Netanyahu insults U.S. general. Republicans applaud.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey made news over this week by calling an Israeli-led attack on Iran foolish if attempted anytime soon. Israeli officials aren’t impressed, however, and are responding with words of their own.

Gen. Dempsey denounced a strike on Iran in the near future as “destabilizing” and “not prudent” over the weekend while speaking to CNN in regards to America and Israel’s effort to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear warhead. Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has now addressed that statement himself, calling into question the US official’s intentions.

Netanyahu is now suggesting that the US is adopting policies that will favor Iran, and not their historical ally: Israel.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz (“The Land”) is reporting that PM Netanyahu had harsh words for the JCOS commander, saying that his on-the-record comments over postponing any strike are remarks that “served the Iranians.”

When Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu charged US General Martin Dempsey as a puppet of Iran this week, two top-ranking US lawmakers were also visiting abroad. Neither Senators John McCain nor Lindsey Graham came to refute those claims, however.....

Siding separately from Dempsey, McCain told reporters in Jerusalem on Tuesday that “There should be no daylight between America and Israel in our assessment of the [Iranian] threat.”

“Unfortunately there clearly is some,” added the Senator.

The remarks came only hours after the senator sat down with Netanyahu, who just earlier had called Dempsey a servant of Iran.

Romney speech falls flat in Detroit

Mitt Romney spoke to several empty seats Friday in Detroit, in a speech that offered Democrats more fodder for their attacks and failed to deliver the major economic address his campaign promised.

Television cameras showed rows of empty chairs as Romney rehashed many of the policies and quips he'd used in previous speeches, made a few jokes that appeared to fall flat with the audience and said that his wife, Ann, drives "a couple of Cadillacs," which will likely give Democrats more ammunition for their depiction of him as rich and out of touch.

The former Massachusetts governor also repeated a line that has been the butt of jokes by late-night comedians — that Michigan has good-sized trees.

“This feels good, being back in Michigan,” he said. “The trees are the right height. The streets are just right.”

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/gop-presidential-primary/212493-romney-delivers-clunker-in-detroit

Politco exposes coordination between Romney campaign and super PAC.

The pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future is out with a new ad, "Saved," that features the time when Romney helped track down the 14-year-old daughter of a Bain Capital colleague. The footage in the ad appears identical to a Romney for President ad released in 2007, during Romney's last run for president: same music, same images, and same narration from Robert Gay, the father of the missing girl.

In the ad, Gay says Romney "stepped forward to take charge" when he found out Gay's daughter had gone missing.

"He closed the company and brought almost all our employees to New York," he says. "He said I don't care how long takes, we're going to find her. He set up a command center and searched through the night."

Per an ROF official, the ad is airing in both Arizona and Michigan in advance of next Tuesday's primaries.


http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/02/proromney-super-pac-runs-footage-from-romney-ad-115370.html

Santorum surges among California GOP voters

SACRAMENTO -- California's Republican voters have warmed up to the surging candidacy of Rick Santorum but also are expressing growing dissatisfaction with the field of GOP presidential candidates, according to a Field Poll released Wednesday.

The former Pennsylvania senator is preferred by 25 percent of the state's registered Republicans, a turn-around that has come partly at the expense of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose support in the state has plunged.

Santorum was supported by just 2 percent of California GOP voters in a Field Poll taken last November. His growing popularity since then has been driven in part by those who said they identify with the tea party or classify themselves as strongly conservative.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney remained Republicans' top choice, getting support from 31 percent.


http://www.mercurynews.com/presidentelect/ci_20020294

Idaho Republican resigns from State Senate after sexual harassment charge.

As was first reported by IdahoReporter.com, the Idaho Senate career of John McGee, a Republican from Caldwell, is over.

Senate Pro Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, announced McGee’s resignation at a Wednesday afternoon press conference, telling reporters that the Caldwell Republican has been accused of sexual harassment by a legislative aide.

Hill wouldn’t release the name of the female aide, saying he would like to protect her privacy. Hill said that she is not a minor and has since been put on paid administrative leave.

Senate leadership was notified of the allegations Feb. 18. Hill said he immediately reassigned the staffer to different duties before discussing the matter further.

http://www.idahoreporter.com/2012/amid-sexual-misconduct-allegations-sen-john-mcgee-resigns-his-senate-seat/

Romney dropping the ball on early voters in Arizona.

Chuck Coughlin, who ran Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s 2010 campaign, said the relatively slow return rate for absentee ballots indicates Republicans are waiting to make up their minds, which may not be a good thing for Romney.

