Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
The President Ties His Own Hands on Terror — The point of interrogation is intelligence, not confession. — The Obama administration has declassified and released opinions of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) given in 2005 and earlier that analyze the legality …
Discussion:
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Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Bigger Picture — It will take some time to absorb the full implications of the ICRC report and the OLC memos. Right now, many are understandably focused on the legal details, the grotesque specifics of the techniques ("insects", “walling”?), the inconsistencies of the memos …
Discussion:
Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The significance of Obama's decision to release the torture memos — (updated below - Update II) — Numerous commentators are objecting to the idea that Barack Obama deserves credit for his release of the OLC torture memos yesterday in light of his accompanying pledge that CIA officials relying …
William Kristol / Weekly Standard:
“On a bright, sunny, safe day in April 2009.” — It wasn't really a surprise that President Obama sided with leftist lawyers in his Justice Department and released, over the objections of the intelligence community, four Office of Legal Counsel memos that concluded certain interrogation techniques used …
Dafna Linzer / ProPublica:
Newly Released Memo Inadvertently Reveals CIA Held (and Abused) Missing Prisoner — Among the OLC memos released today, one appears to inadvertently reveal that a top al-Qaida suspect captured in northern Iraq in January 2004 was held by the CIA in a secret prison.
Abe Greenwald / Commentary:
It Was a Caterpillar — Bug-Gate is bad, folks, really bad.
It Was a Caterpillar — Bug-Gate is bad, folks, really bad.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish
Max Twain / race42008.com:
One of the most hateful rants in history — http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=jAAHMDpk7Ik — Surprisingly, Olbermann is not the craziest person in this video. That alone puts this into a special category of left-wing vile that stands out as some of the most hateful speech you will ever hear on television.
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Media Matters for America:
On the house: Fox aired 107 ads for its coverage of tea party protests over 10 days … From April 6 to April 15, Fox News aired at least 107 commercial promotions for their coverage of the tea party protests that took place on April 15. As Media Matters for America has documented …
Teddy Davis / The Note:
McCain Guru Urges GOP to Back Gay Marriage — ABC News' Teddy Davis reports: — Former top McCain adviser Steve Schmidt is planning to use a Friday speech to the Log Cabin Republicans to urge the GOP to drop its opposition to same-sex marriage. — “I'm confident American public opinion …
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CNN:
Ex-McCain aide to call for gay marriage support
Ex-McCain aide to call for gay marriage support
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Pam's House Blend, AMERICAblog News, Wonkette, Political Machine and The Note
Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:
Top G.O.P. Consultant Endorses Gay Marriage
Top G.O.P. Consultant Endorses Gay Marriage
Discussion:
American Power
K. Daniel Glover / Accuracy in Media:
Direct Your Tweet Outrage To Katie Couric — Two days ago, journalist John Ziegler was arrested for trying to ask questions at an event where Katie Couric of CBS News received an award for her interview with Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin last fall.
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog
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Jonathan Martin / Ben Smith's Blog:
Happening NOW — For those of who you who can't get enough Palin …
Happening NOW — For those of who you who can't get enough Palin …
Discussion:
The Washington Independent
Melinda Henneberger / AOL News:
Palin Says She Considered Abortion — In her first out-of-state political appearance since last fall's presidential election, former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin confided to 3,000 at a right-to-life event here that she had “just for a fleeting moment” contemplated seeking …
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John M. Broder / New York Times:
E.P.A. to Clear the Way for Regulation of Warming Gases — WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday is expected to formally declare carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases to be pollutants that threaten public health and welfare, setting in motion a process …
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Rasmussen Reports:
In Texas, 31% Say State Has Right to Secede From U.S., But 75% Opt To Stay — Thirty-one percent (31%) of Texas voters say that their state has the right to secede from the United States and form an independent country. — However, the latest Rasmussen Reports poll in the state finds …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Postcards, Washington Monthly, TalkLeft, Burnt Orange Report and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
Jonah Goldberg / The Corner:
Taxes & Tyranny — Amidst all of the hooplah, I've heard a lot of complaints from liberals. Here are the most frequent complaints and my responses. 1. All of this tyranny talk is overheated and idiotic. Well, some of it surely is. But look: According to that Reason video I posted below …
Discussion:
protein wisdom
Kahrin Deines / Associated Press:
New gun law aimed at asserting sovereignty — Gov. Brian Schweitzer has signed into law a bill that aims to exempt Montana-made guns from federal regulation, adding firepower to a battery of legislative efforts to assert states' rights across the nation. — “It's a gun bill …
Attaturk / Eschaton:
Morning Thread: Epilogue — Since the right-wing blogs likely will not revisit and the press certainly will not. — The coda of the Beauchamp Affair: … If you cannot place the name, Master Sgt. Hatley was the direct superior of Pvt. Scott Beauchamp and the person most used to discredit …
Peter Whoriskey / Washington Post:
Rescued Banks Balk at Chrysler Deal — Creditors Pushed To Surrender Claims Of Billions — At a meeting with executives from four of the nation's largest banks earlier this month, the chief of the government's auto task force, Steven Rattner, delivered a message that shocked some in the room.
