memeorandum: The Notion of a “Bipartisan Cabinet” Has Always Been a Stupid One (A.L./The Anonymous Liberal)

4:45 PM ET, February 13, 2009

Top Items:

Why Gregg Bailed — When he took the job, Republicans searched for a diplomatic way to ask: Are you crazy? — After 16 years as a Republican senator from New Hampshire, Judd Gregg has a lot of friends among GOP lawmakers, and in the past two weeks, many of them — perhaps most of them …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, TPMDC, The Washington Independent, Pajamas Media, Fausta's Blog and Neptunus Lex

CNN:

Gregg to vote against stimulus bill — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Republican Sen. Judd Gregg is putting a final exclamation point on his withdrawal as Barack Obama's designee for Commerce Secretary with a promise to vote against the president's economic stimulus package. — Gregg's office confirmed the decision Friday.

Mark Murray / MSNBC:
FIRST THOUGHTS: THIS JUDD'S (NOT) FOR YOU — From Chuck Todd …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Commentary, MyDD, The Moderate Voice and JoeTrippi.com

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
WaPo: Obama administration “peeved and churlish” over Gregg

Discussion: Commentary

A.L. / The Anonymous Liberal:
The Notion of a “Bipartisan Cabinet” Has Always Been a Stupid One

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Washington Post:
‘My Mistake’ — Commerce secretary? Never mind.

Discussion: Commentary, Lynn Sweet, Federal Eye, Balloon Juice, Hot Air, Fausta's Blog, Pajamas Media and Ben Smith's Blogs

William Kristol / PostPartisan:
Why Gregg Withdrew

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and TBogg

CNBC.com:
Sen. Gregg: Obama on the Right Economic Track

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Ben Smith's Blogs and Federal Eye

Fox News:
Sen. Gregg to Vote Against Economic Stimulus Bill

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and Hot Air

David Stout / New York Times:

Stimulus Bill Passes in the House With No G.O.P. Support — WASHINGTON — The House approved a $787 billion economic stimulus package Friday afternoon, with Democrats successfully promoting it as a boost for middle-class Americans and Republicans countering in vain that it will only stimulate wasteful government spending.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Indecision, No More Mister Nice Blog and Towleroad

The Politico:

Hardened Obama plans new fights — Emboldened by his victory on the stimulus package — but chastened by the pothole-pocked road that got him there —President Barack Obama and his aides are plunging ahead on a large and expensive agenda that virtually assures 2009 will be marked …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Swamp, The Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard, Think Progress, The Nation, Associated Press, HorseRaceBlog, Don Surber, The Impolitic, Commentary, Ben Smith's Blogs, Reuters and The Plum Line

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
House Passes Stimulus Package-and Oh, By the Way, Bipartisanship is Dead

Discussion: TalkLeft

Jared Allen / The Hill:
Conference tactics leave deep House resentment

Discussion: The Swamp, The Politico, RedState, George's Bottom Line, New York Times, Hot Air, Kausfiles and Political Machine

Washington Post:
House Approves Compromise Stimulus Bill

Discussion: CNN, Capitol Briefing and Political Machine

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Friday Senate Line: Gregg Adds to GOP Pain — The withdrawal of Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) as President Obama's commerce secretary nominee on Thursday was initially greeted with relief by Senate Republicans who believed that the incumbent might now stay on and seek reelection in 2010.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, UnionLeader.com and Washington Monthly

CNN:
Senate Democrats optimistic about 2010, targeting nine states

Discussion: TPMDC

Larry J. Sabato / Sabato's Crystal Ball:
SENATE 2010: A THREE-PEAT FOR DEMOCRATS OR COMEBACK FOR THE GOP?

Discussion: The Democratic Daily

Greg Miller / Chicago Tribune:

Predator drones flown from base in Pakistan, U.S. lawmaker says — Sen. Feinstein's surprise disclosure likely to complicate joint campaign against Taliban militants — WASHINGTON, D.C. - A senior U.S. lawmaker said Thursday that unmanned CIA Predator aircraft operating in Pakistan are flown …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, protein wisdom, Indecision, Wizbang and The Strata-Sphere

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Feinstein blows our Pakistani cover

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Danger Room and Weasel Zippers

Gene Warner / Buffalo News:

Prominent Orchard Park man charged with beheading his wife — Orchard Park police are investigating a particularly gruesome killing, the beheading of a woman, after her husband — an influential member of the local Muslim community — reported her death to police Thursday.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Jihad Watch and GINA COBB

John B. Judis / The New Republic:

End The Honeymoon — Why the left is to blame for the lackluster stimulus and bank bailout. — There are many good things to say about the stimulus bill. But all in all, it wasn't as good as it could be: It's probably too small and too skewed toward tax cuts, and particularly cuts …

Discussion: Open Left, Booman Tribune, Prairie Weather, Corrente and Matthew Yglesias

