Morning Read

FROM THE BLOGS:

Obama’s deadly pattern of ignoring al Qaeda comes to light
Until recently, President Obama has been very lucky when it comes to fighting al Qaeda, writes Kristinn Taylor at Brietbart.com.

The Commission on Presidential Debates misses the Internet boat — again
The Atlantic’s Micah Sifry says the Commission on Presidential Debates is missing opportunities to adopt new media techniques.

Illegal DREAM amnesty creates facts on the ground
National Review’s Mark Krikorian suggests a more modest approach to reform the United States immigration system.

5 ways president Romney would screw the 47 percent
The Huffington Post’s Adam Levin lists some reasons Romney’s economic policies will hurt the "47 percent."


OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

GOP: Libya Consulate’s cry for help ignored
Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) say they were informed by whistleblowers that the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, requested greater security before its attack, according to The Hill's Julian Pecquet.

Romney team deploys their secret weapon
Ann Romney will have a more prominent role on the campaign trail, reports The Hill's Alicia M. Cohn.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Who closed the American mind?
The American Conservative’s Partick Deneen takes Allan Bloom’s famous book and compares it to the possible closing of the conservative mind.

DREAM Act could add $329 billion to U.S. economy
Think Progress’s Amanda Peterson Beadle explains how the immigration legislation would boost the economy and create more jobs.

A fantasy-based case for ObamaCare
National Review’s James Capretta argues that a New York Times piece is distorted to fit the writer’s own agenda.

New questions emerge about Mitt Romney’s run-in with the law
Daily Kos’s Kaili Joy Gray questions Mitt Romney’s character due to an incident where the candidate was arrested over a motorboat license.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Poll: Race tightens; Obama ahead by three
The latest poll that shows the presidential race tightening, The Hill’s Jonathan Easley reports.

Sen. Graham: Obama move on defense layoff notices ‘patently illegal’
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) says that he will do anything he can to block the administration's reimbursement of any sequester-related severance costs, The Hill’s Jeremy Herb reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Why Romney is losing?
The American Conservative’s W. James Antle lll writes about how Gallup polls are showing that Romney is losing the race.

Paul Ryan budget cuts Medicare to fund tax cuts
Daily Kos’ Joan McCarter argues that Paul Ryan’s budget plan causes seniors to have access to fewer Medicare benefits.

Fiasco: 15 days later, FBI still can’t gain access to Benghazi consulate
Hot Air’s lead blogger Allahpundit addresses how this issue may become a “major scandal” for the Obama administration.

The 200-day club.
Slate’s Doug Kendall writes about how the federal bench is being obstructed by Senate Republicans.

Other News Sources:

Israeli leader highlights red lines.
Prime Minister Netanyahu raised pressure on President Obama by drawing a red line on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, The Hill’s Julian Pecquet reports.

Soros donates $1M to pro-Obama super-PAC
Priorities USA, the Obama super-Pac has received money from the liberal billionaire George Soros, according to The Hill’s Cameron Joseph.

FROM THE BLOGS:

New York GOPer who backed gay marriage loses seat
According to Jillian Rayfield at Salon, state Sen. Roy McDonald (R-NY.) lost his Senate race after casting a decisive ballot in favor of the state’s gay marriage law.

The sorry truth about military drones
President Obama’s use of drones is more of an assault on civil liberties then former President George W. Bush’s eavesdropping was, argues Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution.

Cherokee Nation chief condemns Scott Brown staff for ‘downright racist’ actions
The chief of the Cherokee Nation is demnding an apology from Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) after his staff taunted his congressional opponent, Elizabeth Warren, with Indian "war whoops," explains Joan McCarter on Daily Kos.

French Socialist President Hollande: 'I should endorse Mitt Romney'
French President and Socialist Party member François Hollande backhandedly endorses President Obama's reelection campaign, writes Erika Johnsen on Hot Air.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

GOP chairmen 'disturbed' by Libya story, demand new briefing
Eight GOP chairmen demand a new briefing on the U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi after accusing the White House of having a “pre-9/11 mindset,” writes The Hill’s Jeremy Herb.

Conservatives rally to Akin as deadline to exit Senate race passes
In an attempt to obtain a GOP Senate majority, prominent conservatives back Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) Senate bid, explain Alexandra Jaffe and Daniel Strauss of The Hill.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Obama: Sacked consulate and dead ambassador 'bumps in the road'
Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey says that Obama’s “bumps in the road” comment was a response inappropriate to the situation in Benghazi.

The most damning line in the secret Romney video
Mother Jones’s David Corn outlines, through first-person testimony, that just because you’re on food stamps doesn’t mean you aren’t working hard to take care of yourself.

The dumbest anchormen
National Review’s Jonah Goldberg questions whether anchormen are willfully slandering Republicans.

Yes, let Ryan be Ryan
Salon’s Joan Walsh writes how Tea Party members want to liberate Paul Ryan.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Survey: Many doubt Medicare’s future
Health confidence is at an all-time low as most believe the Medicare program will not supply affordable healthcare by the time they turn 65, The Hill’s Elise Viebeck reports.

Obama to reaffirm US presence in Middle East in UN address
Obama will be using his appearance at the United National General Assembly today to ensure that the recent outbreak of anti-American violence will not deter America’s intention of staying in the Middle East, The Hill’s Julian Pecquet reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Today the media will blame Bush
Guantánamo Bay is still open, an American ambassador is killed, but American media is still blaming George W. Bush, according to Erick Erickson of Red State.

