Top Items:
Ali Frick / Think Progress:
Malkin: Democrats Will ‘Turn On A Dime’ Against Patrick Fitzgerald — This morning on Fox and Friends, right-wing pundit Michelle Malkin took up the conservative mantra of linking President-elect Obama to disgraced governor Rod Blagojevich (D-IL). (In fact, Obama may have “indirectly contributed to the downfall” of Blagojevich.)
RELATED:
The Politico:
Obama to list staff contact with Blago — President-elect Barack Obama said Thursday morning that he is “confident” no one representing him took part in any pay-to-play dealings with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich over filling Obama's U.S. Senate seat, and pledged to release details …
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Depends on how you define “contact”; Update: Blago newsletter photo included — Barack Obama has gone out of his way to make his incoming administration Clintonesque. Not only has he built 63% of his transition team from Clinton administration officials, he even picked Hillary Clinton for a Cabinet post.
Rasmussen Reports:
Madigan Is Illinois Democrats' Favorite Now for Senate, Jackson's Support Plummets
Madigan Is Illinois Democrats' Favorite Now for Senate, Jackson's Support Plummets
Rasmussen Reports:
84% of Illinois Voters Say Blagojevich Should Resign
84% of Illinois Voters Say Blagojevich Should Resign
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Progress Illinois and The Capitol Fax Blog
Jack Healy / New York Times:
Obama Says He Never Spoke to Governor on Senate Seat
Obama Says He Never Spoke to Governor on Senate Seat
Discussion:
Below The Beltway
New York Times:
Scandal Is an Early Test for Obama Team
Scandal Is an Early Test for Obama Team
Discussion:
The Politico, The Caucus, Rough Sketch, WBBM-TV, Chicago Tribune, The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, ArchPundit, The Campaign Spot, Time, Slate, NY Daily News, The Note, Political Machine, NO QUARTER, Outside The Beltway, AmSpecBlog, Commentary, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, Ben Smith's Blogs, Wall Street Journal and Progress Illinois
New York Times:
Auto Bailout Appears Halted in Senate as G.O.P. Resists — WASHINGTON — The prospects of a $14 billion government rescue of the American auto industry seemed to vaporize Thursday as the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, spoke out forcefully against the bill …
Discussion:
New Yorker, Salon, Open Left, Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Balkinization, TIME.com, naked capitalism and Washington Post
RELATED:
David Rogers / The Politico:
McConnell deals major blow to bailout — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell broke with the White House Thursday over a proposed $14 billion loan package for ailing automakers, all but assuring its defeat this week and forcing the administration to consider other emergency steps …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, Hot Air, Wall Street Journal, Trust, But Verify and Below The Beltway
Charles Lane / Washington Post:
The Unreal Bill Ayers — Three Decades After the Weather Underground's End, He's Still Justifying Its Means — I never thought Barack Obama's acquaintance with former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers disqualified him for the White House. And now that Obama has been elected …
Aluf Benn / Haaretz:
Obama's atomic umbrella: U.S. nuclear strike if Iran nukes Israel — U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's administration will offer Israel a “nuclear umbrella” against the threat of a nuclear attack by Iran, a well-placed American source said earlier this week.
Robert Block / The Write Stuff:
NASA has become a transition problem for Obama — CAPE CANAVERAL - NASA administrator Mike Griffin is not cooperating with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, is obstructing its efforts to get information and has told its leader that she is “not qualified” to judge his rocket program, the Orlando Sentinel has learned.
