Santorum: GOP better off with Obama than ‘Etch A Sketch’ Republican  —  SAN ANTONIO, TX — Rick Santorum today suggested it would be better to stick with President Obama over a candidate that might be “the Etch A Sketch candidate of the future” — a shot at chief rival Mitt Romney.

James O'Keefe's Panty-Stealing ‘Rape Barn’ Sex Scandal  —  It's a right-wing rabble-rouser showdown!  Jazz-handed pimp impersonator James O'Keefe is at “#WAR” with a former Project Veritas colleague who is now blogging an O'Keefe tell-all involving stolen panties, drugged beers, a “rape barn …

Florida governor appoints new prosecutor in Trayvon Martin case  —  Gun control advocates say the Florida law that authorizes using deadly force to stop someone from committing a serious crime also encourages violent behavior.  NBC's Pete Williams reports.  —  By msnbc.com staff

Obama heckled during energy speech in Ohio  —  A heckler interrupted President Obama's speech on energy policy Thursday at Ohio State University.  —  The president, looking frustrated, stopped speaking and addressed the man  —  “Sir.  Im here to speak to these folks.  You can hold your own rally.

5 things Dems got wrong on health care  —  President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies thought their political assumptions were airtight during the yearlong battle to overhaul the health care system.  —  Voters would reward them, they thought, even if Democrats muscled a bill through without Republican support.

Karl Rove: Bin Laden killing was no biggie  —  Keep an eye on this one, too, because it will also be central to GOP efforts to rewrite the history of the Obama presidency.  —  In his big Wall Street Journal Op ed piece today atttacking Obama's campaign documentary and minimizing the magnitude …

Tilting the Toss Ups - the Eight Races That Will Decide the Senate  —  Ah, the Senate.  The battle for control fascinates us — and all election observers — because there are so many intriguing races and personalities.  Yet, as we update our ratings today and move in a new direction …

SUSPECT ‘KIDNAPPED MAN’ AND THEN ‘WALKED AROUND CITY WITH SWORD IN HIS HAND’  —  Suspected serial killer Mohammad Mera, who broke out of an Afghanistan jail in 2008 as part of a mass Taliban escape, once kidnapped another man, it has been reported.  —  A close family friend …

Specter says he may vote for Romney  —  Former Sen. Arlen Specter says he may vote for Mitt Romney in November, depending on which version of Romney shows up for the general election.  —  “I'm going to wait to see which Romney it is,” said Specter in an interview with The Hill at his elegant apartment in Georgetown.

Senate passes JOBS Act, with tweak  —  The Senate on Thursday approved a package of bills that relaxes federal regulations to help boost small businesses and startup companies as the economy continues to recover.  —  Senators passed the JOBS Act on a 73-26 vote Thursday, two weeks after the House voted 390-23 to approve it.

Locke Foundation blog uses racist image in blog on NC's Amendment One (UPDATED)  —  The Meck Deck, an official blog of the Art Pope-funded conservative John Locke Foundation, this week published racially-charged and homophobic imagery of President Obama in a piece this on the president's opposition …

Rep. King: GOP hopefuls not fighting hard enough for balanced budget  —  None of the Republican presidential contenders has emphasized fiscal responsibility enough to get the job done, Rep. Steve King charged.  —  None of the Republican presidential contenders has emphasized fiscal responsibility enough …

Self-sustaining stimulus  —  Larry Summers says fiscal stimulus can pay for itself  —  WHEN he was at the Treasury nearly 20 years ago Larry Summers would counsel President Bill Clinton on the merits of “stimulative austerity”: cut deficits, and interest rates will fall by enough to produce stronger economic growth.