uncertain territory. Whereas in the past, candidates would have to drop out of the race because they could no longer raise the money to propel their candidacies, now Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich can continue thanks in large part to the support of a single backer who donates to a super PAC supporting them.” Add in Ron Paul and “All that has prevented the oft-frontrunner from decisively pulling away from the pack.”

The Hill’s headline: “Slouching toward GOP nomination, Romney needs big win in Michigan.”

“Mitt Romney is working overtime to regain his magic in his native Michigan — and there were signs Tuesday the tactic may be working,” the New York Daily News writes.

On Saturday, the Boston Globe reported: “Mitt Romney this week accused President Obama of kowtowing to ‘big labor’ and slammed Rick Santorum, one of his challengers for the Republican presidential nomination, as ‘labor’s favorite senator.’ But as governor of Massachusetts, Romney fiercely protected a costly and controversial perk for police officers after seeking and receiving the endorsement of the politically influential police unions. Even as he pushed to slash aid to cities and towns and programs for the blind and raised college tuition, he fully funded a $45 million program that awarded salary bonuses to officers who earned advanced degrees. The program, known as the Quinn bill, was under attack at the time by many taxpayer groups after a 2001 Board of Higher Education study called it an ineffective ‘cash cow’ for police.”

A co-chairman of Romney’s Arizona campaign Paul Babeu, who was in that famous McCain “complete the dang fence” ad and is running for Congress, quit the Romney campaign after a report in the Phoenix New Times alleged that he threatened to deport an ex-boyfriend if he didn’t keep quiet about their relationship. He denied that, but did come out at a press conference acknowledging he’s gay.

The New York Daily News: “Mitt Romney's Arizona co-chair quits over allegations he tried to deport a Mexican ex-boyfriend.”

NBC’s Jamie Novogrod notes National Review pushing Romney to expand child credit for middle class taxpayers.

SANTORUM: He is up 6 nationally, 50%-44%, in a USA Today-Gallup poll and 10, 36%-26%, in the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll. He also leads in a poll out of Oklahoma by 13, 39%-23%.

But, as Novogrod points out, the Detroit Free Press -- on its front page -- examines whether Santorum risks alienating moderates.

The Grand Rapids Press leads with a central dynamic of Santorum's speeches: "At campaign rallies across West Michigan Monday, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum touted spreading a positive message of the country and in campaigning.  He then took dead aim at President Barack Obama’s “radical agenda” and chief GOP competitor Mitt Romney’s “well-oiled weathervane” stand on issues critical to the presidency, like Iran…"

The Hill: “One year after it began, House Republicans are not letting up in their investigation of the $535 million loan guarantee to the failed solar firm Solyndra. Though the probe has not uncovered evidence of cronyism at the White House, the GOP sees an election-year advantage in pummeling President Obama on Solyndra, and hopes to turn it into a symbol of what they say is a failed administration.”

More: “House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans marked the Solyndra investigation’s one-year anniversary on Friday with a new catch-phrase they hope will follow the president on the campaign trail: ‘the Solyndra economy.’ They argue that the Solyndra loan guarantee is emblematic of the president’s heavy-handed approach to job creation. Republicans say they are the champions of the “Keystone economy,” named for the Alberta-to-Texas oil pipeline that the GOP strongly supports.

“Michigan has become squirm central for Republican presidential candidates who are trying to explain their opposition to the auto bailout before the big primary in the home of automakers. Their tale is terribly tangled, and President Barack Obama isn't telling it straight either,” AP writes. “Obama, in taking credit, and Republicans, in assigning blame, have ignored one driving force behind the love-it-or-hate-it bailout: George W. Bush in the waning days of his presidency. Moreover, GOP rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum would have people believe the United Auto Workers union runs General Motors and the government "gave" it away, neither true.”

“The first lady is to appear via conference call at the ‘Women for Obama’ gatherings, President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign said in an e-mail sent to supporters last night,” Bloomberg reports. The news service’s headline: “Michelle Obama Courts Women Voters by Touting Free Access to Contraception.”

