Charlie Neibergall/AP

Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during the Thanksgiving Family Forum sponsored by The Family Leader as former CEO of Godfathers Pizza Herman Cain looks on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.

By NBC's Carrie Dann, Alex Moe, Andrew Rafferty and James Novogrod

DES MOINES, Iowa -- At an emotional two-hour forum focused as much on the candidate's personal and spiritual lives as on their policies, six Republican candidates spoke at length Saturday about their faith but skirted direct discussion of misconduct by either twice-divorced Newt Gingrich or Herman Cain, who has faced allegations of sexual harassment.

During the Des Moines forum sponsored by the Family Leader group and moderated by pollster Frank Luntz, Gingrich disclosed a time in the 1990s when he felt that he was "failing personally," even turning to the Alcoholics Anonymous handbook because he felt "truly hollow."

"I wasn't drinking but I had precisely the symptoms of somebody who was collapsing under this weight," he said after Luntz directed candidates to "bare your soul."

The former House speaker, who has previously disclosed that he was engaging in an extramarital affair with his current wife while prosecuting the Clinton impeachment, acknowledged Saturday that his struggles "required a great deal of pain."

"I've been very blessed. Callista and I have a wonderful marriage," he said, going on to describe his closeness to his children. "But all of that has required a great deal of pain, some of which I have caused others, which I regret deeply. All of which required having to go to God to seek both reconciliation but also to seek God's acceptance that I had to recognize how limited I was and how much I had to depend on Him."

Earlier in the forum, Gingrich won the biggest laugh of the night for telling Occupy Wall Street protesters to "go get a job right after you take a bath."

In a rare moment, Cain, who typically sticks to displays of humor and defiance on the campaign trail, choked up when talking about his wife, Gloria, and the struggle he faced with cancer.

When Cain received his diagnosis, he said, he told his wife "I can do this." She replied "WE can do this," he said of his wife of 42 years, who accompanied her husband to the forum for her first campaign appearance in Iowa this weekend.

Cain later struggled past tears in describing one consequence of his business success. "I didn't believe that I was home enough when my kids were growing up," he said.

The Atlanta businessman made no mention of at least four women who have accused him of sexual impropriety. He said Saturday that he believes he has experienced a "series of little failures rather than one great big disaster."

Also shedding tears Saturday was Rick Santorum, who delivered an emotional recounting of his disabled daughter's struggles for life.  "I had seen her as less of a person because of her disability," the former Pennsylvania senator confessed when describing one moment when his daughter's life was in danger.

Rick Perry, telling a familiar story about the academic failures that prevented him from achieving his dream of becoming a veterinarian, smiled broadly when delivering a line that could perhaps also apply to the rocky start of his once soaring campaign. 

"If you want to see God laugh, tell him your plans," Perry said.

The Texas governor related details of his humble biography, saying that his presence on the stage after growing up in near-poverty was "a stunning story of America." He discussed, as he did at a speech at Liberty University in September, a period of time when he felt "lost" and "too busy for God" before turning to Christ at age 27.

The unusual format -- with the six candidates seated around a table topped with Thanksgiving accoutrements -- allowed each candidate to offer lengthy responses to questions about gay marriage, abortion, morality, and the role of faith in public life.

While largely focused on the candidate's philosophical views, the candidates also discussed their view of the federal government through the prism of morality. 

"The states have a right to be wrong," Rep. Ron Paul alleged, dovetailing on a back-and-forth he had with Gingrich about the meaning of "liberty." "The Constitution is a restriction on the federal government, not a restriction on the states."

Rep. Michele Bachmann spoke about her views of the spiritual nature of the oath of office, relating a story disputed by some historians that George Washington added the words "so help me God" and kissed the Bible upon delivering them. (The Bachmann campaign pushed back via Twitter on questions about the anecdote's veracity, citing author David McCullough.)

Bachmann also separately attacked Gingrich on his abortion record.

Republican frontrunner Gov. Mitt Romney, along with longshot Gov. John Huntsman, was notably absent from the Iowa forum, choosing instead to conduct a fiery town hall in New Hampshire. While the other candidates declined to take shots at the absent former Massachusetts governor, moderator Frank Luntz did take a dig at Romney, noting that he was not present to respond to critiques of the individual mandate for health care, an idea included in the plan he signed into law in 2006.

Romney’s absence was also noted by event organizer Bob Vander Plaats, who told reporters after the forum, “Romney was the only one who stiffed us.”

“I think that’s gone with his persona, in how he’s treating Iowa, which happens to be a swing state,” Vander Plaats added. “And he wants to win the presidency -- which tells me he lacks judgment.”

By NBC's Jo Ling Kent

Manchester, NH — Earlier this week, Jon Huntsman finally hit the airwaves in New Hampshire thanks to a major ad buy underwritten by the pro-Huntsman group Our Destiny PAC — a so-called “Super PAC” that is legally barred from coordinating with the Huntsman campaign but can accept unlimited contributions from corporations and individuals. The 60-second spot was an early Christmas gift to the cash-starved campaign for the former Utah governor, who is struggling in the polls.

Elise Amendola/AP

Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor, speaks Wednesday during a town meeting in Derry, N.H.

Now the question is whether the dramatic, booming ad is actually working for Huntsman in a state where he has staked his entire struggling presidential bid.

With just seven weeks to go until the primary, the feedback is mixed. There is both a new sense of excitement about a candidate who desperately needs the traction and blunt criticism that the ad might not be as effective as it needs to be.

The spot -- which Huntsman himself claims he had yet to see as of Thursday -- opens with several actors bemoaning the state of the country, sitting in what appears to be a dark parking garage. (The ad maker confirmed the men and women were actors.)

The individuals who appear in the spot are polished speakers — perhaps too much so for some tastes.

“The first thing New Hampshire voters are going to wonder is, ‘Are these folks from New Hampshire? Who are they?’” said Rich Killion, a former New Hampshire adviser to Tim Pawlenty and longtime top political strategist.

“I think it's very dangerous to use actors in ads in Iowa or New Hampshire,” said Pat Griffin, a New Hampshire-based strategist and CEO of political advertising firm Griffin York & Krause. "That looks like a national spot for a guy running a singular state campaign with Screen Actors Guild actors.”

But the ad is certainly dramatic, and that may go a long way for a candidate like Huntsman who has struggled to create excitement.

“The first ad has to be noticed and have an impact, which it does,” said Alex Castellanos, a longtime Republican media consultant and top adviser to the 2004 George W. Bush and 2008 Romney campaigns. “They do a very good job introducing Huntsman as not just a personality, but a man of accomplishment.”

“When people are slightly dissatisfied with the Republican field, [this ad] allows you a moment of joyous discovery, that maybe there is a solution to this,” Castellanos told NBC News.

On the ground, some voters are already responding.

