Ron Paul for President -- Really?

During this past week, a number of liberal bloggers -- and Jon Stewart! – have rightly criticized the mainstream media for shutting out coverage of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, who nearly won the Iowa Straw Poll, and as I have argued, would have won had he bought a few more tickets for his supporters.

The reaction among some liberals to this criticism has been more than dismaying. For some, their distaste for President Obama is so all-consuming and irrational that they are now thinking Ron Paul would be a good alternative. Sure, they say, Paul is wrong on abortion, but, hey, we can overlook that because his non-interventionist policy jibes with our own anti-war agenda.

Okay, let’s look at a few of Paul’s other ideas:

He opposes any kind of amnesty for undocumented workers. Further, he says mandated hospital emergency treatment for illegal aliens should stop. He’s okay with charities providing medical treatment to undocumented people, but anybody who can’t get it is out of luck. Paul is a medical doctor; evidently he doesn’t think the Hippocratic Oath crosses international borders. He also has called for a Constitutional amendment to revise the Fourteenth Amendment principles and "end automatic birthright citizenship."

He opposes universal health care.

He would completely eliminate the income tax. He supports repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment, which authorized the income tax. Despite the amendment, for some reason Paul still thinks the income tax is unconstitutional. Nonetheless, he’s expressed support for a regressive flat tax.

He has signed Grover Norquist’s no-new-taxes pledge.

He wants to return to the gold (and silver) standard & eliminate the Federal Reserve, which he believes causes recessions & depressions.

He says prayer in public schools should not be prohibited & opposes “a rigid separation between church and state.” In 2005, he introduced a bill that “would permit state, county, and local governments to decide whether to allow displays of religious text and imagery and whether to ban atheists from public office.”

He is a huge Second Amendment advocate. He has said he thinks it’s fine for individuals to own machine guns.

He opposes any form of campaign finance reform, calling it a free-speech violation.

He opposed affirmative action laws, calling them “special interest laws.” He wrote a treatise against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, calling it unconstitutional.

He wants to repeal the Seventeenth Amendment, which brought us direct election of U.S. senators. He wants to return to the day when state legislators chose senators.

He opposes a Constitutional amendment to directly elect the president.

Paul says he’s against all federal laws defining marriage, yet – curiously – he defended DOMA. He opposed the Lawrence v. Texas decision (rendering sodomy laws unconstitutional) because he doesn’t think the federal government should have any say in marriage law.

He is “an unshakeable foe of abortion.” Although he says the Constitution requires that abortion legislation be left to the states, he voted in favor of a federal ban on partial-birth abortion in 2000 and 2003.

He says climate change is “not a major problem.” He believes the federal government has no right to impose clean air standards. He’s says pollution can be best addressed by lawsuits against companies that pollute the air of their neighbors.

He strongly opposes international treaties like the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and also opposes domestic progams like cap and trade. He opposes imposing fuel efficiency standards (too bad on this -- Obama just got the auto industry to agree to signficantly higher standards). Paul is against investment in public transportation, and he voted to repeal the federal gas tax. But he strongly favors public tax breaks for domestic oil drilling (Alaska? Yes! Offshore drilling? Yes!) & voted no on revoking oil & gas subsidies.

Paul would eliminate many federal government agencies & Cabinet positions, such as the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security. He also wants to get rid of FEMA, the Interstate Commerce Commission and the IRS.

He has repeatedly said he would "never vote for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution." That would include such “unconstitutional” programs as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Americans with Disabilities, civil rights legislation, etc. etc.

Is this the guy you want to hold the veto pen? Really? Get a grip, liberals.

Source: WikiPedia. “Political Positions of Ron Paul.”

The Commentariat -- August 19

I've posted an Open Thread on Off Times Square.

