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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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.
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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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 Hill, The Swamp, Soccer Dad, TPM Election Central, TIME.com, Brian Beutler, Riehl World View and Fausta's Blog
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.
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
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
Reid Wilson / The Hill:Clues to identity of candidates #1-6
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Firedoglake, TIME.com, Taylor Marsh, Time, ArchPundit and The Note
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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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.”
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
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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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.
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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
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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