As Rachel Maddow pointed out last night, the bondage club was just one in a long list of expensive, unnecessary uses of donor dollars revealed in the RNC’s spending disclosure records. As a result Steele has been labeled “smug” and “ego-centric” by some RNC members who are calling for his resignation. However, Maddow thinks this will probably just be added to “the list of remarkable things” Michael Steele has thus far survived.

Earlier today a Philadelphia man, Norman Leboon, was charged with threatening to kill House Minority Whip Eric Cantor. From FoxNews.com. But before everyone starts jumping to conclusions all signs point to Norman Leboon being an actual crazy person whose craziness precedes anything to do with the HCR vote and is not actually limited to politicians. Or people.

I guess this means Sarah Palin has a sense of humor. Also, a grasp of the English language that perhaps some had not previously attributed to her. Palin followed up a weekend of well-covered speeches with this Facebook note, ostensibly about March Madness (the basketball kind).

I think it’s also hard to argue that the organization driving most of the national political stories is Politico. Considering the site has such powerful clout it was interesting to hear the founding editors John Harris and Jim VandeHei tell Howie Kurtz on this weekend’s Reliable Sources that they are basically dope suppliers to an audience of political junkies who thrive on the minutiae.

It did seem a tad coincidental. Just days after penning his much talked about ‘Waterloo’ column conservative thinker and former Bush administration official was fired from his $100,000/year job at the AEI. Frum, who was supposed to appear on Countdown last night and canceled, unloaded to Politco’s Mike Allen instead, asserting that it was “donor pressure” following the ‘Waterloo’ post that led to his dismissal.

Last night Rachel Maddow unveiled her anti-Maddow campaign ad to aid Brown in his “fake campaign” and then followed it up this morning by running a full page ad in the Boston Globe to reconfirm she’s still not running. One two SNAP.

Welcome back David Paterson! Paterson sort of managed to slip out of the headlines a few weeks back thanks to one Erica Massa. And then stay out of them thanks in part to the deluge of health care bill headlines. But the ever-intrepid New York Times has just pubbed another piece on the Gov. today and it’s not great. But does it matter?

Rachel Maddow is no longer laughing about Sen. Scott Brown’s attempt to cast her as his political opposition. Maddow allowed herself to be interviewed by her executive producer on Tuesday night in order to put an end to the rumors (she’s not running, she’s never considered running, etc.). But apparently that isn’t doing the trick. And Maddow is pissed.

Did Shep Smith just call out Glenn Beck as being one of those responsible for the recent rash of death threats against members of Congress who voted for the health care bill? It vaguely sounded that way. Smith certainly made it clear that he felt the over-the-top rhetoric surrounding HCR may have more than a little something to do with these troubling developments.

Miracle of the ages. Two days after the historic health care bill passed — alternately known in some circles as Armageddon — initial polls are showing that health care approval ratings have gone up (also President Obama‘s). A USA Today/Gallup Poll finds that “49%-40% of those surveyed say it was ‘a good thing’ rather than a bad one that Congress passed the bill.” This is in contrast to last week when there was “a plurality against it.” Why the difference? (Ahem, cablers.)

No word on what inspired the timing of this piece; maybe the Times got tired of reporting on the Obamas proper? Which is not to say it’s not interesting. It is! Court intrigue as only the NYT can provide it (how else would we know President Obama offered Chelsea a White House wedding?).

Remember the other week when the political phrase du jour was “reconciliation” and Rachel Maddow spent not a little amount of time illustrating how the Republicans who were in an uproar over the “nuclear option” were actually total hypocrites who had had no problem implementing the procedure when it suited there aims? Well, looks like the shoe is currently on the other foot (color us shocked).

Can it be possible that when it comes to bitter partisan divide we haven’t seen anything yet? Last summer’s Tea Party/Town Halls appeared to take much of Washington, and the media, by surprise (and by storm). But with this November’s midterms already looming large on the political horizon, look no further than the anti-health care ads sweeping the country for a preview of what’s to come.

The latest chapter in the Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) surprise departure (‘retirement’) from Congress unfolded yesterday when Massa announced during a radio show that the ethics inquiry into Massa is actually the result of the Democratic Party wanting to get him out of the Health Care vote. Also? Rahm Emanuel once pushed him around naked in a shower. Update: Beck exclusive interview tomorrow!

Apparently, Sarah Palin wants to make the reality show that has been her tour de force through media land these last 18 months official. It was reported last night that Palin and producer Mark Burnett spent yesterday shopping a reality show around LA. One network executive described it as “‘Planet Earth’ meets Alaska meets her family.” Does this mean her White House ambitions are over…or just getting started?

Politico got its hands on a confidential party fundraising presentation from the Republican National Committee: Is Glenn Beck secretly running the RNC? There is no mention of “progressives” or secret Maoists in the report but it’s hard to look at the images and not conclude that someone in the RNC is a fan of Mr. Beck and his (often fear-mongering) chalkboard!

And you thought the teleprompter was bad. Now President Obama is apparently lip-synching his speeches. Kidding! This is not real. This is from the Onion. Obama not lip-synching is actually the funniest part. Video after the jump.

It’s been somewhat amusing this past week to hear media types express surprise over the fact that last week’s attempted bombing of Flight 253 resulted in an immediate round of partisan finger-pointing on Capitol Hill. I’m not sure what people were expecting after a year that must have set the record for bitter partisanship battling, but I shudder at this point to think what it would to take place to have both parties agree on…anything