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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, The Lede, TalkLeft, American Power, Taylor Marsh, marbury and DownWithTyranny!
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Blago: Fire Rahm — This blog can't really capture the long-form style of Blagojevich's swan song, but he's going down swinging, with a call to fire Rahm Emanuel for being as guilty as he — according to a theory under which he is being impeached for fighting for citizens right to cheap prescription drugs.

Senate removes Blagojevich from office
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, The Capitol Fax Blog, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Breaking News, TIME.com and City of Brass

Bye Bye, Blago: Senate Removes Gov From Office
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Associated Press


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 …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Huffington Post, The Plum Line, USA Today, americansunitedforchange.org, MSNBC, Jack & Jill Politics, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, PoliGazette, The Huffington Post, SEIU, Hot Air, Comments from Left Field, MyDD, skippy the bush kangaroo, KansasCity.com Prime Buzz and Wall Street Journal
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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.

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 …

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.

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 …
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Kerry: Ignore Republicans if they'll vote no anyway
Discussion:
Daily Kos

“I am the Speaker of the House. I don't get into that.”
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TIME.com

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, Pajamas Media, Political Machine, Daily Kos, TalkLeft, Hot Air and Brian Beutler


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.

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, The Caucus, Daily Kos, The Note, Ben Smith's Blogs, TPMDC and Townhall.com
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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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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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The Age of Obama: Heat for me, but not for thee — Last week, Barack Obama caused quite a stir when he allowed himself to be photographed in the Oval Office without wearing a suit jacket, ending the Bush tradition of coat-and-tie for the West Wing. The New York Times reports …
Discussion:
The Swamp, GretaWire, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, Weekly Standard, AMERICAblog News, New York Magazine and Flopping Aces
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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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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, The Poor Man Institute and Flopping Aces


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.

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 …

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


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.

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.

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 …

An $800 Billion Mistake — As a conservative economist, I might be expected to oppose a stimulus plan. In fact, on this page in October, I declared my support for a stimulus. But the fiscal package now before Congress needs to be thoroughly revised. In its current form …
Discussion:
Legislation, The Huffington Post, The Swamp, Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Corner, Real Time Economics, Outside The Beltway and New York Times

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.