On the same day the Obama campaign revealed the first in a series of political ads devoid of political attacks, Senior Campaign Advisor David Axelrod derided several Romney backers as "contract killers."

In a conference call with reporters Monday, Axelrod said the positive spin on the new ads, focusing on Obama's accomplishments rather than reverting to political attacks, doesn't preclude the campaign from reacting when it sees fit.

"We're also going to be prepared, and I want to be clear, to respond to the attacks that we expect to continue from-- not just from the Romney campaign but from the Karl and Koch brothers contract killers over there in SuperPAC land, who are going to continue to pound away on behalf of Governor Romney," Axelrod said.

"We will respond vigorously," he added.

Charles and David Koch are billionaire oil industry brothers who fund "Americans for Prosperity."

Bush alumni Karl Rove founded "American Crossroads."

The administration originally fought against the political advocacy groups known as SuperPACs, which have limited reporting and funding restrictions. The president his since made a turn-about, not only embracing the idea, but backing a SuperPAC working on behalf of his re-election.

"Priorities USA Action" was co-founded by two former Obama staffers. (read more)

Mitt Romney is in Scottsdale, Arizona to deliver remarks to the Republican National Committee meeting of State Party Chairmen but Fox News Chief Political Correspondent was able to catch up with the man most likely to lock up the GOP presidential nomination.

President Obama travels to two key swing states Wednesday as he looks to raise money and sell his platform ahead of a general election that is now pretty much set against GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

The president heads to Michigan and the Detroit suburbs Wednesday evening to raise funds at two different campaign events which are expected to net more than a million dollars for the campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

The first fundraiser-the only one that will be in front of television cameras-takes place at the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn. It is the same location Romney used to kick off his 2008 presidential bid on Feb. 13, 2007, and it's likely no coincidence the Obama campaign chose the museum to the American car-making icon to talk about the race.

A key issue Romney is working to overcome in Michigan is position against the federal government's auto company bailouts, something the president is likely to mention now that the general election is all but set. Obama hasn't been shy about mentioning Romney's bailout in previous speeches. (read more)

The Obama administration announced an agreement with Great Lakes states on off-shore wind projects, a development that is notable in that there currently isn't significant interest by companies to do so.

The administration has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the governors of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania to streamline reviews of potential off-shore wind projects.

However, when asked how much faster permits could get approved, White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley said, "There currently aren't any projects seeking approval..."

It reveals the Obama administrations all-out efforts to publicize any and all things energy in an era of ever-increasing gas prices.

Sutley emphasized, however, "[T]he purpose of this MOU is to make sure that the federal and state agencies are working together so that we can evaluate projects as quickly as possible."

The discussion was largely initiated by the states, she said, as they had been approached by companies potentially interested in developing off-shore wind resources in the Great Lakes.

Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman noted there is one project that has been proposed for the Cleveland-area which could be deployed as early as 2014, so "this is not theoretical," he said. (read more)

President Obama's speeches during his two-day, energy tour have so far not included the expression, "there's no silver bullet" -- his often-used phrase when talking about ways to lower gasoline prices and decrease U.S. dependency on foreign oil.

Amid criticism that the president does not appear to be doing enough to lower gas prices, the phrase did not appear in his remarks in Nevada or New Mexico and was not in his prepared remarks Thursday in Oklahoma at which time he announced he was approving the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The president has used the "silver bullet" phrase frequently over the past several weeks, including a stop last week in suburban Washington and during a weekly radio address earlier this month.

An administration official warned against overreading the text because the president still says there's no "quick fix” to deal with the problem. But a check of the Nevada and New Mexico remarks shows that phrase was not used.

The change in rhetoric -- in which "there’s no silver bullet" doesn’t quite fit the "I'm doing all-of-the-above" -- suggests the administration is still trying to calibrate what will work.

Interesting at the very end of President Obama's Oklahoma event, a woman was overheard telling the president she was born at same hospital in Hawaii.

Obama shot back: "Do you have YOUR birth certificate?"

At an Irish reception with Prime Minister Enda Kenny earlier this week, the president was given a certificate of his Irish heritage. He dropped a joke then too.

"This will have a special place of honor alongside my birth certificate," he said.

Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who many eyed as a possible contender himself for the Republican presidential ticket, has thrown his support to Mitt Romney after Romney's convincing win in the Illinois GOP primary Tuesday night.

Bush, who now joins his parents, former President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush, in expressing support for the front-runner, said it's time for the GOP to focus on the November election.

"Congratulations to Governor Mitt Romney on his win last night and to all the candidates for a hard fought, thoughtful debate and primary season. 

"Primary elections have been held in 34 states, and now is the time for Republicans to unite behind Governor Romney and take our message of fiscal conservatism and job creation to all voters this fall. 

"I am endorsing Mitt Romney for our party’s nomination.  We face huge challenges, and we need a leader who understands the economy, recognizes more government regulation is not the answer, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism and works to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed." (read more)

Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady tells Fox News that some ballots delivered in Cook County are the wrong size and will need to be counted by hand.

There are reports of similar problems in other parts of the state including Christian County and Taylorville.

Fox News Correspondent Mike Tobin contributed to this rerport.

Nicknames. They're the worst-kept secret held by the U.S. Secret Service.

Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney recently received Secret Service protection, but any attempt to protect their nicknames has already been abandoned.

The names are out -- Santorum is "Petrus" and Romney is "Javelin."

Santorum told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren on Monday that Petrus is the Latin word for "Peter," which is his son's name as well as a variation on his grandfather's Italian name.

"You've heard me talk repeatedly about my grandfather.  His name was Pietro.  And I just didn't think Pietro would work.  I just -- it's a name and I didn't want a name.  So I thought Petrus, which is the Latin word for 'Peter' and for 'rock.'  I thought (it) was a more apt name than an Italian name for Peter," Santorum said.

Taking a jab at his Republican rival, Santorum added that he thought Romney was named after an American Motors car. 

"I remember the Javelin.  It was a very -- it was an unusual car.  So I think it sort of fits," he said.

March Madness has hit the Oval Office once again this year. President Obama released his picks for the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Wednesday morning. His picks for this year's Final Four include Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State and Missouri with North Carolina winning the title over Kentucky.

After incorrectly picking Kansas for the last two years, the president returned to North Carolina, the team he correctly picked in 2009 to win the whole tournament. Since he took office, Obama hasn't veered too far off from conventional bracket strategies with all of his Final Four picks seeded 1 or 2 in their respective regions.

Obama first publicly posted a bracket on the women's side in 2010, picking a Final Four field of Connecticut, Stanford, Tennessee and Notre Dame. Last year his Final Four field consisted of Connecticut, Stanford, Baylor and Tennessee. The president is expected to release his picks for the women's tournament later this week. (read more)