Axelrod on Newt: “the higher a monkey climbs...the more you can see his butt.”  —  Obama 2012 Press Secretary Ben LaBolt, Strategist David Axelrod, Campaign Manager Jim Messina, Deputy Manager Stephanie Cutter at Tuesday press briefing at the DNC.  (photo by Lynn Sweet)

Romney's role: The Hillary Clinton of 2012?  —  For Mitt Romney this December, it's beginning to look a lot like Clinton.  —  Like the great, fallen front-runner of 2008, here is another well-funded, Establishment-blessed, presumptive nominee whose supposedly firm hold on his party's greatest prize seems to be slip-sliding away.

Swing States Poll: Downbeat Dems, resurgent Republicans  —  WASHINGTON - President Obama is moving to energize the Democratic base for his re-election campaign, but in the case of a dozen battleground states, he'll have to work harder than four years ago to find it.

Deadly attack rocks central Liege in Belgium  —  A gun and grenade attack in the centre of the Belgian city of Liege has killed at least two people and wounded about 25, Belgian media say.  —  They say several men threw grenades and fired on a crowd at a bus stop in Place Saint Lambert, a busy square.

Chelsea Clinton makes broadcast debut on NBC's ‘Rock Center’  —  It's no surprise whatsoever that Chelsea Clinton didn't electrify broadcast journalism with her debut Monday night on NBC's “Rock Center With Brian Williams,” because she has no experience in broadcast journalism.

Why Republicans Don't Nominate Swells  —  Don't pull a silver dollar out of that ear!  Don't!  —  The political press corps has decided that the “moment” of Saturday night's Republican presidential debate occurred when Mitt Romney decided to challenge Rick Perry to a $10,000 bet.

Opinion: Obama would rather be university professor than president  —  After observing President Obama for the last three years, it has become obvious to me that the President might prefer to be a university professor rather than do the job he holds today.  While he may not realize that he feels …

Republican leaders say they'll have the votes to pass payroll-tax bill  —  House Republican leaders on Tuesday predicted they will have the votes to pass legislation to extend a payroll tax cut.  —  The leaders are “close” to securing enough support to pass the bill, members leaving a closed-door GOP conference meeting said Tuesday.

Conferees omit anti-gay provisions from defense bill  —  Lawmakers on Capitol Hill unveiled on Monday an agreement on major defense budget legislation that omits anti-gay provisions found in the House version of the legislation — including language that would have prohibited military chaplains …

Millionaires on Food Stamps and Jobless Pay?  G.O.P. Is on It  —  WASHINGTON — It's an image many Americans would find rather upsetting: a recently laid-off millionaire, luxuriating next to the pool eating grapes bought with food stamps while waiting for an unemployment check to roll in.

Eric Holder wades into debate over voting rights as presidential election nears  —  The Obama administration on Tuesday will wade into the increasingly divisive national debate over new voting laws in several states that could depress turnout among minorities and others who helped elect the president in 2008.

Yearly deficit falls below $1 trillion for the first time under Obama  —  The Treasury Department forecast Monday that the budget deficit for fiscal 2012 will come in at $996 billion, the first time President Obama has presided over an annual deficit of less than $1 trillion.

Rep. Issa asks Obama official why illegal camping of Occupy DC was permitted  —  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on Tuesday announced he wants answers on whether “political judgments played a role” in allowing Occupy D.C. protesters to remain camped in Northwest Washington.

Gingrich Tax Plan Puts ‘Hole’ In Deficit: Study  —  The economic plan proposed by Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich would add $1.3 trillion to the U.S. budget deficit in 2015 alone, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

House to close ‘strip club loophole’  —  The House is expected to vote Tuesday to close the welfare program's little-known “strip club loophole.”  —  The provision is riding in the midst of a payroll tax cut package filled with marquee items such as a Keystone XL oil pipeline permitting requirement …

Bernanke Joins Bargain Hunters Who Refinance  —  Ben Bernanke lives in a three-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot, attached town house near the Capitol.  It has an appraised value of roughly $850,000, not far from the $839,000 he paid for it in 2004.  A public record search shows he owes $672,000 on the home …