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“Colbert v. the Court: Why, in the battle over Citizens United, the Supreme Court never had a chance,” by Dahlia Lithwick. Stephen Colbert’s super PAC is no joke. It’s raised over $1 million, and Colbert’s managed to become a leading critic of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision from his comedy platform. Will Colbert’s super PAC pack a long term punch for the campaign finance system?

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You cannot have avoided hearing about Smash (NBC, Mondays at 10 p.m. ET). NBC has been running ads during NFL games, reminders in its chyron, teasers in taxis, spots in Playbill; at this point, even people who do not own televisions may feel that the network bought airtime in their REM sleep. Just as the series, with its cameos by Broadway machers and its fond peeks inside theater haunts, is pitched at both residents of the entertainment world and the good people of Peoria, these promotions serve two constituencies. One is composed of the civilians who may yet be pummeled into watching this soapy musical about a Broadway musical—soap as dispensed by the bathroom attendant at Sardi’s. The other is “the creative community.” The second group, lingeringly cheesed off by the network’s 2009 move to crowd drama out of primetime in favor of Jay Leno, need convincing that NBC is committed to attempting classy, smart work for adults. Even if the show fails commercially, the peacock will have smoothed some feathers.

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Every weekend, Longform shares a collection of great stories from its archive with Slate. For daily picks of new and classic nonfiction, check out Longform or follow @longform on Twitter. Have an iPad? Download Longform’s brand-new app.

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Become a fan of the PoliticalGabfestonFacebook. We post to the Facebook page throughout the week, so keep the conversation going by joining us there.

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When it goes public, Facebook will be conducting an experiment in corporate dictatorship nearly without precedent for such a large and high-profile company.

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Poor Susan G. Komen.

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Here are this week’s top must-read stories from #MuckReads, ProPublica’s ongoing collection of the best watchdog journalism. Anyone can contribute by tweeting a link to a story and just including the hashtag #MuckReads or by sending an email to MuckReads@ProPublica.org. The best submissions are selected by ProPublica’s editors and reporters and then featured at @ProPublica.

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In his stand-up special New in Town, which premiered last weekend, Saturday Night Live writer John Mulaney begins by emphasizing his preternaturally boyish looks. “When I’m walking down the street,” Mulaney quips, “No one’s ever like, ‘Hey look at that man.’ I think they’re just like, ‘Whoa, that tall child looks terrible!’ ” It’s this innate guilelessness that makes Mulaney so appealing. When he impersonates Ice-T from Law and Order: SVU saying awful things like, “Looks like the victim had anal contusions,” the contrast with his Dennis the Menace ‘do makes it even funnier.

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Mitt Romney is now being protected by the Secret Service. Unfortunately for him, they were not in a position to jump in front of his comments Wednesday morning. The day after his Florida triumph, Romney told CNN: “I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich, they’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the very heart of America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling.”

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Dr. Pamela Peeke is equal parts sunny and tough. The bestselling author of Fight Fat After Forty, Body for Life for Women, and Fit To Live, Peeke is a physician and chief lifestyle expert at WebMD. She says she believes “people are more powerful than they think,” and she refuses to ignore the social and environmental factors that entangle our personal choices. That’s why Peeke will argue that “Obesity is the government’s business” at the Slate/Intelligence Squared live debate in New York on Feb. 7.     

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