Senate Republican holds remarkable whine-fest on floor
Senate Republicans fire back after comments from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Mitt Romney, and things got ugly, says Joan McCarter of Daily Kos.

The ACLU’s battle against blatant gender stereotypes
One mother’s complaint has led to a battle against violations of “the state's gender discrimination law” led by the ACLU, says Michael Brown of Town Hall.

Romney’s video-debunking claim is ... debunked
The Romney campaign is tripping on its heels after claims the “47 percent” video was selectively edited are proven wrong, argues David Corn of Mother Jones.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

House votes to block Obama’s change to welfare work requirement
Debate ignites in the house after Republicans charge President Obama with trying to change law without consulting Congress, reports The Hill’s Pete Ksperowicz.

House Republicans demand shake-up at DOJ after Fast and Furious report
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, along with other members of the House, requests that disciplinary action be taken on senior officials and that major reform take place at DOJ. The Hill’s Jordy Yager has more.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Free speech in the Muslim world?
Al Nas TV, the station that first broadcast the controversial anti-Islamic video, has conspicuously avoided backlash from protesters, writes Steve Inskeep at The Atlantic.

Ohio secretary of state reveals new voter ID laws

According to Aviva Shen at Think Progress, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R) has a new take on voter ID laws.

Biden cites China’s state-controlled media
Vice President Biden quoted governmentally manipulated Chinese news, writes Doug Powers on Michelle Malkin’s blog.
 
Romney flailing

In an attempt to deflect attention from his "47 percent" comment, Mitt Romney has slammed President Obama for an inconsequential quote that was made 14 years ago, argues Jed Lewison on Daily Kos.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi ahead of vote on sanctions relief

After she receives the Congressional Gold Medal, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will speak with Obama about possibly lessening the sanctions against Myanmar; The Hill’s Julian Pecquet explains.

Rockefeller asks Fortune 500 CEOs to weigh in on cybersecurity debate

In response to the filibuster of Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (I-Conn.) cybersecurity bill, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) directly questioned Fortune 500 CEOs, writes Jennifer Martinez from The Hill.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Did Mitt Romney lose the election?
Bloomberg's Josh Barro says Romney's comments at a private fundraiser might have sounded the death knell for his campaign.

Romney and the entitlement society
The National Review's Patrick Brennan says Mitt Romney's comments might have been politically ill-phrased, but "they're not entirely detached from reality."

Super-PAC bets on Romney in Michigan, Wisconsin
Restore Our Future, the committee supporting the Republican nominee, is purchasing ad time in both Upper Midwestern states, The Caucus's Sarah Wheaton reports.

Romney denies meeting with controversial immigration adviser
The candidate denied having met personally with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the architect of tough immigration laws in Alabama and Arizona, Political Ticker's Dana Davidsen reports.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Romney: 47 percent depend on government
The Republican presidential candidate added that his job is "not to worry about those people," who will vote for the president, The Hill's Justin Sink reports.

Hispanic Dems: Romney 'extreme' on immigration
Leading Hispanic lawmakers labeled the presidential candidate outside the mainstream as he looked to make a push for Latino voters, The Hill's Mike Lillis reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

QE3 arrives
The quantitatve easing announced Thursday is nothing new or particularly innovative, but it's still a good idea, Felix Salmon of Reuters writes.

Liberals vs. teachers
Why do some liberals hate teachers unions? Corey Robin shares his theory in a post at Jacobin magazine's blog. 

Chicago: The new Wisconsin?
The Chicago Teachers Union is leading unions in general into a major public opinion trap, Ed Morrissey argues at Hot Air. 

Clinton 'explaining stuff': In a hole, first thing is to stop digging
Bill Clinton, the "secretary of explaining stuff", was explaining things to a crowd in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, writes Bloomberg News's Mark Silva.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Ryan gets hero’s welcome from House GOP upon return to DC
Paul Ryan received a hero's welcome when he visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday, according to The Hill's Erik Wasson and Russell Berman.

Congress on pace to be least productive
The 112th Congress could end up being one of the least productive Congresses in American history, report Roll Call's Jonathan Strong and Humberto Sanchez. 

FROM THE BLOGS:

What's Romney upset about?
Plum Line's Greg Sargent uses a set of Romney talking points to question the substance of Mitt Romney's attack on the president's handling of the embassy attacks.

Media failed at Romney press conference
The Corner's Katrina Trinko critiques the questions asked during the candidate's Jacksonville presser, and finds them lacking.

Romney made no mistake with Obama criticism
Slate's Dave Weigel argues that while Romney might have mistaken the timeline, his attacks on Obama's foreign policy were sincere.

No Marines at U.S. Consulate in Libya
Breitbart's John Nolte reports that despite threats of violence, no Marines were present at the consulate where four foreign service officers were killed.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama: Romney didn't have his facts right
The president offered a sharp rebuke to criticism from the Romney campaign over his handling of the embassy protests, The Hill's Justin Sink reports.

HHS's Sebelius illegally campaigned for Obama on the job
The Cabinet secretary violated federal law when she said it was "imperative" to reelect President Obama in a February speech, The Hill's Sam Baker reports.