memeorandum: Pakistan lets China see US helicopter (Anna Fifield/Financial Times)

8:00 AM ET, August 15, 2011

Top Items:

Rick Perry schools Michele Bachmann in Waterloo — WATERLOO, Iowa — Rick Perry came to Michele Bachmann's home town Sunday evening and schooled the newly minted Iowa front-runner in her native state's demanding retail political culture. — The day after Perry announced his candidacy …

Discussion: GOP 12, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Magazine, CNN, The Note, Washington Monthly and The Hill

Rick Perry / The Daily Beast:

Rick Perry's Ruthless Drive to Win — Rick Perry has called Social Security unconstitutional and presided over the execution of a man who was probably innocent. But as Paul Begala argues, that's just the beginning. — I first met Rick Perry in 1985. He was a Democratic freshman state rep …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Firedoglake, Hullabaloo, The Reality-Based Community and NO QUARTER

TBogg:

Rick Perry Is Now Sorry He Banned Parental Honor Killings — Godbotherer and probably Notre Dame football fan Joshua Mercer is unleashing a sigh of relief that Texas dick adjuster Rick Perry is apologizing for mandating that all girls in Texas become whores at age eleven or, I don't know, move to Utah and get married or something:

Discussion: Eschaton

New York Times:

After Iowa, Republicans Face a New Landscape — WATERLOO, Iowa — The leading Republican presidential candidates scrambled to take command of a new landscape on Sunday after Tim Pawlenty abruptly ended his campaign and a three-way race began taking shape to find a nominee who can emerge as the strongest challenger to President Obama.

Discussion: The Politico, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and The Caucus

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Perry makes first campaign outing

Discussion: The Note and CNN

Frank Bruni / New York Times:
Adrift in Iowa: Tired Rituals in Tough Times

Discussion: National Review, Daily Kos and Washington Post

Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:
Palin-Bachmann Rancor Heats Up Below the Surface

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Brody File, Conservatives4Palin, Power Line, Althouse, Mediaite, The Politico and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

ABCNEWS:
Pawlenty Drops Out of Presidential Race After Disappointing Straw Poll Finish

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, LGBTQ Nation, Wizbang, Radio Iowa, Iowa Caucuses, Online NewsHour, Washington Monthly, The Reaction and The Caucus

Toby Harnden / blogs.telegraph.co.uk: 10 things to take away from Ames. What Michele Bachmann's win means

Lucy Madison / CBS News:
DNC chair: Texas economy no credit to Perry

Discussion: Harry's Place, Washington Wire and Associated Press

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Farewell to Tim Pawlenty

Discussion: Hot Air

Warren E. Buffett / New York Times:

Stop Coddling the Super-Rich — OUR leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched. — While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan …

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, New York Magazine, Liberal Conspiracy, Guardian and Clusterstock

The Politico:

Buffett: I beg you to raise my taxes — Warren Buffett, the third wealthiest man in the world with a net worth of around $80 billion, is demanding the U.S. government make the rich like him pay higher taxes and says they should no longer be protected like endangered “spotted owls.”

Discussion: JammieWearingFool

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Tea Party's heyday may be coming to an end, say political experts — The reign of the Tea Party may be coming to an end in Washington, according to academic political experts who say polls show a backlash against the conservative movement. — Two national polls released this month by CNN …

Discussion: Don Surber, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Reality-Based Community and The Impolitic

Michael A. Memoli / Los Angeles Times:

Gallup: Obama job rating sinks below 40% for first time — President Obama's summer woes have dragged his approval rating to an all-time low, sinking below 40% for the first time in Gallup's daily tracking poll. — New data posted Sunday shows that 39% of Americans approve of Obama's job performance, while 54% disapprove.

Discussion: Brilliant at Breakfast, Wizbang, Michelle Malkin, NewsBusters.org blogs, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway, TalkLeft, The POH Diaries, Scared Monkeys, Conservatives4Palin, Wake up America and HotAirPundit

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Obama approval rating hits new low in latest Gallup tracking poll

Discussion: The Caucus, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, The Daily Caller, Truthdig and New York Magazine

Reuters:

Pakistan gave China access to secret U.S. aircraft involved in bin Laden raid, paper says — ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan gave China access to the previously unknown U.S. “stealth” helicopter that crashed during the commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May despite explicit requests …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and The Gateway Pundit

Anna Fifield / Financial Times:
Pakistan lets China see US helicopter

Discussion: This Just In and Via Meadia

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Perry running to restore military ‘respect’ for presidency — Rick Perry strayed from a tribute to military service to tell an audience in Waterloo, Iowa, that he's running in part to restore the respect of the military to its civilian leaders. — “One of the reasons that I'm running …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

John Stevens / Daily Mail:

Bernie Madoff ditched by his wife of 52 years as she seeks reconciliation with son — The wife of Bernard Madoff has severed ties with the disgraced Wall Street financier and not seen him for more than six months, it has been revealed. — Ruth Madoff, who has been married to the convicted fraudster …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Clusterstock

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

You Want Compromise? Sure You Do — Sheryl Gay Stolberg is a reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times. — WASHINGTON — THROUGHOUT the debt-ceiling debacle, poll after poll has shown that Americans want politicians in Washington to compromise.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, The Atlantic Online and Prairie Weather

James Hohmann / The Politico:

McDonnell takes to national stage — RICHMOND, Va.—Rick Perry, who joined the presidential race Saturday, isn't the only GOP governor whose national profile is about to take off. — He'll be joined by Virginia's Bob McDonnell, who will replace him as chairman of the Republican Governors Association …

Discussion: GOP 12