TALKINGPOINTSMEMO: Sen. Webb Challenges Obama On Key Initiatives At Critical Juncture For Democrats. “As I reported two years ago, Webb’s friends told me privately on the campaign trail in fall 2006 that he had expressed interest in the presidency.” Hmm. Primary challenge?

RASMUSSEN: Deficit of Trust: Most Voters Don’t Believe President’s Assertions About Economy.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Obama’s 2011 budget will include phantom cap-and-trade revenue.

BLUDGEONING MARC AMBINDER: “There’s a lot of enthusiasm about Obama’s appearance at the GOP retreat — enthusiasm among Obama supporters.”

STUPID REDSTATE BIGOTS! Oh, wait: Hawaii Kills Same-Sex Unions. “Hawaii lawmakers declined to vote Friday on a bill that would have allowed same-sex civil unions, effectively killing the measure. The state House of Representatives decided to indefinitely postpone a decision on whether to grant gay and lesbian couples the same rights and benefits the state provides to married couples.”

UPDATE: A reader emails: “You might want to note that Hawaii is a one-party state; the state house of reps is 45-6 Democrat-Republican and the state senate is 23-2. Yes, your family has more members eating together at a breakfast than the Hawaii senate minority.”

I’m somewhat surprised to see that neither Andrew Sullivan nor his “underbloggers” have mentioned this yet.

DANIEL INDIVIGLIO: The Significance Of Apple Sticking With AT&T For The iPad. “While it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that we could still get an announcement later this year that Apple is opening up its next generation iPhone to other service providers, I don’t see that as terribly likely given that the company has stuck with AT&T for the iPad.”

SUCCULENT CONTAINER GARDENS. At the moment, with snow and ice on the ground, only the indoor variety look viable. But that’ll change soon!

MEDIEVAL REPRESSION IN VENEZUELA, exposed via Twitter.

Plus, There is no brutal repression going on here… please move along. Warning: Graphic photos of injuries from non-repression.

COUNTERINSURGENCY HAS ITS DIFFICULTIES: “As if U.S. troops and diplomats didn’t have enough to worry about in trying to understand Afghan culture, a new report suggests an entire region in the country is coping with a sexual identity crisis. An unclassified study from a military research unit in southern Afghanistan details how homosexual behavior is unusually common among men in the large ethnic group known as Pashtuns — though they seem to be in complete denial about it.”

DID THE GHOST OF ISAAC ASIMOV write the SOTU?

I’ll note that both Newt Gingrich and Osama bin Laden are supposed to be Foundation fans, for whatever that’s worth . . . .

JEFFREY GOLDBERG: “Multistakeholders” and Other Davos Orwellianisms.

MORE REPORTING FROM Team Rubicon in Haiti.

GAFFE OF THE WEEK YEAR: Education Secretary Arne Duncan: Katrina Was The “Best Thing” for New Orleans School System.

JOHN FUND: Scott Brown: ‘People Aren’t Stupid’ — ‘And leaders should figure out they’re better informed now than ever.’

You know, somebody should write a book about that principle.

SOTU-PHOTO-INTERPRETATION.

TOBY BUCKELL: Is Amazon refusing to sell Kindle versions of Macmillan books as a strong arm tactic?

MEGAN MCARDLE: “Apparently, the administration has issued rules requiring parity for mental health treatment with other illnesses. They’ll take effect July 1st. If you want to know why health insurance costs keep marching upward seemingly uncontrolled, this is why: mandating new benefits is always popular, and the government doesn’t have to pay for them. I am very sympathetic to the plight of the mentally ill. Unfortunately, most of the people who will tap the benefits are not severely ill people who need intensive care; they’re people who are unhappy. Unhappiness is not a condition for which psychotherapy, or antidepressants, have been shown to be very effective.”

MORE ON Lech Walesa at the Chicago Tea Party Rally.

UPDATE: More here.

MARC THIESSEN: Pelosi stopped one CIA operation. So why not waterboarding? Because she was for it before she was against it.

SUSANNAH BRESLIN on “heightism” in dating.

AT AMAZON, it’s the Friday Sale.

REPORT AND VIDEO: Lech Walesa At The Chicago Tea Party.

“JODY SAID IT’S MINE BUT YOU CAN HAVE IT FOR SEVENTEEN MILLION:” Ownership battle brews over Virginia meteorite.

CHANGE: China mulls setting up military base in Pakistan.

BRIAN FAUGHNAN REPORTS from the House GOP retreat.