Thin-skinned war criminal Allen West got all butt-hurt by Debbie Wasserman Schultz when she pointed out that he likes to kill puppies favors rich people over the poor, so he slipped a note in her locker telling her how much he hate hate hates her…oh, and he copied everyone else in Congress so they wouldn’t think he was a pussy.

I asked DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz about all this today, as she greeted attendees at Netroots Nation. She was fairly blunt. “I will tell you that benefit cuts are not on the table,” she said. “They’re not on the table for me and they’re not on the table for our party in the House.”

Despite all the interest and questions/answers relating to Medicare, there was no one on the show who could enlighten us on what really matters. We had a liar, an uninformed interviewer who may believe the lies, and a compromised Democrat who had to protect Obama’s deals rather than fight not only for the people who actually need Medicare but for a structure that benefits everyone else too.

OK. I guess technically the title is not true. If folks hadn’t been laid off and collected Unemployment Compensation, the funds would just be sitting in the various state coffers, unused. But the unemployed are not the reason the economy tanked; the unemployed are not the ones sending jobs overseas; the unemployed are not the ultimate root cause of the problem.

Tim Kaine announced he would run for the Virginia Senate seat vacated by Jim Webb, leaving an opening at the Democratic National Committee. President Obama moved swiftly to fill that today by choosing Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi were in the room when Gabrielle Giffords opened her eyes last night, less than a week after the tragic shooting that killed six and gravely wounded her. In the background of the commentary of this event, there has been this improbable success story, as Giffords’ condition continues to improve, beyond the expectations of even her doctors.

Women members of Congress contribute significantly to the DCCC’s coffers. But they don’t appear to be getting much for their money.

After the first week of the conference committee for Wall Street reform, I would call the verdict middling. Reformers have won some victories – all hedge funds and private equity firms will have to register with the SEC, credit rating agencies will be on the hook for standard liability for negligence, the Fed audit is more robust and ongoing.

Bob Schieffer is sitting on a scoop he needs to share with the world, unless his rules for ‘off-the-record’ are the same as the late Tim Russert: everything is always off-the-record unless the newsmaker specifically grants ‘permission to use.’

Now that only 50 votes are needed to pass a public option in the Senate, guess what? They magically disappear.