Top Items:
New York Times:
The Travails of Tom Daschle — When President Obama nominated former Senator Tom Daschle to be his secretary of health and human services, it seemed to be a good choice. Mr. Daschle, as the co-author of a book on health care reform, knew a lot about one of the president's signature issues.
Discussion:
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The Politico:
Daschle pushed Hindery for Obama job — Tom Daschle backed the patron who paid him a million-dollar salary and supplied him with a free car and driver for a job inside the Obama administration, two Democrats said Monday. — Leo Hindery, whose InterMedia Partners employed the former Senate majority leader …
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama's Pledge to Reform Ethics Faces an Early Test — WASHINGTON — During almost two years on the campaign trail, Barack Obama vowed to slay the demons of Washington, bar lobbyists from his administration and usher in what he would later call in his Inaugural Address a “new era of responsibility.”
Discussion:
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George Packer In / New Yorker:
OBAMA CAN'T AFFORD HYPOCRISY — It's more than a little disappointing that, just two weeks into President Obama's “new era of responsibility,” a second major cabinet appointee turns out to have underpaid his taxes by tens of thousands of dollars. Maybe a better word for it is “cheated.”
Fox News:
Sen. DeMint Calls on Obama to Withdraw Daschle Nomination — South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint tells FOX News that Tom Daschle's tax problems disqualify him for the position of health and human services secretary. — FOXNews.com — Republican Sen. Jim DeMint on Tuesday called …
Associated Press:
Obama performance chief Killefer out, citing taxes — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - Nancy Killefer, who failed for a year and a half to pay employment taxes on household help, withdrew her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government on Tuesday.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Washington Monthly, Townhall.com, Don Surber, Neptunus Lex, Gateway Pundit, protein wisdom and Outside The Beltway
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Mark Murray / MSNBC:
ANOTHER TAX PROBLEM FOR OBAMA? — From NBC's Lisa Myers, Chuck Todd, Savannah Guthrie, and Ken Strickland — NBC News has learned that the president's choice for “chief performance officer” — technically a deputy OMB director post — could end up having to withdraw over a number of issues, including tax problems.
Discussion:
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Washington Post:
Obama's Choice for Chief Performance Officer Withdraws Name — Nancy Killefer, the management consultant and former Treasury official who had been picked by President Obama to serve as the country's chief performance officer, has withdrawn from consideration for the post, White House officials confirmed this morning.
David S. Cloud / The Politico:
Secret report urges new Afghan plan — The Pentagon's top military officers are recommending to President Barack Obama that he shift U.S. strategy in Afghanistan — to focus on ensuring regional stability and eliminating Taliban and Al Qaida safe havens in Pakistan, rather …
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Robert Kagan / Washington Post:
No Time To Cut Defense — Pentagon officials have leaked word …
No Time To Cut Defense — Pentagon officials have leaked word …
Discussion:
Conventional Folly
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
JOE THE REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST.... Once in a while, I get the sense Republicans on Capitol Hill want to be made fun of. … This is what it's come to for Republican staffers in Congress. In the midst of an economic crisis, and after balking at a stimulus package, the GOP is turning …
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Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
Joe the Plumber advises GOP-ers
Joe the Plumber advises GOP-ers
Discussion:
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Wall Street Journal:
Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil — When will our luminaries stop making excuses for terror? — This week marks the seventh anniversary of the murder of our son, former Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. My wife Ruth and I wonder: Would Danny have believed that today's world emerged after his tragedy?
Jonathan Allen / CQ Politics:
Gregg Voted to Kill Commerce Before He Agreed to Lead It — President Obama's new candidate to run the Commerce Department voted in favor of abolishing the agency as a member of the Budget Committee and on the Senate floor in 1995. — Sen. Judd Gregg , R-N.H., whose nomination was expected …
Discussion:
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Jared Allen / The Hill:
Dems warn leaders to resume regular order — A group of more than 50 House Democrats has penned a letter to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) imploring him to “restore this institution” and see that the House returns to a “regular order” process of legislating.
Richard Lloyd Parry / Times of London:
North Korea ‘prepares to test long range missile’ — North Korea is preparing to test fire a long range missile capable of striking the United States, according to media reports in South Korea and Japan this morning. — The Yonhap News Agency in Seoul quoted South Korean officials …
Discussion:
Flopping Aces
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David M. Drucker / Roll Call:
Martinez Eyeing Early Exit as Crist Looks at Senate Seat — In what could be a Sunshine State one-two punch, multiple Republican sources are confirming that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) is giving serious consideration to running for Senate — and that Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) …
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Americans Support Stimulus, but Many Want Major Changes — Most say plan will not have major impact this year — USA - Business and Economy - Congress - Credit Crisis - Personal Finances - Taxes - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — A strong majority of Americans (75%) …
Bloomberg:
Paris rejects ‘Obama-style’ stimulus program — LYON: Prime Minister François Fillon on Monday rejected demands that the French government seek to stimulate consumer spending, rather than follow his plan to stimulate corporate and infrastructure investment, to lift France out of its economic slump.
Binyamin Appelbaum / Washington Post:
Despite Federal Aid, Many Banks Fail to Revive Lending — The federal government has invested almost $200 billion in U.S. banks over the last three months to spark new lending to consumers and businesses. — So far, it hasn't worked. Lending has declined, and banks that got government money …
Tony Halpin / Times of London:
Passengers stop flight after ‘drunk’ pilot sparks panic — It is normally a moment of cheery reassurance when an airline pilot greets passengers during preparations for take-off. But Alexander Cheplevsky sparked panic on flight Aeroflot 315 when he began to speak.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
The Huffington Post:
Stimulus Spin War: Obama To Go On Media Offensive — Barack Obama is slated to sit down with the five major television news networks tomorrow, a media play that is almost certain to be part of a broader effort to sell his stimulus package to the American public.
Discussion:
TPMDC, FiveThirtyEight.com, Agence France Presse, No More Mister Nice Blog and Washington Post