Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has had a rough past month since announcing his presidential bid.

And the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows just how rough it's been. Forty-eight percent have a negative opinion of Gingrich -- an all-time high in the poll, even higher than it was during the Lewinsky scandal and Bill Clinton's impeachment when Gingrich was speaker.

By comparison, just 16 percent have a favorable opinion of the presidential hopeful, which is down eight points since April.

Peter D. Hart, who conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff, says the numbers demonstrated Gingrich's "total and complete implosion." 

"His numbers have just dropped," Hart adds.

The shift among Republicans is especially striking. In April, Gingrich's favorable/unfavorable rating with all Republicans surveyed in the poll was 46 percent - 11 percent. Now, it's 28 percent - 33 percent.

And among Republican primary voters, it went from 50 percent - 13 percent. to 32 percent - 34 percent.        

"That's a fairly decided switch, even from Republicans," McInturff says.

Since Gingrich officially announced his presidential bid last month, he retreated in his opposition to the GOP plans to overhaul Medicare. It was revealed that he once owed as much as $500,000 to Tiffany's. A protestor dumped glitter on him, while an Iowa Republican told him to get out of the race. And on top of it all, soon after he returned from a cruise to the Greek isles, most of his top aides resigned from the campaign.

The entire NBC/WSJ poll -- which was conducted June 9-13 of 1,000 adults (200 reached by cell phone), and which has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points -- will be released beginning at 6:30 pm ET. 

Coming off a strong performance in Monday night’s New Hampshire debate, former Gov. Mitt Romney was feeling pretty good on Tuesday as he led crowds of journalists on a retail-campaigning swing to gladhand with Granite Staters.

Maybe, says one influential newspaper in the state, a little too good.

The New Hampshire Union Leader editorializes this morning that Romney’s confidence might leave a bad taste in some voters’ mouths in the first-in-the-nation primary state.

According to CNN, the editorial notes, Romney quipped to a lumber company owner in Derry, NH, “I will probably be back in four years. Only this time it will be a larger group and I will probably have Secret Service."

Scolds the Union Leader: “Governor, you won a debate, not an election.”

“Gov. Romney, the candidate without a necktie, might be forgetting that Granite Staters prefer hard-working and humble to high-falutin’ and haughty,” its ed board writes. “It would serve him well to remember.”

Republicans still searching for Mr. Right… Giuliani breaks bread with Christie today to discuss 2012… NBC/WSJ poll day… The remarkable transformation inside the GOP where Republicans, including the party’s presidential candidates, are sounding less like hawks and more like doves… But the GOP hawks are fighting back… Said Lindsey Graham about Romney’s recent comments on Afghanistan: “From the party’s point of view, the biggest disaster would be to let Barack Obama become Ronald Reagan and our people become Jimmy Carter.”… The White House’s trouble on Libya reflects a failure to communicate… Walker wins court decision in WI… And Bloomberg talks immigration.

*** Still searching for Mr. Right: Just hours after seven GOP candidates debated in New Hampshire, the political conversation quickly turned to the Republicans who weren’t on the stage. And for some reason, everything is happening in New York. First, Jon Huntsman revealed in the city yesterday that he will announce his presidential bid next week at Liberty State Park in New Jersey (joining Ronald Reagan and Pete Wilson as other Republicans to use the Statue of Liberty as an announcement backdrop). Then, also in New York, Rick Perry delivered a speech last night to Republicans, in which he blasted the Obama administration, touted his record in Texas, and sounded like a national stump speech. (Asked on FOX about his thought process on a presidential bid, Perry said, per NBC’s Lauren Selsky: “I’m not sure you have to make a decision in a month. It’s a pretty fast world we live in today.”) And Chris Christie sat down with CNN’s Piers Morgan last night, and told him: “I’m 100% certain I’m not going to run.”

*** Giuliani and Christie break bread: Yet guess who’s having lunch today with Christie? None other than Rudy Giuliani. Here’s what we can report on Rudy: Today’s lunch meeting came at Rudy’s request to discuss 2012; he’s seriously thinking about a presidential bid; he doesn’t think Mitt Romney should get a free ride to the GOP nomination; and he believes that none of the other Republicans who shared the stage with Romney are ready to give him a run for his money. The bottom line on all of this Huntsman/Perry/Christie/Rudy activity: There’s a clear opening -- if not burning desire -- for more Republicans to get into the presidential race. Giuliani, of course, is trying to both get Christie's blessing and find out how solid of a "NO" the New Jersey governor is. By the way, Giuliani is also having a private meeting today with Perry.

*** NBC/WSJ poll day! How satisfied are Republicans with their current field? Who is leading the GOP pack right now? How are President Obama’s numbers faring after the recent spate of bad economic news? And what does the American public think of the GOP proposal to overhaul Medicare? Tune into NBC’s “Nightly News,” or click on to MSNBC.com, for the answers from our brand-new NBC/WSJ poll. Folks, it's a chunky poll on both issues and the horse race.  

*** This is what it sounds like when [GOP] doves cry: There is a remarkable transformation going on inside the GOP right now: Republicans, including their presidential candidates, are sounding less like hawks and more like doves. First came the recent non-binding resolution on Libya, when dozens of House Republicans voted for Dennis Kucinich’s call to stop the U.S. involvement in Libya. Next came this statement on Afghanistan from Mitt Romney at Monday’s debate: “It’s time for us to bring our troops home as soon as we possibly can — as soon as our generals think it’s OK,” Romney said. “One lesson we‘ve learned in Afghanistan is that Americans cannot fight another nation’s war of independence.” And Huntsman added this on Afghanistan, per the New York Times: “There’s the desire on the part of most Americans to begin phasing out as quickly as possible.” More: “This would mean that the very expensive boots on the ground may be something that is not critical for our national security needs.”

*** The GOP hawks fight back: Whether this shift in opinion about Afghanistan -- and U.S. military force in general -- is due to war fatigue or simply anti-Obama sentiment, the GOP hawks are fighting back. “I’d thought of Romney as a mainstream Republican – supporting American strength and American leadership, but this doesn’t reflect that,” Danielle Pletka of the neo-con American Enterprise Institute told Politico’s Ben Smith. “Romney has proven himself a little bit of a weathervane and I guess he senses that positioning himself in this place is good for his campaign — attempting to appease Ron Paul’s constituents without actually being Ron Paul.” And check out this quote from GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham responding to Romney’s comments: “From the party’s point of view, the biggest disaster would be to let Barack Obama become Ronald Reagan and our people become Jimmy Carter.”

*** A failure to communicate: In another sign of an increasingly dovish GOP, House Speaker John Boehner yesterday said the White House will be in violation of the War Powers Resolution after this coming Sunday, unless Congress authorizes the current operation in Libya. However, the White House’s problem on Libya can be summed up by this famous line from “Cool Hand Luke”: “What we’ve got here is [a] failure to communicate.” Team Obama hasn’t done the personal politics right and at least acted (or sounded) deferential to Congress. And it’s just not political foes the White House has angered. It’s Democrats like Jim Webb. Where are the Oval Office one-on-one with senators? In fact, anyone remember the last time the president had a one-on-one lunch with a U.S. senator who wasn't a member of leadership? He WAS doing that pretty frequently in 2009 and 2010. "Either the White House is no longer putting senator meetings on their sked, or these meetings are happening behind closed doors. But the general feeling among Cap Hill folks is the outreach is uneven, at best, when it comes to Libya."

