Top Items:
Marc Ambinder:
More Republican Triangulating On Bipartisanship: Cantor Responds To White House — House Republicans are reacting strongly to reports that the White House plans a political onslaught to pressure Republicans into supporting the stimulus package and to punish those who don't.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Balloon Juice, FiveThirtyEight.com, D-Day, Comments from Left Field, The Reaction and MyDD
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Jared Allen / The Hill:
Pelosi dismisses need for bipartisanship — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she didn't come to Washington to be “bipartisan”, one day after shuttling through an $819 economic stimulus bill without a single Republican vote. — “I didn't come here to be partisan …
The Politico:
GOP defies Obama overtures — House Republicans have proposed an alternative that leaders say would create 6.2 million jobs for only $478 billion. — “What Member can't go back his or her District and explain: Rather than voting for a bloated bill, ... I voted for an alternative …
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight.com:
The Republican Death Spiral — It's not just the goose egg that the House Republicans laid on the Democratic stimulus package yesterday: Boehner's Boys have been equally uncooperative on other matters. Case in point: a bill yesterday to delay the transition to digital TV.
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, Daily Kos, skippy the bush kangaroo, No More Mister Nice Blog and Pam's House Blend
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
HALPERIN BLAMES OBAMA.... President Obama went to great lengths to reach out to House Republicans, trying to get them to support an economic stimulus in the midst of an economic crisis. The president not only offered them more tax cuts than seemed necessary, he also acted swiftly …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Balloon Juice, The Sideshow, Daily Kos, Eunomia, Hullabaloo and AmSpecBlog
Victoria McGrane / The Politico:
Kerry: Ignore Republicans if they'll vote no anyway — Sen. John Kerry says Democrats should ignore Republicans' demands about the stimulus plan if they're going to vote against it anyway. — Reacting to Wednesday night's vote in the House — where not a single GOP member supported the stimulus package …
Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blogs:
“I am the Speaker of the House. I don't get into that.”
“I am the Speaker of the House. I don't get into that.”
Discussion:
TIME.com
New York Times:
Blagojevich Ousted by Illinois State Senate — SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois State Senate on Thursday convicted Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich on a sprawling article of impeachment that charged him with abusing his power. The vote prompted the governor's immediate and permanent ouster …
Discussion:
Washington Post, BBC, The Lede, The Gun Toting Liberal, TalkLeft, Think Progress, Taylor Marsh, American Power, The Reaction, DownWithTyranny! and marbury
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Christopher Wills / Associated Press:
Ill. gov unanimously convicted, tossed from office
Ill. gov unanimously convicted, tossed from office
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin
Peter Finn / Washington Post:
Military Judge Denies Obama Request to Suspend Hearings at Guantanamo — A military judge in Guantanamo Bay has denied the Obama administration's request to delay proceedings for 120 days in the case of a detainee accused of planning the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole warship …
Discussion:
TPMMuckraker, Daily Kos, Pajamas Media, TalkLeft, Hot Air, Political Machine and Brian Beutler
MSNBC:
Obama slams Wall Street on bonuses — President calls the $18.4 billion in bonuses paid last year ‘shameful’ — President Barack Obama issued a withering critique Thursday of Wall Street corporate behavior, calling it “the height of irresponsibility” for Wall Street employees to be paid …
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Zac Frank / Slate:
What a 1988 college thesis by the former vice president's daughter tells us about the Bush presidency. — When I worked at the library at Colorado College, I quickly discovered the job had few perks. The free book loans on demand were little better than subprime mortgages when you realized anyone could get them.
New York Times:
Obama Seeks Accord With Military on Iraq — WASHINGTON — As President Obama moves to redefine the nation's mission in Iraq, he faces a difficult choice: Is he willing to abandon a campaign promise or risk a rupture with the military? Or can he finesse the difference?
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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Palin, Obama to share stage — In what could be a preview of the 2012 presidential race, Sarah Palin and President Barack Obama will share a stage together this Saturday night in Washington, Politico has learned. — The Alaska governor and former GOP vice presidential nominee …
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Kleinheider / Post Politics:
Chip Saltsman Withdraws From RNC Chairman's Race — Chip Saltsman's letter to the voting membership of the Republican National Committee: … Always a darkhorse, Saltsman's candidacy for RNC chair careened off the tracks when it was publicized that Saltsman gave a CD of political satire composed …
Discussion:
Washington Times, Ben Smith's Blogs, Daily Kos, The Caucus, PoliPundit.com, The Note, TPMDC, Townhall.com and Hotline On Call
The Huffington Post:
Judd Gregg: Commerce Secretary? — There is a strong possibility that Barack Obama will ask Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) to serve as his Secretary of Commerce, Democratic Senate aides tell the Huffington Post. — The move would fill a vacancy that has lingered since Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination.
Kevin Sullivan / RealClearPolitics:
RNC Chair Race Reaches Finish Line — By Greg Bobrinskoy — With this Friday's RNC Chair election fast approaching, the divide between what committee members are looking for has come down to the two buzzwords of competency versus change. The race has been seen as a virtual tie among …
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John Yoo / Wall Street Journal:
Obama Made a Rash Decision on Gitmo — The president will soon realize that governing involves hard choices. — During his first week as commander in chief, President Barack Obama ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay and terminated the CIA's special authority to interrogate terrorists.
Discussion:
Think Progress, Los Angeles Times, At-Largely, The Raw Story, ATTACKERMAN, Balkinization, Flopping Aces and The Poor Man Institute
Washington Wire:
Sen. McConnell Calls on GOP to Redefine Itself — John D. McKinnon reports on politics. — In a major political-strategy statement, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky - one of the country's highest-ranking Republicans - will warn his party leadership later this afternoon …
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Chuck Carlton / Associated Press:
Former President George W. Bush, wife attend Baylor women's basketball game — ccarlton@dallasnews.com — A big women's basketball game between No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 4 Baylor just gained added prestige. — Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura attended Wednesday's game.
Discussion:
The Swamp
Paul Krugman:
Bad — As the Obama administration apparently prepares to launch Hankie Pankie II — buying troubled assets from banks at prices higher than they will fetch on the open market — it occurred to me that an updated version of an old Communist-era joke may be appropriate: under Bush …
Discussion:
D-Day
Dana Blanton / Fox News:
FOX News Poll: Teary-Eyed Thumbs Up for Obama — More than a quarter of Americans say they were moved to tears during Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony. And after his first week in office, there is widespread approval for the job Obama is doing as president.
Discussion:
Political Machine
Mary Jacoby / Articles by the Investigative Project …:
FBI Cuts Off CAIR Over Hamas Questions — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cut off contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) amid mounting concern about the Muslim advocacy group's roots in a Hamas-support network, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned.
Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com Pro-Life Headlines:
NBC Rejects Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad Educating Viewers on Obama and Abortion — Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — NBC is coming under fire from pro-life advocates for rejecting a television commercial a pro-life group hoped to run during the Super Bowl. The ad shows a beautiful picture …
Rasmussen Reports:
Public Support for Economic Recovery Plan Slips to 42% — Public support for the economic recovery plan crafted by President Obama and congressional Democrats has slipped a bit over the past week. At the same time, expectations that the plan will quickly become law have increased.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Political Machine, Salon, The Campaign Spot, The Plum Line, RedState, Booman Tribune, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and AmSpecBlog
Michelle Malkin:
You've got hate mail! — There has been an interesting uptick in the usual volume of hate mail. — I sense a disturbance in the Obama Force. The nutroots aren't happy with how the Generational Theft Act debate is playing out. They're impatient with the pace of Revolutionary Change.