memeorandum: McAuliffe on defensive as Cuccinelli gets a boost (Laura Vozzella/Washington Post)

11:20 AM ET, September 19, 2013

Top Items:

Senator John McCain: Russians deserve better than Putin — When Pravda.ru editor, Dmitry Sudakov, offered to publish my commentary, he referred to me as “an active anti-Russian politician for many years.” I'm sure that isn't the first time Russians have heard me characterized as their antagonist.

Discussion: Yahoo! News, The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, Post Politics, Guardian, Gawker, The Hinterland Gazette, National Review, msnbc.com, TheBlaze.com, Mediaite, New York Times, NPR, NBCNews, Business Insider, Independent Journal Review and CBS DC

Tal Kopan / Politico:

Truthfully, John McCain in wrong Pravda — Sen. John McCain got his wish when his op-ed against Russian President Vladimir Putin was published in Russia news outlet Pravda. The only problem — it may have been the wrong Pravda. — The Arizona Republican published his anti-Putin piece …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Guardian, Mediaite and English pravda.ru

Leslie Bentz / CNN:

McCain publishes opinion piece in Pravda - but not the one he wanted — Washington (CNN) - Senator John McCain has a message for the Russian people: “I am pro-Russian, more pro-Russian than the regime that misrules you today.” — In an opinion piece titled “Russians Deserve Better Than Putin …

Discussion: The Stranger …, Taegan Goddard's … and Gallup

Associated Press:
In Pravda, John McCain slams Vladimir Putin

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, CNN and The Reaction

Thomas Grove / Reuters:
Senator McCain attacks Putin in Russian website op-ed

Discussion: Business Insider, The Week and Hot Air

Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:

The GOP's Self-Defeating ‘Defunding’ Strategy — It will only strengthen the president while alienating independents. — In 2010, Republicans took the House of Representatives by gaining 63 seats. They also picked up six U.S. senators and 675 state legislators, giving them control …

Discussion: The Hill, Talking Points Memo, The Plum Line, The Hill, msnbc.com, JustOneMinute, The Fact Checker and Washington Post

CNN:

House Republicans question Cruz's Obamacare-defunding fervor — Washington (CNN) - Republicans in the House of Representatives expressed outrage with one of their compatriots on the other side of the Capitol Wednesday, questioning whether or not Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is really all-in on defunding Obamacare …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, First Read, The Raw Story, Taylor Marsh, The Reaction, Post Politics, The Hill, The Hill and Politico

Gail Collins / New York Times:

World War O — The war against Obamacare: All the rationality of a Justin Bieber fan riot, and all the restraint of “Saw VI.” — On Wednesday, leaders of the House of Representatives announced their plans for a 42nd and 43rd vote to thwart the new health care reform law.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Caitlin Huey-Burns / Real Clear Politics:
House Republicans Hit Cruz for “White Flag” on Health Law

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Monthly, The Hill, Booman Tribune, Right Turn and New York Times

Sabrina Siddiqui / The Huffington Post:
Ted Cruz Infuriates House Republicans By Conceding Defeat On Obamacare Repeal

Discussion: Politico, The Hinterland Gazette, A plain blog about politics, Hot Air, Washington Wire, Roll Call and The Hill

Norm Ornstein / NationalJournal.com:

Congress's Fiscal Fiasco Forces Americans to Wear Badge of Shame — As readers of my past columns know, I was not exactly optimistic as we approached crunch time over the debt limit in 2011. But I am far more pessimistic now. At a dinner I attended Monday night with a host …

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Boehner asks why Obama will negotiate with Putin, but not Republicans

Discussion: Speaker.gov, Right Turn and Right Wing News

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
If we get a debt ceiling crisis, it's because Republican voters want one

Discussion: Business Insider, National Review, The Federalist and The Fix

Daniel Henninger / Wall Street Journal:
The Obama M.O. — Barack Obama's modus operandi is: I think, therefore you do.

Discussion: Hot Air

Tal Kopan / Politico:
John Boehner: President Obama deals with Vladimir Putin but not GOP?

