Question to Broun: Who's going to shoot President Obama?  —  At Rep. Paul Broun's town hall meeting on Tuesday, the Athens congressman asked who had driven the farthest to be there and let the winner ask the first question.  —  We couldn't hear the question in the back of the packed Oglethorpe …

WI Assembly GOP Passes Walker Budget In Surprise Vote — Dems Chant “Shame!”  —  MADISON, WI — The Wisconsin State Assembly has just passed Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, including its controversial provisions to eliminate almost all collective bargaining rights for public employee unions …

Koch Executives Speak Out on Wisconsin  —  Madison, Wis. — Earlier this week, a blogger impersonating industrialist David Koch spoke with Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, who is attempting to pass a budget-repair bill.  The conversation between Walker and the poseur, which was recorded …

GDP report: Economic growth revised sharply lower  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Budget cuts by state and local governments hurt the economy more than originally thought, according to a government release Friday.  —  Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity …

Senate Democrats eye the lockbox for Social Security, in Al Gore revival  —  Senate Democrats want to put the Social Security trust fund in a lockbox and insulate it from a broader budget-cutting package designed to reduce the national deficit.  —  It's a revival of the concept …

Rubicon: A river in Wisconsin  —  The magnificent turmoil now gripping statehouses in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and soon others marks an epic political moment.  The nation faces a fiscal crisis of historic proportions and, remarkably, our muddled, gridlocked, allegedly broken politics have yielded singular clarity.

Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin: Who ‘Contributes’ to Public Workers' Pensions?  —  When it comes to improving public understanding of tax policy, nothing has been more troubling than the deeply flawed coverage of the Wisconsin state employees' fight over collective bargaining.

Mitt: Proud of ‘RomneyCare’  —  Mitt Romney rejected Mike Huckabee's call for him to admit that the “RomneyCare” health care program failed, instead saying he's “proud” of “getting everyone covered” when he was governor of Massachusetts.  —  “Mitt Romney is proud of what he accomplished …

Run Mitch, Run  —  On Feb. 11, Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana met with a group of college students.  According to The Yale Daily News, he told them that there is an “excellent chance” he will not run for president.  Then he mounted the podium at the Conservative Political Action Conference …

Shock Doctrine, U.S.A.  —  Here's a thought: maybe Madison, Wis., isn't Cairo after all.  Maybe it's Baghdad — specifically, Baghdad in 2003, when the Bush administration put Iraq under the rule of officials chosen for loyalty and political reliability rather than experience and competence.

U.S. Pulling Back in Afghan Valley It Called Vital to War  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — After years of fighting for control of a prominent valley in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, the United States military has begun to pull back most of its forces from ground it once insisted …

Pelosi edits honorary resolution...on Pelosi  —  The Democratic National Committee wanted to honor Nancy Pelosi Thursday — but its praise wasn't good enough for the House minority leader.  —  When the DNC's Resolutions Committee brought up a resolution commemorating Pelosi's years as speaker of the House …

Groups officially begin recall process for seven lawmakers  —  By Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel  —  The clock is now running for groups trying to collect enough signatures to trigger recall elections against seven Democratic senators, state officials said today.

Foiled by the winter: The £25,000 eco-classroom that can't be used because solar panels don't provide enough heat  —  Eco-campaigners who built a classroom powered by the sun believed they were paving the way for the future.  —  Instead they have been taught a valuable lesson …

Getting Black Males Through College  —  I have a big weakness for success stories of young folks facing tough odds who have triumphed with the support of a proactive community built around supporting them.  It's a very specific narrative I'm drawn to, I admit.

In the Cradle of Libya's Uprising, the Rebels Learn to Govern Themselves  —  BENGHAZI, Libya — The rebels here said they caught a spy in the court building, the nerve center of the uprising, recording insurgent plans on a cellphone camera.  The response was swift.

Gingrich says Florida home to four potential 2012 veeps  —  WEST PALM BEACH — Former House Speaker and potential 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, arriving at tonight's Palm Beach County GOP Lincoln Day dinner, says several Floridians could end up on the Republican presidential ballot next year.

Uncommon Knowledge with William Voegeli  —  Last week we posted Peter Robinson's interview with William Voegeli.  Given our format, the interview rotated off the site after a few days.  We'll have another installment of Uncommon Knowledge next week.  In the meantime, here is the interview with Voegeli …