Grading the GOP Debate: Why Romney Won Tuesday

Candidate grades are based on both performance and success in using the debate to improve their standing in the nomination contest.

Romney

Style: Rose above the fray on jobs and the economy, while Cain took heat for his 9-9-9 plan. Sought to play the adult, although Perry goaded him into noisy squabbles and went further than necessary in playing defense, taking some personal shots.

Substance: Displayed a cutting recall and delivery of detailed opposition research on his opponents — notable in such a setting.

His worst moment: Lost his cool fending off Perry on immigration and seemed shrill when asserting it was his turn.

His best moment: Showed the eye of the tiger in fighting off Santorum’s attempts to question his commitment to repealing ObamaCare.

The main thing: A strong voice on Mormonism, health care, immigration and the economy. Revealed chinks when assailed, likely emboldening Perry for future conflict. Still, no soundbite-ready moment of weakness coming out of Vegas and that means another win for the frontrunner.

Grade:  A-
_____________________

Cain

Style: Stronger and more confident than in past debates. Did small things well — cleverly gave out his website address in the guise of educating the public.

Substance: In command of the broad facts on health care and taxes, but weaker on foreign aid and terrorism.

His worst moment: Missed a chance to connect with middle and working class voters when responsding to a question about Occupy Wall Street protesters.

His best moment: Withstood early, intense gang-up on his tax plan, without changing his pleasing demeanor.

The main thing: Did very little attacking and a good job defending (although he overused his apples and oranges metaphor). Disappeared after the opening round but showed sufficient momentum throughout. Still too lightweight for the Chattering Class, but whatever has propelled Cain upward, upward, upward will almost certainly continue after this strong performance.

Grade:  B+
_____________________

Perry

Style: His head was in a much better place than in previous debates, allowing him to show off some natural Texas charm. But going negative on Romney (including insistently bringing up the old controversy of illegal immigrants working on Romney’s lawn) reduced the likeability quotient substantially.

Substance: Didn’t drill down below the bullet points on his economic plan or take command of the issue.

His worst moment: Tried to challenge Romney on immigration, but lost his focus and thrust in the heated interchange.

His best moment: When slamming Obama’s energy policy, reminded viewers that the party is looking for the candidate who can most effectively make the case against the incumbent — and Perry demonstrated he has that capacity.

The main thing: More focused and energized this time around. Far from a perfect performance, but he engineered moments of titan-versus-titan conflict with Romney to build on in future debates. That, along with big budget TV advertising, remains his path back to the front of the pack.

Grade:  B+
_____________________

Bachmann

Style: Forceful and passionate on every answer.

Substance: Showed off her knowledge of tax policy.

Her worst moment: Just when the Romney health care pile-on was heating up, she interrupted to take the conversation in a different direction.

Her best moment: Deft touch in knocking Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan.

The main thing: Her best debate since the June New Hampshire face-off that made her the hottest candidate in the race for a time. Still not selling her own economic plan or claiming a signature issue, but carried a strong anti-Obama critique throughout.

Grade:  B
_____________________

Gingrich

Style: Cool and poised, he displayed assurance rather than anger.

Substance: Informed on every topic, but neglected to drive a positive message of his own.

His worst moment: Got schooled by Romney, who forced him to admit he once supported an individual mandate for health insurance.

His best moment: His appeal to Hispanic voters was passionate and clear, and the audience seemed intrigued by the notion of an epic Gingrich-Obama debate.

The main thing: Played the elder statesman well and was engaging, but didn’t leap over Romney or Cain.

Grade:  B
_____________________

Paul

Style: Struck a good balance between genial and serious.

Substance: Still has trouble bringing his policy oratory down from 30,000 feet to, say, 15,000 feet, so people can understand how it impacts their lives.

His worst moment: Nearly incoherent on Occupy Wall Street and bailouts, a topic that should have been in his wheelhouse.

His best moment: Struck a huge audience chord with his call to bring the troops home from Afghanistan.

The main thing: Overall, more accessible and clear than in previous debates. But still no breakthrough performance to expand his reach.

Grade:  B-
_____________________

Santorum

Style: Had flashes of his usual forensic skills, but at times veered towards fraught.