John Maurice, a registered independent, spied the advertisement at home on television and decided to see Huntsman in person at a recent town hall meeting in Derry.

“I think the grumpy old guy at the beginning wasn’t overly impressive, but I like the idea he’s trying to get his name there, like ‘Why haven’t I heard of this guy?’ is the favorable thing at the end of it,” Maurice told NBC News.

“I like that he’s trying to get his message out. I think he’s a smart man who has been overlooked in this beauty contest,” said Maurice, as he waited for Huntsman to begin speaking.

As the primary nears, New Hampshire voters are likely to see many more candidates hit the airwaves. Already, Rick Perry, Ron Paul and (on cable) Fred Karger have run spots introducing themselves.

When asked how the Huntsman ad stacks up against Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s “Doer” spots, Castellanos said he sees more potential upside for Huntsman. “Perry’s ads are good but they have a tougher job. Perry’s ads have to change something you already know about a candidate,” Castellanos said. “Huntsman is pretty much a blank slate. Writing on a blank slate is easier.”

Though they are undoubtedly useful, television advertisements alone are unlikely to swing many undecided voters. Analysts here agree that the candidate’s substance and presence matters more than smooth advertisements, even if they play during primetime.

"New Hampshire voters are moved entirely on message,” New Hampshire-based strategist Killion said. “Obviously they're going to want to like or respect the messenger, but at the end of the day they're going to be drawn by the message that it is driving the mood of this electorate, which is one that has deep concern about the direction which the country is headed in.”

With little money in the campaign’s own bank account, Huntsman is unlikely to be able to afford to finance his own advertisements anytime soon, unless he adds to the over $2 million from his own pocket that he has already contributed to his campaign. But if he has any realistic hope of closing the gap in New Hampshire, Huntsman needs to stay on the air here.

"Huntsman needs this right now, he needs name ID and awareness," Griffin said.

With surprisingly little competition on the New Hampshire airwaves as frontrunner Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has thus far decided to conserve his resources, a bigger Huntsman presence on TV could also have a quicker influence on the polls than it otherwise might.

“The airwaves right now, they are actually rather uncluttered of stuff, so anything that's up is going to have an effect,” Killion said.

“Don’t stop,” advised Castellanos. “Because McDonald’s wouldn’t sell another hamburger if they weren’t on the air every day.”

By NBC's Alex Moe and Garrett Haake

DES MOINES-- Without media or fanfare, last week Mitt Romney took yet another quiet, but meaningful, step towards making a full-fledged play to win Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses: his campaign opened an official headquarters office here in the Hawkeye State.

“We’ve got a lot of volunteers and more activity as the caucuses approach and we thought it was time to get a little more space," David Kochel, Romney's top adviser in Iowa, told NBC News. "We opened the office several days ago. We don’t plan any grand opening events there.”

Romney's five paid Iowa staffers had previously been operating out of a small workspace at Kochel's consulting firm. Paid staff in Iowa will not be expanding, Kochel also noted.

The decision not to open the office with a ribbon-cutting rally or a stirring speech by the candidate is in keeping with Romney's demonstrated Iowa strategy thus far: keep the people wanting more.

Romney has campaigned in Iowa only three times since announcing his current run for the presidency, a far cry from his immersion strategy of 2008, in which he spent north of $10 million dollars and much of his time in Iowa. Romney, then a little-known former governor from a Northeastern state, had work to do just to raise his name recognition. Now, despite his comparative scarcity in the state, Romney leads or sits in a close second in nearly every statewide poll.

Romney's Iowa strategy has been the subject of reams of criticism, speculation and analysis by media pundits and other politicians. This week, the state's long-time Governor Terry Branstad, whose weekend birthday party will be attended by every candidate, save Romney, took a shot of his own.

“The advisers in Boston don’t get it,” Branstad said Wednesday in Des Moines. “They have that East Coast mentality... I think he’s making a big mistake by not coming here and spending more time."

Doug Gross, an unaffiliated Republican consultant here, who ran Romney's Iowa effort in 2008, believes the former Massachusetts governor's decision to not to run a more traditional ground-game in Iowa will hurt him with the state's voters, who take their role in vetting candidates very seriously.

"When a candidate like Mitt Romney only comes out here very infrequently, tries to ride sort of on the national polls and national debates, and then comes out here and doesn’t take questions or answer questions of the media either, it doesn’t suit us well," Gross said. "We think that person is, in a job interview, refusing to answer questions.”

Slowly but surely, that approach seems to be changing. Romney's campaign did not dispute reports they were shooting a television ad on their last trip to Iowa, and this Wednesday, when most candidates will be "down" for Thanksgiving, Romney will return to the Hawkeye state once again to campaign. The caucuses will be forty days away. 

By NBC's Jo Ling Kent

Cambridge MA-- Newt Gingrich skipped campaigning in the nearby first-in-the-nation state of New Hampshire yesterday to speak with students at Harvard, where he attempted to minimize the role he played in receiving millions of dollars from mortgage behemoth Freddie Mac as a consultant for a firm bearing his own name.

Calling the consulting fees "Gingrich Group's earnings, not my earnings," the former Speaker of the House tried to distance himself from the firm at which he earned millions of dollars in the years since he has left office.

"I didn't take it," he told reporters of the fees Gingrich Group earned from Freddie Mac. The funds “weren’t paid to me as a candidate,’’ he explained.

"Freddie Mac paid Gingrich Group, which has a number of employees and a number of offices a consulting fee, just like you would pay any other consulting firm," Gingrich said.

Attempting to minimize his connection to his namesake firm, Gingrich repeatedly said in a press conference he is no longer affiliated with the company. He also welcomed "thorough vetting" of his candidacy, adding that he hoped that Gingrich Group would release earnings numbers from Freddie Mac to the public.

Perhaps unintentionally though, Gingrich revealed that he has conflicting feelings about the money-making industry of consulting firms in politics. In a question and answer session at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Gingrich criticized the use of expensive consultants in campaign advising for candidates seeking higher office. Gingrich said the merry-go-round of advisors, consultants and ad-makers produce ill-informed candidates who rely on the staffers and consultants who helped get them into office to survive, upon being elected to office.

"What's happened is we've grown a consulting industry so that instead of having the old time big city machine bosses, we now have these consultants," Gingrich said, despite having collected millions of dollars in similar fees himself.

Gingrich and his wife Callista appeared at the Kennedy School for a screening of a film they produced, “A City Upon a Hill." The documentary-style film promotes the idea of American exceptionalism.

Gingrich appeared both pleased and pleasantly surprised by new poll numbers showing him nearly tied for first place in New Hampshire with long-time front runner Mitt Romney.

"It is almost disorienting," Gingrich said. "I jumped by a factor of three in the past month...we thought we would be in contention by January. This is a lot."

When asked if he could feasibly beat Mitt Romney in New Hampshire, where Romney had until Friday held a double digit lead, Gingrich shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows?"

