Top Items:
Jimmy Carter / Washington Post:
An Unnecessary War — I know from personal involvement that the devastating invasion of Gaza by Israel could easily have been avoided. — After visiting Sderot last April and seeing the serious psychological damage caused by the rockets that had fallen in that area, my wife, Rosalynn …
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Marvin Hier / Wall Street Journal:
The Jews Face a Double Standard — Why doesn't Israel have the same right to self-defense as other nations? — The world-wide protests against Israel's ground incursion into Gaza are so full of hatred that they leave me with the terrible feeling that these protests have little …
THE WEEK - Online:
Why Democrats recoil from Gaza — Good for Shrum for championing Israel's right to defend itself against the Hamas rocket barrage. He is correct, too, that lasting peace will come only when the Palestinians abandon their hope that Israel can somehow be defeated or destroyed.
Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:The Gaza Boomerang
Discussion:
Time, Los Angeles Times, Soccer Dad, Backspin, Firedoglake, Guardian, Philly.com and The Telegraph
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
MO-Senate: Bond to Retire — Missouri Sen. Kit Bond (R) will retire in 2010, a decision that hands Democrats a prime pickup opportunity in a state where the party has made strides in recent years. — “In 1972, I became Missouri's youngest Governor,” Bond said this morning in an address to the Missouri General Assembly.
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Manu Raju / The Politico:
Bond will not seek another term — Sen. Kit Bond, a senior Republican from Missouri who sits on several powerful Senate committees, announced Thursday that he will not run for reelection in 2010, giving Democrats a shot to pick up a seat in a state that has emerged as a major battleground.
Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
Obama Digs In for His BlackBerry — WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has yet to relent, but he conceded that he might be losing the battle to keep his independent lifeline to the outside world. — “I'm still clinging to my BlackBerry,” Mr. Obama said Wednesday. “They're going to pry it out of my hands.”
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Capital Commerce:
Why Obama Will ‘Own’ the Recession — For eight decades, Democrats have successfully blamed Republican Herbert Hoover for the decade-long Great Depression. That, even though Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal failed to restore prosperity or dramatically lower unemployment, and his tax increases in 1937 snuffed out a nascent recovery.
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Palin: Media goes easy on Kennedy — Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) believes Caroline Kennedy is getting softer press treatment in her pursuit of the New York Senate seat than Palin did as the GOP vice presidential nominee because of Kennedy's social class. — “I've been interested …
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Christi Parsons / Chicago Tribune:
Barack Obama asks longtime University of Chicago professor Cass Sunstein to join his administration — Law scholar will handle regulation issues, transition official says — WASHINGTON — Cass Sunstein, a longtime University of Chicago legal scholar and prominent author …
Discussion:
Liberal Values, Matthew Yglesias, TIME.com, Ben Smith's Blogs and The Washington Independent
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Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:Obama Picks Sunstein to Oversee Regulations
Discussion:
Boston Globe
Neal Rodriguez / The Huffington Post:
BART Cop Needs to Be Held without Bail — I have yet to see any widespread nationwide coverage on the New Year's execution style murder of Oscar Grant by a Bay Area Rapid Transit - BART - police officer. Somebody told me that they saw 5 minutes of coverage on CNN last night.
Discussion:
Towleroad
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David Colton / USA Today:
Obama, Spider-Man on the same comic-book page — In a growing world of Barack Obama collectibles, one item soon may be swinging above the rest. — On Jan. 14, Marvel Comics is releasing a special issue of Amazing Spider-Man #583 with Obama depicted on the cover.
Brian Knowlton / New York Times:
Obama Presses for Action on the Economy — WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday urged Congress to act quickly to pass sweeping economic stimulus measures, including a tax cut and an infusion of as much as $800 billion, or face the likelihood that “this recession could linger for years.”
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The Politico:
Transcript: Obama to boost alt. energy — Here is the prepared text of President-elect Obama's remarks Thursday morning in Fairfax, Va., titled “American Recovery and Reinvestment,” the name of his proposed $750 billion stimulus package: — Throughout America's history …
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Chicago Breaking News:
Panel urges impeachment of Blagojevich — The special Illinois House panel investigating Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued a draft report today recommending impeachment, putting lawmakers on a path toward removing the two-term Democrat from office. — “The citizens of this state must have confidence …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Associated Press, Ben Smith's Blogs, Hot Air, TIME.com and Emptywheel
Jesse J. Holland / Associated Press:
Congress asks judge to keep Bush records at WH — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - The new Congress on Thursday asked a federal judge to force the Bush White House to keep documents on the controversial firings of nine federal prosecutors instead of turning them over to the National Archives.
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Jonathan Stein / MoJoBlog:
Updated Senate Phone List Erases Norm Coleman — The Democratic Senate leadership is doing everything it can to pretend that Norm Coleman doesn't exist. It shut down his Capitol Hill office earlier this week, and a Senate source provides Mother Jones with a copy of an updated phone list …
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Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:McConnell Urges Coleman To Fight On, Despite Urging Gore To 'Be …
Discussion:
Don Surber
ninemsn:
Americans miffed at Howard bumping Obama — John Howard's decision to stay at the luxurious Blair House mansion in Washington DC has sparked a firestorm of protest in the US. — Outraged American taxpayers are demanding the former Australian prime minister book a hotel or stay at the Australian embassy.
Andie Coller / The Politico:
Obama's ‘first mistakes’ mount — Team Obama has made its first mistake — again. — When Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination as commerce secretary earlier this week, NBC's Andrea Mitchell declared it “the Obama team's first misstep.” — But Mitchell had been scooped.
Discussion:
Hot Air
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM THAT DOESN'T EXIST.... You've got to be kidding. … These guys aren't pushing a bill to get rid of the Fairness Doctrine, because it's already gone. They're pushing a bill to prevent anyone from trying to bring it back — despite the fact that there is no meaningful effort to do so.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
ANY REAL CONSTITUENCY FOR BOLD ACTION? — Here's my question. — In the avalanche of writing about a massive Stimulus Bill, the one proposition (though grandly general) that's been of most interest to me is one that is heavy on infrastructure spending and spending on R&D geared toward developing a sustainable Green economy.
Discussion:
Kevin Drum
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