Top Items:
Ali Soufan / New York Times:
My Tortured Decision — FOR seven years I have remained silent about the false claims magnifying the effectiveness of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding. I have spoken only in closed government hearings, as these matters were classified.
Discussion:
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Scott Shane / New York Times:
Interrogations' Effectiveness May Prove Elusive — WASHINGTON — Even the most exacting truth commission may have a hard time determining for certain whether brutal interrogations conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency helped keep the country safe. — Last week's release …
Discussion:
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Peter Hoekstra / Wall Street Journal:
Congress Knew About the Interrogations — Obama should release the memo on the attacks prevented. — Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair got it right last week when he noted how easy it is to condemn the enhanced interrogation program “on a bright sunny day in April 2009.”
The Huffington Post:
Shepard Smith Uncensored: “We Are America, We Do Not F**king Torture!” (VIDEO) — Update: scroll down for Smith's uncensored comments — Fox News viewers witnessed a rather incredible scene on Wednesday as anchor Shepard Smith and Fox contributor Judith Miller (of CIA leak infamy) …
Charlie Savage / New York Times:Any Indictment of Interrogation Policy Makers Would Face Several Hurdles
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post and Law Blog
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:Flashback: Bush's FBI Director Said Torture Didn't Foil Any Terror Plots
Ceci Connolly / Washington Post:
GOP Stymies Vote on Sebelius — President Obama will have to wait a bit longer to round out his Cabinet. Senate Republicans refused today to allow a confirmation vote on his health secretary nominee Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kan.). She is the last Cabinet member awaiting Senate approval.
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David M. Drucker / Roll Call:
GOP Plots Revenge — Reconciliation May Shut Down Senate — As Senate Democrats move closer to using reconciliation to pass health care reform this year, key GOP Senators are signaling plans to avenge the move by employing parliamentary tactics to trip up even the most noncontroversial of agenda items.
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
John Ensign's Unapologetic Critique — John Ensign wants to make one thing very clear: he's not sorry for saying it was “irresponsible” of President Obama to be seen laughing with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at last week's Summit of the Americas. — “That visual image is going to be used …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
Joe Klein / Time:
Sizing Up Obama's First 100 Days — The President almost seemed apologetic. “This may be a slightly longer speech than I usually give,” he told his audience at Georgetown University on April 14. “This is going to be prose and not poetry.” What followed, as promised, was not poetry.
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Jeff Stein / SpyTalk:
Intelligence Officials Tipped Pelosi To Harman Wiretap — Intelligence officials, angry that former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had blocked an FBI investigation into Democratic Rep. Jane Harman's interactions with a suspected Israeli agent, tipped off Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader …
Discussion:
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CNN:
Levi Johnston: 'It's pretty crazy' — (CNN) — A year ago, few outside of Wasilla, Alaska, had ever heard of Levi Johnston. All that changed last summer when Gov. Sarah Palin accepted the Republican vice presidential nomination. — Soon after she entered the national spotlight …
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Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Rep. Joe Barton: I ‘Stumped’ Nobel Prize Winning Scientist — Oh the (rare, but occasionally exceptional) joys of Twitter. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX)—the ranking member on the House Energy & Commerce Committee—says (tweets?) “I seemed [sic] to have baffled the Energy Sec with basic question - Where does oil come from?”
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:CHU WASN'T THE ‘BAFFLED’ ONE.... Arrogance is almost always unseemly …
Discussion:
Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!
Michael Calderone / Michael Calderone's Blog:
WaPo hires Prospect's Klein — The American Prospect's Ezra Klein, one of the top bloggers on politics and policy, is heading to the Washington Post. — Rumors about Klein's upcoming move spread on Wednesday night during a reception thrown by The Nation magazine in honor of D.C. bureau chief Chris Hayes.
Liz Rappaport / Wall Street Journal:
Lewis Testifies U.S. Urged Silence on Deal — Bank of America Chief Says Bernanke, Paulson Barred Disclosure of Merrill Woes Because of Fears for Financial System — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and then-Treasury Department chief Henry Paulson pressured Bank of America Corp …
Discussion:
Josh Gerstein's Blog, Associated Press, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, NO QUARTER, JustOneMinute, Clusterstock, naked capitalism and ProPublica
Pew Research Center:
Obama at 100 Days: Strong Job Approval, Even Higher Personal Ratings — Better Ratings for Foreign Policy than Domestic Issues — As he approaches the 100-day mark of his presidency, Barack Obama's job approval ratings are higher than those of his most recent predecessors.
Associated Press:
AP Poll: Americans high on Obama, direction of US — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Washington Monthly, Los Angeles Times, Open Left, Commentary and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
Randy E. Barnett / Wall Street Journal:
The Case for a Federalism Amendment — How the Tea Partiers can make Washington pay attention. — In response to an unprecedented expansion of federal power, citizens have held hundreds of “tea party” rallies around the country, and various states are considering “sovereignty resolutions” …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Why is the GOP Throwing Senate Races? — Dave Weigel notes that Senator Jon Cornyn (R-TX), in charge of helping GOP Senate candidates, is being surprisingly friendly with former Rep. Pat Toomey who's mounting a challenge-from-the-right to Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA).
New York Times:
Pakistan Sends Special Police to Taliban-Held Area — ISLAMABAD — Pakistani authorities on Thursday deployed special constabulary forces to a strategically important district only 70 miles from the capital, Islamabad, that has come under the effective control of the Taliban in the last several days, police and residents said.
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
The President's Apology Tour — Great leaders aren't defined by consensus. — President Barack Obama has finished the second leg of his international confession tour. In less than 100 days, he has apologized on three continents for what he views as the sins of America and his predecessors.
Faiz Shakir / Think Progress:
Bill O'Reilly's response to waterboarding: ‘Torture, my ass.’ — Last night on The Factor, Bill O'Reilly hosted Newsday columnist Ellis Henican, who criticized O'Reilly's tolerance of torture. “You disappoint me, you disappoint me,” Henican said, pointing his finger at O'Reilly.
Discussion:
Latest Open Salon Blog
George F. Will / Washington Post:
Obama's Budget Satire — Monday morning the government braced for austerity, as the government understands that. Having sent Congress a $3.5 trillion budget, the president signaled in advance — perhaps so his Cabinet members could steel themselves for the new asceticism …
Wall Street Journal:
Presidential Poison — His invitation to indict Bush officials will haunt Obama's Presidency. — Mark down the date. Tuesday, April 21, 2009, is the moment that any chance of a new era of bipartisan respect in Washington ended. By inviting the prosecution of Bush officials …
Jackie Kucinich / Roll Call:
Conservatives Call on Napolitano to Resign — Several conservative Republicans took to the House floor Wednesday night to call for Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to resign in the wake of the department's new report that identifies “right wing extremists” as potential terrorists.
Brad / Think Progress:
Shimkus: Capping CO2 a greater ‘assault on democracy’ than 9/11. — Yesterday, Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) described President Obama's energy plan as “the largest assault on democracy and freedom in this country that I've ever experienced.” Speaking at a hearing on the Waxman-Markey Clean Energy …
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