Top Items:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP senators target two Obama nominees — Partisan lines have formed around President-elect Obama's two most embattled Cabinet picks, with Eric Holder and Tim Geithner facing increasing criticism from Republicans. — Democrats, who have not shied away from attacking Obama's economic team …
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Right Wing News
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Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Parties Brace for a Fight on Justice Dept. Choice — WASHINGTON — The Senate hearing that starts Thursday for Eric H. Holder Jr., chosen to be attorney general by President-elect Barack Obama, may be as much a trial as a confirmation, but just who is on trial will depend on who is asking the questions.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Boston Globe, Spin Cycle, MSNBC, The Caucus, The Note, New York Times, Time, TIME.com, MoJoBlog and Democracy in America
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
After Tax Errors Raised, GOP Leaders Defend Treasury Nominee — But Some Call Geithner's Actions Serious Missteps — Was he cheating on his taxes or just sloppy with his finances? Lawmakers vetting the nomination of Timothy F. Geithner to serve as Treasury secretary say they may never be sure.
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Biden Outlines Plans to Do More With Less Power — WASHINGTON — He was in the Senate for 36 years and visited the White House under seven presidents. But Joseph R. Biden Jr. has never seen the inside of the vice president's office in the West Wing. “I never thought a lot about the vice presidency …
New York Times:
Israel Strikes U.N. Complex in Gaza Strip — GAZA — Amid reports that a United Nations building had been hit, Israeli forces shelled areas deep inside Gaza City and edged forward toward the city center Thursday, sending thousands of panicked residents fleeing from their homes, witnesses said.
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Associated Press:
Israel Shells UN Headquarters In Gaza — GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel shelled the United Nations headquarters in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, engulfing the compound and the main warehouse in fire and destroying thousands of pounds of food and humanitarian supplies intended for Palestinian refugees.
Byron York / National Review:
York: Geithner Accepted IMF Reimbursement for Taxes He D... Although it has been dismissed by some observers as a “hiccup” in an otherwise smooth confirmation process, treasury secretary-designate Timothy Geithner's failure to pay self-employment taxes during the years he worked …
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Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
Geithner's Skill May Trump Tax Issue
Geithner's Skill May Trump Tax Issue
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Los Angeles Times, RedState, Talking Points Memo, The Other McCain and Wall Street Journal
Isabel Kershner / New York Times:
War on Hamas Saps Palestinian Leaders — JERUSALEM — Israel hoped that the war in Gaza would not only cripple Hamas, but eventually strengthen its secular rival, the Palestinian Authority, and even allow it to claw its way back into Gaza. — But with each day, the authority, its leader …
Discussion:
Yourish.com, Jeffrey Goldberg, Jules Crittenden, Newshoggers.com, Commentary and Firedoglake
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Democrats Finishing Up Stimulus Proposal — President-Elect Is Expected to Tout Plan Tomorrow — Congressional Democrats are putting the final touches on an economic stimulus package worth almost $850 billion, hoping to have the details ready in time for President-elect Barack Obama …
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Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Intelligence Court Rules Wiretapping Program Legal — WASHINGTON — A federal intelligence court, in a rare public opinion, is expected to issue a major ruling validating the power of the president and Congress to wiretap international phone calls and intercept e-mail messages without a court order …
Andrew Roberts / Telegraph:
History will show that George W Bush was right — The American lady who called to see if I would appear on her radio programme was specific. “We're setting up a debate,” she said sweetly, “and we want to know from your perspective as a historian whether George W Bush was the worst president …
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah, No More Mister Nice Blog, Gateway Pundit, Samizdata.net, Power Line, Macsmind and protein wisdom
Michael Stokes Paulsen / Wall Street Journal:
The Minnesota Recount Was Unconstitutional — There's still plenty of time for the state to get it right. — You would think people would learn. The recount in the contest between Norm Coleman and Al Franken for a seat in the U.S. Senate isn't just embarrassing. It is unconstitutional.
Joel Mowbray / Fox News:
U.N. Agency That Runs School Hit in Gaza Employed Hamas and Islamic Jihad Members — The United Nations agency that administers a school in Gaza where dozens of civilians were killed by Israeli mortar fire last week has admitted to employing terrorists to work at its Palestinian schools in the past …
Julian Borger / Guardian:
‘War on terror’ was a mistake, says Miliband — The foreign secretary, David Miliband, today argues that the use of the “war on terror” as a western rallying cry since the September 11 attacks has been a mistake that may have caused “more harm than good”. — In an article in today's Guardian …
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Eli Lake / Washington Times:
EXCLUSIVE: Panetta faces rendition queries — Panel eyes CIA pick's role in shaping policy during the Clinton era — President-elect Barack Obama's choice for CIA director, Leon Panetta, served as White House chief of staff during the time the Clinton administration accelerated a practice …
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Best of All Possible Presidencies — What a sunny view Condoleezza Rice took in a valedictory conversation with Post journalists this week. She could have been Dr. Pangloss's daughter in her steadfastly upbeat account of the world. Asked about policies she regretted, she offered the cheerful retort …
Christopher Buckley / The Daily Beast:
Inaugural Freak Show — Blogs and Stories — You'll never believe how a Christian right congressman and two anti-abortion protestors have prepared the Capitol for the Obama's inauguration. — On January 7, second-term Republican Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia and two friends prayed over a door.
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Americans Want Details Before Release of More TARP Funds — Both Democrats and Republicans favor blocking funds until there are more details — USA - Business and Economy - Congress - Credit Crisis - Financial Services - Government and Politics - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America
Hugh Hewitt / Townhall.com:
Confirm Geithner; Approve The TARP Funds, and Get The Stimulus Right — Flying back to California from D.C. last night on Jet Blue I watched a few hours of the panels on the financial stations chewing over the dispiriting retail news from December, the illness of Steve Jobs …
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
Clifford Krauss / New York Times:
Where Is Oil Going Next? — HOUSTON — From the Indian Ocean to the South Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico, giant supertankers brimming with oil are resting at anchor or slowly tracing racetrack patterns through the sea, heading nowhere. — The ships are marking time, serving as floating oil-storage tanks.
Discussion:
Don Surber
Alexander Wolff / Sports Illustrated:
The Audacity of Hoops … The path is a familiar one: Ancestry in Kansas; influences from Africa; a kind of apotheosis in Michael Jordan's Chicago; eventual acclamation by the world. And while, no, basketball itself won't be sworn in next Tuesday as the 44th president of the U.S. …
Rich Noyes / NewsBusters.org:
AP Slammed Bush's ‘Extravagant’ Inaugural in '05, But Now It's Spend, Baby, Spend — Four years ago, the Associated Press and others in the press suggested it was in poor taste for Republicans to spend $40 million on President Bush's inauguration. AP writer Will Lester calculated the impact …
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Media Research Center, Guardian, Scared Monkeys, QandO, Jules Crittenden, Flopping Aces, Neptunus Lex, Washington Times and Associated Press
Sacramento Bee:
Assembly retirements teach a corrosive lesson — As regular state workers braced for unpaid two-day-a-month furloughs, top staffers in the state Assembly walked away from their jobs last month with richer pensions that are likely to cost taxpayers a bundle. — How much? No one knows.
Discussion:
Reason
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Obama Charms Even a Night's Grand Ol' Party — At one point during the party, CNBC's Larry Kudlow asked Barack Obama why he had hired several of the liberal guests who appeared on his program but left him Robert Reich. — “So someone will stick up for me on your show,” the president-elect replied.
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The E&P Pub