Substance: Still focused more on rhetoric and criticism than concrete policies; asserts he has an economic plan, but doesn’t sell it with specifics.

His worst moment: Given an early chance to take on Cain and 9-9-9, he didn’t puncture his rival one bit.

His best moment: None stand out.

The main thing: Not as polished and distinct as in past sessions. Energetic on the attack, but had plenty of company this time and got marginalized.

Grade:  C

Cain Assailed for Tax Plan in Republican Debate

Republican candidates for president gather on stage before the beginning of a debate in in Las Vegas Nevada, Oct. 18, 2011.

(LAS VEGAS) — Republican presidential contenders attacked Herman Cain's economic plan Tuesday night as a tax increase waiting to happen, moving swiftly in campaign debate to blunt the former businessman's unlikely rise in the race for the party's nomination.

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota led the assault moments after the debate began, saying Cain's call for a 9 percent federal sales tax would only be the beginning, with the rate rising later.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum wasn't nearly as gentle, citing one analysis that found that taxes would go up for 84 percent of the nation's households if Cain's proposal went into effect. "We're talking about major increases in taxes," he said, adding that a single person and a couple with children with the same income would pay the same tax under Cain's proposal.

Undeterred, Cain insisted the charges were untrue. He said he was being criticized because lobbyists, accountants and others "want to continue to be able to manipulate the American people with a 10-million- word mess," the current tax code.

Cain's proposal is for a 9 percent personal income tax, a 9 percent corporate tax and a 9 percent national sales tax. (See what's at stack in the latest debate.)

The former pizza company CEO is the latest and unlikeliest phenomenon in the race to pick a rival for President Barack Obama. A black man in a party that draws few votes from Africans Americans, he had bumped along with little notice as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney sought to fend off one fast-rising rival after another.

That all changed in the past few weeks, after Texas Gov. Rick Perry burst into the race and then struggled. However unlikely Cain's rise, Tuesday night's debate made clear that none of his rivals are willing to let him go unchallenged.

"I love you, brother, but let me tell you something, you don't have to pay a big analysis to figure this out," Perry said to Cain. "Go to New Hampshire where they don't have an income tax and they don't have any interest in one," he said, referring to the state that will hold the first primary early next year.

The debate was the fifth since Labor Day, and the last scheduled for nearly a month in a race that is fluid in more than one way.

While polls chart a series of rises and falls for various contenders — Romney remaining at or near the top — the schedule is far from set. Florida's decision to move up its primary set off a scramble as Iowa maneuvered to make sure its caucuses are the first real test of the race and New Hampshire works to protect its half-century distinction as host to the first primary. (See if Romney is the eventual GOP nominee.)

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman skipped this debate. He was in New Hampshire instead because he's boycotting the Nevada caucuses in the dispute over the GOP primary calendar. Nevada has scheduled its contest for Jan. 14, and Republican officials are pressuring Romney and other Republicans to join Huntsman's boycott if the state refuses to hold the caucuses later in the month.

Romney has so far refused to join the boycott, though the New Hampshire primary, traditionally the nation's first, is a must-win contest for him. In a conference call with New Hampshire supporters before the debate, he reassured Republicans there that he sees their primary as important.

Romney also used the call to preview the line of criticism against Cain, who has been near the top of polls for over a week and has been facing intense scrutiny, particularly over his tax plan.

"Most people in middle income categories will have their taxes go up" under that plan, Romney said in the call, and he said senior citizens would be hurt.

In that, he and Democratic President Obama agree. In an interview with ABC News, Obama said Cain's tax plan would be a "huge burden" on middle-class and working families.

Romney, too, expected challenges, including over how he plans to help the economy if he does become president.

He told the Las Vegas Review Journal's editorial board in an interview: "Don't try to stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course and hit the bottom. Allow investors to buy homes, put renters in them, fix the homes up and let it turn around and come back up,"

Obama's campaign — increasingly focused on Romney as the likely Republican nominee — responded immediately. "Mitt Romney's message to Nevada homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage bills is simple: You're on your own, so step aside," spokesman Ben LaBolt said.

Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Washington contributed to this report.

