Presidential debate: The most entertaining, unexpected, weirdest and awkward moments

Quick take-aways from last night's Republican presidential debate at the Reagan Presidential Library:

BIGGEST WINNERS: Rick Perry, who did much better than not bomb, and Mitt Romney, who looked presidential again and magnanimous.

BIGGEST LOSER: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who wasn't there, but will learn this morning that he'll be joining the 14 million unemployed if virtually any of these Republicans get to the White House.

BEST PRESIDENTIAL PUT-DOWN: Romney calling the president a nice fella but one who's clueless about economics.

MOST OUTSPOKEN LIBERTARIAN: Ron Paul.

MOST ELOQUENT: Newt Gingrich warning moderators probing for differences among the eight Republicans that any minor distinctions pale in comparison to their unity over defeating Barack Obama.

LOUDEST APPLAUSE: See Most Eloquent.

BIGGEST AIRPLANE EVER HANGING OVER DEBATERS: President Reagan's Air Force One 707.

PINKEST TIE: Rick Santorum.

MOST ENTERTAINING CHRIS MATTHEWS BLOOD PRESSURE RAISER: Perry on this whole global warming hoax.

WARMEST FAMILY MENTION: Michele Bachmann, as message-disciplined as ever on Obama killing jobs, also recalling raising five biological and 23 foster children.

MOST PUZZLING PLAN ABOUT SOMETHING: Herman Cain's 9-9-9.

BEST FINANCIAL TIP IF THE GOP WINS NEXT YEAR: Buy stock in border fence companies.

MOST UNEXPECTED APPLAUSE-GETTER: NBC's Brian Williams asking Perry about Texas executing 234 convicted murderers.

BEST FIVE-WORD ANSWER: Perry asked to explain that applause: "I think Americans understand justice."

CALMEST CHINESE-SPEAKING EX-AMBASSADOR: Jon Huntsman.

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT: Moderator John Harris introducing a gotcha video clip of Romney that wouldn't play. So, the gotcha guy got got.

UNDECLARED CANDIDATE WHOSE ABSENCE WENT LEAST NOTICED: What's-her-name from Alaska.

WEIRDEST SUGGESTED ECONOMY MOVE: Ron Paul's idea to save billions by bringing home air conditioners cooling troop tents in Afghanistan.

BIGGEST UNANSWERED QUESTION: What in the world did Telemundo's Jose Diaz-Balart do to be denied a chair on stage like Williams and Harris had?

RELATED:

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Rick Perry grins, shrugs and swings away at GOP Reagan Library debate

Gov. Jon Huntsman's jobs plan: 'Straightforward and common sense'

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Chris Carlson / Associated Press (Nancy Reagan and the eight Republican presidential debaters in the library's reconstructed Oval Office).

What they're saying about Obama's Mideast speech, mainly on Israel and Palestine

Full text of President Obama's latest Middle East speech is available here.

Now, for some reactions:

Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

Prime Minister Netanyahu expects to hear a reaffirmation from President Obama of U.S. commitments made to Israel in 2004, which were overwhelmingly supported by both Houses of Congress.

Among other things, those commitments relate to Israel not having to withdraw to the 1967 lines which are both indefensible and which would leave major Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria beyond those lines.

Those commitments also ensure Israel’s well-being as a Jewish state by making clear that Palestinian refugees will settle in a future Palestinian state rather than in Israel. Without a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem outside the borders of Israel, no territorial concession will bring peace.

Simon Wiesenthal Center, Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper:

We welcome the president's recognition of Israel's security needs and that Hamas cannot be a partner in the peace process, but a call to a return to 1967 borders as the basis for negotiations, even with "land swaps," is a non-starter, when at least half of the Palestinian rulers are committed to Israel's destruction. The road to peace has been clear for a long time -- direct negotiations between parties who recognize each other's legitimacy.

Republican former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney:

President Obama has thrown Israel under the bus. He has disrespected Israel and undermined its ability to negotiate peace. He has also violated a first principle of American foreign policy, which is to stand firm by our friends.

George Will:

Obama should have said nothing about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, his prior statements (about Israel housing construction, and a deadline for a peace settlement) having made matters worse. Obama's idea -- Israel's, too -- is "two states for two people." Now, there is nothing more to be said until a Palestinian leader also says that.

Edward Walker of Hamilton College and former ambassador to Israel and Egypt for President Clinton:

The president's speech on the Middle East was clear about where he wants to go and not so clear on how to get there.

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio of the Foreign Relations Committee:

I’m pleased the president used his unique platform to address America and the Middle East during this critical moment in history.  We need to back up our words with actions and policies. Our actions should leave no doubt that America is on the side of those who strive for freedom....

Unfortunately, the president’s reference to Israel’s 1967 borders marks a step back in the peace process, as the U.S. must not pre-determine the outcome of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Our focus should be in encouraging direct and meaningful negotiations between the sides, and to continue playing an important role as a security guarantor in the region.

Republican former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty:

President Obama’s insistence on a return to the 1967 borders is a mistaken and very dangerous demand. The city of Jerusalem must never be re-divided.

