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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Steven Erlanger / New York Times:
Rockets Fired From Lebanon Into Northern Israel — JERUSALEM — Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza threatened to broaden on Thursday as at least three rockets were fired into the north of Israel from Lebanon. — The rockets, presumably launched in support of Hamas, could presage the opening of a second front.
Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:
The Gaza Boomerang — At a time when Israel is bombing Gaza to try to smash Hamas, it's worth remembering that Israel itself helped nurture Hamas. — When Hamas was founded in 1987, Israel was mostly concerned with Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement and figured that a religious Palestinian organization would help undermine Fatah.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Time, Soccer Dad, Philly.com, Backspin, Firedoglake, Guardian and The Telegraph
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.
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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.
Steve Kraske / KansasCity.com Prime Buzz:
Source: Bond is OUT; won't seek re-election in 2010 — In a bombshell of a development, Missouri Sen. Kit Bond is expected to announce today that he won't seek re-election in 2010. — The four-term senator is to address the General Assembly this morning during the 10 a.m. hour and announce his retirement.
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 …
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Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:
Obama to Name Lawyer Friend To Regulatory Affairs Position — President-elect Barack Obama will name Cass R. Sunstein, a close friend and one of the nation's top constitutional lawyers, to a senior-level post in charge of government regulation, a transition official said.
New York Times:
Obama Promises Bid to Overhaul Retiree Spending — WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama said Wednesday that overhauling Social Security and Medicare would be “a central part” of his administration's efforts to contain federal spending, signaling for the first time that he would wade …
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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.
Discussion:
The Campaign Spot
Ynetnews:
Rockets hit northern Israel — At least two Katyushas fired at Western Galilee region, one rocket hits nursing home in Nahariya, lightly injuring two people. IDF estimates Palestinian group behind attack. Lebanon says committed to ceasefire resolution — A Katyusha barrage was fired Thursday …
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Bill Carter / New York Times:
NBC's Matthews Won't Run for Senate — Chris Matthews, the host of the MSNBC program “Hardball,” told his staff on Wednesday night that he would not run for the Senate in 2010 from Pennsylvania. — For much of the last year, Mr. Matthews had been considering entering the Senate race …
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Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:After Flirtation With Politics, Chris Matthews Stays at MSNBC
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org
Robert Pear / New York Times:
Daschle to Face Tough Questions on Competition in Health Insurance — WASHINGTON — When Tom Daschle shows up for a confirmation hearing on Thursday, senators are likely to grant him all the courtesies due a former Senate majority leader. — But that does not mean Mr. Daschle should expect only softball questions.
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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.”
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
President Bush Tried to Rein In Fan and Fred — Democrats and the media have the housing story wrong. — Mythmaking is in full swing as the Bush administration prepares to leave town. Among the more prominent is the assertion that the housing meltdown resulted from unbridled capitalism under a president opposed to all regulation.
Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post:
Army Sends ‘Dear John Doe’ Letters to Families of Fallen Troops — The Army mistakenly sent letters addressed “Dear John Doe” to 7,000 family members of soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, unleashing calls from troubled relatives and prompting a formal apology yesterday from the Army's top general.
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
SPECTER'S DELICATE SENSIBILITIES.... Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-Pa.) angry crusade against Eric Holder's A.G. nomination seems petty, pointless, and counter-productive. Facing a difficult re-election campaign next year in a “blue” state Obama won by double digits, Specter may even be undermining his career with his odd tactics.
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Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
McConnell Urges Coleman To Fight On, Despite Urging Gore To ‘Be A Statesman’ And Concede In 2000 — On Monday, the Minnesota State Canvassing Board certified Democrat Al Franken as the victor in the U.S. Senate race recount, beating incumbent Republican Norm Coleman by 225 votes.
Discussion:
Don Surber
Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:
“It Goes with the Turf” — Cheney still doesn't take it personally. — Vice President Dick Cheney believes he hasn't “fundamentally changed” since he came to Washington 40 years ago. Only his job has changed. As vice president, he doesn't talk freely to the press about what he's doing.
Mark Murray / MSNBC:
THE BUSH YEARS — THEN AND NOW — From NBC's Mark Murray — With President Bush set to leave the White House less than two weeks from now, here's a “Then and Now” to show what the United States looked like when Bush was entering office and what it looks like now as he's leaving.
Randal C. Archibold / New York Times:
U.S. Plans Border ‘Surge’ Against Any Drug Wars — The soaring level of violence in Mexico resulting from the drug wars there has led the United States to develop plans for a “surge” of civilian and perhaps even military law enforcement should the bloodshed spread across the border …
John Eggerton / Broadcasting & Cable:
Markey: Feb. 17 DTV Date May Have To Move — Obama FCC transition team also floating idea, sources say — The DTV hard date appears to be softening. — Consumers Union (CU) late Wednesday asked the heads of the congressional committees with telecommunications oversight …
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