Essential Reads
Essential Reads is your one-stop source for the top stories of the day as reported by your favorite Washington Week panelists. It's a simple way to save time and stay informed about the news you need to know. Check it out every day!
Oct 14, 2011
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New Hampshire debate: The view from the moderator’s chair
By Karen Tumulty, Washington POstI’ve finally caught up on my sleep after moderating Tuesday night’s Washington Post/Bloomberg Republican presidential debate. Given how many of these events there are in this election season, I thought it might be worthwhile to share a bit about what it is like from the chair in which I was sitting.
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U.S. considers sanctions on Iran's central bank
By Christi Parsons and Paul Richter, Los Angeles TimesThe Obama administration said it was "actively" considering sanctioning Iran's central bank in retaliation for an alleged Iranian assassination plot, a move that could severely damage Iran's economy and potentially provoke a strong response from Tehran.
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Rick Perry’s jobs plan: Drill, baby, drill
By Nia-Malika Henderson, Washington PostRick Perry wants Friday to be his big do-over day. After stumbling in Tuesday’s Republican debate and admitting that the format just isn’t his thing, Perry will be all over the airwaves talking up his energy-based jobs plan, which he previewed in an op-ed and on CNBC. Summed up in three words (Herman Cain would love the simplicity), Perry’s plan amounts to this: Drill, baby, drill.
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Solyndra Came Close to Landing Navy Deal
By Deborah Solomon, Wall Street JournalA major investor in Solyndra LLC was instrumental in helping the troubled solar-power firm compete for a potentially lucrative U.S. Navy deal, a previously unreported connection that will likely fuel controversy surrounding the company.
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Simply Appealing: One explanation for the popularity of Herman Cain among Republicans.
by John Dickerson, SlateA weak front-runner is challenged by a come-from-nowhere candidate wielding a tax plan. Then it was Bob Dole, Steve Forbes, and the “flat tax.” Now it’s Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, and the “9-9-9 plan.” Republicans can be forgiven for having flashbacks to 1996.
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Simply Appealing: One explanation for the popularity of Herman Cain among Republicans.
by John Dickerson, SlateA weak front-runner is challenged by a come-from-nowhere candidate wielding a tax plan. Then it was Bob Dole, Steve Forbes, and the “flat tax.” Now it’s Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, and the “9-9-9 plan.” Republicans can be forgiven for having flashbacks to 1996.
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Auto Bailout Done, Obama Looks for Payback
By Jeff Zeleny and Monica Davey, New York TimesPresident Obama arrives here on Friday on another visit to Michigan, seeking not only the electoral votes that are essential to his re-election effort, but a platform for a far bigger message.
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Instead of Mitt Romney?
By Doyle McManus, Los Angeles TimesThere may still be half a dozen contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, but the race has always had room for only two: Mitt Romney and someone who isn't Mitt Romney. After four full-scale debates, that second spot, reserved for a more conservative candidate, is still unfilled; the fiscal firebrands of the tea party haven't found an ideal alternative to Romney, leaving the party's right wing divided. It's beginning to look as if the former Massachusetts governor will win the nomination almost by default -- an odd outcome to a year that began with the tea party triumphant.
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Obama Says Facts Support Accusation of Iranian Plot
By Helene Cooper, New York TimesPresident Obama vowed on Thursday to push for what he called the “toughest sanctions” against Iran, saying that the United States had strong evidence that Iranian officials were complicit in an alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States.
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In Whole or in Parts, Jobs Bill Likely to Go Nowhere
by Alexis Simendinger, RealClearPoliticsThere is scant chance that Congress will pass most or perhaps any elements of President Obama’s jobs bill, no matter how many ways the package is sliced into component parts. The $447 billion measure that might have added as many as 1.9 million jobs is going nowhere, if conversations inside the White House and on Capitol Hill are any guide.
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Oct 13, 2011
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U.S. Talks Tough to Iran, but Holds Off on Harsher Moves
By Helene Cooper and Mark Landler, New York TimesDespite issuing harsh calls for Tehran to be held to account, the Obama administration does not plan to shift its policy of pressure on the Iranian government after disrupting what officials said was a plot to assassinate a Saudi Arabian envoy in Washington, administration officials said on Wednesday.
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Obama and DNC Raise $70M in Third Quarter
by Alexis Simendinger, RealClearPoliticsPresident Obama blazed past worries about a summer fundraising slump to collect $70 million for his re-election bid and for the Democratic National Committee, his campaign manager advised supporters in an email Thursday. The total was $15 million higher than a $55 million goal the campaign set for the summer quarter.
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Michele Bachmann heads to Iowa, as Cain surges
By Nia-Malika Henderson, Washington PostMichele Bachmann’s path since she edged out Rep. Ron Paul in the Iowa straw poll has been marked by steady decline, major staff changes, and the entrance and surge of several candidates who cut into her dominance among social conservatives.
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Supreme Court mulls danger, dignity in strip-search case
By Joan Biskupic, USA TodayAs the Supreme Court considered Wednesday whether people arrested for traffic or other minor offenses can be strip-searched during jail processing, Justice Anthony Kennedy homed in on the competing interests. He referred to the importance of protecting "the individual dignity of the detainee" yet stressed the danger of a county jail, where arrestees are screened, then placed in cells with other prisoners.
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Central Banks Strain to Fill Gaps in Fiscal Policy
By David Wessel, Wall Street JournalPolitical gridlock is preventing rich-country governments from responding to what Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has delicately described as an economy that is "close to faltering.
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Obama Campaign Treating Romney Like Nominee — By Attacking
By Jackie Calmes, New York TimesUpdated Republicans are months away from their first presidential primaries and caucuses, but the Obama campaign already is giving Mitt Romney the nominee treatment — trying to define him irrevocably as a shape-shifter, with an eye to the 2012 election.
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Will Saudis Play Oil Card In Revenge Against Iran?
By Tom Gjelten, NPRIn capitals around the world, U.S. diplomats are laying out evidence that elements of Iran's government plotted to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S.
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Mitt Romney and the Not-Romneys
By Doyle McManus, Los Angeles TimesThere may still be half a dozen contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, but the race has always had room for only two: Mitt Romney and someone who isn't Mitt Romney. After four full-scale debates, that second spot, reserved for a more conservative candidate, is still unfilled; the fiscal firebrands of the tea party haven't found an ideal alternative to Romney, leaving the party's right wing divided. It's beginning to look as if the former Massachusetts governor will win the nomination almost by default — an odd outcome to a year that began with the tea party triumphant.
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Will tea party purists back imperfect Romney?
By Gloria Borger, CNNAfter watching the GOP presidential debate the other night, it was hard to avoid this conclusion: Mitt Romney looks more and more like the GOP presidential nominee. He's the best debater. He's got his issues and his rejoinders down pat. He brushes away his opponents like lint on his lapel. And all with such ease.
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Romney inevitable? Perry weighs TV ads to slow him
By Charles Babington and Kasie Hunt, Associated PressMitt Romney seems firmly in command in a Republican presidential field that hasn't figured out how to stop him. Twelve weeks before the first party voting, the GOP establishment is coalescing around the former Massachusetts governor. He has more campaign experience, money and organization than anyone else.
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