memeorandum: Cain: God Convinced Him to Run for President (Lindsey Boerma/NationalJournal.com)

8:55 PM ET, November 12, 2011

Top Items:

Poll: Obama disapproval rating on economy at record high — CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto — President Obama's ratings on the the most important issue for his re-election — the economy …

Discussion: Hot Air, Ballot Box, Weasel Zippers, Scared Monkeys, Outside the Beltway, TalkLeft and Fire Andrea Mitchell!

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:

Huntsman plays to his strengths, goes after GOP rivals on foreign policy — Hours before the first Republican presidential debate to focus on foreign policy, Jon Huntsman released a web video to capitalize on the only issue where he has the clear advantage over his competitors.

Discussion: The Reaction and CNN

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

The Gingrich Surge Has Come — There's lots of buzz on Friday about national polls that are variously being interpreted as good news for Newt Gingrich, good or bad news for Mitt Romney, and good or bad news for Herman Cain. So let's take a step back and focus on the bigger picture.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Patterico's Pontifications, Iowa Caucuses, The Mahablog, Associated Press, The PJ Tatler and CNN

Peter Hamby / CNN:

5 things to look for in GOP debate — Spartanburg, South Carolina (CNN) — The tenth debate of the topsy-turvy Republican campaign will take place at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Saturday night. — This time the sponsors are CBS News, The National Journal and the South Carolina Republican Primary.

Discussion: US Politics

CBS News:
GOP candidates ready for CBS News/National Journal debate

Discussion: Firedoglake, Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, Hot Air and Pat Dollard

Lindsey Boerma / NationalJournal.com:

Cain: God Convinced Him to Run for President — Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain gestures during a speech at the Values Voter Summit in October — ATLANTA, Ga. - Herman Cain, whose campaign could use some redemption in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Ballot Box, The Political Carnival, Little Green Footballs and Daily Kos

Lee Moran / Daily Mail:

Is this the sexiest political ad campaign ever? Putin's model army strikes again with raunchy video to get Russians voting — They've washed cars in skimpy outfits and torn their clothes off - all to promote the hardman of Russian politics, Vladimir Putin.

Discussion: Power Line

Steven Hayward / Power Line:

Renewable Energy: Bubble, Scam, or Both? — The lead story in today's New York Times is a devastating look at solar and wind power subsidies. Too bad it appears on a Saturday when fewer people will read it (which may not be a coincidence). The print hed and sub-hed tell it better than the online version …

Discussion: New York Times

New York Times:
A Gold Rush of Subsidies in Clean Energy Search

Discussion: Marginal Revolution and The Lonely Conservative

David Willman / Los Angeles Times:

Cost, need questioned in $433-million smallpox drug deal — A company controlled by a longtime political donor gets a no-bid contract to supply an experimental remedy for a threat that may not exist. — The U.S. searched Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, including smallpox, after the 2003 invasion.

Discussion: Verum Serum, RedState, LaborUnionReport.com, Pat Dollard, Michelle Malkin, The Lonely Conservative, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Wizbang

Josh Lederman / The Hill:

Obama, leaders set framework for Asia-Pacific trade agreement — President Obama and representatives of eight other nations agreed to a framework on Saturday for a free trade agreement in the Pacific Rim region, the White House announced. — “We just had an excellent meeting …

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

BBC:

Iran explosion at Tehran military base — There has been at least one explosion in a military base west of Iran's capital, Tehran, officials say. — Several people have been killed after the blast in a weapons depot, according to the semi-official Fars news agency, but this has not been confirmed.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Pat Dollard, Israel Matzav, Fox News, The Moderate Voice, Reuters, Maggie's Notebook and The PJ Tatler

Colby Hall / Mediaite:

Herman Cain Wouldn't Be Romney's VP, But He Would Like To Be Secretary Of Defense — In the event that the American voters aren't sold on the presidential qualities honed by Herman Cain's experience as CEO of Godfather's Pizza, President of the National Restaurant Association or decade spent …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Hot Air

Susan Saulny / The Caucus:
Herman Cain's Wife Plans to Sit Down for a Television Interview

Discussion: Mediaite, The Political Carnival and Booman Tribune

Carolyn Lochhead / San Francisco Chronicle:

Pelosi's investments questioned in CBS report — Washington — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is the subject of a report on the stock investments of members of Congress that is to air Sunday on CBS' “60 Minutes.” — The San Francisco Democrat and House Speaker John Boehner …

Discussion: ProfessorBainbridge.com and Big Government

New York Times:

Berlusconi Resigns After Italy's Parliament Approves Austerity Measures — ROME — With his country swept up in Europe's debt crisis and his once-mighty political capital spent, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned on Saturday, punctuating a tumultuous week and ending an era in Italian politics.

Discussion: Gawker, Runnin' Scared and Wall Street Journal