The Note's Must-Reads for Monday, August 6, 2012

The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News' Jayce Henderson, Amanda VanAllen, and Carrie Halperin

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: The Washington Times' Dave Boyer: " Biden diversifying his 2012 campaign portfolio" Once considered primarily the Obama campaign's designated attack dog, Vice President Joseph R. Biden has adopted a role that is lower in profile but more versatile on the stump in this election season. Mr. Biden still enjoys taking shots at presumed Republican nominee Mitt Romney, but the vice president has been just as likely in recent months to accept less headline-grabbing campaign assignments, such as holding fundraisers in Utah or courting seniors over ice cream in Iowa. LINK

GOP CONVENTION: ABC News' Joel Roberts: " First GOP convention speakers announced" Sen. John McCain, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are among the first speakers named for this month's Republican National Convention in Tampa. The list, which was first reported by the Tampa Bay Times and later confirmed by the Associated Press, also includes four current GOP governors: Florida's Rick Scott, South Carolina's Nikki Haley, Ohio's John Kasich and New Mexico's Susana Martinez. LINK

MITT ROMNEY: ABC News' Rick Klein: "' World News' Political Insights: Mitt Romney Looks for August Reset" The nation has met Barack Obama's Mitt Romney. If it's going to meet Romney's version of himself, it will happen this month, or not at all. It was supposed to start last month, with picked-up ad spending and a foreign trip built around a choreographed Olympic moment. LINK

USA Today's Aamer Madhani: " Harry Reid's accusation fans flames over Romney's taxes" The Mitt Romney camp raged Sunday over Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's incendiary - and unsubstantiated - accusation that the presumed Republican presidential nominee may not have paid taxes for the past decade. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus went so far as to call Reid a "dirty liar" in an interview on ABC's This Week, and GOP lawmakers - including Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham- said Reid and the Obama campaign were attempting to distract voters' attention from the economy. LINK

The Wall Street Journal's Sara Murray: " Romney Puts Possible Picks to Work" Mitt Romney is using speculation about his vice-presidential pick to build a fundraising advantage-which in turn is whipping up the guessing game. The campaign has dispatched several possible short-listers to events around the country that are designed to raise money and perhaps serve as a final audition for potential partners on the ticket. LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Robin Abcarian: " Romneys, caught in housing bust, got tax cut in La Jolla" Mitt and Ann Romney were easily able to afford a $12-million La Jolla home. But that didn't insulate them from the winds buffeting the real estate market in the months following their purchase in 2008. After paying cash for the Mediterranean-style house with 61 feet of beach frontage, they asked San Diego County for dramatic property tax relief. LINK

OTHER: Politico's Juana Summers: " Tax hike question still dogs Tim Pawlenty" If Tim Pawlenty joins Mitt Romney on the GOP ticket he'll bring one big piece of baggage that gives conservatives heartburn. When he was governor of Minnesota, Pawlenty backed a "health impact fee" - 75 cents per pack on cigarettes. It caused the biggest clash of his governorship, shutting down the state government. Pawlenty never called it a tax increase, but his critics certainly did. LINK

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/notes-must-reads-monday-august-6-2012-070327193--abc-news-politics.html

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