“People are holding on to their ballots to see how this evolves,” Coughlin said. “Mr. Romney has a lead and is comfortable down here, but I haven’t really seen evidence of that in the mailbox or in any particular aggressive effort here in Arizona. Mr. Santorum now is out here and is spending time and I think he’s going to try and leverage tonight’s debate performance with some kind of spike for him.”

Coughlin said Romney’s campaign has left the door open for Santorum by not more aggressively courting early voters. The Romney campaign isn’t on Arizona television at all, but the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future has dropped $348,000 on Arizona TV ads this week — 16 times what the Santorum campaign is spending, according to a source familiar with the ad buys. Santorum’s super PAC is not on TV here.

“That’s how you run good campaigns, that the way they get their ballots — they get a piece of mail from you. That’s not happening. I haven’t seen that from anybody in this cycle,” he said. “The perceived lack of organizational strength at the campaign level would lead one to believe that there’s a door open for Mr. Santorum.”


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73178.html#ixzz1n9qe4BkC

Gold Standard of Michigan polls gives Santorum the lead.

In an exclusive WXYZ/Detroit Free Press poll conducted by EPIC MRA, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum leads former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney by only 3 points - 37% to 34%. But with a margin of error of +/- 4.9%, either candidate could win next Tuesday’s Michigan GOP Primary......

"Among GOP voters," he says, "Santorum leads Romney by 41%. Among Independent voters, Romney leads Santorum by 30%.”

The winner will be determined by which candidate does the best job getting their supporters to the polls.

The poll shows that Romney is more popular in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties and Santorum draws his strength from voters in central, western, and northern Michigan as well as from those who support the Tea Party movement.


http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/political/poll-wxyz-free-press-michigan-gop-race-santorum-leads-romney#ixzz1n9j4DaHG

McDonnell: 'No Woman In Virginia Will Have To Undergo A Transvaginal Ultrasound Involuntarily'

Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) issued this press release on Wednesday, calling for amendments that would soften a controversial state bill to require any woman seeking an abortion to first get an ultrasound, with McDonnell backing away from the potential requirement in many cases for an invasive transvaginal ultrasound:

Thus, having looked at the current proposal, I believe there is no need to direct by statute that further invasive ultrasound procedures be done. Mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state. No person should be directed to undergo an invasive procedure by the state, without their consent, as a precondition to another medical procedure.

For this reason, I have recommended to the General Assembly a series of amendments to this bill. I am requesting that the General Assembly amend this bill to explicitly state that no woman in Virginia will have to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound involuntarily. I am asking the General Assembly to state in this legislation that only a transabdominal, or external, ultrasound will be required to satisfy the requirements to determine gestational age. Should a doctor determine that another form of ultrasound may be necessary to provide the necessary images and information that will be an issue for the doctor and the patient. The government will have no role in that medical decision.

I have requested other amendments that help clarify the purposes of the bill and reflect a better understanding of prevailing medical practices. It is my hope that the members of the General Assembly will act favorably upon these recommendations from our office. We will await their action prior to making any further comments on this matter.”

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/mcdonnell-no-woman-in-virginia-will-have-to

Romney supporters are making a big mistake when they attack Santorum's "Satan Speech".

I grew up in suburban Detroit. What's worse, I grew up in a Baptist fundamentalist church. The message about Satan plotting to take over the "good and decent United States" was driven home every Sunday morning and Sunday night. And there is a huge network of these churches all over the state, especially in the SE part. If they continue to ridicule him for that, they rick hurting Romney where he is doing best, and potentially alienate them in November.

Virginia governor no longer fully supports ultrasounds before abortions

RICHMOND — Gov. Robert F. McDonnell is backing off his unconditional support for a bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, focusing new attention on one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in Virginia’s General Assembly this year.

Until this weekend, McDonnell (R) and his aides had said the governor would sign the measure if it made it to his desk. McDonnell, who strongly opposes abortion, will no longer make that commitment.

But delegates and governor’s staff were scheduled to meet Tuesday night to strike a compromise after learning that some ultrasounds could be more invasive than first thought, according to two officials who were aware of the meeting but not authorized to speak about it publicly. Many of the bill’s supporters were apparently unaware of how invasive the procedure could be, one of the officials added.

The Virginia legislation has become part of the broader national debate over reproductive rights and has drawn attention to McDonnell, a rising star in his party and a possible vice presidential contender. The legislation has been the topic of cable news shows, was part of a “Saturday Night Live” sketch and drew protesters to Richmond on Monday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/virginia-governor-no-longer-fully-supports-ultrasounds-before-abortions/2012/02/21/gIQARIxBSR_story.html?wprss=rss_politics