*** Walker wins court decision in Wisconsin: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Acting with unusual speed, the state Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the reinstatement of Gov. Scott Walker's controversial plan to end most collective bargaining for tens of thousands of public workers. The court found that a committee of lawmakers was not subject to the state's open meetings law, and so did not violate that law when it hastily approved the collective bargaining measure in March and made it possible for the Senate to take it up. In doing so, the Supreme Court overruled a Dane County judge who had halted the legislation, ending one challenge to the law even as new challenges are likely to emerge.”

*** Bloomberg talks immigration reform: Today, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg – as part of his role as co-chair of The Partnership for a New American Economy – delivers a speech on immigration reform to the Council on Foreign Relations. Per excerpts, Bloomberg will say: “We will not remain a global superpower if we continue to close our doors to people who want to come here to work hard, start businesses, and pursue the American dream.” More: “The American dream cannot survive if we keep telling the dreamers to go elsewhere.” And: “It’s what I call national suicide – and that’s not hyperbole.  Every day that we fail to fix our broken immigration laws is a day that we inflict a wound on our economy.”

*** On the 2012 trail: Huntsman is attending a fundraiser in DC.

Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 59 days
Countdown to NV-2 special election: 90 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 146 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 236 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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National Journal looks at the winners and losers off the CNN debate stage, writing that the negative reactions to Jon Huntsman’s no-show resulted in the candidate quickly announcing a four-day, six-state campaign launch next week. Plus, Texas Gov. Rick Perry may have viewed the lesser-known candidates’ reluctance to take on nominal frontrunner Mitt Romney for an opportunity for Perry himself to fill that void. 

While the Obama campaign is building on the Hispanic support it received in 2008, Republicans have been slow to reach out to the increasingly important demographic, USA Today writes. “Candidates must do three things to reach out to Hispanic voters effectively, said Hector Barajas, the Latino communication specialist for Republican Meg Whitman's California gubernatorial campaign in 2010, They must identify the issues that Latinos care about, employ the right people to deliver the campaign message to their communities and be culturally sensitive.”

BACHMANN: “Rep. Michele Bachmann will not run for re-election for Congress while she is campaigning for president. The Minnesota Republican said Tuesday in a press release that she has "suspended" her Congressional campaign, one day after announcing her long-expected White House bid during the GOP debate,” Roll Call writes.

CAIN: The Boston Globe fact-checks several candidates from the debate, including that “Cain missed on use of Sharia law.”

GOP 12’s Heinze pushes back in a column in The Hill on the idea that Herman Cain is the 2012 version of Mike Huckabee, a Southern social conservative underdog with a talk show. Pointing to Huckabee’s executive experience as governor of a state, foreign policy knowledge and electoral success, Heinze writes that the Huckabee comparison sets up false expectations for the Cain campaign. “If critics are so hungry to advance the ‘Cain is Huckabee’ narrative, they’ll have to embrace its electoral implications as well. If Cain is the next Huckabee, then you’re effectively predicting that he’ll finish second in the GOP nomination battle. “

GINGRICH: National Journal’s Charlie Cook writes that the Newt Gingrich campaign’s fatal flaw was that the candidate simply wasn’t willing to give up his comfortable post-public service life of speaking engagements and weekend trips: “[H]e tried to marry his great post-speaker lifestyle with running for president, two things that if either is done right are absolutely irreconcilable. You can’t have great vacations, sleep most nights in your own bed, have other people deal with raising money, or speak only on lofty subjects and in the long form.”

Of his staff’s mass exodus, Gingrich said on FOX last night: “I, frankly, feel liberated."

HUNTSMAN: The New Hampshire Union Leader’s editorial page on Huntsman’s decision not to participate in the debate Tuesday, and his subsequent announcement-of-an-announcement: “Did he watch the debate and then decide to get into the race? Or had he already decided to run, but to skip the debate for strategic purposes? Either way, he missed a great opportunity to do three very important things: 1) introduce himself to a statewide and national audience that surely will be bigger than the audience for his solo announcement; 2) distinguish himself from the pack; 3) launch himself into the race with some serious forward momentum.”

The Boston Globe’s Lehigh suggests Jon Huntsman won by not being at the debate. Why? “With Romney holding a strong advantage in New Hampshire, the big question has been, who will emerge as his principal rival? No one made much headway there. Instead, the evening's storyline was mostly Mitt and the Munchkins.” And: “All told, Romney emerged not just unscarred but enhanced. He's now the clear frontrunner. But the search for a Romney alternative also remains wide open, which means that Huntsman has an opportunity the others mostly muffed on Monday.”

PERRY: While speaking at a New York County Republican Party dinner in New York City last night, Texas Gov. Rick Perry boasted of his state’s economic affluence, which he argued is a product of his administration’s policies, National Review Online writes. He also asked members of the audience to text “leadership” to a phone number, promising the crowd that “We’ll keep you in the loop.”

Perry told the Texas Tribune before his speech that “people would like to have some other options in the race, obviously.”

Perry and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani are set to have a private meeting this morning, Politico writes.

Introducing Perry at his speech in New York was Guardian Angels founder and radio talk-show host Curtis Sliwa, who made some eyebrow-raising remarks, NBC’s Lauren Selsky notes. “If you do take the plunge,” Sliwa said, “let me warn you about the shark-infested water of New York State politics, because the pitbull terriers will be sikked on you. First, you'll have to deal with Al Slim Shady Sharpton and the National Action Hate Network -- at the beck and call of the Obama administration, because here's a guy who owes more taxes than all Americans combined and yet he's in photo ops with the president at the white house he will label you a racist.”

More: “Then the schlepper Chuck E Cheese Schumer, the father of Anthony the whiner Weiner…

He will claim you cannot trust Gov Perry because he is from a state where there is Palestine, Texas and he will somehow try to convolute the fact that you have some kind of linkage in your family tree to Hamas or Hezbollah where as hell say look at Barack Hussein Obama and his state has Zion, Illinois and he is truly a Zionist and then you'll have to deal with the Hyman Roth, the Meyer Lansky of all Democratic state politics Sheldon Silver himself.”

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports that Perry and his camp were unaware of Sliwa’s remarks.

ROMNEY: A little presumptuous? “Romney felt confident enough, in chatting with the owner of a local hardware store, to promise a return visit in four years, when ‘I'll probably have Secret Service with me,’” the Los Angeles Times reports from New Hampshire.

The Hill writes that Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and James Inhofe both criticized Mitt Romney’s stated position on the Afghanistan war that “Our troops shouldn’t go off and try to fight a war of independence for another nation. Only the Afghanis can win Afghanistan’s independence from the Taliban.” Graham said, “From the party’s point of view, the biggest disaster would be to let Barack Obama become Ronald Reagan and our people become Jimmy Carter.”

