Edwards Gains on Clinton, Passes Obama

Xi Jinping, China's next president, to meet with Obama

(NEWSER) - The man slated to be China's next president began his US tour today, meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office before having lunch with Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Biden will serve as Xi Jinping's host in Washington, the New York Times reports. Other stops on the agenda: a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, and a high-level trip to the Pentagon, where he'll get an honor guard salute and meet with Leon Panetta and the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey. More»

Chrysler ad a political football

(NEWSER) - God bless America ... and the Chrysler bailout ... seemed to be the message that left football fans misty-eyed after Clint Eastwood's Super Bowl Chrysler ad. It's "halftime" in America, and we're all pulling together for a brighter economic future, says the gravelly-voiced star. But Eastwood was opposed to the bailout that made the Chrysler turnaround possible, and now the ad has become a political football as Dems score points with it and the GOP tackles it, notes ABC News . “Saving the American Auto Industry: Something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on," crowed White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer on Twitter, referring to Eminem’s Chrysler ad during last year's Super Bowl. "Powerful spot," chimed in Obama re-election strategist David Axelrod. But George Bush's political maven Karl Rove snapped that he was "offended" by the ad, which he argued was orchestrated by the administration to paint a rosy future. More»

Eric Cantor, Mitch McConnell top the list

(NEWSER) - Who are the real power brokers in Washington? GQ names the top 50 in its biennial list of the most powerful people in DC—although, the magazine notes, "People with the last names Obama and Biden not included." The top five:

• Eric Cantor: The House majority leader is definitely the Democrats' least favorite Republican; you can thank him for Washington's hyper-partisanship and inability to compromise. GQ notes that he is widely expected to follow—or even push aside—John Boehner as speaker of the House.
• Mitch McConnell: "Even Cantor has to go through this guy eventually," thanks to his position as Senate minority leader.

He leads with 39% support of likely GOP voters

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney is currently running away with New Hampshire's GOP support, according to the latest polls. Romney has the backing of 39% of the state’s likely Republican voters. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are tied with 17% each, just ahead of Jon Huntsman, who is backed by 11% of likely GOP voters, reports the Boston Globe . More»

You have no way of knowing what their marriage is like: Frank Bruni

(NEWSER) - Ann Romney has been out on the campaign trail recently, attempting to deflate any flip-flopper accusations directed her husband's way. "You want constancy? They’ve been married since the Mesozoic era," quips Frank Bruni of the New York Times . But he’s not impressed. The candidate’s spouse, he writes is a "tired political fiction," a ritual repeated every campaign. Handlers predictably trot out the spouse (aka "human Downy") to serve as a delightful foil, to round out a candidate, to alter the news coverage. More»