New York Times Editors: "... leaders on both sides of the Atlantic seem determined to handcuff fiscal policies — the main tools that can increase jobs, consumer demand and economic growth — with an unquestioning devotion to rigid austerity.... But Europe’s broad downward trajectory can only be turned around if governments — both those of lenders and debtors — spend more in the near term to put people back to work and get consumers back to spending.... Voters on both sides of the Atlantic need to demand more from their leaders than continued austerity on autopilot." CW: why are the editors of the New York Times smarter than the leaders of the free world? ...

... What Obama Should Propose. Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic: "The ideal jobs package would inject hundreds of billions of dollars into the economy as quickly as possible – but in a way that paid for itself over the long run and, ideally, diminished automatically once a strong recovery is under way. The administration could do a portion of this on its own.... The Fed could obviously lend a hand, maybe a big hand, as well. But ... Congress would have to take some action. Is there a chance Congress would do that? Not right now. Among the proposals circulating on Capitol Hill, the initiative from progressive House Democrats comes closest."

... Cohn: "... the unemployment rate in Michigan ... is up to 10.9 percent, the third consecutive month that it's risen. The story seems to be the same across the Great Lakes region.... The precipitous drop in unemployment in this part of the country has been one of the better, if under-appreciated, economic stories of the last year -- testimony to a rebound in the manufacturing sector bolstered, in part, by the government's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler.... The situation is still markedly better than a year ago, when unemployment in Michigan was 12.4 percent. But this is obviously sobering news -- and a reminder that the economy needs a lot of help." ...

... Michael Cohen, in Time: "It’s not that [President Obama] necessarily believes that deficits should be the country’s top priority, but rather that without fiscal responsibility Americans will continue to view government in an unsavory light. Relying on class warfare attacks or strident defenses of entitlements might provide a short-term political boost for Democrats. It might even win them the 2012 election. But the larger challenge for liberalism is restoring faith in government and making the case to a skeptical electorate for greater public sector activism.

Digby states the obvious: "I would never have thought that Democrats would greet a major economic downturn with promises to cut [social safety-net] programs. It increases people's anxiety about their personal future and takes away the most important rationale for trusting Democrats. It's extremely odd to see this happening." CW: at least obvious to everybody but President Obama & his Administration. ...

... BUT Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "... since the showdown over raising the debt ceiling, Democrats have been unusually eager to embrace tax increases, gambling that voters will see the Republican refusal to consider higher taxes for the wealthy as recalcitrant and out-of-touch.... Democrats dubbed their efforts 'Accountability August,' targeting vulnerable Republicans through radio ads, billboards and phone banks in an effort to convince voters that the GOP wants to save tax breaks for millionaires and subsidies for oil companies at the expense of Medicare."

Paul Krugman: "Finally, Someone to Run Against Wall Street. One of the truly amazing things about American politics in the Lesser Depression is that nobody in political life has been willing to run as the champion of ordinary Americans against the financial wheeler-dealers who brought this disaster on us.... So I’m glad to hear that Elizabeth Warren will apparently run for Senate.... She’s got the best credentials on the financial crisis of any prominent figure in American life."

Right Wing World

Tax the Poor! Jonathan Weisman of the Wall Street Journal: The "2012 election campaign ... has produced the ... critique that too many Americans pay no income tax at all, a point made by Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann in July and more recently by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.... Pressed on how they would bring more people into the tax system, none of the top three campaigns offered details." CW: if you want to a good summary of why half of American households pay no federal income tax, this is it. ...

... OR, you could settle for Jon Stewart's explanation. The second segment is right on point, but the first is a swell lead-in:

NEW. Karen Garcia: if you like carbon dioxide (it's completely natural!), you'll love the Republican slate of presidential candidates and their Big Business/Big Polluter backers. President Obama, too, has caved, delaying once again the imposition of stricter "jobs-killing" EPA ozone standards.

Bachmann Staff Plays Beat the Press. Literally. Ben Smith & Jonathan Martin of Politico: "In less than two months since entering the 2012 race, [Rep. Michele] Bachmann’s campaign staff has become embroiled in at least five unusually hostile encounters with the traveling media marked by pushing, shoving and, in one instance, the allegation of a threat of violence to a reporter. Some of it has unfolded in full public view..." as this video illustrates: ...