“Four years ago, Mitt Romney was accused of abandoning positions he had held in Massachusetts and replacing them with views more in line with national Republican voters,” the Boston Globe writes before adding, “Now, eager to avoid being re-labeled a flip-flopper, he appears more reluctant to switch positions, even if it puts him out of step with the current brand of Republicanism.”

The Boston Globe fact checks Romney from the debate on his claim that the auto bailout wasn’t a success and that $17 billion was used unnecessarily. In fact, “Romney’s statement actually targets Bush, though he criticizes Obama later in his answer.” And: “Romney’s advocacy of a managed bankruptcy is more similar to the plan President Obama implemented.”

“Anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist’s influence over Senate Republicans slipped Tuesday, a development that could have implications for bipartisan budget talks as well as for the future of the party’s orthodoxy,” Roll Call writes, adding, that “the No. 3 Senate GOP leader said Tuesday that eliminating tax breaks might be a legitimate way to solve the nation’s current fiscal crisis. ‘My view is a good way to reduce the debt is to get rid of unwarranted tax breaks,’ GOP Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) said.”

“More House Democrats urged Rep. Anthony Weiner to quit Tuesday as members of his embattled staff started looking for new jobs, sources said,” The New York Daily News writes.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, questioned holding a hearing on the radicalization of American Muslims in prisons. “A briefing maybe; but I’m not certain about having a hearing,” Thompson told The Hill. “A briefing would be good for background purposes, but I’m not chair… I’m not certain if the testimony will reflect any nexus to terrorism in prisons. I’m convinced that there are very bad people in prisons, but in terms of an organized effort, with either domestic or international affiliations, beyond the Aryan Brotherhood and a few more … I don’t see a Muslim or an Islamic conflict in the prison system.”

The New York Times on the president's day in Puerto Rico yesterday: “Mr. Obama began his four-hour trip with a quick speech in which he rolled his R’s, tried out a little Spanish (Puerto Ricans’ willingness to serve in the armed forces is as American, he said, as ‘arroz con gandules’), professed his love and admiration for all things Puerto Rican and promised to support ‘a clear decision’ by the people of Puerto Rico on statehood, whatever it may be.”

More: “It was not, by any measure, a groundbreaking speech, but then, Mr. Obama’s visit here is as much about wooing Hispanic voters in the swing state of Florida as it is about reassuring Puerto Ricans that the United States has not forgotten its island commonwealth in the Caribbean.”

Also in the Times, “Pakistan’s top military spy agency has arrested some of the Pakistani informants who fed information to the Central Intelligence Agency in the months leading up to the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, according to American officials.”

The Wall Street Journal: "President Barack Obama is considering how strongly to push for extending a payroll-tax break for workers and creating a new tax break for employers to jump-start the economy, reflecting White House concerns about joblessness but also complicating efforts to rein in the federal deficit."

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, per The Hill: “I fully understand the desire to use the debt-limit deadline to force some necessary and difficult fiscal policy adjustments, but the debt limit is the wrong tool for that important job.”

IOWA: J. Ann Selzer, director of the Des Moines Register’s Iowa poll, writes an op-ed in Politico saying that a moderate candidate could, statistically, win the Iowa caucus based on the circumstances of the 2008 caucus and 2010 primary – there were huge leaps in caucus participation, voter recruitment and the number of politically independent caucus-goers. “Iowa is a problem for moderate Republicans only if they believe the 2012 caucus will fit the mold of 2008. The best way for that to happen is for Republicans to let it happen.”

UTAH: Both of this presidential cycle’s native Utah sons will be back in their home state on the same day, June 24^th, according to the Salt Lake Tribune – Jon Huntsman for a campaign event and Mitt Romney for two fundraisers. 

From NBC's Libby Leist
Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday he hopes to have an agreement on a deficit reduction plan by the end of the month before the July 4th Congressional recess.

A deal would be only a first step as the group would then have to turn the plan into legislation and vote on it before the U.S hits the debt ceiling on Aug 2.

Biden's proposed deadline would give lawmakers a month to debate and implement the plan.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Biden said the bipartisan deficit reduction group is now tackling "the really hard stuff" and "making real progress." He predicted well over a trillion dollars in spending cuts and said he expects a "serious downpayment" on the goal of cutting 4 trillion over 10-12 years.

"I think we're going to be in a position hopefully that by the end of the month, by the Fourth of July recess, we have something to take to the leaders," Biden said.

The lawmakers in the talks include Sen. Kyl (R-AZ), Sen. Inouye (D-HI), Sen. Baucus (D-MT), Rep. Cantor (R-VA), Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD), and Rep. Clyburn (D-SC). The White House team is led by Vice President Biden, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, plus OMB director Jack Lew and Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling.

Rep. Van Hollen told reporters after the meeting the group talked primarily about discretionary spending today. He did not offer any more specifics.

House Speaker John Boehner sent a letter Tuesday to President Barack Obama asking for a "clear explanation of the legal standing" the administration has to continue military operations in Libya after an upcoming 90-day mark.

Boehner says the White House will be in violation of the War Powers Resolution after this coming Sunday unless Congress authorizes the operation or the military withdraws.

The House voted earlier this month on a non-binding resolution that would have required the U.S. to pull out of Libya within 15 days. The vote failed 265-148, but 87 Republicans voted for the measure.

Libya has been wracked by conflict since February, after uprisings overturned governments in Tunisia on the west and Egypt to the east. There have been weeks of deadlock between the rag-tag rebel army and government forces, though air strikes by NATO that began in mid-March have taken their toll on Gadhafi's better-equipped troops.

Gadhafi’s forces control the capital, Tripoli, while the rebels are based in Benghazi in the east.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed frustration with the administration's Libya policy. Liberal Democrats questioned the constitutionality of missile strikes there in March. In last night's GOP presidential debate, several 2012 hopefuls - including Rep. Michele Bachmann, who voted for the Libya resolution earlier in June - criticized Obama for a "flawed" policy enacted using "inadequate" intelligence about the rebels there.

Here is the full letter:

Dear Mr. President:

Five days from now, our country will reach the 90-day mark from the notification to Congress regarding the commencement of the military operation in Libya, which began on March 18, 2011. On June 3, 2011, the House passed a resolution which, among other provisions, made clear that the Administration has not asked for, nor received, Congressional authorization of the mission in Libya. Therefore, it would appear that in five days, the Administration will be in violation of the War Powers Resolution unless it asks for and receives authorization from Congress or withdraws all U.S. troops and resources from the mission.

Since the mission began, the Administration has provided tactical operational briefings to the House of Representatives, but the White House has systematically avoided requesting a formal authorization for its action. It has simultaneously sought, however, to portray that its actions are consistent with the War Powers Resolution. The combination of these actions has left many Members of Congress, as well as the American people, frustrated by the lack of clarity over the Administration's strategic policies, by a refusal to acknowledge and respect the role of the Congress, and by a refusal to comply with the basic tenets of the War Powers Resolution.

