memeorandum: Under Attack, Nate Silver Picks the Wrong Defense (Margaret Sullivan/The Public Editor's …)

9:35 AM ET, November 2, 2012

Top Items:

CIA Takes Heat for Role in Libya — When the bodies of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya, arrived at Andrews Air Force Base after the Sept. 11 attack, they were greeted by the president, the vice president and the secretaries of state and defense.

Discussion: WorldViews, emptywheel, Weekly Standard and American Power

Sharyl Attkisson / CBS News:

Sources: Key task force not convened during Benghazi consulate attack — CBS News has learned that during the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi, the Obama Administration did not convene its top interagency counterterrorism resource: the Counterterrorism Security Group, (CSG).

Discussion: The Other McCain, Hot Air, Pundit & Pundette, Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative, The Spectacle Blog, Power Line, National Review, Patterico's Pontifications, Pirate's Cove and Viking Pundit

Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Benghazi blunder: Obama unworthy commander-in-chief — U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans died in a well-planned military assault on their diplomatic mission in Benghazi seven weeks ago, the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. So why are details surfacing, piecemeal, only now?

Discussion: americanthinker.com, The Gateway Pundit, Nice Deb and The PJ Tatler

Eli Lake / The Daily Beast:

New Details on Benghazi — Two U.S. officials tell Eli Lake that the State Department never requested military backup the night of the attack. — On the night of the 9/11 anniversary assault at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, the Americans defending the compound and a nearby CIA annex were severely outmanned.

Discussion: Riehl World News, American Spectator, Foreign Policy, protein wisdom and Power Line

Martha Raddatz / ABCNEWS:
New Detailed Account of Benghazi Attack Notes CIA's Quick Response

Discussion: Little Green Footballs

Foreign Policy:
‘Troubling’ Surveillance Before Benghazi Attack

Discussion: Walid Shoebat, Hot Air, protein wisdom, ABCNEWS, National Review, The Gateway Pundit, emptywheel, WorldViews, The Jawa Report, The PJ Tatler, Conservatives4Palin, Outside the Beltway, Sense of Events and Nice Deb

Eric Schmitt / New York Times:
C.I.A. Played Major Role Fighting Militants in Libya Attack

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Michael R. Bloomberg / Bloomberg:

A Vote for a President to Lead on Climate Change — The devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to New York City and much of the Northeast — in lost lives, lost homes and lost business — brought the stakes of Tuesday's presidential election into sharp relief.

Economist:
Which one? — America could do better than Barack Obama …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Addicting Info, Connecting.the.Dots, Daily Kos, Democracy in America, Mother Jones, MarketBeat, The Daily Dish and Brad DeLong

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
The choice — “Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America …

Discussion: GOP 12, Betsy's Page, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and Politico

Raymond Hernandez / New York Times:
Bloomberg Backs Obama, Citing Climate Change

Discussion: Power Line, The Caucus, The Gateway Pundit, The Moderate Voice, The Stranger …, The Democratic Daily, Wonkette, Addicting Info and The Maddow Blog

Rep. Mike Honda / Reuters:
Sandy's lesson: Address climate change

Discussion: Pirate's Cove

Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Employment Situation Summary — Transmission of material in this release is embargoed USDL-12-2164 until 8:30 a.m. (EDT) Friday, November 2, 2012 — Technical information: — Household data: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps

Discussion: FT Alphaville, DealBook, Wonkblog, Lynn Sweet, The Maddow Blog, Red Alert Politics, Weekly Standard, BizzyBlog, National Review and AEIdeas

Barack Obama / CNN:

President Barack Obama: My vision for America — Editor's note: Barack Obama is president of the United States. — (CNN) — For the past few days, all of us have been properly focused on one of the worst storms of our lifetimes. We mourn those who were lost.

Discussion: Poynter

Mitt Romney / CNN: My vision for America — TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 31 …

Mark Thornhill / WAFF-TV:

Nonunion Ala. crews turned away from Sandy recovery — The hurricane-ravaged east coast has been receiving north Alabama help, but crews from Huntsville Utilities learned they'll be doing work in Long Island, New York instead of in New Jersey. — Crews from Huntsville …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Lonely Conservative, Scared Monkeys, The Dana Show, Michelle Malkin, Jammie Wearing Fools and Pirate's Cove

Patricia Zengerle / Reuters:

White House race tight in 4 key states; Obama up in Virginia: Reuters/Ipsos poll — (Reuters) - The U.S. presidential race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney is very close in four of the critical battleground states expected to decide next week's election, but Obama has built a small lead in Virginia …

Discussion: Ballot Box and News Desk

Jon Cohen / The Fix:
WaPo-ABC tracking poll: Presidential contest as close as close can be

Discussion: Washington Post, Business Insider and The New Civil Rights Movement

Margaret Sullivan / The Public Editor's Journal:

Under Attack, Nate Silver Picks the Wrong Defense — “Anybody that thinks that this race is anything but a tossup right now is such an ideologue, they should be kept away from typewriters, computers, laptops and microphones for the next 10 days, because they're jokes.”

