Allen West tirade: Wasserman Schultz ‘vile...despicable...not a Lady’  —  Florida GOP Congressman Allen West this afternoon dispatched a scathing personal email to Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, calling her “vile, unprofessional ,and despicable,” “a coward …

Reporter Accosted After Bachmann Comments on Migraines  —  It's not easy to get to Michele Bachmann.  Her appearance at a rally on Tuesday in Aiken, South Carolina, attended by perhaps 150 people, featured three uniformed police officers and two body guards in plain clothes.

Coburn rejoins Gang of Six, backs $3.7T deficit-reduction plan  —  Democratic and Republican senators are rallying behind a $3.7 trillion deficit-reduction plan announced Tuesday morning by the five remaining members of the Gang of Six.  —  Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who pulled out of the Gang …

Obama to Back Repeal of Law Restricting Marriage  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama will endorse a bill to repeal the law that limits the legal definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman, the White House said Tuesday, taking another step in support of gay rights.

Two House lawmakers call for vote on Gang of Six plan  —  A House Republican and a member of the New Democrat coalition are jointly calling on Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to bring the Senate's “Gang of Six” deficit-reduction proposal to a House vote alongside an increase in the debt ceiling.

Is Obama Against Romney a Toss-Up?  —  Looking at head-to-head polls can be treacherous so far in advance of a presidential election.  Instead, I'd suggest that you devote most of your attention to President Obama's approval ratings and perhaps the favorability ratings of the Republican candidates …

Birth control coverage proposed for most health insurance plans  —  Virtually all health insurance plans could soon be required to offer female patients free coverage of prescription birth control, breast-pump rentals, counseling for domestic violence, and annual wellness exams and HIV tests …

Feds: Harvard fellow hacked millions of papers … BOSTON (AP) — A Harvard University fellow who was studying ethics was charged with hacking into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's computer network to steal nearly 5 million academic articles.  —  Aaron Swartz, 24, of Cambridge …

At this Point, Anyone with an Obama 2012 Bumper Sticker is a Threat to the Gene Pool  —  Greetings to our constituents, fellow Floridians, and all Americans, here we are for another weekly update.  There is only one word that describes the past week: appalling.

Ninth Circuit Panel Reverses Conviction for Allegedly Threatening to Kill Then-Candidate Obama  —  The case is this morning's United States v. Bagdasarian (decided by a 2-to-1 vote). … Bagdasarian was convicted, but the panel majority reversed the conviction.  —  To understand the legal question, we need a bit of background.

Jay Carney: ‘Leadership Is Not Proposing a Plan.’  —  White House Press Secretary Jay Carney argues, with a straight face, that leadership means waiting for House and Senate negotiators to come up with a plan:

Only 19 Percent of Republicans Think Obama Would Be Raptured  —  Behold: The best poll questions of the day, from PPP's survey of 574 GOP primary voters nationwide.  —  They've either found a new way of asking whether people think Obama is a Christian, or they've discovered that some number …