Summing up the sentiment of peeved members on both sides of the aisle, perhaps? This tough quote: "In a harshly worded statement Monday evening, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) declared, 'The United States does not have a King's army.' More: 'President Obama's unilateral choice to use U.S. military force in Libya is an affront to our Constitution,'" said Bartlett, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.

The cost of the war is chipping away at GOP-led budget cuts. The Hill: "U.S. military operations in Libya could wipe out a significant chunk of the budget cuts won by congressional Republicans in recent weeks, defense analysts say. GOP leaders have trumpeted enacted spending reductions that amount to more than $285 million per day since the beginning of March. But defense analysts say the Pentagon could be burning through more than $100 million per day in Libya, putting those budget savings at risk."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Chuck Todd
Administration officials began to pushback hard today in Chile on the charge that the White House did not consult with Congress.

Exhibit A for the White House: A Senate resolution that passed March 1, which denounced Khaddafy's atrocities. The White House says the U.N. resolution authorizing force in Libya incorporates it.

The resolution was incorporated unanimously and calls for a "no-fly zone."

The resolution "urges the United Nations Security Council to take such further action as may be necessary to protect civilians in Libya from attack, including the possible imposition of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory."

Still, the resolution was non-binding and does not have the weight or legal standing of a declaration of war.

Full text of the resolution below. The lead sponsor was New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez (D). Co-sponsors included: Sens. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bob Casey (D-PA), Ben Cardin (D-MD).

The New Jersey delegation, remember, has particular interest in Libya and Khaddafy because of Khadaffy's suspected involvement in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 that killed 270 Americans, including 38 from New Jersey.

Here's the full text of the resolution:

112th CONGRESS
1st Session

Strongly condemning the gross and systematic violations of human rights in Libya, including violent attacks on protesters demanding democratic reforms, and for other purposes.
Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. Kirk, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Schumer, Mr, Wyden, Mr. Casey, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Levin) submitted the following resolution:
RESOLUTION

Strongly condemning the gross and systematic violations of human rights in Libya, including violent attacks on protesters demanding democratic reforms, and for other purposes.

Whereas Muammar Qadhafi and his regime have engaged in gross and systematic violations of human rights, including violent attacks on protesters demanding democratic reforms, that have killed thousands of people;

Whereas Muammar Qadhafi, his sons and supporters have instigated and authorized violent attacks on Libyan protesters using warplanes, helicopters, snipers and soldiers and continue to  threaten the life and well-being of any person voicing opposition to the Qadhafi regime;

Whereas the United Nations Security Council and the international community have condemned the violence and use of force against civilians in Libya and on February 26, 2011,  the United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed to refer the situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court; impose an arms embargo on the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including the provision of mercenary personnel; freeze the financial assets of Muammar Qadhafi and certain family members; and impose a travel ban on Qadhafi, certain family members and senior advisors;

Whereas Muammar Qadhafi has ruled Libya for more than 40 years by banning and brutally opposing any individual or group opposing the ideology of his 1969 revolution; criminalizing the peaceful exercise of expression and association; refusing to permit independent journalists' and lawyers' organizations; and engaging in torture and extrajudicial executions, including the 1,200 detainees killed in Abu Salim Prison in June 1996;

Whereas Libya took formal responsibility for the terrorist attack that brought down Pan Am Flight 103  over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, 189 of whom were U.S. citizens and high-ranking Libyan officials have indicated that Muammar Qadhafi personally ordered the attack; and

Whereas Libya was elected to the UN Human Rights Council on May 13, 2010 for a period of three years, sending a demoralizing message of indifference to the families of the victims of Pan Am flight 103 and Libyan citizens that have endured repression, arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance or physical assault in their struggle to obtain basic human and civil rights.

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the United States Senate--

(1)          applauds the courage of the Libyan people in standing up against the brutal dictatorship of Muammar Qadhafi and for demanding democratic reforms,  transparent governance, and respect for basic human and civil rights;

(2)          strongly condemns the gross and systematic violations of human rights in Libya, including violent attacks on protesters demanding democratic reforms;

(3)          calls on Muammar Qadhafi to desist from further violence,  recognize the Libyan people’s demand for democratic change, resign his position and permit a peaceful transition to democracy governed by respect for human and civil rights and the right of the people to choose their government in free and fair elections;

(4)          calls on the Qadhafi regime to immediately release persons that have been arbitrarily detained; to cease the intimidation, harassment and detention of peaceful protestors, human rights defenders and journalists; to ensure civilian safety; and to guarantee access to human rights and humanitarian organizations;

(5)          welcomes the  unanimous vote of the United Nations Security Council on resolution 1970 referring the situation  in Libya to the International Criminal Court; imposing an arms embargo on the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; freezing the assets of Qadhafi and family members; and banning international travel by Qadhafi, members of his family, and senior advisors;

(6)          urges the Qadhafi regime to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 1970 and ensure the safety of foreign nationals and their assets, and to facilitate the departure of those wishing to leave the country as well as the safe passage of humanitarian and medical supplies, humanitarian agencies and workers, into Libya in order to assist the Libyan people;

(7)          urges the United Nations Security Council to take such further action as may be necessary to protect civilians in Libya from attack, including the possible imposition of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory;

(8)          welcomes the African Union’s condemnation of the “disproportionate use of force in Libya" and urges the Union to take action to address the human rights crisis in Libya and to ensure that member states, particularly those bordering Libya, are in full compliance with the arms embargo imposed by United Nations Security Council resolution 1970, including the ban on the provision of armed mercenary personnel;  

(9)          welcomes the decision of the United Nations Human Rights Council to recommend Libya’s suspension from the Council and urges the United Nations General Assembly to vote to suspend Libya’s rights of membership in the Council; and

(10)        welcomes the attendance of Secretary of State Clinton at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva and 1) urges the Council’s assumption of a country mandate for Libya that employs a Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Libya
and 2) urges the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to advocate for improving United Nations Human Rights Council membership criteria at the next United Nations General Assembly in New York City to exclude gross and systematic violators of human rights.

(11)        Welcomes the outreach that has begun by the United States government to Libyan opposition figures and supports an orderly, irreversible and transition to a legitimate democratic government in Libya.

Pawlenty’s in.

In a film-trailer-like, two-minute web video released on his Facebook page Monday afternoon, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee and made the case that his experience as a Midwestern governor well equips him to grow jobs and repair the nation’s economy.

“We the people of the United States will take back our government. This is our country,” he narrates, extolling the contributions of the founding fathers and presidents Reagan and Lincoln. “That’s why today I am announcing the formation of an exploratory committee to run for president of the United States.”

The video is heavy on his Minnesota upbringing, with Pawlenty noting that his hometown community of St. Paul was marked by the decline of stockyards and meatpacking plants during his childhood. “At a young age, I saw up close the face of change, the face of hardship, the face of job loss. Over the last year, I’ve traveled to nearly every state in the country, and I know many Americans are feeling that way today. I know that feeling. I lived it.”

But, he says, there's hope for recovery.

“We know what we need to do: grow jobs, limit government spending, and tackle entitlements,” he narrates in the video.

With the announcement, the former Minnesota governor becomes the second third GOP candidate to form an exploratory committee. Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain announced one earlier this year, as did former Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer.

