Top Items:
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Obama team's ‘unanswered questions’ — The “unanswered questions” — as the Republican National Committee and others are calling them — will continue to haunt President-elect Obama and staff in the sordid case of the Illinois governor accused of attempting to sell Obama's Senate seat.
Discussion:
RedState
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Mike Allen / The Politico:
McCain scolds GOP for whacking Obama — In a surprising rebuke to the warriors who fought for him through tough times, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday sided with President-elect Barack Obama and scolded the Republican National Committee for fanning the Illinois corruption scandal.
Jacob Weisberg / Slate:
Which state is the most crooked—Illinois or Louisiana? — With the unmasking of Gov. Rod Blagojevich as a kleptocrat of Paraguayan proportion, Illinois now has a real chance—its first in more than a generation—to defeat Louisiana in the NCAA finals of American political corruption.
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Pressure builds on Obama to release his Blagojevich contacts — In case you're wondering about that list President-elect Obama promised a few days ago to release in “a few days” detailing all of his office's contacts with accused Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about the vacant U.S. Senate seat …
Steven Lee Myers / New York Times:
Bush Arrives in Iraq for a Final Visit — BAGHDAD — President Bush flew to Iraq on Sunday, a final trip to highlight the recently completed security agreement between Iraq and the United States. — Air Force One arrived in Baghdad at 4 p.m. after a 10-and-a-half-hour overnight flight from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.
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Matt Spetalnick / Reuters:
Bush makes farewell visit to Iraq — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - President George W. Bush made an unannounced farewell visit to Baghdad on Sunday, just weeks before he leaves office and bequeaths the unpopular Iraq war to President-elect Barack Obama. — Slipping out of the White House over the weekend …
Discussion:
Jules Crittenden, Don Surber, Sister Toldjah, Bloomberg, Firedoglake, NewsBusters.org, Agence France Presse, Sky News and BBC
Jennifer Loven / Associated Press:
Bush: Work in Iraq has been hard; needed for peace — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — BAGHDAD - On a farewell trip to Iraq, President George W. Bush said Sunday the war has been hard, but was necessary to protect the U.S. and give Iraqis hope for a peaceful future.
New York Times:
Official History Spotlights Iraq Rebuilding Blunders — BAGHDAD — An unpublished 513-page federal history of the American-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts an effort crippled before the invasion by Pentagon planners who were hostile to the idea of rebuilding a foreign country …
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Associated Press:
Palin's church damaged in suspicious fire — ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Gov. Sarah Palin's home church has been badly damaged in an arson fire. — Damages to the Wasilla Bible Church were estimated at $1 million, authorities said today. No one was injured in the fire, which was intentionally set while people …
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Michael Isikoff / Newsweek:
The Fed Who Blew the Whistle — Is he a hero or a criminal? — Nigel Parry / CPI for Newsweek — From the magazine issue dated Dec 22, 2008 — Thomas M. Tamm was entrusted with some of the government's most important secrets. He had a Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, a level above Top Secret.
New York Times:
A Champion of Wall Street Reaps Benefits — “We are not going to rest until we change the rules, change the laws and make sure New York remains No. 1 for decades on into the future.” — WASHINGTON — As the financial crisis jolted the nation in September, Senator Charles E. Schumer was consumed.
Discussion:
Commentary, NewsBusters.org, BloggingStocks, The Big Picture, JammieWearingFool, Booman Tribune, The Agonist and TPMCafe
Frank Rich / New York Times:
Two Cheers for Rod Blagojevich — ROD BLAGOJEVICH is the perfect holiday treat for a country fighting off depression. He gift-wraps the ugliness of corruption in the mirthful garb of farce. From a safe distance outside Illinois, it's hard not to laugh at the “culture of Chicago,” …