Poll: Bachmann breaks through, Huntsman hurting, Romney rolling  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney enjoys a comfortable lead in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation race for the Republican presidential nomination while Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann shows signs of breaking through …

Fear & Loathing In Minneapolis: Progressives Vent Frustration With Obama At Netroots Nation  —  ABC News' Matthew Jaffe reports:  —  The frustrations and the fears that progressives feel about President Obama were on full display Thursday as thousands of them flocked to Minneapolis for the sixth annual Netroots Nation conference.

Man With Suspicious Device Detained at Pentagon  —  A man carrying a suspicious package was detained in Arlington National Cemetery this morning after police searched his backpack and found the materials as well as pro-al Qaeda literature, officials told ABC News.

Libya and the War Powers Act  —  It would be hugely costly — for this country's credibility, for the future of NATO and for the people of Libya — if Congress were to force President Obama to abandon military operations over Libya.  However, Mr. Obama cannot evade his responsibility …

Key Seniors Association Pivots on Benefit Cut  —  WASHINGTON—AARP, the powerful lobbying group for older Americans, is dropping its longstanding opposition to cutting Social Security benefits, a move that could rock Washington's debate over how to revamp the nation's entitlement programs.

Operation Fast and Furious should end Holder tenure  — TAGS: - 2012 Election - ATF - Attorney General Eric Holder - House Oversight and Government Reform Committee - Operation Fast and Furious - Politics - President Obama - Rep. Darrell Issa - U.S. Department of Justice

Amid scandal, US Republican Weiner to step down … New York: US Representative Anthony Weiner, snared in a humiliating flap for sending lewd photos of himself to women online, was set to resign on Thursday, ending a weeks-long scandal that made his fellow Democrats cringe.

The Morning Line: Days Later, Pawlenty Lands Clean Jab at Romney  —  t was Hillary Clinton, in the last presidential campaign, who said that there are no “do-overs.”  —  Tim Pawlenty clearly begs to differ.  —  Back in the safety and comfort of a Fox News studio Thursday with Sean Hannity …

Who Is James Johnson?  —  Most political scandals involve people who are not really enmeshed in the Washington establishment — people like Representative Anthony Weiner or Representative William Jefferson.  Most scandals involve spectacularly bad behavior — like posting pictures …

Call Off the Global Drug War  —  IN an extraordinary new initiative announced earlier this month, the Global Commission on Drug Policy has made some courageous and profoundly important recommendations in a report on how to bring more effective control over the illicit drug trade.

My Job Offer for Anthony Weiner  —  Mr. Weiner:  —  After having learned of your sudden and compelled resignation from your Congressional post, I would like to make you an offer of employment at Flynt Management Group, LLC in our Internet group.  As a Congressman, you are known for your intensity and perseverance.

S. Baptists back immigration ‘path’  —  The nation's largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution backing a path to legal status for illegal immigrants at its annual meeting in Phoenix.  —  The resolution calls on the government to make border security …

The union-owned Democrats  —  “Shovel-ready was not as shovel-ready as we expected,” observed President Obama this week, enjoying a nice chuckle about the unhappy fate of his near-$1 trillion stimulus.  To be sure, Obama has also been promoting a less amusing remedy for anemic growth and high unemployment: exports.

Weinergate: The Search for Meaning!  —  There's no deeper issues.  No broader anything it gets to.  This is a congressman with serious impulse control who's sending muscle shot and maybe penis shot pictures to women on the internet.  —  It's just part and parcel of the ridiculousness of politics and public life in America.

Wall Street Braces for New Layoffs as Profits Wane  —  Wall Street plans to get smaller this summer.  Faced with weak markets and uncertainty over regulations, many of the biggest firms are preparing for deep cuts in jobs and other costs.  —  The cutback plans are emerging even as Wall Street firms …

Has the Tea Party peaked?  Some evidence  —  WHAT'S behind the Tea Party?  Is it an affirmative embrace of 19th-century libertarianism and minimal government, or a reactionary rejection of Barack Obama and the serial interventions of the crisis and its aftermath?

Senate kills off ethanol tax credits in possible break with tax pledge  —  The Senate voted 73-27 Thursday to kill a major tax break that benefits the ethanol industry, handing a political win to a bipartisan group of lawmakers that call the incentive needless and expensive.

Deadline to End Surge  —  Pentagon: Wait Until Fall 2012 to End Afghanistan Troop Boost  —  WASHINGTON—The military is asking President Barack Obama to hold off on ending the Afghanistan troop surge until the fall of 2012, in a proposal that would keep a large portion of the 33,000 extra forces …