Top Links: Democrats smell tax victory, the new face of the Far Right, and John Boehner’s Powerball numbers

Democrats can (sniff, sniff) almost smell a tax hike victory. Of course, there’s still the fight over entitlement cuts. That and more of what we’ll be discussing at 4 p.m. are today’s “Top Links.”

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• “According to one GOP aide, a member of the Republican leadership on Wednesday approached Republican colleagues to ask ‘which tax increases members could most tolerate.’” (Washington Examiner)

• “There is no chance taxes are not going up for people making north of $250,000 – and virtually no chance that doesn’t include their tax rates, too. Republicans publicly say they are opposed to rate hikes – but privately they know they are going up.” (Politico)

• And from that same story, guess who’s helping to lead the resistance? “[Paul] Ryan, back at the Capitol after spending the fall on the road as Mitt Romney’s running mate, is said to be resisting concessions that the others consider inevitable.” (Politico)

• John Boehner’s “fiscal cliff” Powerball numbers. (Josh Barro)

• Peter King: My wife would knock Grover Norquist’s head off. That, we’d pay to see. (The Washington Post)

• Ken Cuccinelli. Get to know that name. (Politico)

• “[Conservatives] aren’t just throwing money down the drain on commercials. We’re funding the Left’s storytelling and programming machine. And we’re the smart guys?” (National Review)

• Republican strategist Mike Murphy: “Only basketball’s Washington Generals, who are paid to lose to the Harlem Globetrotters, can exceed [Republicans’] losing record.” And “Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina[’s] … tireless work to recruit unelectable GOP candidates in 2010 did more to help keep Harry Reid majority leader than the work of any single Democrat.” (Swampland)

• That guy with the Mitt Romney face tattoo who was never getting it removed? Yeah, he got it removed. (Politico)

• Former GOP senator Chuck Hagel could be in the next Obama cabinet. (The Cable)

• We may be getting more involved in the Syria civil war. (The New York Times)

• One consequence of the Benghazi witch-hunt: Few are noticing the demise of a key U.S. ally. Ironically, John McCain is the one person who should know better. (The Daily Beast)

• How hypocritical are Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham over the Benghazi “talking points” non-troversy? This hypocritical: (The Atlantic Wire)

• 3Q GDP revised up. (Bloomberg)

• And, for no particular reason, amazing 3-D street art. (Andrew Kaczynski)