memeorandum: Obama Asks for Prayer on Budget Deal (Mary Bruce/Associated Press)

3:10 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

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'

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

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

Discussion: Ricochet Conversations Feed, NewsBusters.org blogs, Muckety, Wall Street Journal and Hot Air

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

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette

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 and Mondoweiss, more at Mediagazer »

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 and The Hinterland Gazette

New York Times:
Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills at Least 11, Including Children

Discussion: Mondoweiss, www.wnyc.org, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Twitchy

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

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

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

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

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

Discussion: Guardian, The Agonist, Mondoweiss, Pirate's Cove, Balloon Juice, New York Times and Firedoglake

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. ”

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:

Top Republicans Excoriate Romney On Sunday Talk Shows — If Mitt Romney has any friends left in the Republican Party, they're in hiding. — On the Sunday talk shows, senior Republicans, former Romney surrogates and prominent conservatives piled on their defeated presidential nominee …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

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: Mother Jones, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Conservatives4Palin

Mike Masnick / Techdirt:

House Republicans: Copyright Law Destroys Markets; It's Time For Real Reform — Update: Wow. It took less than 24 hours for the RSC to fold to Hollywood pressure. They have now retracted the report and attempted to claim that it was not properly vetted.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Firedoglake, Marginal Revolution and The Volokh Conspiracy, more at Mediagazer »

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

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