memeorandum: Santorum: 'I Don't Care What the Unemployment Rate's Going to Be' (Rebecca Kaplan/NationalJournal.com)

1:10 AM ET, March 20, 2012

Top Items:

Santorum: 'I Don't Care What the Unemployment Rate's Going to Be' — Candidate suggests that freedom is a bigger issue in the election than the economy. — MOLINE, Ill. - Rick Santorum is coming under fire for saying that the unemployment rate and economic growth are secondary issues …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, NO QUARTER, New York Times, Taylor Marsh and Hot Air

ABCNEWS:

Santorum Campaign Floats New Delegate Math Showing Much Tighter Race With Romney — ABC's News' Michael Falcone reports: — Rick Santorum's number crunchers are under no illusions that they are facing a tooth-and-nail fight with Mitt Romney over delegates, but their calculations show …

Rick Santorum / CNN:
Santorum dings Romney while defending contraception stance

Discussion: Politico, Reuters, BuzzFeed, Daily Kos and Washington Post

Charlie Riedel / ABCNEWS:
Pressure on Santorum to Deliver in Illinois

Discussion: The Huffington Post and GOP 12

New York Times:

U.S. War Game Sees Perils of Israeli Strike on Iran — WASHINGTON — A classified war simulation held this month to assess the repercussions of an Israeli attack on Iran forecasts that the strike would lead to a wider regional war, which could draw in the United States and leave hundreds of Americans dead …

Discussion: FP Passport, Outside the Beltway, War in Context, DownWithTyranny!, Israel Matzav, ThinkProgress, Associated Press, Politico and emptywheel

The White House:
Presidential Proclamation — National Day of Honor

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Paul Krugman:

Political Malpractice, Deficit Edition — Greg Sargent has more bang-your-head-against-the-wall material about the Obama administration's “pivot” to deficits. Quoting a new book by David Corn: … The depth of political malpractice here is just mind-blowing.

Discussion: Modeled Behavior and Hullabaloo

Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:

Obama blamed troubles on Fox News, book says — President Barack Obama blamed Fox News for his political woes in a private meeting with labor leaders in 2010, saying he was “losing white males” who tune into the cable outlet and “hear Obama is a Muslim 24/7,” according to journalist David Corn's new book, “Showdown.”

Discussion: Mother Jones, NewsBusters.org, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Reuters, Don Surber and The Lonely Conservative

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Obama's pivot to deficit reduction, explained

Discussion: US Politics

Adam Weinstein / Mother Jones:

The Trayvon Martin Killing, Explained — How did a kid armed with Skittles and an ice tea get gunned down by an overeager neighborhood watch captain? And why didn't police detain shooter George Zimmerman? — On the evening of February 26, Trayvon Martin—an unarmed 17-year-old African American student …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Atlantic Online, JustOneMinute, Sky Dancing, American Prospect, msnbc.com, Little Green Footballs, The Maddow Blog and No More Mister Nice Blog

Kevin Robillard / Politico:
CBC seeks probe of Florida shooting

Discussion: Wonkette, Crooks and Liars and ThinkProgress

Bristol Palin:

Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call? — You don't know my telephone number, but I hope your staff is busy trying to find it. Ever since you called Sandra Fluke after Rush Limbaugh called her a slut, I figured I might be next. You explained to reporters you called …

Discussion: Mediaite, TBogg, Hot Air, ABCNEWS, Conservative Hideout 2.0, NewsBusters.org, The Lonely Conservative, The POH Diaries, Washington Monthly, Wonkette, Ed Driscoll, Business Insider, Conservatives4Palin, Don Surber, Wake up America and The Daily Caller

Roger Friedman / blogs.forbes.com/rogerfriedman:

Exclusive: Seller of Controversial Anti-Obama Sticker Says It's Not Racist — Exclusive: Paula Smith of Hinesville, Georgia has a company called Stickatude.com. And they're selling their own version of an anti-Obama bumper sticker that reads “Don't Re-Nig 2012.”

Discussion: Angry Black Lady Chronicles, ThinkProgress, Hullabaloo, Little Green Footballs, Wonkette and Colorlines

Bruno Waterfield / Telegraph:

Dutch Roman Catholic Church ‘castrated at least 10 boys’ — At least 10 teenage boys or young men under the age of 21 were surgically castrated “to get rid of homosexuality” while in the care of the Dutch Roman Catholic Church in the 1950s. — Evidence of the castrations has emerged amid controversy …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Jeffrey Toobin / New Yorker:

HOLDING COURT — Brett M. Kavanaugh is a judge who sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which is often described as the second most important court in the country. President George W. Bush nominated Kavanaugh to that post in 2003 …

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy, National Review, Firedoglake, NewsBusters.org, Washington Monthly, Wall Street Journal and News Desk

Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
Obamacare on Trial: Case of the Century?

