memeorandum: Romney Camp Decides: The Economy Isn't Enough (Zeke Miller/BuzzFeed)

8:55 PM ET, September 16, 2012

Top Items:

Ambassador Susan Rice: U.S. Not ‘Impotent’ in Muslim World — U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told me this morning on “This Week” that the United States is not “impotent” in the face of violent anti-American protests sweeping the Muslim world.

Discussion: Hot Air, Fox News Insider, Weasel Zippers, The Hinterland Gazette, The PJ Tatler and Riehl World News

ABCNEWS:

Ambassador Susan Rice: Libya Attack Not Premeditated — U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi was not premeditated, directly contradicting top Libyan officials who say the attack was planned in advance.

Discussion: American Power, CBS News, The Fix, Doug Ross, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, Power Line, Atlas Shrugs, Wake up America and Taylor Marsh

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Rice contradicts Libyan account, says attack was not premeditated

Discussion: Betsy's Page, Weasel Zippers and Washington Examiner

Leila Fadel / NPR:
Consulate Attack Preplanned, Libya's President Says

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Weasel Zippers and The Right Scoop

Andrew Kirell / Mediaite:

Benjamin Netanyahu To NBC: Those Who Believe Iran Should Have Nukes ‘Set A New Standard For Human Stupidity’ — During his tour of several Sunday morning American talk shows, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told NBC's Meet the Press that Iran is guided by fanaticism with no rationality …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, The Other McCain, The Lonely Conservative and nation.foxnews.com

Pema Levy / Talking Points Memo:

Netanyahu: People Are ‘Drawing Me Into The American Election’ — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied accusations from critics that he is trying to influence the U.S. presidential election, despite escalating his demands that the United States draw a “red line” …

Discussion: CNN, Associated Press and The Reality-Based Community

Nancy Pelosi / CNN:
TRENDING: Pelosi says Ryan pick makes it easier for Dems to take House

Discussion: Politico and Booman Tribune

CNN:
On ‘red lines,’ Obama and Romney appear in agreement

Discussion: The Raw Story, Politico, Crooks and Liars and The Hill

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Neocons Slither Back — PAUL RYAN has not sautéed in foreign policy in his years on Capitol Hill. The 42-year-old congressman is no Middle East savant; till now, his idea of a border dispute has more likely involved Wisconsin and Illinois. — Yet Ryan got up at the Values Voter Summit …

Discussion: Politico, Balloon Juice, Hullabaloo, Taylor Marsh, The Mahablog, Washington Monthly, Washington Free Beacon, Connecting.the.Dots, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Daily Kos, Vox Popoli, Prairie Weather and Pressing Issues

Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic Online:

Happy New Year, Puppet Masters — This morning I came across a tweet from Blake Hounshell, the managing editor of Foreign Policy Magazine, that read, in its entirety: “Oy.” This “oy” was followed by a link to today's column by Maureen Dowd, in which she claims that “neocon” …

Discussion: Bloomberg

The Future of Capitalism:
Maureen Dowd on Neoconservatives

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:

Romney Camp Decides: The Economy Isn't Enough — “It's not enough just to criticize,” says Ryan. Agrees an aide: “We have to bring more to the table.” — OLDSMAR, Fla. — Mitt Romney's campaign for president appears to have quietly abandoned its guiding assumption …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Hot Air and Riehl World News

Robert Rizzuto / Union-News:

Poll: Elizabeth Warren opens 6-point edge on Scott Brown in Massachusetts Senate race — By ROBERT RIZZUTO and SHIRA SCHOENBERG — SPRINGFIELD — With 50 days left until Massachusetts voters decide who will represent them in the U.S. Senate for the next six years, Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren …

Discussion: The Political Carnival, Taylor Marsh and Hullabaloo

Peter Schroeder / Ballot Box: Poll: Warren opens up 6-point lead over Brown in Mass. Senate race

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Report: Teachers union to continue strike — The Chicago public teachers union on Sunday decided to continue a weeklong strike as efforts to craft a settlement feel short. — Union leaders declined to vote on a proposed contract settlement, reported the Associated Press …

Discussion: Associated Press

Chicago Teachers Union:
House of Delegates to review new contract language this Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Raw Story, Taylor Marsh and New York Times

Susie Madrak / Crooks and Liars:

Deja Vu, 1988: Protesters Throw Bombs Over Religious Film — While listening to all the outraged right wing rantings about free speech and how Muslims were a separate, primitive class of religion for their outraged and violent response in Libya to the deliberately provocative work …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Hullabaloo

James Fisher / delawareonline:

Tea party picking its battles — O'Donnell mulling '14 run as movement grows — MILLSBORO — Tea party faithful in the First State didn't have a lot to celebrate on primary election night, with a victory for one favored candidate, but loss after loss in other primary contests for state House and Senate seats.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, The Political Carnival, Ballot Box, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Outside the Beltway

Brian McLaren / CNN:

My Take: It's time for Islamophobic evangelicals to choose — Editor's Note: Brian D. McLaren is author of “Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World” (Jericho Books/Hachette Book Group). — I was raised as an evangelical Christian …

Discussion: protein wisdom