Mitt Romney's Etch A Sketch Disaster  —  I've been thinking about this all night: Eric Fehrnstrom's Etch A Sketch gaffe yesterday may go well beyond a momentary embarrassment and become a campaign-defining disaster, much as John Kerry's “I voted for it before I voted against it” gaffe …

DeMint calls for GOP assessment of race, praises Romney  —  Washington (CNN) - Sen. Jim DeMint, the South Carolina Republican and tea party favorite, said Thursday he was ‘excited’ about the possibility of Mitt Romney becoming the GOP presidential nominee.  —  While not an outright endorsement …

John Edwards is First Name Uncovered in ‘Millionaire Madam’ Investigation … MANHATTAN — A call girl working for alleged “Millionaire Madam” Anna Gristina told investigators she was paid to have sex with former U.S. Sen. John Edwards when he was in New York raising money for his failed presidential bid, DNAinfo has learned.

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 …

Please Stop Apologizing  —  THIS week, Robert De Niro made a joke about first ladies, and Newt Gingrich said it was “inexcusable and the president should apologize for him.”  Of course, if something is “inexcusable,” an apology doesn't make any difference, but then again, neither does Newt Gingrich.

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.

French Slaying Suspect Dead After Police Raid Hideout  —  TOULOUSE, France —A 23-year-old Frenchman who claimed responsibility for the killings of four men and three children died on Thursday after jumping from a balcony as security forces stormed the apartment where had been holed up for more than 30 hours …

Embattled Sanford police chief temporarily steps down  —  A case critics say was bungled from the start may have cost the Sanford police chief his job.  —  FROBLES@MIAMIHERALD.COM  —  SANFORD — Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee, under fire for his handling of the investigation into the killing …

Va. middle-schoolers assigned opposition research on GOP candidates  —  A Virginia middle school teacher recently forced his students to support President Barack Obama's re-election campaign by conducting opposition research in class against the Republican presidential candidates.

When Romney Liked High Gas Prices  —  As he campaigns for president, Mitt Romney is ratcheting up his attacks on Barack Obama over high gas prices, putting the issue at the center of his economic message.  He is calling for Obama to fire his Energy secretary, EPA administrator …

Americans Favor Keystone XL Pipeline  —  Republicans twice as likely as Democrats to say the government should approve it  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — A solid majority of Americans think the U.S. government should approve of building the Keystone XL pipeline, while 29% think it should not.

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 …

Supreme Court Voids Part of Family Leave Act  —  I'll be damned if the conservatives on the Supreme Court weren't getting jealous of all the congressional and state-level battles in the war on women and decide that they needed to take up arms themselves.  Is there no area that these conservatives …

Forgetting History  —  I have a confession to make.  —  I am a thirty-something pundit on television and radio and I am frequently aggravated by many twenty and thirty-something pundits on television and radio.  It is even a non-partisan aggravation.  —  We all make mistakes and I am sure someone …

Obama on Solyndra: ‘This Was Not Our Program Per Se’  —  At the nation's largest solar energy plant Wednesday, President Obama doubled down on his commitment to government subsidies for clean energy technology and green jobs — and deflected blame for instances when those investments have failed.

Joe Biden in 2016?  Not so crazy  —  For the past couple of years, Vice President Joe Biden has quietly assembled an A-team of advisers who would, without doubt, be considered the nucleus of a presidential campaign — if only he wouldn't be 73 in 2016.  —  Biden's age would snuff the last embers …