*** UPDATE *** NBC's Lauren Selsky has the full text of the video's narration:

I grew up a few miles from here, and back then it was home to some of the world's largest stockyards and meatpacking plants but when those plants shut down so did a big part of the spirit and the soul of my hometown. At a young age I saw up close the face of challenge, the face of hardship,and the face of job loss. Over the last year I've traveled to nearly every state in the country and I know many Americans are feeling that way today. I know that feeling, I lived it. But there is a brighter future for America. We know what we need to do, grow jobs, limit government spending, and tackle entitlements. We need to encourage the dreamers and innovators, the small business owners the hard workers, the brave men and women throughout this country's history that have asked for nothing more than the freedom to work hard and get ahead without government getting in the way. For the last 8 years that's just what I did here in Minnesota. We proved that we can restore limited government in America. It takes fortitude it takes unwavering faith and conviction in faith and principles that made this country great. This country was founded on freedom. We the people of the United States will take back our govt. this is our country. Our founding fathers created it, Americans embraced it, Ronald Reagan personified it and Lincoln stood courageously to protect it. And that's why today I'm announcing the formation of an exploratory committee to run for president of the United States.

Join the team and together we'll restore America.

In an interview with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Monday, Sen. Jim Webb criticized the Obama administration’s decision to participate in international intervention in Libya without consultation with Congress, saying that leaders haven’t explained the military action to the public “in any meaningful way.”

“We have not put this issue in front of the American people in any meaningful way,” said the Virginia Democrat, a former Navy Secretary who serves on the Armed Services Committee. “The president is in Rio, the Congress is out of session.”

“This isn’t the way that our system is supposed to work,” he added.

Webb said that the administration has also lacked coherence about the end goal of the military mission in Libya.

“We have a military operation that’s been put into place, but we do not have a clear diplomatic policy or a clear statement of foreign policy that is accompanying this military operation,” Webb said.

From NBC's Kevin Hurd
A new poll out today from Montana is a reminder of just how tight a contest the U.S. Senate race in Big Sky Country could be in 2012.

Incumbent Sen. John Tester (D) is in a statistical dead heat with at-large Rep. Denny Rehberg (R), with a slight 46%-45% edge in a Billings Gazette poll conducted by Mason-Dixon. The Montana Senate race is ranked No. 3 on First Read’s Top 10 Takeovers.

"Grass-roots organization and working on the ground will certainly be important,” Brad Coker, president of Mason-Dixon, told the Gazette. “It's one of the few races you'll see where both candidates already have a built-in statewide organization."

Both candidates have near-unanimous support from their respective parties. So, that 9% of undecideds are going to be crucial. "Independents make up a sizable voting bloc in Montana,” the Billings Gazette writes, “and their support can often spell the difference between victory and defeat in a close election."

Among independents, Tester got 49% to Rehberg’s 37%.

In 2006, Tester won narrowly over a flawed candidate. He defeated Conrad Burns (R) 49%-48%.

The poll of 625 registered voters was conducted last week and has a +/- 4% margin of error.

Hat tip: Taegan Goddard. 

AP

FILE - In this Feb. 2011 file photo House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks on Capitol Hill. An Italian news agency says that Pelosi was hospitalized briefly in Rome with a minor ailment.

From NBC's Luke Russert
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was hospitalized during a trip to Rome after feeling ill, NBC News confirms.

UPDATE: A spokesman for Pelosi says the Democratic leader is now resuming her schedule. His statement:

"After several flights yesterday in Afghanistan, and a long flight back to Italy that arrived early this morning, Leader Pelosi was not feeling well.  This morning in Rome, the Leader was advised to visit a clinic, and the closest medical facility was a hospital.  The Leader is now resuming her schedule in Italy."

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), a member of the delegation traveling with Pelosi, told NBC News from Italy earlier Monday that the House Minority Leader underwent “a few tests” but is "in good shape."

"She's at the hotel now,” Pascrell told NBC News. “She's fine, she's in good shape. Just a few tests to make sure she was all right."

Pascrell and Pelosi were traveling with a bipartisan delegation in Afghanistan before the stop in Italy.

"We had a strenuous few days in Afghanistan, but it was the most productive trip I've ever been on as a member of Congress,” Pascrell said.

Pelosi was in Italy to mark the 150^thanniversary of Italian unification. News agency AFP reports that Pelosi canceled two meetings with officials due to her illness. 

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Carrie Dann
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) will announce that he has formed an exploratory committee to consider running for president in 2012, a senior adviser confirmed to NBC News.

Pawlenty will make the announcement today at 3:00 pm ET on Facebook. The message will be accessible to Facebook users who “like” the former Minnesota governor’s page on the social networking website.

If he decides to officially jump in the race for president, which is very likely, he will do so at a later date -- with more fanfare. The campaign would be headquartered in Minnesota.

The decision has been mulled for weeks by the Pawlenty camp, and they were acutely aware of an uneven rollout by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who announced in a much-covered event earlier this month that he's weighing support for a campaign, but did not launch a formal exploratory committee.

Pawlenty would be the second GOP candidate to take the first formal step toward a presidential run. Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain announced an exploratory committee earlier this year.

Strikes on Libya begin... Congress puts the squeeze on Obama ... So does the left ... But the action in Libya appears consistent with the "Obama Doctrine" ... Being in Latin America during a war has caused an image problem for the White House ... It has been some kind of news whiplash -- Shutdown, what looming shutdown? Japan, what nuclear crisis? … Barbour staffs up in Florida, Rudy in New Hampshire, Palin in India -- today, she’s in Israel.

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Domenico Montanaro, Ali Weinberg, and Carrie Dann
*** At war... again: Three months ago, ask yourself how you would have answered the following question: “Guess which Arab nation President Obama would be newly launching cruise missiles at before the end of March?" How many countries would you have rattled off before you got to Libya? Point is: There have been some pretty fast moving developments in the Middle East and North Africa in first 80 days of 2011.

*** At war...again, 2: Western allies began air strikes on Khaddafy forces Saturday after the U.N. last week authorized actions by "all necessary means" to protect the Libyan people. French jets bombed tanks, and American war ships fired more than 100 Tomahawk missiles from the Mediterranean in an attempt to disable Libyan air-defense systems. President Obama, in Brazil, reiterated that the United States would not commit ground troops to the effort. This could be a telling week for the direction of the Libyan war, which turned last week in favor of pro-Khaddafy forces. The West hopes its intervention didn't come too late.

*** The latest: As one of your First Read authors noted last night on NBC Nightly News: President Obama was briefed twice yesterday on the progress in Libya. The U.S. believes it's still on track to hand off the mission of enforcing the “no-fly zone” in days not weeks and says it has been consulting Congress for weeks on how one would work. The president also called the king of Jordan to update him on the progress. He did not ask for anything specific in return, but the administration remains optimistic Jordan will participate at some point in the enforcement phase of the "no-fly zone."

*** A diplomatic tap dance: It's a diplomatic tap dance internationally and domestically, especially considering that the Arab League is now criticizing the implementation of the "no-fly zone" -- and the president is catching flak from all sides on the war at home. On the Arab League criticism, which centers on the possibility of civilian deaths, the administration says there have been no confirmed civilian deaths as a result of U.S. bombings, only those claimed by Khaddafy. The U.S. also believes it is not true that they are not following the letter of the U.N. resolution and that there may have been a translation issue regarding the Libyan statement on a cease-fire, which the U.S. says it'll believe when it sees. State Department officials are working overtime, trying to reassuring the Arab League. But it shows that that support is just not that firm.