"I would say it was more plausible tonight that it was yesterday," he said. Gingrich recently opened new headquarters, hired a state director and several staffers in the Granite State.

Gingrich returns for more campaigning in New Hampshire on Monday. He will meet with the New Hampshire Union Leader editorial staff, whose endorsement is among the most sought after ahead of the first-in-the-nation Republican primary to be held on January 10.

By NBC's Andrew Rafferty

Aides to Herman Cain are pointing to a Libyan military commander with ties to the Taliban to vindicate the candidate’s suggestion yesterday that the former militant ruling party of Afghanistan is playing a role in the formation of Libya’s new government.

Cain spokesman JD Gordon cites Abdel-Hakim Belhaj, Libya’s Islamist military commander who fought with the Afghan Taliban, as proof that Cain’s remarks were accurate.  Gordon, a former spokesman for the Department of Defense, said he knows Belhaj has taken an “oath of loyalty” to Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

 In Orlando on Friday, Cain rhetorically asked reporters at a press conference, “Do I agree with siding with the opposition? Do I agree with saying that Ghaddafy should go? Do I agree that they now have a country where you've got Taliban and Al Qaeda that's going to be part of the government?”

The comment came after the former Georgia businessman faced another question about a mangled answer he gave to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board when asked if he agreed with how President Barack Obama handled Libya.  Cain took an extended pause before beginning to answer, and at one point needed to start over.

His suggestion that the Taliban, now dispersed through Afghanistan and Pakistan, is playing a role in forming the new Libyan government was quickly picked up by media as another example of a foreign policy gaffe.

"He’s not suggesting the Taliban is running Libya, he's just saying we did not do a good enough job vetting who the opposition is,” Gordon told NBC News.

Gordon cited several news agencies having to update or correct initial stories after too abruptly reporting Cain had made another gaffe.

“You guys oughtta do your homework,” Gordon said when asked for his reaction to media coverage of the candidate’s remarks.  “It's interesting that he knows more than the media in this case." 

But it is Al Qaeda, not the Taliban, that U.S. officials most frequently cite as a concern for the role they may play as Libya forms a new government in the wake of Moammar Gadhafi’s death.

Cain’s comments to the editorial board followed a foreign policy debate where he faced criticism for a lack of specificity in his answers, often saying he would rely on the foreign policy advisers around him to make decisions.

By NBC's Andrew Rafferty

Rick Santorum spoke to a crowd of about 15 at the Ottumwa, Iowa, public library in Iowa this afternoon.  The small crowd allowed the event to be a roundtable discussion with Santorum, who took questions from an older and very conservative crowd.  The former Pennsylvania senator was careful to address a voter who called President Barack Obama a "Muslim Communist."

Here's the exchange:

Voter: "We have to get rid of that Muslim Communist in the White House.  And I have no apologies for that saying."

Santorum: "Well, there are a lot of people who, if you look at his policies -- are clearly oriented toward big government and government control of means of production if you will. Which, of course, is the definition of Marxism."

After the event Santorum said he was surprised by the voter's comment, and he disagrees with it.

"President says he's a Christian, I believe he is a Christian."

Compassion and suffering
He also faced a question about his faith and the role it plays in his governing. A voter asked how he reconciles cutting programs aimed at helping the poor with his Christianity, a religion with a core tenet being compassion and helping those less fortunate.

"We need to be compassionate; we need to make sure that we're not creating a system that encourages behavior that ends up relying on the government for providing for them.  This whole entitlement nature that you're seeing on our young people, it's not surprising."

He also said, "That's how I square it. Suffering, if you're a Christian, suffering is part of life. And it's not a bad thing.  It is an essential thing in life.  And that we suffer -- there are all different ways to suffer, and one way to suffer is through lack of food and shelter. And there is another way to suffer, which is lack of dignity and hope. There are all sorts of ways that people suffer, and it's not just tangible, it's intangible and we have to consider both."

By NBC's Alex Moe

KNOXVILLE, Iowa -- Rick Santorum paid a visit Friday night to Herman Cain's old stomping grounds -- a Godfathers Pizza.

Alex Moe/NBC News

Rick Santorum tries his first piece of Godfathers Pizza in Knoxville, Iowa Friday night.

"Good job Herman, good stuff," Santorum said as he ate a slice of sausage pizza and gave the former CEO of Godfathers a thumbs up.

"I thought it'd be fun to have something at Godfathers Pizza. And as I just tweeted out, I am looking for the 9-9-9 special and in fact they have a 9-9-9 special so I think it's fun," Santorum told reporters before his seventh and final event of the day. (The Godfather himself, Cain, stumped in Florida today.)

The former Pennsylvania senator, the only candidate in the race to visit all of Iowa's 99 counties, spoke inside a packed room to at least 35 people and drew more media than usual.

Santorum focused his brief speech mostly on national security before taking questions from the audience. He also commented on the lead up to the first-in-the-nation caucuses and various candidates having their moment in the spotlight.

"I'd rather have my moment in late December than in late July," Santorum said. "We still have 6 1/2 weeks [until the caucus] -- that's an eternity in politics."

By NBC’s Ali Weinberg

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Herman Cain isn’t scared of the media or editorial boards, he said Friday night.

He told reporters here that he sought the Secret Service not to shield himself from the media but because he sometimes felt "a little bit uncomfortable" on the campaign trail, including a New Hampshire situation on which he did not elaborate.

Cain asked for the security and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and congressional leaders approved his request Thursday, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan confirmed to The Associated Press.

"No, it's not because you all are too scary," Cain said to reporters outside the Times-Union Performing Arts Center, where he had just given a speech.

Cain also said he was not afraid of editorial boards, even as the influential New Hampshire Union Leader board canceled a meeting with Cain after the campaign first said CSPAN could not film the meeting and then cut it down to 20 minutes.

Cain reiterated that the meeting was canceled due to a scheduling conflict and that he would do an hour-long interview with an editorial board in the future.
  
"Look, do you think I'd be running for president if I was scared of an editorial board or scared of the media or anybody? No! I'm not scared to go in front of the media," Cain said. 

Of Union-Leader publisher Joe McQuaid’s comments that he doesn’t think Cain is "going anywhere from here at this point, anyway," Cain said plenty of people shared McQuaid’s sentiment.

"The fact that he feels that way, welcome to the club. There are a lot of people out there who feel that way," Cain said.

One thing Cain definitely was not afraid to do was promote his 9-9-9 plan. After his press secretary J.D. Gordon, put an end to the gaggle and Cain began to walk away, he suddenly returned to the cameras and said, "One last thing, please: Jobs, jobs, jobs equals 9-9-9. You knew I had to get that in there, didn’t you?"

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Conservative women met right outside the nation's capital today to encourage more Republican women to run for office. Among the speakers appearing at the Women Working for Change Conference were two spouses of 2012 Republican candidates.

