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By Scott Wong (
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swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)

CLINTON: BLAME ME FOR BENGHAZI SECURITY FAILURES - "On the eve of the second presidential debate, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday night that she took 'responsibility' for the failure to successfully defend against the Sept. 11 attack on the United States diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya," Michael R. Gordon writes for the New York Times. "'I take responsibility,' she said in an interview with CNN. 'I want to avoid some kind of political gotcha.' Mrs. Clinton made the comments shortly after she arrived in Lima, Peru, for a diplomatic visit, and they appeared to be an effort to inoculate President Obama from criticism for any security lapses in Libya as he prepared
for Tuesday's debate with Mitt Romney, his Republican challenger."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f40ce4b123a5b899598bbd1f06d96a00e7d0dab8ddec049e2a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f40ce4b123a5b899598bbd1f06d96a00e7d0dab8ddec049e2a WSJ A1:
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GOP SENATORS RESPOND: BUCK STOPS WITH OBAMA - It's a refrain you likely will hear from Mitt Romney at tonight's debate. Joel Gerkhe writes for the Washington Examiner: "Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and two of his colleagues said that "the buck stops" with President Obama with respect to the terrorist attacks in Libya, but they praised Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her willingness to claim the blame in the absence of the White House taking responsibility. 'The security of Americans serving our nation everywhere in the world is ultimately the job of the Commander-in-Chief,' said McCain in a joint statement with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. 'The buck stops
there.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f476a3b21442b80a4e835211e1e9f044c4f505a7ee252b55e4
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-- Meanwhile, House Foreign Relations Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) raised concerns about how the State Department assessed the security needs of the Benghazi consulate and other diplomatic facilities. Read her letter to Clinton here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f4a37263e6fb7937d956679063f54e0153577fc7ead5271a48
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f4a37263e6fb7937d956679063f54e0153577fc7ead5271a48

Washington Post, A1, "The case of the vanishing candidate: Facing reelection, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is dogged by unanswered questions," By Manuel Roig-Franzia: "He never outgrew the diminutives. As a little boy with an iconic father, he answered to 'fella' as he skittered at the feet of civil rights leaders and celebrities. He's just 'Junior' now, even in his mid-40s, a coil of ambition and inscrutability who aspired to be a big thing in politics. Serving in Congress wasn't that big thing for Jesse Jackson Jr., a Democrat from Illinois and son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Being one of 435 didn't equate to greatness in the son's mind. Not back home in Chicago, a place with its own sense of
hierarchies, a place where he wanted so desperately to impress. 'Junior is a very insecure person. When you're in Chicago and you come in and say you're in Congress . . . Congress is nuthin'. But the mayor of Chicago? He is a boss,' says Frank Coconate, a political operative who helped Jackson test the possibility of a mayoral run several years ago before they had a falling out.

-- "No one talks about Jackson occupying the mayor's office anymore, and the predictions that he might someday run for president - forecasts that accompanied his arrival in Congress 16 years ago - are long forgotten. Instead, Jackson's promising career has devolved into a blur of self-destruction, mystery and tabloid drama. He's been caught in an extramarital affair and been pulled into the pay-for-play scandal that toppled Rod Blagojevich as Illinois governor and prompted a House ethics investigation. He's disappeared without explanation from Congress, only to surface while receiving treatment for depression and, as first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times and confirmed with law enforcement
sources Monday, he is under federal criminal investigation for allegedly misusing campaign funds to decorate his Washington home."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f4017e854bb778cef4a8e00e81bae54a598a40eee11764d547
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-- Despite his troubles, Roll Call's Daniel Newhauser writes that Jackson is still on his way to reelection:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f4f829f06daf6e01aa5a05090042cfd8746780a05b1dc9e7a6
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-- Gawker reports that Jackson was spotted twice at a Dupont Circle bar:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f4568a23f67b898aab4e20687e1e3d4cc7a33e40189d74a9fa
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McGOVERN MOVED TO HOSPICE CARE - The Associated Press reports: "Longtime former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, the Democratic presidential candidate who lost to President Richard Nixon in a historic landslide, has moved into hospice care near his home in South Dakota, his family said Monday. 'He's coming to the end of his life,' his daughter, Ann McGovern, told The Associated Press. She declined to elaborate but noted that her 90-year-old father has suffered several health problems in the last year. George McGovern, who became a leader of the Democrats' liberal wing during his three decades in Congress, lost his 1972 challenge to Nixon, who later resigned amid the Watergate scandal. McGovern
has turned his focus in recent years to world hunger."
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BOEHNER'S AGENDA FACES TEST -- Jake Sherman catches up with the speaker on the stump in Laconia, N.H.: "The dash for control of the House this year is muddled by massive population shifts, redrawn districts and a spate of retirements. But in a pair of House races here in New Hampshire, those variables are all stripped away. What's left is one the purest barometers in the nation of the agenda of John Boehner's rightward shifting, tea-party fueled House Republican majority. ... Can lawmakers from middle-of-the-road districts survive in a non-tea party year, and after two years of governing that's dragged congressional approval ratings to record lows?

