memeorandum: Poll: Obama widens lead in Pennsylvania (Philly.com)

1:10 PM ET, September 15, 2012

Top Items:

Steven Hayward / Power Line:

Chaos at the State Dept? — I spoke with a well-placed journalist last night whose sources describe the situation at the State Department in one word: “Chaos.” The working assumption is that several American embassies may have been penetrated, or are vulnerable to attack …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:

State Department: Stop asking us about the Benghazi attack — The State Department told reporters Friday afternoon that it won't answer any more questions about the Sept. 11 attack on the consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans until the investigation into the incident is complete.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Wake up America, The PJ Tatler, Hot Air, Pirate's Cove, National Review, Weasel Zippers, Taylor Marsh, ABCNEWS, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and protein wisdom

Michael Patrick Leahy / BREITBART.COM:

COLONEL: HILLARY MADE DECISION NOT TO POST MARINES AT BENGHAZI — In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Fox News military analyst Colonel David Hunt laid the blame for the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans at the Benghazi, Libya American mission on Hillary Clinton and the State Department:

Discussion: US Department of State

Catherine Herridge / Fox News:
Diplomatic, western posts targeted repeatedly in Benghazi in run-up to deadly assault

Discussion: Pat Dollard and Jammie Wearing Fools

Frank Gardner / BBC:
US consulate in Benghazi ‘did not have enough security’

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Riehl World News

Kimi Yoshino / L.A. NOW:

Alleged ‘Innocence of Muslims’ filmmaker taken in for interviewing by deputies — Just after midnight, authorities descended on the Cerritos home of the man believed to be the filmmaker behind the anti-Muslim movie that has sparked protests and rioting in the Arab world.

Discussion: Althouse, The Hinterland Gazette, Mediaite, The Back Channel, Hollywood Reporter, Instapundit, Overlawyered and The Daily Beast

Wbastone / The Smoking Gun:

Producer Of Anti-Islam Film Was Fed Snitch — L.A. man began cooperating with prosecutors after 2009 fraud bust — In remarks stressing that the U.S. government had “absolutely nothing to do with” the anti-Islam film that has touched off violence in the Middle East, Secretary …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Doug Ross, CANNONFIRE, Wired, BBC, Newsy and Hit & Run

Ace / Ace of Spades HQ:
US GOVERNMENT NOW ACTING AS CENSORSHIP ARM OF ISLAMISTS

Discussion: Wake up America, talk2action.org, Zombie, L.A. NOW, Ed Driscoll, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Jawa Report, NewsBusters.org, The PJ Tatler and Blazing Cat Fur, more at Mediagazer »

Philly.com:

Poll: Obama widens lead in Pennsylvania — President Obama, already ahead in Pennsylvania, received a small bump from the Democratic National Convention and now leads Mitt Romney in the state by 11 points, according to the Inquirer Pennsylvania Poll. — But with eight weeks left …

Discussion: The Hill, DownWithTyranny!, The Reaction and USA Today

New York Times:

Obama Erases Romney's Edge on Economy, Poll Finds — President Obama has taken away Mitt Romney's longstanding advantage as the candidate voters say is most likely to restore the economy and create jobs, according to the latest poll by The New York Times and CBS News, which found a modest sense …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Magazine, Politico, Outside the Beltway, American Power, Prairie Weather, The Caucus and NationalJournal.com

John Nolte / BREITBART.COM:

ANTI-ISLAM FILMMAKER DONATED MILLION DOLLARS TO OBAMA CAMPAIGN — Blame the movie. — Blame the movie. — Blame the movie. — Even though “the movie” was on YouTube for months prior to the collective indignation of thousands of Middle Eastern Islamists all coming together …

Discussion: protein wisdom

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Obama: Slain diplomats represented ‘very best of our country’

Discussion: Politico and CNN

Kirsten Powers / Fox News:
President Obama, stop blaming the victim for Mideast violence

Discussion: Wake up America, Mediaite, Pat Dollard and Hot Air

Agence France Presse:
Afghans burn Obama effigy at film demo

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Riehl World News and BREITBART.COM

Hillary Rodham Clinton / US Department of State:
Remarks at the Transfer of Remains Ceremony to Honor Those Lost in Attacks in Benghazi, Libya

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and American Power

ABCNEWS:

Is President Obama ‘Skipping’ Intelligence Briefings? — Conservative critics of President Obama are accusing him of “skipping” daily intelligence briefings throughout his first term and in the days leading up to this week's deadly attacks on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Libya.

