The Note's Must-Reads for Wednesday November 14, 2012

The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News' Carrie Halperin, Jayce Henderson and Amanda VanAllen

GENERAL PATRAEUS SCANDAL

USA Today's Kevin Johnson and Aamer Madhani: " Obama stands by Gen. Allen in widening scandal" Months ago, the FBI linked the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan to a widening scandal that resulted in CIA director David Petraeus' resignation last week, a federal law enforcement official said Tuesday. But the White House learned of Marine Gen. John Allen's involvement only last week, days before he was to appear before a Senate committee as President Obama's nominee to be the chief U.S. military commander in Europe. LINK

The Hill's Jordy Yager and Jeremy Herb: " Members call Petraeus to testify" Key lawmakers are demanding that ex-CIA Director David Petraeus return to Capitol Hill in the wake of his shocking resignation to testify about the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. Petraeus, who was due to testify this week, joined the administration in mid-September in its early but inaccurate description of the attack by terrorists as a spontaneous protest that spun out of control. LINK

The New York Daily News' Erik Ortiz: " Paula Broadwell holes up in brother's Washington, D.C., home as scandal widens" The ex-mistress at the center of the rapidly widening CIA scandal looked deflated - and ready to unwind with a drink. Photos of Paula Broadwell were taken by The Associated Press on Tuesday night - the first seen of her since David Petraeus' shocking admission of their affair became public Friday, leading to his resignation as director of the CIA. LINK

The Washington Times' Shaun Waterman and Kristina Wong: " Holder, Mueller were mum on Petraeus for weeks" Congressional leaders are calling on Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to explain why their agencies kept information about former CIA Director David H. Petraeus' extramarital affair from the White House, Congress and the U.S. intelligence community as the scandal expanded and ensnared the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. LINK

SUSAN RICE

The Los Angeles Times' Paul Richter: " GOP senators cool to idea of Susan Rice as secretary of State" Senate Republicans signaled stiffening resistance Tuesday to the Obama administration's possible nomination of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of State. GOP strategists said lawmakers would use such a nomination as an opening for an extended examination of how the administration handled the Sept. 11 militant attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS ADMINISTRATION

The Wall Street Journal's Janet Hook and Carol Lee: " Obama Sets Steep Tax Target" President Barack Obama will begin budget negotiations with congressional leaders Friday by calling for $1.6 trillion in additional tax revenue over the next decade, far more than Republicans are likely to accept and double the $800 billion discussed in talks with GOP leaders during the summer of 2011. Mr. Obama, in a meeting Tuesday with union leaders and other liberal activists, also pledged to hang tough in seeking tax increases on wealthy Americans. LINK

The Boston Globe's Bryan Bender: " Support, surprise greet report on John Kerry" By traditional measures, John F. Kerry, decorated veteran and a senator well regarded on the international stage, is more than qualified to be secretary of defense. Yet news reports that President Obama is considering Massachusetts' senior senator to oversee the armed forces sparked a range of reactions Tuesday, from full-throated support to bewilderment. Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has been instead considered a leading candidate to replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. LINK

Politico's Josh Gerstein: " Obama's foreign policy team hits turbulence" President Barack Obama and his aides touted his strengths on foreign policy and national security during the campaign, arguing his accomplishments are so significant that they buttress his case for a second term. Now, just days after his reelection, Obama's national security team is facing the most dramatic upheaval of his presidency. LINK

Bloomberg's Julianna Goldman: " Obama Aides Lobbied Executives on Debt Deal Before Vote" White House officials have quietly lobbied Wall Street and the business community over the last several months to support President Barack Obama's plan to impose higher taxes on the wealthy to cut the deficit and avert going over the fiscal cliff. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, Jeff Zients, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, as well as Chief of Staff Jack Lew and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling, were key administration officials dispatched before the election to meet with top business and finance leaders, according to people familiar with the meetings. LINK

The Washington Post's Zachary A. Goldfarb and Lori Montgomery: " Obama to open talks with $1.6 trillion plan to raise taxes on corporations, wealthy" President Obama is taking a hard line with congressional Republicans heading into negotiations over the year-end fiscal cliff, making no opening concessions and calling for far more in new taxes than Republicans have so far been willing to consider. Obama plans to open talks using his most recent budget proposal, which sought to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy by $1.6 trillion over the next decade, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday. LINK

PAUL RYAN

ABC News' John Parkinson: " Paul Ryan Exclusive: Obama Lacks Mandate to Raise Taxes" Despite a devastating loss last week, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan rejected Democratic claims of a mandate to raise tax rates on the wealthy. Asked whether President Obama has a mandate on taxes, Ryan told ABC News' senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl that the House Republican majority is proof that the president does not. LINK

The New York Times' Michael D. Shear and Jennifer Steinhauer: " Ryan Sees Urban Vote as Reason G.O.P. Lost" As Representative Paul D. Ryan casts about to find an explanation for the defeat of the Republican presidential ticket, on which he was Mitt Romney's running mate, he is looking to the nation's big cities for answers. "The surprise was some of the turnout, some of the turnout especially in urban areas, which gave President Obama the big margin to win this race," Mr. Ryan said in an interview with WISC-TV back home in Wisconsin on Monday before returning Tuesday to Capitol Hill for the start of the lame-duck session. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEO

" Secession Petitions Grow After Obama's Re-Election" LINK

BOOKMARKS

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/notes-must-reads-wednesday-november-14-2012-095440916--abc-news-politics.html

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