-- "Granite State voters - a rightward-leaning but pragmatic bunch - have a chance for a do-over. Returning Republicans Charlie Bass and Frank Guinta to Congress would be a vote of confidence in Boehner's House. If Democrats Carol Shea-Porter and Ann McLane Kuster prevail - they're both waging comebacks after losing two years ago - it would be a show of buyer's remorse and cast doubts on Boehner's ability to forge a lasting, and robust GOP majority.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f4892bb1adcbf4cc5611c2c9614408406dd8b9796f4f041441
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BLUNT-TALKING WEST LOOKING LIKE SURVIVOR -- Alex Isenstadt reports from West Palm Beach, Fla.: "If Democrats had to pick a vulnerable tea party Republican they'd love to take out in November, Rep. Allen West would no doubt rank very high. The bombastic freshman has spent the past two years taunting Democrats - he called President Barack Obama 'probably the dumbest person walking around in America right now,' dubbed 80 of his Democratic House colleagues 'communists' and told Debbie Wasserman Schultz she is 'not a lady' - to name just a few of his put-downs. Yet three weeks out from Election Day, West, an Afghanistan War vet, has the look of a survivor. The freshman's smashmouth brand of
politics might seem like a poor fit for the moderate, Treasure Coast district. But West's outsize TV presence gave him practically universal name ID out of the gate - and an enormous cash advantage - in his nasty reelection battle against 29-year-old construction firm executive Patrick Murphy."
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WHO HAS THE BEST BODY IN POLITICS? - Men's Health names the 25 fittest men in the game. Among the winners: Reps. Paul Ryan, Aaron Schock, Adam Kinzinger, Jim Hines, Heath Schuler, Sens. John Thune and Scott Brown, former Rep. Anthony Weiner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney also made the cut.
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COBURN PUBLISHES WASTEBOOK - Last week, Huddle previewed a few examples of wasteful spending identified by Sen. Tom Coburn in his annual "Wastebook." He's out today with the full 2012 report featuring what he says are the 100 most egregious examples of how your tax dollars are being wasted. The cost? $18 billion. "The problem in Washington is politicians are very specific about what we should fund but not specific about what we should cut," the Oklahoma Republican said. "As a result, we are chasing robotic squirrels and countless other low-priority projects over a fiscal cliff."
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BROWN-WARREN BATTLE TOPS $70M - "Elizabeth Warren hauled in $12.12 million and Senator Scott Brown collected $7.45 million over the last three months, ensuring that their Senate race will remain among the most expensive in the country and guaranteeing that both candidates can continue their blizzard of television advertisements," Noah Bierman and Erin Ailworth write for the Boston Globe. "Warren, a Democrat, has collected $36.3 million since she entered the race last September, while Brown, a Republican, has raised about $27.45 million since he took office in January 2010, according to the campaigns. Add in about $7 million Brown carried over from his 2010 special election campaign and the
race has already eclipsed $70 million in combined funds, with three weeks' worth of intense fund-raising activity still to come."
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SENATE DEBATE ROUNDUP ...

