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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Jennifer Parker / George's Bottom Line:
McCain: Obama Team Should Release Blagojevich Contacts — In an exclusive interview with This Week, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the Obama transition team should publicly release all information relating to the corruption investigation into Illinois Rod Blagojevich.
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.
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Pressure builds on Obama to release his Blagojevich contacts
Pressure builds on Obama to release his Blagojevich contacts
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Huffington Post, Pajamas Media, RedState, Dean's World and Doug Ross
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 …
Jules Crittenden:
Victory Lap — Bush makes a last visit to Iraq. Reuters: … Either that, or they bought the distortions, outright lies and pro-jihadi propaganda they were spoonfed over the past five years by Reuters and others. Can't just let him have his victory. Don't worry, he's leaving it in good hands.
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:
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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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, Booman Tribune, JammieWearingFool, The Agonist and TPMCafe
Deborah Blum / The Huffington Post:
Why My Dog (And I) No Longer Watch CNN — In my home office we are boycotting CNN. Of course, my home office is a room at the back of my house occupied by myself and the family dog, a boxer named Dodger, who contributes by snoring musically while I work. — Nevertheless, we take this boycott seriously.
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,” …