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April 17, 2012 | | COCKINESS The president remains ahead in the race against Mitt Romney—but just barely. So why are Obama’s surrogates sounding so confident? The Daily Beast’s Michael Tomasky on the perils of chutzpah. Massacre Anders Behring Breivik, the man accused of massacring 77 people, mostly teens, in Norway, took the stand to boast of his attack. “I have carried out the most spectacular and sophisticated attack on Europe since World War II,” Breivik told the court. “These acts are based on goodness, not evil.” He said he would do it all again. He added that he was toning down his remarks out of concern for the victims. The court must decide whether Breivik is criminally insane—there were two contradictory rulings before the trial. If found sane and guilty, he faces 21 years in prison, which could be extended. Moneybags After an expensive primary spent backing dark-horse candidates like Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, the super PAC billionaires still have money to burn, and they’re spending it on Mitt Romney and the GOP establishment. Sheldon Adelson, the casino mogul who bankrolled Gingrich, gave $5 million to a super PAC linked to John Boehner and is holding a fundraiser for a Boehner group. Foster Friess, Santorum’s former patron, says he intends to back Romney. Prominent Rick Perry funders also say they’ll give. All this may be contributing to the Romney campaign’s new fundraising goal: $800 million by November, for a total of $1 billion, plus another $200 million from super PACs. Punishment Eleven members of the Secret Service have had their security clearances stripped as the government launches a full probe into what went on in Cartagena, Colombia, last week. At least five agents are believed to have broken curfew and brought prostitutes back to their hotel prior to President Obama’s arrival at the Summit of the Americas. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey said the agents had “let their boss down” with their conduct. The agents are all said to have been interviewed at least once in the probe, and range in experience from a 20-year veteran to relative newcomers. REPUTATION The son of Bo Xilai, the Communist official charged with corruption, and Gu Kailai, accused of murdering a British businessman, had a taste for luxury that caused trouble for his parents. At Oxford, Bo Guagua had a reputation as a poor student who threw lavish parties, including one Jackie Chan attended, and with a fondness for European sports cars, horses, and first-class travel. The British man allegedly murdered by Gu was her son’s mentor and supposedly helped him get into his English school. But now Bo Guagua’s antics have become yet another liability for his parents. His father was forced to answer questions about how a government salary could support such a lifestyle. | | 
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