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A new ad supporting Mitt Romney from an independent conservative group features actor and director Clint Eastwood, this time in a more somber tone and minus any stage props.
Susan Rice: I Relied on Talking Points From Intelligence Officials
As the Obama administration comes under increasing scrutiny for its handling of the terrorist attack in Libya, Ambassador Susan Rice is defending her actions, saying that political considerations did not factor into her early statements on the attack.
In an interview with The Washington Post published on Tuesday, Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said, according to The Post’s characterization, that  “she relied on daily updates from intelligence agencies in the days before her television appearances and on a set of talking points prepared for senior members of the administration by intelligence officials.”
When asked whether there was an attempt to “pick and choose† among explanations she replied, “Absolutely not,†adding that, “It was purely a function of what was provided to us†and, as The Post writes, “had been given to Congress the day before.”
Mitt Romney’s Undelivered Speech: I’ve Never Believed in ‘Makers and Takers’
The Wall Street Journal editorial page published excerpts of what it calls a “draft†of a speech provided to the newspaper by the Romney campaign at some point in the past, but apparently was never delivered by Mitt Romney. In it, Romney touches on the same topics that drew criticism this week, but goes in the opposite direction, saying that he has “never believed†that Americans are divided between “makers and takers.â€
“You’ve probably also heard some people—some even in my own party—divide Americans between ‘makers’ and ‘takers,’†the speech reads. “As if half the country wants to live off the other half. I’ve never believed that. That’s no different from the kind of divisive politics that the President practices when he pits the wealthy against everyone else.â€
The speech also takes note of those on food stamps, disability and the unemployed: “This is a national scandal. Not because those fellow Americans are free-loaders, but because they aren’t able to get a good job that pays enough to be self-sufficient and lets them fulfill their human potential. “
Bill Clinton Gets Prime-Time Convention Speech
Former President Bill Clinton is slated to deliver a prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention in September, and will place President Obama’s name into nomination, The New York Times reports.
“There isn’t anybody on the planet who has a greater perspective on not just the last four years, but the last two decades, than Bill Clinton,†David Axelrod, a top adviser to the Obama campaign, told The Times. “He can really articulate the choice that is before people.â€
Clinton has diverged with Obama at times during the campaign season. He has said that he would recommend temporarily extending all the Bush-era tax cuts (Obama is seeking an extension for income up to $250,000) and also had praise for Mitt Romney’s time as the CEO of Bain Capital, calling his record ‘sterling.’ In each of those cases Clinton walked back those assertions.
via Homepage http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-conventions/bill-clinton-gets-prime-time-convention-speech-20120730
Romney Reports $160 Million Cash on Hand
Mitt Romney’s campaign announced Monday that in addition to the stunning $106.1 million it raised with the Republican National Committee in June, it has approximately $160 million cash on hand.
About 537,000 donations were less than $250, according to the campaign, for a haul of $22.3 million from small donors.
via Homepage http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/romney-reports-160-million-cash-on-hand-20120709