Today's edition of quick hits:
* A sequel to the Citizens United ruling? The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging limits on how much an American can donate to political campaigns.
* The end of a long career: "Marine Gen. John R. Allen, the longest-serving leader of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, asked President Obama on Tuesday morning to accept his retirement from the military because his wife is seriously ill, a move that nullifies his nomination to be the supreme allied commander in Europe."
* Afghanistan: "Civilian deaths in the war in Afghanistan dropped in 2012 for the first time in six years, a sign of lessening hostilities, but insurgents dramatically expanded their campaign of assassinating government supporters, the United Nations said Tuesday."
* More gun violence: "Residents of several Orange County communities awoke to streets littered with yellow crime scene tape on Tuesday, after a gunman killed three people and injured at least three more before killing himself at the end of a shooting and carjacking rampage, according to law enforcement officials."
* I'm glad to see the DSCC's Guy Cecil get so much attention. (True story: I went to junior high and high school with Guy.)
* Congress is prepared to undo a lot of progress: "U.S. stocks ended higher Tuesday, pushing the S&P 500 index to a five-year high."
* I don't even know where to start with this: "When a physician removes a child from a woman, that is the largest organ in a body."
* Adding to the list of things Scott Brown doesn't understand: "Three weeks after tweeting (and then deleting) a series of strange messages, former senator Scott Brown spoke publicly on the tweets for the first time. 'Anyone ever hear of pocket tweet, pocket dial? I mean it was pretty simple,' Brown told a local news station." Um, senator? One cannot "pocket tweet" specific thoughts, deliberately directed to specific people.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.