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Hill

ABC News:
Obama Convening Export Panel at White House

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Associated Press

Josh Lederman / Associated Press:

Biden Visits Patients Wounded in Navy Yard Rampage — The White House says Vice President Joe Biden is visiting patients injured Monday in a mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. — Biden arrived Wednesday evening at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

Discussion: Politico and The Hill

Nick Gillespie / The Daily Beast:
Now Is Not the Time for New Gun Laws

Discussion: Shakesville, Washington Post, Hit & Run, NPR, The Raw Story, The Week and Post Politics

New York Times:
Mental Health Again an Issue in Gun Debate

Discussion: JustOneMinute and WJLA-TV

Debbie Siegelbaum / BBC:
Navy Yard: Swat team ‘stood down’ at mass shooting scene

Discussion: WJLA-TV, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post, Independent Journal Review, Hot Air, Mediaite and TheBlaze.com

Daily Mail:

Republicans ‘dead serious’ about bringing Hillary Clinton back to face MORE grilling as they slam State Department over Benghazi — A Republican aide says House investigators may ‘have to climb the ladder and swear Hillary in’ since underlings aren't providing answers

Discussion: Moe Lane

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Auditors of Benghazi attack say their report was not a cover-up

Discussion: Politico

Ginger Gibson / Politico:
Darrell Issa resumes Benghazi crusade

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Hot Air, Daily Kos and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Investor's Business Daily:

Growing IRS Scandal Requires A Special Prosecutor — Corruption: As the layers on the IRS scandal are peeled back, it's become increasingly clear the law has been broken and the White House may have been far more deeply involved than claimed. Time for a special prosecutor.

Los Angeles Times:

Syria may miss first deadline in U.S.-Russia chemical arms deal — The ambitious agreement is challenged as indications arise that the Syrian government will not submit a toxic-stockpile inventory this weekend. — Rebel fighters try to avoid Syrian army fire in Aleppo on Sept. 18.

Discussion: Mediaite

New York Times:
Former Defense Secretaries Criticize Obama on Syria

Discussion: Right Turn, Daniel W. Drezner, DownWithTyranny!, Ricochet Conversations Feed and Hit & Run

Mark Landler / New York Times:

Through Diplomacy, Obama Finds a Pen Pal in Iran — WASHINGTON — Few American presidents have held a deeper belief in the power of the written word than President Obama. And in few ways has that belief been more tested than in his frustrating private correspondence with the leaders of Iran …

Discussion: Business Insider and Al Jazeera English

Tracy Connor / NBCNews:
Iran's president Rouhani: We will never develop nuclear weapons

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Asia Times, New York Times, emptywheel, Guardian, World News, U.S. News, National Updates, The Dish, NBC Politics, Telegraph, Hot Air, The Raw Story and CBS DC

Laura Vozzella / Washington Post:

McAuliffe on defensive as Cuccinelli gets a boost — RICHMOND — Terry McAuliffe said Wednesday that he knew nothing about a failed effort by his supporters to wrest an important business endorsement from Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, his Republican rival in the governor's race.

Discussion: The Federalist, Moe Lane, National Review, CBS DC and First Read

Tal Kopan / Politico:

Nicole Wallace: GOP is playing in traffic — Former George W. Bush adviser Nicole Wallace said Thursday it's “idiotic” for Republicans to threaten a government shutdown over defunding Obamacare, comparing it to a child running into traffic. — Wallace, who was a communications chief …

Alex Seitz-Wald / NationalJournal.com:

Liberals Want to Save Obama—From Himself — Hill progressives are relishing their recent victories, but they're quick to say they're only looking out for the president's best interests. — Heading into this fall's fiscal fights and beyond, the White House will have to worry …

Jonathan Strong / National Review:

Congressman on Obamacare Exemption: ‘Go Home and Talk to Your Wife’ — A debate among congressional Republicans over a potential line of attack on Obamacare is pitting their pocketbooks against the chance at political gold. — At issue is a requirement in the law that congressional staffers purchase …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story, Taegan Goddard's …, ABC News, The Fix, The Hill and Post Politics

Nathaniel Popper / DealBook:

After Fed's Announcement, Confusion and Relief on Wall Street — Ben S. Bernanke and the markets are having a hard time understanding each other. — Despite a near uniform consensus on Wall Street that the Federal Reserve would start to withdraw its economic stimulus this month …

Discussion: msnbc.com, The Week and Wonkblog

Binyamin Appelbaum / New York Times:
In Surprise, Fed Decides to Maintain Pace of Stimulus

Discussion: Hot Air, DealBook, AEIdeas, FP Passport, Reuters and Calculated Risk

Harry Binswanger / Forbes:

Give Back? Yes, It's Time For The 99% To Give Back To The 1% — It's time to gore another collectivist sacred cow. This time it's the popular idea that the successful are obliged to “give back to the community.” That oft-heard claim assumes that the wealth of high-earners is taken away from “the community.”

Discussion: Daily Kos, CANNONFIRE, No More Mister Nice Blog, Shakesville, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Hullabaloo and The ToastThe Toast

The White House:

Remarks by the President at the Business Roundtable — Washington, D.C. — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. (Applause.) Well, Jim, thank you for the introduction. Thanks to Dave and Andrew and John — all the men and women of the Business Roundtable.