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March 14, 2012 | | IS HE SERIOUS? In a scathing New York Times op-ed, Goldman Sachs executive Greg Smith announced that he was quitting his job after 12 years with the company—apparently just realizing now that the investment bank had lost its “spirit of humanity.” The Daily Beast’s Tunku Varadarajan asks, did Smith just wake up from a fairyland NEAR MISS A car bomb detonated on a southern Afghan air field on Wednesday just as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's plane touched down. An Afghan man allegedly breeched security and drove the stolen car onto the base, and then reportedly lit it just as Panetta arrived. The episode marks the beginning of a tense trip for the secretary, who must make amends with the Afghan government after an American soldier allegedly killed 16 Afghans. Panetta's trip, which is scheduled to last for two days, was unannounced but in the works for several months. Both Panetta and President Barack Obama have denounced the killings, but tensions remain high. Panetta will deliver a message to Afghan President Hamid Karzai that the U.S. will bring the soldier to justice. Matchup First he loses two big primaries and now this? President Obama is leading Mitt Romney nationally by 12 points, according to a new Pew poll. While 56 percent of voters polled see the president favorably, only 29 percent have the same view of Romney. Obama’s also reached a job approval rating of 50 percent, the first time Pew has registered that figure since May of last year. However, while Pew’s results give hope to the incumbent, CBS News, The New York Times, and ABC News and The Washington Post have released surveys recently that show Obama’s approval sinking with rising gas prices. Obamas + Camerons President Obama held a news conference with British P.M. David Cameron today, and by all accounts the two leaders are getting along just fine. The pair discussed Syria, where they both agreed that the Assad regime needs to end and humanitarian aid needs to be increased. On Iran, they were in lockstep again, with Cameron supporting Obama's notion that nothing is "off the table." And there were parting gifts, to boot. The Obamas gave the Camerons a custom-designed wood- and charcoal-burning grill, engraved with American and British friendship flags, and a pair of personalized chef jackets. The gift was meant to commemorate the cookout the Obamas and Camerons held in London for members of their respective countries’ militaries last year. HACKED Veteran British reporter Neville Thurlbeck was arrested on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the News of the World phone hacking scandal. He was arrested on charges of trying to intimidate a witness and encouraging or assisting an offense. The 51-year-old was taken into custody by officers working on Operation Weeting, the investigation that stemmed from revelations that phone hacking was rampant at the paper, which is now defunct. Thurlbeck, who was arrested in April 2011, made bail. His former colleague, Rebekah Brooks was also re-arrested along with four others. | | 
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