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My favorites of the Our Gang short films of 75 and 80 years ago (back when “gang” was an innocent term), were the ones where Spanky McFarland became a 9 year-old Ziegfeld, and staged big shows full of all-kid casts on make-shift stages.

John Kasich, who served nine terms in the House before becoming a Fox News host, is now testing whether the revolving door between politics and the media works in both directions. It clearly goes one way, with many former elected officials having followed a path into cable news. Recently ousted New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is now reportedly in talks with CNBC, while former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has become an MSNBC regular. And Fox now has a trio of prominent former Republican officials: Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich. More on GOP

In a strong reflection of just how strong his standing remains within the die-hard conservative community, Texas Republican and 2008 presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul won the Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll on Saturday, earning nearly one-third (31 percent) of the entire vote. The crowd, however, booed heavily when the results were announced.

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, MSNBC Washington Correspondent Norah O’Donnell, and “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane appeared on “Real Time With Bill Maher” Friday. The panel weighed in on everything from Obama’s failure to communicate to financial reform, waterboarding, and Sarah Palin’s son who has Down Syndrome. Spitzer had tough words for Barack Obama on and his constant search for bipartisanship. “Fundamental reform doesn’t come from bipartisanship. And it seems to me bipartisanship has become appeasement.

January was an exceptionally busy month in the world of electoral politics, as evidenced by the “bursting at the seams” nature of the Wrap over the past few weeks. Something tells me that February is going to be just as hectic…and, to make these lengthy recaps a little easier to follow, may I introduce a brand spanking new format for the nightly Wrap… THE U.S. SENATE AK-Sen: Murkowski Looks Good For Re-Election, Says PPP A new poll out from PPP (pdf) gives freshman Republican Lisa Murkowski a solid 52-25 lead over a generic Democratic opponent.

The back-and-forth intransigence between Republicans’ in Congress and President Obama over such polarized issues like health care and deficit reduction must seem to many like watching Kennedy and Khrushchev square off eyeball-to-eyeball during the Cuban missile crisis; which side will blink first? With Scott Brown soon to become the 41st Republican in the U.S.

In my house, we can recite lines from Clueless at whim, so to see Alicia Silverstone all grown up among the formidable theater talents in Donald Margulies’ new play, Time Stands Still, is an Occasion. This fine Manhattan Theatre Club production, superbly directed by Daniel Sullivan at the Samuel J.

This is one of those absurdly busy days in the campaign world. Thus, it stands to reason that the Wrap is only slightly shorter than “War and Peace” tonight. So, without further hesitation, let’s launch into it. GA-Gov: Barnes Looking Competitive In His Comeback Bid Kudos to Rasmussen Reports (yes, you heard right…) for being the first pollster to actually venture past the gubernatorial primaries in the Peach State and poll the general election. The verdict: former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes makes it a race .

My daughter, Mavis Spencer is 18, six feet tall and size zero. She’s got the long-limbs, big eyes and head-of-hair kind of beauty that causes people to stare and ask, “Are you..somebody?” When she and her mother - who is ’somebody’ (Alfre Woodard, two-time nominee, winner 1998, Miss Ever’s Boys ) - walk around together, especially all dressed up like they were on Sunday night at the Golden Globes, it’s a powerful sight.

Quick, pop quiz: Where does the United States rank on female participation in government? In the top ten? In the top 20? In the top 50? Answer: America ranks somewhere around #71 worldwide, below Pakistan and Cuba, when it comes to the share of women in political office (in the US Congress, it’s less than 17 percent). That statistic tells just part of the story. At one time, Margaret Thatcher seemed to be the rare example of a female head of state, the isolated exception to the worldwide rule of male-dominated law.