Jay Leno is taking over this blog starting February 15th. (We’re looking into posting on the Fox News site.) ————— image added/ dr.e/ (I loved this image of Jay, captures his wild soul, I think)

Our political Quote of the Day comes from Dick Polman, who notes that President Barack Obama was appealing directly to independent voters in his talk to House Republicans on Friday. Polman wonders if Obama is following a strategy from a popular TV show: If you’re similarly hunkered, go ahead and decide for yourself whether Obama or the House Republicans “won” the faceoff. Or you can step back – as I am – and simply take a look at the president’s communication strategy. In...

The watchwords in 2010 — more than ever — will likely be “budget” and “deficit,” in light of the President Barack Obama unveiling a proposed $3.8 trillion budget, coupled with his comments that the fiscal situation remains “unacceptable.” Get ready for a serious — and, in the scheme of 21st century politics in some cases extremely loud and outraged and not-so-serious — discussion of what government should do and should not do and what government’s...

Here’s a video clip of a CNN discussion on “Who are the independents in America? And what is their take on what is working and not working with the Obama administration?” that ran Sunday on Don Lemon’s newscast.The panel included Dr. Omar Ali, a professor of history at Towson University in Maryland and a national spokesperson of the independent movement, Nicole Kurokawa of the Cato Institute, and yours truly.

The race is on between both parties to win over independent voters and the key questions will be (1) which party can do it and (2) which party’s dominant ideological base will try to put a stop to efforts to broaden its party’s coalition. A look at some news stories shows the growing theme of the independent voter. Here’s a cross section: –Public Opinion Strategies’ Glen Bolger and Neil Newhouse have some advice for GOPers who want to win and for the party in general....

When the underwear bomber story broke, many people were wondering “What next? What’ll be the new twist from here?” And now a possible answer: according to a report, terrorists are going to try to get around body scanners by having bombs surgically implanted inside of bombers’ bodies: Britain is facing a new Al Qaeda terror threat from suicide ‘body bombers’ with explosives surgically inserted inside them. Until now, terrorists have attacked airlines, Underground trains...

Was President Barack Obama’s meeting with House Republicans at their retreat on Friday a “game changer,” a sign of things to come — or will it prove as much as a flash in the pan as when Jimmy Carter won over the nation (briefly) by wearing a sweater during his speeches? And could it be that this kind of television event could become a new kind of political event in 21st century America? Or will it never happen again if Obama or the GOP concludes it wasn’t wise politically? The...

Our political Quote of the Day once again comes from Dick Polman who compares some of Prseident Barack Obama’s words in the state of the union address with some of the cold realities of his present political context and governing in general: His speech ran for 7127 words. Yet the issue that has dominated policy and political discussions over the past year (seemingly to the exclusion of almost everything else), the issue on which Obama has hoped to base his legacy, was mentioned in a mere 516...

After a tempestuous first year that ended with his political wings being clearly clipped and a notable reduction in his political clout, President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address. But did it deliver? CNN’s political analysts weigh in:

Was it smart? In this instance, Justice Alito mouthed the words “Not true.” Unprecedented? Bad politics in terms of the Court’s swing votes? Here’s a roundup from one perspective.

In contrast to some who are arguing that President Barack Obama needs to win over the center and somehow shake some bipartisanship into 21st century America’s political culture, some others argue that bipartisanship has failed, Obama has hurt himself for coming across as a political wimp who’s easy to be rolled and that he has to start to show a more ideologically principled fighting side. Which brings us to our Quote of the Day, an argument laid out minus typical blogosphere rage-speckled...

Andrew Young’s book is reportedly devastating -- revealing Edwards to be even more of a sleaze than even tabloid coverage indicated.

The old joke has been that in China when they walk their dog they really wok their dog. And catsup might have real cat. But no more: From serving it with turtle to stewing it with snake, China has savoured the delights of dog and cat meat for thousands of years. But now, the country known for its experimental culinary traditions could be about to end a centuries-old custom and remove both animals from the menu. In what would be China’s first law against animal abuse, anyone caught eating cat or...

The big news recently was that the New York Times let it be known that in the future it’s website will llikely be a paid website. No more news freebies for Internet surfers. The wave of the future? If Newsday’s experience is any indication, then it won’t put food on the Times’ owners’ table, although it might buy a few cups of coffee at Starbucks: In late October, Newsday, the Long Island daily that the Dolans bought for $650 million, put its web site, newsday.com,...

Is the bar about to be lowered again on what is acceptable research, journalism and opinion-based film? The news that a famous anti-ACORN conservative activist popular with Fox News and conservative websites was arrested while allegedly trying to bug Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office takes these issues to a higher — or lower — level. It’ll be interested to see how this one plays out and how, in the end, the modus operendi emerges: will this be viewed as acceptable? Will...

Is (fill in the missing word…) (But such is how some people can make big bucks in 21st century America..)

It sounds as if President Barack Obama is at peace with himself no matter what polls and the (see sawing) conventional wisdom say about him. Here are some excerpts from his upcoming interview with ABC News Tonight’s host Diane Sawyer (who is giving the show a ratings boost since she took over): “I’d rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president,” he told ABC’s “World News” anchor Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview today AND: “You...

Increasingly, if the Democrats want to analyze why they are now sinking in the polls (and votes) you get back to the old slogan: “It’s the economy, stupid.” And the latest economic news is grim, indeed: Existing-home sales took their biggest tumble in at least 40 years last month as the impact of a buying spree spurred by a tax credit for first-time buyers waned, according to industry data released Monday. Buyers who rushed to meet the original November deadline to take advantage...

One of the best newspaper and blog political analyists Dick Polman writes, in a post that needs to be read in full: On the eve of the November ’08 election, one commentator warned that Obama should not “mistake a solid win for a sweeping ideological agenda,” because, after all, “contemporary America is actually slightly right of center.” That was me, folks, writing in this space. I’ll stand by that. Read it all.

Our political Quote of the Day is actually comprised of a batch of quotes from independent, centrist writer John Avlon, who worked for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, appears on CNN and has a new book out Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America. In a post on The Daily Beast, he argues that GOPer Scott Brown’s upset victory in supposedly liberal Democratic Massachusetts was a wake up call for the Democrats and may not be what conservative Republicans are suggesting it is: Independent...

Since I know something about ventriloquism and am perpetually studying comedy of all eras, people often ask me: so who is YOUR favorite ventriloquist? I tell them he is not one of the “classic” ones the bulk of people immediately name but he is a classic ventriloquist of the same era and stature. He is not one of the younger ones you see on TV, cruise ships, comedy clubs, Vegas or on the school circuit. He’s Jimmy Nelson, a performer with a truly friendly stage persona, impeccable...

Here’s Conan O’Brien’s final monologue as he leaves the NBC building with a $45 million settlement that includes a provision that forces him to shut up for 8 months about his now former bosses and now former network:

Would you believe it if someone told you that there is a cinnamin flavored tea that has the full body of a caffeinated tea or cup of coffee if its brewed long enough and also is sweet enough so that it tastes as if it is sweetened — yet it is caffeine and sugar and artificial sweetener free? It does exist: Good Earth Caffeine Free Original. I’m a huge tea lover. It really started when I visited India as a student and later went back to New Delhi to write for newspapers. Even in journalism...

President Barack Obama’s weekly You Tube/radio address this week is notable for two things: he blasts the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on campaign finance reform (which swept away 100 years of legal and judicial precedents) and as is taking a notably populist tone about battling special interests:

A new poll now shows GOPers Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney getting close to Obama in polls.