To send a signal to the Palestinians that America will increase its demands on our ally Israel, on the heels of the Palestinian Authority’s agreement with the Hamas terrorist organization, is a disaster waiting to happen.  At this time of upheaval in the Middle East, it's never been more important for America to stand strong for Israel and for a united Jerusalem.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

President Obama was very clear. And what we want is to continue to support the voices of democracy. Those who are standing against the brutality.  But we're also well aware every situation is different. 

And in this one, (Syrian President Bashar Al) Assad has said a lot of things that you didn't hear from other leaders in the region, about the kind of changes he would like to see. That may all be out the window, or he may have one last chance.

Republican Jewish Coalition:

....It is, in fact, President Obama’s insistence on a settlement freeze as a pre-condition to negotiations, more than anything else, that doomed his administration’s peace-making efforts. That stand emboldened Palestinian extremists, damaged the PA’s ability to negotiate, and forced Israelis to question the sincerity of the administration’s friendship.

With that immediate history in mind, we are concerned that when President Obama speaks of “the 1967 borders,” he means borders for Israel that are much less secure and defensible and that put Israel at risk.

Leave your own reaction to the president's remarks in our Comments section below.

More reactions will be added here as they become available.

Another amazing Washington coincidence: Comcast hires FCC member who just OKd its NBC merger

This is one of those stories that doesn't attract much attention from the factories that produce the news consumed by millions across this country.

It's one of those "yeh-so-what-about-it?" stories back there.

But for those who watch Washington closely from normal America, like a daily visit to some exotic zoo of human behavior, this story says much in its raw chronological simplicity about how that city works. And how it works for the benefit of those there, not those elsewhere.

That was all going to change after the 2009 inauguration of someone.

July 2009 -- President Obama appoints Meredith Attwell Baker as one of two Republican members among the five on the Federal Communications Commission.

January 2011 -- Baker joins three other commission members in approving the mega-takeover of NBCUniversal by Comcast Corp.

May 11, 2011, early -- Baker announces her FCC resignation effective June 3.

May 11, 2011, later -- Comcast announces Baker will become senior vice president of government affairs for the same NBCUniversal unit that she recently agreed could be swallowed by Comcast.

That's how smoothly it works.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: FCC (a happy Baker).

Joe Biden update: He meets with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka to talk about secret stuff

News report on LATimes.com 'Battle with unions widens in the Midwest':

The battle against unions in the Midwest escalated Wednesday as a second state, Indiana, effectively found itself trapped in a legislative stalemate.

All but three of the 40 Democratic members of the Indiana House of Representatives have temporarily moved to Illinois to avoid voting on legislation they consider to be anti-union.

Illinois is also where all 14 of the Democratic senators from Wisconsin sought sanctuary when they fled from Madison last week to block legislation that would have ended collective bargaining rights for public employee unions.

Public schedule of Vice President Joe Biden for Thursday, Feb. 24:

At 10:45 AM, the Vice President and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis will meet with President of the AFL-CIO Richard Trumka and with presidents of AFL-CIO labor organizations.

Whatever do you suppose they're plotting inside this transparent Obama administration White House?

Well, we'll never know. Because this meeting of an elected federal official with top labor union officers is closed to press.

Then there are the meetings with lobbyists held just off the executive office grounds to avoid reporting them in White House logs.

You are dismissed.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Michael P. King / via Associated Press (Trumka incites protesters outside the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., Feb. 18, 2011).

Twitter hires first D.C. staffer. But don't call Adam Sharp a lobbyist

Twitter has gone to Washington. 

The Silicon Valley social media company, which can claim with some justification to have influenced politics from the U.S. to Russia, Iran and North Korea, has signed its first D.C. staffer.  

Adam Sharp jumps ship from C-SPAN and will advise politicians on Capitol Hill on how best to use Twitter to reach out to their constituents. Previously he was deputy chief of staff in Louisiana Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office.  

Sharp tweeted:

Will be @Twitter’s 1st DC staff, but join 300+ strong team committed to improving govt, political debate. Start 11/29. #gov20

Sharp has said he’s not going to be a lobbyist and merely will help politicians use their feeds in the most advantageous ways, such as campaign outreach, building online voter bases and, presumably, using Twitter to launch bitter attacks on their opponents. We’re kidding. Sorta. 

Twitter announced in July its hire of President Obama’s social-media strategist Katie Stanton but denied she would be lobbying on its behalf, and said she would work for its business department on international development. 

Many politicians used Twitter to congratulate fellow politicians or remark on polling trends during Tuesday's midterm election. Twitter featured heavily in coverage of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger’s recent trade visit to China and Russia, while Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev’s visit  to Twitter's U.S. headquarters -- and the Kremlin’s first tweet --  also were covered in the national and international press. 

Twitter also allowed Iranian protesters to coordinate their demonstrations against the Tehran regime last year and communicate their beliefs to an international audience amid heavy state censorship of the media.

And North Korea, which restricts its citizens’ rights to use Twitter, made headlines in August when its state-run media channel launched a feed. 

Facebook has two lobbyists stationed in D.C. and recently lobbied California lawmakers on online privacy legislation.  