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In Dartmouth Debate, Romney Coasts as Cain Gets His Big Night

In Dartmouth Debate, Romney Coasts as Cain Gets His Big Night | Swampland | TIME.com /* */ Home TIME Magazine Photos Videos Specials Topics Subscribe Mobile AppsNewslettersRSS @TIME NewsFeed U.S. Politics World Business Money Tech Health Science Entertainment SEARCH TIME.COM Full Archive Covers Videos 2012 ElectionDebatesDemocratic PartyPollsRepublican PartyMichele BachmannMitt RomneyRick PerryWhite HouseBarack ObamaJoe BidenCongressBudgetsHouseSenateLobbyingJohn BoehnerMitch McConnellNancy PelosiHarry ReidDomestic PolicyAbortionAgricultureDebtEconomyEducationHealth CareHousingForeign PolicyAfghanistanChinaDiplomacyHillary ClintonIranIraqPhotosSpecialsVideos DebatesIn Dartmouth Debate, Romney Coasts as Cain Gets His Big NightBy Adam Sorensen | @adamsorensen | October 12, 2011 | View CommentsTweetJustin Sullivan / Getty ImagesJon Huntsman, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum gather prior to the start of the Republican Presidential debate on Oct. 11, 2011 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

The settings of the Republican presidential primary debates have shifted, as have the roles played by each candidate and the amount of intra-party flak flung about. But the fundamentals remain unchanged: Mitt Romney is sailing through these televised forums unbuffeted by any serious challenge from his rivals.

Tuesday night’s debate at Dartmouth college in New Hampshire featured eight familiar candidates crowded around one table, an economic theme and a more prominent role for surging political neophyte Herman Cain. It was in many ways Cain’s big moment. Ascendent in the polls and emerging as the protest pick over the blaspheming Romney and bungling Rick Perry, Tuesday’s forum featured more of the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO than any prior one. 9-9-9, the name of Cain’s endlessly touted tax panacea, arose at least once in most of the night’s exchanges. His performance was solid, if unremarkable. He stuck to his talking points — anyone who criticizes his plan doesn’t understand that he wants to chuck the whole tax code first! — and met new attacks from his rivals with cheerful aplomb.  At this point, any boost in Cain’s name recognition will be a boon to his relatively obscure campaign. And the constant 9-9-9 chatter, even if some of it was negative, probably helped Cain’s chances of sustaining his unlikely rise.

The bit players took notice. Jon Huntsman, who seems closer everyday to breaking the bonds of mathematics and plunging into negative support in the polls, made light of 9-9-9 before dismissing it outright. “I thought it was the price of a pizza when I first heard it,” he said. Michele Bachmann said that “the 9-9-9 plan isn’t a jobs plan, it’s a tax plan,” and even invoked the mark of the beast: “When you take the 9-9-9 plan and turn it upside-down, I think the devil’s in the details.” Rick Santorum was even harsher, crushing the plan as unpassable and asking  anyone in the audience who wanted a 9% sales tax–one of the three 9s, you see–to raise their hand. (No one did.)  Cain’s rivals’ substantive critique was essentially that passing a sales tax would open the floodgates to more revenue for the greedy government. Meanwhile, Romney, who has less to gain and more lose from bloodying Cain too much, parried a 9-9-9  question well. “Simple answers are very helpful, but often inadequate,” he said.

True to form, Perry, who’s probably suffered the most from Cain’s surge, whiffed completely. “I don’t need 9-9-9,” he said. “We don’t need any plan to pass Congress.” OK. It only got worse from there. Asked to lay out what he would do to salve the ailing economy, Perry cryptically explained his plan would be rolled out in the next three days. But  he wasn’t able to share any of it beyond a few poorly worded platitudes about energy independence. “Opening up a lot of the areas of our domestic energy area is the key,” he said. He began a riff on taxation with the words “One of the reasons that Americans are so untrustworthy…” and switched between gibberish and cliches throughout. “We don’t need to be focused on this policy or that policy,” he declared at one point. “We need to focus on getting America moving again.” Perry’s most lucid moment was when he noted that  “Mitt has had six years to be working on a plan. I’ve been in this about eight weeks.” It showed.

Just as Perry suggested, the Romneytron Debate Algorithm executed flawlessly yet again. Thrown a tough hypothetical about a future European financial crisis, Mitt challenged the premise of the question and flipped his answer into a slap at the Obama administration: “I am not going to have to call up Timothy Geithner and say, ‘How does the economy work?’” He fit in a populist tirade on currency manipulation in the orient: “The Chinese are smiling all the way to the bank.” And even the infrequent jab at his Republican opponents came off as mostly innocent self-praise.  “I would not be in this race if I had spent my life in politics alone,” he said at one point, referencing his time in the private sector for the 999th time.

The confluence of events that have led to Romney’s charmed path through the nominating process debate without any real challenge to his vulnerable record may be subsiding. There were a few solid punches landed by his rivals in the latter half of Tuesday’s debate on Romney’s health reform record among other issues. But the novelty of Cain–and the reality that Cain is the one who has siphoned off the votes that most non-Romney candidates have a chance of winning–cushioned the blow in this debate. And there were still moments when the pile-on many observers keep waiting for simply didn’t happen. After a delicate answer in which Romney had to balance his support of TARP with statements like “No one likes the idea of a Wall Street bailout,” Cain, given the chance to respond, said, “I happen to agree with Governor Romney.”

In fact, the most telling moment of the debate probably came when Romney was asked whom he would choose to replace Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve. “Well, I haven’t chosen that person. I haven’t even chosen a vice president… I’m not sure I’m the nominee yet,” he said to uproarious laughter. The joke, of course, is that Romney, along with anybody watching these recent debates, must feel pretty sure.

Related Topics: 2012, gop, Debates
emailprintshareLinkedInStumbleUponRedditDiggMixxDel.i.ciousWriteView Comments@TIMEPoliticsLatest on SwamplandNational Security | October 11, 2011Iran’s Alleged Assassination Plot and Its Political Fallout

The Justice Department on Tuesday unsealed a complaint against two Iranians alleging a state-sponsored terrorist plot by members of Iran’s Quds Force against the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir. The complaint alleges that Manssor Arbabsiar, a U.S.-Iranian dual citizen, and his al Quds handler, Gholam Shakuri, tried to hire a DEA confidential source to detonate a bomb that would kill al-Jubeir in Washington, D.C.

From our PartnersJimmy Carter: 'I'm Optimistic' Obama Will Win 2012Huffington PostFive Questions for President ObamaPoliticoMichele Bachmann: Rick Perry Rewarded Donors With State MoneyHuffington PostCongress | October 11, 2011With Obama Jobs Bill Vote, Democrats Seek to Prove Congressional Dysfunction

The Senate Tuesday night is expected to vote down President Obama’s jobs bill. Democrats aren’t even sure they can get 51 votes, let alone the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. And even if it passed, Republican House Speaker John Boehner has declared it dead on arrival in the lower chamber. So, what’s the point of this political theater?

Simple: the presidential campaign is already roaring to life–we’re on GOP debate No. 147 tonight, in case anyone missed the first 146–and the President needs to prove it’s not his fault that Washington isn’t doing more to create jobs. “There is no Republican alternative that would create jobs now,” David Axelrod, a senior strategist for the Obama campaign wrote in a Tuesday memo that cited poll numbers showing Obama’s plan’s popularity. “The American people have rallied around Obama’s call to pass this plan. After 3 weeks of advocacy by the President, support (for the jobs bill) has grown by nearly 10%.”

previousIran’s Alleged Assassination Plot and Its Political Falloutblog comments powered by Disqus The Page Updated 3 hours agoRomney Bandwagon Grows as Hastert, Biggert Sign OnPerry Reveals "Debates Are Not My Strong Suit"Jeffress to TODAYWed. Candidate ScheduleAxe Takes Tougher Shot at Romney Than GOPers More on TIME.comLibyan Rebels Battle Gaddafi LoyalistsChicago Ideas Week 2011: Intelligence SquaredThe Mountain Gorillas of RwandaFull ListMost PopularTIME.COMBLOGSSwampland In Some Chinese Hospitals, Violence Is Out of Control and It's Doctors Who Are At RiskScientists '95% Sure' Bigfoot Lives in Russian TundraNew Proof That Comets Watered the EarthWhy You Should Worry About China's Real Estate Bubble BurstingSteve Jobs, 1955?2011: Mourning Technology's Great ReinventorTeacher, Leave Those Kids Alone: A Look at South Korea's Education SystemBirth and Death: Afghanistan's Struggles with Maternal MortalityThe Honeymoon's Over: Sicily Cracks Down on Weddings ReceiptsSteve Jobs: Remembering the Dissatisfied ManRomney in Debate: I Can Work with 'Good' Democrats Wall Street Protests Get Specific: Could ‘Bank Transfer Day’ Pit Americans Against Their Big Banks?Vitamins and Supplements Linked to Higher Risk of Death in Older WomenReport: Big Ben Could Become Leaning Tower of LondonOccupy Wall Street: Increased Organization, Looming ChallengesScientists '95% Sure' Bigfoot Lives in Russian TundraThe Too-Good-to-Be-True Product Hall of FameIsn't the iPhone 4S Supposed to Be a Disappointment?'Dancing with the Stars' Week Four Recap: Cher Visits Movie NightThe Latest Christian Halloween Protest: JesusWeenStudy: Chocolate Lovers Have Lower Risk of StrokeIran’s Alleged Assassination Plot and Its Political FalloutBelieve It or Not, the Left Is Still Behind ObamaHow the Shrinking Primary Calendar Boosts Romney’s ChancesChris Christie Endorses Mitt RomneyA New Debate Night Dynamic: Herman Cain vs. Mitt RomneyRon Paul Backers Picket Romney Supporter Under “Tea Party” GuiseMorning Must Reads: CainWith Obama Jobs Bill Vote, Democrats Seek to Prove Congressional DysfunctionWhy Catholic Bishops are Targeting Obama on Religious FreedomWhy the Washington Establishment is Heeding Occupy Wall Street VideosMore Videos Powered by WordPress.com VIP Stay Connected with TIME.comSubscribe to
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In Dartmouth Debate, Romney Coasts as Cain Gets His Big Night

In Dartmouth Debate, Romney Coasts as Cain Gets His Big Night | Swampland | TIME.com /* */ Home TIME Magazine Photos Videos Specials Topics Subscribe Mobile AppsNewslettersRSS @TIME NewsFeed U.S. Politics World Business Money Tech Health Science Entertainment SEARCH TIME.COM Full Archive Covers Videos 2012 ElectionDebatesDemocratic PartyPollsRepublican PartyMichele BachmannMitt RomneyRick PerryWhite HouseBarack ObamaJoe BidenCongressBudgetsHouseSenateLobbyingJohn BoehnerMitch McConnellNancy PelosiHarry ReidDomestic PolicyAbortionAgricultureDebtEconomyEducationHealth CareHousingForeign PolicyAfghanistanChinaDiplomacyHillary ClintonIranIraqPhotosSpecialsVideos DebatesIn Dartmouth Debate, Romney Coasts as Cain Gets His Big NightBy Adam Sorensen | @adamsorensen | October 12, 2011 | View CommentsTweetJustin Sullivan / Getty ImagesJon Huntsman, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum gather prior to the start of the Republican Presidential debate on Oct. 11, 2011 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

The settings of the Republican presidential primary debates have shifted, as have the roles played by each candidate and the amount of intra-party flak flung about. But the fundamentals remain unchanged: Mitt Romney is sailing through these televised forums unbuffeted by any serious challenge from his rivals.

Tuesday night’s debate at Dartmouth college in New Hampshire featured eight familiar candidates crowded around one table, an economic theme and a more prominent role for surging political neophyte Herman Cain. It was in many ways Cain’s big moment. Ascendent in the polls and emerging as the protest pick over the blaspheming Romney and bungling Rick Perry, Tuesday’s forum featured more of the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO than any prior one. 9-9-9, the name of Cain’s endlessly touted tax panacea, arose at least once in most of the night’s exchanges. His performance was solid, if unremarkable. He stuck to his talking points — anyone who criticizes his plan doesn’t understand that he wants to chuck the whole tax code first! — and met new attacks from his rivals with cheerful aplomb.  At this point, any boost in Cain’s name recognition will be a boon to his relatively obscure campaign. And the constant 9-9-9 chatter, even if some of it was negative, probably helped Cain’s chances of sustaining his unlikely rise.

The bit players took notice. Jon Huntsman, who seems closer everyday to breaking the bonds of mathematics and plunging into negative support in the polls, made light of 9-9-9 before dismissing it outright. “I thought it was the price of a pizza when I first heard it,” he said. Michele Bachmann said that “the 9-9-9 plan isn’t a jobs plan, it’s a tax plan,” and even invoked the mark of the beast: “When you take the 9-9-9 plan and turn it upside-down, I think the devil’s in the details.” Rick Santorum was even harsher, crushing the plan as unpassable and asking  anyone in the audience who wanted a 9% sales tax–one of the three 9s, you see–to raise their hand. (No one did.)  Cain’s rivals’ substantive critique was essentially that passing a sales tax would open the floodgates to more revenue for the greedy government. Meanwhile, Romney, who has less to gain and more lose from bloodying Cain too much, parried a 9-9-9  question well. “Simple answers are very helpful, but often inadequate,” he said.

True to form, Perry, who’s probably suffered the most from Cain’s surge, whiffed completely. “I don’t need 9-9-9,” he said. “We don’t need any plan to pass Congress.” OK. It only got worse from there. Asked to lay out what he would do to salve the ailing economy, Perry cryptically explained his plan would be rolled out in the next three days. But  he wasn’t able to share any of it beyond a few poorly worded platitudes about energy independence. “Opening up a lot of the areas of our domestic energy area is the key,” he said. He began a riff on taxation with the words “One of the reasons that Americans are so untrustworthy…” and switched between gibberish and cliches throughout. “We don’t need to be focused on this policy or that policy,” he declared at one point. “We need to focus on getting America moving again.” Perry’s most lucid moment was when he noted that  “Mitt has had six years to be working on a plan. I’ve been in this about eight weeks.” It showed.

Just as Perry suggested, the Romneytron Debate Algorithm executed flawlessly yet again. Thrown a tough hypothetical about a future European financial crisis, Mitt challenged the premise of the question and flipped his answer into a slap at the Obama administration: “I am not going to have to call up Timothy Geithner and say, ‘How does the economy work?’” He fit in a populist tirade on currency manipulation in the orient: “The Chinese are smiling all the way to the bank.” And even the infrequent jab at his Republican opponents came off as mostly innocent self-praise.  “I would not be in this race if I had spent my life in politics alone,” he said at one point, referencing his time in the private sector for the 999th time.

The confluence of events that have led to Romney’s charmed path through the nominating process debate without any real challenge to his vulnerable record may be subsiding. There were a few solid punches landed by his rivals in the latter half of Tuesday’s debate on Romney’s health reform record among other issues. But the novelty of Cain–and the reality that Cain is the one who has siphoned off the votes that most non-Romney candidates have a chance of winning–cushioned the blow in this debate. And there were still moments when the pile-on many observers keep waiting for simply didn’t happen. After a delicate answer in which Romney had to balance his support of TARP with statements like “No one likes the idea of a Wall Street bailout,” Cain, given the chance to respond, said, “I happen to agree with Governor Romney.”

In fact, the most telling moment of the debate probably came when Romney was asked whom he would choose to replace Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve. “Well, I haven’t chosen that person. I haven’t even chosen a vice president… I’m not sure I’m the nominee yet,” he said to uproarious laughter. The joke, of course, is that Romney, along with anybody watching these recent debates, must feel pretty sure.

Related Topics: 2012, gop, Debates
emailprintshareLinkedInStumbleUponRedditDiggMixxDel.i.ciousWriteView Comments@TIMEPoliticsLatest on SwamplandNational Security | October 11, 2011Iran’s Alleged Assassination Plot and Its Political Fallout

The Justice Department on Tuesday unsealed a complaint against two Iranians alleging a state-sponsored terrorist plot by members of Iran’s Quds Force against the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir. The complaint alleges that Manssor Arbabsiar, a U.S.-Iranian dual citizen, and his al Quds handler, Gholam Shakuri, tried to hire a DEA confidential source to detonate a bomb that would kill al-Jubeir in Washington, D.C.

From our PartnersJimmy Carter: 'I'm Optimistic' Obama Will Win 2012Huffington PostFive Questions for President ObamaPoliticoMichele Bachmann: Rick Perry Rewarded Donors With State MoneyHuffington PostCongress | October 11, 2011With Obama Jobs Bill Vote, Democrats Seek to Prove Congressional Dysfunction

The Senate Tuesday night is expected to vote down President Obama’s jobs bill. Democrats aren’t even sure they can get 51 votes, let alone the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. And even if it passed, Republican House Speaker John Boehner has declared it dead on arrival in the lower chamber. So, what’s the point of this political theater?

Simple: the presidential campaign is already roaring to life–we’re on GOP debate No. 147 tonight, in case anyone missed the first 146–and the President needs to prove it’s not his fault that Washington isn’t doing more to create jobs. “There is no Republican alternative that would create jobs now,” David Axelrod, a senior strategist for the Obama campaign wrote in a Tuesday memo that cited poll numbers showing Obama’s plan’s popularity. “The American people have rallied around Obama’s call to pass this plan. After 3 weeks of advocacy by the President, support (for the jobs bill) has grown by nearly 10%.”

previousIran’s Alleged Assassination Plot and Its Political Falloutblog comments powered by Disqus The Page Updated 3 hours agoRomney Bandwagon Grows as Hastert, Biggert Sign OnPerry Reveals "Debates Are Not My Strong Suit"Jeffress to TODAYWed. Candidate ScheduleAxe Takes Tougher Shot at Romney Than GOPers More on TIME.comWall Street: Photos from the ProtestsChicago Ideas Week 2011: Intelligence SquaredLibyan Rebels Battle Gaddafi LoyalistsFull ListMost PopularTIME.COMBLOGSSwampland In Some Chinese Hospitals, Violence Is Out of Control and It's Doctors Who Are At RiskScientists '95% Sure' Bigfoot Lives in Russian TundraNew Proof That Comets Watered the EarthWhy You Should Worry About China's Real Estate Bubble BurstingSteve Jobs, 1955?2011: Mourning Technology's Great ReinventorTeacher, Leave Those Kids Alone: A Look at South Korea's Education SystemBirth and Death: Afghanistan's Struggles with Maternal MortalityThe Honeymoon's Over: Sicily Cracks Down on Weddings ReceiptsSteve Jobs: Remembering the Dissatisfied ManRomney in Debate: I Can Work with 'Good' Democrats Wall Street Protests Get Specific: Could ‘Bank Transfer Day’ Pit Americans Against Their Big Banks?Scientists '95% Sure' Bigfoot Lives in Russian TundraWe’ve Been Wasting a Ton of Money on Vitamins and Dietary SupplementsVitamins and Supplements Linked to Higher Risk of Death in Older WomenIsn't the iPhone 4S Supposed to Be a Disappointment?Occupy Wall Street: Increased Organization, Looming ChallengesWho Gains, Who Loses in Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swap to Free Gilad Shalit?Report: Big Ben Could Become Leaning Tower of LondonThe Too-Good-to-Be-True Product Hall of Fame'Dancing with the Stars' Week Four Recap: Cher Visits Movie NightIran’s Alleged Assassination Plot and Its Political FalloutIn Dartmouth Debate, Romney Coasts as Cain Gets His Big NightA New Debate Night Dynamic: Herman Cain vs. Mitt RomneyBelieve It or Not, the Left Is Still Behind ObamaWith Obama Jobs Bill Vote, Democrats Seek to Prove Congressional DysfunctionChris Christie Endorses Mitt RomneyRon Paul Backers Picket Romney Supporter Under “Tea Party” GuiseWhy Catholic Bishops are Targeting Obama on Religious FreedomMorning Must Reads: CainWhy the Washington Establishment is Heeding Occupy Wall Street VideosMore Videos Powered by WordPress.com VIP Stay Connected with TIME.comSubscribe to
RSS FeedsSign Up for
NewslettersGet the TIME
Magazine iPad EditionRead TIME Mobile
on your PhoneBecome a
Fan of TIMEGet TIME
Twitter Updates NewsFeed U.S. Politics World Business Money Health Science Entertainment Photos Videos Specials Magazine © 2011 Time Inc. All rights reservedPrivacy PolicyRSSNewsletterMobileTIME For KidsLIFE.com SubscribeContact UsTerms of UseMedia KitReprints & PermissionsHelpSite MapAd Choices TIME Our partners CNN CNN MONEY LIFE