Top Items:
Associated Press:
Richardson withdraws as Commerce nominee — New Mexico governor cites pending investigation of business dealings — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Sunday announced that he was withdrawing his nomination to be President-elect Barack Obama's commerce secretary amid a grand jury investigation …
Discussion:
Top of the Ticket, The Politico, Washington Monthly, BitsBlog, The Fix, Philly.com, MSNBC, TigerHawk, Reuters, Change.org's Blog Network, Wizbang, PoliGazette, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Don Surber, The Field on the Narcosphere, The Mahablog, Michelle Malkin, Firedoglake, Outside The Beltway, Hotline On Call, Swampland, Think Progress, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, NewsBusters.org, Riehl World View, TPM Election Central, Booman Tribune, The Economic Populist, QandO, Fox News and Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!
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Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:
Va. Governor Kaine to Become DNC Chairman — Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will become chairman of the Democratic National Committee later this month, serving as the top political messenger for Barack Obama's administration even while he finishes his final year in the governor's mansion, several sources said.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Fix, Scorecard's Blogs, Commentary, MyDD, DownWithTyranny!, The Raw Story, Political Machine, Daily Kos and Booman Tribune
Dschabner / Political Punch:
Obama Team Feels Richardson Wasn't Forthcoming About Investigation Before Being Offered Commerce — Sources tell ABC News that officials on the Obama Transition Team feel that before he was formally offered the job of commerce secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was not forthcoming …
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Team Obama: Richardson misled us — It looks as if Barack Obama and his transition team know how badly Bill Richardson's resignation reflects on them. They have started leaking to the press that Richardson's to blame for the embarrassing spectacle this afternoon of his withdrawal as a Cabinet nominee.
Discussion:
Stop The ACLU
Brian Knowlton / New York Times:
Richardson Withdraws as Commerce Nominee — WASHINGTON — Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, one of the country's most prominent Hispanic politicians and President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be commerce secretary, on Sunday dropped out of consideration for that post.
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine to head DNC — Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has been chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to head the Democratic National Committee, a Democratic official said. — The pick is a bet that an energetic younger leader will help the party capitalize on the historic enthusiasm that swept Obama to his landslide win.
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Virginia Governor Is Named Democratic Committee Chief — WASHINGTON — Gov. Tim Kaine, of Virginia, who was a top contender to be President-elect Barack Obama's running mate, has been tapped by him to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Democrats familiar with the decision said Sunday.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
Siun / Firedoglake:
Gaza Update: Cluster Bombs — There's more evidence today of Israeli use of cluster bombs, originally noted by Laura Doty at Oxdown. The Times of London features a photo in it's coverage (see Gaza Conflict slide show) with the following description:
Discussion:
Palestine Monitor, Financial Times, Newshoggers.com, AlterNet.org, Stop The ACLU, Think Progress and Associated Press
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Times of London:
Israel splits Gaza in three as soldiers battle Hamas — James Hider on the Gaza border and Azmi Keshawi in Gaza City — Israeli troops fought heavy battles with Hamas fighters in two densely populated Gaza towns today as the Army sought to split the strip into three sections to cut off the Islamist group's supply lines.
Martina Stewart / CNN:
Leading Democrat: Bush 'the worst president we've ever had' — WASHINGTON (CNN) - As the nation prepares for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, a leading Democrat is not letting up in his criticism of President George W. Bush. — “I really do believe President Bush …
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MSNBC:
Jan. 4: Harry Reid, Richard Engel, roundtable
Jan. 4: Harry Reid, Richard Engel, roundtable
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit, Althouse, Associated Press, The Moderate Voice, RedState and The Capitol Fax Blog
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Reid cracks Senate door open for Burris
Reid cracks Senate door open for Burris
Discussion:
The Swamp, TPM Election Central, Top of the Ticket, Associated Press and Political Machine
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Orwell, blinding tribalism, selective Terrorism, and Israel/Gaza — (updated below) — Former McCain-Palin campaign spokesman and current Weekly Standard editor Michael Goldfarb notes that Israel, a couple of days ago, dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on a Gazan home which killed a top Hamas leader …
Discussion:
THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Eunomia, protein wisdom, The Daily Dish, AmSpecBlog, Right Wing News, Balloon Juice and The Tank
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Ryan Powers / Think Progress:
George H. W. Bush: I'd like to see Jeb elected president.» — This morning on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace asked former President George H.W. Bush about the possibility of his son, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, running for Senate. The former president expressed his hope …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Matthew Yglesias, Washington Monthly, AMERICAblog News and The Moderate Voice
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John / Power Line:
THE HONEYMOON: OVER BEFORE IT BEGAN! — Many liberals have what strikes me as a touching faith that the election of Barack Obama will cause America to be better loved by people around the world, including those who are ideologically hostile to the United States.
Discussion:
Townhall.com
Wall Street Journal:
Obama Eyes $310 Billion Tax Cut — WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are crafting a plan to offer as much as $310 billion of tax cuts to individuals and businesses, a move aimed at attracting Republican support for an economic-stimulus package and prodding companies to create jobs.
Gideon Levy / Haaretz:
And there lie the bodies — The legend, lest it be a true story, tells of how the late mathematician, Professor Haim Hanani, asked his students at the Technion to draw up a plan for constructing a pipe to transport blood from Haifa to Eilat. The obedient students did as they were told.