Top Items:
Brian Ross / ABCNEWS:
Sources Say Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is ‘Senate Candidate #5’ — Feds Plan to Interview Chicago Congressman as Part of Blagojevich Probe — Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous “Senate Candidate #5” whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Hot Air, Washington Post, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Power Line, Pantagraph, On Deadline, New York Times, JustOneMinute, Emptywheel, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Progress Illinois, Flopping Aces, Political Machine, The Raw Story, NO QUARTER, Don Surber, The Campaign Spot, RedState and Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Chicago Sun Times:
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is ‘Senate Candidate 5’ in Blagojevich criminal complaint — Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is “Senate Candidate 5,” who — through an emissary — allegedly offered to raise money for Gov. Blagojevich in return for being appointed as Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate, sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times.
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
First Read: NBC — ‘Candidate 5’ is Jesse Jackson, Jr.
First Read: NBC — ‘Candidate 5’ is Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Discussion:
Think Progress
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Jackson gets pulled deeper into scandal
Jackson gets pulled deeper into scandal
Discussion:
The Capitol Fax Blog
Martin Kady II / The Crypt's Blogs:
Jackson: “I am not a target of this investigation”
Jackson: “I am not a target of this investigation”
Discussion:
Don Surber
Jim Oliphant / The Swamp:
Breaking: Senate Dems ask Blago to quit — The office of Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, is circulating a letter Wednesday to the Senate Democratic Caucus for signatures that recommends Gov. Rod Blagojevich resign and under no circumstances make an appointment to fill Illinois' vacant Senate seat.
RELATED:
Matthew Bigg / Reuters:
Conservatives gleeful over governor's arrest — ATLANTA (Reuters) - U.S. conservatives rubbed their hands with glee on Wednesday over news that the Democratic governor of Illinois has been accused of attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama.
Chicago Sun Times:
Madigan may take him to high court
Madigan may take him to high court
Discussion:
TIME.com, Washington Wire, Chicago Business, CNN, State Journal Register, Political Machine and Washington Monthly
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
CHU TO BE ENERGY SECRETARY — From NBC's Savannah Guthrie — Obama will name Steven Chu his choice for Energy secretary, Lisa Jackson for EPA administrator and Carol Browner as energy “czar” reporting to the president. — It is unclear whether the Browner position is cabinet level.
Discussion:
Think Progress, Gristmill, Ben Smith's Blogs, The New Republic, TIME.com, Wonk Room and Open Left
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Obama to Name Chu Energy Secretary — President-Elect Also to Name Former EPA Chief Carol Browner as ‘Energy Czar’ — President-elect Barack Obama has chosen the heart of an energy-policy team that he hopes will implement a far-reaching plan to wean the nation off Middle Eastern oil …
The Trail / Washington Post:
Obama: Blagojevich Should Resign — Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2005. (James A. Finley/Associated Press) — By Anne E. Kornblut — President-elect Barack Obama believes that Gov. Rod Blagojevich should resign, his advisers said on Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Caucus, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, Pajamas Media, TIME.com, Commentary, Lynn Sweet and Washington Monthly
RELATED:
The Politico:
In scandal, risks for Obama — At first blush, Barack Obama comes out of the Rod Blagojevich scandal smelling like a rose. The prosecutor at a news conference seemed to give the president-elect a seal of approval, and the Illinois governor himself was caught on tape complaining that Obama was not interested in crooked schemes.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Jindal says no — Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, seen by many Republicans as the most promising standard-bearer for a remade party, said at a Richmond, Va press conference that he isn't running for president in 2012. — At a news conference Wednesday with Bob McDonnell …
RELATED:
New York Times:
White House Struggles to Find G.O.P. Support for Auto Bailout — WASHINGTON — Even as House Democrats pressed for a vote Wednesday afternoon on a government rescue of the automobile industry, the Bush administration failed to generate enough support for the measure among Senate Republicans …
RELATED:
Julie Hirschfeld Davis / Associated Press:
Auto rescue bill in peril, opposed by GOP senators
Auto rescue bill in peril, opposed by GOP senators
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Open Left, Agence France Presse, Hullabaloo, Big Brass Blog and The Huffington Post
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Specter seeks to slow down Holder confirmation — Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, wants to slow down the process of confirming Eric Holder attorney general, citing lingering concerns about the nominee's role in the 2001 pardon of Marc Rich.
RELATED:
The Sun:
Fem-bot's my love machine — Inventor Le Trung, 33, created Aiko, said to be “in her 20s” with a stunning 32, 23, 33 figure, shiny hair and delicate features. — She even remembers his favourite drink and does simple cleaning and household tasks. — “Fem-bot” Aiko, who has cost £14,000 …
Foreign Policy:
The 10 Worst Predictions for 2008 — Prognostication is by far the riskiest form of punditry. The 10 commentators and leaders on this list learned that the hard way when their confident predictions about politics, war, the economy, and even the end of humanity itself completely missed the mark.
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Text of Obama's first newspaper interview as president-elect — In his first post-election newspaper interview, President-elect Barack Obama doesn't spill all the beans about his intentions upon taking office on Jan. 20. — But he does reveal some interesting details.
Discussion:
The Politico, The Moderate Voice, NewsBusters.org, The Impolitic, Think Progress and Swampland
RELATED:
Mary Ann Akers / The Sleuth:
Fire Sale on All McCain-Palin Campaign Equipment — Run, don't walk, to John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., for an amazing Blowout Sale! Computers, blackberries, televisions, desks, you name it - everything must go. Hurry while the offer lasts!
Discussion:
DCist
Pam Spaulding / Pam's House Blend:
Jon Stewart slays the homophobic Huckabeast without breaking a sweat — UPDATE: Louise did a complete transcript of the segment in this diary - many thanks! — And entertains while doing so. Jon Stewart asked serious questions any hard-hitting progressive journalist or political commentator …
New York Times:
Kerrey Gets Vote of No-Confidence at New School — Bob Kerrey, the former Nebraska governor and senator known for his acerbic tongue and iconoclastic tendencies, earned an overwhelming vote of no-confidence on Wednesday afternoon from the senior faculty at the New School, the Greenwich Village university he has run since 2001.
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
Jerry Remmers / The Moderate Voice:
Our Dirty Little Secret: The Mexican Drug Wars — It was less than two years ago outrage spread through U.S. cities on the pretext illegal immigrants from Mexico were taking jobs from Americans. — Today, the Mexican drug cartels are killing more people on an average day than in the Iraq …
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com