You took an oath before the American people on January 20, 2009 in which you swore to "faithfully execute the Office of President" and to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." The Constitution requires the President to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed," and one of those laws is the War Powers Resolution, which requires an approving action by Congress or withdrawal within 90 days from the notification of a military operation. Given the mission you have ordered to the U.S. Armed Forces with respect to Libya and the text of the War Powers Resolution, the House is left to conclude that you have made one of two determinations: either you have concluded the War Powers Resolution does not apply to the mission in Libya, or you have determined the War Powers Resolution is contrary to the Constitution. The House, and the American people whom we represent, deserve to know the determination you have made.

Therefore, on behalf of the institution and the American people, I must ask you the following questions: Have you or your Administration conducted the legal analysis to justify your position as to whether your Administration views itself to be in compliance with the War Powers Resolution so that it may continue current operations, absent formal Congressional support or authorization, once the 90-day mark is reached? Assuming you conducted that analysis, was it with the consensus view of all stakeholders of the relevant Departments in the Executive branch? In addition, has there been an introduction of a new set of facts or circumstances which would have changed the legal analysis the Office of Legal Counsel released on April 1, 2011? Given the gravity of the constitutional and statutory questions involved, I request your answer by Friday, June 17, 2011.

From the beginning, the House of Representatives has sought to balance two equal imperatives regarding Libya which have been in direct contradiction: the House of Representatives takes seriously America's leadership role in the world; our country's interests in the region; and the commitments to and from its steadfast allies. At the same time, strong concern and opposition exists to the use of military force when the military mission, by design, cannot secure a U.S. strategic policy objective. The ongoing, deeply divisive debate originated with a lack of genuine consultation prior to commencement of operations and has been further exacerbated by the lack of visibility and leadership from you and your Administration.

I respect your authority as Commander-in-Chief, though I remain deeply concerned the Congress has not been provided answers from the Executive branch to fundamental questions regarding the Libya mission necessary for us to fulfill our equally important Constitutional responsibilities. I believe in the moral leadership our country can and should exhibit, especially during such a transformational time in the Middle East. I sincerely hope the Administration will faithfully comply with the War Powers Resolution and the requests made by the House of Representatives, and that you will use your unique authority as our President to engage the American people regarding our mission in Libya.

Respectfully,

 

John A. Boehner

Msnbc.com's Gil Aegerter contributed.

Tea Party Express director Amy Kremer thinks that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann "shined" at last night’s Republican debate which came as no surprise. "The Tea Party movement's been seeing her shine for a while," Kremer said. "She's been a loud voice at the front of this movement for a while. I think it was a good introduction for her."

So is Michele Bachmann the group’s candidate of choice? Amy Kremer told Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC that while Bachmann's views on social issues meshed with those of the other candidates, social conservatives "have their own movement."

"The Tea Party movement is focused on the fiscal issues...that's why there are Democrats and Independents that identify with the movement. They, too, want fiscal responsibility. That's the glue that binds us together."

Though Bachmann created the House Tea Party caucus, Kremer says her group is not endorsing any candidate ahead of their Tea Party debate in September. She added, "Quite honestly, I don't think all the players are on the field right now."

Looking to the Tea Party debate in September, Kremer hopes that "going forward that we really see somebody come forward...and show their courage and what it's going to take to get this country back on track."

Jon Huntsman announced at a foreign-policy forum with Henry Kissinger in New York that he will announce his intention to run for president one week from today.

"Is anybody listening to this broadcast?" Huntsman joked, before going on to say, "Well, since we're in select company, and there aren't a lot of people listening in -- I intend to announce that I will be a candidate for the presidency a week from today."

He added, "My family looks shocked and surprised because they are; I hadn't told them yet."

Music and applause greeted President Barack Obama when he touched down in Puerto Rico on Tuesday for the first official visit to the commonwealth since President John F. Kennedy traveled there in 1961.

It was Obama's second trip to the island. On his first visit, during his long primary battle against then-rival Hillary Clinton in 2008, he promised to return as president.

Gov. Luis Fortuno and San Juan Mayor Jorge Santini joined singer Marc Anthony and others to greet the president on the tarmac and walk with him to a hangar where he delivered brief remarks thanking Puerto Rican veterans, artists and entrepreneurs for their contributions to America. He highlighted steps his administration has taken to improve life on an island hit hard by the recession --  like increasing access to broadband, investing in education and working to help grow the tourism, health care and clean energy industries.

"When I ran for president, I promised to include Puerto Rico, not just on my itinerary, but also in my vision for where our country needs to go," the president said, eliciting cheers from the crowd when he went on to use a local term for those who hail from the island. "We're giving Puerto Ricans the tools they need to build their own economic futures and this is how it should be, because every day Boricuas help write the American story," he said.

With changing demographics likely to play a key role in the next presidential election, many political observers saw the president's trip as a way to appeal to Puerto Rican voters on the mainland. Obama won strong support from Hispanic voters in 2008 and according to the 2010 Census, Puerto Ricans are the second largest Hispanic group in the U.S. The Puerto Rican population grew by 36 percent to 4.6 million over the last decade. Puerto Ricans were the largest Hispanic group in six of the nine states in the Northeast and in one western state - Hawaii.

In an interview on MSNBC's Daily Rundown, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) made note of the 850,000 Puerto Ricans living in Florida -- a state the White House is hoping to keep in the Democratic column in 2012. In that same interview, Gutierrez, who described Puerto Rico as a "colony" of the United States, said he supported independence for the island. Obama drew applause when he addressed the divisive issue of the island's status during his speech.

"We've addressed the question of political status," he said. "In March, a report from our presidential task force on Puerto Rican status provided a meaningful way forward on this question so the residents of the island can determine their own future. And when the people of Puerto Rico make a clear decision, my administration will stand by you."

That task force recommended that residents of Puerto Rico vote in two plebiscites - first on the question of whether they want to be part of the United States or be independent, and then to vote again on the avail­able status options, in accordance with the outcome of the first vote. The report listed those status options as Statehood, Independence, Free Association, and Commonwealth. The task force said all relevant parties—the President, Congress, and the leadership and people of Puerto Rico— should work to ensure that Puerto Ricans were able to express their will about status options and have that will acted upon by the end of 2012 or soon after.

President Gerald Ford traveled to Puerto Rico in June of 1976 for an economic summit, but this is the first official visit there by a president since Kennedy who, upon arriving at the airport in San Juan, called Puerto Rico "an admirable bridge between Latin America and North America" and said it was "a great experience" to come to an island with a different tradition and history and be greeted in Spanish and "still be able to feel that I am in my country." 

Obama flew to San Juan with Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner Pedro R. Pierluisi, who endorsed the then-senator during his 2008 run for president and served as co-chair of his primary campaign on the island, according to the congressman's website. Pierluisi, who attended the president's DNC fundraiser last night at Miami's Adrienne Arsht Center, supports statehood for the island territory. As the island's representative in Congress, he's able to vote in committees but not on the House floor.

