But Politico’s leading news package was short on overseas mayhem and even shorter on scenarios that could be politically harmful to the president. (RELATED: Aides patch Obama’s Egypt ‘ally’ gaffe)
One article told of a county-level judge in Madison, Wisc., who overturned on Friday an organized labor law championed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker. That law, already in effect for a year, restricted the ability of public-sector unions to impact taxpayer coffers through collective bargaining.
Another Politico story described a Fox News broadcast segment in which Republican Sen. John McCain tussled with Fox host Sean Hannity over the question of whether Libya’s election of an Islamist theocracy was a turning point that tilted the nation toward this week’s violence. McCain disagreed with that sentiment, saying the network was “wrong on Libya.”
The only Politico story about the Obama administration appearing in its home page’s top grouping Friday evening concerned the Obama administration’s complaints about promised defense cuts in a so-called budget “sequester” which may or may not come to pass. Congress can still sidestep military and Medicare cuts by breaking the budget impasse that has paralyzed Capitol Hill since 2011.
In the middle of a sudden security buildup in the Middle East to protect U.S. diplomatic stations, such concerns may appear calculated to project strength from the White House.
Sixteen of the 20 most heavily viewed U.S. news websites Friday night prominently featured photography of the violent unrest, many including scenes of arson or gunfire.
Politico led with a Reuters photograph of Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney in a posture that suggested he was explaining himself to a skeptical audience.
“These days, the hazy Republican foreign policy message emanates from many corners of the party,” Politico reported, “but it starts at the top with the Republican presidential nominee.”
