John Rossomando on The Republican: The GOP needs a clear message on Iran, Russia, China and other threats

Herman Cain "reassessing" his 2012 campaign...

"Herman Cain said Tuesday he is assessing whether to continue his presidential quest after a Georgia woman's allegations that they had a lengthy extramarital affair fed doubts about the viability of his campaign. In a conference call with campaign aides, the Republican candidate said he would decide over the next several days how to proceed after weighing whether the woman's statement created "too much of a cloud" among his supporters." -  Wall Street Journal

• Transcript of Cain conference call - National Review
• Herman Cain should go - Washington Times
• "Jon Huntsman suggested Tuesday that Herman Cain's personal saga is hurting the entire field of Republican presidential hopefuls, and that the former restaurant executive is right to reconsider his candidacy." - LA Times
• But he still makes Michigan foreign policy speech: "Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain laid out his foreign policy and national security strategy on Tuesday - and attempted to slam the Obama administration's credibility in those areas." - CNN
• Who benefits if Cain drops out? "Ironically, it’s probably the candidate with the worst historical reputation who benefits from Cain’s slide: Newt Gingrich." - Tim Stanley for the Daily Telegraph

...and Newt Gingrich nearly left the presidential race in the summer

"Newt Gingrich admitted that his campaign nearly collapsed over the summer, calling the period when his staff quit and pundits mocked his trip to the Greek islands and his six-figure line of credit at Tiffany “the two hardest months in my life.” ... But he survived, he said, by creating a new, volunteer-centered campaign system. “I told somebody at one point, ‘This is like watching Walton or Kroc develop Walmart and McDonald’s,’” Gingrich said." - Politico

• "Newt Gingrich is adamant that he is not a lobbyist, but in the eight years since he started his health care consultancy, he has made millions of dollars while helping companies promote their services." - New York Times
• Conservatives should think twice about Newt - Washington Examiner editorial

Mitt Romney lands his first blow on Newt Gingrich, calling him a "lifelong politician"

"Asked by Fox News’s Bret Baier in an interview Tuesday whether Gingrich could beat President Obama, Romney said: “I think to get President Obama out of office, you’re going to have to bring something to the race that’s different than what he brings.” “He’s a lifelong politician. I think you have to have the credibility of understanding how the economy works. And I do. And that’s one reason I’m in this race.”" - Washington Post

• After 2008, Romney works a very different campaign - Washington Post

Rick Perry gaffes again: this time on voting age and the date of the election

"At a town hall meeting at the Institute of Politics at New Hampshire’s Saint Anselm’s College Tuesday, Rick Perry asked that all of the college students in the crowd who will be 21 by Nov. 12 support his bid for the presidency. ... The voting age in the United States is, of course, 18. And the 2012 election will be held on Nov. 6, 2012." - Washington Post

• Famously tough Sheriff Joe Apraio, who endorsed Perry this week, sounded weak in his praise for the Governor: "I don't know the governor that much. I've talked to him a few times, but to me, he's an honorable and ethical person." - RealClearPolitics

2012 Update:

• Gov. Huntsman may not qualify for the next two presidential debates - Politico
• Huntsman refuses to rule out possibility of independent candidacy for president - Boston Globe
• Former NM Gov. Gary Johnson also considers third-party run - ABC News
• It's only five weeks until Iowa - Washington Post
• Ron Paul's family publishes 2012 cookbook - Politico
• Dana Milbank sees a good VP contender in Sen. Rob Portman: "After the amateur hour that has been the GOP nominating process, the selection of a genuine grown-up such as Portman -- a longtime House member and President George W. Bush’s trade representative and budget director – would be reassuring." - Washington Post
• Mitch Daniels won't endorse in 2012 - Politico

Ross Douthat: Why isn't Jon Huntsman the conservative alternative to Romney?

"...Huntsman’s record as Utah’s governor isn’t “just to the right of other moderates, it is to the right of most conservatives.” Huntsman has none of Romney’s health care baggage, and unlike the former Massachusetts governor, he didn’t spend the last decade flip-flopping on gun rights, immigration and abortion. Meanwhile, on many of the highest-profile issues of the primary season (the individual mandate, Paul Ryan’s House budget, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), he has arguably been more consistently conservative than Gingrich." - Ross Douthat for the New York Times

Support for the Tea Party falls, even in strongholds

"In Congressional districts represented by Tea Party lawmakers, the number of people saying they disagree with the movement has risen significantly since it powered a Republican sweep in midterm elections; almost as many people disagree with it as agree with it, according to the analysis by the Pew Research Center. ... In the 60 districts represented in Congress by a member of the House Tea Party Caucus, Republicans are now viewed about as negatively as Democrats." - New York Times

Congressional GOP worried Obama is winning the jobs message

"As Congress debates an extension of a payroll tax holiday, a number of Republicans are worried that their party has not done an adequate job responding to the battering they’re taking daily from President Barack Obama on the campaign trail. And in the policy realm, Republican rifts are blowing into the open: The party is split over whether to seek new tax revenue to rein in the debt, how to pay for an extension of the payroll tax credits and unemployment benefits — or whether Congress should even extend them at all." - Politico

Dick Cheney lunches with GOP senators

"Former Vice President Dick Cheney dropped in for a visit to the weekly Senate GOP luncheon, recalling a time when the then-veep was a regular fixture at the Tuesday noon-hour event. In those days, Cheney’s presence was seen by critics as an example of the President George W. Bush administration’s influence over the legislative branch, even though Cheney usually sat quietly at the lunch." - LA Times

Despite ban, earmarks continue

"Members of the House and the Senate attempted to pack hundreds of special spending provisions into at least 10 bills in the summer and fall, less than a year after congressional leaders declared a moratorium on earmarks, congressional records show." - Washington Post

Tea party, liberal coalition fails to revoke Iraq war authorization

"An unusual bipartisan coalition of liberals, moderate Democrats and tea party-backed senators failed on Tuesday evening to revoke the 2002 authorization for war in Iraq. By a 30-67 vote, the Senate rejected an amendment by libertarian-minded Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that proponents said would have officially declared the Iraq war to be over. ... Even the four Republicans were all over the map ideologically, like tea party favorite Jim DeMint of South Carolina, conservative Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada and Maine moderate Olympia Snowe." - Politico

A Kennedy considers run for Barney Frank’s Congressional seat - Boston Globe

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