BostonGlobe.com Political Headlines - January 23, 2013

• Gov. Deval Patrick relies on some diplomacy to get to the White House: Globe Washington bureau reporter Matt Viser describes the MA Governor's now friendly relationship with President Obama.

• Senator John McCain jokes Senate panel will have to "waterboard" Senator John Kerry "to get the truth out of him.": McCain implied that Kerry might get more than the usual grilling when he appears Thursday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing as secretary of state. Washington bureau reporter Bryan Bender outlines.

• Donald Berwick, eyeing a run for governor, forms a fundraising committee: Berwick, who formerly ran Medicare for President Obama, formed a fundraising committee on Tuesday, a further indication that he may run for governor in Massachusetts in 2014. Globe politics reporter Noah Bierman covers.

• To succeed, Obama must take his case to the people: Because of GOP legislative intransigence, President Obama would be wise to go outside the capital and wage a campaign for what he wants done inside the Capitol. Globe columnist Scot Lehigh explains.

• Governor Patrick's call to pay for the future: While critics call him a tax-and-spend liberal, the governor insists his tax plan offers a chance to stabilize Mass. for the next generation. Globe metro columnist Adrian Walker writes.