DAY'S END ROUNDUP

FROM THE BLOGS:

Not so fast
The Weekly Standard's Jay Cost poo-poos the common view that President Obama is the favored candidate in this election, arguing that the incumbent's polling figures are only where they're at because of the pre-existing Democratic voting base.

The egghead is a spy, not a politician
Slate's Fred Kaplan rains on everybody's parade with seven reasons why the Petraeus-as-VP rumors are "preposterous."

The trouble in Syria involves more than just the Syrians
The New Yorker's Jon Lee Anderson argues that the most recent defections from Syria's top levels of administration quash any doubt that the conflict is anything but inherently sectarian, and worries aloud that the conflict could morph into a wider regional war.

Is there any tongue-twister worth $100,000?
The Daily Caller's Mickey Kaus speculates that Obama administration aide Michael Plouffe, who received money from a British-American firm with ties to illegal trading with Iran, might have been paid for more than just his stellar speaking skills. 

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Palin's endorsement winning streak is over
Sarah Palin's most recent preferred candidate, former Missouri state Treasurer Sarah Steelman (R), lost her Senate primary on Tuesday, ending the former Alaska governor's streak of naming winning candidates, The Hill's Cameron Joseph reports.

State Department is worried about the sequesters
With lawmakers focused on the impact to the Pentagon from impending automatic cuts, a top State Department official warned Tuesday that sequestration would also devastate that department's ongoing national security missions, The Hill's Carlo Munoz reports.