Heard from Sec. Napolitano - Rep. Steve Austria (R-Ohio)
Speaking on school safety - Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.)
Not on the short list - Philip Elliott (Associated Press)
Republican values - Markos Moulitsas (kos)
Spell check! - Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)
Looking for a game-changer - Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.)
Just finished EFCA conference call - Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.)
We steal sips time to time - Rick Klein ("The Note," ABC)
Yes, camera guys will mock me - Ana Marie Cox (Air America)
Finished by 7 p.m.? - Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.)

Chris Cillizza tweets some on-the-ground evidence that labor is ramping up pressure on Tim Pawlenty to certify Al Franken winner of the Minn. Senate race:

TheFix National Dem group ramps up pressure on Tpaw to certify Franken: http://bit.ly/NZM6T

The link goes to the pic below: a billboard urging Pawlenty to certify Franken and suggesting the Governor's national ambitions are hurting Minnesota. The "Seat Our Senator" coalition--consisting mainly of labor groups--is responsible for the ad.

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) got a little restless during a House Armed Services Committee meeting and decided to snap a picture.

chelliepingree Armed Services is hearing from Sec. Gates and Admiral Mullen. Lots of questions, 5 hour hearing. http://twitpic.com/53lpy

Five hours IS a long time. Here's the view from the Congresswoman's seat. (I tried, unsuccessfully, to read the writing on her papers.):

Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) took advantage of a meeting with an egg producers' group today, one of the many perks of being a congressman.

Shimkus tweeted:

Cooking an omelet with the united egg producers

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) were sure to use their relative Twitter heft to publicize their "Fight for Freedom" call tomorrow.

Perry tweeted Wednesday:

Governor @MarkSanford & I hope you will participate tomorrow night in our Fight for Freedom tele-townhall!! http://thegopcomeback.com

Sanford and Perry, both frequent users of their Twitter pages, are trying to publicize their "Fight for Freedom" town hall call tomorrow at 8:30. The call seeks to solicit input from the tea party movement and other conservative activists about how to better reinvigorate the GOP.

No, Rep. Zach Space (D-Ohio) hasn't joined Twitter.

Rather, NASA has taken advantage of the surging popularity of the microblogging service, and sent the first tweeter into orbit.

Mike Massimino is a specialist for the STS-125 mission that launched from Cape Canaveral on Monday, from which he has dispathed two tweets while in orbit.

Massimino documented the run-up to the launch, including gearing up in his space suit, from his BlackBerry and computer.

Since launching, Massimino has tweeted about the "adventure of a lifetime," writing yesterday:

From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!

And tweeting today:

From orbit: Getting more accustomed to living in space today and getting ready for our big rendezvous with hubble

Of course, Massimino hasn't been the only one in government service to tweet their excitement over the shuttle. Former astronaut and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) checked in with glee earlier this week.

Newt Gingrich has some thoughts on today's news that the Obama administrtion is eyeing changes to Wall Street pay practices, even for non-bailout companies.

newtgingrich When you wake up to "US eyes bank pay overhaul" (wsj page one) you know you are one step closer to a socialist country that simply wont work

The story Gingrich is referring to:

The Obama administration has begun serious talks about how it can change compensation practices across the financial-services industry, including at companies that did not receive federal bailout money, according to people familiar with the matter.

[snip]

Among ideas being discussed are Fed rules that would curb banks' ability to pay employees in a way that would threaten the "safety and soundness" of the bank -- such as paying loan officers for the volume of business they do, not the quality. The administration is also discussing issuing "best practices" to guide firms in structuring pay.

Erick Erickson of Red State is none too happy with the NRSC for endorsing Gov. Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate primary.

The conservative blogger took to Twitter tonight to launch a boycott against the campaign committee:

ewerickson Join my group: Not one penny to the NRSC http://bit.ly/2Lls1 #TCOT #RS #TEAPARTY #SGP

The link goes to a Faceboook group entiteld "Not one penny to the NRSC." According the group description, Erickson is fed up with NRSC's support for moderate, supposedly electable candidates:

First they supported Chaffee. Then they supported Specter. Now they support Crist. I pledge to give no money, no support, no aid, and no help at all to the efforts of the NRSC.

Crist, like now-Democrat Arlen Specter, supported President Obama's stimulus package, even campaigning for the legislation with Obama in townhall meetings. Crist will face off against State House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) in the Republican primary.

Something tells me this isn't exactly going to counter the Democratic attack line that Republicans are looking to leaders of the past rather than leaders of the future: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) recommended Tuesday that everyone read about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Here's his tweet:

Every american should read There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters by Claire Berlinski explains why socialism is dangerous

And here's a link to the book, in case you're interested.