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Poll: Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney All Beat Obama — Here's how much political trouble President Obama is in: A new poll by the authoritative Evolving Strategies firm finds that Herman Cain, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Mitt Romney would all beat Obama it the election were held today.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Pajamas Media, americanthinker.com and Big Government
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Mitt Romney builds case for inevitability — HANOVER, N.H - Hours after Chris Christie signaled he believes Mitt Romney is the Republican party's inevitable nominee, Romney and the rest of the GOP field went about proving him right. — Romney again outclassed the opposition in Tuesday's Bloomberg/Washington Post debate.


After another bad debate, is Rick Perry finished? — HANOVER, NH — It would be an understatement to say that Texas Gov. Rick Perry's top aides are unhappy with press reports casting Tuesday night's Republican debate as a make-or-break moment for the Texas governor.
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, msnbc.com, Hot Air, Big Government, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, RedState and Online NewsHour


Perry Botches U.S. Revolution Century — Texas Governor Rick Perry energetically bounded into the Beta Theta Pi fraternity on Dartmouth College's campus after Tuesday night's debate, but when he was asked a question about states' rights, he slipped up on the dates for when the American Revolution was fought.
Discussion:
Brendan Nyhan, ThinkProgress, Campaign 2012 and Gawker


GOP debate is wicked — The Republican race has turned into “The Wizard of Oz.” Rick Perry wants a brain. Mitt Romney wants a heart. And any number of candidates are Dorothy, realizing there is no place like home and they should have stayed there. — Herman Cain is seeking courage.
Discussion:
ABCNEWS


Quick and dirty debate after-report: Perry is running out of gas; Excuses, excuses — To be fair, if you and I had to be up on stage with Charlie Rose and Karen Tumulty, we'd be soporifically stupefied after a few minutes, too. — But then again, we're not running for the highest office …
Discussion:
The New Republic, Outside the Beltway, Ballot Box, Campaign 2012, Riehl World View, CBS News, National Review and The Other McCain

First Thoughts: Is Romney a sure thing?
Discussion:
A plain blog about politics

Impressions of Tonight's Debate
Discussion:
Erick's blog, The Politico, Datechguy's Blog, Washington Wire, Daily Kos and Althouse


A Modest Proposal: Call Obstruction What It Is — Here is the headline in the online home page of the NYT, about Obama's “pass this jobs bill, pass it now” proposal. Note the word “fails”: — The subhead and the rest of the article make clear that more Senators voted for the bill than against it — 50 to 49.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Who is Rich Lowrie? — Herman Cain says his much-touted “9-9-9” plan is the product of extensive testing and thinking, but the only man he cited as involved with its research — Rich Lowrie, of Cleveland, Ohio — is not a trained economist. — Instead, Lowrie — who's the only economic adviser Cain …
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Herman Cain consultant: 9-9-9 wouldn't be accepted
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway


Issa subpoenas Holder on Fast & Furious — House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) announced Wednesday that he has issued a subpoena to Attorney General Eric Holder for Justice Department documents related to the failed “Fast and Furious” gun-running operation.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
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Occupy L.A. Speaker: Violence will be Necessary to Achieve Our Goals — Citizen journalist Ringo captured this speaker at the Occupy Los Angeles camp a few days ago letting the cat out of the bag: After dismissing nonviolence as a dead end, he admits that for the Occupiers to achieve their goals …


99 Percenters, Meet the 53 Percenters — In response to Occupy Wall Street, some conservatives are blasting the 47 percent of Americans who don't pay federal taxes. Do they have a point? — The slogan doesn't exactly sing: “We are the 53 percent!” But this new campaign …
Discussion:
Campaign 2012, Opinionator, ThinkProgress and New York Magazine
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Bloomberg: Occupy Wall Street unfairly blaming hard working people
Discussion:
Runnin' Scared, Riehl World View and New York Magazine


Heartbreak for Huma as new messages reveal how Anthony Weiner called her parents ‘backwards thinking’ and compared her to his ‘sextees’ in vulgar messages — Accused his successor Bob Turner of being ‘just another rich businessman trying to buy himself an election’


Cafe Milano: Where They Know You're ‘Very’ Important — Responding to speculation that allegedly Iran-linked terrorists were planning to blow up Cafe Milano in Georgetown, Tim Noah wonders what the deal is with Cafe Milano, a very expensive but fundamentally “meh” Italian restaurant:
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Iranian plot may have involved ambassador's favorite restaurant. Cafe Milano?
Discussion:
The New Republic


Wall Street's Gullible Occupiers — The protesters have been sold a bill of goods. Reckless government policies, not private greed, brought about the housing bubble and resulting financial crisis. — There is no mystery where the Occupy Wall Street movement came from …
Discussion:
Maggie's Farm, Questions and Observations and National Review

A conspiracy only Bachmann could create — As tempting as it is to simply ignore Michele Bachmann's nonsense, there was one gem from last night's debate that I really enjoyed. … What's amusing about this is how truly ridiculous Bachmann's silly conspiracy theory — and imaginary exchange with the president — really is.

Obama: 'I'm a fourth-quarter player' — (CNN) - President Barack Obama compared his re-election bid to a game of basketball, to make the point to Democratic supporters that he's a strong closer. — The president made his comments Tuesday night at the second of two campaign fundraisers in Florida.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers


Plot to kill ambassador unraveled on SW border — The unraveling of an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States came from a surprising place — the front lines of the drug war along the Mexican border. — And like a Hollywood thriller, the murder-for-hire tale cuts …
Discussion:
Time and The Reaction
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TPM2012 — Barney Frank Slams Newt Gingrich For Calling For His Imprisonment — Is it a violation of Congressional decorum to call for your former colleagues to be thrown in jail? Newt Gingrich lobbed a bomb early in Tuesday's Bloomberg/Washington Post debate by telling the audience …

‘Underwear bomber’ pleads guilty on all charges — The Nigerian student who attempted to blow up a plane over Detroit with a bomb sewn into his underwear pleaded guilty at a trial Wednesday. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who said after the botched Christmas Day attack that he was affiliated …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers


Does Anyone Have a Grip on the G.O.P.? — It wasn't that long ago that Republican moneymen and operatives in Washington were moping around K Street like Eeyore in the Hundred Acre Wood, lamenting their party's extremist image and casting about for a candidate with a chance of beating Barack Obama in 2012.