Top Items:
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Trump on Prejean: Same as Obama — President Barack Obama ended up in the middle of an unlikely controversy this morning — the debate over Miss California's position on gay marriage. — At a press conference addressing Carrie Prejean's disputed title in the Miss USA competition …
Discussion:
The Anchoress, The Huffington Post, CNN, American Power, The Swamp, GayPatriot, Gateway Pundit, RealClearPolitics Video Log and Wizbang
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TMZ.com:
Miss California Topless — Oops, She Did It Again — Carrie Prejean must have a really, really bad memory — because TMZ uncovered a brand new set of topless photos “biblically correct” Miss California took before she applied for the crown. — These pics were taken just last year — meaning Carrie was the ripe ol' LEGAL age of 20.
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Other McCain, L.A. Now, American Power, theblogprof, Perez Hilton, Deceiver.com, GayPatriot and The Raw Story
Josh Kraushaar / The Politico:
Conservatives may buck Crist — The expected announcement Tuesday by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist that he's running for the Senate would seem to be a rare bit of good news for beleaguered Republicans. — But while Crist is a brand-name recruit with sky-high approval ratings and bipartisan appeal …
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Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:
NRSC endorses Crist — Even as Gov. Charlie Crist comes under fire from Florida conservatives, he will be getting some important political backing today as he announces that he's running for the Senate in Florida. — The National Republican Senatorial Committee will be endorsing Crist …
Rachel Kapochunas / CQ Politics:
Crist's Senate Bid Flips CQ Ratings on Florida Races
Crist's Senate Bid Flips CQ Ratings on Florida Races
Discussion:
Top of the Ticket
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
It's War: Conservative Candidate Uses Image Of Obama To Attack Moderate GOPer
It's War: Conservative Candidate Uses Image Of Obama To Attack Moderate GOPer
Discussion:
TPMDC
Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
What if Cheney's Right? — Blogger Alert: I have written a column in defense of Dick Cheney. I know how upsetting this will be to some Cheney critics, and I count myself as one, who think — in respectful paraphrase of what Mary McCarthy said about Lillian Hellman — that everything he says is a lie, including the ands and the thes.
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Brent Baker / NewsBusters.org:
Koppel: ‘Enhanced Interrogation Technique’ …
Koppel: ‘Enhanced Interrogation Technique’ …
Discussion:
Townhall.com
Neil A. Lewis / New York Times:
Potential Justice Offers a Counterpoint in Chicago — WASHINGTON — When President Bill Clinton had a rare opportunity in 1995 for a Democratic president to fill a vacancy on the federal appeals court based in Chicago, a bastion of conservative thinking, he received an unusually strong recommendation from Senator Paul Simon.
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Janet Adamy / Wall Street Journal:
Soda Tax Weighed to Pay for Health Care — Senate leaders are considering new federal taxes on soda and other sugary drinks to help pay for an overhaul of the nation's health-care system. — The taxes would pay for only a fraction of the cost to expand health-insurance coverage to all Americans …
Discussion:
CBS News, The Atlantic Business Channel, The Politico, Townhall.com, theblogprof, QandO, The Jawa Report, American Power, Althouse, MoJo Blog Posts and Gothamist
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Obama administration threatens Britain to keep torture evidence concealed — (updated below) — Ever since he was released from Guantanamo in February after six years of due-process-less detention and brutal torture, Binyam Mohamed has been attempting to obtain justice for what was done to him.
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Brian Knowlton / New York Times:
Insolvency for Social Security and Medicare Is Seen Closer — WASHINGTON — The financial outlook for Medicare and Social Security has significantly worsened, as the bad economy and mounting job losses have pushed both programs years closer to insolvency, according to a grim report issued Tuesday by the Obama administration.
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Timothy F. Geithner / ssa.gov:
A MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC: — Each year the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds report on the current and projected financial status of the two programs. This message summarizes our 2009 Annual Reports. — The financial condition of the Social Security and Medicare programs remains challenging.
Heather / Crooks and Liars:
Jesse Ventura: You Give Me a Water Board, Dick Cheney and One Hour, and I'll Have Him Confess to the Sharon Tate Murders — You can view this video right here by getting the latest version of Flash Player! — On Larry King Live Jesse Ventura takes on the Bush administration chickenhawks and Rush Limbaugh, and defends Colin Powell.
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Lt. Daniel Choi / CNN:
Gay soldier: Don't fire me — • Military … Open Letter to President Obama and Every Member of Congress: — I have learned many lessons in the ten years since I first raised my right hand at the United States Military Academy at West Point and committed to fighting for my country.
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Ben Armbruster / Think Progress:
Army Lt. discharged under DADT writes to Obama: ‘I beg you today: Do not fire me.’
Army Lt. discharged under DADT writes to Obama: ‘I beg you today: Do not fire me.’
Discussion:
Neptunus Lex
Declan McCullagh / CBS News:
It's A Good Time To Work For Uncle Sam — President Obama's call last year for “shared sacrifice” doesn't extend to federal employees, at least based on the details of his administration's 2010 budget released this week. — At a time when the official unemployment rate is nearing double digits …
Ali Frick / Think Progress:
Palin distinguishes herself as the only governor to refuse energy conservation funds. — Every single governor except Sarah Palin (R-AK) has written to Energy Secretary Steven Chu accepting millions of stimulus dollars meant to increase energy conservation and efficiency.
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Peter Finn / Washington Post:
Detainee Who Gave False Iraq Data Dies In Prison in Libya — A former CIA high-value detainee, who provided bogus information that was cited by the Bush administration in the run-up to the Iraq war, has died in a Libyan prison, an apparent suicide, according to a Libyan newspaper.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Hullabaloo, White House Watch, JustOneMinute, Telegraph, Reuters, The Daily Dish, Los Angeles Times, UPI, The Huffington Post and Pacific Views
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The Plank:
Obama Breaks With Gates, Cancels Nuke Program — Obama's new budget plan includes a little-noted sea change in U.S. nuclear policy, and a step towards his vision of a denuclearized world. It provides no funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead program, created to design a new generation …
Byron York / www.washingtonexaminer.com:
Obama's dangerous budget leaves GOP at loss for words — Obama is a self-deceived person. In the end America will have mediocrity or much worse wether there are “savings” or no “savings.” More government bureaucracy is not the answer. When will Obama and the Democrates tackle the looming Social Security and Medicare disaster?
Discussion:
protein wisdom
William Kristol / Washington Post:
An Anti-Obama Agenda for the GOP — The Republican Party's navel is a pretty unattractive thing. — So maybe Republicans should stop obsessively gazing at it. Instead, the GOP might focus on taking on the Obama administration, whose policies are surprisingly vulnerable to political and substantive attack.
Charlie Cook / National Journal Online:
Sometimes Silence Is Golden — The GOP Would Be Well-Advised To Take A Page From The Democratic Playbook And Steer Clear Of Politically Divisive Issues — The other day, a Republican campaign operative whose experience dates back to George H.W. Bush's White House political office was lamenting …