Top Items:
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Michelle Obama's Favorable Rating Eclipses Her Husband's — Both president and first lady are quite popular — USA - Favorability - Government and Politics - Presidential Ratings - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans have very positive impressions …
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Ariel Leve / Times of London:
Protocol is abandoned as Michelle Obama cosies up to Queen — Protocol seems to be dispensed with when the Obamas come to town. — When the President and his wife, Michelle, attended a reception at Buckingham Palace, the First Lady and the Queen slipped their arms around each other towards the end of the evening.
Eric Boehlert / Media Matters for America:
The media's giftgate — I know, my head hurts, too, reading the ‘coverage.’ (I'm waiting for some reporter to combine the gift ‘story’ with a detailed description of what Michelle Obama was wearing when she gave the Queen of England the gift.) — Aside from the fact that key facts …
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Michelle's recovery — The newest Gallup numbers show Michelle Obama as more popular even than her husband, with a 72% favorable rating to his 69%. — Her transformation in the public eye is one of David Axelrod's great successes, and really a remarkable thing.
Discussion:
marbury
Howard Chua-Eoan / Time:
The Queen and Mrs. Obama: Did the First Lady Break Protocol? — Michelle Obama with Queen Elizabeth II during an audience at Buckingham Palace — The rules are set in stone and so the eagerly watching British media sputtered when the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama …
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
The President Is ‘Keeping Score’ — Chicago politics has moved into the White House. — “Don't think we're not keeping score, brother.” That's what President Barack Obama said to Rep. Peter DeFazio in a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus last week, according to the Associated Press.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Wake up America, RedState, Commentary, Don Surber, Gateway Pundit, No More Mister Nice Blog and Associated Press
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Mark Murray / MSNBC:
FIRST THOUGHTS: DIPLOMATIC DECATHLON — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro — *** Diplomatic decathlon: In just a few hours yesterday, President Obama completed the equivalent of a diplomatic decathlon — from pledging nuclear disarmament with the Russians …
Quinnipiac University:
Dodd Falls Way Behind As Approval Drops To Lowest Ever, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Are Angry At AIG Bonuses And Blame Dodd — Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd trails former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, a possible Republican challenger, 50 - 34 percent in the 2010 Senate race …
Discussion:
The Fix, Washington Wire, Taegan Goddard's …, AmSpecBlog, The Politico, TPMDC, Hot Air, Don Surber and The Strata-Sphere
Aaron Blake / The Hill:
Romney: Don't root for Obama to fail — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said Wednesday that Republicans shouldn't oppose President Obama as a reflex and should praise him when he succeeds. — Speaking at the National Republican Senatorial Committee's (NRSC) spring dinner …
Discussion:
The Politico
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Reid Wilson / The Hill:
Romney breaks with GOP on the issue of deregulation
Romney breaks with GOP on the issue of deregulation
Discussion:
Anne Schroeder's Blog
Victoria McGrane / The Politico:
Former AIG chief says bailout ‘failed’ — Former AIG CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg says the bailout has “failed” and he's proposing a 10-point alternative focused on saving, not breaking apart, the mega-insurer. — Greenberg will reveal his plan during a hearing before the House Oversight …
Discussion:
TIME.com
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Susan Crabtree / The Hill:
Sen. Stevens ‘got screwed’ by Justice — The Justice Department's stunning decision to drop all charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) had GOP senators hailing the news as a vindication while government watchdogs fretted over the impact on other corruption cases against public officials.
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New York Times:
Global Leaders Meet in Bid to Resolve Rift on Economic Plan — LONDON — Britain predicted on Thursday that world leaders would bridge their differences on steps to recover from the deepest global economic downturn since World War II, as President Obama and his counterparts from more than 20 industrial …
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Manu Raju / The Politico:
Franken puts Pawlenty in a jam — The legal fight between Al Franken and Norm Coleman is headed to the desk of Gov. Tim Pawlenty — a no-win predicament for a Minnesota Republican with his eye on a White House run in 2012. — Franken won big Tuesday when a three-judge panel allowed …
The New Republic:
Educating George Will — George F. Will today again displays his unbelievable ignorance about global warming : … First of all, nobody says that reducing carbon emissions will “reverse” global warming. The point is merely to slow the process. This is pretty fundamental.
Discussion:
Climate Progress
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Ted Barrett / CNN:
Senate rejects controversial fast-track budget procedure — WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Senate overwhelmingly voted Wednesday not to use a fast-track budget procedure to pass President Obama's “cap and trade” plan to combat global warming. — The vote was a victory for Republicans …
Steve Clemons / The Washington Note:
Lurking Defense Secretary Provides Adult Supervision and Stabilizes Obama National Security Team — Defense Secretary Robert Gates, much less visible than any other personalities on the Obama national security team roster, is playing the role of “steady hand” on the President's team.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Firedoglake, ATTACKERMAN, The Washington Independent, DefenseLINK, Ross Douthat and Financial Times
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Demetri Sevastopulo / Financial Times:
Israel expected to hold back on Iran as diplomacy runs its course
Israel expected to hold back on Iran as diplomacy runs its course
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Gregg says he definitely won't run again — Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) has closed the door on seeking reelection next year. — Gregg, the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, said he hasn't changed his mind about not seeking a fourth term in 2010, despite “good-natured” …
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:
Power Line, Townhall.com, Michelle Malkin, JammieWearingFool, Pajamas Media, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Scared Monkeys, Redhot, The Politico, Fausta's Blog, No Sheeples Here!, Liberal Values, Gateway Pundit, Toby Harnden's blog listings, The Corner, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Sundries Shack and Hot Air
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Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:
Cantor: Dems “overreacting” to crisis[UPDATED] — GOP Whip Eric Cantor thinks his party can retake the House in next year's midterm elections — and accused Democrats of “overreacting” to the economic crisis by embarking on a federal spending spree. — UPDATED: I cleaned up the transcript …
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Dodd's numbers — Chris Dodd's plummeting numbers — he's now way behind in a head-to-head — reflect an interlocking set of problems, from his home in Ireland to his home in Des Moines, his ties to AIG to his role in the bail-out. — This threatens to turn a safe Democratic seat …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE RIGHT WON'T LET THE TAX FAIRY GO.... The National Review's Andy McCarthy had an item yesterday, which was not an April Fools' joke, and which served as a helpful reminder of why discussing tax policy with conservative activists tends to be frustrating.