44 days to cliff; 64 days to inauguration -- PETRAEUS HIRES ROBERT BARNETT -- Obama says next 36 to 48 hours critical in Gaza crisis -- Rory Cooper baby -- Latoff-Holmes wedding

EXCLUSIVE: Gen. David Petraeus has retained superlawyer Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly for advice on post-governmental issues, and to assist him in planning his future. No book is planned. The two had met and talked a little over the years. Petraeus is facing probes by Capitol Hill, the Justice Department and the CIA, and now has Barnett?s 250-member firm on his side.

CARTOON OF THE WEEK (and maybe the cycle): The New Yorker shows four distressed-looking white guys, with the Capitol dome outside the office window. The dude behind the desk presses his intercom: ?Ms. Davis, get us some binders full of Latinos.? http://nyr.kr/UzLVDm

BREAKING ? ?Obama hopes for no 'ramping up' of Gaza crisis? ? AFP/Bangkok, Thailand: ?President Obama Sunday said it was ?preferable? for the Gaza crisis to be ended without a ?ramping up? of Israeli military activity, but squarely blamed militants for causing the showdown. ?Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory,? Obama said, adding, ?if that can be accomplished without a ramping up of military activity in Gaza, that is preferable. ... That is not just preferable for the people of Gaza, it is also preferable for Israelis because if Israeli troops are in Gaza, they are much more at risk of incurring fatalities or being wounded.?

?Obama spoke ... after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was ready to ?significantly expand? its operation against militants in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, sparking fears of a new Israeli invasion. The US president said the ?precipitating event? of the Gaza crisis was a string of extremist rocket attacks on Israeli territory, which he said no nation in the world would tolerate He also backed the Jewish state's right of self defence, on a day in which the crisis deepened, with two rockets shot down over Tel Aviv and the death toll from retaliatory strikes by Israel hit around 50 people.?

--Reuters: ?Obama says will know in next 36 to 48 hours whether progress can be made in halting Gaza crisis.?

--?Israel, Gaza fighting rages on as Egypt seeks truce? ? Reuters, from Gaza and Jerusalem: ?Israel bombed Palestinian militant targets in the Gaza Strip from air and sea for a fifth straight day on Sunday, preparing for a possible ground invasion while also spelling out its conditions for a truce. Palestinians launched dozens of rockets into Israel and targeted its commercial capital, Tel Aviv, for a fourth day. The ?Iron Dome? missile shield shot down two of the rockets fired toward Israel's biggest city but falling debris from the interception hit a car, which caught fire. Its driver was not hurt. In scenes recalling Israel's 2008-2009 winter invasion of the Gaza Strip, tanks, artillery and infantry massed in field encampments along the sandy border. Military convoys moved on roads in the area newly closed to civilian traffic.?

LEADER PELOSI, to Martha Raddatz on ABC?s ?This Week,? on the possibility of a cliff compromise that would leave rates the same but cap deductions for high-income earners: ?No. ... [T]he president made it very clear in his campaign that ... there are not enough resources. What you just described is a formula and a blueprint for hampering our future. ... [Y]ou have to cut some investments. If you cut too many, you're hampering growth, you're hampering education ... So just to close loopholes is far too little money ... If it's going to bring in revenue, the president has been very clear that the higher income people have to pay their fair share.?

Pelosi, on going over the cliff: ?[W]ith a seat at the table, I don't think it's my role to go to the table with a threat. I think it's my role to go to the table with some ideas, to be receptive to what we can come to agreement on. I'm not criticizing statements others make, but what I am saying is that there's too much at risk. And even if you went over the cliff for one month and then corrected it, you would still have a loss of GDP.?

