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 …
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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:
Marc Ambinder, Washington Post, The Hill, protein wisdom, New York Times, The Politico, The Swamp, Ben Smith's Blogs, NewsBusters.org, Power Line, Slate, Whiskey Fire, Right Wing Nut House, Sweetness & Light, Chicago Business, Washington Monthly, Gawker, The Gun Toting Liberal, Weekly Standard, Portfolio, Becoming 44, On Deadline, The Note, Jules Crittenden, Political Machine, Philly.com, National Review, Brilliant at Breakfast, Fausta's Blog, George's Bottom Line, Bark Bark Woof Woof, The Caucus and Prairie Weather
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.
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.
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, The Swamp, The Hill, Soccer Dad, TPM Election Central, TIME.com, Fausta's Blog and Riehl World View
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.”
Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:Analysis: Scandal threatens to dog Obama
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, New York Post, Washington Post, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, The Politico and Jules Crittenden
Michelle Malkin:
Boomerang: The Democrat culture of corruption — My syndicated column today looks at how the Democrat “culture of corruption” boomerang has returned to smack the donkeys right back in the face. — The Democrat culture of corruption — by Michelle Malkin — Creators Syndicate
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Susan Saulny / New York Times:Portrait of a Politician: Vengeful and Profane
Discussion:
CNN, Los Angeles Times, JustOneMinute, protein wisdom, Likelihood of Success, The Volokh Conspiracy, Connecting.the.Dots and marbury
Stacy St. Clair / Chicago Tribune:Governor's wife supported his pay-to-play Senate scheme, complaint alleges
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Minority Report, BuzzFlash.org, TIME.com and Chicago Breaking News
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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Pam Spaulding / Pam's House Blend:
Jon Stewart slays the homophobic Huckabeast without breaking a sweat — And entertains while doing so. Jon Stewart asked serious questions any hard-hitting progressive journalist or political commentator with a talk show is perfectly capable of asking. He made Huckabee explain his positions …
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Jesse McKinley / New York Times:
Gay Marriage Ban Inspires New Wave of Activists — SAN FRANCISCO — They're calling it Stonewall 2.0. — Outraged by California voters' ban on same-sex marriage, a new wave of advocates, shaken out of a generational apathy, have pushed to the forefront of the gay rights movement …
Discussion:
Swords Crossed
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, Think Progress, Minnesota Independent, Majikthise and Political Machine
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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.
Manu Raju / The Crypt's Blogs:
McConnell: Bailout votes aren't there — The auto industry bailout politics are a mess this morning. — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that Republicans are not prepared to back the massive auto-bailout package being negotiated by the White House and congressional Democrats.
Discussion:
Townhall.com
Agence France Presse:
Obama plans major address in Islamic capital: interview — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON, (AFP) - President-elect Barack Obama plans to give “a major address” in an Islamic capital soon after taking office as he seeks to mend America's image in the Muslim world …
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.
Bloomberg:
GMAC Hasn't Met Conditions to Convert to Bank Status — A A A — Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — GMAC LLC, the auto and home lender seeking federal aid, hasn't obtained enough capital to become a bank holding company and may abandon the effort, casting new doubt on the firm's ability to survive.
Noah Shachtman / Danger Room:
Mumbai Terror Group Trained American Jihadists — A growing chorus of intelligence officials in the U.S. and in south Asia have pinned the Mumbai attacks on the Kashmir-based militants Lashkar-e-Taiba. But there's been hardly any mention of the extremist group's deep ties to American-based jihadists.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
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
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