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Althouse

Paul Brandeis Raushenbush / The Huffington Post:

President Jimmy Carter Authors New Bible Book, Answers Hard Biblical Questions … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Jimmy Carter, Religion And Politics, Religion And Science, Scripture Commentary, President Jimmy Carter, Bible Gays, Bible Homosexuality, Bible Slavery, Bible Women's Rights …

Discussion: LGBTQ Nation, Business Insider, Good As You and ThinkProgress

Kirit Radia / ABCNEWS:

Russian Anti-Terror Troops Arrive in Syria — A Russian military unit has arrived in Syria, according to Russian news reports, a development that a United Nations Security Council source told ABC News was “a bomb” certain to have serious repercussions. — Russia, one of President Bashar …

Discussion: Doug Ross, The PJ Tatler, americanthinker.com and New York Times

Arizona Republic:

Arpaio sees media conspiracy against ‘birthers’ — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio believes that a media conspiracy “bigger than Watergate” is purposefully downplaying his volunteer posse's investigation of President Barack Obama's birth certificate. — Arpaio and the posse held …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, Indecision Forever and The Raw Story

Tennessean.com:

TN bill mandates publication of abortion data — Doctors who perform abortions in Tennessee could see their names listed online, and women who undergo the procedures could be unintentionally identified under a bill pending in the state legislature. — State lawmakers are debating a measure …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Feministe, PERRspectives, Shakesville, ThinkProgress, The POH Diaries and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Brian Tashman / rightwingwatch.org:

Pastor Dennis Terry Introduces Rick Santorum, Tells Liberals and Non-Christians to ‘Get Out’ of America — Greenwell Springs Baptist Church pastor Dennis Terry introduced presidential candidate Rick Santorum and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins tonight in Baton Rouge, Louisiana …

Discussion: Rumproast, Sky Dancing, CBS DC, his vorpal sword, Wonkette, Mediaite, Washington Monthly, Holy Bullies …, The Agonist and Good As You

Alan S. Blinder / Wall Street Journal:

The U.S. Cruises Toward a 2013 Fiscal Cliff — As tax cuts expire and spending falls, the economy will be hit with a 3.5% decline in gross domestic demand. — At some point, the spectacle America is now calling a presidential campaign will turn away from comedy and start focusing on things …

Discussion: Firedoglake, American Power and American Elephants

Jake Sherman / Politico:

GOP on budget: Bitten, but not shy — For the second year running, Republicans are betting big on the budget. — Despite getting hammered by Democrats last year, the GOP is gambling that going big and bold on their fiscal blueprint — think major changes to Medicare and Medicaid …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Post and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:

Obama is main target in House races, GOP says — President Obama is the main target in the Republican Party's attempt to keep control of the House, GOP leaders said Monday. — By focusing on Obama and the effects of his first term, Republicans can not only save their majority in the House …

Discussion: Politico

Apple:

Apple Announces Plans to Initiate Dividend and Share Repurchase Program — Expects to Spend $45 Billion Over Three Years — Apple® today announced plans to initiate a dividend and share repurchase program commencing later this year. — Subject to declaration by the Board of Directors …

Discussion: Business Insider, Fortune, TUAW, Felix Salmon, AllThingsD, Engadget, msnbc.com, New York Times and The Daily Caller

Raf Sanchez / Telegraph:

Syria: journalist Nir Rosen rejects allegations of collaborating with Assad regime — An American journalist has strongly denied allegations that he spied for the Syrian regime and handed its officials information on the movement of fellow Western reporters.

Discussion: Belmont Club, Israel Matzav and Truthdig

Guardian:

Nobel peace prize winner defends law criminalising homosexuality in Liberia — Exclusive: In joint interview, Tony Blair refuses to comment on Liberian president's remarks supporting anti-gay laws — The Nobel peace prize winner and president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Hit & Run, ThinkProgress, Clayton Cramer's Blog, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Raw Story and Harry's Place

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

'The Road We've Traveled:' A misleading account of Obama's mother and her insurance dispute — Narrator Tom Hanks: “He knew from experience the cost of waiting [on health care reform].” — President Obama : “When my mom got cancer, she wasn't a wealthy woman and it pretty much drained all her resources”

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative, Booman Tribune, Weasel Zippers and Taylor Marsh

Alex Spillius / Telegraph:

Syria: ‘I am the real dictator’, declares Asma al-Assad — Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of Syria's president, told a friend that she was the “real dictator” in the family, according to leaked emails that suggest she holds a cherished place in the leader's inner circle.

Discussion: Mediaite, americanthinker.com, Fox News, Ed Driscoll and The PJ Tatler

Los Angeles Times:

Gun-tracking operation caught top suspect, then let him go — Federal agents stopped the main target of the ill-fated Operation Fast and Furious in May 2010. After they questioned him, he disappeared back into Mexico, and the program went on to spiral out of control.

Discussion: PJ Media and The Heritage Foundation