* This story will undoubtedly be picked up across the country…

Republican Rep. Joe Walsh was the only Illinois congressman to be named a “True Blue” member of Congress for “unwavering support of the family” by the Family Research Council Action committee Thursday.

Walsh’s ex-wife says Walsh owes more than $100,000 in back child support for their three children. Walsh counters that he and his wife had a “verbal agreement” that he didn’t have to pay child support during years when he wasn’t earning as much.

“We thank Cong. Walsh who has voted consistently to defend faith, family and freedom,” said FRCA President Tony Perkins. “Cong. Walsh and other ‘True Blue Members’ have voted to repeal Obamacare, de-fund Planned Parenthood, end government funding for abortion within the health care law, uphold the Defense of Marriage Act, and continue support for school choice. I applaud their commitment to uphold the institutions of marriage and family.”

It most certainly is an embarrassing moment for the FRC and the additional commentary by Perkins appears hypocritical. Left-leaning sites like Think Progress and HuffPo have piled on.

* Not to defend Walsh, but the group’s rating was solely based on Walsh’s voting record alone, not the congressman’s personal behavior. He was the only Illinois congressman to receive a 100 percent rating based on his votes. The full list is here. The other Illinois conservatives, including Walsh’s primary opponent Randy Hultgren, received a 90 percent rating.

And if you check the Family Research Council’s political action committee website, you’ll see that they’re currently backing Hultgren. That’s probably why Walsh sent out his press release touting his 100 percent rating. He’s obfuscating the issue here. But, again, all he really did was prompt the Sun-Times and others to write more stories about his personal problems.

…Adding… Walsh says that the Family Research Council candidate support statement linked above is outdated. The PAC isn’t backing a candidate as of yet, he insisted.

* Meanwhile…

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee today announced radio spots aimed at 25 House Republicans they hope to unseat next fall to reclaim the majority.

The ads mostly focus on ethics questions, and will air in the districts of these Members:

GOP Reps. Rick Crawford (Ark.), Dan Lungren (Calif.), Jeff Denham (Calif.), Elton Gallegly (Calif.), Mary Bono Mack (Calif.), Scott Tipton (Colo.), Daniel Webster (Fla.), Vern Buchanan (Fla.), David Rivera (Fla.), Steve King (Iowa), Timothy Johnson (Ill.), Bobby Schilling (Ill.), Larry Bucshon (Ind.), Roscoe Bartlett (Md.), Dan Benishek (Mich.), Charles Bass (N.H.), Joe Heck (Nev.), Ann Marie Buerkle (N.Y.), Lou Barletta (Pa.), Charlie Dent (Pa.), Kristi Noem (S.D.), Francisco “Quico” Canseco (Texas), Sean Duffy (Wis.), Reid Ribble (Wis.) and David McKinley (W.Va.).

The DCCC refused to disclose the size of the ad buy but in a press release called it “aggressive and grass roots,” a signal it is not likely a large amount. The spots begin Monday. The DCCC said it would pair the campaign with phone banks, robocalls and Web ads in the districts.

The spot against Buchanan tells voters a watchdog group called him “one of the most corrupt Members of Congress.” Some of the ads are specific to Members’ troubles and some use general critiques the DCCC often lobs at the GOP.

* And Politico has a video of Congressman Bob Dold playing football in DC…

Explanation…

For the past seven weeks, a handful of congressmen and women have braved brisk temperatures to practice football drills at 7 a.m. on the Mall near the Capitol. It was all to prepare for the 2011 Congressional Football Game, which took place on Wednesday at the Watkins Recreation Center and pitted members of Congress against the Capitol Police for a good cause — to raise money for Our Military Kids and the Capitol Police Memorial Fund. (The police won, 27-14.)

He had weeks of preparation under his belt, so we put one of the star players — Rep. Robert Dold — to the test for POLITICO’s latest “Game Changer” feature.