IND.:DONNELLY KNOCKS MOURDOCK'S TEA PARTY TIES -- Brian Francisco writes for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette on their first debate: "Early on, Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-2nd, called Republican state Treasurer Richard Mourdock 'an unapologetic leader of the tea party movement.' Mourdock noted that Donnelly considers himself a fiscal conservative but voted to increase the nation's debt limit seven times and supported President Obama's health care law. 'Your principles were caved,' Mourdock told Donnelly. ... Donnelly a few times evoked the name of six-term Sen. Richard Lugar - 'an American hero' - whom Mourdock defeated in the Republican primary election. He scolded Mourdock for saying Lugar
'betrayed' conservatives. Just as often, Mourdock cited instances in which Donnelly's congressional votes backed Obama's policies."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f478089d2894a08f4f565fe6a75464c218b338d24ee99d17b5
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OHIO: BLOWS BUT NO KNOCKOUT -- David Catanese writes in POLITICO's Senate 5 wrap-up: "Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Josh Mandel's visceral dislike of each other was on full display at the Cleveland City Club today during their first debate. Brown bludgeoned Mandel for hiring 'political cronies' to staff his Treasurer's office, opposing the auto bailout and signing Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge. Mandel repeatedly accused Brown of 'Washington-speak' and dubbed the incumbent a 'bailout senator' who has presided over higher unemployment, rising gas prices and greater foreclosures. It was an intense round of fisticuffs in a race that has tightened to single digits. Both landed blows but
there was no knockout. Mandel drew more boos and groans from the crowd, but Brown appeared to miss a few opportunities to capitalize on his opponent's prior missteps and at times was too reliant on notes."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f405bdf3919d72a2388f4e549f8e3636d3624c750d03357311
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CONN.: McMAHON, MURPHY STICK TO SCRIPT - "The brisk, hour-long forum, the third formal debate between [Republican businesswoman Linda McMahon and Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy] in the past eight days, was frequently punctuated by catcalls and jeers from the audience of more than 600 inside the palatial theater, with many of the interruptions appearing to come from McMahon supporters . ..." Daniela Altimari writes for the Hartford Courant. "Both candidates are vying to replace Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is retiring, and the Senate seat is one of just a few that could determine which party controls the chamber for the next two years. With Election Day three weeks away, neither candidate veered
far from the talking points that have guided them throughout the campaign. McMahon stuck to her jobs plan while Murphy once again invoked his mother's childhood in a public housing project."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f481a64c730530f1ca38ae0fa5260088cd7cec16d5ab625ef1
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NEV.: HELLER REPEATS 'MOST CORRUPT MEMBER' CHARGE - Laura Myers reports for the Las Vegas Review Journal: "In one of the most dramatic moments, [GOP Sen. Dean] Heller was asked whether he believes his TV ad calling [Rep. Shelley] Berkley one of the most corrupt members of Congress as she faces a House Ethics Committee investigation. 'I do. I do,' Heller said, sitting at the same desk just inches from Berkley. 'I don't know any other member of Congress that's capitalizing on other people's misery and flipping homes and making money the way she is.' Berkley defended herself, saying that leaving empty, bank-owned houses in neighborhoods devalues the properties, while buying houses
and fixing them for rent or resale helps people."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f40be7913d6115ecbe9b280990c84f2f70d6d6b045bfcf752b
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ARIZ.: CARMONA PUSHES BACK ON BEATO AD, SAYS SHE WASN'T 'UNDER OATH' - Democrat Richard Carmona is continuing to explain himself in the wake of a hard-hitting Jeff Flake ad in which Carmona's former boss, Christina Beato, says he had issues with anger and women. The Arizona Republic's Dan Nowicki writes: "Carmona also said Beato was not under oath during her congressional testimony, as she says in the ad. That is backed up by a written copy of her testimony, although she was still required by law to answer the committee's questions truthfully and would face up to five years in prison for making 'any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement or representation' to a
congressional committee. She was interviewed as part of an inquiry by the then-Democrat-controlled House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. A news release issued by Carmona's campaign after the debate said Beato 'lied' in the ad about being under oath."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f46332bf0391cfdabbcf109c1ab80f0e0594d2c8eecf57bee0
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-- Flake, meanwhile, accused Carmona of failing to vote in the 2010 elections, asking how voters expect him to vote in Congress when he doesn't vote in local elections. Carmona spokesman Andy Barr responded that his boss, a registered independent, recalls voting by mail ballot in 2010 for Rep. Gabby Giffords but didn't have anything more to add.

** COURTHOUSE OR CASH MACHINE? - On Wednesday, October 24, the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform's annual summit will feature keynote remarks from Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a discussion of the 2012 elections with pollster Scott Rasmussen, Sen. Rick Santorum, and Gov. Ed Rendell. Visit
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f40c80e21fa3edc1ec67f3046c131996ee67d253b4adac7b74
www.LegalReformSummit.com to learn more and to register.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, October 16, 2012, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day's congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to
mailto:swong@politico.com
swong@politico.com . If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include but are not limited to @SarahConnerW and @KristiNoem.

