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1.) Answering Ahmadinejad’s Query … again — Every time Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comes to the United States and faces a clueless U.S. newsman in an “exclusive” interview, he raises the same question: Assuming the Holocaust happened, why do the Palestinians have to suffer for the crimes of Europe? On CNN’s “Piers Morgan” Tuesday night, the pint sized Iranian president again raised the query and claimed it had never been answered. Not true! In fact, your TheDC Morning facilitator has answered the ill-premised question many times, including last December. From the TheDC’s archives, TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein (ME!) lays out the history:
“This formulation, obviously, is wrong on many levels, not least of which because Israel’s legitimacy as a nation does not depend on the Holocaust. But since the Iranian president is determined to press this point, it seems only appropriate to point out, well, actually yes, the Palestinian Arabs do share a deep and sordid connection to the Nazi Holocaust of the Jews … The Palestinian Arab tie to the Holocaust comes primarily through Haj Amin al-Husseini, the recognized leader of the Arabs of Mandate Palestine from shortly after World I until well after World War II. Forced out of Mandate Palestine by the British in the late 1930s for inciting violence, al-Husseini found his way to Nazi Germany during World War II.”
2.) The Obama files — In 2004, President Obama was supposed to face Republican businessman Jack Ryan in his race for Senate. But Ryan was forced out of the race. The Daily Caller recently obtained all of Ryan’s opposition research against Obama, which we will be unveiling over the coming days. TheDC’s Will Rahn and Vince Coglianese report on the first batch of material:
“In the lead-up to the 2008 presidential election, supporters of then-Senator Barack Obama could point to press accounts of his time in the Illinois legislature as proof that he was, by nature, a bipartisan-minded pragmatist. But Ryan’s review of Obama’s time in Springfield reveals a more complicated picture, one of an ambitious and gifted political upstart unlikely to buck his party’s leadership on key legislation except when allying with the far left wing of the Democratic caucus. From abortion to gun rights and anti-crime legislation, Obama, who from 1998 to 2004 represented one of the most diverse districts in what remains perhaps America’s most segregated major city, worked to serve the powerful constituencies and special interest groups that still dominate Illinois politics. An eloquent speaker and ever mindful of his public’s perceptions, he often voted “present” on bills where taking a position could hurt his political future, while staying loyal to the state’s entrenched Democratic machine.”
3.) Overregulated — Americans think there are too many regulations, reports Michael Bastasch reports for The Daily Caller News Foundation:
“After a busy year for regulators, adding more than 58,000 of regulations so far this year alone, 47 percent of Americans say the government regulates too much, according to a new Gallup poll. In contrast, only 26 percent of Americans say there’s not enough regulation of business, and 24 percent say there’s just the right amount of regulation.”
As for President Obama, he is a bit confusing when it comes to his views on regulation — telling “60 Minutes” that he instituted fewer regs than GW Bush and then literally 30 seconds later saying that President Bush’s decision to roll back regulations harmed the economy.
4.) Rahm got Rahmed? — Known for being a tough negotiator, Rahm Emmanuel isn’t supposed to get “rolled” in a labor dispute. But some education experts are saying that is exactly what happened to the Chicago mayor. Robby Soave reports for The Daily Caller News Foundation:
“Education reform experts worried that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made too many concessions in the deal that ended the city’s teachers’ strike last week. ‘Rahm got rolled,’ wrote Mike Petrilli, vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, in an e-mail to The Daily Caller News Foundation. ‘The mayor had the law, the national press, and the interests of Chicago’s kids on his side. And he couldn’t get the union to agree to much more than to comply with state requirements on teacher evaluations.'”
5.) Poll of the Day: Romney close in PA? –Tribune-Review/Susquehanna poll of likely Pennsylvania voters: President Obama 47%, Mitt Romney 45%. The RealClearPolitics polling average, however, has Obama up 8 percentage points in the Keystone State.
6.) Tweet of Yesterday — Chris Moody: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might be the world’s most obnoxious conspiracy theorist.
VIDEO: TheDC’s Ginni Thomas interviews Republican Texas Senate candiate Ted Cruz