On the heels of his decisive victory in Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, former Mormon missionary Mittens Romney is hoping to quickly lock up the Republican nomination for president.
But before he can do so, he must first overcome the power of Jesus.
Evangelical leaders will meet this week to choose whether to unite behind friend of "the blahs" (not to be confused with the blacks) Rick Santorum, chickenhawk Newt Gingrich, or Nazi hunter Rick Perry.
Whatever they ultimately decide, it's sure to be great news... for Orville Redenbacher!
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Presidential debate.
Face the Nation: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
This Week: Obama Campaign Adviser David Axelrod; Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R); Roundtable: George Will (Washington Post), Republican Strategist Matthew Dowd, Democratic Strategist Donna Brazile and Jake Tapper (ABC News).
Note: George Stephanopolous returns as host, replacing Christiane Amanpour.
Fox News Sunday: RNC Chair Reince Priebus; DNC Chair/Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL); Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX); Roundtable: Bret Baier (Fox News), A.B. Stoddard (The Hill), New Hampshire Gubernatorial Candidate Ovide Lamontagne (R) and Neil Levesque (Saint Anselm College).
State of the Union: Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R); Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu (R); Former Rep. Rob Walker (R-PA); House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); Neil King (Wall Street Journal); Phil Rucker (Washington Post); Reliable Sources: Jon Karl (ABC News); Roger Simon (Politico); Lynn Sweet (Chicago Sun-Times); Dana Milbank (Washington Post); Robert Costa (National Review); Lauren Ashburn (Huffington Post); James Pindell (WMUR).
The Chris Matthews Show: Dan Rather (HDNet); John Heilemann (New York Magazine); Lizzie O'Leary (Bloomberg News).
Fareed Zakaria GPS: Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY); Michael O'Hanlon (Brookings Institution); Lawrence Korb (Center for American Progress); Hillary Mann Leverett (STRATEGA); Author Hooman Majd; Member of the State Department's Foreign Affairs Policy Advisory Board Vali Nasr; Bret Stephens (Wall Street Journal).
Up with Chris Hayes: Composer/Lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda; Irin Carmon (Salon.com); Former Speechwriter for SOS Condoleezza Rice Elise Jordan; Maria Teresa Kumar (VotoLatino.org); Jay Smooth (WBAI-FM).
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: a report on one man offering to treat cerebral palsy with stem cells who a respected stem cell researcher says could be endangering patients (preview); a report on five sets of brothers in the Marine Reserves who fought for the right to be on the front line of combat in Afghanistan with their siblings (preview); and, a report on an influx of inferior and cheap Chinese truffles that are diluting the market (preview).
On Comedy Central:
Jon Stewart and Daily Show correspondent John Oliver examined Senate Republicans' tireless commitment to motherfuckery.
The Daily Show
Monday: Filmmaker George Lucas
Tuesday: Andrew Napolitano (Fox News)
Wednesday: Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)
Thursday: Singer/Actress Dolly Parton
And Stephen Colbert had some fun with George Will's assessment of the Republican field.
The Colbert Report
Monday: Author Melissa Harris-Perry
Tuesday: Journalist/Host Bill Moyers
Wednesday: George Stephanopoulos (ABC News)
Thursday: Mike Allen (Politico)
Elsewhere...
In Tennessee, the "family values" crowd is seeking to add a faith-based exemption to anti-bullying legislation.
The proposal would alter the state’s anti-bullying laws to allow students to speak their religious and political views against homosexuality without punishment as long as the student isn’t threatening harm or damaging property.
“This kind of legislation can send a message that it’s ok to hate and we’ll even give you religious sanction for it. You can say what you want. As long as you say it’s for religious reasons, you’ve got backup,” said Chris Sanders, with Tennessee Equality Project.
The bill is a top priority for the conservative Family Action Council, which on its website says its intent is to clarify that unpopular beliefs don’t constitute bullying.
Meanwhile...
The Virginia Republican party is seeking to maintain the purity of the primary electorate's bloodline.
The state Republican Party will require voters to sign a loyalty oath in order to participate in the March 6 presidential primary.
Anyone who wants to vote must sign a form at the polling place pledging to support the eventual Republican nominee for president. Anyone who refuses to sign will be barred from voting in the primary.
During a brief meeting Wednesday at the state Capitol, the State Board of Elections voted 3-0 to approve three forms developed by the election board’s staff to implement the loyalty pledge requested by the state GOP.
And in the "Live Free or Die" state...
Republican lawmakers unsatisfied with the US Constitution are seeking inspiration from the Magna Carta.
The eyebrow-raiser, set to be introduced when the Legislature reconvenes next month, requires legislation to find its origin in an English document crafted in 1215.
"All members of the general court proposing bills and resolutions addressing individual rights or liberties shall include a direct quote from the Magna Carta which sets forth the article from which the individual right or liberty is derived," is the bill's one sentence. [...]
Upon seeing the bill, New Hampshire Democratic Party spokesman Ray Buckley said he was "mostly speechless." "I appreciate all the hard work the Republican legislators are putting into the effort to make them look like extremists," he said. "Saves us the trouble."
God save the Queen!
- Trix