German chancellor Angela Merkel will visit the White House (Wall Street Journal)

Two new polls put Romney ahead of or even with Obama in a hypothetical matchup (L.A. Times)

Obama’s top economist, Council of Economic Advisers chair Austan Goolsbee, to step down (Atlantic Wire)

Ben Bernanke will give a speech on the economy at 3:45 p.m. in Atlanta, as Fed watchers look for hints about possible QE3 (MarketWatch)

Pawlenty set to unveil economic plan in Chicago (Fox News)

Rep. Anthony Weiner comes clean:

On the main site:

Palin Ponders Third Party Paradox by Jeffrey Lord: Hannity interview highlights lure of historical failure — and success.

Weiner’s Digital Disgrace, by Robert Stacy McCain: It is richly shared by media who wanted to blame it all on Andrew Breitbart.

The Joke’s on Weiner, by Ross Kaminsky.

Save the Smallpox! by David Boze: Scientific prudence leaves us no other choice.

Ayn Rand and Karl Marx, by Hal G.P. Colebatch: A heretic is a heretic, and that’s all there is to it.

Time for Ethic Cleansing, by Peter Hannaford: By the way, what ever happened to Christopher Lee?

How the Atlantic Was Won, by Larry Thornberry: Losing this battle would have meant losing World War II.