Top Items:
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
I want to play poker with Harry Reid. Really I do. — Rather than call for a special election in Illinois, Reid sends a letter to Blagojevich signed by everyone in the Democratic caucus asking him to step down. They assert that they will not seat anyone he appoints. — Harumph.
Discussion:
Ta-Nehisi Coates, On Deadline, The Swamp, GayPatriot, The Sundries Shack, Emptywheel, The Huffington Post and BuzzFlash.org
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David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME? — In his press conference just now, Barack Obama softened his approach on seating Roland Burris: … If he gets seated, I'll work with him? That's different from his earlier statement that Burris shouldn't be seated. — Late Update: The video:
Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
Report: Burris Will Get Obama Senate Seat
Report: Burris Will Get Obama Senate Seat
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blogs, WGN Radio, Chicago Sun Times, Mercury News, Pajamas Media, RBO, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Daily Kos
Walter Dellinger / New York Times:
City of Cold Shoulders
City of Cold Shoulders
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Chicago Sun Times, Michael Barone, TalkLeft, Althouse, New York Times and The Swamp
Ali Frick / Think Progress:
White House Asked Howard To Stay In Blair House To Give ‘Some Plausible Reason’ For Refusing Obama — In December, President-elect Obama asked the White House if he and his family could move into Blair House — the White House's guest house — a week early, so that his daughters Malia and Sasha could start school.
Discussion:
The Caucus, Taylor Marsh, Matthew Yglesias, D-Day, The New Republic, The Raw Story, Kevin Drum and Jules Crittenden
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Washington Post:
Blair House Mystery Solved: It's John Howard — The veil is lifted. We now know who is booked at Blair House, kicking President-elect Barack Obama and his family to the waiting list and across Lafayette Park to the Hay-Adams Hotel. — The only overnight visitor at the presidential guest manse …
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway, Liberty Street, Fausta's Blog, Political Machine, Macsmind and TPM Election Central
Michael Calderone / Michael Calderone's Blogs:
Matthews: Todd ‘just lost his virginity’ — After a record-setting number of transition press conferences in Chicago, Obama answered questions from reporters in Washington for the first time as President-Elect. On hand were several new members of the White House press corps.
Associated Press:
Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent — TOLEDO, Ohio - Joe The Plumber is putting down his wrenches and picking up a reporter's notebook. — The Ohio man who became a household name during the presidential campaign says he is heading to Israel as a war correspondent for the conservative Web site pjtv.com.
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Associated Press:
Joe the Plumber named war correspondent in Israel for conservative Web site — Joe the Plumber is taking on a new job. — The Ohio man, who became famous during the U.S. presidential campaign after asking Barack Obama about his tax plan, is heading to Israel as a war correspondent for a conservative Web site called pjtv.com.
Michelle Malkin:
Joe the Plumber heads to Israel — Joe The Plumber will cover the Gaza conflict for PJTV. He'll be there for 10 days. Stay safe, Joe!
CNN:
Porn industry seeks federal bailout — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Another major American industry is asking for assistance as the global financial crisis continues: Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis said Wednesday they will request that Congress allocate $5 billion …
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Thomas E. Ricks / Foreign Policy:
Fiasco at the Army War College — Did faculty members at the Army War College curtail their criticism of the Iraq war for fear of institutional retaliation? — That seems to be the bottom line in a situation I stumbled across just a few days ago. A friend passed along a 2005 e-mail note …
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Michael J. Totten:
Stop Juan Cole — Juan Cole is decrying all the neocons he's forced to compete with in the 2008 Weblog Awards for Best Middle East or Africa Blog. He thinks Helena Cobban — a deranged Hezbollah supporter — should have been nominated instead of someone like me.
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Wall Street Journal:
Israel Resumes Strikes in Gaza after Three-Hour Lull — Israel's security cabinet Wednesday approved a continuation of its ground assault in the Gaza Strip, and resumed strikes against the territory after a brief lull it called to expedite the distribution of humanitarian aid.
