memeorandum: Secret Service agents relieved of duty in Colombia amid alleged misconduct (Dan Lothian/CNN)

11:25 AM ET, April 14, 2012

Top Items:

U.S. Secret Service agents recalled from Colombia — The U.S. Secret Service is investigating allegations of misconduct by agents who had been sent to Cartagena, Colombia, to provide security for President Obama's trip to a summit that began there Friday. — Edwin Donovan, an agency spokesman …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Associated Press, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Guardian, msnbc.com, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, ABCNEWS, Newsy and Campaign 2012

Dan Lothian / CNN:

Secret Service agents relieved of duty in Colombia amid alleged misconduct — Cartagena, Colombia (CNN) — Secret Service agents sent to Colombia ahead of President Barack Obama were relieved of duty and returned home amid allegations of misconduct, a spokesman said.

Discussion: Gawker

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

Isn't It Romantic? — Feminism's latest triumph: Boys are afraid of girls. — (Best of the tube tonight: Catch us on Fox Business's “Lou Dobbs Tonight.” The program starts at 7 p.m. ET, with a repeat showing at 10, and our panel will appear in the latter half-hour.)

Discussion: Bookworm Room, Villainous Company, The Mahablog, protein wisdom and NO QUARTER

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Hilary Rosen on ‘Meet the Press’? Seriously. — It is almost inexplicable to political insiders and likely infuriating to Democrats, but Hilary Rosen, who has done more to solidify the GOP base and chase the Democrats off the “war on women” hooey" than any single person, will be on “Meet the Press” this Sunday.

Discussion: US Politics, Booman Tribune and Hot Air

Hilary Rosen / msnbc.com:
Statement from Hilary Rosen

Discussion: American Spectator, Mediaite, Politico, Campaign 2012, Lynn Sweet, Mail Online and The Hill

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Obama: Buffett Rule will boost ‘growth’ — President Obama used his weekly address to continue pressuring lawmakers to pass his “Buffett Rule” proposal, saying the measure would make the tax code more fair and help fund needed investments to grow the economy.

Discussion: Politico, americanthinker.com and CNN

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Americans Favor “Buffett Rule” by 60% to 37% — Majorities of Democrats, independents in favor; Republicans opposed — PRINCETON, NJ — Six in 10 Americans favor Congress' passing the so-called “Buffett Rule,” which would mandate a minimum 30% tax rate for Americans with a household income of $1 million or more per year.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Business Insider, Hot Air, Firedoglake, The Hill, Donklephant, Weekly Standard, ThinkProgress, Politico, Blue Virginia and Campaign 2012

Brendan Smialowski / ABCNEWS:
President Obama's Secretary Paid Higher Tax Rate Than He Did

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Mediaite, White House Dossier, Business Insider and Weasel Zippers

NationalJournal.com:
Obama Releases Taxes, Does Not Qualify for Buffett Rule

Discussion: New York Times, CNN, PERRspectives, Business Insider, Washington Post and Campaign 2012

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

Obama puts bully in bully pulpit — President Obama in recent days has provided a taste of the sharp tone he will use in the general election against Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee. — Obama has emerged this year with sharper elbows than the “no-drama” candidate had in 2008.

Wall Street Journal:
Peggy Noonan: It's Over. What Have We Learned?

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Crooks and Liars

Erika Johnsen / Townhall.com:
Pelosi: Thanks to Romney, “I Feel Better” about Retaking the House

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Hot Air

Sheila Bair / Washington Post:

Fix income inequality with $10 million loans for everyone! — Are you concerned about growing income inequality in America? Are you resentful of all that wealth concentrated in the 1 percent? I've got the perfect solution, a modest proposal that involves just a small adjustment in the Federal Reserve's easy monetary policy.

Discussion: The Other McCain and The Big Picture

Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog:

‘Like watching a temper tantrum by a 2-year-old’ — Candidates seeking high office, especially those who are novices unfamiliar with the basics of American government, often perceive political careers as glamorous. After the election, however, these candidates confront a cold reality …

Discussion: Wonkette and Hullabaloo

John R. Lott Jr / National Review:

Where's the ‘Probable Cause’? — The charges brought against George Zimmerman sure look like prosecutorial misconduct. The case as put forward by the prosecutor in the “affidavit of probable cause” is startlingly weak. As a former chief economist at the U.S. Sentencing Commission …

Discussion: Macsmind, Patterico's Pontifications and Connecting.the.Dots

Mike Lupica / NY Daily News:

Trayvon Martin shooting: Shame on the NRA and its newest poster child, George Zimmerman — Another guy in America who should never have been allowed to carry a gun — George Zimmerman appears for a bond hearing on Thursday in Sanford, Fla. — Officially the National Rifle Association convention …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Ted Strickland / Politico:
Romney no straight shooter on NRA

Discussion: Dogs Against Romney, The Loyal Opposition and Washington Post

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

“I Despise These People” — Some of you may recall that two years ago Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah was unceremoniously dumped at a state GOP convention, not even qualifying for his party's primary. This was in many respects the high point of Tea Party Fever in 2010 …

Discussion: Hot Air, Hit & Run, Mediaite and Hullabaloo

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

Rep. Virginia Foxx On People With Student Loans: ‘I Have Very Little Tolerance’ For Them — Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) took on a unique enemy during a radio interview yesterday: people with student loans. — Though many politicians sympathize with those who are saddled with exorbitant student debt …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit:

HARVARD LAWPROF EINER ELHAUGE EMAILS A LINK TO HIS PIECE IN THE NEW REPUBLIC: If Health Insurance Mandates Are Unconstitutional, Why Did the Founding Fathers Back Them? But I don't find it as convincing has he does. He cites two “mandates” — the Militia Act of 1792 and a requirement that ship owners insure their seamen's health.

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy

The New Republic:
If Health Insurance Mandates Are Unconstitutional, Why Did the Founding Fathers Back Them?

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and Little Green Footballs

Robert Schlesinger / US News:

Nazis Get Their Own Lobbyist — So Rep. Allen West thinks the Democratic Party is full of communists? Wait until he gets a load of the new Nazi lobbyist. No, seriously. — On Tuesday, the same day that West was fantasizing about 80 members of Congress being card-carrying members …

Discussion: Macsmind, Politico, Business Insider, Mediaite and The Raw Story

Rachel Leven / The Hill:
Nazi Party gets a Washington lobbyist

Discussion: msnbc.com and Business Insider

Burgess Everett / Politico:

GSA official to take the Fifth — The General Services Administration official tasked with organizing a now-infamous $822,000 Las Vegas conference plans to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights ahead of a scheduled Monday grilling on the Hill. — On Thursday, House Oversight …

Discussion: Washington Post, House Committee … and Weasel Zippers