Traditionally thought of as a Republican stronghold that most past Democratic candidates haven't even bothered with, the Obama campaign is actively courting Arizonans for 2012. The campaign has opened offices in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff and recruited a Latino candidate for Senate. The state's booming Latino population, combined with the state legislature's crackdown on illegal immigration, has opened the possibility for a bluer Arizona.

President Obama begun a tour of the Pacific Rim with a stop in his home state of Hawaii over the weekend, where he met with leaders from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. There are 21 countries in APEC, and the president is using this opportunity to stress the importance of America's relationship with countries in Eastern Asian — most importantly, China. But while President Obama is shaking hands with Chinese President Hu Jintao, GOP candidates here at home having been calling China the bad guy.

In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement yesterday the Senate passed a small segment of President Obama's jobs package that aims to help unemployed veterans seeking jobs. Financial incentives of up to $5,600 will be offered to employers who hire veterans unemployed for longer than six months. The hope is that it will help the thousands of veterans unable to find employment. 

There were a number of big stories out of Washington late this week. On Thursday, the Obama administration announced that it would delay making a decision on construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline until after the 2012 elections. The pipeline, which would stretch 1,700 miles from Canada to the Gulf Coast, was opposed by environmental activists who said it threatened a major source of drinking water in Nebraska. Meanwhile, in Congress, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to help veterans find jobs and the "super committee" continues to debate a debt reduction plan.

In the age of slick PR machines, it is difficult to get a sense of a candidate's real personality or feelings on an issue. But with microphones all around them, private conversations and off the cuff remarks sometimes slip out. On Tuesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy was the most recent leader to land in hot water. The Takeaway looks at some of the biggest political gaffes made when the microphones were left on.

Election Day 2012 is officially one year away, and if one thing is certain, it is that Americans' disapproval of government is at an all-time high. A recent New York Times/CBS News poll found that 89 percent of Americans do not trust the government and 84 percent disapprove of Congress. The numbers are reason for alarm on both sides of the aisle. As he tries to secure a second term, President Obama must contend with a possibly lethal combination of high unemployment numbers and low approval ratings. The news is not much better for Republicans. Seven out of ten Americans believe the GOP's policies favor the rich.

President Obama's announcement that U.S. troops in Iraq will be home by the holidays hit home for thousands of soldiers and families across the country. After 8 years and 4,400 American deaths, the U.S. will completely pull out of Iraq by the end of the year, with the exception of a force remaining to guard some U.S. facilities in the country. The conflict in Iraq changed the definition of what it means to be a soldier in the U.S. military, and what it means to be a reservist. More reservists were used in combat and support roles in Iraq than ever before in history.

On Friday, President Obama announced that all U.S. troops will withdraw from Iraq by the end of the year. The U.S. had a long-standing agreement to withdraw its combat troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, but officials from both countries had discussed the possibility of maintaining a residual force of tens of thousands of troops to train Iraqis and fulfill other duties. Those plans fell through when Iraq refused to grant American troops legal immunity in Iraqi courts.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) declared President Obama's jobs bill dead on arrival on Monday. Cantor said the House would consider elements of the bill, but refused to consider the entire $447 billion package. Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, talks about the latest episode of political theater on Capitol Hill.

President Obama journeyed to Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, three years after he visited the city to accept his party’s nomination for the White House, and spoke at the 80,000-seat football stadium to excited supporters. This time, the president was in Denver to drum up support for his $450 billion jobs plan. Obama hopes Congress will pass the bill and create jobs for the millions of Americans out of work.

President Obama's approval ratings are at an all-time low. August's Gallup poll numbers showed that only 41 percent of American adults approve of the way Obama is currently handling his job. Some of the largest declines in approval come from African-American and Hispanic voters — groups that formerly voted for Obama. On Monday, The Takeaway discussed Obama’s increasing problem, which could stem from his positions on immigration reform with Gustavo Arellano, author of the syndicated column "Ask a Mexican."

On Monday's show, we talked about President Obama's declining poll numbers, especially among blacks and Latinos. We asked our listeners to rate the president's performance. Jake, from Detroit, wrote:

I still like President Obama but regret voting for him. He is the incorrect one to focus on, though — we need to shake off the offshore banking cartels and the ones with interest in the private Federal Reserve.

August's Gallup poll numbers showed that 41 percent of American adults approve of the way Obama is currently handling his job, an all-time low for the President. And some of the most significant declines in approval come from Latino voters — a group that was formerly solidly supportive of the President.

President Obama's approval ratings are at an all-time low. August's Gallup poll numbers showed that 41 percent of American adults approve of the way Obama is currently handling his job. Some of the largest declines in approval come from African-American voters — a group that formerly voted for Obama.

On Wednesday, President Obama made clear his opposition to the Palestinian National Authority's bid for statehood through the United Nations Security Council. "Ultimately it is the Israelis and the Palestinians, not us, who must reach agreement on issues that divide them," Obama said. Israel has criticized the Palestinian Authority's efforts as undermining the peace process, and the United States has been leading the pressure against the PA's application. Will Obama's remarks affect other countries' approaches to the bid? And what are the Palestinian Authority's chances at statehood anyway?

Faced with an uphill reelection battle and a disenfranchised base, President Obama indicated on Monday that he plans on taking a harder line against an anti-tax GOP. In a speech introducing his debt reduction plan yesterday, Obama vowed to veto any plan Congress sends him that does not raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations while cutting Medicare benefits. "I will not support any plan that puts all the burden for closing our deficit on ordinary Americans," Obama said. Obama's plan, which will reduce annual deficits up to $4 trillion over 10 years, has been assailed as "class warfare" by Republicans.

Before President Obama had even made his deficit speech, Congressman Paul Ryan spelled out his concerns over its impact. On Sunday, he accused Obama on Fox News of launching "class warfare" by introducing the so-called Buffett Rule. The president rebuffed the remarks saying "This is not class warfare. It's math." 

President Obama will announce a deficit reduction plan that will reduce government spending by $3 trillion through cutting entitlements, tax increases, and war savings. The plan is the White House's opening offer to the Congressional "super committee," which has until Dec. 23 to reach a deal on deficit reduction. GOP lawmakers have already labeled the proposed tax hikes "class warfare," particularly the so-called "Buffet Rule" — a minimum tax rate on those earning more than $1 million per year named for billionaire Warren Buffett.

House speaker John Boehner made his own speech about jobs yesterday, to the Economic Club of Washington. In his speech, Boehner said, "The president’s proposals are a poor substitute for the pro-growth policies that are needed to remove barriers to job creation in America ... the policies that are needed to put America back to work," and stressed the importance of the private sector in generating jobs.

A House subcommittee is accusing the Obama administration of aggressively pushing a loan for a now bankrupt solar company, Solyndra. Republicans say the White House rushed the bad loan in spite of repeated warnings about the company's viability. Solyndra  collapsed two weeks ago and is now under federal investigation, leaving taxpayers on the hook for more than $500 billion.