Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich ratcheted up the temperature at last night’s Bloomberg/Washington Post GOP Debate when, in response to a question about the financial meltdown, Gingrich suggested the jailing of Rep. Barney Frank and former Sen. Chris Dodd.

Frank shot back last night, noting that “It’s interesting, the charge is failure to stop Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay from deregulating,” and called the charge odd “even by Gingrich’s standards.”

On MSNBC Live Tuesday afternoon, Contessa Brewer interviewed National Journal congressional correspondent Major Garrett about the ways in which former members of Congress skirt lobbying rules. The jumping-off point was former Sen. Chris Dodd‘s recent hiring by the MPAA, and while the segment was insightful and informative, the highlight was the revelation that disgraced former Sen. Larry Craig, according to MSNBC’s chyron, “Lobbying Against Wolves.” Somebody call Kevin Costner, I smell a sequel!

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) is currently the talk of Twitter after someone with access to his account tweeted (uncensored) “U love torturing me with this sh*t.” The tweet was quickly deleted, and an apology issued, but not before the enigmatic missive was widely re-tweeted.

While Dodd’s Twitter feed quickly announced “From Dodd Staff – Apologies to Dodd’s followers, last tweet was not from Chris Dodd,” the errant tweet is already fodder for Twitter jokesters like Slate’s Dave Weigel, who tweeted “Members of all parties can agree that no one should torture Chris Dodd with sh*t. #genevaconventions.”

The real question: where did the tweet come from? (h/t Michelle Malkin)

Anyone out there harboring any hope that this year might herald the end of the nation’s obsession with politics (or at least see it diminished) is now probably out of luck.

It’s the end of the year, the time for handy lists and timelines recapping the touchstones of the past 12 months, freezing them in our ever-shortening collective memory.

Of course, some people just have to be different. Mediaite contributor and White House reporter Tommy Christopher pulls back the curtain on covering politics in 2009, and shares photos and videos that have never been seen before. Find out who the Secret Service did manage to keep out of the White House, what Joe Biden told his young mentorees, and much more.

Anytime an influential man dies, attention is paid to his wife. The grace and allure of the grieving widow has fascinated Americans for decades, from Jackie O to Ruth Madoff (in a weird way). Vicki Kennedy is no exception. Since Senator Kennedy’s death, there’s been countless profile pieces written about “the woman who saved Ted,” their marriage, and how they fell in love.