Anita Perry, wife of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, cited recent electoral victories for Nikki Haley in South Carolina and Susana Martinez in New Mexico as evidence of conservative women changing politics.

“When conservative women gather together for a common cause, it doesn't threaten men the most,” Perry said. “It threatens liberals the most, because when it comes to ending politics as usual, conservative women are the real change.” 

Also speaking was Callista Gingrich, wife of Newt Gingrich, who focused much of her 15-minute speech on American exceptionalism and her new children’s book. But she also commented on her husband’s rise in recent polls.

“Over the last few months, the polls have been wild,” she said. “In June and July, Newt and I were told that our campaign was dead. That was hard. Recent polls reflect that Newt is surging ahead. Candidly, this is better than being dead.”

Gingrich committed to running a “positive, issue-oriented and solutions-based campaign,” and said that the candidates and their families have become friends while campaigning for the Republican nomination.

“Many of us have bonded along the campaign trail as we go through similar life-changing experiences,” she said.  “We are all in this together and believe that what we are doing is in the best interest of our country. Our only opponent is Barack Obama, and we are committed to removing him from the white House.”

But Anita Perry said that of all the potential nominees, her husband “represents the most comprehensive change.”

“He is the only candidate who isn't part of the establishment. He is the true outsider who will bring a breath of fresh air to the Beltway,” Perry said. “He knows who he is and he knows what he believes. I can promise you this -- if you help elect him president, he will make you proud.”

Among the other speakers was former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who reflected on her tenure in both Bush administrations.

I always thought that the differences in them were overdrawn -- that it was really more the nature of the world that they inherited that explains when and how they were different. George H.W. Bush was one of the great diplomats I've really ever seen,” Rice said. “When you think about the world that he inherited, we were fortunate that first go around to be at the end of a historical epoch.”

George W. Bush, she said, was president “at the beginning of a big historical epoch” with a strengthened al Qaeda. Rice also gave Bush some of the credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and said that the Bush administration first learned of the courier that eventually led U.S. intelligence to bin Laden was first learned about in 2007.

“I'm very grateful to President Obama, to kill Osama bin Laden,” Rice said. “I think President Obama took a difficult decision, and he's to be applauded for that. I was grateful that President Bush had given him the tools to do it.”

And for some of the Republican women in the audience looking for role models, Rice offered advice from her own experience

“I know we sometimes say you have to have role models that look like you, well I don't really believe that,” Rice said. “If I had been looking for a black, female, Soviet specialist role model, I'd still be looking.  Most of my role models were white men, as a matter of fact, old white men.”

By NBC's Jo Ling Kent

Manchester, N.H. -- Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said in New Hampshire on Friday that he "followed the law" when disposing of documents as he left office as governor of Massachusetts in 2007. 

Brian Snyder/Reuters

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks Friday at the Devine Millimet-Manchester Chamber of Commerce Forum in Manchester, N.H.

Following a campaign stop at a lunch sponsored by the New Hampshire Union Leader and Salvation Army, Romney responded to the Boston Globe story that said his staff wiped its server clean and purchased the existing hard drives from the office to prevent access to his administration's records when he departed. Walking to his vehicle today, Romney told the CBS Boston affiliate WBZ said his aides "all followed the law exactly as it is written."

Romney also said his aides "actually put 700 boxes of information in the archives that wasn't even required."

Throughout his day of campaigning, Romney refused to elaborate on the exact reason or motivations behind his administration's actions, despite many opportunities to address the situation. When Romney departed his second campaign stop -- a town hall meeting in Manchester Friday afternoon -- he declined to respond to repeated questions from NBC News and other news outlets and took no questions.

Romney continues campaigning Saturday with a town hall-style event in Peterborough.

During his press conference today in Florida, Herman Cain was asked about his pregnant pause on Libya in his sit-down with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

In his response, Cain appears to believe -- mistakenly -- that there are elements of the Taliban in Libya that will have sway with the new government there. Cain said:

The Libya question was- the question was too broad. Now, I do admit that I was a bit fatigued but the question was too broad and so I paused and what they didn't show was I asked the reporter to be more specific. Well, he didn't get more specific.

His question was and I hope you all show this or write about it. Do you agree or disagree with President Obama on Libya? What part? Do I agree with the part where we intervene with rockets and missiles? Do I agree with siding with the opposition? Do I agree with saying that Khaddafy should go? Do I agree that they now have a country where you've got Taliban and Al Qaeda that's going to be a part of the government? Do I agree with not knowing what the government is going to do? Which part was he asking me about? And I was trying to get him to be specific and he wouldn't be specific. Then I went on to say, they didn't show this. If it were me as president, I would have wanted to know more about the opposition because now we see that not all the people in the opposition are our friends. I would have wanted to know more about well what was  the result in government going to look like.

In her interview with NBC's Chuck Todd from Bali, Indonesia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered short, but notable comments on two hot domestic topics: the Keystone XL pipeline project and the 2012 Republican presidential contest.

Clinton said she couldn’t comment on how long it will take for the State Department to reach a decision on alternate routes for the pipeline project. “It's a largely technical, scientific process. Since I'm neither, I can't really comment on how long it would take to do properly,” she said.

The State Department had originally intended to reach a decision by the end of this year. Clinton said the State Department is looking into the project from all angles.

“We have experts who are working on this, and they reached a conclusion after having done all this work,” Clinton said. “[They] listened to all these different voices on both sides of the debate, that there had to be attention paid to a potential other routing and so that's what they're now about the business of doing.”
 
When asked if she thought any of the 2012 Republican candidates are ready to answer the “3:00 a.m.” phone call she made famous in a 2008 presidential campaign ad, Clinton avoided a direct answer, saying she is “out of politics” and “very proud of the leadership that President Obama has shown.”

“I honestly haven't been paying a lot of attention,” Clinton said when pressed again. “I’ve been a little busy.”

Super Committee faces Wednesday deadline, President Obama heads to New Hampshire, where his poll numbers are sagging, and Mitt Romney campaigns in Iowa again but not before skipping presidential forum with social conservative group there.

With the clocks ticking down to deadline, it is becoming increasingly apparent on Capitol Hill that the supercommittee will not be able to reach its goal of cutting $1.2 trillion from the national debt.

Democrats rejected a fallback deal offered Friday by Republicans that would shave $643 billion from the debt over the next decade. It targeted spending in areas other than Medicare and Social Security, entitlement programs that Democrats had resisted cutting. Republicans called their offer a "last ditch effort."

Each party has shifted toward the blame game, looking to saddle the other with the political burden of the supercommittee's failure, specially as approval of Congress sags toward an all-time low.

