Dana Milbank, Washington Post: There was one candidate who rose above the usual positioning, though she stood a head shorter than the six men on the stage. Eleven minutes into the debate, Michele Bachmann stole the show, and she didn’t return it in the subsequent hour and 49 minutes. Based on Monday night alone, Bachmann was the one who emerged as the anti-Romney from the otherwise drab field. That is

Sure, the “shovel-ready jobs weren’t as shovel ready” as Obama’d thought [cue: uproarious laughter] — and sure, the Democrats controlled Congress from 2006 until just this year, and so were in control of spending — while their “regulatory” policies, begun by and under President Bill Clinton, were turning an experiment in social engineering and Democrat plunder into a toxic housing bubble that eventually would push banks to make bad loans,

You know those electric cars we’re all supposed to buy to help the environment? Turns out that, all things considered, and using full lifecycle emissions, electric cars are worse polluters than small, gas-powered vehicles. Which have the advantage of not needing government subsidies to get people interested in buying them. Oops! Next time I see a Leaf or one of those ridiculous Smart Cars, I think I’ll pull up along

CNS: Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) will continue to collect his $174,000 taxpayer-funded salary without interruption while he is taking a leave of absence to seek “professional treatment,” according to the House Administration Committee, which has oversight over the congressional payroll. In a 365-day year, a congressman’s $174,000 annual salary works out to $476.71 per day. Weiner announced Saturday through a spokeswoman that he would be taking a leave of absence

The legitimation of anti-“Zionism” is being ramped up internationally. Arab money, coupled with international leftism, are conspiring to once again scapegoat the Jews, only this time, it is the “Israelis” and those who support them. Here, the legitimation comes from the academy and the leftwing press, and spreads outward to the culture at large. We’ve seen this play out before. I’ve long known the left wants to drag us back

— only, we’ll call it “parity” — and suggest that, rather than act as individuals, women will act as identities. Which, of course, opens up those who don’t act as women should to charges of false consciousness, inauthentic womanhood, etc. But then, that’s just nitpicking: The video, courtesy of Newsbusters, cuts off a bit too soon, in my opinion — NB wants us to concentrate on the “white male” formulation

“Sarah Palin’s Letter from God”: Among some 13,000 messages [in the Palin emails] was an unexpected, revealing and touching email from Palin to friends and family. It was initially written, obviously not for publication, in April of 2008 just a few days before the arrival of her fifth child, Trig, who was born with Down syndrome. In her email Palin imagines a letter from God to the family about to

Tweet pictures of your chubby to any goddamn chick you want to, because it ain’t like Democrat Party leadership is going to be able to hurt after you’ve already gone tits up.

9. She appears to be solidly conservative — and a conservative first and foremost, over and above a Team R player. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Jesus. How embarrassing.*

More on Romney’s infatuation with the commingling of the government and green energy: I also want to see us become more energy efficient. I’m told that we use almost twice as much energy per person as does a European, and more like three times as much as does a Japanese citizen. We could do a lot better. I’d like to see our vehicles, and our homes, and our systems of