*** The congressional squeeze: Several members of Congress had some measure of criticism of the president and his administration over the weekend on its handling of Libya: House Speaker Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) (for not truly consulting with Congress and for sending mixed messages); Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John McCain (R-AZ) (for seeking international approval and acting too late); Sens. Richard Lugar (R-IN) (wondering where the line is on U.S. intervention) and Jack Reed (D-RI) (like Lugar, for not seeking Congressional approval). And even the Council on Foreign Relations said there needs to be clearer objectives on the mission in Libya. Lugar, for one, can't be dismissed, since he worked with Obama closely when he was a senator and is an important voice in the foreign policy community. He made the point on CBS that the U.S. isn't completely sure who the rebels are in Libya, that some may have helped Iraqis against the United States in Iraq, and where does the U.S. draw the line? Does it go to war in Bahrain or Yemen, where their governments are shooting people or even in Syria, where that government is suppressing its people's protests? "Now we had better get this straight from the beginning," Lugar warned, "or there is going to be a situation in which war lingers on country after country, situation after situation, all of them on a humane basis, [with the United States] saving people."

*** And the squeeze from the left: Here was Obama supporter Andrew Sullivan over the weekend: "[T]the president is visiting Brazil! He doesn't have the time to explain to the American people properly the war that he, and he alone, decided on. Why tell the public? Their permission is irrelevant; as is the Congress's. The Washington Times calls the war 'illegal' without a Congressional vote. The only forces on the right that will support Obama will be the neocons. But they will be merciless in attacking the haphazard, zig-zagging way the president has ended up here. It's win-win for them. They can say: Obama is finally taking our advice. But if you want military intervention without 'dithering,' vote for Palin next time." In another post, Sullivan calls the decision by the administration "arrogant, high-handed and undemocratic," a "violation of core campaign promises by Obama," a "folly" that "shows contempt for the American people, and their views, and contempt for the Congress and its role in deliberating before going to war." And: "Who would have thought we'd elect Barack Obama to replicate the worst aspects of an unaccountable executive?" Meanwhile a group of consistently anti-war House Dems are not hiding their anger over this decision.

*** Keeping with the 'Obama Doctrine': But how Obama has dealt with Libya is consistent with the tenets of the "Obama Doctrine" on foreign policy that he laid out in April of 2009 -- multilateralism and standing up for American ideals. Here's what Obama said then, in part: No. 1 "[T]he problems that we confront, whether it's drug cartels, climate change, terrorism, you name it, can't be solved just by one country.” And: "Number two, I think that -- I feel very strongly that when we are at our best, the United States represents a set of universal values and ideals -- the idea of democratic practices, the idea of freedom of speech and religion, the idea of a civil society where people are free to pursue their dreams and not be imposed upon constantly by their government." In pursuing action against Libya, the administration kept with those principles -- it got international support with a U.N. resolution, which the U.S. only sought after it became clear that Khaddafy was going after his own people. Obama stressed in that speech that he believes “there aren't junior partners and senior partners in the international stage.” And highlighting the fundamental difference between Obama and the conservative hawks was this from Sen. Lindsey Graham on FOX: "I'm glad we have international support, but I don't want the model to be that you have to go to the U.N. to deal with tyranny," Graham said. "Those Russians and China are going to be less than friendly to getting rid of dictators, because in many ways, there are countries run by dictators."

*** Image problem: Still, it was striking and a bit odd to receive breaking news alerts and see pictures on television of an active war that the U.S. has significant involvement in -- and the president was in Brazil talking mainly about other issues. And it was unusual to see that it was French President Sarkozy out front to announce the start -- not the American president. "France is resolved to shoulder its role before history," Sarkozy said Saturday. Then again, it's what the White House preferred when dealing with a war in a third Arab nation. Further complicating the public relations problem for the White House -- some front pages in Brazil featured chummy pictures of Obama with Brazilian President Rousseff flanked by dramatic scenes of explosions in Libya (here, here, and here). On this trip, the president went to Brazil to talk trade, economy, and jobs, but once again -- predictably -- the message was stepped on by outside events.

*** The ‘10 percent’ agenda: This is not the first time the Obama administration has struggled to control the message. This has been "The Crisis Presidency" -- from the greatest economic collapse since the Great Depression, bailouts and the stimulus to health care (by the way, Wednesday is the one-year anniversary of President Obama signing the health-care overhaul into law), the BP oil spill, turmoil in the Middle East, and Japan. And, as NBC’s Meet the Press with David Gregory reminded everyone on Sunday, then-Sen. Barack Obama, himself said back in 2006 on Meet the Press with Tim Russert, “Obviously, most of the time it seems that the president has maybe 10 percent of his agenda set by himself and 90 percent of it set by circumstances.” By the way, the longer Libya takes, the more grief Obama will get from the left and right. Sources in the admin still believe the heavy US military component will be done before the end of this coming weekend.

*** News whiplash: Shutdown, what threatened shutdown? And Japan, what nuclear crisis? The past week, for sure, but also just the past 48 hours, have been an amazing news whiplash. It's another reason this White House -- and really any White House -- would have trouble controlling the message.

*** On the trail – weekend wrap: Haley Barbour staffs up in Florida, hiring Sally Bradshaw, who Politico’s Martin calls Jeb Bush’s Karl Rove. … Barbour spoke at California GOP convention, where he said the GOP must focus on the economy and added that the GOP needs a “plainspoken, common-sense, truth-telling” nominee. Who’s that sound like? (Yet despite Barbour’s attendance, Ron Paul won the convention’s presidential straw poll.) … Gingrich says in New Hampshire that Obama’s the “Spectator-In-Chief” and he called Obama’s involvement in Libya “opportunistic amateurism without planning or professionalism” and just a show of “opportunism” and wanting to make a play for “news media publicity.” … Giuliani was in New Hampshire also, and a former staffer says she thinks he’s going to run. … Sarah Palin was in India, where she gave a speech David Frum called “rambling and incoherent,” but her team saw the limited “MSM” coverage as a sign she did well. (It’s not like there was anything else going on in the world this weekend, right?)

*** On the trail today: Palin makes what's becoming a familiar stop for Republican presidential hopefuls -- Israel.

Countdown to continuing resolution’s expiration: 18 days
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 144 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 232 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 322 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reported Saturday night on the internal debate about the decision to go into Libya. “In the end, it became the women foreign policy advisers against the men. Although Hillary Clinton initially resisted the idea of a no-fly zone, she was persuaded at the beginning of this week by the Arab League’s endorsement of military action, and she had intense meetings with the Arab League leaders and a Libyan opposition leader this week. She actually joined U.N. ambassador Susan Rice and two other women in the National Security Council, who had been arguing for some time for more aggressive action in persuading the president on Tuesday. This is a rare instance, by the way, of Clinton going up against Defense Secretary Bob Gates and the National Security Adviser Tom Donilon among other men in the White House who were much more cautious about this.”  

To that point, here was more Lindsey Graham on FOX: “I don't know how many people have died as we wait to do something. Thank God for strong women in the Obama administration.”

House Speaker John Boehner: “The United States has a moral obligation to stand with those who seek freedom from oppression and self-government for their people.  It’s unacceptable and outrageous for Qadhafi to attack his own people, and the violence must stop. The President is the commander-in-chief, but the Administration has a responsibility to define for the American people, the Congress, and our troops what the mission in Libya is, better explain what America’s role is in achieving that mission, and make clear how it will be accomplished. Before any further military commitments are made, the Administration must do a better job of communicating to the American people and to Congress about our mission in Libya and how it will be achieved.”

A House leadership aide later clarified Boehner's statement this way to First Read: "For starters, the ‘consultation’ they keep talking about was nothing of the sort. While the commander-in-chief does not need congressional authorization to take military action, he does have an obligation to consult with Congress -- and contrary to administration claims over the past 48 hours, there has been no real consultation. Congress was simply informed that it was happening, as it was happening. Secondly, we all agree that Qadhafi needs to go, but it's up to the commander-in-chief to define the mission and its goals, and so far we've received a mixed message from the administration on whether his removal is a goal or not (POTUS has said yes, Mullen has said no)."

