Top Items:
Rasmussen Reports:
Support for Stimulus Package Falls to 37% — Support for the economic recovery plan working its way through Congress has fallen again this week. For the first time, a plurality of voters nationwide oppose the $800-billion-plus plan. — The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found …
RELATED:
Chris Bowers / Open Left:
Stimulus Setback: Which Side Is Obama On? — Sorry for my absence today—I was on jury duty (not selected though) — The stimulus bill has suffered a major setback. Lacking the 60 votes to pass the bill, Senate Democrats have moved to a conference off-site, delayed the vote …
Washington Post:
Senate Lacks Votes to Pass Stimulus — Democrats Trying to Trim $900 Billion Plan to Gain GOP Support — Senate Democratic leaders conceded yesterday that they do not have the votes to pass the stimulus bill as currently written and said that to gain bipartisan support …
Discussion:
Don Surber, FiveThirtyEight.com, The Washington Independent, Political Machine, Fact-esque, No More Mister Nice Blog, Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, Balance of Power, Comments from Left Field, Matthew Yglesias, USA Today, Associated Press, The Bellows, AMERICAblog News, Hullabaloo, Salon, George's Bottom Line, Wonk Room, Marginal Revolution, QandO, New York Times and The Caucus
Laura Rozen / The Cable:
General Zinni gets undiplomatic treatment from Obama team — When retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni told the Washington Times today that he was offered the job of U.S. ambassador to Iraq before being passed over in favor of diplomat Christopher Hill, he did not say that one of the outrages …
RELATED:
Barbara Slavin / Washington Times:
EXCLUSIVE: Obama backs out on Iraq appointment — The Obama administration asked retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni to be U.S. ambassador to Iraq but abruptly withdrew the appointment without explanation, Gen. Zinni said Tuesday. — Gen. Zinni, a former commander of Central Command …
Michael Hirsh / Newsweek:
Losing Control — Obama needs to reassert command of the agenda in Washington — Barack Obama began making his comeback on Wednesday, apparently aware that he has all but lost control of the agenda in Washington at a time when he simply can't afford to do so.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, American Prospect, Hullabaloo, The Sideshow, The Campaign Spot, Redhot, Eunomia, D-Day, Riehl World View, GayPatriot and Chicago Boyz
The Politico:
Cheney warns of new attacks — Former Vice President Dick Cheney warned that there is a “high probability” that terrorists will attempt a catastrophic nuclear or biological attack in coming years, and said he fears the Obama administration's policies will make it more likely the attempt will succeed.
Discussion:
The Gun Toting Liberal, The Swamp, NewsBusters.org, BBC, The Board, The Raw Story, Agence France Presse, Daily Kos, Salon, Hot Air, The Huffington Post, MoJoBlog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, At-Largely, The Plum Line, TPMDC, Weekly Standard, Pajamas Media, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Wonkette, Booman Tribune and Newshoggers.com
RELATED:
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
DICK.... Former Vice President Dick Cheney was a national disgrace …
DICK.... Former Vice President Dick Cheney was a national disgrace …
Discussion:
Hot Air
Spencer Ackerman / ATTACKERMAN:
Someone Is Lying — Barely two weeks out of office and Dick Cheney …
Someone Is Lying — Barely two weeks out of office and Dick Cheney …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns and Money
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Obama could break 5-day rule — Obama appears poised to break his campaign pledge to give the public five days to review a bill before he signs it. — Obama scheduled a bill signing for 4:35 p.m. Wednesday, even though the House has yet to vote on the legislation expanding a children's health insurance program.
RELATED:
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Obama's five-day rule: Broken again — Hey, what about Obama's five-day rule? — Congress today passed a bill expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, allocating an additional $32.8 billion in funding for the program over the next four and a half years.
Discussion:
The Politico
Tony Mauro / The BLT:
Florida Student Asks Scalia a Question — and Gets Scolded — Where others fear to tread, a 20-year-old college student from Tequesta, Fla.,boldly stepped forward Tuesday to ask Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia a question he did not like during a public appearance in West Palm Beach.