CLIFF NOTES ? ?TO: Interested Parties ... FROM: White House Communications ... Re: Week in Review: Pushing to Extend the Middle Class Tax Cuts and Find a Balanced Approach to Reduce the Deficit: This week, the President met with groups from inside and outside Washington to discuss his efforts to extend tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and work with Congress to find a balanced approach to reduce the deficit and move our economy forward. On Tuesday, the President met with leaders from labor and progressive groups, and on Wednesday the President met with leaders from the business community.

?On Friday, the President had a constructive meeting with Congressional Leaders ... Both sides pledged to work together in the coming weeks and act as soon as possible. Later in the day Friday he met with civic groups. On Election Day, the American people spoke about the need for their leaders to find a balanced approach to reduce the deficit ? one that means asking the wealthiest to pay more in taxes and protecting tax cuts for millions of middle class Americans.?

PARAGRAPH OF THE WEEK ? Peggy Noonan column in yesterday?s Wall Street Journal: ?Thank goodness ... for Mitt Romney, who in a conference call with donors said he got beat and beat bad, that his campaign was lacking, that his gut on the big issues was probably off, that he shouldn't have allowed his campaign to become (in the grandiose, faux-macho lingo of campaign consultants ... ) an air war and not a ground war, and that they were smoked in get-out-the-vote. He added, with an eye to concerns larger than his own, that he wanted to help the party analyze and define what didn't work in 2012 so it would be stronger in 2016. Sorry. Kidding! He didn't say that.? http://on.wsj.com/Q2RtcP

HEADLINE O? THE WEEK: WashPost A1 yesterday, ?It turns out Twinkies don?t last forever?

**A message from The Campaign to Fix The Debt: Join The Campaign to Fix The Debt in urging Congress and the White House to leave partisanship at the door and come together to find a fiscally responsible solution to the Fiscal Cliff and our nation?s rising debt. Sign the petition at www.fixthedebt.org. **

2016 WATCH ? Rubio hits Iowa, plans ?upward mobility? policy package for poor people:

--?Marco Rubio takes message to Iowa,? by Lois Romano in Altoona: ?Thirty-eight months before the next presidential vote is cast, Marco Rubio on Saturday night became the first of the potential 2016 contestants to swoop in to this first caucus state and test the GOP?s new rallying cry to broaden its appeal. Seven hundred people turned out to see the Florida senator at the annual birthday fundraiser bash for GOP Gov. Terry Branstad. Rubio had the spotlight all to himself ... Taking a page out of the Democrats? playbook on Saturday, the Florida senator wove his personal story into direct appeal to the middle class. ?Our workers are not making as much as they made in the same jobs 25 years ago,? he said. ?My father was a bartender. My mother was a maid at hotel.? ... To jump-start the country, he spoke of lower taxes, fewer government regulations on businesses, job training and a stronger nuclear family.

?Without acknowledging Rubio is laying the groundwork for a 2016 run, his advisers say the charismatic senator wants to craft a message to Latinos and the middle-class demonstrating that the Republican Party represents their conservative values of family, faith and the American dream. Before he spoke, Rubio told reporters that he has been circulating drafts of his own immigration reform bill to his congressional colleagues ... ?People understand that we need to do something to address these issues, and we need to do it in a reasonable and responsible way? ... [I]n a clear swipe at President Obama?s commitment to raise taxes on the nation?s wealthiest, he said: ?The way[s] to turn our economy around is not by making rich people poorer, but make poor people richer.?? http://politi.co/Wlpk3x

--?Rubio makes first postelection trip to Iowa,? by AP?s Phi Elliott in Altoona: ?[H]is birthday wishes for Branstad were more like a roadmap for his party looking for a new direction and an argument for a Rubio presidential campaign. Lower taxes to spur economic growth. A compassionate immigration overhaul to help those who want to become Americans. Reduced regulation to let small businesses grow. Stronger families to give children more stability ... In a 24-minute, campaign-style pitch, ... Rubio ticked through conservative goals while urging his party not to lose hope in the wake of Mitt Romney's loss on Election Day. He said the results should not be taken as a rejection of Republicans' views.? http://bit.ly/S34BOP

