When last we visited the Alaskan All-stars, aka the the Superstar Snowbunnies, the Thrillas from Wasilla, Sarah was shootin’ elks on her reee-aliteee teevee show and Li’l Bristol had jest ’bout won the dancin’ show.

Well now it’s almost Valentine’s Day and time to check in on the family.

Hey, remember three months ago, when millions of voters across America screamed loud and clear, “Please stop sending money to my town!”? I don’t think they do either…

Too clever by half, the House GOP leadership allowed only 40 minutes of debate on the extension of the PATRIOT Act today, and brought the bill up for a vote under a rule allowing no amendments and requiring two-thirds of the body to vote YES.

Well, that didn’t happen. Apparently, the Tea Party Congresscritters discovered their love for the constitution, Amendments One and Four inclusive, while taking the opportunity to stand up to their leadership’s lackadaisical attitude toward the Act’s extension.

For the third time since the popular uprising in Egypt has begun, crowds completely filled Tahrir Square on Tuesday, as protesters found renewed energy and they resolved not to leave until President Hosni Mubarak steps down.

A sit-in at the Parliament Building also has begun.

Politico reported earlier in the day that they would leave out any language from the continuing resolution to fund the government for the rest of the year that would block funding for implementation of the health care law. Anonymous aides said this was necessary, given the need for the President to be able to sign the law and fund the government.

Just a few hours later, Eric Cantor said in a press availability that, in fact, the continuing resolution out of the House would include that restriction on implementation funds.

Sometimes the irony of two news events that happen on the same day is almost surreal.

If you think Democrats are incapable of coordination, let me forward you my email inbox for today. In it, you will find no less than 18 Democratic members of Congress sending the exact same message – in list-building petitions and recaps of multiple press conferences and advisories of additional press conferences and guidance for reporters and press aides – about attacks on women’s health by the House GOP.

Making these documents available is largely self-serving, but there is much to known about some previous unknowns.

If you blink today, you may miss the House of Representatives passing an extension until the end of the year of several provisions of the Patriot Act that expire in February. They will try to pass it under the suspension of the rules, meaning that they will need a 2/3 vote, but also that nobody can offer amendments. And they will spend a whopping 40 minutes of debate on the topic.

If Democrats had listened to warnings about what a political disaster the mandate would be, this problem could have been fixed before the law was passed and the law might have ended up slightly less unpopular.