The Internal Revenue Service and Benghazi stories may be consuming Washington, but in the rest of America, not so much.

"The amount of attention Americans are paying to the IRS and the Benghazi situations is well below the average for news stories Gallup has tracked over the years," a new Gallup poll found.

Democrats are not paying much attention, nor are independents, said the survey released Friday--though Republicans are paying a lot of attention.

"Republicans are also much more likely than Democrats to strongly agree that both situations are serious enough to require investigation," according to a Gallup analaysis.

Here's reaction to the White House release of Benghazi emails from Brendan Buck, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio:

"The House interim report found that senior State Department officials requested the talking points be changed to avoid criticism for ignoring the threat environment in Benghazi’ and that those changes were ultimately made.

"Those findings are confirmed by the emails released today, and they contradict statements made by the White House that it and the State Department only changed one word in the talking points. The seemingly political nature of the State Department’s concerns raises questions about the motivations behind these changes and who at the State Department was seeking them.

"This release is long overdue and there are relevant documents the Administration has still refused to produce.  We hope, however, that this limited release of documents is a sign of more cooperation to come.”

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul found an appreciate crowd Saturday morning at the North Liberty, Iowa, Community Center, the last stop on his whirlwind Iowa tour.

Paul told fellow Republicans to be inclusive and look beyond primary victories. "You have to be able to present what we stand for in a way to appeal to people who haven’t heard that message," he said.

He noted that "If you’re an evangelist or a pastor you don’t go beating people over the head to get into your church...it’s the same way with a political party."

Paul, a first-term senator, concluded his trip to the state that traditionally holds the nation's first presidential caucus Saturday. Friday, he met with pastors, Republican women and the media, and spoke at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Cedar Rapids.

His 20 minute talk Saturday was wide ranging. One his biggest applause lines: "Not one penny more to countries that are burning our flag."

He segued into a critique of what he termed government waste. Look at the Commerce Department Paul advised. "You wouldn’t notice if you woke up tomorrow and it was gone," he said.

Paul also urged tax reform that cuts taxes, and spoke about his plan for a 17 percent corporate and income tax with few deductions.

If the nation adopted Reagan-era economic policies, he said, 12 to 13 million jobs could be created.

"It is not inherently unfair to pay the same rate. It would stimulate economy," Paul insisted.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is moving quickly on legislation that would provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people and "limited lethal and non-lethal weapons to vetted Syrian groups."

“The Assad regime has crossed a red line that forces us to consider all options,” Menendez said. “The greatest humanitarian crisis in the world is unfolding in and around Syria, and the U.S. must play a role in tipping the scales toward opposition groups and working to build a free Syria.”

He insisted "there will be no greater strategic setback to Iran than to have the Assad regime collapse, and cause a disruption to the terror pipeline between Tehran and Hezbollah in Lebanon."

Here's his office's summary of his bill, which the full committee plans to begin considering next Tuesday:

On the heels of President Obama's trip to the Middle East, the White House over the next few weeks will welcome leaders from the region -- all of whom -- Qatar, Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates -- have aided rebels fighting the regime in Syria.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney wouldn't say whether Obama was trying to coordinate assistance to the opposition by having the leaders in town.

"As you know, President Obama has very close relationships with these leaders, and he has a deep personal interest in the region as you saw during his recent trip," Carney said, adding that Obama would use the opportunities to "discuss the complex developments in the broader Middle East, so not just Syria, but including Syria."

Carney noted there were other issues on the table, including Obama's trip last month to Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories, as well as "broader developments in the Arab spring."

Amid criticism that the administration isn't moving aggressively to stem the crisis in Syria, the White House today announced $155 million in additional humanitarian assistance, with President Obama taping a video message -- with Arabic subtitles -- aimed at the Syrian people.

"The relief we send doesn't say 'Made in America,' but make no mistake—our aid reflects the commitment of the American people," Obama said in a statement. "American aid means food and clean water for millions of Syrians. American aid means medicine and treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients in Damascus, Dar'a and Homs. It means immunizations for 1 million Syrian children. American aid means winter supplies for more than half a million people in Aleppo, Homs and Dayr az Zawr. And we're working with allies and partners so that this aid reaches those in need."

The commitment brings the U.S. total humanitarian aid to Syria to $365 million—making it the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, Obama said. The United Nations has set a target of raising $1.5 billion over the next six months to help people inside Syria and some 700,000 who have fled the war to neighboring countries and North Africa, aid groups say.

