Biden: World thought U.S. was “the problem” on Iran

Joe Biden spars with Mitt Romney campaign on Iran, Eric Cantor distance shimself from Lugar race, Mark Kirk updates us on his recovery and there are scattered reports of bad ballots in North Carolina.

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WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

* Before President Obama took office, Vice President Joe Biden told a group of rabbis today, “there was virtually no international pressure on Iran” over nuclear weapons. “We were the problem,” he said. “We were diplomatically isolated in the world.” A spokeswoman for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney called Biden’s remarks “wrong and completely inappropriate,” saying, “The problem is not America” but Iran’s leadership.

* House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R) distanced himself today from the Young Guns Action Fund, a group founded by his former aides. Asked about the likely defeat of Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) despite the group’s support, he said, “I have not gotten involved in that race” and YGAF is “an outside group I have no control over.”

* Romney took credit for the auto recovery, saying on a Cleveland television station Monday that “I’ll take a lot of credit for the fact that the industry’s come back.” Romney argued that Obama followed his lead on leading the industry through bankruptcy. Romney did push for bankruptcy, but not the loans that went with it.

* House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has hired Faiz Shakir, editor-in-chief of the website ThinkProgress, as her director of new media. ThinkProgress is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Shakir replaces Karina Newton, a longtime aide to Pelosi.

WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T MISS:

* There are scattered reports of voters in North Carolina receiving ballots with no option to vote on Amendment One, the gay marriage ban. Seventeen-year-olds who will be 18 before November’s general election can vote in North Carolina’s primaries but not on the constitutional amendment, which is why some ballots are missing that line.

* Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) is out with her first two ads, two positive spots highlighting her family and her work in the district. Capps will likely face former Lieutenant Gov. Abel Maldonado (R) in a district that became less Democratic after redistricting.

* Businessman John Brunner is out with a new ad in the Missouri GOP Senate primary. In “Numbers,” airing on TV and radio, Brunner declares, “The career politicians are crippling America. They will not cut spending, but I will.” He’s in a competitive primary to take on Sen. Claire McCaskill (D).

* Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) released a video today outlining his recovery from the stroke he suffered in January, including video of his time in a rehab hospital. “I’m walking again,” he said. “Leading to my hope to climb the 45 steps that my staff counted from the parking lot to the Senate front door to fight for the people of Illinois.”

* Voters are voting in Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin. We’ll have results from all the big races on The Fix tonight, so stay with us!

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