President Obama has ordered the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court, as he has judged it unconstitutional.

Josh Gerstein reports that the government has withdrawn from defending Donald Rumsfeld and others in the Jose Padilla suit Judge Richard Mark Gergel dismissed the other day. That’s mighty interesting.

And best of all, Murphy didn’t have to pretend to be a pimp or a prostitute in order to do it. Or, depending on your opinion of Mr. Koch, he did.

Scott Walker began his “fireside chat” broadcast live across Wisconsin last night by saying how much he appreciated the passionate, civil debate happening in his state, and that he respects everyone who chooses a career in government. Then he said that outside agitators were infiltrating Wisconsin and that state workers could either lose all their bargaining rights or lose their jobs.

So it wasn’t quite a reconciliation.

At Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, one of the students camping there to demand essential services and rights was killed by thugs suspected to be associated with the Ministry of the Interior – a ministry that in the past has often been closely associated with death squads, torture and violence.

Good on Taylor. Meanwhile, Pearlstein makes a good point.

Good to know that Bush-era sloganeering remains as popular and bipartisan as ever.

Adele — Rolling In The Deep.

Actually, the problem is, while Rush may be used to downing ribs with that many calories, the rib–yes one rib– enjoyed by the First Lady at Kelly Liken in Vail, Colorado with her daughters, while tasty, carried less than half that caloric load.

Congratulations, Chicago! You’ve got a new motherfucking mayor!