Wisconsin GOP Senator Glenn Grothman chased, trapped by hecklers, saved by Dem.  Rep. Hulsey  —  Phil Ejercito is a 29 year old freelance photographer based in Madison, WI.  His primary photographic services include (but are by no means limited to) live music, event coverage, politics and activism …

Obama's 'Where's Waldo?' presidency  —  For a man who won office talking about change we can believe in, Barack Obama can be a strangely passive president.  There are a startling number of occasions in which the president has been missing in action - unwilling, reluctant or late to weigh in on the issue of the moment.

Supreme Court rules First Amendment protects church's right to picket funerals  —  A nearly unanimous Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the First Amendment protects even hurtful speech about public issues and upheld the right of a fringe church to protest near military funerals.

OPINION: Wisconsin governor is waging ‘jihad’ against unions  —  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) jihad against public employee unions is about 30 years late and likely to make Republicans even less popular with voters, who endorse collective bargaining rights for public employees — professionals for whom they have abiding respect.

Haley Barbour's Medicaid fantasy  —  “We have people pull up at the pharmacy window in a BMW and say they can't afford their co-payment.”  —  Haley Barbour's colorful remark, made to The Washington Post while attending a National Governors Association meeting in Washington this week …

Frankfurt airport shooting: Two dead and two injured  —  Police told German media the shooting took place inside the bus  —  Two people have died after a gunman opened fire on a bus carrying American soldiers at Frankfurt airport, police say.  —  The driver of the bus and a US soldier …

Pakistan Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti shot dead  —  Watch: Shahbaz Bhatti predicted his death as he defended his faith four months ago  —  Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti has been shot dead by gunmen who ambushed his car in broad daylight in the capital, Islamabad.

Unless they're paying beaucoup bucks, his transfer to New York makes no sense to me. … Like This Story  —  Follow Slate's Press Box … - The U.S. Has Frozen $30 Billion of Qaddafi's Assets.  Can We Spend It?  - John Roberts Writes the Funniest Sentence in Supreme Court History …

Fetuses to be presented as witnesses before Ohio House committee considering abortion restrictions  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio - Two fetuses will be presented as witnesses before an Ohio legislative committee that is hearing a bill to outlaw abortions after the first heartbeat can be detected inside a woman's womb.

Conceding defeat this time, Senate Dems pledge to win next round  —  Senate Democrats conceded Tuesday that House Republicans won round one of the budget fight, but they are vowing a bigger battle later this month.  —  Anticipating that showdown, Senate Democratic leaders are scrambling …

Congressional bosses from Hell: Sheila Jackson Lee  —  A lot of politicians give nicknames to their aides.  George W. Bush famously referred to his attorney general, Alberto Gonzalez, as “Fredo.”  Mitch Daniels, then head of the Office of Management and Budget, was known as “The Blade.”

Huckabee says he misspoke in radio interview  —  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) misspoke when he said in a recent radio interview that President Obama grew up in Kenya, he said Tuesday.  —  “As I have stated on page 1 of my new book ‘A Simple Government’ and in numerous interviews …

‘I already know I could win’  —  Dan already wrote a piece about it, but Chris Christie was in the office last week.  I just wanted to quote him more extensively on 2012.  I asked him whether he knew that, given the moment, there is a serious chance he could win the Republican nomination if he ran.

“You are a person against all of us.  The whole nation is looking at you."  — says an old woman with a “Solidarity” sign who gets right up in Meade's face...  ... when Meade asks her why he should “be ashamed” of himself.  That's at the end of this uncut 7 1/2-minute video, shot outside the Capitol this afternoon.

American Voters Split On Government Shutdown, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Democrats, Republicans Divided On Gov't Worker Pay  —  American voters are split as 46 percent say it would be a good thing and 44 percent say it would be a bad thing if the U.S. government shut …

This Is Just the Start  —  Future historians will long puzzle over how the self-immolation of a Tunisian street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, in protest over the confiscation of his fruit stand, managed to trigger popular uprisings across the Arab/Muslim world.  We know the big causes — tyranny …

Fierce battles rage in Libya  —  Pro- and anti-government forces fight for control of strategic towns including Brega, which houses a key oil facility.  —  Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, are reported to have regained control of two strategic towns in the country's northwest …

RNC launches TV ad linking Obama, unions  —  The Republican National Committee is calling on Wisconsin voters to help “stop Obama and his union bosses” in a TV ad being rolled out in the state on Wednesday.  —  Linking unions' financial support for President Barack Obama …

We Write Letters (to the WashPo Ombudsman)  —  Just sent this to the Washington Post's Ombudsman:  —  Today's lead editorial on the Al-Kidd v. Ashcroft case blindly repeats a piece of government propaganda that has been decisively falsified in the court proceedings of that very case.

Issa press aide scandal is like bad reality TV  —  If Washington's political culture gets any more incestuous, our children are going to be born with extra fingers.  —  The latest symptom of our deformed political-journalistic complex presented this week, when news broke that the office of Rep. Darrell Issa …

They Know Their Audience  —  ... isn't that bright.  —  What's wrong with this picture?  —  If you guessed the snowless ground and palm trees in Wisconsin you win a big prize.  Your sanity.  —  h/t to @JoshuaHolland  —  .

Opinion: Whitewashing Wisconsin's Protests … For the past two weeks, the news media have been swarming over Madison, Wis., covering every detail of the public-sector union protests against Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget cuts, as well as other similar protests around the country.

Late 2012 GOP start a boon for Obama  —  Hey, Newt, what's the rush?  —  That's what senior Democrats and White House officials enjoying the time off between campaigns are saying as former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) readies an announcement he is forming an exploratory committee for a White House run.