--Des Moines Register?s Jennifer Jacobs: ?Rubio ... was the featured guest at Gov. Terry Branstad's birthday celebration Saturday at Adventureland's Palace Theater in Altoona. ... Rubio told Iowa conservatives ...? that he knows there?s ?a lot of frustration about the outcome of the election? but that Republicans need to do a better job of convincing fellow Americans that ?limited government is the best way forward.?? Video http://dmreg.co/QmCR9F

--Tampa Bay Times 1A, ?Sen. Marco Rubio keeps eye on Hispanic vote, 2016 election,? by Alex Leary in Washington: ?Being on the losing team never felt so good.? ... ?It's obvious to one and all that the Republican Party cannot put together a winning coalition by getting a larger and larger share of a smaller and smaller number of white voters,? said Rubio's pollster Whit Ayres. ?We need to reach out aggressively to nonwhite voters, and Marco Rubio will be a key voice.? ... Rubio was one of Romney's top surrogates, soaking up exposure in key states including Ohio, Colorado and Nevada. He did 60 events and so many interviews his staff lost count, more than 30 alone on the day of the first presidential debate in Denver. ... After adopting some of the harder-line positions [on immigration reform] in his 2010 Senate run, he began work earlier this year on an alternative to the Dream Act. Instead of creating a pathway to citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, Rubio wanted to grant them legal status. Time dragged on and Rubio never produced his plan. He said he wanted to get it right but the proposal, which he says is still under development, was also under attack from conservatives ... Obama stepped in with a directive that gave young undocumented residents protection against deportation. ...

?A spokesman, Alex Conant, said Rubio prefers a ?sequential? approach but would not prejudge broader efforts. Some advisers worry Rubio will be typecast by immigration. ?Marco really needs to be outspoken on the issue because of the credibility he has, but he can't own the issue,? said Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union. ?He should continue to be a generalist.? ... Rubio seems to be trying to construct the perfect, well-rounded candidate, an anti-tax Republican with crossover appeal. He's been critical of Obama on foreign policy, fiscal issues and health care, but also joined forces with Democrats on a series of lower-end business measures and pursued niche issues such as human trafficking. As early as next month, he will push a package of policies focused on ?upward mobility? of poor people. ... While fellow foreign policy hawk Sen. John McCain railed last week against comments U.N. Secretary Susan Rice gave after the attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya, Rubio ... said he would not automatically block her possible nomination to head the State Department.? http://bit.ly/QQpKNY

SPORTS BLINK ? COLLEGE FOOTBALL ? AP?s Top 25 Roundup: ?Notre Dame stays unbeaten, then get more good news?: ?No. 3 Notre Dame stayed undefeated with an uncharacteristically easy victory at home and then had the rest of the night to watch as the teams in front of it in the national championship race lost. The Fighting Irish hammered Wake Forest 38-0 on senior day in South Bend, Ind., on Saturday. Then things got really good for the Irish - and Alabama, Georgia, Florida and maybe even Florida State. No. 1 Oregon, second in the BCS standings, lost 17-14 at home in overtime to Stanford. Down in Texas, Baylor blasted No. 2 Kansas State, which was first in the BCS standings, 52-24 in Waco. On Sunday, Notre Dame likely will be the No. 1 team in the nation. And Alabama, which lost last week to Texas A&M and shut out FCS doormat Western Carolina on Saturday, could very well be No. 2.?

--L.A. Times A1, photo refer, ?Bruins top the Trojans, 38-28: UCLA players congratulate Coach Jim Mora ... after ending a string of five losses to USC.?

WELCOME TO THE WORLD ? Rory Cooper, Leader Cantor?s communications director, emails: ?Friends and Family, please join us in welcoming Cecilia Grace Cooper to our family. She was born ... Saturday ... at 11:44 PM. Cece, her Mom and the rest of the family are healthy, happy and blessed, and Lilly is really excited to be a big sister. ... She was 8 lbs 4 oz and 20.5 inches. Love, Rory & Emily.?