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
FIRST THOUGHTS: NO ORDINARY HONEYMOON — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann — *** No ordinary honeymoon: While the political world continues to focus on the Blagojevich scandal, which at this point has been only a headache for the incoming Obama administration …
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Asking questions, and flagging them — A couple of analysts whose opinions I respect, including John Cole, criticized my item yesterday on what I see as an abuse of the “flagging” function on Obama's “Open for Questions” site. — I wrote about the ability of some readers to take a highly rated …
RELATED:
The Daily Beast:
Could Detroit Trigger a New Global Meltdown? — Washington's Infamous Sex Blogger Gets Hitched by Jessica Cutler — Blogs and Stories — If history is any indication, bankruptcy filings by American automakers could have aftershocks around the world. — Would the auto industry …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
RELATED:
Pratish Narayanan / Reuters:
Newsweek plans staff cuts in makeover: report — (Reuters) - Newsweek magazine is planning staff cuts as part of a major editorial makeover likely to result in a slimmer publication, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people close to the magazine. — The cuts are expected to be outlined …
RELATED:
Russell Adams / Wall Street Journal:
Newsweek to Cut Staff Through Voluntary Buyouts
Newsweek to Cut Staff Through Voluntary Buyouts
Discussion:
Romenesko
Wall Street Journal:
Blagojevich's Legal Bills Topped $500,000 — CHICAGO — The criminal complaint against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich repeatedly refers to his family's financial troubles. Those problems include more than $500,000 in unpaid legal bills, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
TIME.com
Joby Warrick / Washington Post:
Bipartisan Report: Rumsfeld Responsible for Detainee Abuse — Senate Committee Finds Officials Made Decisions That Led to Offenses Against Prisoners — A bipartisan Senate report released today says that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other top Bush administration officials …
Discussion:
RedState
Wall Street Journal:
Whitewashing Fannie Mae — Congress begins its self-absolution campaign. — Henry Waxman's House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform met Tuesday to examine “The Role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the Financial Crisis.” Alas, Mr. Waxman didn't come to bury Fan and Fred, but to bury the truth.
Fredric U. Dicker / New York Post:
CAROLINE ‘EQUALS J.LO’: DEM — REP. TAKES SWIPE AT CAMELOT CELEB POWER — ALBANY - A prominent New York Democratic congressman publicly questioned Caroline Kennedy's credentials to replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying she's no more qualified to hold office than Jennifer Lopez.
John Fritze / USA Today:
North Dakota tops analysis of corruption — WASHINGTON — Its largest city is legendary for machine-style politics and its elected leaders have been under investigation for years, but by one measure, Illinois is not even close to the nation's most-corrupt state. — North Dakota, it turns out, may hold that distinction instead.
Discussion:
rubber hose, The Swamp, A Blog For All, neo-neocon, TPMMuckraker, Wonkette, The New Republic and Don Surber
Karen Brooks / Dallas Morning News:
Web mistake costly for George W. Bush Library — kmbrooks@dallasnews.com — AUSTIN - After losing a valuable piece of online real estate to enterprising cyber-squatters, the Bush presidential library has replanted its flag into that e-territory. — But the squatters …
New York Times:
Obama's Health Care Briefing — The following is a transcript of Barack Obama's press conference about his health care team and the Blagojevich scandal, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions. — Speakers: — President-elect Barack Obama — Former Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota
Steven Greenhouse / New York Times:
Union Linked to Corruption Scandal — The Service Employees International Union has long boasted that it is on the cutting edge of the labor movement. But it found itself badly embarrassed this week when it was linked by name to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich's maneuvering to secure some financial gain …
Michelle Malkin:
Dingy Harry Reid defends stink bomb — Silly you! Don't you know that when Harry Reid complained about how D.C. tourists reek, what he was really saying was how awesomely awesome they are: … (link) — Defusing a stink bomb with another stink bomb. Where is my Febreeze?
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
A Spy CEO for Obama — What should President-elect Barack Obama do about the intelligence community? He has appointed the other top members of his national security team, but intrigue still surrounds his choices for director of national intelligence and director of the CIA.
Wall Street Journal:
The Mattress Stuffers — As the financial crisis swept across the nation these past few months, one of the first microtrend groups to emerge is the New Mattress Stuffers — people who have lost their trust in the financial world, and are preparing for the next meltdown.