The president planned to spend about 5 hours on the island. After making brief remarks at the welcome ceremony, he toured Fortaleza, the historic governor’s mansion, then was scheduled to sit down for local interviews with El Nuevo Día and Univision of Puerto Rico and make a stop to raise money at a Democratic National Committee event, before heading home. 

When former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) announces for president with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop next week, he won't be the first to do so.

Watchers of the 1996 presidential campaign will remember that former California Gov. Pete Wilson also did so, as NBC's Chuck Todd reminds. And, as NBC's Andrea Mitchell points out, the site was also used as Ronald Reagan's kickoff in 1980, following his official announcement in 1979. (Here's video of Reagan's speech.)

On Aug. 6, 1995, the Washington Post's Paul Taylor and David Broder wrote the following under the headline, "Wilson Chooses Lady Liberty As Symbol for Campaign."

"Let the smart alecks croak that California Gov. Pete Wilson (R) is trying to ride an anti-immigration wave to the White House. He's just picked up the crown jewel of pro-immigration endorsements: the Statue of Liberty. Miss Liberty's picture now appears on the official Wilson campaign stationery, with the words 'Pete Wilson President' superimposed over her left shoulder. She's also expected to serve as the backdrop when Wilson launches his campaign in New York shortly before Labor Day."

The statue, with its references to the "tired" and "poor" and "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" -- courtesy of poet Emma Lazurus -- has taken on different meanings for different people.

Wilson, at the time, was embroiled in a controversy over immigration having just pushed through the Prop 187 ballot initiative a year earlier that "cuts off welfare and education services to illegal immigrants," per the Washington Post.

Some found the site as Wilson's choice for an announcement ironic because of the statue's message, but Wilson's campaign manager told the Washington Post then of Lady Liberty: "She symbolizes the fact that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things in America. The right way is to come with nothing but the clothes on your back, apply legally and accomplish great things. The wrong way is to come illegally."

Today, she has become a hero for the Tea Party, with "liberty" becoming a catch phrase and foam green-pointed head gear at Tea Party rallies. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) made a stop at the statue during her family bus tour through the Northeast last week.

Huntsman, however, is no hero of the Tea Party. His campaign hearkened back to Reagan.

Spokesman Tim Miller, in a Tweet today cited this Reagan quote from when he appeared with the statue in the background: "Let us pledge to each other with this Great Lady looking on, that we can and so help us God we will make America great again."

From Carrie Dann and Shawna Thomas
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke further Tuesday on her call for Rep. Anthony Weiner to resign, saying that Congress’ responsibility to uphold a “high ethical standard” must trump the desires of its individual members.

Pelosi, speaking to reporters in the Capitol, said that she has explained to her colleagues in the House “why I came to the conclusion that with the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents and the need for help that congressman Weiner should resign from the Congress.”

"I'm never prouder of my colleagues than in times of challenge like this,” she said. “That our caucus understands our concern for the rights of the individual member but our higher responsibility to our country to uphold a high ethical standard in the Congress in the United States."

Pelosi’s Republican counterpart in the House, House Speaker John Boehner, also told reporters Tuesday that he believes Weiner should step down. And, in an interview with NBC’s Ann Curry taped yesterday, President Barack Obama indicated that if he were in Weiner’s position, he would resign.

Weiner, who has asked for a leave of absence from the House while he seeks “treatment,” has had little public support since he revealed that he had previously lied about sending lewd messages and photos to at least six women over the past three years.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., hinted Tuesday that Democrats believe Weiner may resign “in a couple of days.”

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) will announce a week from today at Liberty State Park in New Jersey that he's running for president, a source tells First Read.

At an event today in New York with Henry Kissinger, Huntsman is expected to say that he will back in the area in a week to make a big announcement.

"Lady Liberty provides a great backdrop for an announcement speech," the source said.

New Jersey is the latest unorthodox move by the Huntsman campaign. They also will headquarter a campaign out of Orlando, FL. Huntsman also did not participate in last night's debate in New Hampshire, even though the Granite State will be key to a Huntsman campaign.

Last night’s debate winners: Romney, Bachmann, and the Tea Party… Last night’s losers: Pawlenty, Gingrich, and anyone who wanted a serious, substantive conversation on the economy… Recapping Obama’s economic talk with NBC’s Ann Curry… The president’s day in Puerto Rico… The Biden talks on debt ceiling/deficit restart on Capitol Hill at 2:00 pm ET… Presidential maybe Rick Perry in the spotlight in New York City… And the day after the debate, Romney and Gingrich are in NH, Santorum is in Iowa, and Huntsman (who didn’t participate in the debate) discusses foreign policy with Henry Kissinger in the Big Apple.

*** Last night’s winners and losers: Although last night’s GOP presidential debate in New Hampshire turned out to be standard fare for an early debate -- with no fireworks and no heated exchanges -- we learned some things. One, Michele Bachmann announced she filed her paperwork to run for president (when is the last time that’s happened at a presidential debate? That'll get copied in 2016, mark our words). Two, having previous presidential debating experience like Mitt Romney had certainly helps (though it didn’t end up benefiting John Edwards in ’08 in the long run, just at the very early debates). Three, if you try to pick a fight the day before the debate, as Tim Pawlenty did, you better follow through (or face the post-game consequences). And four, the debate was a contest to prove who was the most anti-Obama, anti-government, and most pro-Tea Party (“Anyone on this stage would be a better president than Obama,” Romney said). Now on to last night’s winners and losers…

*** Practice makes perfect for Romney: The clearest individual winner was Romney. He performed as well as he did at any other debate in 2007-2008, which just goes to prove that practice makes perfect. He was confident and engaged. What’s more, he emerged relatively unscathed -- receiving only fingernail scratches from Rick Santorum (on his authenticity on abortion) and Pawlenty (more on that below). Yet as National Journal’s Reinhard writes, he probably won’t get off as easily in upcoming debates. Perhaps most important for Romney, his message was better tailored to independent voters than the rest of the field (though it was striking that he decided not to criticize Obama’s views on NASA/space, given the industry’s importance in Florida). His most puzzling comment came when he seemed to argue against the Bush Doctrine regarding military involvement in places like Iraq and Afghanistan: "I also think we've learned that our troops shouldn’t go off and try to fight a war of independence for another nation -- only the Afghanis can win Afghanistan's independence from the Taliban." Does he believe this about Iraq as well? If so, we didn’t hear that in ’07-’08. Also, Romney ducked answering the debt-ceiling question and no one followed up on it.

*** Bachmann: The most credible anti-Romney candidate? Another winner was Bachmann, who likely will continue to dominate the anti-Obama one-liners and rhetoric throughout the debate season. As soon as she appeared on stage and as soon as she announced that she filed her paperwork to run for president, the Herman Cain Experiment seemed to be over. She stumbled on the gay marriage answer and muddled her facts on a few issues, but her supporters won't care about that. Just from watching last night’s debate, she has the potential to be the most credible anti-Romney in the GOP field, especially considering the order of the contests with Iowa first. Of course, that’s what Team Romney is hoping for. Indeed, last night’s debate played out almost exactly how we saw it playing out last week -- Bachmann dominated the process of the debate and allowed Romney to "win" it.