... Steve Stromberg of the Washington Post: Bachmann promises to bring gas prices down to less than $2/gallon, evidently by decimating the economy again. CW: and you thought her refusal to raise the debt ceiling was nuts? No, no. It was probably part of her master plan to reduce gas prices. Or something. CW: Read Stromberg; this woman is nuts, stupid or both.

Alex Seitz-Wald of Think Progress: Mitt Romney criticizes President Obama for going on vacation to Martha's Vineyard. Romney noted there were "a lot of Democrats in Martha's Vineyard." Apparently, there are a lot of well-heeled Republicans, too. Romney will hold a fundraiser on the Vineyard while the Obamas are there. Funny thing -- Romney didn't mention his own Vineyard turn when he criticized Obama.

... George Condon of the National Journal: "In the two centuries since John Adams was the first president to seek solace outside Washington and the 109 years since Theodore Roosevelt invented the modern presidential vacation, the critics have always been there to attack. Now, it's Obama’s turn to weather the storm."

Dave Mann of the Texas Observer in a New Republic post: "... it’s no secret that some of [Texas's] conservatives and libertarians dispute [Gov. Rick Perry's] conservative credentials.... The closer you look at Perry’s record in Texas, the harder it is to discern any coherent ideology at all." Mann provides examples of Perry's "conservative heresy.... When Perry does involve himself in policy debates, the most consistent thread is that he has sided with big business — that is to say, with industries big enough, or fortuitous enough, to have strong connections with the state government.... If there’s one phrase that best describes Perry’s governing ideology, it isn’t 'conservative.' It’s crony capitalism." ...

... NEW. AND Ben Adler of The Nation: "Perry turned Texas into a corporate welfare agency. What did Texas get in return? Not much...."

... Matt Latimer in the Daily Beast: "For years, [Karl] Rove has made it a hobby of sorts to deflate conservatives more popular with the base than he is....Now he and his henchmen are undertaking their most serious gamble. Rick Perry managed to shine in Texas without Rove's permission, and now threatens to become the current Republican frontrunner without Rove’s blessing. This, Rove has decreed, must be stopped, even if his party is destroyed in the process." CW: frankly, I do enjoy watching Republicans squabble. ...

... Jake Tapper of ABC News: Hecklers & protesters confront Perry in New Hampshire. At one point, Perry opts for ...

... The Popover Defense. CW: One thing about the Republican primary: a good percentage of the stories make you laugh out loud. Ian Millhiser of Think Progress: Rick Perry, when confronted with a question about his position that Social Security is unconstitutional, stuffed a popover in his mouth and said he couldn't answer because he had "a big mouthful." ...

Your mom is asking about evolution. You know, that’s a theory that’s out there; it’s got some gaps in it. In Texas, we teach both creationism and evolution in our public schools — because I figure you’re smart enough to figure out which one is right. -- Gov. Rick Perry, to a New Hampshire boy ...

... Steve Benen: "... if they’re teaching 'both creationism and evolution,' they’re violating the law. It’s not even a gray area — the Supreme Court has already struck down a law that called for 'balanced treatment for creation-science and evolution-science in public school instruction,' concluding that the law violated the separation of church and state." As to letting students "figure out which one is right," Benen says, "Reality is not multiple choice. Public school curricula are not supposed to present fact and fiction, only to leave it ambiguous which is which." ...

Via Salon.... Justin Elliot of Salon: Robert Morrow, "an Austin Ron Paul supporter, has taken out a full-page ad in the local alt weekly newspaper seeking any 'stripper ... escort ... or "young hottie'" who has slept with Rick Perry, part of his single-minded jihad against the presidential candidate.... At the bottom of the ad is a nod to the longtime (and equally unsubstantiated) rumors that Perry, who has pursued sundry anti-gay policies, is himself gay. "Note to gay people: If you know the truth about Rick, please QUIT covering for him," it reads.... Back in 2008, [Morrow] paid for (and personally voiced) an anti-Hillary robocall in South Carolina that made the unsubstantiated claim that 'Hillary knew about and helped cover up Bill's rape of Juanita Broaddrick.'"

Jim Newell of Gawker: "Sen. Tom Coburn [R-Okla.] Has Lost His Mind." In one townhall meeting, Coburn said (1) medical treatment of the elderly was better before Medicare though "doctors and hospitals often went unpaid for their efforts, or accepted baked goods or chickens in partial payment"; (2) he wants to shoot up the Senate which is "a class of career elitists" and "cowards," but he isn't allowed to "pack a gun on the Senate floor"; and (3) and Obama favors safety-net programs because "As an African-American male... [Obama received] tremendous advantage from a lot of these programs." O-Kaaay. ...

     ... Jonathan Chait of The New Republic: "Keep in mind that the only area where Obama has attempted to create a new entitlement is health care, which is the same goal pursued by Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Harry Truman, and other non-black politicians."

Chait: Rick Santorum says gay marriage, abortion & eliminating school prayer are "the root causes" of the financial crisis; i.e., general social "immorality" begets (the biblical verb is so appropriate here) Wall Street immorality. CW: so I guess we can see how President Santorum would handle the recession. "Get thee to a nunnery, Lloyd Blankfein."

Local News

Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "A week after launching a listening tour of Massachusetts, former White House official Elizabeth Warren has filed an exploratory committee with the Federal Election Commission as she prepares to challenge Sen. Scott Brown in 2012." The Website of the exploratory committee is http://elizabethforma.com

Laura Clawson of Daily Kos: We Are Ohio, a group campaigning to repeal a law eliminating collective bargaining rights for public employees, yesterday rejected Ohio Gov. John Kasich's (R) offer to compromise with him. The group said they could talk once the bill was repealed.

News Ledes

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) says he won't run for Senate in 2012 or run against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (RTP) in a 2012 recall election. He also says, "I will be working to re-elect [President Obama] and hope to play a significant role in that effort."

New York Times: "Stock markets in Europe opened sharply lower Friday, a second day of brutal losses, as investors once again took fright at the debt and economic woes that are roiling Europe and the United States."

AP: "White House budget chief Jacob Lew has ordered agency heads to submit spending plans for the upcoming budget at least 5 percent below this year's levels. He also wants them to propose ways to trim a total of at least 10 percent of their spending."

New York Times: "The United States and several of its major allies on Thursday called on Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to give up power.... Almost simultaneously, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany issued a joint statement urging Mr. Assad 'to face the reality of the complete rejection of his regime by the Syrian people and to step aside in the best interests of Syria and the unity of its people.' Canada made a similar appeal, as did the European Union. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva issued a damning, 22-page report that concluded that Syrian government forces might have committed crimes against humanity...."

Reuters: "U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Friday said China had 'nothing to worry about' concerning the safety of its vast holdings of Treasury debt, while China's Premier Wen Jiabao gave a ringing endorsement of the resilience of the debt-ridden U.S. economy. The exchange came on the second day of Biden's five-day visit to China where he is seeking to reduce distrust between the world's two largest economies and build relations with Chinese leaders."

AP: "A bomb exploded in a mosque in a Pakistani tribal region as hundreds were gathered for prayers Friday, killing at least 40 people and wounding 85 others in the first major attack in the country during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan."

AP: "Suicide attackers stormed a British compound in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least 10 people in a five-hour gunfight on the anniversary of the country's independence from Britain. A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack on the British Council in the western part of Kabul."

Al Jazeera: "Israeli aircraft have struck Hamas security installations in Gaza, killing at least six Palestinians, in further retaliation for attacks along the Egyptian border in which eight Israelis died." CW: ... because the best way to handle an atrocity is to commit another atrocity.

The Commentariat -- August 18

Frank Bruni: "It’s the undeclared candidates who always look best. Just look at the current Republican presidential primary contest.... The drumbeat within the party for more, better candidates has already resumed...." ...

... I've posted a Bruni page on Off Times Square and asked who you would nominate for president. You can answer the question or write on something else.

Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times: "In a three-day journey through the friendly terrain of Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois that ended Wednesday, there were few direct mentions of Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, [Michele] Bachmann or any other Republican presidential hopefuls. But the trip offered the first real indication of how the president plans to confront his Republican opponent — whoever he or she is."

Robert Reich: "Some of the President’s political advisors have been pushing for small-bore [jobs] initiatives that they believe might have a chance of getting through the Republican just-say-no House.... But the President is sounding as if he’s rejected their advice. That’s good policy and good politics." Reich suggests what programs should go into a jobs initiative.

Nixon biographer Rick Pearlstein in Time: Democrats win by defending the social safety net -- calmly -- and (accurately) accusing Republicans of trying to dismantle it. CW: in other words, so far Obama has done all the wrong things. He has threatened to cut Medicare & Social Security & he has refused to accuse Republicans of wanting to gut these programs (he won't even say "Republican").

Proud to Be a Firebagger. Ezra Klein: "... whenever I read these periodic eruptions about 'the professional left,' my main thought is: if I were a member of the professional left, I would be stoked. Paul Krugman is one op-ed columnist. Firedog Lake is one Web site. They have readers. But they are not the state of Ohio. Time and again, however, we see evidence that they have gotten deep inside the White House’s head." CW: I've read the backstory on this, which you can get to via Klein's links, but it's sorta boring: some guy in the New Mexico Obama campaign sent out an e-mail which included a long citation by some blogger who trashed Krugman and "firebaggers," the last probably being an attempt to equate Firedoglake with teabaggers. Bottom line: we firebaggers have a duty to keep on keepin' on.

"Unemployment Is Killing Us." Jeff Kaye of Firedoglake cites studies that show the correlation between joblessness and mental illness, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. "Callous disregard for human lives is what links the terrible policies of war and torture with the policies of neglect and indifference towards the jobless." [emphasis original]

Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos on why the Wisconsin results bode well for Democrats.

CW: I think this criticism of the media is over the top, but you'll have a hard time disagreeing with some of it, especially the some-of-it that's purely factual. Washingtons Blog: "Liberals shouldn’t ignore the media’s censoring of Ron Paul’s popularity in straw polls because he’s 'on the right'. Many progressive candidates have been shut out of political races by the big corporate media.... Corporate media have long been presstitutes for the rich and powerful, and knee-jerk in supporters of all wars. CW: It's worth noting that criticism of the media conglomerate as kingmakers is not limited to lefties. Watch these two wingers on Fox "News" agree in toto with the author of Washingtons Blog. Thanks to reader Bob M. for the link.

New York Times Editors: British PM David Cameron is clueless. His stated causes and planned cures for the recent riots in British cities are shockingly wrong-headed.

Right Wing World

CW: How to Keep the Revolving Door from Hitting You in the Ass: Adopt an Alias. Lee Fang of Think Progress: Former Goldman Sachs anti-regulation lobbyist Peter Simonyi changed his last name to Haller before signing on as anti-regulation aide to my nominee for worst crook in Congress Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). Simonyi/Haller is working on slowing down and/or overturning the implementation of Dodd-Frank rules regulating institutions like Goldman. Issa has "turned the House Oversight Committee into a bank lobbying firm with the power to subpoena and pressure government regulators.... Issa has used the committee to merge the responsibilities of Congress with the interests of K Street and Issa’s own fortune." The committee traditionally aids regulators, not financial institutions. Thanks to Bob M.

