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Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic thinks it’s time for the Obama Administration to play the “Palin Card,” setting the former governor of Alaska up as the target for some Alinsky-style frozen personal polarizing. He dismisses fears that such Presidential attention will elevate Palin to greater national prominence: Elevate Sarah Palin? How much higher can she go? Everyone knows her. Some of Obama’s advisers have argued in the past that the attention paid to Palin by Americans in the last stages of the 2008 campaign is one reason why Obama was able to win so cleanly. Palin and the Tea Party...

Yesterday, Marc Ambinder explained in answer to a question how Democrats could delay the seating of newly elected Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown. Q. Can Democrats really delay seating Brown? A. Probably. There are several built-in election procedure traps, including the counting of absentee ballots and ballots from soldiers overseas. If for some reason these ballots are counted and there are no significant challenges by the seventh day after the election -- that's next Wednesday -- State of the Union Day -- then Secretary of State Bill Galvin could certify the election if he wanted to. Harry Reid, the majority leader,...

Let's hope Marc Ambinder is into yoga or he might sprain something after all this twisting. Trent Lott resigned; Harry Reid should resign.Logicians call the above remark, from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), an argument from false or weak analogy. In Washington, it happens to be a reflexive, almost instinctive identity protection mechanism. In this case, it is the effort to analogize the circumstances that led to Trent Lott's resignation as majority leader in 2002 with the remarks made by majority leader Harry Reid in 2008 (and published in 2010). As with most weak analogies, "proof" is induced from a reading...

Matt Burns, the spokesman for the GOP convention in St. Paul e-mails to say that the RNC's convention office in St. Paul has received numerous telephone calls in the last few hours from people who identify themselves as Clinton supporters asking how they can help Sen. McCain.

Louisiana was thought to be a battle between Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney. Romney has the support of two congressmen and announced teams in every district. It is winner take all by congressional district and majority receives at-large delegates. It's the only Southern caucus, so conservative conservatives will probablt(sic) turn out. This is Romney's to lose... Another gold medal... albeit in the state equivalent of Olympic curling, but still...

Mitt Romney, in a sign that he is comfortable as the early-state frontrunner, aims to up his national profile by aggressively bracketing the Democratic presidential candidates over the next few weeks, aides said this weekend. The campaign hopes the regular reproaches will be seen as signs of confidence and strength and will help to reduce the friction that prevents Romney from being seen as the leader of the Republican pack. His national poll ratings regularly lag those of his better-known rivals. Aside from the benefit to his own candidacy, Romney's aides are worried that Republicans generally aren't doing enough to...