memeorandum: Fast and Furious weapons were found in Mexico cartel enforcer's home (Richard A. Serrano/Los Angeles Times)

4:30 PM ET, October 9, 2011

Top Items:

American Spectator Editor Admits to Being Agent Provocateur at D.C. Museum — The following photograph taken by opednews.com shows a confrontation in the lobby of the National Air and Space Museum between two individuals and an officer shortly before video shows officers …

Discussion: Opednews.com Progressive …, ThinkProgress, Boing Boing, The Raw Story and The Other McCain

Patrick Howley / American Spectator:

Standoff in D.C. — WASHINGTON — The fastest-running protesters charged up the steps of Washington's National Air and Space Museum Saturday afternoon to infiltrate the building and hang banners on the “shameful” exhibits promoting American imperialism. As the white-uniformed security guards hurried …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Crawdad Hole, Balloon Juice, skippy the bush kangaroo, Washington Post, The Political Carnival, The Raw Story and Boing Boing

Matthew Yglesias / ThinkProgress:

The Changing Story — You should definitely read Ezra Klein's long take on the Obama administration economic team's retroactive assessment of their performance. But I think it's helpful to skip to the end: … I have some policy points to make about the whole thing …

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

Could this time have been different? — (KEVIN LAMARQUE - REUTERS) Christina Romer had traveled to Chicago to perform an unpleasant task: she needed to scare her new boss. David Axelrod, Barack Obama's top political adviser, had been very clear about that.

Discussion: Paul Krugman, Business Insider, Political Mojo, Booman Tribune and Balloon Juice

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
Financial crisis and stimulus: Could this time be different?

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Lawyers, Guns & Money

New York Times:

Protesters Against Wall Street — As the Occupy Wall Street protests spread from Lower Manhattan to Washington and other cities, the chattering classes keep complaining that the marchers lack a clear message and specific policy prescriptions. The message — and the solutions …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Monthly, The Politico, Patterico's Pontifications, Daily Kos, Mediaite and ABCNEWS

Bernie Becker / The Hill:

Cain, Gingrich blast Occupy Wall Street protests — Herman Cain charged Sunday that groups sympathetic to President Obama were ginning up the Occupy Wall Street protests to take attention away from the administration's policies. — Cain, the GOP presidential candidate …

Discussion: CNN, Weasel Zippers and The Crawdad Hole

Greg / The Belgravia Dispatch:
Occupy Wall Street: An Early Assessment

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Newshoggers.com

Jennifer Preston / New York Times:
Wall Street Protest Spurs Online Dialogue on Inequity

Discussion: Moe Lane, ThinkProgress, Prairie Weather, Firedoglake, Fausta's Blog, Wonkette, Washington Post, Monkeyfister and Daily Mail

Lindsey Boerma / CBS News:

Values Voter straw poll organizers suggest a fix in Ron Paul's win — Rep. Ron Paul scored a decisive victory Saturday in a mock presidential election at the Values Voter Summit, trouncing fellow Texan, Gov. Rick Perry, but an organizer of the straw poll suggested ballot-stuffing may have skewed the results.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Datechguy's Blog, National Review, ThinkProgress, Business Insider, The Other McCain and Harry's Place

Lucy Madison / CBS News:

Gingrich: Not for us to judge Romney's religion — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — Republican presidential candidates Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich spoke out Sunday against a Dallas pastor and Rick Perry supporter who recently disparaged Mormonism as “a cult” - noting that “We're not running for theologian-in-chief.”

Discussion: The Political Carnival and Informed Comment

Gautham Nagesh / The Hill: Cain: Racism doesn't hold blacks back

Kevinliptak / CNN:
Cain: Racism not holding anyone back

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Richard A. Serrano / Los Angeles Times:

Fast and Furious weapons were found in Mexico cartel enforcer's home — Guns illegally purchased under the ATF operation were found in April hidden in violence-plagued Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, court records show. — Reporting from Washington— High-powered assault weapons illegally purchased under …

Discussion: Campaign 2012, MyFox New York, The Gateway Pundit, Scared Monkeys, Weasel Zippers, Fausta's Blog, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Sense of Events and The Hill

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

The Depression: If Only Things Were That Good — David Leonhardt is The New York Times Washington bureau chief. — UNDERNEATH the misery of the Great Depression, the United States economy was quietly making enormous strides during the 1930s. Television and nylon stockings were invented.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Political Mojo

Jeff Sommer / New York Times:

An Ugly Forecast That's Been Right Before — LET'S face it: economic forecasting is an act of sheer hubris. Which, of course, only incites people to do it. — Multimedia — The stock market offers its predictions, and, occasionally, it's even right.

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

Perry's immigration problem — It's safe to say Rick Perry has given up his perch as the Republican presidential frontrunner. In fact, the apparent collapse happened rather suddenly, with a debate in Florida marking the pivot point. Almost immediately, the question in GOP circles went from …

Discussion: Washington Post and Booman Tribune

Reid J. Epstein / The Politico:
In Iowa, Rick Perry's immigration problem grows

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, Outside the Beltway and The Caucus

Los Angeles Times:

Brown signs California Dream Act — The law grants illegal immigrants access to state aid at public universities and colleges. It is one of 50 education-related bills weighed by the governor. — Reporting from Sacramento— Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday granted illegal immigrants access …

Discussion: L.A. NOW and ImmigrationProf Blog