Responding to the congressional criticism, White House National Security spokesman Tommy Vietor said, "As the President told the country, the deployment under consideration would be limited in duration and scope, and conducted in partnership with an international coalition. It is aimed at preventing an imminent humanitarian catastrophe that directly implicates the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. We have been closely consulting Congress regarding the situation in Libya, including in a session the President conducted before his announcement with the bipartisan leadership. The President is committed to maintaining the full support of Congress in the course of ongoing and close consultation."

The New York Times: "All the deliberations over what military action to take against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya have failed to answer the most fundamental question: Is it merely to protect the Libyan population from the government, or is it intended to fulfill President Obama’s objective declared two weeks ago that Colonel Qaddafi 'must leave'?" Obama "had intended for the third year of his presidency to be devoted to showing that he had learned the lessons of the midterm election, was able to rise above partisanship and focus on solutions to unemployment and the nation’s long-term economic problems. ...But with the developments in Libya, a man who reached the White House on the strength of a forceful antiwar sentiment four years ago now has three major military conflicts under his command, with polls showing a limited appetite for increased American intervention."

Military officials continue to describe the U.S role in the Libyan conflict as "limited," but lawmakers and reporters are raising questions about exactly what that means -- and what the administration's goals in the region are.

Potential GOP White House candidates slammed Obama for failing to take more decisive action on Libya, but they haven't had much positive to say about the U.S. involvement since it began, Politico points out. "After demanding for weeks that he be more decisive on Libya, not one candidate in the field of 2012 GOP hopefuls has expressed support for President Barack Obama since he began bombing the North African nation. The GOP’s presidential prospects either sharply criticized the commander-in-chief this weekend or avoided weighing in."

The New York Times' Friedman has this thought: "At a time when Japan is suffering a nuclear catastrophe that is likely to make the world even more dependent on oil and gas, at a time when the world’s top oil and gas producers are entering what will be, at best, an unstable, and, at worst, a viciously violent transition from autocracy to, one hopes, democracy, and at a time when the combination of the two could slow down global growth while we’re still trying to climb out of recession, America has no energy policy, no climate policy and no long-term plan to deal with its unsustainable deficit. We’re basically saying to the market and Mother Nature: 'Bring it on. We’re going to be dumb as we wanna be and put off all these big decisions, possibly until 2013, after the next presidential election, because our two political parties would rather focus on winning the next election and blaming the other guy than making hard choices.' ... President Obama has the right convictions on all these issues, but he has not shown the courage of his convictions. The Republicans have just gone nuts." And this: "It is what a lot of Obama supporters find frustrating about him: They voted for Obama to change the polls not read the polls."

Nick Kristof: "Japan’s communitarianism has its downside, but we Americans could usefully move a step or two in that direction. Gaps between rich and poor are more modest in Japan, and Japan’s corporate tycoons would be embarrassed by the flamboyant pay packages that are common in America. Even in poor areas — including ethnic Korean or burakumin neighborhoods — schools are excellent. ... Look, we’re pushy Americans. We sometimes treat life, and budget negotiations, as a contest in which the weakest (such as children) are to be gleefully pushed aside when the music stops. But I wish we might learn a bit from the Japanese who right now are selflessly subsuming their own interests for the common good. We should sympathize with Japanese, yes, but we can also learn from them."

The Times notices that Obama didn't mention his own racial background yesterday in Brazil, one of the most racially diverse countries in the Western hemisphere.

The Post previews Obama's trip to El Salvador, where drug smuggling dominates.

“The U.S. ambassador to Mexico has resigned after the publication of U.S. diplomatic cables that criticized that government’s anti-drug fight, infuriating the Mexican president,” the Washington Post reports. “Carlos Pascual appears to be the first senior U.S. diplomat to lose his job because of the WikiLeaks revelations.” 

BARBOUR: "Barbour, who is expected to announce by the end of April whether he will run in 2012, said the party's next nominee must stay squarely focused on the economic issues that have dominated voters' concerns," the LA Times writes. "A night earlier, another potential contender, former United Nations Ambassador John R. Bolton, argued that national security issues should be the party's focus." That sounds awful similar to what Barbour friend Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, another potential GOP 2012 candidate, said earlier this year. Daniels, however, called for a "truce" on social issues, which inflamed some in the social conservative community.

Barbour also said, "The next great realignment will be the realignment of entitlements -- to realign entitlements so that we protect the beneficiaries but without creating crushing debt that is going to be paid by our grandchildren's grandchildren. If we don't deal with it, then we're not telling the truth." Last week, Babour made news when he said he would support fewer troops in Afghanistan. And interestingly, Barbour described the kind of nominee the party should have, someone that sounds an awful lot like him: "America is ready for leadership that is plainspoken, common-sense, truth-telling," he continued. "They are sick of happy talk. We need to step up to the plate and solve problems." Interestingly, Sarah Palin earlier this year also described a GOP candidate that sounded very similar to her.

The Mississippi governor's questions about the war in Afghanistan could set up a much more complex discussion of America's role in the world than previous primaries have. Writes The Hill: "Barbour’s comments could ultimately result in a foreign policy debate between the presidential contenders that doesn't position Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) as just the comic relief."

Barbour racked up over $300,000 in out-of-state travel expenses in 2010, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports, including “more than $18,602 for Gov. Haley Barbour's trip to Las Vegas for a ‘project meeting’ last March” and $858-a-night hotel rooms for Barbour’s bodyguards in New York in June.

GINGRICH: “Moving toward what seems a sure bid for the Republican presidential nomination, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News editors that President Barack Obama is a ‘spectator-in-chief'’ who has failed the test of leadership on a series of domestic and foreign crises,” the Union Leader’s John DiStaso writes. Gingrich pushed his qualifications by saying, “"if you go out around the country and ask, 'Who do you think will generate the largest number of solutions to our problems?' I think there is a pretty general consensus that I have a reasonable likelihood of being that person.'”

Gingrich “blasted the decision to attack Libya Sunday afternoon as ‘opportunistic amateurism without planning or professionalism,’” Politico reports. “’It is impossible to make sense of the standard for intervention in Libya except opportunism and news media publicity,’” Gingrich told Politico.

GIULIANI: Rudy 2012? Politico caught up with a former staffer of Hizzonner in New Hampshire over the weekend: "'Pat Rueppel, who worked on Giuliani’s last campaign and attended his speech Friday, sounded frustrated as she said, 'I’m not getting any indications at all. I keep asking the people that are close to him. ... But I think he’s going to run -- gut feeling. He’ll have to do a lot.'"

Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani returned to New Hampshire, a state in which he fared badly during the 2008 primaries. Politico writes that Giuliani, a social moderate, might have a path to victory in the state this time around, but he would have to start walking the state top to bottom soon.

Tomorrow Giuliani visits Palm Beach, Florida, for a “conversation and cocktails” event, the Palm Beach Post reports.

HUCKABEE: Speaking in Statesville, North Carolina, Mike Huckabee “said that one reason the federal government is in poor financial shape has to do with the fact that many in government never got the idea of what good government should be ‘at the family level.’ The reference was to a message contained in his latest book, ‘A Simple Government,’ about the idea that most people are exposed to the idea of ‘government’ from two-parent families.”

PALIN: Speaking at the 10^th India Today Conclave in Delhi, India, Sarah Palin was asked what her response to the Libyan crisis would have been, to which she responded, “More decisiveness, less dithering,” India Today reports.