Discussion: Wake up America, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Naked Politics, The Caucus and Weekly Standard

CNN:

In CNN interview, Eastwood stands by RNC speech — (CNN) - Actor Clint Eastwood says he does not care about the reaction to his stand up routine at the Republican convention, which drew more attention on the night Mitt Romney accepted the presidential nomination.

Discussion: The Hill

Jason Stein / JSOnline:

Judge throws out Walker's union bargaining law — By Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel — Madison - Gov. Scott Walker's law repealing most collective bargaining for local and school employees was struck down by a Dane County judge Friday, yet another dramatic twist in a year and a half saga …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway, New York Times, Associated Press, Eduwonk, Newsy, naked capitalism, Politico, The PJ Tatler, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, Althouse, The Raw Story, The Maddow Blog and Diane Ravitch's blog

Scott Bauer / Associated Press:
Wisconsin Collective Bargaining Law Struck Down By County Judge

Discussion: CNN, Associated Press, Daily Kos and Diane Ravitch's blog

Michelle Quinn / Reuters:

Google decides to leave video on YouTube — Google will leave a controversial video clip about the Islamic prophet Muhammad on YouTube despite a White House request that the company review it under its own policies, the company said Friday. — The White House confirmed Friday that it asked Google …

Discussion: his vorpal sword, Mediaite, americanthinker.com and The Daily Caller

Gerry Shih / Reuters:
Google rejects White House request to pull Mohammad film clip

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Marketing Land, Jihad Watch and Betabeat

Byron Tau / Politico:
W.H. asks YouTube to ‘review’ film

Discussion: AllThingsD and Hot Air

Ilya Gridneff / Sydney Morning Herald:

Police gas Sydney protesters — Police gas Sydney protesters angered by a US film, Innocence of Muslims, portraying the prophet Muhammad as a womaniser and paedophile. — Eight people were arrested and six officers were injured after a protest swept through the Sydney CBD this afternoon.

Discussion: Boing Boing, Jihad Watch, The Gateway Pundit and Atlas Shrugs

Richard D. Kahlenberg / The New Republic:

Can the Chicago Teachers' Strike Fix Democratic Education Reform? — In 1960, when Albert Shanker and other members of New York City's teachers union sought collective bargaining rights, they set a strike date for Monday November 7, the day prior to the presidential election between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

Discussion: Hullabaloo, americanthinker.com, Reuters and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Eric Zorn / Change of Subject:
Why teachers have test anxiety, too

Discussion: Diane Ravitch's blog

BBC:

Prince at attacked Afghan base — Taliban video which claims to show aftermath of attack on Camp Bastion — Prince Harry was at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan during an assault by the Taliban which killed two US marines. — American officials said small arms, rockets and mortars were used …

Discussion: Hot Air and Outside the Beltway

CNN:
Official: 2 U.S. Marines die in ‘sustained attack’ on Afghan base

Discussion: Newsy and The Hinterland Gazette

Adrian Chen / Gawker:

Confirmed: The Director of ‘Innocence of Muslims’ Is a Schlocky Softcore Porn Director Named Alan Roberts — The anti-Islam film that's set off a firestorm in the Middle East was directed by a 65-year-old schlock director named Alan Roberts, we've confirmed.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Informer, The Raw Story, Boing Boing, Atlas Shrugs, CANNONFIRE, Poynter, Talking Points Memo and The Atlantic Online, more at Mediagazer »

Fox News:

Marines arrive in Yemen after embassy attack, protests spread — U.S. Marines are on the ground in Yemen to deal with the aftermath of an attack on the U.S. Embassy in the capital city of Sanaa, as the Obama administration warns of sustained protests outside diplomatic posts across the Middle East and North Africa.

Discussion: American Power, Newsy, CNN, Fox News Insider and Pat Dollard