memeorandum: Amid ailing economy, members of Congress delve into sports issues (Peter Sullivan/The Hill)

11:40 AM ET, November 13, 2011

Top Items:

Bachmann, Paul Call Debate Moderators ‘Disgraceful’ — SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Fireworks were few and far between at the GOP's foreign policy debate tonight, but if any issue provoked the ire of some candidates it was not each other but rather how CBS News' moderator Scott Pelley ran the event.

Discussion: Althouse, Outside the Beltway, Booman Tribune and LewRockwell.com Blog

Marc A. Thiessen / National Review:

The Big Loser of the Night: CBS — If there was a loser on the debate stage tonight, it was CBS. First, they scheduled their debate on a Saturday night between two major football games. Then they decide to only broadcast the first hour of their 90-minute debate. Then their Internet feed failed for the final 30 minutes.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Don Surber, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, americanthinker.com and The PJ Tatler

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:

Foreign policy debate highlights differences within Republican field — The Republican presidential candidates finally found a way to draw stark contrasts with one another, revealing a surprising amount of divergence on the proper role for the U.S. in world affairs.

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, Mediaite and Iowa Caucuses

Zachary Abrahamson / The Politico:
Foreign policy drops from view in '12 race

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Rick Perry 2012 Campaign …

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
Huntsman plays to his strengths, goes after GOP rivals on foreign policy

Discussion: The Politico, Reuters, Outside the Beltway, The Reaction, The Hill and CNN

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:

U.S., EU pressure Netanyahu to scrap proposed bill against Israeli NGOs — EU ambassador to Israel, Andrew Standley, warns prime minister's national security adviser, Yaakov Amidror that passage of legislation could harm Israel's standing. — The European Union and the United States …

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and Israel Matzav

Adrian Blomfield / Telegraph:

Israel refuses to tell US its Iran intentions — Israel has refused to reassure President Barack Obama that it would warn him in advance of any pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear capabilities, raising fears that it may be planning a go-it-alone attack as early as next summer.

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Founding Bloggers and The Raw Story

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Devil and Joe Paterno — WHEN I think about the sins of Joe Paterno, and the ignominious ending of his long and famous career, I think about Darío Castrillón Hoyos. — Castrillón is a Colombian, born in Medellín, who became a Catholic priest and then a bishop during …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Rod Dreher

Charles Dharapak / ABCNEWS:

President Obama to CEOs: 'We've Been a Bit Lazy' — For the second time in as many months, President Obama has taken the nation that elected him president to task for its own lackadaisical economic performance on the global stage. — Obama told a group of CEOs today that the United States has gotten …

Discussion: americanthinker.com and The Gateway Pundit

Josh Lederman / The Hill:
Obama, leaders set framework for Asia-Pacific trade agreement

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

Tyler Cowen / New York Times:

Whatever Happened to Discipline and Hard Work? — THE Occupy Wall Street movement has raised important questions about the respect paid to wealth in our society. There is a good deal of unfairness in the American economy, and by deliberately targeting the “top 1 percent,” …

Discussion: Economist's View, Marginal Revolution and EconLog

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: Towleroad News #gay and Power Line

Jordy Yager / The Hill:

Holder pushes back on Fast and Furious probe — Attorney General Eric Holder is trying to get in front of the Fast and Furious controversy that has led to calls from conservatives for his resignation. — Holder has shed the low-key persona that sought to quietly deflect a torrent …

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Justin Elliott / Salon:

Ford's Theatre flunks O'Reilly's Lincoln book — The National Park Service finds that the Fox host's best-selling new book is riddled with factual errors — [UPDATE 11/12/11: A second expert reviewer trashes O'Reilly's book, finds more errors.] — A reviewer for the official National …

Discussion: Mediaite, US Politics and News Hounds

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:

Amid ailing economy, members of Congress delve into sports issues — Members of Congress have recently delved into the world of sports, weighing in on the NCAA, athletes' drug abuse, conference alignments and the Penn St. sex scandal. — Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) labeled the NCAA one of the …