Top Items:
Lee Fang / Think Progress:
Limbaugh Defends Jindal, Warns Conservatives They Are ‘Making A Real Mistake If They Go After’ Him — The response across the political spectrum to Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R-LA) speech last night has been overwhelmingly negative. Even the most enthusiastic conservative talkers had harsh words …
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Paul Krugman:
What should government do? A Jindal meditation — What is the appropriate role of government? — Traditionally, the division between conservatives and liberals has been over the role and size of the welfare state: liberals think that the government should play a large role in sanding off …
Andrea Thompson / Yahoo! News:
Gov. Jindal Follow-up: What Is ‘Volcano Monitoring’? — After President Obama's speech on the economy last night, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal criticized government spending in the stimulus bill, citing examples including “$140 million for something called ‘volcano monitoring.’”
Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Jindal earns bad reviews in national debut — WASHINGTON (CNN) — It was billed as a “coming out party” for one of the GOP's most promising young stars. — But after nearly universal criticism was heaped on Gov. Bobby Jindal's high-profile response to President Obama's address to Congress Tuesday night …
Jordan Lite / Scientific American:
Bobby Jindal and volcano monitoring: What was he talking about?
Bobby Jindal and volcano monitoring: What was he talking about?
Discussion:
Sound Politics, MyDD, HorsesAss.Org, MoJo Blog Posts, Think Progress, Matthew Yglesias, The New Republic and Liberal Values
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Rush: If you think Jindal reeked last night, I don't want to hear from you again
Rush: If you think Jindal reeked last night, I don't want to hear from you again
Discussion:
Riehl World View
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
EXCLUSIVE: Bill Clinton Says Obama's Speech Was “Terrific” …
EXCLUSIVE: Bill Clinton Says Obama's Speech Was “Terrific” …
Discussion:
TIME.com
Ceci Connolly / Washington Post:
Obama Budget Would Create $634 Billion Health-Care Fund — President Obama intends to release a budget tomorrow that creates a 10-year, $634 billion “reserve fund” to partially pay for a vast expansion of the U.S. health care system, an overhaul that many experts project will cost as much as $1 trillion over the next decade.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Wonk Room, Scientific American, Open Left, Daily Kos, The Field on the Narcosphere, MyDD and Hot Air
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Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:
Taxes, Spending Cuts to Fund Health Reform — WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will propose a combined $634 billion in upper-income tax increases and cuts to government health spending over 10 years to fund a new program aimed at getting health coverage to all Americans, a senior administration official said Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Treatment
Sandra Sobieraj Westfall / People.com:
Michelle Obama: White House Dog Coming Soon! — Michelle and Barack Obama with daughters Malia, left, and Sasha — The whole world, it seems, wants to know: What kind of dog are the Obamas getting and, for goodness sake, when? — Speaking to PEOPLE at the White House recently …
Discussion:
The Swamp, The Sleuth, Gawker, CBS News, Top of the Ticket, Wonkette and Anne Schroeder's Blogs
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Luke Baker / Reuters:
Exclusive: Lawyer says Guantanamo abuse worse since Obama — LONDON (Reuters) - Abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay has worsened sharply since President Barack Obama took office as prison guards “get their kicks in” before the camp is closed, according to a lawyer who represents detainees.
Discussion:
On Deadline, Weekly Standard, RedState, Newshoggers.com, The Daily Dish and Political Radar
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Ernest Luning / Colorado Independent:
Schultheis: HIV testing for pregnant moms rewards ‘sexual promiscuity’ — State Sen. Dave Schultheis, a Colorado Springs Republican (Photo/Bob Spencer, The Colorado Independent) — Democrats were outraged Wednesday morning when Republican state Sen. Dave Schultheis said he planned to vote …
Discussion:
Think Progress, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Feministe, RHRealityCheck.org, Pam's House Blend and pandagon.net
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Lynn Bartels / Rocky Mountain News:
Lawmaker's HIV, promiscuity comments cause uproar
Lawmaker's HIV, promiscuity comments cause uproar
Discussion:
Colorado Independent
John Bresnahan / The Politico:
Byrd: Obama in power grab — Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the longest serving Democratic senator, is criticizing President Obama's appointment of White House “czars” to oversee federal policy, saying these executive positions amount to a power grab by the executive branch.
