Top Items:
Jack Fowler / The Corner:
Praise for Liberal Fascism — Charles Murray declares: “'It is my argument that American liberalism is a totalitarian political religion,' Jonah Goldberg writes near the beginning of Liberal Fascism. My first reaction was that he is engaging in partisan hyperbole. That turned out to be wrong.
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James Wolcott / James Wolcott's Blog:
The Goldberg Variations — Jonah Goldberg's colleagues over at NRO's Corner continue the holiday spirit by passing on scraps of praise for his misshapen troll of a book, Liberal Fascism: From Jackboots to Joy Behar, to buck up his morale for the mockery and abuse waiting ahead.
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Hillary Edges Out Oprah as Most Admired Woman in '07 — PRINCETON, NJ — For the sixth year in a row, President George W. Bush is the most admired man and Sen. Hillary Clinton the most admired woman in Gallup's annual survey. But neither winner had a very decisive win this year …
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Michelle Malkin:
Would you, could you, vote McCain? — Here's some straight talk about John McCain from New Hampshire voters, via the Boston Globe. The voters' main concerns: He's a Ted Kennedy shamnesty supporter and he's too old: — The Manchester Union Leader attacks Romney as a Johnny-come-lately …
Discussion:
TownHall Blog, National Review, The Glittering Eye, Captain's Quarters, Riehl World View, Stop The ACLU and Hot Air
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Byron York / The Corner:
The Romney Anti-Endorsement — After the extraordinary beating it took from the Concord, N.H. Monitor - which a few days ago went out of its way to publish an anti-endorsement of Mitt Romney - the Romney campaign is sending around an email pointing out that the Monitor took some whacks at Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Discussion:
TownHall Blog
Miss Mannered / My Left Wing:
Goodbye, Cruel Jews — I did not come to this site to fight in the Jew Wars. — I came to join with MSOC, in her words, to rage against the lying of the right, against injustice and cruelty. Instead, I found injustice, cruelty and hate directed at me. — I left, then, earlier this year …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, The Jawa Report, Daily Kos, GINA COBB, Done With Mirrors, Neptunus Lex and Gateway Pundit
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Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Obama ups the ante in Iowa — MASON CITY, Iowa — One week before Iowans gather for the first-in-the-nation caucus, Sen. Barack Obama said Wednesday that his message of change has already been “vindicated." — Obama made the declaration at the outset of a critical final push in Iowa …
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Huckabee still gives paid speeches — Breaking with tradition for presidential candidates, Mike Huckabee is continuing to accept paid speaking engagements in the thick of his insurgent presidential campaign, although churches get a break from his usual fee of up to $25,000.
The Australian:
Tsunami aid ‘spent on politics’ — THREE years after Australians donated $400 million to rebuild Asian lives devastated by the 2004 tsunami, aid groups are under attack for spending much of the money on social and political engineering. — A survey by The Australian of the contributions …
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
At 60% of Total, Texas is Bucking Execution Trend — This year's death penalty bombshells — a de facto national moratorium, a state abolition and the smallest number of executions in more than a decade — have masked what may be the most significant and lasting development.
Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Edwards' Closing Argument: I'm The True Fighter For Middle Class — In a new internal memo to supporters, Edwards deputy campaign manager Jonathan Prince has laid out the campaign's closing argument in Iowa. — The closing slogan is, “America Rising: Fighting for the Middle Class,” …
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Favorite quotes of 2007 — One of the few things I dislike more than end-of-the-year “looking back” lists is the incessant chatter and worthless speculation over the upcoming primaries. But that chatter and speculation is inundating everything. Thus, I offer some of my favorite quotes of 2007:
Dan Collins / protein wisdom:
The Villainy of Non-Rape — Remember, intellectual sophistication and penetration is best indexed by the depth of perversity: … Here's hoping Columbia snap this one up. Cupid Stunt.
Michael McAuliff / NY Daily News:
Dem voters no longer fighting battle of Iraq — The successes of President Bush's troop surge in Iraq are quieting things down in another, unexpected place: the Democratic campaign trail in Iowa and New Hampshire. — When asked, voters in the early presidential states all say the war in Iraq is important to them.
Jill Zuckman / The Swamp:
Giuliani doctor: All tests normal — Manchester, N.H. - Not surprisingly, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's doctor says all is well with the Republican presidential candidate. — Last week, Giuliani was en route to New York when his plane turned around and returned to St. Louis.
Discussion:
The Politico