“Casual observers of American politics could be excused if, surveying the landscape, they assume we're back in 1996,” Roll Call’s Stanton writes. “There's a personally popular and yet deeply divisive Democratic president running for re-election who is triangulating against Congress. Republicans and Democrats are jousting over the latest iteration of the culture war. Moderate Democrats are running from their budget shadows. Even former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is lurking about.”

“Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) risked some political capital last week to make a high-profile show of solidarity with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), allaying scrutiny of their relationship,” The Hill writes. “McConnell split with his entire leadership team and most of the Senate GOP conference to vote for a 10-month extension of the payroll tax holiday, despite his own deep misgivings.”

If you thought the ad wars this year were even more negative than ever before, you were right.  A study by ad tracker CMAG/KANTAR media shows that just 6% of campaign ads in 2008 were negative in the GOP primary. This year, that number has jumped to 50 percent. And you have Super PACs to thank for that. They have run more ads than the candidates themselves. And the Super PACs have spent about three-quarters of their cash on negative ads. And, get this, 100% of Restore Our Future’s and American Crossroads’ ads have been negative.

“Foreign policy, mostly an afterthought in the presidential contest so far, is emerging as a focal point between President Obama and his Republican challengers - and no issue has more potential to be a game-changer than Iran’s development of a nuclear program, according to several specialists,” the Boston Globe notes.

A little early for veepstakes, but… “The top GOP picks for veep were up-and-coming Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, surging GOP presidential contender Rick Santorum and superstar New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, according to the Fairleigh Dickinson University poll,” the New York Post notes.

 TULSA, Okla. -- Newt Gingrich said Monday a Republican win in November is "a duty of national security," taking his attack on President Barack Obama a step further on the day the country celebrates Presidents Day. 

"Defeating Barack Obama becomes, in fact, a duty of national security," Gingrich told a crowd of about 4,000 people on the campus of Oral Roberts University. "Because the fact is, he is incapable of defending the United States." 

Gingrich, who frequently refers to Obama as the "the most dangerous president in modern American history," again said the country is at risk "someday in your lifetime of losing an American city" from a terrorist attack. 

The former House speaker, who wears a pin with the flag of George Washington on his lapel to remind him of the meaning of being commander-in-chief, was especially harsh on the Obama administration’s policies towards Iran and Israel. 

Evan Vucci / AP

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich speaks during a town hall at Oral Roberts University on Monday.

Obama, Gingrich said on his first day in Oklahoma, "wants to unilaterally weaken the United States, he wants to cut the aid to Israel for its anti-ballistic missile defense, he refuses to take Iran seriously."

The rally at ORU started just a couple hours after the White House announced that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, would meet with Obama early next month. 

Gingrich noted, “No American can second-guess an Israeli prime minister on the matter of survival,” and said his message to the Iranians would be simple. 

"You need to stop your (nuclear) program before you get hit because you should be under no illusions, if you refuse to stop your program, long before it is completed you are going to get hit and we are not in any way going to stop the Israelis from defending themselves,’” he said.

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Locked in a tight contest with Rick Santorum across the Midwest for the delegate-rich states of Michigan and Ohio, Mitt Romney continued his assault on the former Pennsylvania senator's fiscal conservatism today, saying he, not Santorum, was the true "budget hawk."

"One of the people I'm running against, Sen. Santorum, goes to Washington and calls himself a budget hawk,” Romney said in a campaign stop at a medical device company this afternoon before about 100. “Then after he’s been there a while he says he’s no longer a budget hawk. Well, I am a budget hawk. I don’t want to spend more money than we take in.

The attack line comes as polls show Romney trailing in Ohio to Santorum and as the campaign has looked to paint its latest primary rival as the consummate "career politician" -- the same attack they levied with varying degrees of success against Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich. His campaign has held almost daily conference calls and fill reporter inboxes with research on Santorum's voting record and years in Washington. In recent days, the candidate himself has begun to step up his rhetoric against Santorum, a trend which continued today, with little variance from previous attacks.

