Top Items:
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Steele, under fire, walks back ‘choice’ remark — RNC Chairman Michael Steele said today that despite telling an interviewer he supports “individual choice” and state-level decisions on abortion, he in fact opposes abortion and supports a Constitutional ban. — Steele said in a statement through an RNC spokesman:
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
TIMEBOMB, POSTDATED THREE WEEKS? — Ever since I read Michael Steele's trainwreck interview with GQ that came out yesterday, I've been wondering, he thought this was a good moment to give a let it all hang out interview? — Remember, this is the one where he appeared to forget in real …
Lisa Depaulo / Men's Fashion, Men's Clothing …:
The Reconstructionist — Michael Steele, the embattled new head of the Republican Party, on whether he'd be in this job if he were white, why he left the seminary for the GOP, and where his diminished party goes from here — I met Michael Steele in his office at the RNC several weeks into his new job …
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The Fix, The Moderate Voice, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Note, Washington Monthly, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Corner, Pam's House Blend, Hot Air, Beltway Confidential, AmSpecBlog, Political Machine, Think Progress, Daily Kos, Salon, Talking Points Memo, RedState, #gay, Taegan Goddard's …, AMERICAblog News, TPMDC, Townhall.com, PoliticalBase.com Blog, PoliPundit.com, MyDD, Conservatives4Palin.com and DownWithTyranny!
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Steele: Abortion an ‘individual choice’
Steele: Abortion an ‘individual choice’
Discussion:
Say Anything, Political Machine, marbury, Salon, Hot Air, Alas, a blog, Talking Points Memo and Think Progress
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The distorting effect of anonymity — (updated below) — In response to the criticisms I wrote last week of the widespread and baseless grants of anonymity by journalists, Julian Sanchez responds that, while he largely agrees with the objections I raise, it is a more complicated problem …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, The Smirking Chimp, Balloon Juice, The Daily Dish, Mondoweiss and Democracy in America
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David S. Broder / Washington Post:
The Country's Loss — The Obama administration has just suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the lobbyists the president vowed to keep in their place, and their friends on Capitol Hill. The country has lost an able public servant in an area where President Obama has few personal credentials …
Washington Post:
Blame the ‘Lobby’ — FORMER ambassador Charles W. Freeman Jr. looked like a poor choice to chair the Obama administration's National Intelligence Council. A former envoy to Saudi Arabia and China, he suffered from an extreme case of clientitis on both accounts.
John Podhoretz / Commentary:
Allow Me to Twirl My Evil Moustache (or Payess, If You Know What I Mean) — It is astonishing, the unyielding power of the neoconservatives. Joe Klein of Time magazine, the same Joe Klein who believes the chief threat relating to Iran is evil neoconservative pressure to attack …
Discussion:
Media Blog
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Obama's honeymoon bliss fading — President Obama's honeymoon is beginning to fade. — Members of Congress and old political hands say he needs to show substantial progress reviving the economy soon. — Some Democrats have started to worry that voters don't and won't understand …
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Phil Izzo / Wall Street Journal:
Obama, Geithner Get Low Grades From Economists — U.S. President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner received failing grades for their efforts to revive the economy from participants in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey. — The economists' assessment stands …
Discussion:
MSNBC, The Note, The Corner, The Big Picture, Vox Popoli, QandO, George's Bottom Line, Fausta's Blog, Fox News, JustOneMinute and Garden State Patriot
Lisa Schiffren / The Corner:
Young Miss Palin — A mere ten weeks or so after the birth of their baby, Bristol Palin and her co-parent, Levi Johnston, have split up. There will be no marriage. According to the AP, and Mr. Johnston, it was a mutual decision. The same article manages to note that Bristol is devastated.
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Associated Press
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Lorenzo Benet / People.com:
Bristol Palin & Fiancé Split
Bristol Palin & Fiancé Split
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The Swamp, Debbie Schlussel, Boston Globe, Associated Press, Star, Conservatives4Palin.com, Hotline On Call and The Politico
Wall Street Journal:
Obama Makes Use of Signing Statements — WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama signed a $410 billion spending bill Wednesday that includes thousands of pet projects inserted by lawmakers, even as he unveiled new rules to restrict such so-called earmarks. — At the same time …
Sam Cage / Reuters:
RPT-FEATURE-Corporate oil booms in low-tax Switzerland — * Companies seek Swiss domiciles despite tax row — * U.S. political climate may be helping — * Appeal as corporate location may outlast offshore dispute — The tidy towns and mountain vistas of Switzerland are an unlikely setting for an oil boom.
Discussion:
Say Anything
BBC:
Iraqi jailed for Bush shoe attack — An Iraqi journalist hailed as a hero in the Arab world for throwing his shoes at former US President George W Bush has been jailed for three years. — Muntadar al-Zaidi had pleaded not guilty as his trial resumed in Baghdad, telling the judge: “My reaction was natural, just like any Iraqi.”
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Jimmy Orr / Christian Science Monitor:
New Limbaugh billboard slogan announced - creativity was not considered — E-mail a friend - Print this - Letter to the Editor - Republish - - Get e-mail alerts - RSS — Setting a world record today for beating a dead horse, the Democratic National Committee will announce they've selected …
Quinnipiac University:
Christie Opens 9-Point Lead Over Corzine In NJ Gov Race, Quinnipiac University New Jersey Poll Finds; Prosecutor's Experience Helps Challenger — Christopher Christie, the Republican challenger in this year's New Jersey Governor's race, leads Democratic incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine 46 …
ABCNEWS:
Pelosi Travel Abuse? Case Not Proved — Watchdog Group Criticizes House Speaker for Travel Perks, but Records Don't Agree — The treasure trove of documents obtained by Judicial Watch from the Department of Defense regarding Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's use of military aircraft …
Maria Recio / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Obama: Troop move to Mexican border under consideration — WASHINGTON — President Obama weighed in Wednesday on the escalating drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that he was looking at possibly deploying National Guard troops to contain the violence but ruled out any immediate military move.
The Politico:
Second stimulus? Never heard of it! — Nancy Pelosi said this week that she's keeping the door open for a second stimulus bill. — She may be the only one. — As the nation continues to shed jobs, an increasing number of economists are saying Congress will need to pump more money into the economy this year.
Agence France Presse:
Kerry: Climate change delay is ‘suicide pact’ — A leading US senator warned on Wednesday that deferring potentially costly actions to combat climate change because of the global economic slump amounted to “a mutual suicide pact.” — “Climate change is not governed by a recession …
Wall Street Journal:
Obama's $80 Billion Exaggeration — Last week, President Barack Obama convened a health-care summit in Washington to identify programs that would improve quality and restrain burgeoning costs. He stated that all his policies would be based on rigorous scientific evidence of benefit.
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Betsy's Page
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Frenemies Dodd and Lieberman make nice — Sen. Joe Lieberman, who saw his longtime friend Sen. Chris Dodd politically desert him three years ago, won't return the favor. — Lieberman (I-Conn.) is backing Dodd (D-Conn.) in his reelection bid even though Dodd endorsed anti-war activist Ned Lamont in 2006.
Associated Press:
Greek terror group: Citibank attacked over crisis — ATHENS, Greece - A Greek militant group threatened in a statement published Thursday to continue its bombing campaign, saying recent attacks against Citibank were in response to the international financial crisis.
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Gateway Pundit