Check out this comment from the former vice presidential nominee: "Pressed by India Today editor Aroon Purie that she also represented change, Palin replied, 'I wasn't at the top of the ticket, remember?'"

SANTORUM: Rick Santorum said that his thinking on Libya “has shifted in recent weeks as Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi got the upper hand in his fight against the rebels. Santorum, a likely presidential candidate, said he had envisioned a limited air strike that would give the rebels arms and momentum to take the capital with minimal effort and risk. Now he fears a bigger long-term commitment. ‘We have some responsibility to move forward,’ he said. ‘It’s going to take a lot more investment of time and energy because we didn’t act in a timely fashion. ... I’m hesitant at this point to say that this was the right thing to do,’” he said, according to Politico.

She then continued on to Israel, where she is to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, Forbes writes.

The nine states that will dominate the 2012 presidential and Senate maps, per the Washington Post’s Cillizza: Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, Virginia.

And it's never too early for Veepstakes! Which members of Congress could end up on the GOP nominee's shortlist? 

CALIFORNIA: Politico notes that only two possible presidential candidates -- Haley Barbour and long-shot John Bolton -- attended the California Republican spring convention, reflecting the difficulty the state might have in playing a big role in the 2012 elections, especially as a bill that would push the state’s primary from February to June makes its way through the legislature.

At a California GOP convention luncheon, GOP pollster Frank Luntz conducted an informal applause poll, in which attendees clapped for their favorite potential candidates. “Those winning the loudest applause were former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin also received a good amount of applause. Other names such as Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who will address the convention tonight, and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels received less applause.”

But Ron Paul won the actual straw poll at the convention, The State Column writes.

IOWA: The influence of social conservatives in Iowa is growing, the Associated Press reports, making it hard for presidential hopefuls in the state to play up their credentials on the economy, a more nationally visible topic.

Iowa’s first redistricting plan will be released in two weeks by a nonpartisan team, the Des Moines Register reports.

MASSACHUSETTS: Sen. Scott Brown brought the house down at the annual Southie roast this weekend, the Boston Globe writes. "Brown mentioned the state's traveling governor, Deval Patrick, and said of the Democrat: 'Honestly, really, I’m so glad that the governor is here, because if he wasn’t here, he'd actually be out trying to recruit another candidate to run against me.'"

MINNESOTA: The Minneapolis Star-Tribune pushes back on Tim Pawlenty’s oft-repeated phrase that he is a former Republican governor from a blue state. “Just how blue are we?” the Star Tribune asks. “Until 2010, when DFL Gov. Mark Dayton won in a squeaker, the state had not elected a Democratic governor since 1986. In fact, since Minnesota began electing governors to four-year terms (thanks to a 1958 constitutional amendment), it had voted for six Republican governors, five Democratic ones and one Reform Party governor (Jesse Ventura). A little deeper: Since Minnesota became a state, it has sent more Republicans to the U.S. Senate than Democrats. Since 1978, it sent an equal number of Democrats as Republicans to the U.S. Senate.”

MISSOURI: Roll Call takes a look at the Republicans preparing to mount challenges to Sen. Claire McCaskill. 

The New York Times, profiling new DCCC chair Rep. Steve Israel this weekend: "The House Democratic campaign account is $19 million in the red. Mr. Israel is supposed to raise upward of $150 million for the battle to win back the majority. And his colleagues are not giving him much help." 

Congress is off this week.

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy may have lost more members of his own party during recent votes than his predecessors might have, but he's standing by his laid-back style and "brushing off questions about his laid-back style, insisting a gentler approach to bringing his Conference together will pay better dividends than an iron fist."

While Democratic leaders were split in their support about the recent series of short-term spending bills, centrists don't seem that concerned. The Hill: "A number of moderate Democrats, however, aren't sweating the threats. They say the recent votes are too obscure, the cuts too small, and Democratic leaders too unknown to stir many emotions back in their districts."

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is keeping up the heat on his Democratic colleagues over the budget, by the way.

The mounting number of waivers to some employers and unions is becoming ever-riper fodder for criticism to opponents of the health-care overhaul.

Maureen Dowd checks in with former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), now head of the Motion Picture Association of America. 

A look at The Week Ahead in politics: President Obama heads to Latin America … Might we hear a Pawlenty announcement? … Lots of Republicans hit the trail … Congress is off … and Andy "reports live" from Rio.

From NBC's Alexandra Moe
President Barack Obama warned Libya's Moammar Khaddafy to stop attacking his people or the United States and it's allies will be forced to take military action.

AP

President Barack Obama makes a statement on Libya, March 18th, at the White House.

"Let me be clear, these terms are not negotiable; these terms are not subject to negotiation," Obama said Friday at the White House. "If Khaddafy does not comply, the international community will impose consequences, and the resolution will be enforced through military action."

This statement comes just a day after the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1973 authorizing military action and a "no-fly zone" over Libya.

Khaddafy's government announced a cease-fire early Friday but reports suggest assaults are continuing despite warnings from the United States.

The exact role the US would play if the international community was forced to take action was not made totally clear by Obama but he did state what he would not do.

"The United States is not going to deploy ground troops into Libya.  And we are not going to use force to go beyond a well-defined goal," the President said. "Our goal is focused, our cause is just, and our coalition is strong."

Obama also announced that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will go to Paris Saturday to meet with allies about the situation in Libya.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and Carrie Dann
At 2pm ET, President Barack Obama is scheduled to make his first public comments addressing last night's United Nations Security Council vote to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.

His remarks will take place after an emergency bipartisan meeting of key lawmakers, who are discussing the situation with the president at the White House.

Several members of Congress will participate by phone because they are no longer in Washington after wrapping up legislative business yesterday. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker John Boehner,  and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor are among those who will call in to the meeting.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will be at the White House.

Here's a list of the participants:

Majority Leader Harry Reid

Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer

Senator Carl Levin

Senator Dick Lugar

Senator Saxby Chambliss

Rep. Mike Rogers

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger

Speaker John Boehner

Majority Leader Eric Cantor

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

Senator Dick Durbin

Senator Mitch McConnell

Senator John Kyl

Senator John Kerry

Senator Diane Feinstein

Rep. Buck McKeon

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Rep. Howard L. Berman

Vice President Joe Biden has hired another veteran journalist as his new communications director.

Biden's office announced today that Washington Post congressional correspondent Shailagh Murray will step into the post vacated by former Time D.C. bureau chief Jay Carney, who was tapped earlier this year to be the next White House Press Secretary.

Before becoming a Capitol Hill correspondent for the Post in 2005, Murray covered Congress and politics at the Wall Street Journal.

From NBC’s John Yang
A judge has temporarily blocked a controversial Wisconsin law that curbs collective bargaining rights for public employee unions.

The temporary restraining order is based on questions about the procedure by which the bill was passed, rather than upon the substance of the law itself.

Senate Republicans used a parliamentary maneuver to pass the law while Democrats were out of the state, trying to block a vote. Critics say the Republicans failed to give advance notice of their meeting, violating the state's open meeting law that requires 24-hours advance notice of legislative meetings, or 2 hours in an emergency.

The judge's order blocks the secretary of state from publishing the law, thus making it officially effective, until the legality of the bill’s passage is examined.

The law was scheduled to be published on Friday, March 25.

The UN Security Council’s vote to authorize the international community “to take all necessary measures” to protect Libyan civilians (after which the Khaddafy regime announced a cease-fire, although reports say shots are still being fired) elicited a surprising consensus among some liberal and conservative bloggers: a sense of doubt that moving forward with military operations will be worth the commitments the United States will have to make.

