Newt Gingrich’s ex-wife, Marianne, says she has enough material to end the Republican presidential candidate’s career with one interview, the Drudge Report scooped Wednesday evening. …

Day In 100 Seconds: Palin, Pipes & Preventing 9/11

Today was a big day all round, as we saw cable news obsess over the return of Sarah Palin and a non-semi-endorsement of a GOP candidate.

Before anyone could get their heads round that, sparks were flying on both sides as the White House announced they are not going ahead with a decision on the proposed Keystone pipeline.

And, to wrap things off, Marky Mark told us how he would have stopped 9/11 from happening.

Dems Claim They Can Reverse The Tea Party Tide In 2012

After a wave election gave Republicans the majority in the House of Representatives in 2010, no one thought that Democrats, a year later, would be in a position to take it back.

But, that’s exactly where Democrats claim to be. At a press briefing Wednesday, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Steve Israel (D-NY) said that Republicans have had such a “catastrophic” year that he now believes Democrats can take back the House. The chairman was cautious not to sound too optimistic, but he had a long list of statistics in Democrats’ favor; an advantage that comes almost entirely from Republicans’ blunders over the past year.

Mitt Romney Lives For Laughter (VIDEO)

They say the secret to success is “make ‘em laugh.” If that’s really the case, then Mitt Romney’s half-way there: he’s good at making himself laugh.

To watch him on the stump (or in debates, or in interviews) you’d think he’s a straight-edged political figure, for pete’s sake. But, according to those who know him best, he’s just like Mary Poppins’ Uncle Albert: he loves to laugh, long and loud and clear.

So, TPM took a look back through some of Mitt’s chuckles and brought it all together to give you his greatest giggly hits.

First Democratic Candidate Declares Against Walker In Wisconsin Recall

The first Democratic candidate has officially declared in Wisconsin’s recall election against Republican Gov. Scott Walker: Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

A number of Democrats have been eyeing the race, including Falk, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (who was also Walker’s opponent in the 2010 election), state Sen. Tim Cullen, state Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, and others.

“As your governor, I will make different choices than Scott Walker,” Falk said in an e-mail Wednesday morning to her supporter list. “I know Wisconsin is a place where we can have good paying jobs, a clean environment, successful schools and affordable health care. We can have workers and management talking and working together to solve tough problems.”

Ron Paul Touts Endorsement From Pastor Who Railed Against ‘Sodomites’

Ron Paul’s campaign is proudly showing off an endorsement from the Reverend Voddie Baucham, a Baptist pastor in Texas with a penchant for deploying fire and brimstone language against gays in his sermons, whom he notes are “worthy of the death penalty” according to Biblical law.

In one 2009 blog post condemning President Obama for an official announcement celebrating the gay and lesbian community, Baucham took issue with Obama’s praise for the LGBT community’s activism on behalf of HIV/AIDS awareness.

John McCain’s Campaign Targeted Bain Capital In 2008 Oppo Research

John McCain may be one of Mitt Romney’s top supporters now, but the release of his 2008 opposition research file on the current frontrunner gives an uncomfortable inside look at how he once prepped himself to battle his former rival. Especially awkward is that McCain, who has suggested attacks on Romney’s record at Bain Capital are an affront against capitalism itself, dinged Romney over the same issue while his staff identified the company as a key vulnerability.

The 2008 oppo file, obtained by Buzzfeed’s Andrew Kaczynski, contains over thirty pages on Bain that reference many of the same issues raised by Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and national Democrats recently.

John McCain’s Standup Routine

We all know John McCain as a long-term Senator, one-time presidential candidate, war veteran and occasional forgetful old chap, but it turns out he also does a mean turn as a stand-up comic.

Granted, he was in his element, performing to a largely military audience, with most of his material on the same theme, but he certainly had them rolling in the aisles and caught our attention with his routine.

Watch:

Colbert Responds To Critics Accusing Him Of ‘Coordinating’ With Super PAC

Stephen Colbert on Tuesday responded to critics accusing him of “coordinating” with his recently handed-off super PAC. Since giving Jon Stewart control of his super PAC, Colbert is even questioning the influence of money in politics.

Mitt Romney’s Long Embrace Of Kris Kobach

Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign appears to be struggling with what exactly to do with Romney’s endorsement from Kris Kobach, the current Kansas Secretary of State and the controversial architect behind some of the recent past’s most incendiary immigration laws.

But four years ago, the campaign gave Kobach an important role: illegal immigration policy adviser.