GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich responded to news Sunday that sixteen Afghan civilians were allegedly killed by a U.S. soldier. Appearing on Face the Nation (CBS), Gingrich said if he were president, his first step would be to assure the Afghan people justice will be done, offering condolences and compensation. He said it also would be time to make major policy changes in Afghanistan, including immediate withdrawal. Read more »

GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Monday that the United State should help to “arm and supply” the Syrian rebels. “When the United States says, ‘This guy should go,’ then the expectation is that the United States will stand behind limited and reasonable efforts to do so,” he said in an interview with TIME. Read more »

GOP presidential candidates Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum will speak to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AP) as ten states (Tribune) hold their primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday. Gingrich, Romney, and Santorum will likely showcase their strong support for the country. According to a recent Gallup poll, 71 percent of voters view Israel favorably. The poll found a far less favorable view of Iran, at 10 percent, and the Palestinian Authority, at 19 percent. Read more »

In remarks to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington Sunday, President Obama, while calling for diplomacy, said that he would take “no options off the table” in preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, including a military contingency. “I firmly believe that an opportunity still remains for diplomacy–backed by pressure–to succeed,” Obama said, adding that a nuclear Iran is counter both Israel and the United States’ national security interests. “Iran’s leaders should understand that I do not have a policy of containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” Read more »

At a town hall in Ohio (Politico) Wednesday, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said that it was important to support dissident voices in Iran to try to prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but also called for more aggressive actions. “We have to put in place crippling sanctions. We also need to make sure that we have military options we are prepared to execute, and if we do those things, I think we have prospects of dissuading them,” he said. “At the same time, we have to be ready to take military action.” Read more »

More than nine in ten registered U.S. voters said that the economy was very or extremely important to their vote in the upcoming presidential election, with unemployment also a major concern for more than eight in ten voters, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. The federal budget deficit, the 2010 health care law, and terrorism and national security are also major considerations for voters, the poll found. Read more »

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul on Tuesday said he opposed cuts to health care benefits for veterans and active military and called on Congress and the other GOP presidential candidates to support legislation he co-sponsored that would prohibit the Defense Department from increasing TRICARE health program fees without congressional approval. Read more »

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney won the Michigan and Arizona primaries Tuesday (CNN), vowing in his victory speech to “restore America’s promise through more jobs, less debt, and smaller government.” A CNN exit poll shows that, in Michigan, the economy was the top issue for 55 percent of voters with the budget deficit ranking second at 24 percent. Similarly exit polling in Arizona showed that these issues are of major importance with 49 percent of voters polled picking the economy and 30 percent the deficit. Read more »

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed the day before the Michigan and Arizona primaries, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum outlined a “comprehensive pro-growth and pro-family” economic agenda that he said he would work with Congress to pass in the first 100 days of his administration. His plan calls for only two income tax rates of 10 percent and 28 percent, along with a corporate tax rate of 17.5 percent. He also said he would approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, cut spending by $5 trillion over five years, and submit five free trade agreements during his first year in office to increase exports. Read more »

The sluggish economy has sparked new debate about the role of U.S. education, such as whether liberal arts or specialized degrees (WashPost) create the best workforce. It also raises new questions about growing student debt (Slate), which the government said today had reached $867 billion (Bloomberg). Many experts say U.S. educational achievement remains tied to the country’s ability to compete globally, and some argue it affects the overall trajectory of economy. Read more »