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Marginal Revolution, Balloon Juice, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, The New Republic, Hollywood Reporter, Mediaite, Addicting Info, Politico, Brad DeLong, US News, The Raw Story and American Prospect, more at Mediagazer »

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

In Shift, Romney Campaign Approaches Pennsylvania With a New Urgency — PHILADELPHIA — First there was quiet. Then came the “super PACs.” Now the candidate is on his way. — In a striking last-minute shift, the Romney campaign has decided to invest its most precious resource …

Discussion: GOP 12 and The Caucus

Philip Rucker / Election 2012:
Romney to campaign in Pennsylvania on Sunday

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, The Fix, National Review, Prairie Weather and Washington Post

Dan Hirschhorn / The Daily:
A Play for Pa. — Exclusive: Romney's heading to Pennsylvania …

Discussion: Hot Air, PoliticsPA, BREITBART.COM, Election 2012 and The PJ Tatler

Sarah Parnass / ABCNEWS:

Errant Email to Newt Gingrich Supporters Says ‘Obama Is Going to Win’ — An email message mistakenly sent to Newt Gingrich's list serve this morning told subscribers that President Obama would no doubt win in 2012 and that they should be more worried about Obama's winning in 2016.

Discussion: The Impolitic, emptywheel and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Kristen A. Lee / NY Daily News:

Trump takes $5M offer to President Obama off the table after deadline expires — The Donald promised to pay the money to a charity of the President's choosing in exchange for him releasing his college records and other paperwork. Obama steered clear of accepting Trump's proposal.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and New York Magazine

Detroit Free Press:
Chrysler exec tweets that Donald Trump is ‘full of (expletive)’ over Jeep accusation

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette

Carrie Budoff Brown / Politico:

Liberals fear grand bargain betrayal if Obama wins — Labor unions and liberal interest groups are going all-out for President Barack Obama's reelection — but they're just as ready to turn that firepower back on him if he betrays them with a grand bargain.

Discussion: New York Times

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:

The Campaign Is Over, But The Election Isn't — The storm, the jobs numbers, and the last decisions. — Supporters of U.S. President Barack Obama wait in the stands at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 1, 2012. — LAS VEGAS, NV — The presidential campaigns effectively ended Monday …

Discussion: Marbury

John Moore / ABCNEWS:

‘We Need Food, We Need Clothing’: Staten Island Residents Plead for Help 3 Days After Sandy — The residents of Staten Island are pleading for help from elected officials, begging for gasoline, food and clothing three days after Sandy slammed the New York City borough. — “We're going to die!

Discussion: NY Daily News, National Review and Instapundit

Colin Campbell / Politicker:
Staten Island Borough President: Don't Give Money to the Red Cross

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Business Insider, Vox Popoli and Taylor Marsh

Journalism.org:

WINNING THE MEDIA CAMPAIGN 2012 — BOTH CANDIDATES RECEIVED MORE NEGATIVE THAN POSITIVE COVERAGE IN MAINSTREAM NEWS, BUT SOCIAL MEDIA WAS EVEN HARSHER — From the conventions to the eve of the final presidential debate, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both received more negative …

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider and Mashable!, more at Mediagazer »

Eline Gordts / The Huffington Post:

Mitt Romney's Italy Comments Spark Anger … FOLLOW: — Italy, Video, Mitt Romney Italy, Mitt Romney Italy Comments, Mitt Romney Italy Economy, Romney Europe Economy, Romney Italy, Romney Italy Comments, Romney Italy Economy, Romney Spain, World News — After riling Londoners over the summer …

Discussion: Guardian and AMERICAblog

Terry Baynes / Reuters:

Judge backs Catholic firm over contraception mandate — (Reuters) - A Catholic-owned family business in Michigan does not have to comply with the provision of the new U.S. healthcare law that requires private employers to provide employees with health insurance that covers birth control, a federal judge in Detroit has ruled.

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Weasel Zippers and National Review