Top Items:
Chicago Breaking News:
Blagojevich snubs Senate, taps Burris for seat — In defiance of U.S. senators who said they would not seat his pick, Gov. Rod Blagojevich today selected former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate. — Blagojevich praised Burris for his …
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Senate Leadership: Burris ‘unacceptable’ — The Senate will not seat Roland Burris if Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich attempts to appoint him, a Democratic leadership aide said. — Majority Leader Harry Reid views Burris as “unacceptable,” the aide said.
Discussion:
The Swamp, TPM Election Central, Concurring Opinions, MSNBC, Fox News, Hot Air, Erick's blog, TIME.com, Open Congress and A Blog For All
Associated Press:
White will try to reject — Blagojevich Senate pick — SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White says he'll reject any paperwork that Gov. Rod Blagojevich files to name a new U.S. senator. — The secretary of state keeps state records and certifies official actions.
Dave McKinney / Chicago Sun Times:
Blagojevich to name Roland Burris to Obama's Senate seat — Gov. Blagojevich today is expected to name former state Comptroller and Attorney General Roland Burris to Illinois' vacant U.S. Senate seat, a knowledgeable source said this morning. — A news conference is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Lynn Sweet:
Roland Burris to be named to replace Obama in Senate; Senate leaders say they will not seat Burris. — WASHINGTON—I've learned that Gov. Blagojevich will name former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to replace President elect Barack Obama in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon.
The Huffington Post:
Blagojevich Pick Raised Money For The Governor
Blagojevich Pick Raised Money For The Governor
Discussion:
TPM Election Central
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
BLAGO'S NEW GAMBIT — We've just gotten word that Gov. Blagojevich …
BLAGO'S NEW GAMBIT — We've just gotten word that Gov. Blagojevich …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Noah Pollak / Commentary:
What YouTube Doesn't Want You to See — Yesterday, the IDF did something innovative: it opened a channel on YouTube and posted videos to it that help explain why Israel is fighting Hamas. The site hosted about a dozen videos showing things like Israeli humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza …
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Jeffrey Goldberg:
A Fatah Friend Writes: I'm Supporting the Israeli Air Force — It's a strange world, but there you have it. I've been talking to friends of mine, former Palestinian Authority intelligence officials (ejected from power by the Hamas coup), and they tell me that not only are they rooting …
Max Socol / Jerusalem Post:
IDF launches YouTube Gaza channel — In the midst of its Gaza operations, the IDF is entering yet another conflict zone: the Internet. The Israeli army announced yesterday the creation of its own YouTube channel, through which it will disseminate footage of precision bombing operations in the Gaza Strip …
Discussion:
Haaretz, CNN, Weekly Standard, Personal Democracy Forum, NewsBusters.org, Gawker, New York Times and Power Line
Wall Street Journal:
Hamas Knows One Big Thing
Hamas Knows One Big Thing
Discussion:
Jerusalem Post, New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Haaretz, Commentary, Hot Air, The Nation and Mondoweiss
Benny Morris / New York Times:
Why Israel Feels Threatened
Why Israel Feels Threatened
Discussion:
Washington Post, Guardian, Little Green Footballs, Times of London, Jerusalem Post, Syria Comment, Mondoweiss and The Independent
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
ZBIG SMACKS DOWN MORNIN' JOE — Zbig to Joe: “You have a such stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on it's almost embarrassing to listen to you.”
Andy Barr / The Politico:
‘Magic Negro’ flap might help Saltsman — The controversy surrounding a comedy CD distributed by Republican National Committee chair candidate Chip Saltsman has not torpedoed his bid and might have inadvertently helped it. — Four days after news broke that the former Tennessee GOP chairman …
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Craig Schneider / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
McKinney relief boat rammed by Israeli navy — A boat carrying international peace activists, including former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and medical supplies to the embattled Gaza Strip sailed back into a Lebanese port on Tuesday after being turned back and damaged by the Israeli navy, organizers of the trip said.
Paul Walsh / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Canvassing Board nudges Franken's lead up to 50 — The State Canvassing Board today made changes to a handful of withdrawn challenges in the U.S. Senate recount battle and gave DFL challenger Al Franken a net gain of four votes, nudging his unofficial lead to 50.
Amanda Hill / The 2008 Weblog Awards:
2008 Weblog Awards Finalists — Here is a complete list of the finalists for The 2008 Weblog Awards. Finalists badges (hosted by Imageshack) will be available Wednesday. Voting is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2009. — Please note that the names of the Technorati Autority categories have changed …
Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
Reading Into Bush's Book List — In what without a doubt is the most astounding op-ed piece of the year, Karl Rove reveals that his friend and former boss, George W. Bush, has read probably hundreds of books over the course of his presidency. One of them was Albert Camus' “The Stranger,” …
John Leland / New York Times:
Breaking Up Is Harder to Do After Housing Fall — When Marci Needle and her husband began to contemplate divorce in June, they thought they had enough money to go their separate ways. They owned a million-dollar home near Atlanta and another in Jacksonville, Fla., as well as investment properties.
John Vinocur / International Herald Tribune:
From the left, a call to end the current Dutch notion of tolerance — AMSTERDAM: Two years ago, the Dutch could quietly congratulate themselves on having brought what seemed to be a fair measure of consensus and reason to the meanest intersection in their national political life …
Wall Street Journal:
New Jersey Is the Perfect Bad Example — Obama should look here to see what high taxes do. — Madison, N.J. — When Barack Obama makes his New Year's resolutions, at the top of his list ought to be the following: “I will not allow America to become New Jersey.” — Think of it as our gift to the nation.
Bob Herbert / New York Times:
Add Up the Damage — Does anyone know where George W. Bush is? — You don't hear much from him anymore. The last image most of us remember is of the president ducking a pair of size 10s that were hurled at him in Baghdad. — We're still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan.