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.
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 …
Slate:
How the Senate Can Stop Blagojevich — It easily has the power to block the governor's appointment of Roland Burris. — Does the Constitution allow the Senate to refuse to seat Roland Burris, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's surprise appointee? In a word, yes. Here's why.
Discussion:
Althouse, Balkinization, Concurring Opinions, TalkLeft, Daily Kos and The Volokh Conspiracy
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:Burris and Blago: What Happens Now?
Discussion:
Emptywheel, the talking dog, RedState, MyDD, Baltimore Sun, Majikthise, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, PoliBlog, The Moderate Voice, TalkLeft and First Draft
Mike Allen / The Politico:Blocking Blago: Senate has Plan B for 90-day delay
Discussion:
Commentary, Washington Monthly, D-Day, Progress Illinois, The Capitol Fax Blog, Washington Post 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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Oliver Kay / Times of London:
Gaza rockets put Israel's nuclear plant in battle zone — Growing concern over Hamas's new arsenal — There were growing fears in Israel last night that Hamas missiles could threaten its top-secret nuclear facility at Dimona. — Rocket attacks from Gaza have forced Israelis to flee …
Jerusalem Post:
IAF strikes Jabalya mosque that was used as launching ground — As Israel's Operation Cast Lead against Hamas in Gaza entered its sixth day, the Israeli Air Force bombed a mosque in the village of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip. — The Holfe Mosque was used as a launching ground for rockets …
icWales is now WalesOnline:Protesters against BBC Gaza coverage glue themselves to entrance barriers
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.
New York Times:
A Focus on Violence by G.I.'s Back From War — FORT CARSON, Colo. — For the past several years, as this Army installation in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains became a busy way station for soldiers cycling in and out of Iraq, the number of servicemen implicated in violent crimes has raised alarm.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
James Randerson / Guardian:
Nasa's James Hansen warns Barack Obama on climate change — Current approaches to deal with climate change are ineffectual, one of the world's top climate scientists said today in a personal new year appeal to Barack Obama and his wife Michelle on the urgent need to tackle global warming.
Patrick Healy / MSNBC:
Calif. Taxpayers Due Refunds May Get IOUs — If you expect you'll be getting a refund from California when you file your 2008 state income tax return, be prepared: you may instead receive a “registered warrant.” Translation: an IOU. — California is rapidly running out of money.
Phil Nourie / PR Newswire:
Poll: 77% of Americans Blame Media for Making Economic Crisis Worse — New Poll Conducted by Opinion Research Corporation - — Seventy-seven percent of Americans believe that the U.S. media is making the economic situation worse by projecting fear into people's minds.
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.
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:
PERRspectives Blog, New York Times, PoliBlog, Macsmind, Right Wing News, theheretik.us, Neptunus Lex, Danger Room, RedState, Gateway Pundit and Booman Tribune
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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 …
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