Top Items:
Ben Protess— Propublica / The Politico:
Burris sought death for innocent man — Former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris, embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pick to replace Barack Obama in the Senate, is no stranger to controversy. — Public fury over the governor's alleged misconduct has masked the once lively debate …
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Ian Welsh / Firedoglake:
Harry Reid's Doing the Right Thing — digg it — I've had my problems with Reid over the years, but he's not in the wrong on Blagojevich and Burris. This is not a racial issue. Long before Burris, a black man, was appointed by a corrupt governor, Reid said he wouldn't allow anyone, anyone, appointed by Blagojevich, to be seated.
Discussion:
Liberty Street
Chicago Tribune:
Roland Burris battles roadblocks to U.S. Senate; stall tactics likely by others — Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pick to replace Barack Obama vows to avoid scene in Washington — WASHINGTON — As U.S. Senate leadership developed an elaborate set of contingency plans Wednesday to keep Roland Burris …
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:Burris and Blago: What Happens Now?
Discussion:
Baltimore Sun, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, The Moderate Voice, RedState, First Draft, Hullabaloo and The Caucus
Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:Analysis: Must Senate seat Burris?
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com, Hullabaloo, TalkLeft, PoliBlog, Firedoglake, Balkinization and Chicago Breaking News
Mike Allen / The Politico:Blocking Blago: Senate has Plan B for 90-day delay
Discussion:
Washington Post, Commentary, D-Day, Washington Monthly, Progress Illinois, The Capitol Fax Blog and TPM Election Central
Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
AN OCCUPIED NATION AND A THREATENED ONE. — This blog is on a light schedule today and tomorrow due to various New Years related program activities, but it's worth quickly responding to Jonathan Chait's post on Israel and Palestine. Chait makes a common claim, which is that all analysis …
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Ephraim Sneh / Washington Post:
Why Israel Is Bombing Gaza — When demands are made of Israel to halt its military activities in Gaza, a brief historical reminder is in order. — In September 2005, Israel vacated Gaza, dismantled all the settlements in the Gaza Strip and did not leave a shred of a presence there.
New York Post:
SILVER NOW TAKES SHINE TO CAROLINE — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who last week sharply questioned whether Caroline Kennedy should be appointed to the US Senate, said yesterday he's rethinking his views because he believes Gov. Paterson may soon pick her.
Discussion:
The Daily Politics, Spin Cycle, Gothamist, Political Machine, TIME.com and NY Daily News
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Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
A Caretaker for New York — Looks like David Patterson may just kick the can down the road: … That's probably a decent idea. But I have to say that in my view both the Illinois situation, the Delaware situation, and the New York situation all basically serve to illustrate the over-arching point …
The Politico:
Obama's paparazzi presidency — ABC's Jake Tapper predicted this week that Barack Obama will be “the Britney Spears of 2009.” — Considering that Obama was deemed by some to be the Britney Spears of 2008, it wasn't much of a leap. — But a funny thing happened on the way to the cover of Us Weekly.
Yaakov Katz / Associated Press:
Nizar Rayyan considered successor of Ahmed Yassin — Sheikh Nizar Rayyan, 52, a senior Hamas leader and cleric, was killed along with several others on Thursday when an IAF aircraft dropped a bomb on the eight-story Jabalya apartment building he lived in, the IDF said.
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Ynetnews:Hamas leader, 20 Palestinians killed in IAF strikes
Discussion:
BBC, Jerusalem Post, Associated Press, Macsmind, Israellycool, Balloon Juice and Yourish.com
Ernesto Londoño / Washington Post:
At Midnight, U.S. Leaves Republican Palace, Green Zone to Iraqis — The walls of the majestic Republican Palace in Baghdad's Green Zone have been stripped bare. The vaults that secured American cash and classified documents are gone, and the cement blast walls that protected the front entrance were taken down this week.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, New York Times, theheretik.us, Neptunus Lex, Macsmind, Right Wing News, Danger Room, PoliBlog, RedState and Booman Tribune
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Swaraaj Chauhan / The Moderate Voice:
Australia: To Bare Or Not To Bare — Sydney's Bondy Beach is among a few designated beaches in Australia where top-less bathers are permitted to enjoy the sun, sand and the sea. In fact such beaches are a major draw for tourists too!!! But as Australians begin their long summer holidays this year …
Sandra Sobieraj Westfall / People.com:
Sarah Palin: Bristol & Levi ‘Working Their Butts Off to Parent’ — Sarah and Bristol Palin — Alaska Governor Sarah Palin hasn't yet said anything publicly about her 4-day-old grandson, Tripp, but she does want people to know that Tripp's parents - her eldest daughter Bristol …
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Charlie Savage / New York Times:
On Fast Track for Clemency, via the Oval Office — WASHINGTON — In December 2007, the names of about 700 federal prisoners seeking commutations reached President Bush's desk. He rejected all but one. Among the disappointed petitioners was Reed R. Prior, an Iowa man serving a life sentence …
Michelle Malkin:
First hate mail of 2009 — Someone told me about your blog today (michellemalkin.com). I find it hard to believe that someone other than a rich white dude or an old gullible white dude would write the crap that you are. What's wrong with you? — It's an old guy who told me about your site.
Discussion:
The Sundries Shack
New York Times:
Donald E. Westlake, Mystery Writer, Is Dead at 75 — Donald E. Westlake, a prolific, award-winning mystery novelist who pounded out more than 100 books and five screenplays on manual typewriters during his half-century career, died Wednesday night. He was 75.
Damien Cave / New York Times:
Grief Marks Anniversary of Triumph of Castro — HIALEAH, Fla. — Four months after they appeared in the waters between Havana and Miami, the four dead men remain nameless. At a morgue in the Florida Keys, they lie on stretchers stacked like bunk beds, their bodies chewed by sharks, their faces too putrified to be recognized.
Discussion:
Power Line
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