Top Items:
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Tea Parties Forever — This is a column about Republicans — and I'm not sure I should even be writing it. — Today's G.O.P. is, after all, very much a minority party. It retains some limited ability to obstruct the Democrats, but has no ability to make or even significantly shape policy.
Discussion:
Buck Naked Politics, Fox News, DownWithTyranny!, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Matthew Yglesias, The Impolitic, EconLog and Cup O' Joe
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Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:
An Early Military Victory for Obama — It was one of the earliest tests of the new American president — a small military operation off the coast of a Third World nation. But as President Bill Clinton found out in October 1993, even minor failures can have long-lasting consequences.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Washington Independent, Associated Press, Caleb's blog, NO QUARTER, CNN, US News, Christian Science Monitor, UPI, Wall Street Journal, Slate, Daily Kos, White House Watch, Los Angeles Times, Brendan Nyhan, Salon, American Thinker, CBS News, No More Mister Nice Blog, Right Wing Nut House, BBC, Political Machine, Harry's Place, MSNBC, Reuters and Balloon Juice
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Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post:
How SEALs Carried Out Their Mission — The operation to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips involved dozens of Navy SEALs, who parachuted from an aircraft into the scene near dark Saturday, landing in the ocean. The SEALs were part of a group of Special Operations forces involved in the effort, according to military officials.
Johanna Neuman / Top of the Ticket:
Michelle Obama promotes physical activity at White House Easter Egg Roll — Yoga classes. Cooking demonstrations. Musician Fergie. And of course the proverbial egg roll, with President Obama acting as coach. — Welcoming 30,000 children and families to the White House …
Discussion:
Political Machine
Felix Gillette / New York Observer:
MSNBC Developing a Weekend Politics Show for NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd — Get ready for more of the “Goateed Guru.” — According to multiple network sources, MSNBC is in the process of developing a weekend political show to be moderated by Chuck Todd …
Natasha Korecki / Chicago Sun Times:
The Jackson $5 million? — The Sun-Times has learned that 2 members of Chicago's Indian community sent word to Blagojevich's camp that Jesse Jackson Jr. would raise $5 million in exchange for Obama's Senate seat — Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's camp was told last year that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. …
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Gateway Pundit, protein wisdom, CBS News and Founding Bloggers
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
A Reticent Justice Opens Up to a Group of Students — Justice Clarence Thomas has not asked a question from the Supreme Court bench since Feb. 22, 2006. He speaks only to announce his majority opinions, reading summaries in a gruff monotone. Glimpses of Justice Thomas in less formal settings are rare.
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
White House Mum On Legislation That Would Nix Bush “State Secrets Privilege” — The White House is declining to say whether the Obama administration will support legislation introduced by Senate Democrats that would roll back the use of the “state secrets privilege,” one of Bush's most controversial legal tools.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Politics Channel
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Ari Fleischer / Wall Street Journal:
Everyone Should Pay Income Taxes — It's bad for our democracy to exempt half the country. — If you thought Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme was bad, wait until you hear about the inverted pyramid scheme the federal government is working on. While Mr. Madoff preyed on people who trusted …
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Americans Most Confident in Obama on Economy — Democratic leaders in Congress fare better than Republican leaders — USA - Congress - Government and Politics - Presidential Ratings - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — Over two-thirds of Americans …
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The Hill:
Obama's Cuba Policy Risks an Opportunity — While Obama lifts some restrictions on travel by Cuban Americans to the island, the administration remains firm on the US embargo. — Press speculation and reports this morning indicate that the President will lift travel restrictions …
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Jeff Bliss / Bloomberg:
U.S. Military Considers Attacks on Somali Pirates' Land Bases — The U.S. military is considering attacks on pirate bases on land and aid for the Somali people to help stem ship hijackings off Africa's east coast, defense officials said. — The military also is drawing up proposals to aid …
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com, The Raw Story, Think Progress, Times of London, ABCNEWS and FP Passport
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Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
What Would a “Bipartisan” Obama Look Like? (Hint: A Lot Like the One We're Seeing) — Over at RealClarPolitics, Jay Cost takes Obama to task for failing to live up to his promises of bipartisanship. Cost writes: … What Cost accuses Obama of is acting in bad faith — he promised “bipartisanship” and hasn't delivered.
Discussion:
TalkLeft
Joe Klein / Swampland:
Obama and the Pirates — It's better to be lucky than good. It's even better to be lucky and good. One can easily imagine all the different ways the rescue of Captain Phillips might have been screwed up—and the political firestorm that would have resulted.
Hugh Hewit / www.washingtonexaminer.com:
Trillions for pork but nothing for the Raptors? — Has the world really changed that much since 1990? — When the Air Force first announced its planned procurement of the F-22 Raptors, the intended acquisition was for 750 of the fighters. The Soviet Union was the enemy then, and soon thereafter the Soviet Union fell apart.
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CNN:
Rep. Payne safe after plane fired on in Somalia — WASHINGTON (CNN) — A plane carrying U.S. Rep. Donald Payne was fired on Monday as it left the airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, but the aircraft departed safely and landed without incident in Nairobi, Kenya, his office said, citing U.S. State Department officials.
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The Daily Beast:
A Gayer GOP — Blogs and Stories — Meghan McCain on why supporting gay marriage is fundamentally in line with Republican values, and what the GOP stands to gain by doing so. — This week, I will be speaking at the Log Cabin Republicans' national convention in support of the gay community …
Discussion:
Riehl World View
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Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
WILL THE MAINE GIRLS SWING? — Last Friday, an alert reader linked Steve Benen to this The Bangor Daily News writeup of Olympia Snowe's health care listening session. This quote, in particular, caught his eye: … Snowe's position is a bit of an odd one: She holds that we may require …
Andrew Cohen / CBS News:
A Pirate Looks at Trial — The bad news for the so-far unnamed teenager qua pirate-hijacker captured Sunday during a now-famous firefight is that he'll almost certainly be convicted in an American court if and when he is brought to justice here in the States.
Roger Cohen / New York Times:
Realpolitik for Iran — For Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, “a combination of ignorance and arrogance” under the Bush administration squandered countless diplomatic opportunities with Iran and so allowed it to forge ahead with its nuclear program.
Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:
The latest NY 20 tally: Murphy by 25 — According to the latest official count this morning in the special election, Democrat Scott Murphy holds a 25-vote lead over Republican Jim Tedisco in New York's 20th District. — The 10:30 a.m. tally shows Murphy with 77,907 votes and Tedisco with 77,882 votes.
Luciana Chavez / Raleigh News & Observer:
Former WRAL reporter shines on Fox News — Bret Baier's ‘Special Report’ has viewers across the political spectrum — Bret Baier has been covering the White House and national politics for a decade. Yet even he still experiences surreal moments with the most powerful people in Washington.
Discussion:
Michael Calderone's Blog
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