memeorandum: Obama returns to the campaign trail with Midwest bus tour (Sam Youngman/The Hill)

11:25 AM ET, August 15, 2011

Top Items:

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: The Atlantic Online, The Hill, Washington Monthly, Clusterstock, TalkLeft, TPMDC, Mediaite, emptywheel, NewsBusters.org blogs, New York Magazine, Guardian, AmSpecBlog, The Raw Story, Daily Kos, Liberal Conspiracy, Balloon Juice, PointOfLaw Forum and Althouse

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: Weasel Zippers, CNN and JammieWearingFool

The Politico:

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: Ben Smith's Blog, Boston Globe, Online NewsHour, Balloon Juice, msnbc.com, NY Daily News, Campaign 2012, The Caucus, GOP 12, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Magazine, CNN, The Note, Weekly Standard, Washington Monthly, Real Clear Politics and The Hill

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The Texas Unmiracle — As expected, Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, has announced that he is running for president. And we already know what his campaign will be about: faith in miracles. — Some of these miracles will involve things that you're liable to read in the Bible.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Paul Krugman, The Mahablog, Daily Kos and Prairie Weather

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: Connecting.the.Dots, Taylor Marsh, Let Freedom Ring Blog, Firedoglake, Hullabaloo, The Reality-Based Community and NO QUARTER

Wall Street Journal:

Bachmann-Perry Overdrive — GOP voters are still searching for a unifying candidate. — The fight for the Republican Presidential nomination is finally getting underway in earnest, with Texas Governor Rick Perry bull-riding his way into the race and Michele Bachmann winning Saturday's straw poll in Iowa.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Don Surber and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

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: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, CNN, Los Angeles Times, The Caucus, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air and The Politico

Ross Douthat / New York Times:
Chris Christie's Cue

Discussion: msnbc.com

TBogg:
Rick Perry Is Now Sorry He Banned Parental Honor Killings

Discussion: New York Magazine, LifeNews.com and Eschaton

Amy Gardner / Washington Post:
Pawlenty realizes he wasn't what GOP voters were looking for

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Mario Piperni dot Com, The Nation, CBS News, Swampland, Bloomberg, msnbc.com, The Politico, The BLT, Washington Times and AmSpecBlog

David Paul Kuhn / Real Clear Politics:

At 39 Percent, Obama's Reminded the Worst Could Lie Ahead — There it was: 39 percent. Floor broke. Threshold crossed. The close of Barack Obama's awful week. One more awful August. On Sunday, for the first time in his presidency, Obama's public approval rating dipped below 40 percent in the Gallup Poll.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and blogs.telegraph.co.uk

CBS News: With dismal approval polls, Obama hits the road

Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Obama returns to the campaign trail with Midwest bus tour

Discussion: CNN, The Maddow Blog and The Heritage Foundation

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

Discussion: TPMDC, Political Punch, The Caucus, The Daily Caller, Truthdig and New York Magazine

Fox News:
Obama's Approval Rating Drops to Lowest Ever, According to Gallup

Discussion: Hit & Run, Hotline On Call and Campaign 2012

Michael A. Memoli / Los Angeles Times:
Gallup: Obama job rating sinks below 40% for first time

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

Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:

A Businessman in Congress Helps His District and Himself — VISTA, Calif. — Here on the third floor of a gleaming office building overlooking a golf course in the rugged foothills north of San Diego, Darrell Issa, the entrepreneur, oversees the hub of a growing financial empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars and The Page

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: The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway and The Gateway Pundit

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
U.S. Aides Believe China Examined Stealth Copter

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Online NewsHour

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

Discussion: This Just In and Via Meadia

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: Hot Air, Scared Monkeys, The Other McCain, The Gateway Pundit, The Reality-Based Community, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Don Surber and The Impolitic

CNN:

Steady job or healthy environment: What would you choose? — Editor's Note: Soledad O'Brien's documentary “Battle for Blair Mountain: Working in America” airs at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET Sunday, August 14, and 8 p.m. ET Saturday, August 20. Follow the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #battleforblair.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Speakeasy

Peter Nicholas / Los Angeles Times:

Democrats urge Obama to be more aggressive on jobs — Many want the president to stand up to Republicans and push for bigger, more ambitious programs to boost the economy. — Job seekers attend a job fair in San Jose. With the national unemployment rate still above 9% …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Suburban Guerrilla

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

The Official Google Blog:

Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility — Since its launch in November 2007, Android has not only dramatically increased consumer choice but also improved the entire mobile experience for users. Today, more than 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide …