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NBC’s Chuck Todd: "The New York Times reported this morning that senior U.S. officials privately are acknowledging missteps in the handling of the case. And yesterday the White House, frankly, looked flat-footed.”

WH Spokesman Jay Carney: “All of our diplomacy was directed at putting him in the best possible position to achieve his objectives.”

Todd: “But was the diplomacy rushed because Clinton and Geithner were coming to China? Now the full story isn't clear.” (MSNBC’S “Daily Rundown,” 5/4/12)

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Fox News’ Ed Henry: “Because when you say, if there are concerns to be raised, Mr. Chen told the Daily Beast, I believe, that his wife tells him that she was tied to a chair, beaten, and interrogated by Chinese guards after they found out that he had turned up at the U.S. Embassy. So how can you possibly believe that the Chinese government can be trusted to really let him reunify with his family, if his wife was beaten?”

WH Spokesman Jay Carney: “Ed, let me just again, first of all, refer you to the State Department for, because this is an issue that they handle, for details, hold on –”

Henry: “About human rights, that really matters to him. You can’t just keep saying the State Department, the President said –”

Carney: “I think I’ve said a great deal more than that.” (Jay Carney, White House Press Briefing, Washington, DC, 5/3/12)

Obama’s Policies Leave Human Rights Activists Wondering Whose Side Obama Is On

Obama Accused Of Sacrificing U.S. Principles Of Freedom ... more

Obama’s Decision To Use The Bin Laden Raid In A Campaign Ad Has Ignited Criticism That He Is “Inappropriately Politicizing A Grave Matter Of National Security.” “The Obama campaign's bin Laden ad, which has stirred a fierce debate, looks to some like a hit below the belt, using a questionable premise to make a political argument that Democrats can be just as tough in dealing with the nation's enemies as Republicans. Critics, including Huffington Post Media Group Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington, have said President Barack Obama is inappropriately politicizing a grave matter of national security.” (Jon Ward, “Obama's Bin Laden Ad: Hit Below The Belt Shows Democrats Can Be Tough Too,” The Huffington Post, 4/30/12)

Admiral Mike Mullen Said He Hoped That The Bin Laden Raid Would Not Be “Spun Into Election Politics.” MULLEN: "I do worry a great deal that this time of year that somehow this gets spun into election politics. I can assure you that those individuals who risk their lives - ... more

Obama Struggles With Independent Voters

Fox News Poll: If The Presidential Election Were Held Today, 46 Percent Of Independents Say They Would Support Romney, While Just 33 Say They Would Support Obama. (Fox News Poll, 155 RV, MoE 8%, 4/22-24/12)

Among Independents, 52 Percent Say They Have An Unfavorable Opinion Of Obama Compared To 45 Percent Who Say They Have A Favorable Opinion Of Him. (Fox News Poll, 155 RV, MoE 8%, 4/22-24/12)

Among Independents, 54 Percent Say They Would Never Vote For Obama For President, While Just 37 Percent Say They Would Never Vote For Romney. (Fox News Poll, 155 RV, MoE 8%, 4/22-24/12)

• 37 Percent Of Independents Say They Would Definitely Vote For Romney For President, While Just 30 Percent Say They Would Definitely Vote For Obama. (Fox News Poll, 155 RV, MoE 8%, 4/22-24/12)

Swing State Voters Write The Story Of Obama’s November Defeat

Virginia

Rasmussen Reports: Romney Leads Obama 45-44 Percent In Virginia. (Rasmussen Reports, 500 LV, MoE 4.5%, ... more

Across Swing States, Voters Think That The New Jobs Being Created Are Worse Than The Jobs That Have Been Lost

“The Problem Is That Most Of The Decent Job Growth We've Seen In The Past Few Months Has Been In Sectors That Do Not Pay All That Well.” “The problem is that most of the decent job growth we've seen in the past few months has been in sectors that do not pay all that well. The economy has created 1.2 million nonfarm payroll jobs in the past six months -- great news. But nearly 668,000 of those jobs -- more than 55 percent -- have been created in the retail, temp, ‘health care and social assistance’ and ‘leisure and hospitality’ sectors, notes Brusuelas.” (Mark Gongloff and Bonnie Kavoussi, “Job Market Recovery Led By Low-Wage Sectors,” The Huffington Post, 4/5/12)

“The Jobs Are Lousy, And There Aren't Enough Of Them.” “The job market these days is sort of like that old Catskills joke: The food is terrible, and the portions are so small. The jobs are lousy, and there aren't ... more

