Obama Says U.S. "Had Gotten A Little Soft"
President Obama said Thursday the United States "had gotten a little soft" before he took office and needs to regain its competitive edge in the global economy because opportunities for younger Americans are not as plentiful as they were for their parents. “What country is this guy talking about?” a puzzled Karl Rove said, joining Sean on the NewsMaker Hotline. “This is the same country that picked itself up, dusted itself off in the 1980’s and won the cold war. This is the country that in the 1990’s engaged in a technology boom that lead the rest of the world. This is the same country that after 9/11 buried its dead and then went to war and is defeating al-Qaeda. What country is he talking about?” Rove said. “I don’t think this president is tough enough to handle the ups and downs of the presidency. I think he loves the perks of the job but not rolling up his sleeves and getting to work,” Sean added. You can listen to Sean’s entire radio interview with Karl Rove by clicking here.

Obama's Wall Street Donors Look Elsewhere
Sean mentioned an article by Nathaniel Popper from today’s Los Angeles Times which describes how many of Obama’s former donors on Wall Street are starting to look elsewhere with their money. The president's campaign struggled this week to sell out a fundraising dinner Friday at Manhattan's gilded Four Seasons restaurant despite its being hosted by Warren Buffett. Obama has made three campaign swings through Manhattan in the past few months, raising money from financial industry leaders on each visit. He wants the banking industry's support. The question is whether the bankers still want him. For more, please click here to read the article from the LA Times.

Perry, Romney Campaigns Clash on 'Hannity'
The campaigns of the two Republican frontrunners went head-to-head on "Hannity." For months it appeared that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was on the fast-track to the GOP nomination. And although he remains at the top of most of the national polls, the entrance of Texas Governor Rick Perry into the race has change the dynamic of the battle for the White House. Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney Senior Adviser, explained that fundamentally this race is going to be about Barack Obama and his failure to lead on the economy. Ray Sullivan, a Rick Perry Senior Adviser, countered saying that the campaigns are about jobs. “Rick Perry has been the leading job creator in the country, 40 percent of the new jobs since June of '09 were created in Texas,” Sullivan added. You can watch the entire battle between both campaigns by clicking here.