Top Items:
Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Obama On Rick Warren Pick: We Have To Be Able To Agree To Disagree — Obama, at his presser today, defends the decision to choose Rick Warren to deliver the invocation as his inauguration with a restatement of his commitment to gay rights and, more broadly, to the principles of unity that have been a hallmark of his rise to power:
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CBN.com:
Pro-Lifers Rip Rick Warren on Obama Invocation — So let me get straight to the point. — Liberals and gay activists aren't happy with Barack Obama for choosing pro-life and prop 8 supporting pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at Obama's inaugural.
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
ACCOUNTABILITY WATCH.... It's not my intention to belabor …
ACCOUNTABILITY WATCH.... It's not my intention to belabor …
Discussion:
The Impolitic
Thom Hartmann / The Huffington Post:
Three Cups of Tea for Rick Warren
Three Cups of Tea for Rick Warren
Discussion:
Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!
Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:
Franken The Likely Winner As Minnesota Recount Heads To Finish Line — Late Update: Norm Coleman's apparent lead has been cut to a mere five votes at the close of business today, according to the running vote count from the Star Tribune, down from a 358-vote lead last night.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, AlterNet.org, The Washington Independent, MyDD, Daily Kos and FiveThirtyEight.com
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Pat Doyle / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Minnesota Supreme Court: Count rejected absentee ballots — In a ruling crucial to the disputed U.S. Senate election, the Minnesota Supreme Court Thursday rejected an attempt by incumbent Norm Coleman to block the state Canvassing Board from counting improperly rejected absentee ballots.
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight.com:
Brett Favre Beats Lizard People — Yesterday, the Franken campaign challenged this ballot, claiming that “Brett Favre” was an identifying mark: — The Canvassing Board rejected the challenge and awarded the vote to Coleman. — Today, just moments ago, the infamous Lizard People ballot came up for the Canvassing Board's review!
Discussion:
Wonkette
Michael O'Brien / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:
Minn. High Court Ruling Could Help Coleman — A state Supreme Court ruling, which will likely exclude hundreds of ballots that Al Franken (D) had sought to include in the recount, could help Sen. Norm Coleman (R) in Minnesota's contested Senate race. — The court in part overturned …
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Marcia Kramer / WCBS-TV:
Kennedy Takes A Beating From Upstate Media — Reporters Jump All Over Mostly Silent Princess Of Camelot; Mayor Of Syracuse Doesn't Offer Endorsement — Who Should Get Senate Gig? Siena Poll: Cuomo 26, Kennedy 23 — Reporting — Caroline Kennedy took a page from Hillary Clinton's playbook …
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Rod Watson / Buffalo News:
Kennedy is listening to wrong folks — Who says Camelot kid Caroline Kennedy isn't ready to be a big-time politician representing New York in the U. S. Senate? — She doesn't even have the job yet, and she's already acting like a seasoned insider. — In her first visit to Buffalo …
Jesse J. Holland / Associated Press:
AP source: Rep. Hilda Solis is Obama's labor pick — WASHINGTON (AP) — A labor official says Rep. Hilda Solis of California will be nominated as labor secretary by President-elect Barack Obama. — The Democratic congresswoman was just elected to her fifth term representing heavily Hispanic portions …
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Harold Meyerson / American Prospect:
HILDA SOLIS IS GREAT. — What does Rep. Hilda Solis, Barack Obama's selection for secretary of labor, bring to the job? Only a record of passionate commitment to working people, a high level of political smarts, and some genuine displays of raw guts that could make her a star of American liberalism.
Discussion:
Clive Crook, Ben Smith's Blogs, MyDD, The New Republic, Matthew Yglesias, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and AmSpecBlog
ScienceInsider:
Sources: John Holdren to be Nominated as Obama's Science Adviser — Strong indications are that President-elect Barack Obama has picked physicist John Holdren to be the president's science adviser. — A top adviser to the Obama campaign and international expert on energy and climate …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Demands for war crimes prosecutions are now growing in the mainstream — For obvious reasons, the most blindly loyal Bush followers of the last eight years are desperate to claim that nobody cares any longer about what happened during the Bush administration, that everyone other than the most fringe …
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A.C. Thompson / The Nation:
Katrina's Hidden Race War … The way Donnell Herrington tells it, there was no warning. One second he was trudging through the heat. The next he was lying prostrate on the pavement, his life spilling out of a hole in his throat, his body racked with pain, his vision blurred and distorted.
Discussion:
Brilliant at Breakfast
Joe Weisenthal / clusterstock.alleyinsider.com:
Brilliant: Credit Suisse To Pay Top Execs With Illiquid Mortgage Securities — We're shocked that nobody has suggested this before, but on its face this looks like a great idea... Credit Suisse announced today that bonuses for its top executives would be made in illiquid, mortgage-backed securities.
Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
Another Change You Won't See From Obama — From the time Sen. Barack Obama announced his candidacy, I wrote and wrote about his record on criminal justice issues, particularly with respect to our drug laws. I didn't like what I learned and said so repeatedly.
White House:
President Bush Addresses the American Enterprise Institute — Washington, D.C. — In Focus: Health Care — In Focus: Economy — MR. DeMUTH: Mr. President, what's on your mind this morning? — THE PRESIDENT: First, thanking you for being the leader that you've been, and thanking AEI for generating good thought.
Rob Stein / Washington Post:
New Rule Protects Health-Care Workers' ‘Right of Conscience’ — The Bush administration today issued a sweeping new regulation that protects a broad range of health-care workers — from doctors to janitors — who refuse to participate in providing services that they believe violate their personal, moral or religious beliefs.
Michael Lind / Salon:
The economic Civil War — The South's attempt to kill the North's auto industry is the latest battle in an ongoing conflict. It's time for a Third Reconstruction to put an end to it. — It is just as well that Barack Obama is emulating Abraham Lincoln by traveling to his inauguration in Washington by train.
New York Times:
Bush Weighs ‘Orderly’ Bankruptcy for Automakers — WASHINGTON — The White House said on Thursday that an “orderly” bankruptcy was one option being considered to try to rescue General Motors and Chrysler, which are seeking billions of dollars to avoid a shutdown.
BBC:
Iraqi shoe-thrower ‘apologises’ — The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has apologised to Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki, the prime minister's office says. — Local TV reporter Muntader al-Zaidi wrote a letter to Mr Maliki asking for forgiveness over his “ugly act” …
Discussion:
Don Surber
Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:
Gay man backed for Navy secretary — Foes cite 'Don't ask, don't tell' — Some top retired military leaders and some Democrats in Congress are backing William White, chief operating officer of the Intrepid Museum Foundation, to be the next secretary of the Navy - a move that would put …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Time, The RBC, GayPatriot, Washington Monthly, MSNBC, Shakesville and The Washington Independent
MSNBC:
Todd NBC's chief White House correspondent — Will retain political director title in addition to new duties — WASHINGTON - NBC News announced today that Political Director Chuck Todd has been named chief White House correspondent. Joining him on the beat will be Savannah Guthrie, who has been named White House correspondent.