memeorandum: Romney comments spark ‘CookieGate’ special (CNN)

2:35 PM ET, April 19, 2012

Top Items:

Norah O'Donnell / CBS News:

Source: Ousted Secret Service agent plans to sue — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — (CBS News) One of the Secret Service agents who has been forced out of his job is already planning a lawsuit, a congressional aide told CBS News after Mark Sullivan, the agency's director, briefed lawmakers Wednesday night.

Discussion: msnbc.com, Taylor Marsh and New York Times

ABCNEWS:

Secret Service Pre-Planned Party at Colombian Hotel — ABC News' Reena Ninan, Christine Romo and Mary Bruce Report: — CARTAGENA, Colombia — Secret Service officials planning a wild night of fun in Colombia did some of their own advanced work last week, booking a party space at the Hotel Caribe …

Discussion: Washington Post, neo-neocon, New York Times, New York Magazine, Althouse and TheBlaze.com

Alex Pappas / The Daily Caller:

Gingrich's Secret Service detail likely costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars a day — Even though by his own estimates he has very little prospect of winning the Republican nomination, Newt Gingrich is still likely costing the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars a day with his Secret Service detail on the campaign trail.

Discussion: Hot Air, Outside the Beltway and The Political Carnival

Un Bylined / Bangor Daily News:
Were those prostitutes spies? Officials check identities in Secret Service scandal

Discussion: The Other McCain and Corrente

Quinnipiac University:

Big Lead With Women Gives Obama An Edge On Romney, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Christie, Rubio, Ryan Top GOP Running Mate List — President Barack Obama holds a thin 46 - 42 percent lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, American Prospect, 2012 Decoded, Ballot Box, The Caucus, Clarion-Ledger, GOP 12, CNN and New York Magazine

Michael Patrick Leahy / The Daily Caller:

The coming conservative landslide — Wishful liberals and Chicken Little conservatives who watch the weekly fluctuations in the presidential polls have concluded that President Obama is a shoo-in for re-election. They point out that Mitt Romney, the likely Republican nominee …

Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress:

Cantor Suggests Anti-Semitism Is A Problem Within The House GOP Caucus — A few weeks ago, the House GOP was up in arms over House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-VA) $25,000 donation to anti-incumbent candidate Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who ultimately defeated his opponent, incumbent Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL).

Travis Waldron / ThinkProgress:

Cantor Suggests Raising Taxes On The Poor: 'You've Got To Discuss That Issue' — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) revived one of the GOP's favorite talking points this morning, telling attendees at a Politico-sponsored breakfast event that it was imperative that Congress address the …

Discussion: Daily Kos and Faith in Public Life

Russell Berman / The Hill:
Cantor: GOP will expand majority

Discussion: Politico

ABCNEWS:

Marco Rubio Says He Would Turn Down VP Slot If Asked — Sen. Marco Rubio said today he would decline any offer from Mitt Romney to be a part of the GOP ticket this fall. — “I don't want to be the vice president,” the Florida Republican said during an interview with Major Garrett of the National Journal.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, GOP 12, Washington Post and New York Magazine

Darius Dixon / Politico:
Abby Huntsman: Romney won't pick dad for VP

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and CNN

Darius Dixon / Politico:

West backs ‘Motor City Madman’ — Ted Nugent doesn't bear “any ill will” toward President Barack Obama, Rep. Allen West said Thursday despite the rocker's appointment with the Secret Service over his controversial comments. — “I think he was just expressing maybe his opinion about something …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, Guardian and Weasel Zippers

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Rep. West doubles down on Communist ‘ideology’ of progressive caucus

Discussion: Washington Post, Crooks and Liars and Weasel Zippers

Josh Israel / ThinkProgress: Allen West Says Congressional Progressive Caucus Is Communist But Won't Name Names

Erik Wasson / The Hill:

Obama warns GOP not to move spending bills that break debt deal — The Obama administration on Wednesday stated for the first time that the president will not sign any 2013 spending bills until the House abandons the spending levels in Rep. Paul Ryan's budget.

