Top links: Petraeus, a shirtless FBI agent and secession, American-style

So David Petraeus, Gen. John Allen and a shirtless FBI agent walk into a sex scandal …

Recommended

Maddowblog

As his FBI tenure goes from bad to worse, Kash Patel abandons the pretense of seriousness

Steve Benen

Opinion

Kash Patel fires far-right FBI agent who unleashed racist attack on him

Ja’han Jones

• The Petraeus scandal snags another four-star general. (NBC News)

• Oh, and a possibly shirtless FBI agent. (The Wall Street Journal)

• Moody’s Analytics isn’t worried about whether there will be a “fiscal cliff” deal. (Real Time Economics)

• One Romney idea may survive the election, courtesy the “fiscal cliff” and, yes, Democrats. (The New York Times)

• The “Fiscal Cliff” is a diva. Here are 5 other performances to watch during the lame-duck session. (2 Chambers)

• Paul Ryan blames “urban areas” for his and Mitt Romney’s loss. Not so fast there, Paul. (Jonathan Martin)

• Then again, Ryan does make half a point. (Philadelphia Inquirer) and (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

• “I’m seceding” is the new “I’m moving to Canada” for people disappointed in presidential election results. (The Atlantic Wire)

• “Mandate” beats rock, scissors and the paper on which Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge is written: “Fewer incoming members of the House and Senate have signed the pledge against tax increases run by Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform.” (The Hill)