Top Items:
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.
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The Trail / Washington Post:
Obama: Blagojevich Should Resign — President-elect Barack Obama believes that Gov. Rod Blagojevich should resign, his advisers said on Wednesday. “The President-elect agrees with Lt. Gov. Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the governor to effectively …
New York Times:
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:
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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.
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE INEVITABLE PUSH.... It's only been 24 hours, and it's pretty obvious that reports like this one, from the AP's Liz Sidoti, are going to quickly become mind-numbing. … There's just no reason for reporting like this. Is Obama connected to Blagojevich's scandal? No, but the scandal is “threatening to dog him.”
New York Times:
Calls Mount in Illinois for Governor to Step Aside — CHICAGO — Political leaders in Illinois joined growing calls for the resignation of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich a day after he was arrested and accused of putting President-elect Obama's former United States Senate seat up for sale.
Discussion:
A Blog For All
Chicago Sun Times:
Madigan may take him to high court — SPRINGFIELD — If Gov. Blagojevich refuses to relinquish power and avoids impeachment, Attorney General Lisa Madigan is prepared to force his hand, aides said Tuesday. — The state's chief law enforcement officer is prepared to invoke …
Susan Saulny / New York Times:Portrait of a Politician: Vengeful and Profane
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Stacy St. Clair / Chicago Tribune:Governor's wife supported his pay-to-play Senate scheme, complaint alleges
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Associated Press, The Minority Report, BuzzFlash.org, TIME.com and Chicago Breaking News
Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:Analysis: Scandal threatens to dog Obama
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, New York Post, Washington Post, Hot Air, Jules Crittenden, The Politico, A Blog For All and Gateway Pundit
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:
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Reid Wilson / The Hill:Clues to identity of candidates #1-6
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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 …
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Ali Frick / Think Progress:
Stewart Grills Huckabee On Gay Marriage: ‘At What Age Did You Choose Not To Be Gay?’ — For over seven minutes last night, Jon Stewart grilled former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on his opposition to gay marriage. Huckabee is touring the country to promote his new book, “Do The Right Thing.”
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:
Los Angeles Times, Townhall.com, Wonkette, The Hill, Soccer Dad, TPM Election Central, The Swamp, TIME.com and Brian Beutler
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Dave Orrick / TwinCities.com:
FBI reviewing allegations involving Norm Coleman ally, source says — Source: Inquiry involves alleged attempt to steer money toward senator — Federal investigators are looking into allegations that a longtime friend and benefactor tried to steer money to U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, the Pioneer Press has learned.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Huffington Post, Gawker, Think Progress, NewsBusters.org, Sunlight Foundation, MinnPost and Political Machine
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Jason Hoppin / TwinCities.com:U.S. Senate race: Error might mean 171 absentee ballots went uncounted …
Discussion:
TPM Election Central
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 …
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Joseph E. Stiglitz / Vanity Fair:
Capitalist Fools — Behind the debate over remaking U.S. financial policy will be a debate over who's to blame. It's crucial to get the history right, writes a Nobel-laureate economist, identifying five key mistakes—under Reagan, Clinton, and Bush II—and one national delusion.
Discussion:
The Heretik
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.
Discussion:
Kevin Drum
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
WSJ: Only Secret Illegal Surveillance Will Provide Accountability — I'd thought that one beneficial result of Barack Obama being elected president was that it might cause conservatives to think twice about their post-9/11 embrace of unlimited executive power.
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