memeorandum: Murphy claims victory, West seeks hearing as recount deadline hits (Meghashyam Mali/Ballot Box)

5:30 PM ET, November 18, 2012

Top Items:

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: The Impolitic, Talking Points Memo and Politico

New York Times:

Gaza Violence Is Unabating as Outsiders Push for a Truce — GAZA CITY — Israeli forces killed at least 11 people, including several children, in a single airstrike that destroyed a home here on Sunday, as Israel pressed its bombardment of the Gaza Strip for a fifth day …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Sky News, Reporters Without Borders, New York Magazine, maannews.net, Gawker, Mondoweiss, www.wnyc.org, msnbc.com and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, more at Mediagazer »

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: Mondoweiss, Israel Matzav and The Gateway Pundit

Associated Press:
OBAMA: ISRAEL HAS RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF

Discussion: Washington Post, World News, The Hill and New York Times

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’

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Brendan Sasso / The Hill:
Sen. Chambliss: Rice needs to share what ‘White House directed her to say’

Discussion: CNN and Politico

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

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. ”

Meghashyam Mali / Ballot Box:

Murphy claims victory, West seeks hearing as recount deadline hits — Democrat Patrick Murphy's campaign is claiming victory in his race to unseat GOP Rep. Allen West (Fla.) on Sunday after a deadline passed for officials to report results from a partial recount in the race …

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Allen West falls further behind — Florida Rep. Allen West's reelection prospects grew dimmer Sunday, as a recount of early ballots showed him falling further behind his Democratic opponent. — Democrat Patrick Murphy, a 29-year-old construction company executive, gained 242 votes …

Discussion: Reuters and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Liberal Gloat — WINNING an election doesn't just offer the chance to govern the country. It offers a chance to feel morally and intellectually superior to the party you've just beaten. This is an inescapable aspect of democratic culture: no matter what reason tells us about the vagaries of politics …

Discussion: Chicago Boyz, Paul Krugman, City Journal and No More Mister Nice Blog

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: Outside the Beltway, Addicting Info, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mother Jones 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 and Marginal Revolution, more at Mediagazer »

Brendan Sasso / The Hill:

Biden tours Sandy damage in NJ, pledges continued federal aid — Vice President Joe Biden visited New Jersey on Sunday to tour the damage from Superstorm Sandy, telling residents of his personal connection to the region and pledging Washington's help. — Biden flew in a helicopter …

Discussion: CNN