Top Items:
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Steele to Rush: I'm sorry — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says he has reached out to Rush Limbaugh to tell him he meant no offense when he referred to the popular conservative radio host as an “entertainer” whose show can be “incendiary.”
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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Limbaugh blasts Steele, the GOP — On the same night he was offering the keynote address to the Conservative Political Action Conference, Rush Limbaugh drew criticism from an unlikely source: Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. — In a little-noticed interview Saturday night …
Michelle Malkin:
A note to Michael Steele; Update: Steele agrees that GOP convention looked like “Nazi Germany;” Update: A non-apology apology — Scroll for updates...Steele non-apologizes to Limbaugh...No word on the “Nazi Germany"/GOP convention slur... I said positive things about RNC chairman Michael Steele …
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Rush Limbaugh Launches Brutal Hit On Michael Steele — Whoa. Rush Limbaugh's bid to cement his own role as head of the Republican Party just took a wild new turn, with Limbaugh launching a brutal hit on RNC chair Michael Steele, mocking the GOP for being in a “sad sack” …
Satyam Khanna / Think Progress:
Steele Bows Down To Limbaugh: ‘No Attempt On My Part To Diminish His Voice Or His Leadership’ — Steele Bows Down To Limbaugh: ‘No Attempt On My Part To Diminish His Voice Or His Leadership’ — Yesterday, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel called Rush Limbaugh the “intellectual force” of the GOP.
Discussion:
Lynn Sweet
The New Republic:
Sympathy for the Limbaugh — Rush Limbaugh is drawing some ridicule for saying, “One thing we can all do is stop assuming that the way to beat [the Democrats] is with better policy ideas.” But I think he's basically right. Good ideas are meritorious. But being meritorious isn't what wins elections.
RushLimbaugh.com:
A Few Words for Michael Steele — BEGIN TRANSCRIPT — RUSH: I was not going to talk about Michael Steele. I have had e-mails from the Drive-By Media. I have had interview requests to be on television shows to talk about Michael Steele and what he said about my speech Saturday night.
The Huffington Post:
Steele Takes On Rush Limbaugh: “Ugly,” “Incendiary” (VIDEO) — Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele took umbrage Saturday night when CNN's D.L. Hughley referred to radio host Rush Limbaugh as “the de facto leader of the Republican party.” — “No he's not.
John / Power Line:
Throwing Rush Under the Bus — Today's most disheartening news story: RNC Chairman Michael Steele attacks Rush Limbaugh: … I'd hoped that news reports had distorted Steele's comments in order to sow division among Republicans, but you can watch the video for yourself; I'm afraid that's what he said:
Ali Frick / Think Progress:
RNC Chair Michael Steele on Limbaugh: 'Yes, it's incendiary. Yes, it's ugly.'
RNC Chair Michael Steele on Limbaugh: 'Yes, it's incendiary. Yes, it's ugly.'
Huma Khan / The Note:
Limbaugh Goes to Mat With RNC Chair
Limbaugh Goes to Mat With RNC Chair
Discussion:
The Opinionator, The Moderate Voice, Political Machine, The Raw Story and Political Punch
Lost in Transition:
Panel Says Ron Kirk Underpaid Taxes — (Credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images) — Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee this afternoon revealed that another of President Obama's nominees — U.S. Trade Representative-designate Ron Kirk — has tax problems.
Discussion:
Dan_McLaughlin's blog
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Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Pelosi's list: Who's on her bad side? — Nancy Pelosi likes to keep lists. — As a young political protégé of her father, Baltimore Mayor Tommy D'Alesandro, the preteen speaker-to-be would spend hours leafing through the list of voters her father had helped in some way …
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Associated Press:
Obama releases secret Bush anti-terror memos — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - The Obama administration threw open the curtain on years of Bush-era secrets Monday, revealing anti-terror memos that claimed exceptional search-and-seizure powers …
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Devlin Barrett / Associated Press:
AP Newsbreak: CIA destroyed 92 interrogation tapes — WASHINGTON (AP) — New documents show the CIA destroyed nearly 100 tapes of terror interrogations, far more than has previously been acknowledged. — The revelation Monday comes as a criminal prosecutor is wrapping up his investigation in the matter.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, CBS News, ACLU, Prairie Weather, The Washington Independent and Think Progress
Emily Friedman / ABCNEWS:
Upper-Income Taxpayers Look for Ways to Sidestep Obama Tax-Hike Plan — President Would Slap More Taxes on Those Who Make Over $250K to Fund Health Care — President Barack Obama's tax proposal - which promises to increase taxes for those families with incomes of $250,000 or more …
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Ali Frick / Think Progress:
Limbaugh misquotes Constitution while arguing Obama policies are ‘bastardization’ of Constitution. — During his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Rush Limbaugh got some of his loudest applause when he declared that President Obama's policies represent a “bastardization of the Constitution.”
CNSNews:
Pelosi Snowed-Out of Global Warming Rally — (CNSNews.com) - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had to cancel an appearance Monday at a global warming rally in Washington, D.C., that was hit by a snowstorm because her flight was delayed, her office told CNSNews.com.
Jose Antonio Vargas / Washington Post:
Web-Savvy Obama Team Hits Unexpected Bumps — Issues of Technology, Security and Privacy Slow the New Administration's Effort to Foster Instant Communication — The team that ran the most technologically advanced presidential campaign in modern history is finding it difficult to adapt that model to government.
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Is Obama embracing the lawless, omnipotent executive? — (updated below - Update II) — As I detailed over the weekend, the Obama administration — in the case brought by two American lawyers and their charity-client claiming that their conversations were illegally intercepted …
Floyd Norris / New York Times:
Dow Below 6,800; Lowest Close Since '97 — Stock prices tumbled around the world Monday, amid new evidence that economies were weaker than had been thought. The losses were especially severe in Europe, where an emergency summit meeting over the weekend ended in bickering and the rejection of a bailout plea from Hungary.
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The New Republic, Below The Beltway, Gothamist, Gawker and Clips & Comment
Ross Douthat:
Rush and Oprah — Hugh Hewitt writes that Limbaugh's speech at CPAC “will be talked about for years and even decades.” I hope he's wrong about that, but he's definitely right about this: … Not only do I think this is true, I've actually said it myself! (Though Reihan said it first.)
Washington Post:
‘Potential’ Disruption? — REP. DAVID R. Obey (Wis.) and other congressional Democrats should spare us their phony concern about the children participating in the District's school voucher program. If they cared for the future of these students, they wouldn't be so quick as to try to kill …
Newsdesk / Clout St:
Agent says ousted Gov. Blagojevich has book deal, will talk Senate — Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has landed a book deal, his publicist said today. — The ousted governor will focus on “the discussions, the considerations and the factors involved in picking” …
Discussion:
Washington Wire
Brian Beutler:
No Afghanistan strategy? No help — I don't know if you caught it, but Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper rained all over Barack Obama's Afghanistan parade this weekend. In a taped appearance which aired on CNN this Sunday, Harper said, “frankly, we are not going to ever defeat the insurgency …