Democrats said they rejected the new Republican offer because they see it as an approach that focuses on cuts alone, and doesn't include any new revenue -- an element that Democrats have demanded as part of any "serious" proposal. The offer "was rejected out of hand," said a Democrat familiar with the talks, who called it "woefully inadequate."

"It doesn't meet or even close to coming to meet the issues we have set out from the beginning, fair and balanced," said Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic co-chair of the committee.

A Republican aide contended that their offer contained $229 billion in new revenue, which included new money from land sales. The plan included $316 billion in spending cuts and $98 billion in interest savings. The aide said the GOP plan targeted "low-hanging fruit," but wasn't necessarily Republicans' final offer.

The new GOP proposal, said Democrats, contains only $3 billion in new tax revenue by closing loopholes for corporate jets. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), the Senate Finance Committee chairman who sits on the supercommittee, said "there are many ways to skin a cat."

The new breakdown sets up a tense weekend of last-ditch negotiations toward a deal; while the summer's legislation to raise the nation's debt ceiling required the 12-member, bipartisan group to report a plan by Nov. 23, the deadline is effectively on Monday, since the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office would need two days to measure the plan's effect on the deficit and debt.

This offer follows a week's worth of countervailing offers from Republican and Democratic members of the supercommittee. But the two parties remain far apart on the issue of new revenue, the linchpin of the supercommittee impasse.

If the supercommittee fails to reach a deal, a series of automatic cuts -- including heavy reductions in defense spending -- would be triggered. Democrats feel the Republicans' last-minute offer -- a smaller package than mandated by the debt ceiling deal -- is motivated in part by a desire to soften the automatic cuts to defense.

"If the Joint Select Committee fails toreach agreement on $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, it seems clear that Democrats are going to insist on the full sequester, with Defense cuts that President Obama's Secretary of Defense calls 'irresponsible.'" said a Republican leadership aide.

NBC's Luke Russert contributed reporting.

Herman Cain's campaign is pushing back against the suggestion it requested Secret Service protection as a way to keep media at bay and limit the access reporters will have to the candidate.

"It has nothing to do with the media, it has nothing to do with reporters," campaign spokesman J.D. Gordon said of the request for Secret Service protection.

Gordon said the campaign had requested protection "a couple weeks ago" after having received a series of threats. But Gordon said he would not comment on the nature of the threats or any specific instances.

Gordon's comment to NBC News came after a report by the Washington Post, in which Gordon seemed to indicate that the members of the media trailing his campaign were contributors to the decision to request a Secret Service detail.

Cain's Secret Service detail began last night, though the number of agents assigned to his detail or the extent of resources devoted to the former Georgia businessman is still unknown.

The news came just a day after reports had emerged of multiple altercations involving journalists covering Cain in Florida on Wednesday. In one instance, a reporter was struck by a man who later revealed himself as a plainclothes police officer.  At an earlier stop that day, a video journalist yelled at the media scrum for shoving her.

Gordon said Secret Service can help prevent those situations from happening again, but they did not spur the campaign to make the request.

The Cain campaign has had noticeable growing pains as the candidate has risen from the bottom towards the top of the polls, one of the biggest of which has been dealing with the increased media attention.

Events have been scheduled at venues that cannot accomodate both supporters and the media. Rarely is space set aside for cameras to film open press events.

Local police will often be called to assist with crowd control and protection -- as was the case in Florida this week. But when Cain works the crowd after speeches, he is usually surrounded only by one security guard and a member of his staff.  He will frequently field questions from the media scrum surrounding him, causing reporters to jostle for position.

But Gordon said the popularity of Cain is a large part of the problem.

"There is an intense interest in Mr. Cain that you don't see for other candidates," he said.

The House fell short of the votes necessary to approve a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in a largely sybolic exercise on Friday afternoon.

The House voted, 261 to 165, in favor of the amendment, which would prohibit federal spending in any fiscal year from exceeding tax receipts for that year. Bottom line, it would make it impossible for the federal budget to add to the deficit. While a majority of the chamber favored the measure, two-thirds of the House -- 290 members -- is needed to approve an amendment to the Constitution.

All but four Republicans favored the amendment, while Demoocrats split, 25 in favor, and 161 against.

One of the most surprising votes against the amendment was Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the fiscally hawkish chairman of the House Budget Committee.

"I’m concerned that this version will lead to a much bigger government fueled by more taxes," Ryan said in a statement. "Spending is the problem, yet this version of the BBA makes it more likely taxes will be raised, government will grow, and economic freedom will be diminished. Without a limit on government spending, I cannot support this Amendment."

Other Republicans joining in the "no" vote were Rep. David Dreier (R-CA), the chairman of the House Rules Committee, and Reps. LOuie Gohmert (R-TX) and Justin Amash (R-MI).

The vote was required as part of the law that created the supercommittee this sumer; its inclusion was mostly a symbolic nod to conservative Republicans in Congress, who had initially rejected packages to defuse the debt ceiling crisis this summer that lacked such an amendment.

Democrats had been somewhat divided over the measure, though party leaders in the House had opposed it. Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) actively courted Democratic votes against the amendment, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), a member of the supercommittee and ranking member of the House Budget Committee, recently sent a letter to fellow Democrats urging them to vote "No" on the measure.

"A Constitutional amendment that cannot easily be enforced to balance the budget is a hollow gesture that at the very least will be ineffective," Rep. Van Hollen said in the letter, "At the very worst, a balanced budget amendment enshrined within the Constitution could generate a Constitutional impasse with catastrophic consequences."

However, the 25-member Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats, had released a letter on Thursday in support of the amendment.

Today's vote on the BBA is not without historical precedent. In 1995, the BBA passed the House with bipartisan support (including that of Rep. Steny Hoyer, who is now whipping against it). It moved to the Senate where it fell one vote short of passing. 

The version of the BBA that the House will voted on today was a concession by conservative Republicans who wanted to introduce a much stronger version that would require a 2/3rd majority to raise taxes in the future. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said earlier this week that he would "like to see us vote on the stronger BBA."

But GOP aides have said they settled on this version because it had a better chance of passing. According to Erica Elliot, who is a spokeswoman for House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), this version puts the ball in the Democrats court. "The American people overwhelmingly support a Balanced Budget to the Constitution and our Members chose to bring this bill to the floor because it has the best chance of passage," Elliot said, "We'll see if the Democrats support the will of their constituents."

The Senate is also required to vote on the BBA before the year ends, but that will not happen until after Thanksgiving.

NEW YORK CITY -- Speaking before an audience of law enforcement officers, Gov. Rick Perry on Friday offered a blistering critique of Attorney General Eric Holder's handling of the "Fast and Furious" operation and again repeated his assertion that drug cartels are a "clear and present danger" to the United States.

"Federal law enforcement officials deserve an attorney general who displays the same courage and a sense of responsibility for which they serve," the Texas governor said at the Annual Federal Law Enforcement Foundation Luncheon in New York City.

