Top Items:
Marc Ambinder:
Obama Dines With Conservative Opinion Leaders — It's true. — He motorcaded to a house in Maryland this evening, and if the press pool report is accurate, he is breaking bread with William Kristol and David Brooks. (If Brooks and Kristol seem to be unusually briefed about Obama's thinking, you'll know why.)
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The Huffington Post:
Obama And Conservatives Break Bread At George Will's House — Barack Obama took the next big step in his Republican charm offensive on Tuesday night, when he dined with several of the nation's most prominent conservative pundits. — The president-elect arrived at the Chevy Chase, Md. …
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Dinner with conservatives — The president-elect tonight is having dinner with some ideological adversaries: four of the most widely-read conservative columnists. — He's dining at the Chevy Chase home of Washington Post columnist George Will with the Post's Charles Krauthammer …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Washington Post, Betsy's Page, Right Wing News, The New Republic and New York Times
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Is Obama meeting with Rush Limbaugh tonight? Update: Nope — Sounds nutty, I know, but Ambinder breaks news that The One's dining with “conservative opinion leaders” in Maryland, evidently at George Will's house. Among the attendees: Bill Kristol, David Brooks, and ... anyone else?
Discussion:
FishBowlDC
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Obama Dines With Conservative Writers — From the pool report: — The PEOTUS departed Hay-Adams at 6:17 p.m. and at arrived at 6:34 p.m. at No. 9 Grafton St., Chevy Chase (right off the circle). Thanks to the good work of Hans Nichols (of Bloomberg and “Daily Show” fame) …
Bob Woodward / Washington Post:
Detainee Tortured, Says U.S. Official — Trial Overseer Cites ‘Abusive’ Methods Against 9/11 Suspect — The top Bush administration official in charge of deciding whether to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to trial has concluded that the U.S. military tortured a Saudi national who allegedly planned …
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Peter Finn / Washington Post:
Evidence in Terror Cases Said to Be in Chaos — Military Officials Reject Ex-Prosecutor's Charges — A former military prosecutor said in a declaration filed in federal court yesterday that the system of handling evidence against detainees at Guantanamo Bay is so chaotic that it is impossible …
David Morgan / Reuters:
Pentagon: 61 ex-Guantanamo inmates return to terrorism
Pentagon: 61 ex-Guantanamo inmates return to terrorism
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit, The Atlanticist, Political Punch, Jihad Watch, The Jawa Report, Macsmind and Weasel Zippers
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
Geithner Questioned on Tax Returns — WASHINGTON — Timothy F. Geithner, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Treasury secretary, failed to pay more than $34,000 in federal taxes over several years early this decade, and also faces questions about the employment papers of a former household employee …
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Jonathan Weisman / Wall Street Journal:
Senators Raise Questions About Geithner's Nomination at Treasury — Sen. Charles E. Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is raising questions about a housekeeper who worked briefly for Treasury Secretary-nominee Timothy Geithner without proper immigration papers …
Discussion:
Portfolio, Political Punch, Washington Wire, QandO, Michelle Malkin, Ben Smith's Blogs, Hot Air, TPM Election Central, The Swamp, Blue Jersey, Political Machine, Matthew Yglesias, MSNBC, Washington Monthly, D-Day, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, PoliPundit.com, Townhall.com, Taylor Marsh and Talking Points Memo
Jackie Calmes / The Caucus:
Geithner, Choice for Treasury, Questioned on His Tax Returns
Geithner, Choice for Treasury, Questioned on His Tax Returns
Discussion:
OpenMarket.org, New West Notes, On Deadline, TIME.com, Salon, The Washington Independent and Philly.com
Tracy Baim / Windy City Media Group Gay …:
Obama changed views on gay marriage — Windy City Times Exclusive: WCT Examines His Step Back — Images for this article: (click on the thumbnail to see fullsize) — 1996 statement: ‘I favor legalizing same-sex marriages’ — During the final weeks of the presidential campaign last fall …
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Obama backed same-sex marriage in 1996 — A document has emerged suggesting that Obama had taken more public, liberal stands in the past than had been revealed in the digging of reporters and opposition researchers over two years of campaigning, the latest of several pointing to a rightward shift as he moved into national politics.
Discussion:
CNN, MyDD, Weekly Standard, Hot Air, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Think Progress and JammieWearingFool
Agence France Presse:
Australia offers ‘best job in world’ on paradise island — SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian state is offering internationally what it calls “the best job in the world” — earning a top salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months. — The job pays 150,000 Australian dollars …
Times of London:
Iranian protesters burn Barack Obama pictures — Iranian demonstrators burned photographs of Barack Obama today as they protested against America's inaction over Gaza. — Dozens of people gathered in Tehran waving Palestinian flags and defacing and setting fire to images of the President-elect.
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The Huffington Post:
Obama Issues First Veto Threat — President-elect Barack Obama made his first veto threat Tuesday in a closed-door meeting with Senate Democrats. Obama told his former colleagues that if Congress passes a resolution blocking release of the second half of the financial bailout funds he will veto it …
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Campbell Clark / Globe and Mail:
CANADA VOTES AGAINST RESOLUTION — Yesterday, Canada was the sole member of the UN Human Rights Council to vote against a resolution, which passed in a 33-1 vote, condemning Israel over its actions in Gaza. — The vote crystallized Canada's emergence under Stephen Harper's government as one of Israel's firmest supporters.
Brad Stone / New York Times:
Report Calls Online Threats to Children Overblown — The Internet may not be such a dangerous place for children after all. — A high-profile task force created by 49 state attorneys general to find a solution to the problem of sexual solicitation of children online has concluded …
David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:
Bush appointee saw Justice lawyers as ‘commies,’ ‘crazy libs,’ report says — Bradley Schlozman, who supervised civil rights and voting rights lawyers, broke the law by considering political affiliations in deciding who can serve, an inspector general's report says.
Financial Times:
Europe baffled by broken gas promises — By Isabel Gorst in Moscow, Joshua Chaffin in Brussels and Roman Olearchyk in Kiev — The bitter gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine descended into near-chaos on Tuesday, leaving European Union diplomats baffled as promises to restart supplies fully …
Discussion:
TigerHawk
Brandon Friedman / Military.com:
Reclaiming Army Standards — When I was in Afghanistan, one of my finest soldiers—a PFC machine gunner—was without a high school diploma. In his case, however, it was irrelevant to the mission we had to accomplish. He was professional, competent, and certainly on track to become a great leader.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly