Boehner shoots down proposal to agree to Obama tax demand  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other top Republicans on Wednesday shot down a proposal by a senior GOP lawmaker that the House agree to President Obama's demand to extend current tax rates for the middle class.

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?

Mitt Romney: A good man.  The right fight.  —  Over the years, one of the more troubling characteristics of the Democratic Party and the left in general has been a shortage of loyalty and an abundance of self-loathing.  It would be a shame if we Republicans took a narrow presidential loss …

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) …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Rick Warren: Being Gay Is Like ‘Punching A Guy In The Nose’ Or Consuming Arsenic  —  Megachurch pastor Rick Warren remains as ill-informed on gay identity as ever.  Unfazed by the notion that there may be a biological cause for homosexuality, Warren told Piers Morgan on CNN this week that acting …

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

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.