Top Links: GOP’s white flag, Syria with sarin gas, and Monty Burns explains the fiscal cliff

While the GOP looks to surrender on tax cuts, Syria may be about to strike its people with deadly nerve gas. That and more of what we’ll be talking about at 4 p.m.

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• House GOP leaders are now determining when, not if, to wave the white flag on taxes. (The Washington Post)

• However, it seems they are ready to fall on their swords over the debt ceiling. (Roll Call)

• The Syrian military has loaded chemical weapons into its bombs and is prepared to drop sarin nerve gas on rebels. (NBC News)

• Meanwhile, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton is meeting with her Russian counterpart Thursday to try to find a way to end this nightmare before it develops into something far worse. (The Guardian)

• Tanks, protests, and high-level resignations mark the latest dramatic turn in Egypt’s unfolding constitutional crisis. (The New York Times)

• The House hasn’t made any progress on the fiscal cliff. Fortunately, it found the time to delay a law mandating members post their finances online. (The Hill)

• House Speaker John Boehner may finally be getting some love from his caucus. $100 million in 2012 fund-raising has that effect on people. (The New York Times)

• However, that hasn’t prevented a “fire Boehner” campaign. The goal: 16 members to abstain from voting for him for speaker. (Daily Caller)

• The best fiscal-cliff-related Twitter handle may belong to Washington Nationals pitcher Ross Detwiler: (Ross Detwiler)

• And in economic news … “With once-safe economies now in the gutter, U.S. Treasuries have become, in essence, the cleanest porta-potty at the state fair.” (Morning Money, fifth item)

• The top 10 most delusional campaign moments of 2012 is pretty devastating. (Politico)

• And Romney campaign strategist Stu Stevens is still trying to push this “Hurricane Sandy, in the library, with the lead pipe” theory of why Romney lost. (Huffington Post)

• But as we’ve explained before: That just ain’t true. (msnbc)

• The Academy Awards didn’t nominate Dinesh D’Souza’s anti-Obama polemic 2016: Obama’s America for Best Documentary because they’re liberal – but because his film is terrible. (Mediaite)

• Among schools that are bound for college football bowl games, Stanford is #1 in the nation … in 2012 campaign contributions: $1.7 million. (OpenSecrets)

• Joe Biden: Online trend-setter. (Reid Wilson)

• Media 101: Don’t believe all the “record” sales/traffic stories you read. (Business Journalism)