Rick Perry, Porn Merchant. Lisa Derrick of La Figa: Rick Perry isn't talking about his past financial interest in, "Movie Gallery, the nation’s second largest video chain, [which] was the largest distributor of pornography in America and the only major retail chain to sell pornography in its flagship stores. The margin of profit on porn allowed the chain to undercut rental prices on mainstream videos, forcing mom-and-pops out of business." Though Perry signed legislation to help Movie Gallery avoid "frivolous" lawsuits, the company went out of business in 2010. CW: wonder if they had a fire sale of their inventory. One of Perry's biggest backers -- the fundamentalist American Family Association -- had initiated a boycott of Movie Gallery.

John Broder of the New York Times: "The Environmental Protection Agency is emerging as a favorite target of the Republican presidential candidates, who portray it as the very symbol of a heavy-handed regulatory agenda imposed by the Obama administration that they say is strangling the economy.... But while attacks on the E.P.A., climate-change science and environmental regulation more broadly are surefire applause lines with many Republican primary audiences, these views may prove a liability in the general election, pollsters and analysts say. The American people, by substantial majorities, are concerned about air and water pollution, and largely trust the E.P.A., national surveys say." ...

... Rick Perry, the Pollution Governor. Ben Adler of The Nation:  "According to Texas good government and environmental watchdogs, [Texas Gov. Rick] Perry has raised much of his campaign funds from business executives who have financial interests in state government decisions. Often Perry’s supporters come from the energy sector and Perry’s help for them has come at the expense of the environment." Adler provides examples that will make you sick, literally. ...

... Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post: "Global warming, or climate change, it seems, is a hoax propagated by malignant scientists. Rick Perry will have none of it. It’s, he said Wednesday in New Hampshire, 'a scientific theory that has not been proven.' In his book, Fed Up! he called it 'all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart under its own weight.'”

Gene Kessler of the Washington Post: "Perry’s statement suggests that, on the climate change issue, the governor is willfully ignoring the facts and making false accusations based on little evidence. He has every right to be a skeptic — all scientific theories should be carefully scrutinized — but that does not give him carte blanche to simply make things up."

PolitiFact: "Rick Perry says government wants to require commercial driver's licenses of anyone who drives a tractor across a road.... The former cotton farmer and Texas agriculture commissioner ... [said] 'Let me give you just a — this is such an obscene, crazy regulation. They want to make — if you are a tractor driver, if you drive your tractor across a public road, you are going to have to have a commercial driver's license. Now, how idiotic is that?' Far as we can tell, the regulation questioned by Perry hasn't even been proposed at the federal level."

Dylan Matthews in the Washington Post: "Rick Perry's statement that another round of bond-buying by the Fed would be 'almost treasonous' has been treated as the first major gaffe of his campaign, with everyone from the White House to Karl Rove pouncing on him. But while more bluntly worded than usual, the statement in many ways reflects a mainstream Republican consensus against looser monetary policy." Matthews provides examples. CW: remember that the "almost treasonous" Bernanke is a Republican, originally appointed to head the Fed by George W. Bush. ...

... Politifact: "U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett told ABC News ... that Gov. Rick Perry’s rosy depictions of employment conditions in Texas aren’t entirely accurate. 'Twenty-five states have lower unemployment than Texas does today,' the Austin Democrat said, adding that 'we're tied with Mississippi for more minimum-wage jobs than anywhere in the United States.'"

Local News

I think it’s awfully funny to now be standing here and talking about coming to the table when this entire bill takes away their rights to do so. -- Melissa Fazekas, a spokeswoman for We Are Ohio ...

... AP (via the NYT): "Gov. John Kasich and top Republican lawmakers said Wednesday that they were offering to change a new law limiting collective bargaining in an attempt to keep a repeal effort off the November ballot. The administration released a letter asking for a meeting on Friday to discuss a compromise with 10 union leaders authorized to negotiate on behalf of We Are Ohio, the group pushing for a repeal of the law."

