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Giving Up on God — As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit. — Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D. — I'm bathing in holy water as I type. — To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing …
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Quit It Kathleen — To my friend Kathleen Parker — This act is getting really old. … Me: I don't know what's more grating, the quasi-bigotry that has you calling religious Christians low brows, gorillas and oogedy-boogedy types or the bravery-on-the-cheap as you salute — in that winsome way …

KATHLEEN PARKER TAKES ON THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT.... In September, Kathleen Parker, a conservative syndicated columnist, raised quite a few eyebrows when she explained that Sarah Palin had no business running for national office. “If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself,” …


No Room for RINOs — Who will resurrect the GOP? — South Carolina's Mark Sanford is one of three GOP governors now being widely mentioned as potential saviors of the Republican Party between now and 2012. All are conspicuous for calling on their own party to live up to its principles.
Discussion:
protein wisdom

A Force for Good — but Not at State — It may be moot and it certainly is presumptuous, but I would be less than honest with readers if I did not say what I believe: Making Hillary Rodham Clinton the secretary of state in Barack Obama's administration would be a mistake.
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Exclusive: Bill may give up foreign income — Negotiations between the Clintons and President-elect Obama's transition team are rapidly moving toward a formal offer of secretary of State for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), with both sides expecting a formal announcement in the next seven days …
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, The Caucus, TalkLeft, TIME.com, Political Radar, Gothamist and Reuters

Madam Secretary? — So President-elect Barack Obama is considering Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. How should we feel about that? — Mrs. Clinton is a serious person. She is smart, tough, cunning, hard-working and knows the world — all key qualities for a secretary of state.

Ted Kennedy asks Hillary Clinton to head Senate healthcare team
Discussion:
The Heretik, Taylor Marsh, MyDD, TIME.com, Ben Smith's Blogs, TPM Election Central and Truthdig

Two for the Price of Two — Bill Clinton was feeling grumpy toward Barack Obama.

For second day in a row, NY Times falsely suggested Bill Clinton …
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Lawyers, Guns and Money

Clinton May Need to Pay Off Debt Before Accepting Cabinet Post
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TIME.com


Al-Qaida No. 2 says Obama betrays race — In first video since election, he says president-elect does bidding of whites — CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, The Moderate Voice, Commentary, Wonkette, On Deadline, Telegraph, Reason, Jules Crittenden, VOTE and This ain't Hell …
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Ayman al-Zawahiri: Not Just a Terrorist, Also a Racist
Discussion:
democracyarsenal.org, The Moderate Voice, The Debate Link, Obsidian Wings, abu muqawama and VetVoice

Let Detroit Go Bankrupt — IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won't go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed. — Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, Power Line, Townhall.com, Balloon Juice, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, www.redstate.com, Newshoggers.com, Hot Air, Because I said so, MSNBC, Brilliant at Breakfast, marbury, Emptywheel, TIME.com, The Washington Independent, A Stitch in Haste, Sister Toldjah, Boston Globe, Outside The Beltway, Commentary, Connecting.the.Dots, Liberal Values and KIKO'S HOUSE


Emanuel Sets a Challenge — President-elect Barack Obama's incoming White House chief of staff challenged chief executives and other business leaders Tuesday night to join the new administration in a push for universal health care, saying incremental increases in coverage won't be acceptable.
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Daschle Nominated to Human Services Cabinet Post — Update | 12:59 p.m. CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama has offered the nomination of Secretary of Health and Human Services to his Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the former Democratic Senate leader who was an early supporter of Mr. Obama's run for the presidency.
Discussion:
The Swamp

ABOUT THAT CHENEY INDICTMENT.... At first blush, the headline looked pretty extraordinary: “Texas Grand Jury Indicts Cheney, Gonzales on Charges Related to Prisons.” Wait, Dick Cheney's been indicted? It sounded too good to be true, in large part because it is.
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Big Three CEOs Flew Private Jets to Plead for Public Funds — Auto Industry Close to Bankruptcy But They Get Pricey Perk — The CEOs of the big three automakers flew to the nation's capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running …

EXCLUSIVE: Steele chastises ‘country club’ GOP — Vows to help transform party — Republican National Committee Chairman candidate Michael S. Steele castigated Republican Party leadership Tuesday for having a “country club” mentality and being out of touch, and said if he is chosen to represent the party …

Hooray for Holder — Eric Holder looks like Obama's pick for attorney general. I've been impressed by him ever since interviewing him in the '90s, when he was U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and identified the phenomenon of the single “unreachable” D.C. juror …