Top Items:
The Campaign Spot:
Palin Hits Obama on ‘Special Olympics’ Joke — Gov. Sarah Palin responded to remarks made last night by President Obama related to the Special Olympics on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”: … Well, after the way his allies went after her, he really couldn't count on a full-throated defense of a boneheaded comment.
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TMZ.com:
Special Olympics Champ to Barack: Bring it On! — A bowling phenom in the Special Olympics has just challenged Prez Barack Obama to a White House roll-off ... and he'll probably kick Barack's butt. — Kolan McConiughey, a Special Olympics competitor who has bowled three perfect 300 games …
Discussion:
Hot Air, JustOneMinute, Top of the Ticket, NY Daily News, Associated Press, The Sleuth, GretaWire, The Atlantic Politics Channel, CNN, QandO and A Blog For All
Michelle Malkin:
Why can't Obama tell a good joke? — Why are the president's “jokes” (scripted or not) so lame? — The answer is a three-letter-word (or is that four letters, Joe?): E-G-O. — Barack Obama is constitutionally incapable of self-deprecation, because self-deprecation requires sincere humility.
Discussion:
Top of the Ticket, ABCNEWS, The Corner, EconLog, Shakesville, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, Wizbang, Newsweek Blogs, American Power, Gothamist, The Swamp and Think Progress
David Zurawik / Z on TV:
Nielsen: Obama visit a big boost for Leno ratings — Last night's appearance by President Barack Obama was a ratings boon for The Tonight Show. The audience in metered overnight cities like Baltimore was the highest since Jan. 24, 2005, when the show featured a tribute to Johnny Carson, according to Nielsen figures released by NBC.
Washington Post:
GOP Pressed on Health Care — House Democrats Set September Deadline for Compromise — House Democrats, in consultation with the White House, will give Republican lawmakers until September to reach a compromise on President Obama's signature health-care initiative — otherwise …
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Andrew Taylor / Associated Press:Obama budget could bring $9.3 trillion in deficits
Discussion:
The Opinionator, Outside The Beltway, Right Wing News, Reuters, Washington Monthly, LewRockwell.com Blog and But As For Me
Douglas Elmendorf / Director's Blog:Preliminary Analysis of the President's Budget
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog, The New Republic, The Washington Independent, NPR Blogs, Angry Bear and The Strata-Sphere
Adam Serwer / American Prospect:
THIS FEED IS CLOSED TO THE PRESS. — Huh, I wonder why Jake Tapper, press access warrior, has blocked me from following his Twitter feed. — Time for a blogger ethics panel? — UPDATE: Tapper has also blocked Talking Points Memo. — Bonus Tapper: His exchange with White House Press …
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
TAPPER, TWITTER, AND ONLINE ETIQUETTE.... It was bound to be of interest to the political world anyway, but ABC News' Jake Tapper helped get the ball rolling on the Special Olympics/Obama story last night. He was first out of the gate with a news item and a report on the president's comment on his Twitter feed.
Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:Is ABC's Jake Tapper blocking journalists who criticize his Twitter updates?
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:NOT A MENTALITY BUT A DISEASE
Discussion:
American Prospect, Gawker, D-Day, Taylor Marsh, Jack & Jill Politics, Daily Kos, Media Blog, Democracy in America and Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!
Michael Lewis / Bloomberg:
Mass Hysteria Over AIG Obscures Simple Truths: Michael Lewis — Last September the U.S. government began to dole out the first of $173 billion to American International Group. A big chunk of it passed right through to banks that had bought insurance from AIG against mortgage and corporate defaults …
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The Huffington Post:
Snowe To Dems: Grow A Pair — Congressional Democrats need to stand up for themselves when they disagree with President Obama, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said on Thursday evening. She was reflecting on the demise of her executive compensation provision, a move that allowed AIG to pay its top executives $165 million in bonuses.
Mary Ann Akers / The Sleuth:
Joe the Plumber Wants to Make Love to Washington — The Republican's Working Man hero Joe the Plumber could barely contain himself last night before a crowd of adoring, media-bashing conservatives. — “God, all this love and everything in the room - I'm horny,” declared Joe, whose real name is Samuel Wurzelbacher.
Discussion:
Indecision Forever, NewsBusters.org, At-Largely, AMERICAblog News, Wonkette and The Washington Independent
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Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
How I botched the bonus story — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — The Washington ritual of the boiling scandal, with howls of outrage and frantic demands for a high-ranking scalp, is now in full swing over $165 million in bonuses for employees at failed insurance giant AIG.
Discussion:
The Politico
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Sam Hananel / Associated Press:
Companies looking at options on card check — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - Starbucks Corp. and other companies are exploring alternatives to a bill that would make it easier for workers to unionize, but the idea of any compromise drew the wrath …
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Felix Gillette / New York Observer:
MSNBC In Discussions with Ed Schultz — The Observer has learned that MSNBC president Phil Griffin is in discussions with syndicated talk radio host Ed Schultz about possibly joining the network on a full-time basis. It is unclear what exactly the job would entail should Mr. Schultz and MSNBC come to an agreement.
Portfolio:
CNN's March Ratings So Far: More Lamb than Lion — More evidence that CNN is going to have to find a new strategy fast or risk becoming a cable news also-ran: In the month of March so far, the Time Warner-owned network has come in fourth place in prime time among adults 25 to 54 …
Martin Crutsinger / Associated Press:
Sources say toxic asset plan near completion — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner could announce as soon as Monday his much-anticipated plan to get toxic assets off the books of the country's struggling banks, administration and industry officials said.
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Tom Grace / The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY:
Tedisco: I'm focused on local interests — ONEONTA _ Political commentators may see the 20th Congressional District race as a contest of national consequence, but Republican James Tedisco, 58, is focused closer to home. — “Rush Limbaugh is meaningless to me,” Tedisco told the editorial board of The Daily Star on Thursday.
Discussion:
the albany project, Hotline On Call, TPMDC, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and Capitol Confidential
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Matt Taibbi / Rolling Stone:
The Big Takeover — The global economic crisis isn't about money - it's about power. How Wall Street insiders are using the bailout to stage a revolution — It's over — we're officially, royally f**ked. no empire can survive being rendered a permanent laughingstock …
John / Power Line:
ARE WE A BANANA REPUBLIC? — I'm stupefied to find that some people are defending the constitutionality of Nancy Pelosi's discriminatory, confiscatory and retroactive tax on people who receive bonus income from companies that got TARP money. I would have considered it a bright line rule …
Discussion:
Wizbang
Paul Krugman:
AIG — Preliminary thoughts on the tax bill: — 1. It's not the way you should make policy — it's clumsy, and it will punish some innocent parties while letting the most guilty off scot-free — 2. But — there wasn't much alternative at this point. And for that I blame the Obama people.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Grasping Reality …, Wonk Room, Salon, Clusterstock, MyDD, Brian Beutler and Whiskey Fire
Associated Press:
Senate Republicans brake rush to tax AIG bonuses — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans are drawing out a flap that has made the Obama administration squirm, applying the brakes to Democratic attempts to quickly tax away most of the bonuses …
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