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Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon used some fancy footwork to ensure his veto of a tax cut stayed in place — even though it faced a supermajority of Republicans in the Missouri House and Senate

Nixon said he vetoed the tax cut because the $700 million price tag was "unaffordable." But he knew in doing so, he was up against a lion of a legislature, with a veto-proof majority in both chambers.

Lawmakers on Wednesday failed to override Nixon's veto.

Dan Ponder, a political scientist at Drury University, says the governor had a decidedly uphill battle.

"He was able to put together a coalition of educators and chambers of commerce, businesses, to be able to make the case that, Ok, if this tax cut were to go into effect, it could potentially devastate education, and therefore, the workforce," Ponder says.

That "coalition" included about 150 groups, ranging from teachers to first responders.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry ran ads in Missouri criticizing Missouri's governor, and urging businesses to relocate to the Lone Star State.

Joe Henchman of the non-profit Tax Foundation says about 20 states are wrangling with tax issues.

"The Missouri bill was a bit flawed," Henchman says. "A lot of the proposals, especially the ones that have been successful, have been broader tax reforms that reduced rates, but also closed carve-outs."

Governor Nixon's unlikely victory may influence the fight over taxes in other states.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made an unusual and direct appeal to the American people Wednesday night to reject President Obama's calls for possible use of force against Syria, using an op-ed in The New York Times to counter many of the arguments Obama made 24 hours earlier in a speech to the nation.

"The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria's borders," Putin warned. "A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilize the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance."

Countering Obama's historical references justifying possible "limited" U.S. strikes to damage Syrian President Bashar Assad's chemical weapons, Putin painted his own picture of an international community endangered by the use of U.S. military might.

"It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America's long-term interest? I doubt it," wrote Putin. "Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan 'you're either with us or against us.'"

In many respects, Putin seemed to echo the arguments from critics of Obama's call for military strikes, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Putin also seemed to be playing to the fears many Americans have expressed in polls that show an overwhelming opposition to a military strike on Syria.

In a prime time address to the nation Tuesday, Obama described the history of chemical weapons dating from World War I, and said a failure to act forcefully against Assad could be read by some world leaders as a sign that the international community would turn a blind eye to future use of such weapons.

But Obama also used the speech to announce that he had asked Congress to delay voting on his call for authorization for a military strike to give time for an 11th hour diplomatic solution to work. The deal, which would require Assad to turn chemical weapons over to an international body, has been brokered in party by the Russians.

Putin directly challenged Obama's claim that the use of sarin gas on Damascus suburbs, which killed more than 1,400 civilians on Aug. 21, came directly and inarguably from Assad's forces. Wrote Putin:

"No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored."

China's premier Li Keqiang has pledged to treat foreign multinational companies on a par with the country's own state-owned enterprises, but warned that an economic rebound remained fragile.

Li, speaking at a business forum in the northeastern city of Dalian on Wednesday, cautioned that the global economic outlook was a "complex situation" and outlined a series of steps designed to keep the country on a moderate but sustainable growth path.

"China will continue to encourage foreign companies to invest and do business in China, and ensure that all companies have equal access ... and equal treatment," he said.

Li acknowledged that China is at "a critical stage of restructuring and updating its economy" and that it can only sustain growth by transforming its model, including a move toward converting the currency, the yuan.

China's phenomenal growth rates have flattened, partly as a function of a dampening globally, but partly because, as we reported last month, China is at a stage of economic growth that every fast-growing country eventually reaches.

As The Wall Street Journal notes, China "is in the midst of putting together a reform plan that's aimed at avoiding what happened to countries like Brazil and Mexico – one-time growth champions whose economies slowed before they made it to the ranks of wealthy nations."

Li, who took office this year, has been pushing for getting away from a credit, investment and export driven economy and moving toward one fueled more by domestic consumption.

In Dalian, he said slower growth rates were an acceptable price to pay in order to achieve reform.

Li said Beijing was on target for the 7.5 percent growth it aimed for this year, which is substantially slower than the 10 percent annual growth rates it has posted in the past.

The deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, which took place a year ago Wednesday, symbolized the violence, chaos and struggles that have defined Libya since the ousting of dictator Moammar Gadhafi two years ago.

The country is split along regional and tribal lines. The government of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, who is considered a liberal, has little control over either security or the various militia groups that are often better armed than police. The economy has stalled as oil production plummeted recently, and is now at about 10 percent of capacity. As Reuters notes, "many Libyans feel little has changed since the 2011 war that toppled" Gadhafi.

Here's a look at where things in Libya stand today:

Politics

Zeidan's government appears to be on the verge of collapse. Critics say he has failed to rein in militias and Islamist groups, or to end a strike by workers and guards at oil facilities that has crippled the economy of North Africa's top largest oil producer.

This week, Mohammed Sawan, the head of the political arm of the Libya's Muslim Brotherhood, said Zeidan, who was elected last October, hadn't done enough to tackle corruption or the militias. He said he was considering withdrawing five ministers of his Justice and Construction Party, from the Cabinet. Libya has a broad-based consensus government that includes liberals and Islamists.

"We have waited months for Zeidan's government," Sawan told Reuters. "Had we believed there was a chance for success of even 10 percent, we would... (wait). The problem is that for Zeidan to stay in power will only worsen this failure."

He said there was growing support for a no-confidence motion against the Zeidan government in the 200-member National Assembly.

He isn't alone in his criticism. Libya's top cleric called on Zeidan's government last week to be sacked for incompetence.

Security

Security is still fragile. A car bomb went off Wednesday near the Foreign Ministry building in Benghazi. There have been drive-by shootings, bombings and kidnappings. The Washington Post reports:

"Even minor disputes escalate into frequent gun violence on the streets. Kidnappings and armed robberies are increasing, and government officials and others have been assassinated with guns and bombs. Militants and arms smugglers easily cross poorly protected borders shared with Niger and Chad.

"The murky security situation is threatening stability in a desert nation with North Africa's largest oil reserves. And it is causing new jitters in a region already on edge over rising violence in neighboring Egypt and the looming prospect of U.S. military strikes in Syria.

"As the postwar government struggles to rebuild after 42 years of dictatorship, it has left security primarily in the hands of hundreds of private militias, which are far larger and better armed than the country's poorly trained and equipped police and army.

"The militias, most of which were formed to oust Gaddafi in the 2011 revolution, range from ragtag outfits of a couple of dozen men to organized forces of thousands of fighters."