2012 in 3 Minutes - If you're going to distil this election down to a simple choice, this would be it - 90 seconds of Obama explaining why business owes a debt to government. 90 seconds of Romney reacting - http://abcn.ws/MGdeYT

Romney retooled his stump speech around the president's comments about business. Can he divert attention from his own taxes and business career with a policy discussion about taxes and business in general?

Romney Roars Back - "President Obama exposed what he really thinks about free people and the American vision and government, what he really thinks about America itself," Romney told the fiery crowd of about 1,000 today in Irwin, Pa., calling Obama's comment "foolishness" and "insulting to every entrepreneur."

He said it was as if Obama argued that Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, "Papa John" Schnatter, Ray Kroc and Bill Gates didn't start their successful enterprises on their own, but that rather they owed a debt to government for boosting them.

"I'm convinced he wants Americans to be ashamed of success," Romney said today - http://abcn.ws/SFvuXE (Negrin and Friedman)

Papa John had no comment. But we all know what Jimmy Johns thinks. http://abcn.ws/SFvuXE

Obama on Friday - "If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business. you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet." - http://abcn.ws/Pelq7J (Tapper)

VP Tea Leaves - "I'm in contact with Governor Romney from time to time, but this week I'm focused on some yard work and some business things" - T-Paw - http://abcn.ws/MrBCjp

Romney Adds VP Staff - http://abcn.ws/LoB9vR

The Force Leans Left - Comments from Both Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader - http://abcn.ws/NHFn1R

The Bain Ad That Romney Should Fear the Most - Mitt Romney survived a relentless barrage of attack ads about Bain Capital during the Republican primary, but now there's one ad that appears to be breaking through more than any other - More than a million clicks - http://abcn.ws/LWjTnX (Matt Negrin & Jonathan Karl)

Mark it 8! - Jon Karl and Rick Santorum Bowl: "This sounds like a two-bit dictator, not a President of the United States." Compares Obama to Mussolinni - "il Duce" Says Condoleezza Rice Lacks same "core values" as GOP base - Out-Rolls Jon Karl - http://yhoo.it/MEtlpO

Obama Ads Portray Romney as Tax Evader - In the absence of tax returns the Obama campaign makes up possibilities - http://abcn.ws/NfkrFd (Devin Dwyer)

Ron Paul Says Releasing Tax Returns Would Help Mitt Romney - Count Ron Paul as the latest Republican who thinks Mitt Romney should release his tax returns. http://abcn.ws/OPiaw1 (Chris Good)

Perry Wants Apology for Holder Poll Tax Comment - http://abcn.ws/LvYLn9 (Jake Tapper)

Perry Also Wants Romney Tax Returns - Per the AP:

"I'm a big believer that no matter who you are or what office you are running for, you should be as transparent as you can be with your tax returns and other aspects of your life so that people have the appropriate ability to judge your background and what have you. I certainly think it is inappropriate for the president of the united states to not keep his college transcript and his law school transcripts public, that he should make those available. I'm all about transparency."

Gloomy Bernanke - The Fiscal Cliff Cometh - http://abcn.ws/Q4n5PK

Bane vs. Bain - An Essay by Jake Tapper - Politics has become so preposterous, sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference between actual charges and outrage and the worlds of mockery, meta, and spoof. A case in point, the discussion surrounding the fact that the villain in the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, is named Bane, a similar name to the private investment firm Mitt Romney founded in 1984. As you no doubt know, the word "bane" has meant " that which causes ruin or woe" as far back as the 1570s.And the villain by that name first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 in January 1993. And yet….a kerfuffle. - http://abcn.ws/MignSY

George W. Bush: 'This Is the Year'-This is the year for the Rangers to win the World Series, he means. http://abcn.ws/NCwtIo (Matt Negrin)

Also - "Eight years was awesome, and, you know, I was famous, and I was powerful."

Obama Says Texas Will Be a Battleground State 'Soon'- Greeting a crowd of donors with "Hello San Antone," President Obama revved up Democrats in the traditionally red state by telling them he sees shades of purple in Texas that might ultimately turn blue down the line. We'll hold our breath. http://abcn.ws/Q4GYq0 (Arlette Saenz)

Kiss Me, Maybe? White House Denies Obama Rebuffed in Kiss Cam Controversy - The White House is insisting President Obama was not snubbed by his wife at last night's basketball game. http://abcn.ws/PdTIYT (Mary Bruce)

Women Get Short Straw for Pay on Capitol Hill - Testifying on Capitol Hill as a woman can be tough (just ask Sandra Fluke). But being a woman working for the Republican leadership can also be tough - on your pocketbook. http://abcn.ws/SFt638 (Amy Bingham)

Jada Pinkett Smith Shines Light on Human Trafficking, Slavery - Congress got an unpleasant wake-up call from Hollywood today: Nearly 150 years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, slavery still persists in the United States of America. http://abcn.ws/NuAbmq (John Parkinson)

How Obama and Romney Get Their News - Mitt Romney and President Obama might have some reason to ignore what former VP Spiro Agnew called "those nattering nabobs of negativism" - who really wants to read about attack ads against themselves all day, anyway? - but a complete lack of engagement with the media doesn't seem to be the answer, either. So how do the two presidential candidates compare in terms of media savvy? http://abcn.ws/Q2TQvF (Meghan Kiesel)

Supreme Court Aimed at Mental Illness Standard in Death Penalty Case - The Supreme Court is considering an emergency appeal today filed on the behalf of a Georgia death row inmate who claims he should not be put to death because he is mentally retarded. http://abcn.ws/Q4ziEg (Ariane de Vogue)

Chamber of Commerce Launches Ad Blitz in Key Senate Races - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a conservative group representing businesses and trade organizations, is launching ads in four hotly contested Senate races, the organization announced today. http://abcn.ws/NvHmYG (Elizabeth Hartfield)

Supreme Court: Not Such An Impregnable Fortress Anymore? - http://abcn.ws/O7cdLO

Controversial Obama Documentary Is a Hit in Texas - Moviegoers packed a theater in Houston this weekend to see the hottest ticket in town, not "Ice Age 4? but "2016: Obama's America," the documentary based on conservative Dinesh D'Souza's book, "The Roots of Obama's Rage." http://abcn.ws/LWn3bq (Amy Bingham)

Romney Surrogate Says He Wishes President Obama 'Would Learn How to Be An American' - One of Mitt Romney's top surrogates Tuesday morning, before walking it back, said he wished President Obama "would learn how to be an American." http://abcn.ws/Q2saqN (Jake Tapper)

McCain's Son Getting Married - Sen. John McCain's son, Jack McCain, is engaged. http://abcn.ws/NGk0xX (Sunlen Miller)

'Political Animals': The Clintons Meet TV Fiction - There's been a lot of buzz surrounding USA's new mini-series, "Political Animals" starring Sigourney Weaver as Elaine Hammond, America's Secretary of State. In Sunday night's debut you see Elaine, a former first lady to a womanizing, but popular ex-president, lose a contentious primary to her less-experienced but flashier rival. That loss turns out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing her to find her moral center as secretary of state, becoming more popular than she's ever been. Finally the public gets to see that Elaine Hammond is not a cold, calculating, ambitious word that rhymes with witch (a word used a lot on this show), but a compassionate, stoic, consummate lady and loving mother. Premise sound familiar? http://abcn.ws/LooA3D (Dana Hughes)