memeorandum: Violence in wake of Koran incident fuels U.S. doubts about Afghan partners (Greg Jaffe/Washington Post)

10:10 AM ET, February 27, 2012

Top Items:

Susan Page / USA Today:

Swing states poll: Health care law hurts Obama in 2012 — WASHINGTON - The health care overhaul that President Obama intended to be the signature achievement of his first term instead has become a significant problem in his bid for a second one, uniting Republicans in opposition and eroding his standing among independents.

Discussion: American Prospect, GOP 12, Michelle Malkin, Jammie Wearing Fools, The Hill, Hit & Run, Outside the Beltway, Questions and Observations, Hot Air, CNN, Ballot Box, Scared Monkeys, The Lonely Conservative, Politico, ABCNEWS and The Page

James Hohmann / Politico:

Battleground Poll: GOP president's race takes toll, Obama inches up — A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll reveals the prolonged nominating battle is taking a toll on the GOP candidates and finds the president's standing significantly improved from late last year.

Discussion: msnbc.com, CBS News, Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Washington Wire, Mediaite and Associated Press

Rick Santorum / Wall Street Journal:

My Economic Freedom Agenda — We need bold tax reform, but Mitt Romney wants to tinker at the margins. — America's budget process is broken. Our economy and American families are struggling, and the country needs bold reforms and major restructuring, not tinkering at the margins.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Hill, The Spectacle Blog, Campaign 2012, JunkScience.com and Politico

Quinnipiac University:

Men, Conservatives Push Santorm To 7-Pt. Ohio Lead, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; 45% Of GOP Voters Might Change Their Mind — With strong support from men and conservatives, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum leads the Ohio GOP presidential field with 36 percent of likely Republican primary voters …

Discussion: GOP 12, CNN, Politico, The Charlotte Observer, 2012 Decoded, Taegan Goddard's … and msnbc.com

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Americans Divided on Repeal of 2010 Healthcare Law — Majority of Republicans strongly favor repeal if a Republican is elected president — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans divide evenly when asked if they favor (47%) or oppose (44%) a Republican president's repealing the 2010 healthcare law if elected this November.

Discussion: The Hill, Campaign 2012 and Weasel Zippers

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Romney takes small Michigan lead — Mitt Romney's taken a small lead over Rick Santorum in PPP's newest Michigan poll. He's at 39% to 37% for Santorum, 13% for Ron Paul, and 9% for Newt Gingrich. Compared to a week ago Romney's gained 6 points, while Santorum's just stayed in place.

Discussion: Politico, CNN, USA Today, Washington Post, Detroit Free Press, Hot Air, Bloomberg, Outside the Beltway, The New Republic, Los Angeles Times and New York Magazine

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Romney headed for an Arizona rout — Mitt Romney is headed for an overwhelming victory in Arizona's primary on Tuesday. He's at 43% to 26% for Rick Santorum, 18% for Newt Gingrich, and 11% for Ron Paul. — You can make a fair argument that Romney's already won the Arizona primary.

Discussion: American Prospect, Outside the Beltway, Taegan Goddard's …, msnbc.com and CNN

Gerald Herbert / ABCNEWS:
‘World News’ Political Insights: What Mitt Romney Has Already Lost

Discussion: The Hill, Politico and New York Times

Sarah B. Boxer / CBS News:

Romney: Not a NASCAR fan, but friends are owners — Mitt Romney went to the races today, and instead of putting his pedal to the metal, seems to have put his foot in his mouth. — Asked by a reporter from the Associated Press about whether or not he follows NASCAR, Romney reportedly responded …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Obama Diary, Balloon Juice, Toronto Star and Dependable Renegade

Associated Press:
Romney takes campaign detour to Daytona

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Raw Story, Crooks and Liars, Rumproast, Los Angeles Times, Tucson Citizen, BuzzFeed and Associated Press

New York Times:

Violent Uproar in Afghanistan Casts Shadow on U.S. Pullout — WASHINGTON — American officials sought to reassure both Afghanistan's government and a domestic audience on Sunday that the United States remained committed to the war after the weekend killing of two American military officers inside …

Discussion: Via Meadia and Outside the Beltway

Greg Jaffe / Washington Post:
Violence in wake of Koran incident fuels U.S. doubts about Afghan partners

Discussion: Althouse and Prairie Weather

Terence P. Jeffrey / CNSNews:
Karzai's Response to Obama's Apology: Put U.S. Troops on Trial and Punish Them

Discussion: Don Surber, The Right Scoop, Weasel Zippers and Randy's Roundtable

Sandra Tsing Loh / The Atlantic Online:

Daddy Issues — Why caring for my aging father has me wishing he would die — To my surprise, in a motion as automatic as the reflex of a mussel being poked, my body bent double and I heard myself screaming: — “I WAAAAAAAANT MY FATHERRRRRR TO DIEEEEE!!!”

Adam Winkler / The Daily Beast:

Clarence Thomas Is a Long Shot for President, But His Candidacy Makes a Lot of Sense — Call it a longshot if you like, but in this anything-can-happen political year, the Supreme Court justice has qualities to recommend him to a broad spectrum of voters. — With the Republican presidential …

Discussion: Instapundit, Outside the Beltway and Brad DeLong

Wall Street Journal:

Unions Rejigger Political Spending — Labor-union contributions to candidates and parties are leveling off in the 2012 election cycle, hindering Democrats' campaign- funding plans amid a spending surge by groups backing Republicans. — Some union officials suggest that …

Discussion: Campaign 2012

Brent Kendall / Wall Street Journal:

EPA Air Rules Head to Court — Range of Industries Challenges Mandates as Too Expensive; U.S. Agency Cites Strong Evidence to Support Moves — Republicans on the campaign trail have long bashed President Barack Obama's environmental regulations. This week the battle moves to the courtroom …

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Law Blog

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:

Santorum says he ‘almost threw up’ after reading JFK speech on separation of church and state — Former senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) on Sunday defended a statement he made last October in which he said that he “almost threw up” when he read John F. Kennedy's 1960 Houston address on the role of religion in public life.