-- Craig Howie  

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Image credit: Adam Sharp's Twitter feed

Facebook lobbies California on online privacy act (but shhh -- don't tell anyone)

Facebook has privacy issues. But it’s not what you think. 

The leading online social-media site that’s prone to very public privacy snafus very quietly lobbied California lawmakers on the passage of a state Senate bill concerning online privacy, according to a state senator.

The Palo Alto company spent $6,600 in its efforts to fight passage of the Social Networking Privacy Act, according to filings with the California Secretary of State’s office.  The bill, introduced by state Sen. Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro) in February, would restrict social-networking sites from displaying the addresses and phone numbers of minors.

The bill passed the Senate 25-4, but floundered in the state Assembly. 

Corbett told Marketwatch: “By the time it got to the Assembly, the opposition lobbying had begun. It appears they just worked in the background, to kill the bill.”  Facebook did not comment on the Marketwatch story. 

The average child gains a digital footprint at the age of 6 months, the Ticket recently reported, while 7% of babies have Facebook pages set up for them by  parents  guardians, according to a study.

Facebook's guide to privacy is here.  But we didn't tell you that, right?

-- Craig Howie

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 Image credit: Facebook

Social media wrap: Bloomberg, Murdoch, mayors and business leaders call for immigration reform

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch joined fellow media tycoon Michael Bloomberg in calling for immigration reform Thursday before a congressional subcommittee.

Perhaps an unlikely alliance given Murdoch’s ownership of the New York Post and the tab’s frequent criticism of New York Mayor Bloomberg’s administration, the two were a cozy coalition in front of the same House Judiciary panel that last week hosted comedian Steven Colbert (who also testified on immigration issues, but a bit less seriously).

The media barons also announced a new joint initiative called Partnership for a New American Economy and website RenewOurEconomy.org that seeks to promote a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. alongside the securing of American borders and restrictions on business hiring of illegal workers. 

Bloomberg tweeted repeatedly on issues he raised before the committee, largely spelling out the ...

Weekly remarks: Obama on fundraising reforms; Rep. Charles Djou seeks less federal spending, no new taxes

Remarks by President Obama, as provided by the White House during his vacation

As the political season heats up, Americans are already being inundated with the usual phone calls, mailings, and TV ads from campaigns all across the country. But this summer, they’re also seeing a flood of attack ads run by shadowy groups with harmless-sounding names. We don’t know who’s behind these ads, and we don’t know who’s paying for them.

The reason this is happening is because of a decision by the Supreme Court in the Citizens United case -- a decision that now allows big corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence our elections. They can buy millions of dollars worth of TV ads -- and worst of all, they don’t even have to reveal who is actually paying for them. You don’t know if it’s a foreign-controlled corporation. You don’t know if it’s BP. You don’t know if it’s a big insurance company or a Wall Street bank. A group can hide behind a phony name like “Citizens for a Better Future,” even if a more accurate name would be “Corporations for Weaker Oversight.” 

We tried to fix this last month. There was a proposal supported by Democrats and Republicans that would’ve required corporate political advertisers to reveal who’s funding their activities. When special interests take to the airwaves, whoever is running and funding the ad would....

Al Franken takes over the U.S. Senate floor to explain a newspaper cartoon to the waiting nation

All we can say is thank goodness Minnesota's newest Democratic U.S. senator, Al Franken, was on duty Thursday.

We were poring through one of America's most glorious man-caused treasures -- the 31 years of C-SPAN video archives, which The Ticket detailed with effusive praise here earlier this year.

And we realized suddenly that somehow we had inexplicably missed the comedian's detailed explanation of a newspaper editorial cartoon enlarged so that he could identify the symbols and characters in it so the elderly senators could see it. The current White House's pedantry is apparently infectious.

Additionally, Franken takes many moments to explain the drawing and its symbols as documentation for his argument for more government regulation of yet another part of the financial industry.

No, this is not a "Saturday Night Live" skit. This is the real thing from the Senate floor where the 100 members are paid $174,000 -- each -- for this work. The folks back home must be very proud of the honorable gentleman.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Video courtesy of C-SPAN

Congress has a BP problem -- hard to investigate a firm that has lavished millions on DC lawmakers

Even before that devastating oil slick washes up on the Gulf Coast, Congress is demanding answers and plans to grill BP officials in weeks to come about the oil rig explosion that killed 11 crew members and threatens the fragile ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico.

Good luck with that.

Turns out the company spent almost $16 million lobbying Congress in 2009 and over $3.5 million so far this year, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). As CNN reported, BP employees also gave over $3 million in campaign contributions during the last decade, and almost $110,000 in 2010.

Not to worry, the money is split -- 57% to Republicans, 43% to Democrats.

Still, when BP America President Lamar McKay goes before the House Energy and Commerce Committee next week, he can watch his money in action -- committee members received the largest share of BP's campaign contributions over the last two election cycles.

The top recipient of BP-related donations during the 2008 cycle? President Obama, who collected $71,000.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research staff works to hydrate a northern gannet covered in oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon platform explosion off the Gulf Coast. Credit: Getty Images

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