Cole: Join with Obama on quick deal  —  Republican Rep. Tom Cole urged colleagues in a private session Tuesday to vote to extend the Bush tax rates for all but the highest earners before the end of the year — and to battle over the rest later.  —  The Oklahoma Republican said in an interview …

Make Up Turned Break Up  —  Are the Republican senators unreasonable?  Or is the secretary of state-manqué undiplomatic?  Did the senators sandbag Susan Rice?  Or did Rice further inflame a tense situation?  Is it a case of shooting the messenger and playing politics?

Erickson considering challenge to Chambliss  —  Popular conservative blogger and radio personality Erick Erickson said Tuesday he was considering a primary challenge to Sen. Saxby Chambliss after a host of political bigs had approached him about staging a bid of his own in the days since …

When Work Is Punished: The Tragedy Of America's Welfare State  —  Exactly two years ago, some of the more politically biased progressive media outlets (who are quite adept at creating and taking down their own strawmen arguments, if not quite as adept at using an abacus, let alone a calculator) …

Obama to meet with Romney Thursday  —  (CNN) - President Barack Obama and his former rival Mitt Romney will meet Thursday for their first get-together since the November 6 election, according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.  —  “On Thursday, Governor Romney …

My Secretary of State  —  President Obama is assembling his new national security team, with Senator John Kerry possibly heading for the Pentagon and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice the perceived front-runner to become secretary of state.  Kerry is an excellent choice for defense.

Runway Cleared For Ken Cuccinelli's VA-GOV Takeoff  —  In the first major GOP primary fight after the 2012 race, it seems the right wing of the Republican Party has prevailed once again.  —  As their party wrestles nationally with how to appeal to a broader electorate …

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT GLENN BECK DID TO AN OBAMA BOBBLEHEAD DURING HIS SHOW ON TUESDAY  —  UPDATE: Ebay, the online marketplace where Glenn Beck put his Obama creation up for auction for charity, has now pulled the ad.  At it's last bidding around 11:00 a.m. ET, the bid for the Obama doll in the jar was up to $11,300.

Students Told to Disavow ‘American-ness, maleness, whiteness, heterosexuality’  —  A political science professor at Butler University asks students to disregard their “American-ness, maleness, whiteness, heterosexuality, middle-class status” when writing and speaking in the classroom …

CEOs Looking To ‘Fix The Debt’ By Cutting Social Security Sit On Huge Retirement Accounts  —  Several CEOs — under the guise of a campaign known as “Fix the Debt” — have recently called for cuts to Social Security and other entitlements.  Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, for instance …

How much would you pay for 1 hour with Sandra Fluke?  —  EXCLUSIVE: Sandra Fluke, noted advocate for government-subsidized birth control, is auctioning off one hour of her time for an online “strategy session” at the site BiddingForGood.com.  —  According to the auction page …

Marshfield dog is first in state to win domestic violence protection order  —  Panzer, a dog owned by a Marshfield woman who accused her boyfriend of domestic violence, is the first animal to be protected by a restraining order issued under a new state law.  —  OBITUARIES

Two-thirds of millionaires left Britain to avoid 50p tax rate  —  Almost two-thirds of the country's million-pound earners disappeared from Britain after the introduction of the 50p top rate of tax, figures have disclosed.  —  George Osborne, the Chancellor, announced in the Budget earlier …

In U.S., Majority Now Against Gov't Healthcare Guarantee  —  Views of healthcare system overall more positive in some respects  —  PRINCETON, NJ — For the first time in Gallup trends since 2000, a majority of Americans say it is not the federal government's responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage.

Obama On Filibuster Reform: White House Embraces Harry Reid's Rule Changes … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Harry Reid , Barack Obama , White House, Congress, Barack Obama , Video, Obama Harry Reid, White House Filibuster Reform, Filibuster, Filibuster Reform, Harry Reid Filibuster Reform …

Romney at 47 Percent  —  It seemed only fair to Mitt Romney to wait on this one.  His share of the popular vote, which stuck around 49 percent on election night, continued to fall as votes came in.  Last week Greg Sargent rang the alarm, warning/gloating that Romney might sink below 47.5 percent of the vote.

Apple Said to Fire Maps Manager as Flaws Hurt IPhone 5  —  Behind Apple's iPhone Map Manager Shakeup  —  Apple Inc. (AAPL) has fired the manager responsible for its troubled mapping software, seeking to win back the trust of users disappointed after the program debuted in September, according to people familiar with the move.