memeorandum: Ethics committee expands Rangel probe (John Bresnahan/The Politico)

8:30 AM ET, December 10, 2008

Top Items:

Obama's Effort on Ethics Bill Had Role in Governor's Fall — In a sequence of events that neatly captures the contradictions of Barack Obama's rise through Illinois politics, a phone call he made three months ago to urge passage of a state ethics bill indirectly contributed to the downfall …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Politico, Firedoglake, Prairie Weather, Brilliant at Breakfast, The Caucus, AMERICAblog News and Katie Allison Granju

Huma Khan / Political Punch:

Questions Arise About the Obama/Blagojevich Relationship — “Obviously like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney's office today,” said President-elect Obama this afternoon in Chicago, speaking of the criminal complaint …

Chicago Tribune:

Barack Obama plans to reach out to Muslim world — In exclusive interview, he says he plans to be sworn in like every other president, using his full name: Barack Hussein Obama — Barack Obama says his heart will remain in Chicago, even as he moves to Washington. (Alex Garcia / Tribune / December 9, 2008)

Discussion: Townhall.com and TIME.com

David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:

In the old days, buying a Senate seat was not unusual — The allegations against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich are echoes of history. — Reporting from Washington — Reforms to end the buying of Senate seats by giving governors the power to fill vacant posts set the stage for the scandal involving Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich.

Discussion: The Swamp

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Criminal Complaint Alleges That Gov. Blagojevich Threatened to Block Tribune Co.'s Business Deals if Staffers Were Not Fired — On Sept. 29, a Chicago Tribune editorial ripped Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for his “notorious pay-to-play politics” and said the legislature should investigate whether to impeach him.

Susan Saulny / New York Times:
A Portrait of a Politician: Vengeful and Profane

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and marbury

Scott Shane / New York Times: Fond Ties Have Grown Between Chicago and Its Corruption Fighter

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Aide: Ax ‘misspoke’

Discussion: Pejman_Yousefzadeh's blog, AMERICAN DIGEST and Gateway Pundit

Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
Attorney: Blagojevich has no plans of resigning

Discussion: Business Week, Top of the Ticket, The Moderate Voice, Associated Press, Chicago Breaking News, The Huffington Post, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Raw Story, Reuters, TIME.com, MyDD and WLS-TV

Matt Cooper / Portfolio:
Dear Governor Blagojevich:

Discussion: The New Republic, USA Today, TalkLeft and The Huffington Post

Ron Kampeas / JTA:
Blagojevich arrest could send Jewish rep to Senate

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy, Washington Post, Sunlight Foundation, Yourish.com, Gawker, The Debate Link, ArchPundit and TalkLeft

Will Bunch / Philly.com:
Obama's support of ethics reform is good news for the GOP...

Discussion: The Politico

Joe Weisenthal / Silicon Alley Insider:
Alleged: Blago Hoped To Shake Down Warren Buffett!

Discussion: DealBook

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Source: ‘SEIU official’ was Stern

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, FiveThirtyEight.com, TalkLeft, Atlas Shrugs, The Jawa Report, The Caucus, Associated Press, Firedoglake, The Crypt's Blogs, The Swamp, Buck Naked Politics and Townhall.com

Andy Barr / The Politico:

Joe the Plumber: McCain ‘appalled me’ — Joe Wurzelbacher lashed out at former GOP presidential nominee John McCain Tuesday, the man who made Wurzelbacher famous as “Joe the Plumber.” — Wurzelbacher told conservative radio host Glenn Beck that he felt “dirty” after “being on the campaign trail …

Discussion: THE TOOT, Donklephant, VOTE, Little Green Footballs, The Heretik, Booman Tribune and Liberal Values

Dee Dee Myers / Vanity Fair:

Favreau's Sexist Photo Is No Laughing Matter — Oh, what to do. An incredibly talented young aide, to an impossibly idealistic new president, gets caught doing something indefensibly stupid and undeniably sexist. Everyone is uncomfortable. But should anyone be held accountable? Apparently not.

Discussion: Tennessee Guerilla Women, Liberal Values and QandO

John Bresnahan / The Politico:

Ethics committee expands Rangel probe — The House ethics committee has voted to expand its investigation of Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) to include allegations that he helped a $1 million donor to the Charles B. Rangel Center at the City College of New York retain a lucrative tax loophole.

Discussion: Betsy's Page and TIME.com

CNN:

Man who lost family when jet hit house: I don't blame pilot — SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) — A Korean immigrant who lost his wife, two children and mother-in-law when a Marine Corps jet slammed into the family's house said Tuesday he did not blame the pilot, who ejected and survived.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin and TigerHawk

James Richardson / The Skepticians:

BREAKING: Duncan Enters the Fray — The recent Republican victories in GA and MS gave pause to Mike Duncan, current Republican National Committee Chairman, who, until today, was unsure if he would seek a second term. According to individuals with close ties to Duncan …

Discussion: Marc Ambinder and The Moderate Voice

New York Times:

Investors Buy U.S. Debt at Zero Yield — When was the last time you invested in something that you knew wouldn't make money? — In the market equivalent of shoveling cash under the mattress, hordes of buyers were so eager on Tuesday to park money in the world's safest investment …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Big Picture, The Heretik, DownWithTyranny!, Matthew Yglesias and AMERICAblog News

Bloomberg:
Treasury Bills Trade at Negative Rates as Haven Demand Surges

Discussion: Newshoggers.com and Calculated Risk

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

$73 an Hour: Adding It Up — Seventy-three dollars an hour. — That figure — repeated on television and in newspapers as the average pay of a Big Three autoworker — has become a big symbol in the fight over what should happen to Detroit. To critics, it is a neat encapsulation …

Discussion: Kevin Drum, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Economist's View

Greg Hinz / Chicago Business:

Illinois' top lawmakers to strip Blago of senate pick power — (Crain's) — The state's top two legislative leaders Tuesday said they will move fast to seize control of the process of selecting a replacement for Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, taking that power away from Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Moderate Voice and FiveThirtyEight.com

Richard Norton-Taylor / Guardian:

Out by June: UK plans Iraq withdrawal — Britain's six-year occupation of south Iraq will begin drawing to a close in March, and the last troops will leave Basra by June, a senior defence source disclosed yesterday. — But instead of handing over to Iraqi authorities …

Discussion: Informed Comment and TIME.com

Christopher Drew / New York Times:

A Fighter Jet's Fate Poses a Quandary for Obama — Two of President-elect Barack Obama's stated goals — cutting wasteful spending and saving or creating millions of jobs — are on a collision course in a looming decision over whether to keep building the F-22 fighter jet.