Kap, La Vanguardia, SpainFaced with a recession that has largely undone decades of Franco-era and post-Franco era prosperity, angry Spaniards booted out the Socialists and gave conservatives one of the biggest election victories in Spain in 30 years – raising expectations and bringing a warning from the man who’ll be sworn in as Prime Minister next month that miracles won’t occur overnight. Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy was under pressure on Monday to give rapid details of...

There are political pipe dreams. Like this. yeah, right. Not gonna happen. Especially when you have this.

There could be new trouble for Obamaland: according to the Detroit Free Press, there are signs he is losing Reagan Democrats who once supported him: President Barack Obama says he saved Michigan’s auto industry, but that isn’t helping his 2012 re-election bid in Macomb and Oakland counties, where Republican front-runner Mitt Romney’s strength helps give him a 5-point lead in the state a year before the election, a Free Press poll shows. There’s time for the president to woo...

There’s a new (once again) front-runner for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. And former front-runner, former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain’s support is crumbling faster than a month-old dried out pizza from Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan: Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has roared into the lead of the Republican nominating race, brushing off concerns about his work for a troubled housing...

The blame in Spain falls mainly on the Socialists.. And now a tangible consequence Europe’s ailing economy: as Spaniards head to the polls today the country’s conservatives are expected to win big amid the country that was long pointed to as the epitome of economic health is reeling amid high unemployment and other ills: Bowed by a 21.5-per cent jobless rate, economic stagnation and deep spending cuts, the first voters of the 36-million-strong Spanish electorate headed to polls ready...

Cardow, The Ottawa Citizen And so Italy closes the era of Berlusconi, Italy’s longest-serving postwar prime minister. But the question becomes: will Italy ever recover? Some answers are HERE.

Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain earlier this week raised quite a few eyebrows when he said that the United States needed a “leader not a reader,” as if you couldn’t be one and not another. He was offering the latest in his medley of defensive statements (on comments about China and nukes, sexual harassment allegations, brain-freeze on Libya, and decision to kiss off New Hampshire’s biggest Republican newspaper by cancelling an interview with them). And now...

Pressure is now mounting on Syria — and if trending continues, look for it to increasingly be a world hotspot. And a major problem. The Periscope Post reports: Syria is looking increasingly isolated on the world stage, as the Arab League turns on one of its own and gives the al-Assad regime until November 19 to end its bloody repression of opposition protesters. Protests demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad began in January 2011, blossoming into a full-scale uprising by March....

A new twist in the Penn State scandal: Joe Paterno has “treatable” lung cancer. CNN reports: Some of CNN’s latest report:‘ Joe Paterno, the Penn State football coach who lost his job amid allegations of child sex abuse against his former defensive coordinator, has a treatable form of lung cancer, his son said Friday. The family learned of the diagnosis after Paterno’s follow-up visit last weekend for a bronchial illness, Scott Paterno said. “He is currently undergoing...

Amid America’s preoccupation with domestic politics, President Barack Obama is sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a mission to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The Christian Science Monitor reports: President Obama’s decision to send Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the southeast Asian country of Burma (Myanmar) next month reflects the US desire to encourage recent steps toward democratization by the Burmese regime. Mrs. Clinton’s visit – the first by a US secretary...

Randall Enos, Cagle Cartoons So much for New Hampshire being in former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney’s back yard and being a place he can count on to rack up a huge primary victory. He is now in a virtual tie there with one of his competitors – and it isn’t Herman Cain: The latest NH Journal poll of likely Republican primary voters conducted by Magellan Strategies shows Romney and Gingrich in a statistical dead heat for the January 10th primary. If the election were held today, Romney...

John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO seems to be less involved in a race for the 2012 Republican nomination than in a race to offer one of the most inept campaigns in recent memory. Forget the quick melt down of Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Cain’s damaging comments, his handling of the sexual harassment allegations in a way that suggests Mel Gibson was contracted to handle his damage control, and his decision to kiss off and p-off New Hampshire’s biggest...

David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star How often do Republicans running in New Hampshire seemingly go out of their way to offend the state’s big, famous Republican-editorial-position newspaper? And do it in way that is so transparently an attempt at image control that it hits the journalistic hot-buttons of the paper’s bigwigs? The Huffington Post reports that Herman Cain seems to be doing just that: UPDATE: The Cain campaign has now canceled its interview with the New Hampshire Union...

