Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) did pretty well for herself in 2010. A prominent conservative figure who routinely appears on national television, she founded the tea party caucus, and was recently given a seat on the House Intelligence Committee. But after cruising to reelection victory in Minnesota, is she already setting her eyes on a 2012 senate run?

Bachmann's spokesman Doug Sachtleben told The Hill in a statement that "nothing's off the table for the future." Sachtleben declined to comment further to TPM.

Obviously, Bachmann's not running yet. But if she did -- how would she stack up next to first-term Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar?

In front of a live New York audience last night, Rachel Maddow took on Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's praising of Civil Rights-era segregationists in his state.

"Haley Barbour wants to be president," Maddow said. "He also wants you to believe the Citizens Councils he grew up around in Mississippi were organizations of town leaders that smoothed the way for racial integration."

South Carolinians literally had a ball last night celebrating the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. The secession ball, organized by the Confederate Heritage Trust -- and sponsored by the Sons of Confederate Veterans -- reportedly featured a 45-minute theatrical play re-enacting the signing of the Ordinance of Secession, where South Carolina declared its intention to secede from the union.

The Council of Conservative Citizens has launched a website calling for a boycott of the new Marvel comic-inspired film Thor, because a character is being played by a black actor.

The CCC is the contemporary incarnation of the segregationist Citizens Councils, which sprung up across the South in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education and which possible Republican presidential candidate Haley Barbour praised in a recent interview.

"It seems that Marvel Studios believes that white people should have nothing that is unique to themselves," a post on the CCC's website reads. "An upcoming movie, based on the comic book Thor, will give Norse mythology an insulting multi-cultural make-over. One of the Gods will be played by Hip Hop DJ Idris Elba."

Saturday Night Live has released yet another tape of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, this time commenting on Time magazine's selection of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as "Person of the Year."

"Time magazine, always on the cutting edge, discovering Facebook only weeks after your grandmother," said Bill Hader, playing Assange, after interrupting a message from Zuckerberg.

Last month we introduced you to Gold to Go, the gold-dispensing ATMs made by German company Ex Oriente Lux AG. The company installed its first machine at the Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace hotel in Dubai, and has since installed several in Germany, Spain and Italy.

But on Friday, Gold to Go came to U.S. shores, with the first machine installed at the upscale Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, Florida.

As we reported, Newt Gingrich's 527 Group named Dawn Rizos -- owner of The Lodge, a gentleman's club in Dallas -- an "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 2009, and invited her to a private dinner in D.C. But once Gingrich found out her business was a topless club, he stripped her of the award, and returned her $5,000 contribution.

But it appears Gingrich is ready to move on -- and is now happy to take her money. In an American Solutions mailer, Gingrich asked, "Will you enclose a special year-end contribution of $1,000, or even as much as $2,000, to American Solutions, Ms. Rizos?"

Outgoing Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), who many see as a potential 2012 presidential candidate, is already nostalgic for the office he's about to leave.

He told the Duluth News Tribune editorial board that now that Republicans control the Minnesota Legislature, he regrets not seeking reelection.

In what promises to be a bizarre pairing, CNN and the Tea Party Express are joining forces to co-host a Republican presidential primary debate in September 2011.

The Tea Party Express' hits have been no stranger to TPM's pages. Over the summer, for example, Tea Party Express' Mark Williams said the NAACP's use of the word "colored'" makes the organization racist. Williams, who was an occasional guest on CNN, was eventually forced to resign from the Tea Part Express.

Stephen Colbert last night continued his coverage of the nation's war on Christmas, calling Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) -- who is urging Congress to continue working through the holidays -- the "albino raisin who stole Christmas."

Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) has said it would be impossible to complete all the work Reid wants to accomplish during the holidays "without disrespecting one of the two holiest of holidays for Christians, and the families of all the Senate." And Colbert agrees.