MORNING READ

FROM THE BLOGS:

Romney’s fundraiser with Cheney highlights his embrace of Bush-era foreign policy
Ali Gharib at ThinkProgress argues the foreign-policy stances of Mitt Romney and former Vice President Dick Cheney are very similar.
 
The pain of Bail falls mainly on the reign (of Mitt)
In the wake of uncertainty surrounding Romney’s role as CEO at Bain Capital, Mother Jones’s Kevin Drum argues voters want a president who takes responsibility, not one who blames others when something goes wrong.
 
The onslaught of stupid season
Right Turn’s Michael Moynihan argues against theories that Romney’s NAACP speech was a setup.
 
America’s coming civil war — makers vs. takers
Arthur Herman with Fox News writes that the nation is once again a house divided — between the public sector and the private sector.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
 
Pew poll: Obama widens lead nationally
A new Pew Research survey released Thursday showed that the president has widened his lead to 7 percentage points over Mitt Romney, The Hill’s Jonathan Easley reports.
 
House sets pre-August recess vote on Bush tax rate extension
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Thursday the House will vote on legislation to end the Bush-era tax cuts during the body’s last week in session before the August recess, The Hill’s Pete Kasperowicz reports.