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Reporter Accosted After Bachmann Comments on Migraines — It's not easy to get to Michele Bachmann. Her appearance at a rally on Tuesday in Aiken, South Carolina, attended by perhaps 150 people, featured three uniformed police officers and two body guards in plain clothes.
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Stress-related condition ‘incapacitates’ Bachmann; heavy pill use alleged — In late July 2010, Rep. Michele Bachmann's then-communications director, Dave Dziok, told his boss that he planned to take a new job with the public relations firm Edelman. — Dziok had worked for Bachmann …
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Washington Post, Dana Goldstein, The Politico, AMERICAblog Elections, ABCNEWS, The Atlantic Wire, The Note, The Atlantic Online, Truth Wins Out, Minnesota Independent, CNN, Swampland, The Gateway Pundit, The Lonely Conservative, Fox News, Salon, National Review, New York Magazine, Indecision Forever, American Power, Taylor Marsh, Big Hollywood, americanthinker.com, FishbowlDC, The Reality-Based Community, Sky Dancing, Confederate Yankee, USA Today, No More Mister Nice Blog, Liberal Values, Gawker, TPMDC, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, The Caucus, Little Green Footballs, Wonkette, Gothamist, Outside the Beltway, The Other McCain, Politics, Riehl World View, The Raw Story, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Pajamas Media, GOP 12, Towleroad News #gay, The Mahablog, Don Surber and Connecting.the.Dots

Michele Bachmann's handlers get rough with reporter — This morning, the Daily Caller published a story I was inclined to leave to others: Michele Bachmann suffers from severe migraines. — But now the Bachmann camp has suddenly invited a whole lot more scrutiny to the story.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, A plain blog about politics, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller and National Review

Bachmann migraines would be a gamechanger, make Perry run inevitable — Follow me on Twitter: @BryanJFischer, on Facebook at “Focal Point” — A sensational Daily Caller story this morning by Jonathan Strong quotes three anonymous sources to the effect that Michele Bachmann suffers routinely …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Post and The Note

Bachmann continues to surge — Michele Bachmann's momentum continues to build and she's taken first place by the smallest of margins on PPP's newest national Presidential poll. 21% of Republican primary voters say she's their top choice to 20% for Mitt Romney, 12% for Rick Perry …
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Daily Kos, Booman Tribune, GOP 12, The Moderate Voice, Washington Wire, The New Republic, Ben Smith's Blog and The Daily Dish


WSJ/NBC Poll: Bachmann Surges to Second Place
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Outside the Beltway


NBC/WSJ poll: Bachmann surges to 2nd place in GOP '12 field
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TPMDC, National Review and Taegan Goddard's …

Bachmann “incapacitated” by migraines?
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Riehl World View, The Note and National Review

Allen West tirade: Wasserman Schultz ‘vile...despicable...not a Lady’ — Florida GOP Congressman Allen West this afternoon dispatched a scathing personal email to Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, calling her “vile, unprofessional ,and despicable,” “a coward …
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Rep. Allen West Unloads On ‘Vile, Unprofessional, and Despicable’ Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz — ABC News' John R. Parkinson (@JRPabcDC) reports: — Rep. Allen West unleashed an scathing email to House leadership to raise his objections to “unprofessional and inappropriate sophomoric behavior” …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog

Coburn rejoins Gang of Six, backs $3.7T deficit-reduction plan — Democratic and Republican senators are rallying behind a $3.7 trillion deficit-reduction plan announced Tuesday morning by the five remaining members of the Gang of Six. — Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who pulled out of the Gang …
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The Politico, Roll Call, ABCNEWS, Jamie Dupree Washington …, The Note, Hot Air, CNN, Political Punch, Daily Kos, The Nation, The Atlantic Online, Washington Monthly, The Hill, The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress, Donklephant, AMERICAblog News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Lonely Conservative
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BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — Gang of six plan raises taxes by $3 trillion

Gang of Six plan punts on key details
Discussion:
Firedoglake and Taylor Marsh

‘Gang of Six’ Plan: Tax Increase or Tax Cut?
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The New Republic, The Note, Marginal Revolution and New York Magazine

DOCUMENT: Gang of Six Deficit Plan Executive Summary
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Firedoglake