Discussion:
Associated Press, NO QUARTER, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Reuters, Townhall.com, Weasel Zippers, CBS News, Hot Air, RedState, TIME.com and AmSpecBlog
Byron York / Beltway Confidential:
“A Major Doctrinal Shift for Republicans” — Chief Political Correspondent — I just got off the phone with a very plugged-in Republican strategist who told me that Republican reaction to President Obama's speech, which the party will roll out in the next few days, will mark the beginning …
Discussion:
The New Republic, Donklephant, Below The Beltway, Political Byline, Hot Air and Riehl World View
The Huffington Post:
Reid: Congressional Budget Increased To Pay GOP Staffers — A ten percent increase in the budget for Congressional operations was needed because Senate Republicans wanted to retain previous staff levels despite having lost roughly 20 percent of their ranks in the 2008 elections, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said Wednesday.
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William Kristol / Washington Post:
Republicans' Day of Reckoning — After Tuesday night, no one should doubt Barack Obama's ambition. His silent dismissal of the efforts of his immediate predecessors — he mentioned none of them — is only one indication of the extent to which he intends to be a new president breaking new ground in a new era.
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Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:
Thoughts on strategy — Over the weekend, I did a post whacking …
Thoughts on strategy — Over the weekend, I did a post whacking …
Discussion:
Moe Lane
Media Matters / Media Matters for America:
Will's “final thought” on Obama speech: “I don't know when men started to hug each other, but hug they do, and look at that”
Discussion:
The New Republic
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M Peretz / The New Republic:
Chas Freeman Is Bigoted And Out Of Touch — Here is the most stunning prospective appointment of the Obama administration as yet. Not stunning as in “spectacular” or “distinguished” but stunning as in bigoted and completely out of synch with the deepest convictions of the American people.
Discussion:
Moonbattery, Sister Toldjah, Israel Matzav, Commentary, FP Passport and Riehl World View
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Chris / TVNewser:
“Oh God” Book II: Chris Matthews Responds — MSNBC's Chris Matthews has responded to his uttering of the words “Oh God” just as Gov. Bobby Jindal emerged to deliver the GOP response last night. TVNewser has obtained some of what Matthews will say on “Hardball” tonight:
Patrick Gavin / The Politico:
Wurzelbacher laughs at Obama speech — In town to promote his new book, “Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream”, Samuel J. Wurzelbacher — aka “Joe the Plumber” — stopped by Americans for Tax Reform Wednesday to review President Barack Obama's Tuesday address before Congress …
Paul Krugman:
All the President's zombies — Ben Bernanke's testimony over the past two days gives us our best clue yet about where the administration and the Fed are going with bank rescue. And the answer seems to be ... nowhere. — Simon Johnson and James Kwak read it the same way I do:
Conor Clarke / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
America invented everything — Two of Obama's claims from the SOTU: … and … After a period of prolonged study and meditation (ie, I consulted Wikipedia for 45 minutes after the speech), I have concluded that these claims are questionable at best and false at worst.
Jaimee Lynn Fletcher / Orange County Register:
Mayor is criticized for White House watermelon patch e-mail — Businesswoman receives e-mail with image showing watermelon patch in front of White House. — Recommend — LOS ALAMITOS - The mayor has sent an apology for an e-mail sent to a local businesswoman and community volunteer that she says is racist and offensive.
Right Wing News:
RWN's Bernard Goldberg Interview #3 — Yesterday, I talked with Bernard Goldberg about his new book, “A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media.” What follows is an edited transcript of our discussion.
David Stout / New York Times:
Justices Rule Sect Cannot Force Placing of Monument — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday, in one of the most closely watched free speech decisions in years, that a tiny religious sect could not force a Utah city to let it erect a monument to its faith in a public park.