memeorandum: In U.S., Standard-of-Living Optimism at Five-Year High (Andrew Dugan/Gallup)

7:00 PM ET, February 7, 2013

Top Items:

Panetta: Obama Absent Night of Benghazi — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified this morning on Capitol Hill that President Barack Obama was absent the night four Americans were murdered in Benghazi on September 11, 2012: — Panetta said, though he did meet with Obama …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Rush Limbaugh, The Mental Recession, Wizbang, Right Turn, The Gateway Pundit, Booman Tribune, nation.foxnews.com and his vorpal sword

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

On Their Own — The White House left Ambassador Chris Stevens, Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, and Sean Smith on their own on September 11 in Benghazi. That is the upshot of today's Capitol Hill hearing featuring Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey.

Discussion: Power Line

Associated Press:
Panetta defends military response in Libya attack

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Hit & Run, Hot Air, Pat Dollard and Flopping Aces

Tim Mak / Politico:
Leon Panetta defends Pentagon response after Benghazi attack

Discussion: ABCNEWS

SOOPERMEXICAN:

News Media Scrub Cop Murderer's Manifesto of Pro-Obama, Hillary, MSNBC, CNN, Gay, and Anti-Gun Comments — I've been following closely the news story about Chris Dorner, who is now suspected of murdering three people, including one police officer, and shooting another two police officers.

Discussion: Hot Air, Twitchy, BREITBART.COM, Weasel Zippers, Jammie Wearing Fools, Council of Conservative … and The Jawa Report

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
LAPD Spree Killer's Supposed Full Manifesto Shows Support For Gun Control And President Obama

Discussion: nation.foxnews.com and SOOPERMEXICAN

CNN:
L.A. police look for ex-cop suspected in shootings

Discussion: CBS Los Angeles, Poor Richard's News, L.A. NOW, Little Green Footballs and Represent!

Kate Mather / L.A. NOW:
Women delivering newspapers in Torrance shot in manhunt for ex-cop

Discussion: Hit & Run, Los Angeles Times, Crime and Consequences Blog, Boing Boing and Gawker

Crimefile / CRIME, GUNS, AND VIDEOTAPE:
Fired LAPD Officer, Obama Lover and Committed Gun Control Advocate is Being Sought In Revenge Killings!

Discussion: Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Bob Owens and The PJ Tatler

Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler:
Suspected L.A. Cop Killer Posted Pro-Obama, Pro-Gun Control, Leftist Rant on the Web (Update: KTLA Whitewash)

Discussion: protein wisdom, Fire Andrea Mitchell! and Five Feet of Fury

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Dems will offer GOP spending cuts to avert doom — The New York Times reports today that Senate Dems are putting together a plan to avert the sequester with new revenues drawn from things like nixing tax breaks enjoyed by oil and gas companies and closing loopholes for the wealthy and corporations.

Discussion: New York Times, Booman Tribune, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos and The Maddow Blog

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

The Morning Plum: GOP resolve on sequester begins to crack — There's been a good deal of chatter to the effect that Republicans still retain leverage in the sequester fight, because some of them are willing to let the sequester happen. But Politico reports that GOP resolve is cracking …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Businessweek, Poor Richard's News, Angry Bear, Booman Tribune, Hot Air, msnbc.com and The Huffington Post

Quinnipiac News + Events:

Release Detail — February 7, 2013 - Americans Back Women In Combat 3-1, But Less For Draft, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For Universal Gun Background Checks Is 92% — American voters support allowing women in combat by an overwhelming 75 - 22 percent, including 77 …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, ABCNEWS, The Plum Line, Gawker, Daily Kos, Hot Air, Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway, NPR and msnbc.com

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

Obama ‘prepared, eager and anxious’ for GOP sequester fight — President Obama told House Democrats on Thursday that he is “prepared, eager and anxious” to produce a “big package” on the so-called sequester that would end “this governance in crisis.” — Speaking to lawmakers …

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Obama tells House Dems he wants ‘big deal’ on debt

Discussion: Politico

Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
Michelle Obama to Attend Chicago Girl's Funeral

Discussion: Politico and NPR

Politico:

The GOP, Fox political purge — Republicans and Fox News are moving to purge the controversial political creatures they created. — Both were damaged badly in 2012 by loud, partisan voices that stoked the base — but that scared the hell out of many voters.

