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.

Clinton Visits in Effort to Defuse Gaza Conflict; Egypt Hints at Truce  —  JERUSALEM — Diplomatic efforts accelerated Tuesday to end the deadly confrontation between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, as the United States sent Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Middle East …

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.

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?

Top African American Lawmaker Says GOP Attacks On Susan Rice Use Racial ‘Code Words’  —  Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) this morning defended U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, calling out Republican use of “code words” in attacking Rice's professional capabilities.

Messina: Obama built biggest grassroots campaign  —  Obama campaign manager Jim Messina spoke with Mike Allen at POLITICO's Playbook Breakfast about the campaign's grassroots efforts.  11/20/2012 8:56 AM EDT

Rand Paul says he's eyeing 2016 run  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) could soon be following in his father's footsteps.  —  “I'm not going to deny that I'm interested” in a 2016 presidential run, the Republican told ABC News.  “I am different than some in that I'm not going to deny that I'm interested.

Mitt Romney Surfaces At A Gas Station Looking Very Normal  —  Long time no see, old friend.  —  Dorsey Shaw  —  a few minutes ago  —  44 responses

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 …

Menacing emails sent by David Petraeus' ex-mistress Paula Broadwell to socialite Jill Kelley promised to make the apparent rival ‘go away’  —  The notes Broadwell sent to Kelley were far more sinister than previously reported and seemed like the rantings of someone ‘clearly unhinged,’ a close friend of Kelley told The News.

Charging announcement in relation to Operation Elveden  —  Alison Levitt, QC, Principal Legal Advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions, oversees CPS decision making and all potential prosecutions in relation to the ongoing phone hacking investigations and other related matters.

Kevin Clash, Elmo Puppeteer, Resigns  —  Kevin Clash, the longtime voice and puppeteer behind Sesame Street's Elmo character, has resigned in the aftermath of allegations — which Sesame Workshop had previously said were unfounded — that he had an underage sexual relationship.

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 …

Liberal Man of the Year  —  Chief Justice Roberts shares the dais with Lena Dunham.  —  No Supreme Court Justice has ever said “Live from New York, it's Saturday night,” at least on national television, but give it time.  This month Glamour magazine named Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg one of its “Women of the Year.”

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.

SEC Rocked By Lurid Sex-and-Corruption Lawsuit  —  Move over, adulterous generals.  It might be time to make way for a new sexual rats'nest - at America's top financial police agency, the SEC.  —  In a salacious 77-page complaint that reads like Penthouse Forum meets The Insider meets the Keystone Kops …

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 …

Robert Redford on Obama's Environmental Agenda and Unveiling a New Conservancy  —  The actor tells THR he's optimistic that the president will “take what his words were and put some teeth behind them.”  —  Longtime conservationist Robert Redford is relieved that President Obama won re-election …

House Democrats Inch Closer to Becoming a Two-State Caucus  —  Californians and New Yorkers will comprise a record percentage of the Democratic caucus when the 113th Congress convenes in January at nearly 30 percent  —  Although gains by Democrats were modest in 2012 U.S. House races …

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 …