OFF THE HILL - Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Niki Tsongas and Massachusetts Rep. Pat Haddad, all Democrats, hold a conference call at 12:45 p.m. to discuss what a GOP-controlled Senate will mean for women's rights.

YOUNG DROPS HIRONO FOR LINGLE - Brian Perry reports for the Maui News: "Although he endorsed Congresswoman Mazie Hirono in her ultimately successful bid for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Daniel Akaka, Republican Congressman Don Young of Alaska is now backing former Gov. Linda Lingle, according to a letter released by the Lingle campaign. ... 'Governor Lingle has a proven track record of working across the aisle to solve problems and working with members of both parties to improve the lives of all the people of Hawaii.' Young's message about the need for a bipartisan U.S. senator for Hawaii echoes what he said in July, when he appeared side by side
with Hirono in a television ad endorsing her in her primary race against former Congressman Ed Case."
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REID MEDDLES IN HOUSE RACE, RIPS TARKANIAN - Scott Wong reports: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he has 'nothing personal' against the Tarkanian family. ... But Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told reporters Monday it'd be 'embarrassing' for their son, Republican Danny Tarkanian, to be representing his home state in the House of Representatives. Reid said the younger Tarkanian is trying to avoid filing for bankruptcy as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. moves to seize his family's assets after a federal court ruled that he owed $17 million from a failed real estate deal. ... "The question is how can voters trust him to tackle major issues in Congress - our nation's debt is an example -
if he can't handle his own finances?" Reid said. ... In a statement, Danny Tarkanian said Reid's involvement reflect a 'new sense of desperation and panic for the [Steven] Horsford campaign. 'It is disappointing and disturbing that Senator Reid believes he decides Congressional elections, not the voters of Nevada's 4th Congressional District,' Tarkanian said."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f4c714f8df1b623bbe3ef1d51c35658120c61cafff669e5a36
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--WaPo columnist Dana Milbank writes about Reid's "petty politics":
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GROUP FILES COMPLAINT OVER DesJARLAIS PATIENT RELATIONSHIP - The Tennessean's Chas Sisk reports: "The Tennessee Department of Health has been asked to investigate evidence that U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais had a sexual relationship with a patient, an allegation that could open the congressman to disciplinary action for violating medical ethics. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said Monday that it had filed a complaint against DesJarlais following reports that he encouraged an unnamed woman to have an abortion after they had an intimate relationship. The disclosure was based on a partial transcript of a telephone conversation between the two filed during DesJarlais' divorce
proceedings a decade ago."
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WAPO ENDORSES KAINE: 'BETTER CHOICE BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS' - "TWO FORMER Virginia governors, Timothy M. Kaine and George Allen, are running for the U.S. Senate seat that Mr. Allen fumbled away six years ago. They are partisan stalwarts who disagree on deficit reduction, energy policy, health care, abortion, the death penalty and much else. The contrast in character and intellect is even more stark. On those grounds, Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, is a better choice by leaps and bounds than Mr. Allen, a Republican."
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MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Francesca Fierro O'Reilly of the American Clinical Laboratory Association was first to correctly answer that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wrote her senior year college thesis on the politics of establishing a new stadium in her home state. She wrote about the about the HHH Dome in Minneapolis while at Yale.

Fierro O'Reilly emails that she had to read Klobuchar's book in graduate school and gives a hat tip to the UNC MPA program and Professor Michelle Hoyman.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Our trivia winner asks: Which former Presidential chief of staff and UNC-Chapel Hill graduate lost two Senate races in his home state? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at
mailto:swong@politico.com
swong@politico.com .

WEATHER - Cool and breezy but mostly sunny with highs between 63 and 67 degrees, according to ABC7's Brian van de Graaff.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says "Sign Up."
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** COURTHOUSE OR CASH MACHINE? - The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform's annual summit will feature keynote remarks by Mayor Rudy Giuliani as well as a discussion of the 2012 elections with pollster Scott Rasmussen, Sen. Rick Santorum, and Gov. Ed Rendell. They will be joined by key state attorneys general and Beltway powerbrokers for a conversation on the state of the American courtroom. The event promises to spark debate, with political heavyweights and opinion leaders taking on the critical issues facing the legal reform environment. The event will be held on Wednesday, October 24, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Visit
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8bba275326c43f40c80e21fa3edc1ec67f3046c131996ee67d253b4adac7b74
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