Obama tries to box in House GOP  —  President Obama stopped by the White House briefing room, offering an update on the status of the debt-ceiling process.  I've seen some reports suggesting the president endorsed the Gang of Six's compromise, but that's not quite what he said, and it seems to miss the point of Obama's comments.

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 …

Post-ABC poll: GOP too dug in on debt talks; public fears default consequences  —  Majorities of Americans see both President Obama and congressional Republicans as not willing enough to compromise in their budget negotiations, but the public views the GOP leaders as particularly intransigent …

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.

Report: Obama top recipient of News Corp. donations  —  Political donations by News Corp., its employees and their families were evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, with President Obama the all-time leading recipient, according to a report from the Sunlight Foundation.

Democratic senator Hansen retains seat in recall attempt  —  Tea party activist, attorney are winners in Republican primaries  —  By Tom Tolan, Lee Bergquist and Georgia Pabst of the Journal Sentinel  —  Democratic state Sen. Dave Hansen of Green Bay was the first of nine state senators …

The People Want Balance!  —  It's crunch time — way past crunch time, really — in the debt ceiling/budget debate.  While partisans are sharpening their knives in preparation of administering a deep, self-inflicted wound, markets are beginning to lurch around, tanking on bad news regarding the deal and visa-versa.

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.

Man's call for Obama assassination is free speech, not crime, court rules  —  A La Mesa man who posted racial epithets and a call to “shoot” Barack Obama on an Internet chat site was engaging in constitutionally protected free speech, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday in overturning his criminal conviction.

Iowa caucuses in December?  It's possible  —  That's not the only domino.  With South Carolina's primary facing money troubles after state funding for election operations was cut, Florida — which had been planning to go fifth, on March 1 or 3 — has been pushing to go earlier.

Phone hacking: David Cameron braced for tough questions from MPs  —  Prime minister likely to be asked about his party's links to phone-hacking suspect in Commons debate following his statement to house  —  David Cameron is braced for tough questions from MPs about his party's links …

Finally, Minnesota open for business  —  Minnesota's legislature approved a budget deal in the early hours of Wednesday morning that will end the state's 20-day government shutdown - the longest ever in a state - once Gov. Mark Dayton signs it later in the day.

Taliban denies texting Mullah Omar's death, blames hacking  —  A spokesman for the Afghan militia says its phones and website were tampered with.  Later emails angrily denounce the death report.  —  A previous report of the death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar didn't pan out.

Step aside, senator  —  Freshman Sen. Ron Johnson is blocking a well-qualified candidate from appointment to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.  Give her a hearing.  —  Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is single-handedly blocking the nomination of a University of Wisconsin law professor …

Cost-Cutters, Except When the Spending Is Back Home  —  WASHINGTON — Freshman House Republicans who rode a wave of voter discontent into office last year vowed to stop out-of-control spending, but that has not stopped several of them from quietly trying to funnel millions of federal dollars into projects back home.

U.S. softens its criticism of Syria  —  Since Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's sharp words last week, the Obama administration has stopped short of calling for President Bashar Assad to resign and has toned down its rhetoric.  —  Reporting from Washington— After sharply escalating …

A Dodd-Frank Retreat Deserves a Veto  —  Only six congressional Republicans crossed the aisle to support reform one year ago.  The GOP is still working to thwart change.  —  Two and a half years ago, with our country on the edge of a second Great Depression, we met with the president …

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  As debt talks continue, feds are hiring — and never firing  —  A new analysis of federal workforce data shows that even in this time of retrenchment and downsizing, the federal government almost never fires or lays off workers.  In fact, in many corners …