*** We’re all Tea Partiers now: The other big winner was the Tea Party. Indeed, it sounded like all the candidates -- even Romney -- were reading off the Dick Armey/FreedomWorks/Americans for Prosperity script. So many of last night’s answers were about what the government SHOULDN’T be doing rather than what it SHOULD be doing (other than get out of the way). But that rhetoric raises this question: If the federal government should stay out of the way -- and if the 10^th Amendment is so cherished -- why run for president? Why not stay governor of Massachusetts or Minnesota? One person who struggled a tad on the 10th Amendment talking point was Rick Santorum, even though he's fully embraced much of the economic rhetoric. After all, it’s hard to legislate morality as Santorum wants to do when the GOP sounds more and more like the Libertarian Party. And that has to bring a smile to Ron Paul’s face. Bachmann is as much a social conservative as Santorum in her voting record, but notice her consistency on the 10th Amendment when it comes to gay marriage -- a distinction from Santorum. Though, it was notable how she had to fix her answer three times.

*** The biggest loser: Pawlenty: If there was one big loser last night, it was Pawlenty. Coming into the debate, no one raised the prospect of attacking Romney more than he did (with his “ObamneyCare” line). But when Pawlenty got into the batter's box, he didn't even swing; in fact, he struck out looking. After the debate in the spin room, his campaign dismissed that criticism, saying that Pawlenty didn’t give the answer news outlets were hoping he’d give. But there’s one problem with that explanation: It was the Pawlenty campaign that called SO MUCH attention and promotion to the candidate’s dig at Romney before the debate. Either the candidate doesn't agree with his advisers on strategy or the campaign doesn't agree on strategy; either way, that's not a sign of a winning campaign. Seven months from now, Pawlenty could very well end up regretting this missed opportunity. And it underscores the early challenge for Pawlenty: The Minnesota Nice Guy wants to be the tough-talking Tea Party conservative, but he personally just may not be comfortable in that role.

*** Good Newt, Bad Newt: That brings us to Newt Gingrich. Oh, boy. A week after his campaign imploded, the former speaker delivered a very uneven performance, displaying both Good Newt and Bad Newt. Good Newt: his elegant argument on the space program. Bad Newt: his “loyalty oath” rant on Muslims serving in the U.S. government. “I just wanna go out on a limb here,” he said last night. “I am in favor of saying to people, ‘If you're not prepared to be loyal to the United States, you will not serve in my administration, period.’” More: “We did this in dealing with the Nazis, and we did this in dealing with the Communists. And it was controversial both times, and both times we discovered, after a while, there are some genuinely bad people who would like to infiltrate our country, and we have got to have the guts to stand up and say, ‘No’.” Unfortunately for Gingrich, that McCarthy-like line isn’t going to help him after his rough news last week.  

*** The absence of a serious, substantive discussion on the economy: The other big loser of the night was a serious, substantive discussion on the economy. After spending the last few weeks criticizing the Obama administration on this subject, not a single GOP presidential candidate offered a convincing plan on how to create jobs. We heard plenty about lower taxes and less regulation. The problem: Taxes are already at their lowest level since the 1950s, and that hasn’t really jump-started the economy. Moreover, there was little regulation during the Bush administration, and that didn’t produce a wave of jobs between 2001 and 2009.

*** Obama talks the economy with Ann Curry: Of course, the GOP candidates aren’t the only ones struggling when talking about the economy. Here’s President Obama’s answer to NBC’s Ann Curry about whether he’s empathetic to out-of-work Americans and angry about their plight: ”I wake up every morning thinking about how can I help that man in North Carolina, or that woman in Indiana, or that family in Pennsylvania, get back on their feet… But what is true is that as president, my job is to make sure that I am finding every good idea that we can to move the country forward.” On if he should have spent more time on the economy rather than health care: “I have to tell you, Ann, everything I thought about, over the first two years was how do we get the economy back on track. That's what we focused on then, that's what we focus on now. But health care is part of our challenge. Because if companies are spending billions of dollars on rising health-care costs, that's money that they're not putting into hiring the workers, or new plants, or equipment.” The president's economic case on health care was a tough sell in 2010, probably tougher now.

*** Obama’s day in Puerto Rico: After spending yesterday in North Carolina and Florida, Obama heads today to Puerto Rico. He arrives there at 11:45 am ET, delivers brief remarks minutes later, sits down for local interviews at 2:55 pm, and attends a DNC fundraiser at 3:50 pm. He leaves Puerto Rico at 4:40 pm, and returns the White House later this evening. As we noted yesterday, the Puerto Rico visit is as much --if not more so -- about building good will in Puerto Rican communities on the mainland (particularly in Orlando and Miami) as it is about the issue of statehood or independence or commonwealth for the American island.

*** On Capitol Hill today: The deficit-reduction talks led by Vice President Biden pick up the pace with three meetings on Capitol Hill this week -- the first starting today at 2:00 pm ET, NBC’s Libby Leist reports. Also today, Senate Democrats hold a press conference to spell out their negotiating position on Medicare changes, per a leadership aide. They will outline what they will and won’t accept in the search for Medicare savings. And Leist notes that freshman Sen. Marco Rubio will deliver his “maiden” floor speech today (more on that in our Congress section).

*** Rick Perry in the spotlight: Presidential maybe Rick Perry keynotes the New York County Republican Committee’s Lincoln Day Dinner in New York City. 

*** On the 2012 trail: The day after last night’s GOP debate, Gingrich addressed a small business forum in Concord, NH, earlier this morning… Romney meets with voters in Manchester… Santorum is in Iowa… And Huntsman, who didn’t participate at the debate, holds a foreign-policy discussion with Henry Kissinger in New York City at noon ET.

Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 60 days
Countdown to NV-2 special election: 91 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 147 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 237 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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The front page from the New Hampshire Union Leader: “7 contenders keep it civil.” From the story: “The seven candidates for president – U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota used the debate to officially announce her candidacy – continuously attacked the president on health care, spending and taxes, but also continued to avoid any pointed attacks on each other. ‘Any person on this stage would be a better president than President Obama,’ said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.”

The New Hampshire Union Leader: “GOP debate: Candidates blast Obama, but avoid attacking each other.”

“Given opportunities to critique one another’s stances, the seven competitors repeatedly deflected the questions to attacks on the president,” the Washington Post adds.

The New York Times: “The spotlight was trained squarely on Mitt Romney… But his rivals treaded lightly, and he relentlessly turned the conversation back to Mr. Obama, emerging unscathed from his return to the debate stage four years after losing his first bid for the party’s nomination.”  

The Washington Post’s Balz says Romney “easily survived” the debate. “In his first debate of the campaign, the nominal front-runner for the GOP nomination seemed eager for the spotlight. Through two hours of questioning, he delivered a steady performance, made no obvious errors and stuck to his campaign game plan of focusing his message on the president and the economy.”

“Republican White House hopefuls assailed President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy from the opening moments of their first major debate of the campaign season Monday night and pledged emphatically to repeal the administration’s year-old health care law,” the AP writes. “In general, the Republicans on stage steered away of criticizing one another, and even the evident differences among them were expressed in muted terms.”

