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(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Four and half years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the city finally has something to celebrate in its Super Bowl victory.

Some people say the Saints' first championship win in the team's 42-year history is the greatest thing that could ever happen to New Orleans. The city's spirits have been lifted... and it promises to be a Mardi Gras season the likes of which even New Orleans has never seen before.

It's been a long time coming - a very long four years since that awful day when Katrina roared ashore and tore the life out of one of the really special cities in this country. Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city, killed 1,500 people, drove thousands more from their homes never to return, and destroyed the economy. But it didn't kill The Big Easy's spirit.

Today renewal is breaking out all over New Orleans.

The day before the Super Bowl, they elected a new mayor - the first white mayor in 30 years. He's promising to bridge a racial divide that grew wider under Mayor Ray Nagin. Mitch Landrieu won 66 percent of the vote in an 11-candidate field. A huge win in a city that is more than 60 percent African-American.

Landrieu has his work cut out for him - including lowering one of the highest crime rates in the country, rebuilding the schools; and of course, the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina - including houses, infrastructure, hospitals, etc.

But today New Orleans is a very happy place. And the rest of us are happy for them.

Here’s my question to you: How important is the Saints' Super Bowl victory for New Orleans?

Tune in to the Situation Room at 6pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.

And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The First Lady is calling on America to get moving - in order to fight childhood obesity. Michelle Obama kicked off a national effort at the White House today to try to reverse the growing epidemic.

First Lady Michelle Obama looks on as Pres. Obama signs a memorandum on childhood obesity in the Oval Office. The measure is part of the First Lady's nationwide campaign to combat childhood obesity.

And the numbers are just staggering: One-third of American children are overweight or obese. And one study shows the number of overweight children from ages six to 19 has tripled since 1970. These kids are at higher risk for diabetes and high blood pressure along with other ailments later in life.

The First Lady's initiative is called the Let's Move campaign, and is focused on what families, communities and the public and private sectors can do to reduce childhood obesity within a generation.

She's calling on everyone to get involved - from parents to teachers, doctors, coaches and children. Her plan covers everything from making healthier choices to getting kids to exercise more to providing healthier and affordable foods to inner cities.

Also, the administration is focusing on several steps that government and private companies can take, including:

• Making package labels easier to read. The FDA is set to work on labels that would appear on the front of the package. And the American Beverage Association has agreed to put calorie labels on the front of its cans and on vending machines within two years.

• The Obama administration wants to invest more money to make school lunches healthier; and major school food suppliers will have to decrease sugar, fat and salt while increasing whole grains and fruits and veggies in their meals.

Here’s my question to you: Why have we allowed one-third of our children to become overweight or obese?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

It's not just the record snowstorm that's slowing Washington down - it seems nearly impossible for our lawmakers to get anything done in our nation's capital.

The Capitol Building is seen across from a partially frozen pool in D.C. A huge blizzard dumped a blanket of snow over the nation's capitol.

Some hoped that by putting Democrats in charge of both houses of Congress and the White House - they might actually get some of the people's business accomplished.

Not so fast. For example - no one can agree on a jobs bill... with some saying Republicans don't want to sign on to any bill that's being pushed by Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Meanwhile more than a year after taxpayers bailed out Wall Street - there's still nothing in the way of real financial reform and the bankers are back to making record bonuses. And what about progress on any of the other president's top priorities? health care? education? energy?

And this is all before Republicans got to celebrating the swearing in of Mass. Sen. Scott Brown, or "Mr. 41" - who will give the GOP enough votes to hold a filibuster.

It's no surprise a new Gallup poll shows Congress at its lowest approval ratings in more than a year. Only 18 percent of Americans approve of the way Congress is handling its job. That's down 6 points in just a month. 78 percent disapprove.

Gallup suggests that this is mostly due to a sharp drop in support among Democrats... down 15 points since last month. Democrats' approval of Congress, which jumped up once Pres. Obama took office, is now at its lowest level since then. Republican and Independent approval of Congress has already been below 20 percent for months.

Here’s my question to you: Is an 18 percent approval rating for Congress too high?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

It was a campaign promise of President Obama's - and he's taken a lot of heat for not following through.

Well, Mr. Obama now says he plans to hold a televised, bipartisan health care meeting on February 25. This move toward transparency comes after the president got strong reviews on the televised question-and-answer session he held with Republicans recently.

President Obama says he wants to go through "all the best ideas" that are out there on health care - including those of Republicans - and move forward with reform.

Leaders of both parties are praising the move - but Republicans say they want to start from scratch on health care reform, something the president says he won't do. Also, some worry this live, televised, half-day meeting will only prolong the process - the Democrats already have plenty of disagreements among themselves in the two versions of the bill.

Since the Democrats' loss of Ted Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat, White House officials have been sending mixed messages on health care; saying they might break the bill into smaller parts, or keep it all together, or hold off on action; or just "punch it through" Congress.

Meanwhile it's not clear how much the president's offer to open up the health care meetings will matter this late in the game. A lot of Americans have been turned off by the secret, closed-door nature of negotiations. They expected more from the candidate who vowed to broadcast it all on C-Span. And, don't forget, this televised meeting would probably never happen if Republican Scott Brown wasn't the newest Senator from Massachusetts.

Here’s my question to you: Is Pres. Obama’s plan for a televised, bipartisan health care meeting too little, too late?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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Sarah Palin spoke at a campaign rally for Texas Gov. Rick Perry yesterday in Cypress, Texas. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Sarah Palin is making it clear that she's not going anywhere - and she may just have her sights trained on the White House.

The former Alaska governor says she would consider a run for president in 2012 if the situation is right for the nation and her family. That's swell.

Palin, who was woefully unprepared to be John McCain's running mate, acknowledges that she "sure as heck better be more astute on these national issues" than she was two years ago. Seriously.

And maybe that's why Palin says she's started receiving daily political and economic briefings over e-mail from various Washington experts. That should do it.

Palin delivered the keynote speech to the Tea Party convention in Nashville over the weekend. Palin used much of the speech to go after Pres. Obama on his national security and spending policies, describing him as a "law professor at a lectern," criticizing him for "apologizing for America," and asking the Tea Partiers: "How's that hopey, changey stuff working out for ya?" She even has her own language.

Meanwhile - it appears that Palin had written crib sheets on the inside of her hand, including the words "energy," "tax" and "lift American spirits" - likely for the question and answer session after her speech.

That would be the very same speech where Palin criticized Pres. Obama for relying too much on Teleprompter.

Here’s my question to you: What would you advise Sarah Palin to do next?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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