Slowing the Twitter: The latest thing Donald Trump has taken credit for is slowing down Twitter. Talking Points Memo has up a bit of an exchange Mr. Yuuuge had with a CBS host who questioned his Twitter usage:

“Having Twitter is great. And between Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, I have 12 million people, more than 12 million people. So it is a great way of getting the word out.” Trump went on to explain that he can slow down Twitter. “I’m very capable of slowing down Twitter or doing whatever I want to do,” Trump said.”

Huckabee’s losing it: His memory that is. In December he told an Iowa radio host if he didn’t do well in Iowa, he probably would drop out. Politico has some of the transcript:

“If we can’t come within striking distance of the victory or win it, then I think we recognize that it’s going to be hard to take that onto the other states.”  

“Well, I mean historically, we’ve always said there are three tickets out of Iowa, you have to come in No. 1, 2 or 3. I think in many ways that’s probably still the case,” he said.

Now there’s no talk of dropping out. There was a rumor he might endorse Donald Trump Wednesday in Arkansas. But Huckabee told The Weekly Standard he’s not endorsing anyone this week.  What about later?

“When asked if he could rule out endorsing Trump at some point in the next two months, Huckabee replied, Why would I endorse somebody if I’m running? Hey, I’m running, man.”

Is the RNC the biggest loser?   The Atlantic takes a deep dive into the problems facing establishment candidates this cycle, specifically where it involves the delegate count.  “Donald Trump and Ted Cruz now have a near-insurmountable advantage in the race, one that will almost certainly leave the establishment candidates finished by early March.” But the RNC caused much of the problem.

“The last thing the Republican National Committee wanted was a drawn-out battle for the nomination. That’s why the RNC attempted to design the 2016 primary rules to favor an establishment candidate. Of course, the 2016 presidential race has been anything but favorable to establishment candidates: The dynamics of the race point squarely to an anti-establishment candidate securing the nomination.”

•   Quickhits: Wisconsin Rep. Reid Ribble says he will not run for re-election this year.  He was elected in  2010.
• The media is making out like a bandit. MSNBC says just over $70 million has been spent on ads in Iowa this cycle.  You can find out here who spent what amount.
• Media is still making out like a bandit.  It’s not cheap buying Super Bowl ads. AdAge says $377 million is being spent by companies to get airtime in and around the big game.
• Here’s one I can barely explain, let alone write about.  It is NSFW.  It’s not safe for a frat party. The American Mirror says it involves the Mariopa County chair of the NAACP who dropped an F-bomb while trying to apologize for using the T-word. This followed a meeting about a bunch of high school girls wearing shirts with letters  spelling out the N-word. The guy cannot stop messing it up.
•  Please help find this missing B-52 bomber. It crashed into Pittsburgh’s Monongahela River in 1956. As one person explained, “There is nothing logical about losing a 15-foot plane in a 20-foot river.”

Enjoy Today: National Hot Chocolate Day (Tomorrow is better. It’s Spunky Old Broads Day. Be sure to celebrate it appropriately.)

Another top half of the Water Cooler done. But there’s still a bottom half to be filled.  Drop a thought about what you saw here or leave pieces of good stuff you found elsewhere that we may have missed.  The ‘cooler is always an Open Thread.