For viewers who live in New Hampshire, last night’s debate featured many ads highlighting Democratic opposition to Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to replace Medicare with a voucher system, the liberal-leaning Web site Talking Points Memo writes. In addition to ads already being run by the left-leaning group Protect Your Care, two other groups – the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America – also ran Medicare-themed ads last night.

BACHMANN: Michele Bachmann’s “unpredictable edge was on display during Monday night's GOP presidential debate in New Hampshire when, out of the blue, she announced that she had filed papers to be an official candidate for the Republican nomination,” the AP writes.

The New York Times writes that Michele Bachmann showed herself last night to be not just a proxy for Sarah Palin, but potentially a more preferable candidate than Palin to some Republican voters.

“In a debate also notable for the quietly confident performance of front-runner Mitt Romney and the unwillingness of his rivals to target him with any kind of ferocity, Bachmann electrified the audience with folksy references to her personal history and an unwavering attack on President Obama’s stewardship of the economy and the federal government,” the Washington Post writes.

CAIN: Fact-checking website PolitiFact rated Herman Cain’s denial that he would appoint a Muslim to his cabinet “pants on fire.” Noting that Cain said on the Glen Beck his comments, made to several different organizations were “misconstrued,”  Politifact writes, “[C]ontrary to his claim on Beck’s program, Cain did say he would not have Muslims in his Cabinet. Not once or twice, but three times in as many weeks to ThinkProgress.org, Cavuto and Fischer.”

GINGRICH: When asked about his calling Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan “radical” on Meet the Press, Newt Gingrich said he supported the plan as a “general proposal” and said his words on the program were “taken totally out of context.” He also, however, “called for his party to have a longer conversation with the voters about Medicare, even if that means they have to ‘slow down’ the pace of action on the Hill,” Politico writes.

The Boston Globe’s Weiss writes of Gingrich’s campaign trail “shock,” that “he hasn’t run for competitive office in more than a decade. He’s been busy working at think tanks, speaking to friendly conservative groups, and making documentaries about Ronald Reagan. [University of New Hampshire professor Dante] Scala said Gingrich reminds him of Rudy Giuliani, who barely visited New Hampshire in 2008, convinced that his aura would carry him through.”

“Missing from Monday night's debate was a discussion regarding the state of Newt Gingrich's campaign,” ABC writes, although Gingrich’s daughters did defend their father’s campaign after the debate. “Newt’s going to run Newt’s campaign. We of all people know him very, very well,” his daughter Kathy Lubbers said. His daughter Jackie Cushman also defended Gingrich’s relationship with his wife Calista and their tendency to make campaign decisions as a couple. “The fact is Newt Gingrich is the candidate. They’re a great couple. He, like many husbands, like mine and I’m sure like my sisters, actually consult with their spouse,” Cushman said.

PAWLENTY: Tim Pawlenty campaign manager Nick Ayers told reporters in the “spin room” after the debate that Pawlenty did not re-use his “Obamneycare” comment because mangers don’t “program in answers on a candidate’s brain,” Politico writes.

PERRY: The New York Times writes that Rick Perry probably benefits most from what was widely seen as a weak performance by Tim Pawlenty who declined to assail Romney’s health care plan or repeat his nickname for it, “Obamneycare,” when the former Massachusetts governor was present. “Given that Mr. Pawlenty is treading water in polls… Republican elites may be wondering whether he will “click” with voters… If Mr. Perry can instead play the role of ‘generic Republican’— only with better hair and more fundraising prowess — their support could shift toward him.”

ROMNEY: The Boston Globe’s top story: “GOP debaters target Obama, not Romney.”

“Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who leads in the early polls and fundraising efforts, had a surprisingly easy two hours Monday night. He looked calm and steady, criticizing President Barack Obama on the economy and health care while rarely being forced on the defensive despite some well-known vulnerabilities of his own,” the AP writes.

In National Journal’s post-debate analysis, Reid Wilson writes that Mitt Romney succeeded last night in “own[ing] it” when it comes to his record. “He stood up for Commonwealth Care, and he even embraced his Detroit bankruptcy op-ed. Everyone knows Romney's the target, but no one has taken aim yet.”

While he didn’t necessarily stand out, the Des Moines Register’s Kathie Obradovich writes, Romney remained  “unruffled. In his first televised debate, national poll-leader Mitt Romney had a target on his back. The former Massachusetts governor emerged with nary a hair out of place, even though at least three questions invited other candidates to attack him on health care, his past abortion position and his opposition to the auto industry bailout.”

The deficit reduction talks led by Vice President Biden pick up the pace this week with three meetings on Capitol Hill starting today at 2pm, NBC’s Libby Leist reports. Ahead of the meetings, Senate Democratic leadership will forgo their usual Tuesday "stakeout" after the weekly caucus meeting and hold a press conference to spell out their negotiating position on Medicare changes, per a leadership aide. They will outline what they will and won’t accept in the search for Medicare savings. Also, look for questions on how the Democrats will approach tax increases. Until now, leadership has weighed in with very little specifics about the Biden talks.

The New York Post’s cover: “Obama beats Weiner,” based on the president telling NBC’s Ann Curry on TODAY that, “If it was me, I would resign.”

The Hill: “According to the new CBS News poll, 31 percent of Americans support converting Medicare into a sort of voucher program. Fifty-eight percent said they support keeping the program’s existing structure intact.”

“Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday that he would place a hold on President Obama's nominee to be the next commerce secretary unless the White House disavows a legal complaint filed against airplane manufacturer Boeing for opening a new plant in the senator's home state South Carolina,” The Hill writes.

After about six months in office, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), thought to be a possible vice-presidential candidate, will make his first speech today at 2:45 pm ET on the Senate floor, Leist reports. Rubio's four young children and wife have flown in from Miami where they live to support the Senator. He is the last of the freshman class to speak on the floor. Rubio will call for a "new American century" of leadership. He will say the government is broken and in need of repair if the U.S. is to lead the world in the 21st Century. Rubio highlights the U.S. debt problem, a complicated tax code, and a government that he says over-regulates stifling American economic growth.

Some excerpts: "There is a growing sense that for America, things will never be the same. That maybe, this new century will belong to someone else. … We do stand now at a turning point in our history. One where there are only two ways forward for us. We will either bring on another American century, or we are doomed to witness America’s decline. … A broken government is keeping us from doing what we have done better than anyone in the world for over a century: Create jobs. … If we here in Washington could just find agreement on a plan to start getting our debt under control. If we could just make our tax code simpler and more predictable. And if we could just get the government to ease up on some of these onerous regulations, the American people will take care of the rest."

Former Democratic National Committee spokeswoman (and MSNBC contributor) Karen Finney, in a column in The Hill, looks at education: “The political rhetoric of ‘spending cuts’ has largely ignored the impact cuts in education spending at the federal, state and local levels have on our ability to make progress closing those gaps. Our failure to fully utilize the potential of every American also endangers our economy.” The No Child Left Behind law is up for reauthorization this year.