RUNNING IN THE PHILADELPHIA MARATHON TODAY: Nick Butterfield, Brian Danza and Tommy Rueckert. Also making the trek: Ben Butterfield and Mike Haidet.

PHILLY WEDDING ? ?Blair Latoff and Josh Holmes? ? N.Y. Times: ?Blair Elizabeth Wade Latoff and James Sherman Holmes II were married Saturday at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. The Rev. Joseph P. McFadden, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Pa., performed the ceremony.? Mrs. Holmes, 30, is the senior director of communications at the United States Chamber of Commerce in Washington. She graduated from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va.? She is the daughter of William S. Latoff of West Chester, Pa., and the late Debra W. Latoff. She is the stepdaughter of Mary Latoff.? Mr. Holmes, 33, is known as Josh. He is the chief of staff to the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, in Washington. He graduated from Arizona State University.? He is a son of Katherine M. Holmes and James S. Holmes of Bonita Springs, Fla.? http://nyti.ms/Xo39Lt

-- Leader McConnell and his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, attended the ceremony. When the Leader?s detail was SPOTTED rolling from Capitol Hill to Philly, we got a text: ?You know you?re a big deal when you have a detail at your wedding.?

--Maid of Honor: Colby Stackhouse. Best Man: Hans Zinn. Groomsmen included Alex Conant, Kevin McLaughlin and Mike Buttry. Ushers included Jeff Holmes and Aaron McLear.

--ALSO SPOTTED: John and Kate Ashbrook, T.J. and Sally-Shannon Birkel, Ron and Sara Bonjean, Tucker and Alexia Bounds, Brian Callanan, Neil and Rebecca Chatterjee, Danny and Jackie Diaz, Aaron Dowd, Caitlin Dunn, Rich Edson, Antonia Ferrier, Chris Gindlesperger, Amanda Henneberg, Rob and Kendall Jesmer, Randy Johnson, birthday boy Brian and Emily Jones, Paul Kane, Steven and Elizabeth Law, birthday boy Paul Lindsay, Brian and Ashley McGuire, Sarah McLaughlin, Amelia McLear, Ken Mehlman, Joe Pounder, Blain Rethmeier, Kyle Simmons, Nick Simpson, Jordan Stark, Michael and Mary Kathryn Steel, Jahan Wilcox and many more.

BIRTHDAYS: former Rep. Ellen Tauscher, celebrating with the girls at lunch at The Jefferson with Sen. Feinstein, Elizabeth Bagley, Kelley McCormick and Hilary Rosen ... Matt Wuerker, POLITICO?s Pulitzer-winning editorial cartoonist, and newly elected president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists ... Das Rios .. HuffPo's Andrea Stone (hat tip: Patrick Gavin) ... Brian Forest, wunderkind of Senator Kyl?s office, is 28 (h/t Craig Brownstein) ... Brenda Vaccaro is 73 ... Margaret Atwood is 73 ... Linda Evans is 70 ... Warren Moon is 56 ... Owen Wilson is 44 (h/ts AP)

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Byron Koay, RNC Deputy Research Director (hat tip: Sean Spicer)

**A message from The Campaign to Fix The Debt: Our national debt is getting in the way of America investing in and excelling at many of the things that make us great. That?s why The Campaign to Fix The Debt is urging Congress and the White House to leave partisanship at the door and come together to find a fiscally responsible solution to avoid both the year-end Fiscal Cliff and our nation?s ever-rising debt. Sign the Citizens' Petition to Fix the Debt and demand a common sense solution to prevent disaster and renew America's economic strength. Visit www.fixthedebt.org. **

Source: http://feeds.politico.com/click.phdo?i=df07ffbd5c276bbfea08799d27a135c2

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