From the How-Could-We-Have-Known? File. Jeff Adelson of the Times-Picayune: "Army Corps of Engineers officials spent less than five minutes discussing whether designs for pump stations on three New Orleans area canals could withstand the pressure of a storm surge, a key aspect of the project needed to prevent Hurricane Katrina-style flooding, according to the Government Accountability Office. Instead of evaluating the proposal on their own, officials trusted claims by CBY Design Builders, which won the contract for the project, that the pumps’ foundations would hold up; claims that were disputed by another firm competing for the contract and that spurred the GAO review." Thanks to reader Bob M. for the link.

News Ledes

** Dream Act -- Administration-Style. New York Times: "The Obama administration announced on Thursday that it would generally not deport or expel illegal immigrants who had come to the United States as young children and graduated from high school or served in the armed forces. White House and immigration officials said they would exercise 'prosecutorial discretion' to allow these people to stay in the country while the government focused its enforcement efforts on higher-priority cases involving criminals and people who had flagrantly violated immigration laws. President Obama is, in effect, doing administratively what he could not persuade Congress to do...."

New York Times: "Rebel fighters gained complete control on Thursday of the oil refinery in Zawiyah — just a half hour’s drive from Tripoli, the country’s capital — routing government soldiers after days of battle and advancing into other parts of this strategic port city still controlled by loyalists of Libya’s increasingly isolated leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi."

President Obama will travel to Cape Cod this afternoon. Cape Cod Times: "After meetings this morning at the White House, President Barack Obama is scheduled to travel to Martha's Vineyard for a 10-day summer vacation with his wife, Michelle, and daughters, Malia and Sasha." ...

     ... Update: "President Barack Obama arrived alone on Air Force One, touching down shortly after 5:25 p.m. at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. His wife Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, arrived on Martha's Vineyard separately earlier today."

Reuters: "The Obama administration on Thursday called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to resign and said the United States was implementing tough new sanctions to help end violence in Syria. 'The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar Assad is standing in their way,' Obama said in a statement. 'His calls for dialogue and reform have rung hollow while he is imprisoning, torturing, and slaughtering his own people.'" Here's the President's full statement. The White House also put out this Fact Sheet on Syria.

Washington Post: "The president is thinking about proposing tax cuts for companies that hire workers, new spending for roads and construction, and other measures that would target the long-term unemployed.... Some ideas, such as providing mortgage relief for struggling homeowners, could come through executive action. Obama also plans to announce a major push for new deficit reduction."

New York Times: "The Justice Department is investigating whether the nation’s largest credit ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s, improperly rated dozens of mortgage securities in the years leading up to the financial crisis, according to two people interviewed by the government and another briefed on such interviews."

New York Times: "Stocks fell sharply in Europe on Thursday, and futures trading indicated that Wall Street would follow suit at the opening, amid concern that the global economy may be slowing." ...

     ... Update -- New Lede: "After just a few days of calm, stocks declined steeply on Thursday in a worldwide sell-off. The downturn was driven by fresh concerns that the worldwide economy is slowing and that Europe’s debt crisis is putting strain on the financial sector."

Al Jazeera: "US Vice President Joe Biden has launched his visit to China by stressing the importance of strong US-China relations in maintaining a stable global economy." ...

     ... Los Angeles Times Update: "Only minutes into Biden's remarks [at a joint press availability], Chinese officials had begun to direct reporters toward the exits. Most reporters and the vice president's staff objected, saying it was important to cover the entirety of Biden's opening statement, as had been the agreement between officials beforehand. A Chinese press aide said Biden was going on far too long for their liking. But in fact, including the consecutive translation of his comments from English to Chinese, Biden spoke only two or three minutes longer than [Chinese Vice President Xi Jingping] had."

Guardian: "James Desborough, an award-winning reporter at the former News of the World newspaper, has been arrested by officers investigating the phone-hacking scandal. Desborough was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to section 1 (1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 after arriving at a south London police station on Thursday morning at 10.30am. He had arrived at the station by appointment for questioning about criminal activities at the paper."