Top Items:
New York Times:
Clintons Move to Tamp Down Criticism From Blacks About Recent Comments — WASHINGTON — The Clinton campaign moved Friday to try to quell a potentially damaging reaction to recent comments by Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton that have drawn criticism from African-Americans …
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Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Edwards Will Face a Moment of Truth After South Carolina Primary — John Edwards is the forgotten man in the race for the Democratic nomination, but he's not an inconsequential candidate. — Edwards, the angry populist of Iowa who may become a Southern-fried Democrat as the South Carolina primary unfolds …
Sam Roberts / New York Times:
Obama Giving Clinton a Race in Her Backyard — With Senator Barack Obama vowing to challenge Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on her home turf, the Democratic presidential primary in New York on Feb. 5 is shaping up as the state's most competitive since 1992, when Bill Clinton took up a rival's mantra …
Kathleen Hennessey / Associated Press:
Obama vows to help struggling homeowners — LAS VEGAS - Barack Obama, his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination bolstered by endorsements, told a cheering union hall on Friday that he would provide relief for homeowners struggling to make mortgage payments and deliver tax cuts to the middle-class.
The Caucus:
Bill Clinton Tries to Tamp Down ‘Fairy-Tale’ Remark About Obama — The Clinton campaign moved Friday to try to quell a potentially damaging backlash over recent comments by Bill and Hillary Clinton that have drawn criticism from African-Americans just as the presidential primary campaign …
CNN:
SC's Republican governor praises Obama candidacy — (CNN) - The Republican governor of South Carolina wrote an op-ed in the state's largest paper Friday in which he spoke admiringly of Democratic candidate Barack Obama's candidacy, and urged voters to think about the significance …
Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
De-Baathification Reform Law Passes In Iraqi Parliament — Note: I'm leaving this post on top for the morning; newer posts are below. — Those who claim that the surge strategy in Iraq has paid no dividends because it hasn't met Congressional benchmarks may wish to skip to the next post.
Discussion:
Redstate
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Qassim Abdul-Zahra / Associated Press:
Iraq to reinstate Saddam party followers — BAGHDAD - Iraq's parliament adopted legislation Saturday on the reinstatement of thousands of former supporters of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to government jobs, a key benchmark sought by the United States as a step toward easing sectarian tensions.
Discussion:
QandO
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal:
Drop in violence levels only first step in Iraq — Re: The Commentary page column “Top Story of 2007: The surge, the military, and the news media” by syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin (A-J, Dec. 30). — Bush's Asian-babe PR shill does it again, extolling the glories of the “surge.”
Navy Times:
‘Filipino Monkey’ may be behind radio threats, ship drivers say — The threatening radio transmission heard at the end of a video showing harassing maneuvers by Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz may have come from a locally famous heckler known among ship drivers as the “Filipino Monkey.”
Discussion:
New York Times, SWJ Blog, American Street, Emptywheel, CANNONFIRE, Slate, Middle Earth Journal and michellemalkin.com
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New York Times:
Bush and Congress Seen Pushing for Stimulus Plan — WASHINGTON — The Bush administration and Congressional leaders, increasingly concerned about a possible recession, are moving closer to agreeing that an economic stimulus package is needed soon, Washington officials said Friday.
Daniel Gross / Newsweek:
Mitt vs. Michigan — Will the state reject a native son? — Many of the same pundits who predicted Mitt Romney would be a natural front runner in New Hampshire have predicted that he would be a natural front runner in the Michigan primary on Tuesday. After all, Mitt grew up in the state …
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Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Baghdad Embassy Is Called A Fire Risk — ‘Serious’ Problems Were Ignored, Says State Dept. Official — The firefighting system in the massive $736 million embassy complex in Baghdad has potential safety problems that top U.S. officials dismissed in their rush to declare construction largely completed …
Discussion:
Prairie Weather
Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:
Clinton Aide: Obama Is For People Who Want “Imaginary Hip Black Friend” — An anonymous Clinton adviser made an interesting comment to The Guardian, explaining the difference between Hillary supporters and Obama supporters. — “If you have a social need, you're with Hillary,” the aide said.
Discussion:
Atlas Shrugs, Oliver Willis, Spin Cycle, Rox Populi, The Strata-Sphere, Guardian and Too Sense
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Washington Post:
Fears About Economy Increase — Debt Crisis Grows; Top Mortgage Firm Sold at a Bargain — Major banks and mortgage companies yesterday sharply accelerated an industry consolidation that is set to change the landscape of American lending, while a convergence of events exposed fresh worries about the U.S. economy.
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Democrats See Enthusiasm Gap in Their Favor — It used to be the credibility gap that afflicted politicians. Now Republicans and Democrats are peering over the edge of the enthusiasm gap. — The term doesn't refer to the chasm between how politicians see themselves and their actual public standing.
Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
Supreme Court to Review ‘Millionaires’ Amendment' — The Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will review the constitutionality of the so-called Millionaires' Amendment, which allows opponents of some self-funded congressional candidates to raise more money than federal law normally allows.
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Rick Hasen / Election Law:
BREAKING NEWS: SUPREME COURT AGREES TO HEAR CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE THIS TERM
BREAKING NEWS: SUPREME COURT AGREES TO HEAR CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE THIS TERM
Discussion:
Betsy's Page