Perry described the controversial Fast and Furious operation as an example of "bureaucratic bungling" that has aggravated rather than aided the nation's border security.

"To say that the border is safer than ever is to turn a blind eye to the very real dangers that federal and state and local law enforcement continue to face as a result of Washington's failure," Perry said, repeating his common critique that the current president does not understand the situation on the border. "Even worse, it sweeps aside the fact that there is bureaucratic bungling which has made the border substantially more dangerous. Through the ill-conceived operation known as Fast and Furious for instance. Our own federal government provided more than 2,000 fire arms to some of the most dangerous criminals in North America. Many of which are still unaccounted for."

Holder has been a favorite punching bag for Republicans in Congress, who have called for his resignation in the "Fast and Furious" gunrunning controversy.

Perry, who was at the Waldorf Astoria event to receive the group's State Service Award, often laments the dangers presented by drug cartels and describes parts of the border as "a war zone."

On Friday, he reiterated that sentiment, saying, "Mexican drug cartels are a clear and present danger to America."

Perry got an enthusiastic reception for his proposals for smaller government and for his assertion that members of Congress who use privileged information in stock dealings should be treated like criminals.

"Any congressman or senator who's used their insider knowledge to trade, to make money in the stock market oughta go to jail, period," he said to applause.

Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro discuss whether Newt Gingrich can continue his current lead in Republican polls. With Gingrich’s inconsistent positions and personal history, can he survive on top until the New Hampshire primary?

Thanks Amy B. Portland, ME for the question!

Keep an eye out for future editions of Inside the Boiler Room and don't forget to post your questions for Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro. You can also tweet us, @NBCFirstRead,  @mmurraypolitics or @DomenicoNBC, or post on our Facebook page.

Video edited and transcribed by NBC's Matt Loffman. 

TRANSCRIPT:

MARK MURRAY: Welcome to the latest edition of Inside the Boiler Room.  I'm Mark Murray joined by colleague Domenico Montanaro.  Domenico, we have a question from one of our commenters Amy B., Portland, Maine who asks 'Does Newt Gingrich really have a chance to beat Mitt Romney in the Republican primary?'

DOMENICO MONTANARO: Wow.  Newt Gingrich is really at the top of the polls.  It's really something to see considering where he was seven months ago.  Can he beat Mitt Romney?  Well, anybody who can coalesce that anti-Romney vote has a chance at beating Mitt Romney, but call me skeptical.  And I'll give you three reasons why, and hopefully I can remember all three.  1) his inconsistencies, okay?  I mean, there's a full range of flip flops that we've seen from Newt Gingrich which we've highlighted already.  2) His lack of discipline.  He even said it himself that he has to be more disciplined.  And 3) his personal problems.  Look, we know about his three marriages.  We know how polarizing he's been.  We know about Tiffany's.  Hello, like this is all stuff that's going to come back out for the scrutiny.  And I only remembered those three things, because I had notes.

MARK MURRAY: I'm glad you remembered.

DOMENICO MONTANARO: The other thing.  Debates.  Everyone was talking about how Newt Gingrich has rode these debates to the top of the polls, and he has because he's had limited money.  His campaign team quit on him completely, right? So he had nothing else to go off of except these debates, but let's not write off Mitt Romney's ability to debate here.  We saw at one of the most recent debates, he actually  took Newt Gingrich to task on the individual mandate.  Quite a moment. 

MARK MURRAY: Well right. I feel like that Newt Gingrich's lack of organization is really going to be able to hurt him and really this entire Bloomberg story that he took $1.6, at least $1.6 million from Freddie Mac is devastating to him because it makes him seem like he's part of Washington.  That's not what Tea Party conservative Republicans want.  So that's really tough for him, but Domenico, this has been such a fascinating cycle where one person has gone up, another person has gone down.  But what's really interesting as we've had these cycles is that they didn't just come out of the blue.  These Tea Party conservative voters are changing their opinion.  So as one person, they might not like Rick Perry anymore.  All of sudden Herman Cain is the new flavor of the month.  Herman Cain now has some baggage.  It becomes Newt Gingrich.  I'm just fascinated to see where they end up come January when we have Iowa and New Hampshire.  That's the big question.

DOMENICO MONTANARO: Yeah and the likelihood we're moving toward it could be Mitt Romney, you know, sealing it quickly if he can win Iowa or South Carolina.  But that's still a huge question if he can peel off some of those more conservative voters.

MARK MURRAY: Or there could be just another flavor of the month.  We don't know.  Thanks, Amy.  

Why the Super Committee ultimately might fail… And why this debate will be a big issue in next year’s presidential election… GOP to Obama: Come home to end the Super Committee impasse… Secretary Clinton to head to Myanmar next month… More rough stories for Newt… Cain gets Secret Service protection… How transparent would a Romney administration be?... And “Meet the Press” to interview Sens. (and Super Committee members) Jon Kyl and John Kerry.

*** Why the Super Committee ultimately might fail: Last spring, congressional leaders rolled up their sleeves -- at the final moment -- to break the standstill in funding the government’s operations. The reason: Failure to do so would have shut down the government, furloughing federal workers. Then, in the summer, they reached an agreement -- after weeks of partisan wrangling and frustrating negotiations -- to raise the debt ceiling. The reason: Failure to do so would have jeopardized the U.S. government’s full faith and credit. But as the Super Committee races against its deadline to come up with a way to find $1.2 trillion in spending cut by Wednesday (and get its Congressional Budget Office score by Monday), it’s likely to fail. The reason: The penalty of $1.2 trillion in automatic military and civilian cuts probably isn’t strong enough to force the Super Committee to cut a deal that would result in increased taxes/revenues (which many Republicans don’t want) and cuts to entitlement programs (which many Democrats don’t want to see). If members of Congress already think they can change these military and civilian cuts, what’s the penalty for failure?

*** And why this debate will be a big issue in next year’s election: As NBC’s Luke Russert reported yesterday, 72 House members from the conservative Republican Study Committee told the Super Committee that they won’t accept any tax hikes or new revenue -- under any circumstance. Meanwhile, from the left, Paul Krugman is rooting for the Super Committee’s failure, because he believes 1) that Republicans would eventually renege on any tax increases for the wealthy and 2) that the cuts to entitlement programs would hurt the poor and the economic recovery. And if the Super Committee fails, that means that next year’s presidential election could settle this budget fight, with President Obama campaigning on a balance of tax hikes and spending cuts and with the GOP nominee campaigning on keeping the Bush tax cuts and cutting discretionary and entitlement spending.

*** GOP to Obama: Come home to end the Super Committee impasse: Speaking of Obama, who remains on his overseas trip, Republicans are calling for him “to jump into the deficit-reduction talks gripping Washington, reflecting the widespread view that the congressional supercommittee is now headed for a failure,” The Hill reports. “It’s hard to see us getting a deal unless he comes in at the last minute,” GOP Sen. Dan Coats told the Capitol Hill publication. “We’re in the two-minute drill and closing in on a ‘Hail Mary’ and the quarterback is on the sidelines.”

