Ron Paul Gains a Little Mainstream Cred

Unfortunately, his views are embraced by the GOP: Paul Krugman

(NEWSER) - It seems to be Ron Paul's turn in the GOP spotlight, and while he may be a longshot to win the nomination, his views on monetary policy are representative of the party establishment—and they're highly dangerous, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . Paul believes in "Austrian" economics, meaning he sees money "printed without being backed by gold as the root of all economic evil." Such thinkers were sure that the Fed's figurative money-printing to shore up the economy would cause huge inflation—but three years later, it hasn't. More»

President promises US will still have 'strong presence'

(NEWSER) - As the last 6,000 American troops prepare to leave Iraq by Dec. 31, President Obama today heralded the end of the divisive war—but issued a warning to the country's neighbors: The US will continue to have a "strong presence in the Middle East." He added, in a speech made after meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki this morning, that "the United States will never waiver in the defense of our allies, our partners, and our interests." More»

First expense reports offer a glimpse into each campaign

(NEWSER) - Want to get to know your 2012 candidates better? Take a look at what they're spending campaign cash on, courtesy of expense reports obtained by the Washington Post . The first major spending reports of the campaign reveal that the candidates have spent about $32 million so far.

• Tim Pawlenty: You can tell the "upstart" candidate is focused on Iowa because he's spent $200,000 at businesses in the state. Total spent so far: $2.5 million, and a large percentage of that went toward payroll—odd since his top aides are working for peanuts . (Funny tidbit: He spent $7.07 at a Godfather's Pizza restaurant—that, of course, is the pizza chain formerly run by his opponent, Herman Cain.)
• Mitt Romney: The "establishment" candidate spent money on, not surprisingly, security and consultants—plus $750,000 at businesses in New Hampshire. More of his budget—18%—goes to administrative expenses than any of his GOP opponents. Total spent so far: $5.7 million.

Marilyn Davenport issues formal apology, but won't step down

(NEWSER) - Marilyn Davenport, the California Republican official who stirred up a controversy when she sent out an email depicting President Obama as a chimpanzee , formally apologized last night, the AP reports. "I humbly apologize and ask for your forgiveness of my unwise behavior. I say unwise because at the time I received and forwarded the email, I didn't stop to think about the historic implications and other examples of how this could be offensive," she said in an emailed statement. More»

'Barack Obama would crush her,' says insider

(NEWSER) - After tomorrow, Republican establishment leaders will shift their focus to another hurdle: making sure Sarah Palin doesn’t get the 2012 presidential nomination. In interviews with advisers to other presidential contenders, Politico found wide-ranging agreement that the former Alaska governor must be stopped. “There is a determined, focused establishment effort to find a candidate we can coalesce around who can beat Sarah Palin,” said one. More»