“President Obama hit the Miami fundraising circuit on Monday, picking up big campaign bucks and boasting of his record in running the country,” The Miami Herald writes. The president’s touting of his accomplishments – a healthcare overhaul, financial regulatory reform, ending a ban on gays serving in the military – stood in stark contrast to the comments made about him by Republican presidential hopefuls who debated Monday night on CNN and described his term as a failure.” More: Miami Obama portrayed himself as someone who inherited his troubles, not one who caused them. ‘There’s no doubt that the country has gone through an extraordinary trauma,’ Obama said. ‘My job has frankly been to clean up a big mess … We yanked the economy out of what could have been a second Great Depression. We stabilized the financial system.’”

From Chicago, The Hill’s Youngman writes, “Only three Republican candidates for president are listed on the wall of President Obama’s new campaign headquarters — Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman.”

“In January, I estimated in this space that redistricting would be close to a wash, with neither party making major gains, but with Republicans solidifying many of their unexpected 2010 gains,” Stu Rothenberg writes in Roll Call. “With redistricting completed in only a few states but the writing on the wall in many others, it now appears that Democrats — not the GOP — will make a small, single-digit gain from redistricting when the process finally is complete.”

IOWA: The 18-city Tea Party bus tour through Iowa kicked off last night in Council Bluffs, the Des Moines Register writes. William Owens, the publisher of Tea Party Review magazine based in Arlington, VA, says he plans to conduct live-stream webcast interviews of Republican candidates throughout the tour asking questions submitted by tea party activists around the country via social media outlets. 

The Register took an informal survey of Tea Partiers who watched the debate before attending a Tea Party event in Council Bluffs and found that “the loudest clapping went to Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and businessman Herman Cain. No one applauded for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.”

MASSACHUSETTS: “Senator Scott Brown today signed onto a Senate bill to repeal an advisory board created as part of last year’s landmark health care overhaul, chipping away at yet another element of the Affordable Care Act that he finds onerous,” the Boston Globe reports.

In Ann Curry's exclusive interview with President Obama, which will air on "TODAY" tomorrow morning, the president says that, if he were embattled Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, he would resign from office.

I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign. Because public service is exactly that: It's a service to the public. And when you get to the point where -- because of various personal distractions, you can't serve as effectively as you need to at the time when people are worrying about jobs, and their mortgages, and paying the bills -- then you should probably step back.

Also in the interview, Obama says he's "absolutely confident" that Democrats can strike a deal with congressional Republicans to raise the debt ceiling, and that he's seen "some progress" in the negotiations.  

I am absolutely confident that we can move forward on a plan that gets our debt under control, gets our deficit under control -- but also makes sure that we're making the investments in the future that are gonna help us put people back to work.

And there is a way of solving this problem that doesn't require any big, radical changes. What it does require is everybody makes some sacrifices. And we make these changes in a balanced way. So far, at least, in the conversations that I've had and the vice president's been hosting, with leaders from both the House and the Senate, we've seen some progress.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham today said he plans to use his right under Senate rules to place a "hold" on President Obama's nominee to be the next Commerce secretary. 

Graham's block of John Bryson is intended to get Obama's attention and his support for Boeing's planned move to South Carolina.  

The National Labor Relations Board has a complaint against Boeing that essentially claims Boeing picked South Carolina for a new plant because of its an anti-labor reputation -- compared with Boeing's home in union friendly Washington state. 

The president's chief of staff, Bill Daley, was formerly a member of the Boeing board. Graham said, "Tell the country we think Boeing's a good, ethical company and they've done nothing wrong."

Graham could block the confirmation indefinitely leaving the department without a secretary.

Hours before Tim Pawlenty takes the stage at the first major GOP debate in New Hampshire, his campaign co-chairman fought back against criticism of the former Minnesota governor's economic plan.

"It's a proposal for a macro-economic strategy," former Minnesota congressman Vin Weber said on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports. "It's not a budget submission."

Weber said the Republican presidential candidate's plan is not an endpoint. "Gov. Pawlenty has said if this isn't the way to get to higher levels of growth," he said, "let's hear what other people are suggesting."

The former Republican congressman said any plan is better than the Obama administration's attempt to improve the economy. "$800 billion of stimulus and quantitative easing by the fed [has] left us with a listless economy, unemployment and underemployment and stagnant wages," Weber said.

Tim Pawlenty is "talking about spending cuts and ways of getting to the balanced budget. He's also talking about changes in the tax code that would boost employment and incomes," Weber said.

The former Minnesota congressman was referring to Pawlenty's plan to simplify the individual tax code by creating only two rates: 10 percent and 25 percent. According to the former governor's plan, "Those who currently pay no income tax would stay at a zero rate. After that, the first $50,000 of income -- or $100,000 for married couples -- would be taxed at 10 percent. Everything above that would be taxed at 25 percent."

When asked to respond to Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom's Tweet that the former Massachusetts governor "left behind $2.3 billion IN CASH for his successor," an apparent dig at Pawlenty, who left office with a $5 billion deficit, Weber said, "The budget was balanced every year that Gov. Pawlenty was in office, and he made proposals, which would have helped balance the budget going forward. They were always rejected by the Democratic legislature in Minnesota...as long as Gov. Pawlenty refused to raise taxes they would not make long-term reforms in spending."

Weber also addressed Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's response of, "I really don't want to comment," when asked by The Wall Street Journal if Pawlenty was a "good governor."

"I wish she hadn't said this," Weber said. "He was a good governor. He was the most conservative governor in my lifetime. I think the overwhelming majority of Republicans in Minnesota would agree with that."

All eyes are on the seven GOP hopefuls who will take the stage in Manchester, N.H., tonight for the first debate featuring the major Republican presidential candidates.

We’re trying something new for the occasion: the NBC political team will be live tweeting the debate, offering minute-by-minute updates and analysis.

Tweets from Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro and Carrie Dann – as well as other NBC producers and correspondents – will appear in this space after 7:30pm ET.

While President Obama pitched jobs to the swing state of North Carolina today, congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle are scheduled to resume budget negotiation talks with Vice President Biden tomorrow. And though discussions have reportedly gone smoothly, Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) today hit the White House for what he sees as the administration's lack of action on the issue.

"The president hasn't put in place a plan that will allow for decreasing debt and decreasing the deficit so that the private sector can thrive," Price, chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, told Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports. "The answer to this is not government. The answer to this is the private sector. ... The issue in terms of jobs isn't what the government can do to create jobs. The government doesn't create jobs. It's the private sector that creates jobs. That seems to be this missing link.”

While Price hopes the Biden group will bring a budget proposal to the table by the end of month so that Congress can take action sometime in July, he also reiterated the GOP's proposed budget plan, which failed in the Senate last month.

"We put in place a budget -- the Republican Conference in the House of Representatives -- that would increase job creation, would reform the entitlement spending here in Washington that's only been demagogued by the other side, and would allow for the domestic energy production that will flourish and allow jobs to be created across this great land," Price said, touting Rep. Paul Ryan's controversial plan, which would partially privatize Medicare.