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December 04, 2011 | | TRAIN WRECK Forget the women. In the end, it was Herman Cain's vanity that killed his campaign, and there’s a lesson in his collapse for all the candidates. In this week's Newsweek, Michael Tomasky dissects the astonishing narcissism the inexperienced candidate oozed throughout his campaign, how the same swagger could bring down his former rivals—and why Obama is surely getting the last laugh. Plus, did Cain really quote the Pokémon movie in his concession speech? WARNING Iran's Foreign Ministry warned Sunday that the price of oil would more than double if the West considers banning the country's exports as part of escalating sanctions against the regime. "As soon as such an issue is raised seriously, the oil price would soar to above $250 a barrel," spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said. Iran is facing the threat of further sanctions over its nuclear program after the United Nations issued a report containing evidence that a bomb was being sought. PLEASE After the Senate punted his bill to cut the payroll tax last week, President Obama is asking the public for help to push through the measures. "Let your members of Congress know where you stand," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio address. Obama directed listeners to the White House website to see for themselves how much money they would save from the extension of the payroll- tax holiday. According to the online calculator, a family making $50,000 a year would pay $1,000 more in taxes if the bill is not passed by the end of the year. WORRISOME Russians voted in parliamentary elections Sunday, but websites that alleged poll violations were shut down by hackers. The Western-financed watchdog group Golos and two liberal media outlets were hacked, and Golos said it was barred from several polling stations in Siberia. The U.S. said it was concerned by "a pattern of harassment" against Golos. The elections are seen as a test for Vladimir Putin, who's set to return to power as president next year. A strong showing for his United Russia party would show that Putin is still the most popular politician in the country. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION The Obama administration issued new guidelines Friday to promote racial diversity on college campuses, replacing a Bush-era interpretation of a Supreme Court decision that warned against considering race in admissions. The new suggestions encourage schools to consider things that are often proxies for ethnicity, such as socioeconomic data, domestic instability, or even the racial composition of students' high schools. “Post-secondary institutions can voluntarily consider race to further the compelling interest of achieving diversity." | | 
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