Top Items:
Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:
Caroline Kennedy Is Seeking Seat Held by Clinton — ALBANY — Caroline Kennedy, the deeply private daughter of America's most storied political dynasty, will seek the United States Senate seat in New York being vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton. — Ms. Kennedy ended weeks of silence …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Fox News, The Daily Beast, Ben Smith's Blogs, Time, Crooks and Liars, The Field on the Narcosphere, The Daily Politics, TalkLeft, Salon, NY Daily News, Majikthise, Hullabaloo, Political Machine, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Open Left, Washington Monthly, George's Bottom Line, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Hot Air, A Blog For All, Gawker, Jack & Jill Politics, Taylor Marsh, Ross Douthat, Democracy in America, The World Newser, TPMCafe, The Swamp, City Room, TIME.com, The Fix, The Caucus, Kevin Drum, Below The Beltway, Hotline On Call and Truthdig
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Denver Post:
Salazar poised to head Interior — Colorado's senior senator is said to be a leading contender for a Cabinet post that is vital to Western issues. — U.S. Senator Ken Salazar answers questions during a press conference in March. (Special to the Post | William Woody)
Discussion:
Reuters, Hot Air, Of América, Senate Guru, TalkLeft, MyDD, TIME.com, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and RedState
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Denver Post:
Sources: Salazar accepts Interior spot — Sen. Ken Salazar has agreed to become secretary of the Interior pending the outcome of a background check, The Denver Post has learned. — Democratic sources, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak on Salazar's behalf …
Discussion:
Gristmill, Daily Kos, Of América, Senate Guru, Scorecard's Blogs, Swing State Project and 24Ahead
Jim Tankersley / Los Angeles Times:
Obama picks Salazar as Interior secretary — The Colorado senator, an attorney with expertise in water law, has criticized the department for opening up his state's Roan Plateau to drilling. — Reporting from Washington — Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), a Latino with deep knowledge of water and land issues …
Roads to Iraq:
Urgent, just reported: Al-Zaidi in U.S. run Camp Cropper prison — Iraqi TV al-Sharqiya just reported on the news that AL-Zaidi is transferred to Camp Cropper prison [the Airport prison, managed by the American forces]. — The TV Channel announced that Al-Zaidi is in a difficult condition …
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Siun / Firedoglake:
Shoe Thrower Being Tortured? — While Tweety fussed about the propriety of Al Zaida's shoe throw just now, very credible reports started to come in from Arabic sources that Muntader Al Zaida is in very bad shape: — Raed in the Middle reports: … From Roads to Iraq:
Eric Owles / Baghdad Bureau:
‘Shoedenfreude’ and Shame: Reaction From Around Iraq
‘Shoedenfreude’ and Shame: Reaction From Around Iraq
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Agence France Presse, AlterNet.org, Firedoglake, The Crypt's Blogs, Gateway Pundit and Associated Press
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Sarah Palin: Blagojevich's nerve? — Sarah Palin, Republican governor of Alaska, says she has wondered how long Rod Blagojevich, Democratic governor of Illinois, thought he might “get away with” an alleged scheme to sell the Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama of Illinois.
Discussion:
The Politico
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Rasmussen Reports:
45% Suspect Obama Team Involved in Blagojevich Scandal — Forty five percent (45%) of U.S. voters say it is likely President-elect Obama or one of his top campaign aides was involved in the unfolding Blagojevich scandal in Illinois, including 23% who say it is Very Likely.
John / Power Line:
OBAMA'S PRESS CONFERENCE — At today's press conference, Barack Obama introduced his environmental team. He then took some questions. The only news that has come out of the event was Obama's exchange with a reporter who asked him whether Rahm Emanuel was in contact with Governor Blagojevich.
Krooney / TIME.com:
Biden TIME — Outgoing newsmag bureau chief Jay Carney to be assistant to the vice president and his director of communications.
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Sam Dillon / The Caucus:
Obama Picks Arne Duncan for Education Post — President-elect Barack Obama will name Arne Duncan, the superintendent of schools in Chicago, to be his Secretary of Education, a senior Democratic official and a second person close to the decision said. — Mr. Duncan is a Harvard graduate whose friendship …
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Chicago Tribune:
House approves impeachment probe; Senate proposal on hold — The Illinois House voted 113-0 today to begin impeachment proceedings against Gov. Rod Blagojevich by creating an investigations committee to consider allegations that the two-term Democrat abused his office and may have participated in criminal activity.
Discussion:
Truthdig
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The Politico:
Review shows no contact with Blago — Below is a statement from Obama Transition Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer: — “At the direction of the president-elect, a review of Transition staff contacts with Governor Blagojevich and his office has been conducted and completed and is ready for release.
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Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight.com:
On Making Mitch McConnell Wet His Pants — User B.R. writes in: … B.R. raises several interesting points, but they ultimately point back to one thing: Harry Reid has been exceptionally ineffective as the Democrats' majority leader. — The number of cloture votes skyrocketed …
Discussion:
Donkeylicious
David K. L I / New York Post:
PATERSON IN A BLIND RAGE OVER ‘SNL’ SKIT — Gov. Paterson didn't see the humor in a “Saturday Night Live” bit that mocked his blindness. — During the “Weekend Update” segment of NBC's irreverent comedy show, actor Fred Armisen played Paterson, imitating his wandering eye, gravelly voice and blunt, self-effacing demeanor.
Discussion:
New York Times, Althouse, Shakesville, Political Machine, Liberal Values, Gothamist, The Raw Story, Don Surber, ANIMAL New York and NY Daily News
Huma Khan / Political Radar:
Secret Service Shows Unusual Restraint in ‘Bizarre’ Shoe Incident — ABC News' Ann Compton Reports: U.S. Secret Service officials in Washington say they are satisfied their agents responded with “the appropriate level of reaction” when an Iraqi journalist hurled two shoes directly at President Bush during a Baghdad news conference.
Janna Anderson Lee Rainie / Pew Internet:
The Future of the Internet III — A survey of internet leaders, activists and analysts shows they expect major tech advances as the phone becomes a primary device for online access, voice-recognition improves, artificial and virtual reality become more embedded in everyday life, and the architecture of the internet itself improves.
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Cheney: Obama ‘not likely to cede authority’ — Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that President-elect Barack Obama will “appreciate” the expansions of executive power achieved during the Bush administration and is unlikely to cede authority back to Congress.
Discussion:
Agence France Presse, The Raw Story, Think Progress, The Huffington Post and Political Machine
Associated Press:
It's official: Barack Obama elected 44th president — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — RICHMOND, Va. - As 13 electors cast ballots Monday for the nation's first black president in the Confederacy's old Capitol, Henry Marsh emotionally recalled the smartest man he ever knew …
Discussion:
MyDD
S. J. Komarnitsky / Anchorage Daily News:
Accelerant poured around Palin's church — WASILLA - Whoever torched Gov. Sarah Palin's home church tried to start fires in several places around the building, the federal agency assisting in the investigation said Monday. — Accelerants were found in multiple locations on the outside …
Julian Sanchez:
Orwell in Bailoutland — Oh, FireDogLake: … Did we all follow that one? Failing to funnel billions to a failing business is a form of authoritarian punishment. As an alternative, we're offered the proposition that we “want affordable, safe, fuel-efficient, environmentally sound cars built …