As alert readers noticed, I got off to a late start this morning (I overslept all the way until 5:30!), so I’m still playing catchup. But here are some news nuggets I hastily microwaved for your mid-day break:

* Roll Call provides depressing details on the $300 million American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS campaign budget for 2012, including $70 million for Senate races.

* CBO reports that in 2009 Americans paid lowest tax rates in 30 years.

* Rielle Hunter book tour a bust; only 6,000 copies sold.

* Breitbart rolls out Part Deux of Pat Caddell’s massive strategic memo, and it’s just as vast and unreadable as the first installment.

* Gardner and Balz take Iowa’s political temperature.

And in non-political news:

* Hard-copy resumes head towards the graveyard.

Back after a short hydration break.

Ed Kilgore

Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York and managing editor at the Democratic Strategist website. He was a contributing writer at the Washington Monthly from January 2012 until November 2015, and was the principal contributor to the Political Animal blog.