New Senate Debt Plan Emerges
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Associated Press, The Huffington Post, Truthdig, Firedoglake, Washington Wire, Washington Post and The Caucus

Two House lawmakers call for vote on Gang of Six plan — A House Republican and a member of the New Democrat coalition are jointly calling on Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to bring the Senate's “Gang of Six” deficit-reduction proposal to a House vote alongside an increase in the debt ceiling.
Discussion:
The Politico and RedState
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Obama praises ‘Gang of Six’ plan
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FT Alphaville, The Note and The Hill

Bipartisan Plan for Budget Deal Buoys President
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Swampland, New York Times, New York Magazine and The Atlantic Online

House pursues balanced-budget bill; need for backup plan acknowledged
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Economist's View and The Gateway Pundit

Obama hails deficit-reduction plan gaining momentum in Senate
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The Hill, Opinion L.A., Balkinization, Booman Tribune and Pundit & Pundette

Gang of Six back from the brink
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Politics, White House Dossier, Outside the Beltway, msnbc.com and ThinkProgress

Obama Endorses Feinstein's Bill To Repeal The Defense Of Marriage Act — A day before the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares to hold hearing on the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, the Obama administration has endorsed Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) legislation to repeal it.
Discussion:
CNN, Taylor Marsh, Gawker and Towleroad News #gay
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BREAKING: Obama Endorses DOMA Repeal Bill, Respect for Marriage Act, Spokesman Says
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Prop 8 Trial Tracker, Pam's House Blend, Towleroad News #gay, The Raw Story and Don Surber

Obama backs Respect For Marriage Act
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NationalJournal.com, The Atlantic Online, Balloon Juice and Shakesville


Internet Activist Charged in M.I.T. Data Theft — Updated Added links to documents and comment from United States Attorney's office in Boston. — Updated Changed headline and post to remove reference to Mr. Swartz being a co-founder of Reddit, as this is disputed. Added comment from Demand Progress.
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Boing Boing, Balloon Juice, emptywheel, Gawker, The Raw Story, Crooked Timber and New York Magazine, more at Techmeme »
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Jay Carney: ‘Leadership Is Not Proposing a Plan.’ — White House Press Secretary Jay Carney argues, with a straight face, that leadership means waiting for House and Senate negotiators to come up with a plan:
Discussion:
Pajamas Media and nation.foxnews.com
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When Would You Announce Support for the Gang of Six Plan? …
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative, The Note, Weasel Zippers and Pajamas Media

Ninth Circuit Panel Reverses Conviction for Allegedly Threatening to Kill Then-Candidate Obama — The case is this morning's United States v. Bagdasarian (decided by a 2-to-1 vote). … Bagdasarian was convicted, but the panel majority reversed the conviction. — To understand the legal question, we need a bit of background.
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Outside the Beltway
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Urging Obama's Assassination Is Lawful Online Speech, Divided Appeals Court Says
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Law Blog and Election Law Blog


Is Obama Against Romney a Toss-Up? — Looking at head-to-head polls can be treacherous so far in advance of a presidential election. Instead, I'd suggest that you devote most of your attention to President Obama's approval ratings and perhaps the favorability ratings of the Republican candidates …


Software Designer Reports Error in Anthony Trial — MIAMI — Assertions by the prosecution that Casey Anthony conducted extensive computer searches on the word “chloroform” were based on inaccurate data, a software designer who testified at the trial said Monday.


Only 19 Percent of Republicans Think Obama Would Be Raptured — Behold: The best poll questions of the day, from PPP's survey of 574 GOP primary voters nationwide. — They've either found a new way of asking whether people think Obama is a Christian, or they've discovered that some number …
Discussion:
First Draft and Salon


At this Point, Anyone with an Obama 2012 Bumper Sticker is a Threat to the Gene Pool — Greetings to our constituents, fellow Floridians, and all Americans, here we are for another weekly update. There is only one word that describes the past week: appalling.
Discussion:
The Raw Story and ThinkProgress


ABC News/Washington Post Poll: Dissatisfaction With Washington Hits 19-Year High — Analysis by ABC News' Pollster Gary Langer (@LangerResearch): — Discontent with Washington's budget battles has spurred public dissatisfaction with the federal government to its highest level in nearly 20 years …
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post, theblogprof, Scared Monkeys, Taegan Goddard's … and The Daily Caller