Tony Hayward -- the soon-to-be former CEO of  BP -- has in recent months become something of a poster boy for foot-in-mouth disease. That may, indeed, be among the chief reasons that the BP board is dispatching him to Russia where he's far less likely to sigh wistfully into a reporter's microphone about wanting his life back. Still, he's not going away quietly.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal's Monica Langley, Hayward was unrepentant. He insisted that the U.S. public has demonized him ever since he went into damage-control mode in the wake of the April Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that started the epic oil spill.

"I became a villain for doing the right thing," Hayward told Langley. "But I understand that people find it easier to vilify an individual more than a company."

Langley reports that workers at a BP employee meeting on Wednesday greeted Hayward with a standing ovation--a gesture that nearly moved the outgoing CEO to tears, she writes.

Shirley Sherrod caused liberals to rejoice Thursday by telling a San Diego audience that she'll "definitely" sue conservative publisher Andrew Breitbart.

But are things so bad for Breitbart, a media provocateur who appears to thrive off controversy? Despite posting the misleading clip of Sherrod that led to her resignation,  Breitbart hasn't apologized and continues using interviews as a platform to sound off on the NAACP, Sherrod and the "Democrat-media complex." He assumes the role of David fighting a left-wing Goliath.

"I am public enemy No. 1 or 2 to the Democratic Party, the progressive movement and the Obama administration based upon the successes my journalism has had," he told Politico last week.

It's also unclear what claims Sherrod will make against Breitbart. And some top conservative commentators and bloggers were quick to cast doubt on her chances Thursday afternoon.

"I can't imagine she has any kind of a case," David Frum told The Upshot.

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Until recently, House Minority Leader John Boehner was ruling out talk about his own future should the GOP gain control of Congress in November — in part because he didn't want to jinx what is shaping up to be a good election year for Republicans.

Apparently Boehner isn't so superstitious anymore.

As Politico's Jonathan Martin first reported, the House GOP is launching a major fundraising effort to brand Boehner as the face of the party. Boehner for Speaker is a joint initiative between Boehner's leadership PAC and the House GOP campaign committee. It's partly an effort to define Boehner, who is largely unknown to most of the country, before the Democrats do. (He wears sweaters! He's "a regular guy"!) But the new donor drive is also looking to boost the GOP's chances this fall by offering lobbyists and campaign donors access to Boehner in exchange for big campaign contributions.

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Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York has allegedly committed 13 ethics violations, according to a House investigative subcommittee report (PDF) released Thursday.

The alleged violations relate to improper solicitation of donations for the Charles B. Rangel center at City College in New York, failure to provide complete financial disclosure information, and improper use of a rent-controlled apartment for campaign purposes. Rangel was not present at Thursday's hearing and was not required to attend.

The allegations grew out of a 21-month investigation conducted by a bipartisan House subcommittee. Rangel chose to fight the charges — meaning that the inquiry would proceed to a public trial, in the House of Representatives. That prospect would  probably complicate Democrats' midterm election efforts as well as Rangel's own re-election bid.

Just before the House panel met Thursday for its first public hearing, WCBS reported that Rangel had struck a deal to settle, which would have allowed him to avoid a public trial. To finalize that deal, Rangel needed approval from the committee members. Full Story »

If the conclusion of Alabama's primary season found you mourning the lack of eccentric candidates with super weird political goals, meet Basil Marceaux, America's latest viral superstar.

A former Marine, Marceaux is running dead last in a four-way race for Tennessee's GOP gubernatorial nomination.

Last week, as they have done with the other candidates, a Chattanooga TV station gave Marceaux a few minutes on air to pitch his campaign platform, which includes planting grass on vacant lots to "sell it for gas" and a plan "to stop traffic stops." He may or may not have been drunk. Full Story »

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton's preliminary injunction yesterday blocking enforcement of parts of Arizona's controversial immigration law (aka SB 1070) was merely the first step in what will surely be a lengthy courtroom battle over the law. Here's a rundown of exactly what the ruling did, and what is likely to happen next.

Which parts of the law were blocked, and which parts remain in force?
The law officially goes into effect today —  Bolton's order only bars enforcement of some of its provisions until a full trial on the law's constitutionality can be held. Here are the parts of the law that are currently in force:

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As President Obama fights the lowest approval ratings of his career, he took a dramatic step to boost his Q ratings Thursday by visiting  ABC's "The View."  In a segment taped Wednesday and broadcast Thursday, the president entertained questions on everything from the war in Afghanistan to Mel Gibson's anger problems. He sparred with the show's resident conservative over his administration's economic policies, and he trashed the media for generating a "phony controversy" that led to former Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod's firing.

Speaking before a mostly friendly audience, Obama acknowledged that his time in the White House has been tumultuous. He ticked off crisis after crisis that his administration has faced, from the recession to the Gulf oil spill. While he admitted the nation has gone through a "tough stretch," Obama insisted he's working to make things better.

There was only one brief clash, when resident conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck pushed Obama on why his economic stimulus plan hadn't "saved more jobs." The president offered a full-throated defense of his policies, repeating his claim that had the administration not acted, more jobs would have been lost. Watch:

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Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel has reportedly struck a deal to admit to ethics violations in order to avoid a public House trial, WCBS reports.

Details are expected to be released Thursday afternoon, when the first House panel meets to prepare for the potential trial.

UPDATE: CBS has since reported that the deal Rangel initially had in place for a settlement has gone sour, when Republican House members requested concessions that Rangel reportedly would not agree to.

Alvin Greene didn't stop to chat with reporters who recently trekked to Manning, S.C., to watch his first campaign speech. But the Democratic candidate did talk to Leslie Beaumont after the event.

That’s because Beaumont and writer David Garrett are making a documentary on the unlikely Senate hopeful: “Who Is Alvin Greene?”

There’s been no shortage of Greene coverage lately. As The Upshot reported Monday, Greene received more media attention than any 2010 candidate in the six weeks after his unexpected primary win. However, Beaumont says the documentary will provide another perspective on the unlikely candidate.

“It’s more about this evolution of this private citizen seeking higher office,” Beaumont told The Upshot. “I wanted to show a side of him that hasn’t been seen.”

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Former USDA official Shirley Sherrod says she’s going to sue conservative publisher Andrew Breitbart for posting an edited video that caused a media firestorm and led to her resignation.

She announced her plans Thursday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in San Diego.

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