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.
Discussion:
ProPublica, National Review, Flopping Aces, Balloon Juice, Commentary, The Campaign Spot and RedState
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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, QandO, TPM Election Central, PoliBlog, CNN, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Riehl World View
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
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.
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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.
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?
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 …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, theheretik.us, The Anonymous Liberal, JammieWearingFool, Taylor Marsh and Wizbang
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Associated Press:
Holder to Senate: ‘Waterboarding is torture’ — Obama's nominee for attorney general vows break with controversial tactic — Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., shake hands just prior to Holder's confirmation hearing on Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Commitee.
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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, Wall Street Journal, The Caucus, USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, 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, Media Matters for America, Right Wing News, PoliGazette and AmSpecBlog
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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Simon Romero / New York Times:
Chávez Lets West Make Oil Bids as Prices Plunge — CARACAS, Venezuela — 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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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
Rick Santorum / Philly.com:
The Elephant in the Room: McCain may be Obama's secret weapon — A desire by both men to secure their places in history might forge an unlikely pairing. — I have been to New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington in recent weeks. In those cities, at least, you cannot watch the news …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blogs
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.
Discussion:
Telegraph, Washington Monthly, Right Wing Nut House, theheretik.us and Talking Points Memo
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:
theheretik.us, The Washington Independent, ATTACKERMAN, Jeffrey Goldberg, The Campaign Spot and AmSpecBlog
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:
The Daily Dish, Matthew Yglesias, War in Context, Open Left, Newshoggers.com, Jules Crittenden, Jeffrey Goldberg, Yourish.com, rubber hose and Commentary
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.
Blair Goldstein / Clarion-Ledger:
Jackson council drops its saggy-pants ordinance — Mayor says by phone that some of city issues “bigger” than the U.S. Constitution — For now, Jackson residents can wear their pants any way they want to. — The City Council voted 4-2 against a plan Tuesday that would have made it unlawful …
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 …