Robert Farley / American Prospect:
MANAGING NORTH KOREA. — I'll admit to suffering a John Bolton moment at the news that North Korea had, once again, threatened to drop out of the Six Party talks and restart its nuclear program. This nonsense will never end; it's pretty clear that the North Korean leadership hasn't the faintest interest in good faith negotiation.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
Yael T. Abouhalkah / Kansas City Star:
Limbaugh's ‘just an entertainer,’ says GOP congressman — U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt of Kansas is a feisty and ardent conservative. But he said something Tuesday that might irritate Rush Limbaugh's ditto-head followers. — Tiahrt was asked by a Kansas City Star Editorial Board member whether Limbaugh …
C. J. Chivers / New York Times:
Turning Tables, U.S. Troops Ambush Taliban With Swift and Lethal Results — KORANGAL OUTPOST, Afghanistan — Only the lead insurgents were disciplined as they walked along the ridge. They moved carefully, with weapons ready and at least five yards between each man, the soldiers who surprised them said.
Wall Street Journal:
Goodbye Bland Affluence — Get ready for authenticity chic. — A small sign of the times: USA Today this week ran an article about a Michigan family that, under financial pressure, decided to give up credit cards, satellite television, high-tech toys and restaurant dining, to live on a 40-acre farm and become more self-sufficient.
Bruce Bartlett / Forbes:
Tax Tea Party Time, Part Two — A look at today's taxes compared to those in the past. — Last week, I presented data comparing taxation in the United States to other major countries and concluded that Americans are not especially overtaxed. The almost universal reaction to this analysis was, “So what?”
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Obama Averages 63% Approval in His First Quarter — Highest first-quarter average since 1977 — USA - Government and Politics - Presidential Job Approval - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama's first quarter in office concludes on Sunday …
Jamie Larson / The Register Star Online:
Tedisco asks to be declared winner — COLUMBIA COUNTY — 20th Congressional District candidate Republican Jim Tedisco submitted a petition to the Dutchess County Supreme Court Thursday asking the judge to declare him the winner of the extremely close special election race …
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!, TPMDC, Senate Guru, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Politicker NY, The Moderate Voice, the albany project and D-Day
Ross Douthat:
A Goodbye — This has been my last week at The Atlantic. The magazine has been my home for seven years, under four editors, permanent and interim: The late Michael Kelly; Cullen Murphy, Scott Stossel and now James Bennet. When I joined up, in the fall of 2002, it was as a researcher in the D.C. office …
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Green Shoots and Glimmers — Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, sees “green shoots.” President Obama sees “glimmers of hope.” And the stock market has been on a tear. — So is it time to sound the all clear? Here are four reasons to be cautious about the economic outlook.
Megan McArdle:
Do We Hate Credit Default Swaps for The Wrong Reasons? — There's a lot of crazy ignorant hating on CDSs out there, especially from certain political journalists who displayed no interest in learning about the financial community until they found that pronouncing the words “credit default swaps” …
Kamran Pasha / The Huffington Post:
Why Muslims Left the Republican Party — Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann recently gave a radio interview in San Francisco where she questioned the patriotism of her colleague Rep. Keith Ellison, the first American Muslim elected to Congress. As a Muslim and a former Republican, I would like to respond.
Discussion:
Dump Michele Bachmann