Discussion: Esquire, CNN, The Boston Globe, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, The Week, The Maddow Blog, Goblinbooks, The Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mock, Paper, Scissors, Daily Kos, First Read and msnbc.com

Jennifer Jacobs / Des Moines Register:
Congressman Steve King: Help fight Karl Rove's crusade against me

Discussion: Ballot Box, The Fix and Post Politics

James Hohmann / Politico:
Steve King: Donate to me to stop Karl Rove

Discussion: The Huffington Post, CNN and The Caucus

National and Local Weather Forecast …:

Winter Storm Nemo: Potential Historic Blizzard Looms — Potentially Historic Storm: Snow Impact — Winter Storm Nemo is now poised to become the latest example of a powerful, potentially historic, February storm. — We lay out the forecast of heavy snow on this page …

Discussion: Guardian, The Dish, The Week and Suburban Guerrilla

Miriam Valverde / Sun-Sentinel:

“Breastaurants” Tilted Kilt, Twin Peaks coming to area — Hooters Girls are getting more competition. At least two new “breastaurant” chains are working on plans to open in South Florida this year, also featuring scantily clad women. — Next month, the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery will open …

Discussion: Vodkapundit

Dana Halferty / Medium:

Damsel, Arise: A Westboro Scion Leaves Her Church — Just after 11 last Sunday morning at Old First Reformed Church in Brooklyn, the Rev. Dr. Daniel Meeter is starting the Sunday service as he always does. He runs through the opening salutation and the collect for the day …

Discussion: AMERICAblog, Religion Dispatches, Good As You, Mediaite, Advocate and The Stranger …

Megan Phelps-Roper / Medium:
Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise

Discussion: Joe. My. God., Mashable!, Guardian, Wonkette, Towleroad News #gay and Gawker

Washington Post:

Sen. Menendez contacted top officials in friend's Medicare dispute — Sen. Robert Menendez raised concerns with top federal health-care officials twice in recent years about their finding that a Florida eye doctor — a close friend and major campaign donor — had overbilled the government …

Discussion: CNN, ABCNEWS, NewsBusters blogs, The Hill, OpenSecrets.org, The Other McCain, Right Turn, Washington Free Beacon, Jammie Wearing Fools, Hot Air, Washington Examiner and Michelle Malkin

Michael Sneed / Chicago Sun Times:

SNEED EXCLUSIVE: Pending Jesse Jackson Jr. plea deal includes ‘significant jail time,’ source says — Sneed has learned a plea deal is now on the table between former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and federal authorities probing allegations of campaign fund misuse.

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, americanthinker.com, Outside the Beltway and The Hinterland Gazette

Gatemouth / Room Eight:

Exclusive: Lena Dunham—Born Again Political Virgin — LENA DUNHAM (in a video supporting President Obama's re-election): Your first time shouldn't be with just anybody. … The actual story of the cherries jubilee celebrating the loss of Lena Dunham's virginity is somewhat less romantic.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, BREITBART.COM, Mediaite, Red Alert Politics, The Daily Caller, PopWatch, Gawker and BuzzFeed

Dan Popkey / Idaho Statesman:

Longtime Labrador spokesman fired for bawdy Super Bowl tweet — Phil Hardy, Rep. Raul Labrador's spokesman since his upset congressional win in 2010, has been fired for mistakenly tweeting in the name of his boss about his admiration for two actresses pole dancing in a Super Bowl ad.

Discussion: Politico, Post Politics, Forbes and Mashable!

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:

Reagan-Appointed Judge On Race: ‘Eleanor Roosevelt Said Staffs Of One Color Always Work Better’ — A Texas civil rights group filed a complaint against Judge Lynn N. Hughes, a Ronald Reagan-appointee to a federal district court in Texas, criticizing his “outlandish racial comments” …

Discussion: alan.com

Mike Malloy / Ames Tribune:

Bill would define abortion as murder — State Rep. Rob Bacon believes abortion is murder and he wants the Iowa Code to reflect that. — Bacon, R-Slater, and eight other Republicans introduced such a bill in the Iowa House Wednesday. It would alter the definition of a person in murder cases to …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Raw Story and alan.com

Michael Levenson / Boston Globe:

Dan Winslow, former Romney aide, says “I'm in” for Senate — State Representative Daniel B. Winslow, a former judge and onetime aide to Governor Mitt Romney, said Thursday he is entering the special election for the US Senate, the first Republican to officially declare his candidacy.

Discussion: Ballot Box, Roll Call and Post Politics

Michael Grunwald / TIME:

Immigrant Son — Oriales García Rubio knows how it feels to want more. When she was a girl in central Cuba in the 1930s, her family of nine lived in a one-room house with a dirt floor. Her dolls were Coke bottles dressed in rags. She dreamed of becoming an actress.

Discussion: FishbowlDC, The Stranger …, Red Alert Politics, ABCNEWS, Washington Wire, TheBlaze.com, CNN and Wall Street Journal

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:

As Neocons Defend Obama, Allies Doubt Him on Drones as Never Before — The John Brennan confirmation hearings are the biggest showdown yet on extrajudicial killing and executive branch secrecy. — For once, the Obama Administration's drone policy is much in the news.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Flopping Aces, Taking Note, Lawfare, Washington Monthly, The Week, CANNONFIRE, Taylor Marsh and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

Catherine Rampell / New York Times:

Profound Weight of Layoffs Is Seen in Work Trends Survey — Layoffs have touched nearly every American household in some fashion over the last few years, according to new survey data to be released Thursday by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

Discussion: Economix and NPR