It seems the Komen Foundation folks were unprepared for the blowback — known in some circles as “Komen-tastrophe” — after their now apparently rescinded decision to halt funding to Planned Parenthood.

At her Boy Toy 1980s zenith, Madonna would have hardly been Super Bowl material. She was too edgy, too rebellious, too naughty. And back then, Madonna wouldn't have wanted to perform at one of the most conventional events in America. It would have cramped her style.

The playbook for Republican presidential contenders goes at least as far back as Richard Nixon: Run hard to the right in the primaries; steer back to the center for the general election.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has sold himself all along as the most electable Republican in the field. But as he moves closer to becoming the GOP standard-bearer, the candidate whose authenticity has been questioned from all sides faces a tricky challenge making a pivot for the next phase of the race.

Just before 1:30 p.m. Aug. 3, a frustrated President Obama gathered Gene B. Sperling and the economic team in the White House and told them to design a jobs package he could offer the American public.

Obama had spent much of the year locked in negotiations with Republicans over the national debt, with little to show for the effort but a sagging approval rating. He had wanted to argue publicly for ideas to create jobs, but hesitated in the midst of negotiations. Liberal critics reprised a familiar critique of the Obama White House: that it too often bows to political constraints and forfeits what’s right for what’s possible or easy.