Sigh…

Here’s an interview CNN did with alleged victim #1 in the Penn State child sexual abuse scandal involving allegations that Jerry Sandusky raped children did with Anderson Cooper:

Read this story and just think about the assumptions behind the statement made by a Texas college Republican leader: Hours after Pennsylvania State Police arrested a 21-year-old Idaho man for allegedly firing a semi-automatic rifle at the White House, the top student official for the College Republicans at the University of Texas tweeted that the idea of assassinating President Obama was “tempting.” At 2:29 p.m. ET, UT’s Lauren E. Pierce wrote: “Y’all as tempting as it may be, don’t shoot...

Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant With the news that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was (no surprise here) collecting nearly $2 million to essentially be a lobbyist for Freddie Mae and him starting to respond to it in a way that will likely attract more media coverage and more questions, if you had to place bets in Vegas on him getting the nomination, the odds would not be as great as they were two days ago. So this political Quote of the Day from Brent Budowsky seems more fitting than ever: For...

Is there another successful recall in Wisconsin’s future? If this AP story is any indication, it sounds that way. And — surprisingly — the shift seems to be coming from Republicans who want to see him get the boot: As jubilant opponents of Republican Gov. Scott Walker launched their effort to try to recall him from office, a new poll showed he has lost support among his Republican base and a majority of respondents favor recall. The Wisconsin Public Radio/St. Norbert College Survey...

I don’t often get to watch Jon Stewart, but last night as I sat in my hotel room here in Barboursvillle, West Virginia, I watched The Daily Show — and Stewart’s devastating take on Herman Cain’s brain freeze. Here it is: The Daily ShowGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook These kinds of segments hurt a candidate. Once they become the easy target of late night and not so late night comedians it means that there...

Poor Herman Cain. Rick Perry’s campaign is out to get him. A “troubled woman” is out to get him. The “Democrat machine” is out to get him. The liberal news media is out to get him (you know, that famously super liberal site called The Politico but if you never heard The Politico referred to that way before the sexual abuse allegations story then you are not alone). My pet cat Clawdette is already preparing a statement denying that she is out to get him just in case...

A new Gallup Poll documents how former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain’s steady decline is fueling former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s steady ascent as the new “anti-Romney.” Herman Cain’s Positive Intensity Score is 17, down from 29 immediately before news broke in late October about past sexual harassment allegations against him. Newt Gingrich, who has made a dramatic turnaround since the summer, saw his score improve further this week, and he now ties Cain...

CORBIN, Kentucky — It’s a birthplace of Americana. A shrine. A place where a game of chicken began. Corporate chicken. Literally. At 688 U.S. Highway 25 West you find Col. Harland Sanders’ Cafe and Museum — the world’s first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. Complete with restored original kitchen and the Colonel’s restored office. People eat in the cafe and ooh and ahh at its simple displays. It’s where Sanders perfected his famous recipe, which he took on the road and sold out of...

Our political Quote of the Day comes from Investor’s.com’s Andrew Malcolm, who says forget all the polls and hype:former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is going to wrap the 2012 Republican nomination up. Here’s his key quote: Although Romney’s poll standings have rarely exceeded 25% among Republicans, that’s actually not that bad in an eight-person contest. Since spring individual GOP challengers have come close to Romney or moved slightly ahead, like Herman Cain and...

There’s a new video that’s now surfacing on the cable shows and on various political websites — one that could be the final nail in the coffin of Herman Cain’s sagging campaign. It shows Cain having a Rick Perry like brain freeze when asked about Libya during an interview session with the editorial board at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. These extended interviews campaigns have with editorial boards used to be a bit more provincial, ending in Q&As run as long Sunday...

Several new polls show former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is soaring in his new emerging role as the new Anti-Romney as former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain sags amid sexual harassment allegations. In one poll Gingrich is the front-runner. Will Gingrich be “the flavor of the month”? Or will he become the FINAL Anti-Romney who can become central figure in the ongoing Republican political war between the populist/Tea Party branch and the businessman/Country Club Republicans...