Top Items:
Roger Simon / The Politico:
What if I didn't pay taxes? — Would it be OK if I stopped paying my taxes until Barack Obama names me to be his secretary of the treasury? — That is a deal I would like to get. That is the deal financial wizard Timothy Geithner got. — He didn't pay all of his federal taxes for years.
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New York Times:
More Questions for Mr. Geithner — President-elect Barack Obama's team reacted predictably to the disclosure that Timothy Geithner, the nominee for Treasury secretary, failed to pay a chunk of his federal taxes over several recent years. The script gets played out, with slight variations …
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.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, PoliBlog, QandO, TPM Election Central, Riehl World View and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS
Hugh Hewitt / Townhall.com:
Confirm Geithner; Approve The TARP Funds, and Get The Stimulus Right
Confirm Geithner; Approve The TARP Funds, and Get The Stimulus Right
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
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 …
Discussion:
Jeffrey Goldberg, The Washington Independent, ATTACKERMAN, The Campaign Spot and AmSpecBlog
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Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Parties Brace for a Fight on Justice Dept. Choice
Parties Brace for a Fight on Justice Dept. Choice
Discussion:
The Swamp, The Politico, Washington Post, CBS News, USA Today, The Caucus, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, MoJoBlog, Spin Cycle, MSNBC, Time, TIME.com, The Note and Democracy in America
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP senators target two Obama nominees
GOP senators target two Obama nominees
Discussion:
TPM Election Central, PoliGazette, Media Matters for America, Right Wing News and AmSpecBlog
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.
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Atlanticist, Outside The Beltway, The Raw Story and At-Largely
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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.
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.
Discussion:
Michael Calderone's Blogs
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Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Playing to the Pundits — If you think the chattering classes were chattering about the Osama tape or the fate of the second $350 billion in bailout money yesterday, let me enlighten you. — It was all about the dinner party. — To wit, which members of the conservative commentariat were invited to dine with Obama?
Bob Woodward / Washington Post:
10 Take Aways From the Bush Years — There's actually a lot that President-elect Barack Obama can learn from the troubled presidency of George W. Bush. Over the past eight years, I have interviewed President Bush for nearly 11 hours, spent hundreds of hours with his administration's key players …
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Wall Street Journal:
Bush and the Libby Pardon — As the curtain closes on the presidency of George W. Bush, the one loose end dangling is the pardon of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby. In 2007 Mr. Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, was convicted for perjury and obstruction of justice.
Richard L. Connor / CQ Politics:
History May See Lincoln-Like Greatness in George W. Bush — It's easy to make comparisons between President-elect Barack Obama and former President Abraham Lincoln. We have the Illinois connections and then the hovering, dark clouds of war, a nation divided and in crisis, and other similarities that provide a historic link.
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Simon Romero / International Herald Tribune:
Chávez reopens oil bids to West as prices plunge — CARACAS: President Hugo Chávez, buffeted by falling oil prices that threaten to damage his efforts to establish a Socialist-inspired state, is quietly courting Western oil companies once again.
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Clifford Krauss / New York Times:
Where Is Oil Going Next? — HOUSTON — From the Indian Ocean …
Where Is Oil Going Next? — HOUSTON — From the Indian Ocean …
Discussion:
Don Surber
Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Intelligence Court Rules Wiretapping Power 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 …
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 …
Discussion:
Think Progress, Anne Schroeder's Blogs, The Caucus, TIME.com, The Note, Lost in Transition and Prairie Weather
Associated Press:
Senate panel backs Clinton as secretary of State — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton, 16-1, as the next secretary of State. — The action paves the way for a full Senate vote after President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Jan. 20.
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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 …
Wall Street Journal:
Newspapers Move to Outsource Foreign Coverage — Tribune Could Close Dozens of Bureaus in Favor of Washington Post Deal; New York Daily News Signs Start-Up — Two major newspapers publishers are taking steps to outsource international coverage, as falling revenue is causing more U.S. papers …
Del Quentin Wilber / Washington Post:
Citing Weak Evidence, Judge Orders Guantanamo Detainee Freed — A federal judge ordered the release yesterday of a detainee at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ruling that the government's evidence is too weak to justify the man's continued confinement.