Allen West concedes to Patrick Murphy  —  Florida Rep. Allen West — the tea party pugilist and face of the class of House Republicans that stormed to power two years ago — conceded Tuesday to 29-year-old construction executive Patrick Murphy in one of the nation's highest-profile congressional races.

Obama sends Clinton to Middle East to seek end to Gaza violence  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is headed to the Middle East amid escalating violence between Israel and Hamas, the White House announced.  —  “Secretary Clinton and the President spoke about the situation in Gaza …

Christie's Post-Hurricane Embrace of Obama Outrages Many in G.O.P.  —  A few days after Hurricane Sandy shattered the shores of New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie picked up the phone to take on a different kind of recovery work: taming the Republican Party fury over his effusive embrace of President Obama.

Obama's union allies work to pull negotiations over ‘fiscal cliff’ to the left  —  President Obama's allies in the labor movement are targeting centrists in both parties in an attempt to pull the “fiscal cliff” talks to the left.  —  The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees …

How The Conservative Media Lost The Election  —  The plan was to unmask Obama.  It didn't work.  —  President Obama's decisive reelection has promised the conservative new media four more years of fodder, but it's also left some of its more earnest participants with a gnawing question: What went wrong?

The Rich People Who Don't Know How Tax Rates Work  —  How do you get to be as rich as the people in this New York Times story without ever figuring out how taxes work? … You see these idiots every time a tax hike becomes possible again.  They have no apparent idea how marginal rates work.

Following Obama's Victory, Wisconsin Governor Proposes New Limits On Voter Registration  —  Two weeks after Barack Obama and Sen.-elect Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) carried the state of Wisconsin with the support of minorities and young voters, Gov. Scott Walker (R) announced one of his major policy proposals …

The Conservative Future  —  If you listened to the Republican candidates this year, you heard a conventional set of arguments.  But if you go online, you can find a vibrant and increasingly influential center-right conversation.  Most of the young writers and bloggers in this conversation intermingle …

California, Home of the Destitute  —  Last spring, my wife and youngest daughter and I spent a week in California.  We were reminded of the extraordinary natural wealth and beauty that were showered on that uniquely blessed state.  For a century or so, guided by brilliant private sector leadership …

Video: AP reporter clashes with State Dep't spokesman over Turkey calling Israel a terrorist state  —  Via the Blaze, I don't think I've ever seen a reporter take a tone with a government functionary at a press conference quite like this.  And it's not the first time he's done it, either.

Oklahoma is latest to reject state-based health exchange  —  Add Oklahoma to the list of Republican-led states that won't implement the key feature of President Obama's healthcare law.  —  Gov. Mary Fallin said Monday that she won't set up a state-based insurance exchange …

Barack Obama blunders again on the world stage  —  It is only two weeks since his re-election, and his second term remains two months away, but Barack Obama is already blundering again on the world stage, with the kind of gaffes that would have been plastered on the front page of The New York Times …

97 House members oppose Susan Rice  —  Almost 100 House Republicans have signed a letter opposing Susan Rice's possible nomination to be secretary of state.  —  Led by South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan, 97 GOP members wrote a letter to Obama on Monday announcing their opposition to Rice's potential appointment to State.

Mitt Romney Surfaces At A Gas Station Looking Very Normal  —  Long time no see, old friend.  —  Dorsey Shaw  —  a half hour ago  —  2 responses

DREAM Act, not the ACHIEVE Act , is the right solution for undocumented youth  —  Republicans, fresh from their electoral defeat, are considering their own legislation to compete with the DREAM Act.  Sen. Kay Hutchinson (R-Texas) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) have put forward the ACHIEVE Act …

Gay marriage takes next steps  —  The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide on Tuesday whether to consider legalizing gay marriage.  —  But gay activists don't plan to wait to press the advantage they feel they have coming off of this year's election wins.  —  The Court will decide …

Four California men arrested after they ‘planned to join al-Qaeda to commit jihad against Americans’  — Arrested were Sohiel Omar Kabir, 34; Ralph Deleon, 23; Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales, 21; and Arifeen David Gojali, 21  —  Federal authorities say four Southern California men …

Case Pits Technology-Based Police Search Against Citizens' Rights  —  AURORA, Colo. — On the afternoon of June 2, the authorities say, a former music teacher named Christian Paetsch walked into a Wells Fargo bank waving a gun and ordered everyone to lie down.