SHOT: In His Speech At NYU Today, Biden Claimed Romney Was Wrong To Say That U.S.-Israeli Relations Had “Hit A Low”

Biden Criticized Romney For Saying “Relations Between The United States And Israel Had ‘Hit A Low.’” BIDEN: “Israel leaders have called President Obama’s support for and cooperation with Israel, ‘unprecedented.’ Governor Romney, though, said relations between the United States and Israel had, quote, hit a low, end of quote. And went on to accuse President Obama of, quote –this is a good one – throwing Israel under the bus, end of quote. That’s just one of a long litany of untruths of our administration’s policy toward Israel uttered by Governor Romney.” (Vice President Joseph Biden, Remarks On National Security, New York , NY, 4/26/12)

CHASER: In 2011, Biden Said That Obama Had Mishandled The U.S.-Israeli Relationship

Biden, While Speaking With Rabbis In Boca Raton, FL, Listed Off The Repeated Insults By The Obama Administration Against Israel. “Mr. Biden told the ... more

Obama: “We’ve Strengthened Our Alliances, Restored Respect For The United States Around The World.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, New York, NY, 1/19/12)

Obama’s Popularity Is Dropping Abroad

Obama’s Popularity Has “Universally Slid” Since His Election.  “Obama was most popular just after winning the presidency and those numbers have almost universally slid since. Obama’s popularity dropped by double digits in 29 countries between 2010 and 2011, but overall it dropped just two percentage points from a high of 49% in 2009.” (Jay Newton-Small, “Obama About As Popular Abroad As He Is At Home,” Time's "Swampland", 4/19/12)

• “Obama Was Least Popular In The Arab World,” With Only 19% Approval In Egypt. “Indeed, Obama was least popular in the Arab world. He had an approval rating of 35% in Morocco, 27% in Tunisia and 19% in Egypt, the lowest three on the African continent (Ghana was the highest with a 92% approval rating).” (Jay Newton-Small, ... more
  
  

Obama Campaign Officials Intend To Use Biden’s National Security Speech At NYU To "Draw The Sharpest Contrast Yet Between The Administration's Record On Foreign Policy And Governor Mitt Romney's Foreign Policy Positions," But What About Their Own Campaign Promises?

ON IRAN

Obama Didn’t Think Iran Was A Threat

In May 2008, Obama Called Iran A “Tiny” Country That Doesn't “Pose A Serious Threat To Us.” OBAMA: “Strong countries and strong Presidents talk to their adversaries. That's what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That's what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That's what Nixon did with Mao. I mean think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela -- these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying we're going to wipe you off the planet. And ultimately that direct engagement led to a series of measures that helped prevent ... more

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says that it is “not surprising” that the economy is growing as slowly as it is, but in 2009 the Obama Administration was predicting breakout growth by 2012.

Today On CNBC’s Closing Bell, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Said It’s “Not Surprising” That The Economy Is Growing At Two To Three Percent. GEITHNER: “Again I think most private businesses, forecasters look at the American economy today see the economy growing between two and three percent. Not surprising, as we dig out of this recession but it’s looking more resilient and the strength is more broad-based.” (CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” 4/25/12)

SURPRISE: In 2009, The Obama Administration Predicted That The Economy Would Be Growing Twice As Fast As It Is Now

In August 2009, The President’s Mid-Session Review Predicted Annual GDP Growth Of 6.0 Percent In 2012. (“Mid-Session Review, Budget Of The U.S. Government, Fiscal Year 2010,” The White House, 8/25/09)

• In The Fourth Quarter Of 2011, The ... more
  
  

Last night in Rhode Island, Democrats continued the trend they’ve set throughout the primary of lower turnout than 16 years ago, the last time a Democratic President was running for renomination unopposed.

In 1996, 8,780 Votes Were Cast In The Rhode Island Democratic Presidential Primary. (Federal Election Commission, Accessed 4/25/12)

• In 2012, 7,859 Votes Had Been Cast In The Rhode Island Democratic Presidential Primary. (Politico, 4/25/10)

The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake: “Obama May Have A Turnout Problem, Too” (Aaron Blake, “Obama May Have A Turnout Problem, Too,” The Washington Post’s The Fix, 3/13/12)

Democratic Turnout Is Down Significantly Compared To The Last Time A Democrat President Was Running Unopposed For Renomination – Bill Clinton In 1996. “A review of the states that have also held Democratic contests this year shows turnout is down sharply from the last time a Democratic president was running largely unopposed for renomination — 1996.” (Aaron Blake, “Obama May ... more