RELATED:
Yaakov Katz / Associated Press:
IDF steps up anti-tunnel ops, warns civilians to vacate area
IDF steps up anti-tunnel ops, warns civilians to vacate area
Discussion:
Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, Mere Rhetoric, Ynetnews, Israel Matzav, Atlas Shrugs and Reuters
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Kemp diagnosed with cancer — Former GOP vice presidential nominee Jack Kemp, 73, has been diagnosed with cancer. — According to a statement from his consulting firm, Kemp Partners, doctors are still testing Kemp before determining a course of treatment.
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Sweet on Caroline — Ask not, you know, what your country can, like, do for you. Ask what you, um, can, you know, do for your country. — After a lifetime of shying away from the public spotlight, Caroline Kennedy asked herself what she could do for her country.
Discussion:
The Fix, Commentary, Gothamist, Politics on the Hudson, Whiskey Fire, Buck Naked Politics, NewsBusters.org, Wonkette, Jon Swift and Spin Cycle
Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
PARTISAN SELF-DECEPTION. — Matt Yglesias notes that left-of-center commentary has been notably more pessimistic on the state of the economy than right-of-center commentary. He offers three hypotheses (left-wing positions are psychologically correlated to pessimism, pessimism was correct …
Kevin Vance / Weekly Standard:
Team Sarah Infiltrated — Administrators of Team Sarah have uncovered evidence on a left-wing online thread that some Internet trolls sought to discredit the organization by posing as conservative racists on Team Sarah's forums. — Team Sarah, an online community supportive of Gov. Sarah Palin …
Michael Falcone / The Caucus:
McCain Starts ‘Country First’ PAC — Less than two weeks from the inauguration that he hoped would usher in his own presidential administration, Senator John McCain announced the formation of a new political action committee that will work to promote Republican causes.
Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
The Mideast's Ground Zero — The fighting, death and destruction in Gaza is painful to watch. But it's all too familiar. It's the latest version of the longest-running play in the modern Middle East, which, if I were to give it a title, would be called: “Who owns this hotel? Can the Jews have a room?
David Harsanyi / Denver Post:
Get out of the way, you old fogies — Warning: This column is replete with ageism — a hazardous prejudice to have in a nation growing progressively older. — The average American's life expectancy (or, as it's referred to in Washington, the “junior senator") is now a crusty 77 years.
Discussion:
Reason
Little Green Footballs:
IDF Kills Giant Jew-Eating Rabbit — Last Friday on Hamas TV, Gaza's children learned that the IDF had killed Assud, the giant Jew-eating rabbit. — Very sad, but at least the bunny didn't have to undergo amputation. — FurryOldGuyJeans :: 49 seconds ago
Discussion:
Seraphic Secret
Washington Wire:
Obama's Remarks on His Pick for Chief Performance Officer — The prepared remarks of President-elect Barack Obama in Washington on his pick for White House chief performance officer. — Good morning. — By now, we all know that we are facing a crisis in our economy …
The Huffington Post:
Dem Activists Plan ‘PCCC’ To Back Progressives — On Tuesday, Tom Perriello was sworn in as a freshman member of Congress. Sam Bennett was not. — The divergent courses these two progressive candidates took were not driven by the political winds. Perriello won in a deeply conservative …
Associated Press:
No serious objections expected to Hillary Clinton — WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton has held lengthy private discussions with leaders of the Senate committee reviewing her nomination to be secretary of state and will face a public hearing Tuesday.
Discussion:
TIME.com
Andrew Roth / Club for Growth:
Dumbness on the First Day — Over 400 bills were proposed by congressional members on the first day of business yesterday. Jim Harper offers up some of his “favorites”. Here are ones that stuck out in my mind: … Who were the most prolific bill writers? In the House: … In the Senate:
Discussion:
PoliPundit.com