Top Items:
Laura Rozen / The Cable:
Freeman speaks out on his exit — Retired Amb. Chas Freeman, who said today that he no longer accepts an offer to chair the National Intelligence Council, has just sent this message: … More to come.
Discussion:
JTA, Power Line, Pajamas Media, Winds of Change.NET, Ben Smith's Blogs and Democracy in America
RELATED:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Controversial intelligence pick withdraws — Charles Freeman, the Obama administration's choice to head the National Intelligence Council, has withdrawn from consideration after facing strong opposition from Senate Republicans. — Freeman is the latest in a string of Obama administration appointees …
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Schumer Takes Credit For Getting Chas Freeman Ousted — Chuck Schumer's office sends over a statement from the Senator himself, saying he's the one who got Chas Freeman dumped from the post of National Intelligence Council chief: … As I reported the other day, Schumer had privately communicated …
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Freeman Precedent — There are a couple of things worth noting about this minor, yet major, Washington spat. The first is that the MSM has barely covered it as a news story, and the entire debate occurred in the blogosphere. I don't know why. But that would be a very useful line of inquiry for a media journalist.
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Chas Freeman pulls out — The controversial appointee to chair President Barack Obama's National Intelligence Council walked away from the job Tuesday as criticism on Capitol Hill escalated. — Charles W. Freeman Jr., the former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, had been praised by allies …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Boston Globe, RedState, In From the Cold, Outside The Beltway and QandO
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Freeman's withdrawal — My first take, with Rep. Mark Kirk and Ambassador Nicholas Veliotes weighing in:
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Charles Freeman fails the loyalty test — (updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV) — Obviously, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt are rabid, hateful paranoids — total bigots and anti-Semites — for having suggested that there are powerful domestic political forces in the U.S …
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Chas Freeman On Verge Of Make Or Break Moment
Chas Freeman On Verge Of Make Or Break Moment
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
Wall Street Journal:
Labor Bill Faces Threat in Senate — WASHINGTON — Key Senate Democrats are wavering in their support of legislation that would give more power to labor unions, dealing a setback to labor's top priority as businesses warn of the damage the bill would cause.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, MyDD, Business Week, Open Congress, The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos, Hot Air, neo-neocon, Democracy in America, Taylor Marsh, Open Left and FAIR Blog
RELATED:
The Huffington Post:
Ben Nelson Opposes Employee Free Choice Act — Ben Nelson will once again be playing a key role in Senate negotiations over a major legislative drive. The centrist Nebraska Democrat told reporters Tuesday afternoon that he does not currently support the Employee Free Choice Act —
Discussion:
Firedoglake, CBS News, The Huffington Post, TPMDC, Think Progress, Brian Beutler and George's Bottom Line
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Citi Downgrades Stock Rating on Wal-Mart, Panics Market Over Employee Free Choice
Citi Downgrades Stock Rating on Wal-Mart, Panics Market Over Employee Free Choice
Discussion:
American Prospect, The Caucus, Talking Points Memo, MarketWatch, The Plum Line, Hullabaloo, Washington Monthly and Club for Growth
Jonathan Tasini / The Huffington Post:
Democratic Senators: Mess With EFCA, Face A Primary
Democratic Senators: Mess With EFCA, Face A Primary
Discussion:
Riehl World View
Fox News:
Pelosi Made Repeated Requests for Military Aircraft, Documents Show — Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents showing the requests, say House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has treated the Air Force as her “personal airline.” — FOXNews.com
Discussion:
Townhall.com
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Josh Rogin / CQ Politics:
Obama Seeks to Delay Tanker, Cancel Bomber — The White House has given the Pentagon guidance to delay procurement of aerial refueling tankers by five years and cancel plans for a new long-range bomber, according to three sources close to the discussions. — No final decisions have been made …
Judicial Watch:
Judicial Watch Uncovers Documents Detailing Pelosi's Repeated Requests for Military Travel — House Speaker Issued Unprecedented Demands for Military Aircraft and Wasted Taxpayer Resources with Last Minute Cancellations — Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates …
Justin Elliott / TPMMuckraker:
Exclusive: Inside The Pentagon's Idea Factory
Exclusive: Inside The Pentagon's Idea Factory
Discussion:
Danger Room
Ben Smith / The Politico:
The new left-wing conspiracy — The vast new left-wing conspiracy sets its tone every morning at 8:45 a.m., when officials from more than 20 labor, environmental and other Democratic-leaning groups dial into a private conference call hosted by two left-leaning Washington organizations.
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Paul Krugman:
Can America be saved? — So I read this: … and I wonder if this country can handle the crisis we're in. Remember, John Boehner is, in effect, the second-most influential member of the GDP (after Rush Limbaugh). And while Democrats hold a majority, it's not enough of a majority to make the minority party irrelevant.
RELATED:
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Chamber Mobilizes — I'm probably not breaking any news …
The Chamber Mobilizes — I'm probably not breaking any news …
Discussion:
Washington Post
Michael Calderone / The Politico:
Ann Coulter and Bill Maher spar at Radio City Politico - 1 hour, 52 minutes ago — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — NEW YORK — Bill Maher couldn't have asked for a better act to follow. — Maher took the stage at the Radio City Music Hall Monday after Ann Coulter …
Discussion:
New York Post
The Huffington Post:
McCain Prepping ‘Contract With America’ Style Economic Plan — Sen. John McCain is putting together a major economic plan that will be structured, in some ways, off of Newt Gingrich's famous Contract With America. — In an email obtained by the Huffington Post, the Arizona Republican's chief of staff …
Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
Cantor: Obama losing focus on economy — House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) seized on the opportunity to criticize the president Tuesday for over-reaching in his first 50 days on the job. — Following the GOP's weekly conference meeting, the second-ranking House Republican told reporters …
Reid Wilson / The Hill:
S.C. Rep. Brown to get big-name primary challenger — Rep. Henry Brown Jr. (R-S.C.) will face one of his state's biggest family names in next year's Republican primary — an announcement that came just months after Brown's surprisingly narrow win over a tough Democratic challenger.
Discussion:
Scorecard's Blogs
Rasmussen Reports:
53% Say It's Likely the U.S. Will Enter a Depression Similar to 1930's — Most Americans (53%) now think the United States is at least somewhat likely to enter a 1930's-like depression within the next few years. — The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 39% think this outcome is unlikely.
Discussion:
Pajamas Media
The Huffington Post:
LaHood Hits Back Hard Against Charges Of “Socialism,” “Obama Recession” — Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood hit back hard on Monday to charges from White House critics that President Barack Obama's economic policies — focused on leveraging government spending to stimulate demand …
Roger Kimball / Pajamas Media:
The Idiot's Guide to Destroying the Economy: a 12-Step Program — Think destroying the mighty economy of the United States is too big a job for you? Relax. Anyone can do it. A friend sent me a handy-dandy no-fuss 12-step program for wreaking financial havoc among even the world's most advanced economies.
Michael Spencer / Christian Science Monitor:
The coming evangelical collapse — An anti-Christian chapter in Western history is about to begin. But out of the ruins, a new vitality and integrity will rise. — ONEIDA, KY. - — We are on the verge - within 10 years - of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity.
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Talking Economic Accountability With Rep. Alan Grayson — digg it … You probably know Alan Grayson for his greatest hits collection on YouTube. It was his questioning of Fed Vice Chair Donald Kohn that alerted the public to the fact that the Fed had a $1.2 trillion slush fund, and they wouldn't reveal where the money was going.