Obama holds edge over Romney in general election matchup, poll finds  —  Boosted by improved public confidence in his economic stewardship, President Obama for the first time holds a clear edge over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in a hypothetical general-election matchup, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Things Are Not O.K.  —  In a better world — specifically, a world with a better policy elite — a good jobs report would be cause for unalloyed celebration.  In the world we actually inhabit, however, every silver lining comes with a cloud.  Friday's report was, in fact, much better than expected …

Israel and Iran on the Eve of Destruction in a New Six-Day War  —  There are plenty of arguments against an Israeli attack on Iran.  And all of them are bad.  —  Jerusalem—It probably felt a bit like this in the months before the Six-Day War of 1967, when Israel launched …

Obama: I'm getting ‘better as time goes on’ at being president  —  President Obama said that he gets “better as time goes on” at his job and that he believes the grassroots movement that propelled him to victory in 2008 will help him win a second term during an interview that aired Monday on NBC's “Today Show.”

Obama criticized for walking out on Jeb Bush  —  Bloomberg's Al Hunt has a long list of examples of what he calls the Obama team's ‘hubris’ — including a recent anecdote where Obama left a fancy black tie dinner before former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush spoke:

Fathers and Schools: Presidential Parallels  —  Michael Medved has an interesting article in today's Wall Street Journal reflecting on the strange continuity that this election marks the seventh in a row featuring either a privileged son or a man with no relationship with his biological father, and wonders why:

The End of Wall Street As They Knew It  —  After surprisingly successful financial reform, public vilification, and politics that have turned against them, the Masters of the Universe are masters no longer.  —  On Wall Street, bonus season is a sacred ritual.

Greece Asked to Destroy Itself In Exchange for Bailout  —  Greek economy being crushed by Troika austerity conditions (photo: Aragorn Bang)  —  Greek bailout talks have deadlocked again, but at the moment the culprit is not the hedge funds seeking a higher payout on the distressed debt they bought …

Coming soon: Individual mandate to buy Chevy Volts  —  President Obama spent more than $85 billion bailing out General Motors and Chrysler three years ago.  Now he claims credit for saving the industry, noting GM's recent return to the top sales spot among automakers worldwide, Ford's record profits …

Records Show Ron Paul Trips Paid Twice  —  House Appears to Have Reimbursed Congressman for Trips That Were Also Paid for by Other Groups  —  Rep. Ron Paul appears to have been paid twice for flights between Washington, D.C., and his Congressional district, receiving reimbursement from taxpayers …

Study: House Dems edge out GOP at retaining staff  —  House Democrats are slightly better than their Republican colleagues at retaining staff, according to a study from the Sunlight Foundation.  —  Sunlight compared records from 2009 and 2011 to calculate staff-retention rates for every member of the House.

My choice: Rick Santorum  —  As I wrote earlier, decision time has come to Minnesota, where I live.  Unfortunately, I can't officially participate in that choice, since we have a caucus system rather than a primary — and one cannot cast an absentee vote in a caucus system.

Deal Is Closer for a U.S. Plan on Mortgage Relief  —  With a deadline looming on Monday for state officials to sign onto a landmark multibillion-dollar settlement to address foreclosure abuses, the Obama administration is close to winning support from a crucial state that would significantly expand the breadth of the deal.

The race issue rises again  —  The issue of race and American politics, never far beneath the surface during Barack Obama's historic 2008 campaign, is making a loud, overt and surprisingly early appearance in the 2012 presidential race.  —  And no one knows — least of all Obama himself …

Hill Poll: Voters willing to see US attack Iran over nuclear weapons  —  Nearly half of likely voters think the United States should be willing to use military force to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to this week's The Hill Poll.  —  Forty-nine percent said military force …

Contraception rule respects religion  —  One of the key benefits of the 2010 health care law is that many preventive services are now free for most Americans with insurance.  Vaccinations for children, cancer screenings for adults and wellness visits for seniors are all now covered in most plans …

AYATOLLAH: KILL ALL JEWS, ANNIHILATE ISRAEL  —  Iran lays out legal case for genocidal attack against ‘cancerous tumor’  —  The Iranian government, through a website proxy, has laid out the legal and religious justification for the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of its people.

The Citizens United catastrophe  —  We have seen the world created by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, and it doesn't work.  Oh, yes, it works nicely for the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country, especially if they want to shroud their efforts to influence politics behind shell corporations.