Liberal blogs seemed to have visions of the development of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Balloon Juice’s John Cole, in a post titled “The Hawks Are Winning”

I’ve already stated my piece on this, and appear to be in a mind-meld with Angela Merkel, who wants to know what comes next when the no-fly zone inevitably fails.

Well, we all know what comes next- FREEDOM BOMBS FOR EVERYONE.

He continues:

The number one goal is not saving civilians, it is getting the no-fly zone in place so that escalation will be easier. When the no-fly zone doesn’t work, we’ll move up to shock and awe, and before you know it, we’ll have troops on the ground. After all, we’re Murrika!

I’ll let you figure out how this is in our national interest and how entering another war with no clear definition for victory or understandable mission is what we need. And someone let me know what color to change the blog to so we are not accused of being with the terrorists.

Liberal blogger Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic:

So the United States is embarking on another effort at nation-building in a Muslim country where there is no nation.

And don't tell me we can stop short of this. If you are bombing a territory and arming and advising rebels within it, you are a part of the war. And you are responsible for its consequences. I simply cannot believe that the US is taking custody of yet another chaotic region we cannot begin to understand in favor of people we do not know against a crazy tyrant we spent the past few years rehabilitating.

Well, I can believe it. If we had elected John McCain, it would be highly believable.

Over at the Weekly Standard, conservative blogger John Tabin wrote that while the Obama administration took too long to get behind a no-fly zone, he expressed concern over the length of an American military committment.  

There's no doubt that, as I argued yesterday, the cost/benefit analysis of this course of action has gotten significantly less favorable as the Obama administration has dithered for weeks.

More:

I can't shake the feeling that this isn't so much laying the groundwork for Gaddafi's end as it is committing US forces to a longterm mission to enforce a de facto partition. Protecting Eastern Libya may be laudable in and of itself, but it's quite an effort to make if it doesn't topple Gaddafi any time soon.

From NBC's Courtney Kube
Asked about a possible cease-fire in Libya, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the situation "fluid and dynamic," but warned the Libyan regime that the U.S. is "not going to be responsive or impressed by words," and that the U.S. "would have to see actions on the ground."

She said that the situation is not yet at all clear, but that the U.S. will continue to work with their international partners to press Khaddafy to leave.

Clinton said the international community will need to see a clear set ofactions operationalized on the ground, and that Khaddafy's forces must move a "significant distance" away from the East. She added that there has to be an accounting for of what has already happened, and that Khaddafy has left the international community with "no other choice" but to pursue the course of action taken with the U.N. Security Council Resolution.

After meeting with her Irish counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore, Clinton said that the U.N. resolution is just one step, and that the international community will continue to consider other options and explore the most effective measures for dealing with Khaddafy.

Clinton also stressed that it is important to take this "one step at a time," adding that the diplomatic effort over the past few weeks has been "very intense" leading up to last night's vote.

From The NBC Political Unit
With the news that DNC Chairman and former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) is “increasingly likely” to run in Virginia and Rep. Dean Heller (R) getting into the Nevada race, we thought we’d bring you another Senate Top 10, our second of the year. (Numbers in parentheses represent its previous ranking.)

Republicans need to flip three seats to take control of the Senate. Eight of our Top 10 are Democratic-held seats.

1. North Dakota (D) (1): Still No. 1 and probably be there for a while with Sen. Kent Conrad’s (D) decision to retire.

2. Nebraska (D) (3): Sen. Ben Nelson (D) is the most vulnerable incumbent in the country and is going to get a strong GOP challenger. Nelson was ranked the most conservative Democrat in the Senate in 2010, but Republicans hope the bad press Nelson received for the “Cornhusker Kickback” during the health-care debate will be the boost they need. The GOP challengers: Jon Bruning (state attorney general) and Don Stenberg (state treasurer). By the way, this would be Stenberg’s fourth (!) run at the Senate seat. Nelson is happy about Stenberg's entrance if only to keep the GOP primary active.

3. Montana (D) (4): Freshman Democrat Jon Tester has been highlighting spending cutbacks, but he could still face an uphill battle. He narrowly won in 2006 against a flawed candidate, and he faces a real Republican challenger in Rep. Denny Rehberg. Notice Rehberg was minding his right flank with his NO vote on the C.R.

4. Missouri (D) (6): Sen. Claire McCaskill has worked to carve out a role as a Truman-esque watchdog in the Senate, but her constituents – especially independents -- haven’t rewarded her efforts with robust approval ratings. A recent tough news story about her use of taxpayer money for private planes will be fodder for attacks. Remember, the issue for McCaskill is that most Missourians don't fly on private planes, period, no matter who pays for it.

5. Virginia (D) (5): Political junkies are smiling at the thought of a matchup between former Gov. Tim Kaine and ’06 Senate race loser George Allen (who’ll have to beat back a Tea Party primary challenge). We’ve already predicted a 51%-49% race, and we’re stickin’ to it with the presidential winner carrying the senate nominee.

6. New Mexico (D) (unranked): Jeff Bingaman’s retirement puts this seat in play, but it could be a tough get for Republicans in a state that swung for Obama in 2008. Former Rep. Heather Wilson (R) is considered the strongest GOP candidate but will likely face a thorny path through the primary to the general election.

7. Nevada (R) (2): Finally, we get to a Democratic target. Heller’s entrance gave Republicans a much better chance at holding this seat than if John Ensign stayed in the race. A Democratic candidate has yet to emerge. Do Democrats face a crowded primary or can they clear the field for a one-on-one with Heller? In a presidential year, this is going to be a hotly contested battleground with the president trying to mobilize the Hispanic base that makes up 27% of the state’s electorate.

8. Massachusetts (R) (7): This is probably potentially Democrats’ best pickup opportunity. But Scott Brown (R) remains the most popular politician in the state. As the campaign heats up and a Democratic opponent emerges does some of that start to change in this reliably blue state?

9. Florida (D) (8): Like Nevada and Ohio, there is going to be a lot of activity in this state in a presidential year. Can Bill Nelson hang on in the state that elected Rick Scott (R) governor in 2010?

10. Michigan (D) (9): Is Obama’s campaigning in the state going to be enough to put Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) over the finish line? A poll out at the end of February showed her only beating Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R) by two percentage points.

Other Senate races on our radar (in alphabetical order): AZ, CT, IN (does Lugar survive a primary), ME (ditto for Olympia Snowe), NJ (Menendez’s race in ’06 was very tight), OH (Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D) poll numbers look good right now. But a lot can change in this key presidential state), PA, TX (Dems always think they can play here because of the demographic changes, but the bench is really thin), WA, WI (does Herb Kohl retire?), WV.

Is this war-weary country headed for a third active war -- in Libya? … The crisis in Japan deepens … Does Obama WH really not pay attention to the criticism? … CNBC (Hart/McInturff) poll shows economic pessimism jumps in past three months … Previewing Obama’s Latin America swing … What a week it was … What a week it will be … And our latest Senate rankings.

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Domenico Montanaro, Ali Weinberg, and Carrie Dann
*** A third war? The U.S. appears headed for military action in a third country (in addition to Iraq and Afghanistan) with the United Nations Security Council’s approval of a resolution authorizing the international community “to take all necessary measures … to protect civilians” in Libya. Russia, China, India, Germany, and Brazil (where the president is headed today) abstained from the vote, NBC’s Sarah Blackwill reports. But it’s notable that China and Russia, the only two Security Council members of that group with veto power, opted not to veto it. Russia and Germany expressed concern about the potential for what could become larger military action. The Pentagon has also warned of what it calls “Mission Creep,” that a “no-fly zone” might not be enough and would require further intervention. The U.N. vote came on the same day Libyan leader Moammar Khaddafy warned the people of Benghazi, in the rebel-held East, on a radio broadcast, “We are coming tonight” and “we will find you in your closets. We will have no mercy and no pity.” ***BREAKING: Libya’s Foreign Minister told reporters Libya has declared a cease-fire to abide by the U.N. resolution.

