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Barack Obama's gift for the Queen: an iPod, your Majesty — Barack Obama met the Queen at Buckingham Palace today and gave her a gift of an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her 2007 United States visit to Richmond, Jamestown and Williamsburg in Virginia.
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Nia-Malika Henderson / The Politico:
Did Obama's iPod gift make the cut? — What do you get for a woman who has everything—palaces, crown jewels, a nation at her feet? If you're President Barack Obama, and it's the Queen of England, a personalized iPod, of course. — The bestowing of the Royal iPod brought a cringe …
Jonah Goldberg / The Corner:
Obama's Gift to the Queen — This just in: Diplomatic jaws dropped across the continent yesterday when it was revealed that U.S. President Barack Obama had, once again, fumbled a routine protocal of international statecraft: finding the right gift for a foreign leader or head of state.
Huma Khan / Political Punch:
What Does One Get a Queen? — President and First Lady Obama gave Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II a video iPod with inscription, songs uploaded and accessories, plus a rare musical songbook signed by Richard Rodgers. — Uploaded onto the iPod: — Photos from the Queen's 2007 White House State Visit
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Obama's iPod: Queen Elizabeth plugs in — What does one give the Queen? — If one is President Barack Obama, paying a formal visit with the first lady to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, as the Obamas did today, one gives her majesty: — One iPod, loaded to play.
Discussion:
Gawker
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
REASSURINGLY THE SAME — I realize that it doesn't afford me a lot of opportunities for personal or spiritual growth. But I'm nonetheless comforted by the fact that the Republicans running things in the House GOP caucus are still as clinically insane as in years past.
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Paul D. Ryan / Wall Street Journal:
The GOP's Alternative Budget — President Obama offers us the option of European big government. — Today, the House of Representatives will consider two budget plans that represent dramatically different visions for our nation's future. — We will first consider President Barack Obama's plan.
Discussion:
The Plum Line, The Atlantic Politics Channel, CNN, Wonk Room, The Atlantic Business Channel, DownWithTyranny!, Salon, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, PERRspectives, AMERICAblog News, Shakesville, CBS News, Fox News, Oliver Willis, Comments from Left Field, Think Progress, The American Scene, Washington Wire, Donklephant, TIME.com, Daily Kos and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
The Huffington Post:
GOP Budget Plan Assumes Americans Would Choose Higher Tax Rate — House Republicans set themselves a high bar last week when they promised to deliver an alternative budget that drastically slashed taxes while also cutting the deficit further than the White House has proposed.
Discussion:
TPMDC, Washington Monthly, The Huffington Post, MoJo Blog Posts, No More Mister Nice Blog, Matthew Yglesias and Wonk Room
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:CHOOSING YOUR TAX RATE.... The AP report on the new Republican …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Politics and Critical Thinking, The Anonymous Liberal and Obsidian Wings
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Democrats Predict 210-Vote Victory in NY-20 — Venture capitalist Scott Murphy (D) will win the special election in New York's 20th district by 210 votes after all outstanding absentee and military ballots are counted, according to projections made by Democratic Party officials and obtained by the Fix.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, The Hill, The Politico, TPMDC, Hotline On Call, Salon, Politicker NY, PoliticalBase.com Blog, Swing State Project, Michael Barone, MyDD and Firedoglake
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Calvin Woodward / Associated Press:
PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama tax pledge up in smoke — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - One of President Barack Obama's campaign pledges on taxes went up in puffs of smoke Wednesday. — The largest increase in tobacco taxes took effect despite Obama's promise …
Discussion:
RedState, DISSENTING JUSTICE, The Atlantic Business Channel, Hot Air and The Other McCain
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Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:New Obama tax outrage: Nominee leaves IRS refunds unclaimed!
