—In a mag piece this week, Scherer examines the chilly and consequential relationship between the President and one of his principal antagonists, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Republican’s contention that the top GOP priority should be ousting Obama in 2012 spurred much head-scratching among the punditry over why he’d give voice to a fairly obvious truth. At least 27% percent of the public — the segment of voters hoping for Obama’s policies to fail, according to this poll — certainly appreciated his candor.
–Two conservative groups — Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council — are boycotting CPAC next month because of the inclusion of a gay-Republican organization.
–After the Republican romp in state-legislature elections last month, expect to see more bills modeled after Arizona’s illegal-immigration law.
–While Chris Christie and Michael Bloomberg catch heat for their handling of the weekend blizzard, Newark Mayor Cory Booker is on top of it, our colleague Sean Gregory says. (If you’re interested in more on Booker, Sean’s long profile of him from last year is a recommended read.)
–As the Times’ David Herszenhorn reports, it’s the end of an era for a trio of North Dakota Democratic lawmakers. As the clock ticked down on his tenure, one of them worked to shepherd through a series of bills to benefit the American Indian community.
–The GOP effort to privatize mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be relegated to the back-burner. Home foreclosures spiked 31% in the third quarter, a stark indicator of the depth of the crisis.
–Despite stiff competition, Tucker Carlson makes a late play for the “year’s stupidest argument” crown.
–And The Big Picture reviews the stories of 2010 — too many of which were deeply tragic — through photographs.