I’m en route to the Atlanta airport to head back to California, but to the extent allowed by the suspension of the car I am in, here are some mid-day bites of news and views:

* French conservative party splits in a real post-electioin “struggle for the soul.”

* ORC survey shows majority unhappy with administration handling of Benghazi, but not buying any conspiracy theories.

* “The Next Mitt Romney”–that’s one wingnut’s derisive comment about Jeb Bush.

* California’s Humboldt State University creating academic institute for study of issues related to marijuana.

* Nate Silver points out that proposal to create new non-marginal top tax rate will create dangerous “bubble” among taxpayers.

And in non-political news:

* Baseball union pioneer Marvin Miller dies at 95.

Back to blogging after I get through security.

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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.