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Obama and liberals: a counter-productive relationship

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Open Left, The Impolitic, New York Times, Booman Tribune, TalkLeft and Political Machine

Rasmussen Reports:

Specter Vote For Stimulus Hurts Him Back Home — Senator Arlen Specter is one of only three Republicans to support the economic stimulus bill in Congress, and the latest Rasmussen Reports survey in Pennsylvania shows that his position is costing him support back home.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight.com, Power Line, Hot Air, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, TPMDC and Real Clear Politics

Kevin G. Hall / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Will the stimulus actually stimulate? Economists say no — WASHINGTON — The compromise economic stimulus plan agreed to by negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate is short on incentives to get consumers spending again and long on social goals that won't stimulate economic activity …

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Stop The ACLU, SENATUS, Neptunus Lex, Sister Toldjah, Dean's World and Jules Crittenden

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

The Audacity of Audaciousness — It takes a certain amount of nerve to have an event at the National Press Club and then ban the press from covering it. — It takes another level of chutzpah entirely to admit members of the general public to your event at the National Press Club …

Discussion: The Note, TRAIL BLAZERS, Jeffrey Goldberg, The Impolitic, Media Blog and Romenesko

Washington Post:

Nationalize the Banks! We're all Swedes Now — The U.S. banking system is close to being insolvent, and unless we want to become like Japan in the 1990s — or the United States in the 1930s — the only way to save it is nationalization. — As free-market economists teaching at a business school …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and The Corner

Hiroko Tabuchi / New York Times:
In Japan's Stagnant Decade, Cautionary Tales for America

Discussion: Portfolio and naked capitalism

ProPublica:

The Stimulus Plan: A Detailed List of Spending — Congress released its compromise of the economic stimulus plan at 11 p.m. Thursday. Debate began in the House at 9 a.m., with voting set for 1 p.m. Want to know what's in it? You could read the 1,071-page gorilla they've posted.

Discussion: The Atlantic Politics Channel, D-Day, ProPublica, Sunlight Foundation and TalkLeft

Kyle / Right Wing Watch:

The Religious Right's New Demand: Stop Calling Us the Religious Right — It seems that leaders of the Religious Right are tired of being associated with the Religious Right because nobody likes the Religious Right. Unfortunately for them, they are the Religious Right and that is what we …

Discussion: culturekitchen and Pam's House Blend

Sarah Pulliam / Christianity Today:
Phrase ‘Religious Right’ Misused, Conservatives Say

Discussion: Think Progress and Washington Monthly

Chuck Todd / MSNBC:

THE WHITE HOUSE BUBBLE — From NBC's Chuck Todd — Obviously, I'm one of the newbies here in the White House press corps, so maybe I'm unfamiliar with the ways of how this place works. I have to say, nothing is more frustrating than covering an actual event here at the White House …

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and TVNewser

CNN:

Dems target right-wing talk radio — WASHINGTON (CNN) — More and More Democrats in Congress are calling for action that Republicans warn could muzzle right-wing talk radio. — Representative Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat from New York is the latest to say he wants to bring back the …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, NewsBusters.org, Shakesville and Sister Toldjah

John Byrne / The Raw Story:

Unrest in Tennessee: House GOP chairman joins suit to overturn Obama's presidency — Democrats say GOP congressman joining suit is ‘from Mars’ — A Supreme Court decision apparently isn't enough for Tennessee lawmakers in the House. — Despite the fact that the Court rejected an effort …

Discussion: Tennessean.com, The Reaction, At-Largely and Post Politics

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

If The Right Were Intellectually Honest ... This Manzi post would be their argument going forward. Here's why they are not being intellectually honest, and Manzi's post includes the relevant facts. The GOP has passed what amounts to a spending and tax-cutting and borrowing stimulus package …

Discussion: TalkLeft, Outside The Beltway and The American Scene

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

The Ever-Bolder GOP — It seems that Republicans are feeling pretty good about themselves these days: … This reminds me of what Eve Fairbanks wrote back on February 9 when she observed that they are “completely obsessed with winning the media “cycle” and getting the sexiest …

Discussion: Washington Times, The Politico, The Hill, Hullabaloo, TalkLeft, The Swamp, American Power, Daily Kos and Democracy in America

Todd J. Zywicki / Wall Street Journal:

Don't Let Judges Tear Up Mortgage Contracts — That's the last thing troubled securities markets need. — The nation faces a foreclosure crisis of historic proportions, and there is an understandable desire on the part of the federal government to “do something” to help.

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy

Ali Frick / Think Progress:

Bush Aide: Leahy Truth Commission Is ‘Terribly Dangerous’ Idea, Possibly ‘Deadly’ — Last night on The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly showed a clip of a Fox News producer ambushing Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to accuse him of political hypocrisy for urging an investigation into Bush crimes after he had opposed the Clinton impeachment.

Discussion: Big Brass Blog