Stories to Watch: 2/13/11

Streets are wet outside. In February, this is cause for some excitement. When all this snow melts, there's going to be flooding. If some of it melts before the big thaw, maybe that flooding gets mitigated a little bit. Now here's the news...


You win some, you lose some. After winning the straw poll at the lunatic convention that is CPAC, Ron Paul gets booted off the advisory board of Young Americans for Freedom -- because he's not a big fan of throwing money at the military. Look, Ron's 76 years old, so it's probably time to quit Young Americans for Freedom anyway. Just sayin'.


Algeria is the second country to shut down the internet amid widespread anti-government protests and civil unrest. I guess because it worked out so well for the last guy who tried it.


Steve Benen catches the GOP's budget guru Rep. Paul Ryan in a logical inconsistency. Imagine my shock.


Add Florida Rep. Allen West to the growing list of rightwing lunatics with tremendous egos.


Paul Krugman demonstrates the problem with letting public opinion dictate economic policy.


Finally, if you haven't been following this, you really, really should be.