Discussion:
Christian Science Monitor
Helene Cooper / The Caucus:
We're Not Keeping Score, but... LONDON — Is President Obama trying to muzzle his press corps? — The standard form during “joint press availabilities” — bureaucratic lingo for press conferences where leaders from two different countries stand next to each other and take questions from reporters …
Discussion:
Political Machine
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Michael Calderone / Michael Calderone's Blog:
NYT asks: ‘Obama trying to muzzle press?’ — NY Times White House reporter Helene Cooper, reporting from London, asked a provocative question on the paper's politics blog today: “Is Obama trying to muzzle his press corps.” (That item quickly moved to the lead story on Huffington Post).
Discussion:
The Swamp
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Joe The Plumber Admits He Knows “Little” About EFCA, Gets Jeered By Workers — Oof. Looks like Joe the Plumber's campaigning against the Employee Free Choice Act in Pennsylvania didn't go so well. — Mr. Plumber, whose appearances were organized by the anti-EFCA group Americans for Prosperity …
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Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:Joe the Plumber stumped on Employee Free Choice Act: 'I don't …
Discussion:
Keystone Progress Blog, Wearecentralpa.com, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Pam's House Blend and Shakesville
David Neiwert / Crooks and Liars:
Bachmann-Turnip Overdrive: Clueless ‘global currency’ paranoia in high gear — It seems to be slowly sinking through the addled pates of Michelle Bachmann and her avid codependents, like Glenn Beck (henceforth dubbed “the Turnip"), that all this talk about “replacing the dollar with a global currency” …
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P.J. Gladnick / NewsBusters.org:
David Letterman Calls Bill O'Reilly a ‘Goon’ During Heated Interview — Whenever Bill O'Reilly appears on the David Letterman show you just know sparks are going to fly due to Letterman's inability to keep his anger managed and last night's show did not disappoint although it seems that Letterman …
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Obama Working With 61% Approval on Foreign Affairs — President does less well on the economy and the deficit — USA - Foreign Affairs - Government and Politics - Leadership - Presidential Ratings - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Inevitable Triumph of the Neocons — Robert Farley expresses skepticism that Bill Kristol's new Foreign Policy Initiative is going to succeed: … I think that's way too optimistic. The commanding heights of the information economy remain incredibly friendly to neocon perspectives.
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Anchorage Daily News:
Attorney general drops Stevens prosecution — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department moved to dismiss former Sen. Ted Stevens' indictment this morning, effectively voiding his Oct. 27 conviction on seven counts of filing false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms.The decision …
Discussion:
RedState, The Mudflats, Progressive Alaska, Club for Growth and Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis
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Neil A. Lewis / New York Times:U.S. to Drop Case Against Ex-Senator From Alaska
Discussion:
The Politico, Philly.com, The Swamp, TPMMuckraker, AlterNet.org, Room for Debate, Colorado Independent, Washington Monthly, Reason, Vanity Fair, ProPublica and The Caucus
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Andy McCarthy's Tax “Knowledge” — Andy McCarthy writes, in what I understand is not an April Fool's Day post, that: … Every time I read this kind of thing I wonder: Why on earth does McCarthy think that Obama is stubbornly refusing to cut taxes when doing so would raise revenues?
Discussion:
The Corner
The Week Magazine:
What the heck happened to Hillary? — What has gotten into Hillary Clinton? — Since taking office on February 2, Clinton has gone from being one of the most guarded public figures in the history of hemming and hawing, to one of the straightest-talking secretaries of state imaginable.
Discussion:
The Opinionator
Binyamin Appelbaum / Washington Post:
Four Banks Are First to Return U.S. Aid — Four regional banks from around the country yesterday became the first firms to repay emergency aid from the government, but the show of strength also underscored concerns about the health of a key element of the federal economic recovery program.
Moe Tkacik / TPMMuckraker:
Harvard Derivatives Whiz Fired For Emailing Larry Summers About “Frightening” Trades? — A former quantitative analyst at Harvard Management Company, the university's once-vaunted endowment manager, tells the Harvard Crimson she was fired for voicing concern to then-university president Larry Summers' chief …
Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Barney: GOP suffers psych disorder — House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank was in quite a mood on the floor of the House today — questioning the sanity of Texas Republican John Culberson and other conservatives over their opposition to the new AIG bonus bill.
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