*** Laying out the U.S.’s role: British and French warplanes could take the lead on the attacks, according to some reports. The New York Times: “François Baroin, a French government spokesman, told RTL radio that airstrikes would come ‘rapidly,’ perhaps within hours” of the U.N. vote. Sometime today, expect remarks from President Obama, which should set the parameters of what the United States’ role will be militarily. How much will the Arab League participate vs. NATO? Who does the bombing of Khaddafy's forces in order to protect Benghazi -- Saudi and Egyptian air forces? At the press briefing Thursday, White Hosue Press Secretary Jay Carney didn't shy away from proclaiming the purpose of the U.N. resolution was to get the international community in support of ousting Khaddafy from power. That's a potentially lofty goal and one that may take months to meet, given Khaddafy's actions -- that he's backed in a corner and will fight to the death.

*** Japan, a deepening crisis: The nuclear crisis in Japan seems to be getting even worse as the threat of a meltdown and catastrophe looms. NBC’s Ann Curry reported on TODAY that the Japanese are considering burying the spent nuclear rods, trying to restore power to try and cool the reactors, and have abandoned the use of helicopters to dump water on the site. NBC’s Robert Bazell reports the burying of the rods will be tried as soon as possible. It’s a step that’s outlined in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency’s document called, “Beyond Design Basis Accident in Spent Fuel Pools.” Prime Minister Naoto Kan told the Japanese people in a televised address, "We will rebuild Japan from scratch. We must all share this resolve."

*** Just noticing…: It’s amazing that one day after the president faced criticism from the right for being on ESPN to discuss his NCAA bracket and later speaking to DNC big donors, but said virtually nothing on Japan or Libya, he made an unexpected stop to the Japanese embassy in DC to pay his respects and then made a statement from the Rose Garden. But no, the White House doesn’t pay attention to this Beltway criticism….

*** Pessimism reigns: A new CNBC poll out this morning (conducted by NBC/WSJ pollsters Hart/McInturff) shows continued pessimism on the economy: “[T]he percentage of Americans who believe the economy will get worse in the next year spiking to 37 percent, a 15 point gain from December. It’s now just five points below the all-time high in the series of 43 percent in June 2008, which came in the midst of a surge in gasoline prices,” CNBC’s Liesman writes. “Those negative attitudes were registered just before the disaster in Japan and, if anything, could have worsened since then.”

*** Rio Bound: The president heads to Latin America today. He’ll make stops in Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador before heading back to Washington Wednesday. Trade, the global economy, and security are going to be issues of discussion. . The Washington Post says Obama and Brazil’s new president “will try to repair at times strained relations between the two countries.” And in El Salvador “drug-related violence is rising" and will be a key issue. But The Miami Herald’s Andres Oppenheimer, however, thinks the president should also talk about something else – education. “When President Barack Obama starts his much-awaited first trip to South America on March 19, he should take his recent State of the Union address on education, science and innovation with him, and turn it into a hemispheric cause. He needs that, as much as the region does.”

*** Reset: With yesterday’s passage of yet another short-term, stopgap continuing resolution in the Senate, the clock is reset three weeks to April 8. But as we mentioned earlier this week, that’s probably it for short-term resolutions. Yesterday, the bill passed 87-13, with nine Republicans (up from five two weeks ago) and four who caucus with the Democrats voting against the bill (the same number as two weeks ago.) But there were far fewer defectors than expected and it’s a reminder that it's far easier to find consensus in the Senate than the House -- even in these more polarizing times. 

*** The week that was -- presidential edition: President Obama hit a major DNC fundraiser Wednesday, seen as a kickoff with big donors for his 2012 reelection; he did a round of local TV interviews in swing states (has three more today, which the White House claims is more about his trip to Latin America and less to do with the 44 electoral votes in Florida and North Carolina). And it was another eventful week on the GOP trail: Haley Barbour was the headliner, pronouncing if he runs, he’ll win Iowa and then breaking with the GOP field and touting support for fewer troops in Afghanistan. Barbour also made a big hire in New Hampshire, signaling the Mississippian won’t bypass the more moderate-friendly Northeastern state. Mitt Romney yesterday morning appeared to get some cover from conservative Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who endorsed him in 2008, and then by yesterday afternoon, the cover was ripped off.

*** The week that was -- down-ballot edition: And there was big news in two Senate races that will be closely watched, first in Virginia and the next day in Nevada. On Monday, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine took a step closer to running for the Senate (look for an announcement perhaps in April). And then on Tuesday, Rep. Dean Heller (R), widely viewed as Republicans’ best statewide candidate, announced he was running for the Senate to replace retiring Sen. John Ensign (R). And this week also gave us the first sprinkling of 2012 catnip, when failed 2011 Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R) announced in a YouTube video she would run to replace Heller in the House. 

*** The week that will be: Wednesday is the one-year anniversary of President Obama signing the health-care overhaul bill into law. … Does Tim Pawlenty announce his exploratory committee next week? Expect something perhaps by the end of the month. … Sarah Palin heads to India and Israel this weekend. … Congress is off, but will there be any progress at the staff level on the budget and spending cut negotiations? … And lots of GOP presidential hopefuls hit the trail. Watch for The Week Ahead today with one of your First Read writers -- and NBC’s Andy Gross, “reporting live” from Rio.

*** Today, on the Trail: Newt Gingrich speaks in DC at 10:00 am ET at the National Press Club on the health-care overhaul that passed last year. … Former New York City Mayor and failed 2008 presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is in New Hampshire, where he speaks at the Manchester GOP Lincoln-Reagan Dinner at 6:30 pm ET.

Countdown to continuing resolution’s expiration: 21 days
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 147 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 235 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 325 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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The New York Times: "The brutal crackdown in Bahrain poses the greatest Middle East democracy dilemma yet to the Obama administration, deepening a rift with its most important Arab ally, Saudi Arabia, while potentially strengthening the influence of its biggest nemesis, Iran." 

The White House released the following statement on the passage of the UN resolution on Libya: “Following the successful adoption today of UN Security Council Resolution 1973 on Libya, President Obama called Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France. The leaders agreed that Libya must immediately comply with all terms of the resolution and that violence against the civilian population of Libya must cease. The leaders agreed to coordinate closely on next steps, and to continue working with Arab and other international partners to ensure the enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions on Libya.”

If the barrage of political ads on television seems endless, you can thank the IRS. Politico writes that the tax statuses of outside 'non-political' groups "requires them to prove to the IRS that they deserve that special, non-political status, and the perks that go along with it. They do so by balancing out the millions spent on campaign ads with millions more spent on issue ads, which sound almost exactly like the campaign ads.

Show me the money: President Obama’s re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee are jointly requesting their top contributors to raise $350,000 by the end of this year, versus 2010’s goal of $250,000 for the entire campaign cycle, the New York Times reports.

Meanwhile, possible Republican hopefuls are tapping into support from high-powered George W. Bush-era bundlers, who his campaign referred to as Pioneers and Rangers, Bloomberg writes.

BACHMANN: South Carolina Republicans like Michele Bachmann -- just not for president… yet, Politico writes.