RELATED:
Glenn R. Simpson / Wall Street Journal:
Panetta Earned $700,000 in Fees — WASHINGTON — The White House's nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, has earned more than $700,000 in speaking and consulting fees since the beginning of 2008, with some of the payments coming from troubled financial firms …
Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
PHIL BREDESEN AS DASCHLE'S REPLACEMENT? — He's not the only candidate. But an array of sources say he's a serious candidate. And he'd be a very risky choice. — Phil Bredesen is the governor of Tennessee. Before he was the governor of Tennessee, he made his money in the managed care revolution …
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News
RELATED:
Pat G. / Think Progress:
The Right Wing's Next Target: Hilda Solis? » — Yesterday, President Obama's nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, Tom Daschle, withdrew after it was revealed he failed to pay over $100,000 in taxes. In the wake of Daschle's departure, the right-wing is gunning …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Obama signs bill extending kids' health insurance — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed a bill extending health coverage to 4 million uninsured children, a move he called a first step toward fulfilling …
RELATED:
Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:
Carter tries to push Rangel out — Republican Rep. John R. Carter of Texas offered legislation Wednesday that would require Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel to relinquish his gavel until the ethics committee completes an investigation into Rangel's finances.
Discussion:
Spin Cycle
RELATED:
Victor Davis Hanson / The Corner:
The Impending Obama Meltdown — Some of us have been warning that it was not healthy for the U.S. media to have deified rather than questioned Obama, especially given that they tore apart Bush, ridiculed Palin, and caricatured Hillary. And now we can see the results of their two years of advocacy rather than scrutiny.
RELATED:
Media Research Center:
Bozell to ABC President: You Must Publicly Address Stephanopoulos' Apparent Conflict of Interest — Open Letter Demands Public Resolution to Daily Strategy Calls — Alexandria, VA - Media Research Center (MRC) President L. Brent Bozell, III has written a letter to ABC News President David Westin calling …
Max Blumenthal / Blogs and Stories:
Rush Limbaugh Loses a Popularity Contest — America to Rush: Drop Dead by Max Blumenthal — Blogs and Stories — Congressional Republicans have turned to Rush Limbaugh to lead the battle against Obama. One problem: A poll says he's less popular than Jeremiah Wright.
Peter Hamby / CNN:
Palin takes on Ashley Judd's ‘extreme fringe group’ — (CNN) - Alaska governor Sarah Palin's support for aerial wolf-hunting has sparked a heated cross-country war of words between the governor and an environmental ad campaign fronted by the actress Ashley Judd, with Palin calling …
Discussion:
The Politico
NEWS.com.au:
‘Mum’ had 80 women raped for suicide missions — A WOMAN suspected of recruiting more than 80 female suicide bombers has confessed to organising their rapes so she could later convince them that martyrdom was the only way to escape the shame. — Samira Jassam, 51, was arrested by Iraqi police …
Associated Press:
UN says Hamas seized Gaza food aid and blankets — JERUSALEM - A U.N. spokesman says Hamas police in Gaza have seized thousands of blankets and food parcels meant for needy residents. — Spokesman Christopher Gunness says Hamas police raided a U.N. warehouse in Gaza City on Tuesday evening.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs
Fox News:
Conservative Groups Declare Obama's Stimulus Bill a War on Prayer — A provision in the House-passed stimulus bill — banning money to be used to renovate schools from being spent on facilities that allow “religious worship” — has ignited fury among those who claim it discriminates on the basis …
Craig Crawford / Craig Crawford's Trail Mix:
Why Not Gingrich for HHS? — Quick, name three past secretaries of HHS. Okay, two? One? Don't even know what HHS stands for? Don't worry, most Americans probably would fail this little quiz. If you passed, take your honors as a super geek. — In normal times, the head of the Department …
Discussion:
FiveThirtyEight.com, D-Day, Daily Kos, The Plank, Liberal Values, Emptywheel and Washington Monthly
Steven Pearlstein / Washington Post:
Stumbling on Their Sense of Entitlement — Tom Daschle still doesn't get it. — John Thain never did. — Barack Obama gets it sometimes, Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner not so much. — Corporate executives think they get it but aren't even close. — College presidents …
Norman Geras / normblog:
One-Eyed in Gaza — This is a post about war crimes in Gaza and the widespread public outrage over them directed at Israel. Since it is a long post, I begin by providing a brief map of what is to follow. — In Part 1 I present a sample of the angry public reaction to Israel's alleged war crimes in Gaza …