*** Secretary Clinton to head to Myanmar next month: Per NBC’s Scott Foster, Secretary of State Clinton says she's headed to Myanmar next month to make a first-hand evaluation about how serious the isolated nation is in implementing democratic reforms. In an interview today with NBC's Chuck Todd in Bali, Indonesia, Clinton said the United States is encouraged by some steps taken by Myanmar, but she wants to see more action. Earlier in the day at the East Asia Summit in Bali, Foster adds, President Obama announced the U.S. is reopening ties with Myanmar after the nation showed what he described as "flickers of progress." In recent weeks the new civilian government of Myanmar has released political prisoners and eased restrictions on the media. Obama says he's dispatching Clinton to the nation, in what be the first Secretary of State visit there in more than 50 years.

*** More rough stories on Newt: Turning to the GOP presidential race, Bloomberg News has yet another tough story on Newt Gingrich that highlights something conservative and Tea Party Republicans might not like: Gingrich’s status as a Washington insider. “When U.S. House Republican leaders in 2003 were short of votes to pass a $395 billion Medicare prescription drug benefit, they recruited former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for help,” Bloomberg writes. “What Gingrich didn’t mention during the Republican caucus meeting was that he was also building a for-profit, health-care research company and seeking financing from drugmakers, which were investing $128.6 million in lobbying for passage of the new benefit for seniors.” The New York Times also reports that Gingrich had been a paid advocate for another health-care interest -- Gundersen Lutheran Health System -- which had been pushing for end-of-life health services, which conservatives later compared to “death panels.” The question: Will GOP voters punish him for these things?

*** Cain gets Secret Service protection: NBC’s Andrew Rafferty reports that the Cain campaign confirmed their candidate started to receive Secret Service protection last night. That makes him the first GOP presidential contender to get that protection. The Washington Post has more: “The Cain campaign asked for the security and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and congressional leaders approved the request Thursday, said a government official, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue. Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan confirmed that agents would be providing security for Cain, but declined to say what the security would entail or what prompted the decision. The agency rarely comments publicly on security operations.” One immediate consequence of this move: Journalists following him won’t be allowed the same access and proximity they were getting earlier.

*** FOIA war! The Romney campaign and DNC engaged in a Freedom of Information Act battle yesterday. After the Boston Globe reported that top aides to then-Massachusetts Gov. Romney had purchased their government hard drives and the Romney administration’s emails were all wiped from a server, the Romney camp fired off this FOIA request to Gov. Deval Patrick’s (D) office in Massachusetts: “Given the amount of time your staff is apparently spending to assist the Obama campaign, I request that you provide us with copies of all email correspondence, phone logs, and visitor logs showing contacts that David Axelrod, David Plouffe and Jim Messina have had with you and members of the Executive Office from 2007 to the present.” Later in the evening, the DNC issued its own FOIA request asking for “[a]ny and all electronic correspondence (i.e., email) to or from Governor W. Mitt Romney or Romney Administration officials between January 2, 2003 and January 4, 2007 containing any of the following terms in either the subject line or the body of the message: ‘delete emails,’ ‘destroy records,’ ‘government transparency,’ ‘president,’ ‘presidential,’ ‘campaign,’ ‘flip-flop,’” etc.   

*** How transparent would a Romney presidency be? Yet as NBC’s Garrett Haake noted yesterday, the Globe story (about the purchased hard drives and wiped-out emails), the fact that the Romney campaign hasn’t released the names of its bundlers, and the fact that Romney hasn’t released his tax returns all raise this question: How open and transparent would a Romney presidency be?

*** On the 2012 trail: Cain campaigns in Florida…  Paul and Santorum are in Iowa… Romney stumps in New Hampshire… Perry attends the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation Annual Reception in New York City… Gingrich hosts a screening and Q&A in Cambridge, MA… And Callista Gingrich and Anita Perry speak at a Women Working for Change Conference at the National Harbor in Maryland.

*** Friday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up (with guest host Chris Cillizza): One of us (!!!) with an interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton… FAMILY LEADER’s Bob Vander Plaats on Saturday’s Republican presidential candidate forum in Iowa… Reps. John Carney (D-DE) and Jim Renacci (R-OH)… Former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and Reagan White House Political Director Frank Lavin on the economics and politics of President Obama’s trip to Asia… And more 2012 news with the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin, USA Today’s Jackie Kucinich and msnbc/TheGrio.com’s Jeff Johnson.

*** Friday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Craig Melvin interviews Democratic economist Jared Bernstein, the Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore, University of Virginia’s Larry Sabato, and former DNC Communications Director Karen Finney.

*** Friday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews GOP Rep. Steve King (on the Super Committee talks), MSNBC Host Chris Hayes (on Gingrich and Cain), and millionaire producer Charles Fink (on why Congress should tax the rich).

*** Friday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: MSNBC’s Alex Wagner’s panel includes MSNBC’s Richard Wolffe, Politico’s Ben White, SE Cupp, and Naomi Wolf.

*** Friday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Dem Rep. Barney Frank, NYC Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, and the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza.

*** Friday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Robert Traynham, Peter Mirijanian, and Jonathan Weisman to talk about Decision 2012.

*** Saturday’s and Sunday’s “UP with Chris Hayes” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Hayes interviews former Obama White House Communications Director Anita Dunn (on Saturday) and Dem Rep. Steve Cohen (on Sunday).

*** Saturday’s and Sunday’s “Weekends with Alex Witt” line-up: MSNBC’s Alex Witt interviews MSNBC’s Chris Matthews as part of her “Office Politics” segment.

 *** Sunday’s “Meet the Press” line-up: On Sunday, NBC’s David Gregory interviews Super Committee members Jon Kyl (R) and John Kerry (D).

Countdown to Iowa caucuses: 46 days
Countdown to New Hampshire primary: 53 days
Countdown to South Carolina primary: 64 days
Countdown to Florida primary: 74 days
Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 78 days
Countdown to Super Tuesday: 109 days
Countdown to Election Day: 354 days

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Mitt Romney and Herman Cain are in a statistical tie for the lead in the GOP primary in a new Pew poll, with Romney at 23%, Herman Cain 22%, Newt Gingrich 16%, Ron Paul and Rick Perry 8%, Michele Bachmann 5%, Rick Santorum 2%, Jon Huntsman 1%.

CAIN: Cain campaigned yesterday in New Hampshire for the first time since August. He says he’d settle for second there and consider it momentum.

“Herman Cain isn’t your typical Republican presidential candidate. It was a theme he proved again today when he blew off an editorial board meeting with an influential New Hampshire newspaper, before entertaining a crowd of supporters in the urban Northeast with country western and gospel music,” the Boston Globe writes.