The Washington Post, however, writes that Bachmann is “the one potential candidate who seems to have come out of the woodwork with some momentum.” And what does that say about this field? Just sayin’.

Bachmann had some jokes told at her expense at the Wild Irish breakfast in New Hampshire, Granite Status reporter John DiStaso writes. “Former Manchester Mayor Bob Baines told the group Bachmann she told him she wanted to see the George Washington mansion at Mont Vernon, N.H. Lynch said Bachmann told him ‘she wants to go to Pittsburg (N.H.) to see where the Steelers play football. ‘And she really wanted to go to Berlin,’ said Lynch, ‘to stand at the place where Ronald Reagan called on Gorbachev to tear down this wall.’ Griffin said Bachmann also hoped to stop in Manchester, ‘or as she likes to call it, the place where the Civil War began.’”

BARBOUR: Neoconservative columnist Bill Kristol thinks Haley Barbour’s comments on cutting the Pentagon budget and drawing down in Afghanistan were all political and not substantive. “Barbour is a shrewd political operative, and if he's saying this, he's seeing an opening for a defense-cutting, Afghanistan-skeptic candidate in 2012. Polls suggest he may be right—however irresponsible Barbour's pandering to these sentiments may be—though history also suggests that so far Republicans have been inclined to nominate a foreign policy hawk, not an advocate of U.S. retreat.”

In a private email obtained by the AP, Haley Barbour's son hammered Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol for criticizing his father and adds that he'd rather his dad not run. "I am a private person and don't want him to run," Sterling Barbour wrote. "I'd prefer not to listen to people like you talk bad about any member of my family. But this decision is bigger than me. If he runs, I will be his biggest supporter. ... But it just makes no sense to me that a conservative man, such as yourself, would have such a blatantly obvious disdain towards my father," Barbour continued. "Despite your best efforts, if he decides to run, he will likely win the nomination."

DANIELS: Gov. Mitch Daniels is charged with approving Indiana’s new district maps after the legislature is finished redrawing them, the Indianapolis Star writes.

GINGRICH: Appearing on Fox News after a day of events in New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich called President Obama the “spectator-in-chief,” who is presiding over “‘maybe the most passive and out-of-touch presidency in modern American history,’” Politico writes. And he proposed his own “Final Four” priorities he says the president should have. (We guess he’s not much of a college-basketball fan.)

Gingrich “took the swipes about his three marriages in stride” at the Wild Irish Breakfast, the Nashua Telegraph writes.

Gingrich also told reporters at a luncheon yesterday that he would “almost certainly run” if he found enough support, per Reuters.

HUCKABEE: Among the signs that Mike Huckabee is shying away from another presidential run are his lack of hiring key staffers, his purchase of a $3 million house in Florida and his ongoing contributors’ contract with Fox News, while Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are suspended from contributing.

In an email sent out to supporters, Mike Huckabee urged supporters to vote against Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, Sunshine State News reports.

PALIN: Sarah Palin's energy legacy in her home state is being slowly dismantled, the New York Times reports. "Gov. Sean Parnell, Ms. Palin’s fellow Republican and former lieutenant, has announced that it is his top priority to undo parts of major oil tax increases that Ms. Palin made law ... And the project Ms. Palin once portrayed as her principal legislative triumph, a plan to build a 1,700-mile natural gas pipeline that she said would transform the economy of Alaska and contribute to America’s domestic energy supply, seems an increasingly distant dream, undercut by low gas prices and more practical projects in other states. "

PAWLENTY: “A day after Haley Barbour called for cuts in defense spending, Tim Pawlenty went the other way,” Politico writes. “‘"I don't think we should be talking about cutting the Pentagon's budget,’” Pawlenty said during a speech at the Aiken, South Carolina Republican Club. “‘I think we should be talking about looking for those areas where we might some efficiencies or redeploying money spent on defense to higher-priority areas within defense. In other words keep the defense budget intact, but if we find some savings, some efficiencies, some ways to redeploy money we should do that.’” http://is.gd/Dfrmr

The creator of Tim Pawlenty’s dramatic book tour promo video, 23-year-old Canadian-born Lucas Baiano, also produced John McCain’s “Celebrity” ad targeting Barack Obama in 2008, and at one point supported Hillary Clinton for president. 

RUBIO: Marco Rubio comes in 10^th place in Larry Sabato’s list of potential presidential candidates, The State Column writes. Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are at the top of the list.

SANTORUM: “Former Sen. Rick Santorum denounced the Obama administration's policy toward Libya on Thursday, contending that the president had reduced the U.S. to being ‘the military for the U.N,’” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports of Santorum’s trip to Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

TRUMP: In an interview with ABC News, Donald Trump suggests he’s somewhat in line with “birthers” who question President Obama’s citizenship. “‘Everybody that even gives a hint of being a birther … even a little bit of a hint, like, gee, you know, maybe, just maybe this much of a chance, they label them as an idiot. Let me tell you, I'm a really smart guy,’ he said. He explained the source of his doubt: ‘He grew up and nobody knew him. You know? When you interview people, if ever I got the nomination, if I ever decide to run, you may go back and interview people from my kindergarten. They'll remember me. Nobody ever comes forward. Nobody knows who he his until later in his life. It's very strange. The whole thing is very strange,’ he added.”

Rep. Mike Pence is unhappy with Republicans who are trash-talking the Tea Party. “I have no doubt that Speaker John Boehner and Republican Leader Eric Cantor and the rest of our leadership will privately, and if needs be, publicly denounce any effort to essentially bad mouth the intentions of Republicans that are simply fighting for fiscal responsibility,” he said yesterday on the “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”

And, speaking of the Tea Party, the Washington Post ponders a question political reporters often find themselves wondering: When does the 'Tea Party' label fit a candidate?

INDIANA: Democrats have a new favorite Republican in Indiana: the Tea Party primary challenger to Sen. Dick Lugar, who could give them an opening to nab the seat back into Democratic control.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Granite Staters are already feeling the negative economic impact of a late primary season, WGBH writes.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Has the GOP's embrace of political outsiders changed the Palmetto State from a must-win for well-organized candidates to a catapult for insurgents? 

House budget chief Rep. Paul Ryan knows that his proposed budget, which includes entitlement reform, is politically risky, but he says the need for overhaul is worth giving Democrats a political weapon. "'Is this a political weapon we are handing our adversaries? Of course it is,' Ryan said Thursday. 'I think everybody knows that we are walking into I guess what you would call a political trap that arguably we are setting for ourselves ... but we can’t wait. This needs leadership.'"

GOP budget negotiators are meeting with White House emissaries to work on a deal to avoid a government shutdown, but they'd rather not talk about it. Politico writes that "there’s also an almost palpable sense of drift, and the level of paranoia is such that Republican aides won’t even admit meeting with the president’s team, even though the groups were seen together in the Capitol."

Proposed cuts to foreign aid are driving a wedge between the Pentagon and some House Republicans eager to slash spending. The Hill: "The House-passed 2011 continuing resolution, H.R. 1, included a $121 million cut to the annual United States Agency for International Development (USAID) budget, which would amount to a 9 percent funding hit. The State Department has pushed back against the proposed cuts, and senior Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus, have become vocal and powerful allies."

Rep. Darrell Issa is taking on D.C.'s new mayor. "A congressional committee has launched an official probe into allegations by Sulaimon Brown, the fired D.C. government employee and former mayoral candidate who says that Mayor Vincent C. Gray promised him a job and that he received payments from two members of Gray’s campaign for attacks on then-Mayor Adrian M. Fenty last year."