memeorandum: U.S. Fears a Ground War in Gaza Could Hurt Israel and Help Hamas (Helene Cooper/New York Times)

1:15 PM ET, November 18, 2012

Top Items:

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Lieberman splits from ‘my 2 amigos’ — Count two more top senators who think a special committee to investigate the government's response to the Sept. 11 attacks in Benghazi is not such a good idea. — Three Republican senators - John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte …

Discussion: The Raw Story

Brendan Sasso / The Hill:

Sen. Chambliss: Rice needs to share what ‘White House directed her to say’ — Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said on Sunday that he expects Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will testify before the Senate about the deadly September attack …

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:

Lieberman Breaks With McCain, Graham On Libya Investigation: ‘I Respectfully Separate From My Two Amigos’ — Today on Fox News Sunday, Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) said they did not think the U.S. Senate should create a special committee to investigate the deaths …

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Susan Rice's tarnished resume

Discussion: Ricochet Conversations Feed, NewsBusters.org blogs, Muckety, Power Line and Washington Monthly

Mark Landler / New York Times:
Susan E. Rice Caught Up in Furor Over Benghazi

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette

Wall Street Journal:
Hillary and Libya — The policy failure goes beyond the murder …

Discussion: The Reaction and Hot Air

Haaretz:

LIVE BLOG: Day 5 of Israel's Gaza offensive — Two Israelis moderately wounded in rocket attack on Ofakim; ten Palestinians killed in IDF attack, raising death toll to 65; AP: Israeli envoy landed in Cairo for cease-fire talks. — Israeli soldiers watch as an Iron Dome launcher fires …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Brendan Sasso / The Hill:

Sen. McCain calls for Bill Clinton to lead Israel-Palestinian talks — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) suggested on Sunday that President Obama should send former President Bill Clinton to lead cease fire talks between Israelis and Palestinians. — “We need a person of enormous prestige …

Discussion: Politico

Helene Cooper / New York Times:

U.S. Fears a Ground War in Gaza Could Hurt Israel and Help Hamas — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about the escalating violence in Gaza, believing that a ground incursion by Israel there could lead to increased civilian casualties, play into the hands …

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Washington Post, Booman Tribune, The Other McCain, Melanie Phillips, World News, Taylor Marsh, americanthinker.com, Times of India, Israel Matzav, Weasel Zippers and Guardian

Haaretz:
LIVE BLOG: IDF prepares for ground invasion as Gaza offensive enters fourth day

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Guardian

Jerusalem Post:
IAF bombs Hamas PM's Gaza HQ; Haniyeh unhurt

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Other McCain, Israel Matzav and Israpundit

New York Times:
Israel Steps Up Aerial Strikes in Gaza

Discussion: BBC, Pirate's Cove, The Agonist, Guardian, Israpundit, Politico, New York Magazine, Firedoglake and Mondoweiss

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Romney's Transition Chief Is Encouraging States To Implement Obamacare — A little more than a week after Mitt Romney lost his bid for the presidency, the prominent Republican tapped to head his transition is encouraging states to implement the Affordable Care Act, a law which Romney had pledged …

Discussion: Politico and Brad DeLong

Mike Allen / Politico:

44 days to cliff; 64 days to inauguration — PETRAEUS HIRES ROBERT BARNETT — Obama says next 36 to 48 hours critical in Gaza crisis — Rory Cooper baby — Latoff-Holmes wedding — EXCLUSIVE: Gen. David Petraeus has retained superlawyer Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly for advice …

Discussion: Spectator and The Buzz Florida Politics Feed

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Graham to Romney: 'When you're in a hole, stop digging' — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday took sharp aim at Mitt Romney's assertion that he lost the presidential election because of “gifts” that Democrats had doled out to women and minority voters. — “We're in a big hole,” Graham said on NBC's “Meet the Press. ”

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Obama arrives in Thailand, defends Burma visit — BANGKOK — As President Barack Obama prepared Sunday to become the first U.S. president to visit Burma, he defended his decision to make such a historic trip even as deadly ethnic violence continues in the Asian country long viewed as a pariah state.

Discussion: CNN

Jeff Spross / ThinkProgress:

VIEWPOINT: Republicans Lost Because Voters Rejected Their Economic Vision — We're now well into the political aftermath of the 2012 election, and the pattern of destruction is telling. In demographic after demographic, Obama defeated Romney by remarkable margins: 55 percent among women …

Discussion: The Raw Story, Booman Tribune and Brad DeLong

Charlotte Allen / Los Angeles Times:

Hey GOP, take the Palin cure — She's hot, she's blue collar, she's electable. — Is Sarah Palin the new Ronald Reagan? (Jon C. Hancock / Associated Press ) — The Republican Party has been doing a lot of hand-wringing and finger-pointing since the presidential election.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mother Jones and Conservatives4Palin