Discussion: Politico and The Maddow Blog

Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:

TPMDC — Obama To GOP: Abide By Debt Limit Deal Or Else Face A Govt Shutdown Right Before The Election — In a major escalation of a slowly building fight over funding the government, the White House has warned House Republicans, in no uncertain terms, that the government will shut …

Discussion: American Prospect, Washington Monthly, Firedoglake, ThinkProgress, Booman Tribune, Reuters, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo

Virginia / CNN:

Romney to deliver Liberty University commencement speech — (CNN) - Mitt Romney will deliver the commencement address at the evangelical Christian university led by Jerry Falwell, Jr., Liberty University said in a Thursday post to their website. — The school, located in Lynchburg …

Discussion: The Caucus, No More Mister Nice Blog, Ballot Box and Towleroad News #gay

Liberty University Christian College Education:
Gov. Mitt Romney to deliver 2012 Commencement address

Discussion: GOP 12, pandagon.net, Blue Virginia, rightwingwatch.org and Wonkette

Kris Maher / Washington Wire:

Romney's Cookie Comment Bites Back — In a campaign stop Tuesday outside Pittsburgh, Mitt Romney made what many locals considered a tasteless remark about cookies from a local landmark bakery. … Mr. Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, met with four couples …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, WTAE Pittsburgh's Channel 4, ThinkProgress and GOP 12

CNN:
Romney comments spark ‘CookieGate’ special

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Political Carnival, Mediaite and Ballot Box

Julie Bykowicz / Business Week:

The Business of Ending a Presidential Campaign — Hours after dropping out of the presidential race this month, Rick Santorum fired off an e-mail to supporters asking for “one more” contribution: “I am planning to do everything in my power to bring a change about in the White House,” he wrote.

Discussion: Capital Tonight

Michael Falcone / ABCNEWS:
Chris Kleponis/AFP/Getty Images; Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Discussion: BuzzFeed and Daily Kos

Amy Gardner / Washington Post:

Obama: 'I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth' — ELYRIA, Ohio — President Obama took his economic argument on the road Wednesday, declaring at a community college in hard-hit manufacturing country that his commitment to workforce training programs — programs, he said …

Discussion: Osborne Ink, Hot Air, The New Republic, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Indecision Forever, The Raw Story and neo-neocon

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Obama: Unlike some people, I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth

Discussion: Washington Post, Patterico's Pontifications, Campaign 2012 and ABCNEWS

John Frank / Raleigh News & Observer:

Letter details allegations of sexual harassment at N.C. Democratic Party — A former staffer accused the Democratic Party's executive director of showing him a picture of a penis, caressing his leg and discussing his sexual exploits, according to a new document obtained by The News & Observer.

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, The Other McCain and BuzzFeed

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:
Penis picture, detailed gay sex descriptions among sexual harassment allegations against NC Democrat

Discussion: WRAL-TV, RedState, Towleroad News #gay, PoliPundit.com and Hot Air

Javier Manjarres / The Shark Tank:

Michele Bachmann- Obama “Waving a Tar Baby in the Air” — During our sit-down interview with Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Bachmann skewered President Obama's energy policy and his farcical view of energy “independence.” — Bachmann said that Obama doesn't know “zilch about the economy …

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, ThinkProgress, Mediaite and The Raw Story

Rusty Shackleford, Ph.D. / The Jawa Report:

OWS Celebrates Holocaust Day w/ Antisemitic Cartoons — To give them their due, there are a lot of people in the comments pissed off about the picture. But, there are also 43 likes and 59 people sharing the photo (as of this writing). — So, is this a one-offer that we who already …

Tim Mak / Politico:

Leon Panetta: U.S. ‘within an inch of war’ — Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Wednesday that the United States was “within an inch of war almost every day” in the region around North Korea. — “We're within an inch of war almost every day in that part of the world …

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots

Washington Examiner:

K Street and Tea Party again fight for soul of GOP — Former Sen. Trent Lott looks on prior to the first of three presidential debates before the 2008 election on Sept. 26, 2008 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Discussion: protein wisdom

Charles Mahtesian / Politico:

Raese: Smoking regs like Hitler's Jewish star — Lots of Senate candidates rail against onerous government regulations. But West Virginia Republican John Raese , who's looking to knock off Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, took it to another level recently at the Putnam County Lincoln Day dinner.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:

Jim Webb: Health-care law represents a leadership failure for Obama — President Obama's new health-care law will be his greatest liability as he attempts to once again win the critical swing state of Virginia, Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) warned Wednesday. — “I'll be real frank here,” Webb said at a breakfast organized by Bloomberg News.