GINGRICH: “A Smart Politics content analysis of the last seven nationally televised debates since Rick Perry entered the race finds that Newt Gingrich is the only candidate yet to be on the receiving end of the more than 150 verbal attacks that have been levied by the Republican field.” Gingrich hasn’t been on the receiving end of much, but Romney did take Gingrich to task on the individual mandate on health care. (Hat tip: GOP 12.)

Ann Coulter, though, went after Gingrich, per GOP 12: “In addition to having an affair in the middle of Clinton's impeachment; apologizing to Jesse Jackson on behalf of J.C. Watts -- one of two black Republicans then in Congress –- for having criticized "poverty pimps," and then inviting Jackson to a State of the Union address; cutting a global warming commercial with Nancy Pelosi; supporting George Soros' candidate Dede Scozzafava in a congressional special election; appearing in public with the Rev. Al Sharpton to promote nonspecific education reform; and calling Paul Ryan's plan to save Social Security ‘right-wing social engineering,’ we found out this week that Gingrich was a recipient of Freddie Mac political money.”

PERRY: “Rick Perry's fundraising efforts have run into trouble amidst a series of debate gaffes and poor poll numbers, according to the Houston Chronicle,” Political Wire notes. The paper writes in one example: “One Perry fundraiser, who asked not to be named, said he received 15 RSVPs for a recent event from potential donors saying they might attend. But after a gaffe-marred Perry debate performance, none showed up.”

ROMNEY: First, the Boston Globe reports that 11 Romney “aides purchased their state-issued hard drives and wiped e-mails from the server at the end of Romney’s term in 2006.” Then, trying to counter the backlash, the Romney campaign, filed a public-information request for current Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick’s electronic records and scheduling to try and tie Patrick to the Obama administration and essentially blaming it for the leak.

Then the Democratic National Committee submitted its own public-information request to see what it could get from Romney’s time as governor, the Globe reports today. The DNC is “requesting any electronic communication during Romney’s term from officials who had purchased a computer hard drive from the state. They also ask for any forms submitted by Romney’s gubernatorial office asking for permission to destroy or remove documents. They also ask for emails containing words that seem designed to embarrass Romney, including phrases such as ‘delete emails,’ ‘flip-flop,’ ‘change position,’ ‘raise taxes and fees,’ ‘move to the right,’ and ‘ranked 47th in job creation.’”

Romney’s the latest to use the term “crony capitalism.” “Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney today refused to call for the resignation of Energy Secretary Steven Chu but accused the Obama administration of ‘crony capitalism’ with support for industries linked to Democratic donors,” the Boston Globe writes.

Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economist who helped the Romney administration and Obama set up health-care bills, said in an interview with Capital New York (per the New York Daily News), "Basically, they're the same f---ing bill.” He also said Romney is “lying” when he talks about the differences. Gruber walked back the lying remark in an interview with the Boston Globe, but reiterated that he believes Romney has “just been disingenuous and purposely misleading,” the Boston Globe writes. “By that I mean, when he says we did it in Massachusetts without raising taxes while President Obama’s law raised taxes, he knows the reason Massachusetts could do it is that the feds picked up much of the cost of the Massachusetts law. So it’s completely misleading.”

Romney said he’s not a flip-flopper because he has stood by his Massachusetts health-care bill. “You have seen a lot of candidates look at their biggest vulnerability, call it a mistake, and ask for forgiveness,” Romney continued. “In my case, that wouldn’t be honest.”

A Pew poll finds President Obama’s approval rating at 46%/46%. Obama also beats Romney 49%-47% and holds much wider leads over the other GOP candidates. But among independents, Romney beats Obama by a wide margin, 53%-41%, the only GOP candidate to do so.

Politico: “Democratic and Republican leaders have begun to spread word among colleagues that they believe the supercommittee will fall short of its goal to find $1.2 trillion in cuts, increasing the likelihood that the 2012 elections may be the only way to resolve the deepening partisan divisions that have prevented Congress time and time again from getting a handle on its finances. ‘There are fundamentally and deeply held views across the American political spectrum and here in Congress,’ Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), a member of the supercommittee, told POLITICO on Thursday. ‘If this were easy, this would have been done a long time ago.’”

“Congress has sent President Barack Obama a bipartisan spending bill that averts a federal shutdown, but widespread Republican defections underscore rifts between the party's conservatives and pragmatists,” the AP writes.

“The Arizona Supreme Court Thursday evening reinstated the chairwoman of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, rebuffing Gov. Jan Brewer’s unprecedented action earlier this month,” the Arizona Republic writes. Brewer’s office released this statement: "Today's decision by the Arizona Supreme Court is deeply regrettable. I am disappointed, certainly. More important, this misguided ruling bodes ill for the integrity of redistricting in this state."

By NBC's Scott Foster

BALI, Indonesia - Secretary of State Clinton says she's headed to Myanmar next month to make a first-hand evaluation about how serious the isolated nation is in implementing democratic reforms.

In an interview today with NBC's Chuck Todd in Bali, Clinton says the United States is encouraged by some steps taken by Myanmar, but says she wants to see more action.

Earlier today at the East Asia Summit in Bali President Obama announced that the U.S. is reopening ties with Myanmar after the nation showed what he described as "flickers of progress."

In recent weeks the new civilian government of Myanmar has released political prisoners and eased restrictions on the media. President Obama says he's dispatching Clinton to the nation, in what will be the first Secretary of State visit there in more than 50 years.

In her interview with NBC News, Secretary Clinton says none of this would have been possible without former political prisoner and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "She's someone that I admire so greatly...her willingness to spend so much of her life under house arrest for a principle, for the values that we hold dear is incredibly inspiring." Clinton said.

Turning to the ongoing unrest and military crackdown in Syria, Clinton bluntly warned the situation could devolve into an all-out civil war. She says the U.S. wants to see a peaceful, non-violent opposition, but blamed the President Bashar Al-Assad regime for provoking defectors to take up arms.

Asked about the international response, Clinton said the Arab League has sent the unmistakable signal that Assad must go. But, she said there's "no appetite" for the kind of U.S. or U.N. military intervention in Syria like what took place in Libya.

Shifting gears to the race for the White House, Todd asked Clinton whether any of the Republican candidates for President were "ready to answer the 3am phone call." Clinton chose not to apply her famous campaign foreign policy qualifier to the Republican field, saying she's "happy to be out of politics."

But unsurprisingly she did take the chance to praise her boss, saying, "I am very proud of the leadership that President Obama has shown, he's shown unequivocally that he is ready, willing and able to do whatever is necessary for our country."

Turning finally to the news about her daughter Chelsea joining the fourth estate as a NBC News special correspondent, Secretary Clinton admitted, "I was a little surprised that she decided to go for it, but I'm very excited for her."