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What we're reading: Tuesday, December 4, 2012

"Vogue Editor Wintour Said to Be Possible Appointee as U.K. Envoy" by Hans Nichols, Bloomberg
US fashion editor Anna Wintour was a valuable fundraiser for President Obama and may become the new ambassador to the U.K. or France. (Photo: AFP-Getty Images)
US fashion editor Anna Wintour was a valuable fundraiser for President Obama and may become the new ambassador to the U.K. or France.

"Vogue Editor Wintour Said to Be Possible Appointee as U.K. Envoy" by Hans Nichols, Bloomberg

"President Barack Obama is considering nominating Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, as his next ambassador to either the U.K. or France as he looks to reward his biggest fundraisers with embassies never out of fashion, according to two people familiar with the matter."

"Democratic Group to Offer Tax Plan With Huge Payoff" by Jackie Calmes, The New York Times

"Democratic luminaries with ties to the Obama and Clinton administrations, including two former Treasury secretaries and two former White House chiefs of staff, on Tuesday will enter the tax debate with an overhaul plan that would raise an additional $1.8 trillion in the first decade."

"The Truly Grand Bargain" by David Brooks, The New York Times

"So Republicans have to realize that they are going to cave on tax rates. The only question is what they get in return. What they should demand is this: That the year 2013 will be spent putting together a pro-growth tax and entitlement reform package that will put this country on a sound financial footing through 2040. "

"Obama's Overreach" by Michael Gerson, The Washington Post

"If Obama really wants long-term fiscal stability that will reassure markets and encourage investment and growth, he needs the leverage of Republicans pushing for entitlement reform within budget negotiations. If he merely wants to fund unsustainable federal commitments for a few more years through higher taxes on the wealthy, he will try to steamroll Republicans on rates. So far, he seems to be taking the latter course."

"Falling Up With Susan Rice: Benghazi was not her first African fiasco" by Bret Stephens, The Wall Street Journal

"Long before Susan Rice became a household name thanks to her part in the Benghazi fiasco, she was building a career from the ruins of other African fiascoes. To some of these she merely contributed. Others were of her own making."

"Fox News chief’s failed attempt to enlist Petraeus as presidential candidate" by Bob Woodward, The Washington Post

"So in spring 2011, Ailes asked a Fox News analyst headed to Afghanistan to pass on his thoughts to Petraeus, who was then the commander of U.S. and coalition forces there. Petraeus, Ailes advised, should turn down an expected offer from President Obama to become CIA director and accept nothing less than the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top military post. If Obama did not offer the Joint Chiefs post, Petraeus should resign from the military and run for president, Ailes suggested."