Sen. James Inhofe, incoming top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, will oppose the nomination of former colleague Chuck Hagel as defense secretary.

"Chuck Hagel is a good person, and it was a pleasure to serve with him in the United States Senate.  I am so very appreciative of the sacrifices he and his brother made to serve this country during the Vietnam War," said Inhofe, R-Okla.

He met with Hagel Tuesday and said he told Hagel "we are simply too philosophically opposed on the issues for me to support his nomination."

Here's more from Inhofe's statement:

 “One of my biggest concerns is avoiding Obama’s sequestration that, as Secretary Panetta has said, would be devastating to our military.  However, Senator Hagel’s comments have not demonstrated that same level of concern about the pending defense cuts.

 “Senator Hagel has also been an outspoken supporter of nuclear disarmament and the Global Zero Movement.  At a time when North Korea is threatening our allies with their nuclear capabilities and Iran continues to pursue a nuclear weapon and the means to deliver it, the security of our own nation and that of our allies requires us to be vigilant with our own nuclear weapons and defense systems.  This administration has already put us in a more vulnerable position by drastically cutting our nuclear defense budget and eliminating our Third Site missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic.

 “On Iran and Israel, Senator Hagel’s record concerns me as well.  In 2000, he was one of just four senators who refused to sign a letter affirming U.S. solidarity with Israel.  In 2001 he was one of just two Senators who voted against extending the sanctions against Iran. A year later, he urged the Bush administration to support Iranian membership in the World Trade Organization.  Given the current tension in the Middle East that is largely being instigated by the Iranian regime, I am concerned with Senator Hagel’s views. 

 “Although we are opposed on issues, we are still friends.  This is one of those rare times when policy differences don’t stand in the way of personal relationships.”

Five Republican senators announced Monday they visited Afghanistan and Israel in recent days.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was accompanied by John Barrasso, R-Wyo.., and freshmen senators Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and  Deb Fischer, R-Neb..

They met with U.S. military personnel, military officials and political leaders to discuss political, economic and security issues affecting bilateral and regional relations.

According to a statement from McConnell's office: "In addition to visiting with troops from their respective states, the Senators met withIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Major General Larry Nicholson, and General John Allen, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force. The delegation returns to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday."

No further details were released.

Sixty-five percent of American Jewish voters back President Barack Obama, while 24 percent support Republican Mitt Romney, according to a new American Jewish Committee national survey. The think tank and advocacy organization also found about 10 percent undecided.

Romney has made a strong effort to attract Jewish voters, visiting Israel this summer and maintaining he'd be a strong ally of Israel than Obama.

But he hasn't picked up Jewish support. A March survey found 61 percent chose Obama and 28 percent for Romney.

The trend follows a historic pattern. In 2008, according to exit polls, Obama got more than three-fourths of the Jewish vote.

Among the new survey's findings:

Orthodox Jews support Romney over Obama by 54 to 40 percent. Conservative Jews are 64 to 23 percent for Obama. Reform Jews are 68 to 23 percent for Obama.

Among 18-29 year olds, 65 percent support Obama and 26 percent are for Romney. Those 30-44 years old are  57 to 24 percent for Obama; among 45-59 year olds, 65 to 27 percent for Obama; and among those 60-plus, 68 to 22 percent for Obama.

Obama has more support among Jewish women, 69 to 19 percent, than men, 61 to 29 percent, against Romney.

To read more: http://news.yahoo.com/ajc-national-survey-american-jewish-opinion-shows-obama-212400189.html

Mitt Romney's campaign continued to blast the Obama administration for its foreign policy Thursday, this time urging people to read a column by Liz Cheney calling the White House response to the Egypt and Libya crises "appalling."

"It has certainly been a terrible 48 hours," the conservative commentator, and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, wrote in the Wall Street Journal. "In Libya, violent extremists killed American diplomats. In Cairo, mobs breached the walls of the U.S. Embassy, ripped down the American flag and replaced it with the al Qaeda flag.

"In response to the attack in Cairo, diplomats there condemned not the attackers but those who 'hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.' The president appeared in the Rose Garden less than 24 hours later to condemn the Libya assault and failed even to mention the attack in Egypt. The message sent to radicals throughout the region: If you assault an American embassy but don't kill anyone, the U.S. president won't complain.

"Though the administration's performance in the crisis was appalling, it wasn't surprising—it is the logical outcome of three-and-a-half years of Obama foreign policy."

Cheney went on to argue the U.S. looks weak.