"[Santorum] voted five times to raise the debt ceiling without any compensating cuts in spending,” Romney said. “During his time in the Senate, over two terms, the size of the federal government grew 80 percent. When Republicans go to Washington and spend like Democrats, we get a lot of spending. And that’s what we’ve seen over the last several years."

The Romney campaign has also looked to gain traction in the Midwest by deploying their big-name surrogates. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and Romney’s wife, Ann Romney, have all spoken on Romney's behalf at events in Michigan. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is holding a conference call with reporters on Romney's behalf this afternoon, and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman (who Democrats were quick to point out today has also cast votes to raise the debt ceiling) introduced Romney to his home-state audience today.

Bold-faced names aside, Romney kept the focus on his own experience while addressing the small group of employees who gathered to hear his address, telling them that the experience of leadership -- of anything -- should be required for prospective presidents.

"I happen to think that one of the criteria for selecting the president ought to be: has this person led something before,” Romney said. “Our current president had not, and I think we've seen the consequence of that in some of the errors that he's made. I have led things. The business I started, the business I helped turn around, an Olympics, and a state. Take a look at that record."

Today's single campaign event was also notable for what it lacked -- many of the hallmarks of a traditional Romney campaign stop. There was no warm up music, no mention of "America the Beautiful," a minimal amount of signs, and a noticeable lack of energy from the crowd; People applauded only sparingly as Romney defended his fiscal conservatism and lauded the entrepreneurial spirit of the people of Ohio.

The White House seemed to play defense today against Republican presidential candidates criticizing President Obama’s handling of gas prices, which at more than $3.50 per gallon, are the highest they’ve ever been this time of year. 

The administration pushed several news items Monday that appeared to counter the jabs of hopefuls like Newt Gingrich, who said on Fox News’ Sunday talk show that “under the Obama plan, there's going to be less American production, higher prices. … This president is anti-American energy.”

Late Monday morning, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Tweeted a link to a Houston Chronicle story on increased oil production, which the White House press office forwarded to reporters less than an hour later.

The article notes that shale oil fields and increased offshore drilling -- as well as a dip in the value of natural gas -- is fueling stepped-up oil production. But the article also cautioned, however, that more domestic oil doesn’t necessarily mean cheaper gas, given that our prices are tied to the world market, vulnerable to “foreign conflicts and rapidly growing energy demands in developing countries.”

About 40 minutes after Carney’s Tweet, the White House press office forwarded the article to reporters, with the article’s title in the subject line: “FORWARDING: ‘U.S. oil gusher blows out projections.’”

Seeking to perhaps further blunt criticisms like Gingrich’s, the White House also circulated a release from the Department of Interior Monday that announced an agreement with Mexico over further drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

“This agreement makes available promising areas in the resource-rich Gulf of Mexico and establishes a clear process by which both governments can provide the necessary oversight to ensure exploration and development activities are conducted safely,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement.

Monday’s announcements seemed to be a continuation of a rollout that began last week, when Interior announced Friday that Shell Oil was one step closer to drilling in Arctic waters, another fold in President Obama’s post-BP energy policy.

Shell was originally supposed to begin exploratory drilling off Alaska’s North Slope in the summer of 2010, before Salazar announced in May that he would not consider applications for Arctic drilling permits until 2011 amid safety concerns raised by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

But on Friday, the Department of Interior announced that Shell had applied “lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon [BP] tragedy to offshore oil and gas production activities” and had submitted a satisfactory plan for responding to oil spills at potential drilling sites in the Chukchi Sea.

In a statement on the announcement, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar stressed “caution,” as he lauded Shell’s getting approval. “In the Arctic frontier, cautious exploration - under the strongest oversight, safety requirements, and emergency response plans ever established - can help us expand our understanding of the area and its resources, and support our goal of continuing to increase safe and responsible domestic oil and gas production,” Salazar said. “We are taking a cautious approach, one that will help inform the wise decisions of tomorrow.”