|   | Obama fences, parries at start of Midwestern tour 
  President Barack Obama's Midwestern tour is offering a mix of offense and defense that signals both his governing approach for the remainder of his term and the evolution of a campaign message for his re-election bid.
 
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 | First Read: Candidate Paul Ryan? 
 Ryan's spokesman acknowledges that the congressman â" who has taken criticism for his budget plan that would partially privatize Medicare â" has been encouraged to run. | 
 | NJ: Perry's vulnerabilities with the right 
  Analysis: Texas Gov. Rick Perry has taken the Republican presidential field by storm, but he carries a record  containing a few conservative blemishes that his leading rivals in the GOP field can seize upon.
 
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 | Obama traveling Midwest on new $1.1 million bus 
  President Barack Obama is traveling the Midwest on a new $1.1 million bus purchased by the Secret Service, an impenetrable-looking conveyance the size of a cross-country Greyhound, painted all in black, with dark tinted windows and flashing red and blue lights.
 
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