“Mel Martinez” on The Daily Caller

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than two months after voters gave Republicans six more Senate seats and control of the House, the GOP is lining up candidates for 2012, well ahead of the pace of previous election cycles. (more)

Who will be the Republican Rahm Emanuel in 2010? (more)

For years, Republican leaders complained about their party’s inability to change its moribund image. The GOP was seen as the party of old Washington hands — of old, white men. The face of the party was the unpopular George Bush, and the grassroots had grown completely disconnected from the party over spending and other issues. Conservatives complained that the party had lost its way, while many small-government libertarians voted for the most liberal presidential candidate ever elected. (more)

The singer and former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has sued Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, saying he used the Talking Heads’ song “Road to Nowhere” in a Senate campaign ad without permission. (more)

Sen. George LeMieux went into some detail in an interview Wednesday afternoon about his conversation with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, his erstwhile boss turned potential Independent candidate for the Senate.  (more)

I just ran into former Sen. Mel Martinez, Florida Republican, at the Capitol. He said he was there to have lunch with Sen. George Voinovich, Ohio Republican.  (more)

The United States is a center-right country. Under most circumstances, few would argue otherwise. If there was any time when this was in question, it was late 2008 when President Obama was elected and the left wing of the Democratic Party had the wind at their backs. The president himself seemed to believe the country had moved substantially to the left. And now his decision to bail out failed companies, try terrorists in civilian courts, and support a government takeover of health care is backfiring. This shouldn’t be a surprise. This is a center-right country. (more)

Marco Rubio was once counted out of Florida’s upcoming GOP primary. A few months ago, he trailed Florida Gov. Charlie Crist by such a large margin that some observers advised that he withdraw. Now, a good 20 points ahead of Crist in the latest Rasmussen poll, many are suggesting that Crist is the one who should withdraw. Rubio’s meteoric rise in the polls parallels the growth of the Tea Party movement, which sees Rubio as one of its standard-bearers. So, it turns out, do GOP conservatives. Rubio appeared before the annual CPAC conference last week. His impassioned speech about his humble Cuban-American roots, his family and belief in America’s exceptional role as a beacon of liberty and economic freedom had many audience members close to tears. Already some are calling him the Republican Barack Obama. (more)