Top Items:
Lindsey Ellerson / The Note:
Gingrich: Pelosi ‘Lied,’ ‘Despicable,’ ‘Dishonest,’ ‘Vicious,’ ‘Trivial’ — ABC News' Rick Klein reports: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich today offered a blistering critique of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's handling of oversight on harsh interrogation tactics, in a major escalation of partisan attacks being aimed at Pelosi.
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Dan Balz / Washington Post:
The Take: Pelosi's Comments Raise Interrogation Debate to New Level — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's extraordinary accusation that the Bush administration lied to Congress about the use of harsh interrogation techniques dramatically raised the stakes in the growing debate …
Discussion:
Commentary, The Hill, Time, The Fix, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, New York Times, Craig Crawford's Trail Mix, CBS News, Washington Times, Media Matters for America, Buck Naked Politics, Washington Wire, The Moderate Voice, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, Taylor Marsh, Wake up America, Jules Crittenden, Los Angeles Times, The Note, Townhall.com, GayPatriot, Newshoggers.com, democracyarsenal.org, The Caucus, American Power and New York Times
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
The Torture Debate, Continued — This month, I wrote a column outlining two exceptions to the no-torture rule: the ticking time bomb scenario and its less extreme variant in which a high-value terrorist refuses to divulge crucial information that could save innocent lives.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Reporters Gettin' Played — Everybody's talking about Nancy Pelosi's press conference yesterday. I'm listening to Republicans on cable yapping about this contradiction or that contradiction. But what I've seen very little attention to is the fact that Pelosi had an answer that really answers …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
KRAUTHAMMER'S BEST EXAMPLE.... The Washington Post's Charles Krauthammer received some well-deserved flak after his pro-torture column a couple of weeks ago. He argued at the time, that “the ticking time bomb” is a reasonable excuse for torture. “An innocent's life is at stake,” Krauthammer said.
Attaturk / Firedoglake:
Moral Monster — Charles Krauthammer took the Hippocratic Oath.
Moral Monster — Charles Krauthammer took the Hippocratic Oath.
Discussion:
American Power
Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Nancy Pelosi's war
Nancy Pelosi's war
Discussion:
The Note, Washington Wire, Glenn Thrush's Blog, Democracy in America, The Moderate Voice, Don Surber and Hot Air
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Ticking Time Bomb Slippery Slope
The Ticking Time Bomb Slippery Slope
Discussion:
The Washington Independent
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Pelosi's Claims Getting Much More Media Scrutiny Than CIA's Assertions
Pelosi's Claims Getting Much More Media Scrutiny Than CIA's Assertions
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Glenn Thrush's Blog, Media Matters for America, Daily Kos and Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!
Robert Pear / New York Times:
Health Care Leaders Say Obama Overstated Their Promise to Control Costs — WASHINGTON — Hospitals and insurance companies said Thursday that President Obama had substantially overstated their promise earlier this week to reduce the growth of health spending.
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WNYW Fox 5 MyFoxNY.com:
Dead People Get Stimulus Checks — MYFOXNY.COM - This week, thousands of people are getting stimulus checks in the mail. The problem is that a lot of them are dead. A Long Island woman was shocked when she checked the mail and received a letter from the U.S. Treasury — but it wasn't for her.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Jawa Report, Consumerist, theblogprof, Right Wing News, Fausta's Blog, The Foundry and Cold Fury
Jason Rosenbaum / The Huffington Post:
That Didn't Take Long: Insurance Industry Breaks Promise To President Obama
That Didn't Take Long: Insurance Industry Breaks Promise To President Obama
Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit:
WELL, I AGREE WITH THE PRESIDENT: Obama Says U.S. Long-Term Debt Load ‘Unsustainable’.
WELL, I AGREE WITH THE PRESIDENT: Obama Says U.S. Long-Term Debt Load ‘Unsustainable’.
Ronald Brownstein / National Journal Online:
Business Climbs Aboard
Business Climbs Aboard
Discussion:
Democratic Strategist
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
More Americans “Pro-Life” Than “Pro-Choice” for First Time — Also, fewer think abortion should be legal “under any circumstances” — PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling themselves “pro-life” on the issue of abortion and 42% “pro-choice.”
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Prospect, Politics Daily, The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Swamp, NewsBusters.org, Jezebel, Neptunus Lex, Power Line, Salon, Shot in the Dark, Sister Toldjah, Townhall.com, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Foundry, Boston Globe, Greg's Opinion, Lean Left, theblogprof, Right Wing News, AmSpecBlog, Clayton Cramer's BLOG, Flopping Aces and HotAirPundit
Matt Smith / CNN:
Powell aide says torture helped build Iraq war case — (CNN) — Finding a “smoking gun” linking Iraq and al Qaeda became the main purpose of the abusive interrogation program the Bush administration authorized in 2002, a former State Department official told CNN on Thursday.
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Obama's kinder, gentler military commissions — [updated below - Update II - Update III (Obama's statement)] — It now appears definitive that the Obama administration will attempt to preserve a “modified” version of George Bush's military commissions, rather than try suspected terrorists …
Discussion:
Political Punch, Guardian, JONATHAN TURLEY, CANNONFIRE, Wake up America, theheretik.us and Cato @ Liberty
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Empire of Carbon — I have seen the future, and it won't work. — These should be hopeful times for environmentalists. Junk science no longer rules in Washington. President Obama has spoken forcefully about the need to take action on climate change; the people I talk to are increasingly optimistic …
Tom Goldstein / SCOTUSblog:
Judge Sotomayor's Appellate Opinions in Civil Cases — Judge Sonia Sotomayor is an obviously serious candidate to serve on the Supreme Court. We have been struck by how the amount of commentary about Judge Sotomayor has ignored the most accessible and valuable source of information: her opinions as an appellate judge.
Alex Spillius / Telegraph:
New ‘prisoner abuse’ photographs emerge despite US bid to block publication — Graphic photographs of alleged prisoner abuse, thought to be among up to 2,000 images Barack Obama is trying to prevent from being released, emerged yesterday. — The shocking images of inmates in Iraq …
Victor Davis Hanson / Associated Press:
Hanson: President Palins First 100 Days — EDITOR'S NOTE: In these messianic times we have slouched into an acceptance of presidential worship, and we need to be reminded from time to time that the media's Obama standard is really no standard at all. The following is a sequel to the recent “Bush Did It.”
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
In Limbo: Dawn Johnsen's Nomination Stalls Thanks to Democrats — For several weeks—while torture revelations have dominated headlines and with the scandal still very much alive—Dawn Johnsen has been waiting. She's Obama's pick to head the Office of Legal Counsel—the same Justice Department shop …
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Al Kamen / Washington Post:
In the Loop: The Not-So-Persuasive Liz Cheney — We now know at least one reason former vice president Dick Cheney was taking the Acela up to New York on Monday morning: He was going to attend a debate on U.S. policy on Iran where his daughter Liz Cheney, former principal deputy assistant secretary …
Washington Post:
Trade Wars Launched With Ruses, End Runs — Outrage in Canada as U.S. Firms Sever Ties To Obey Stimulus Rules — Is this what the first trade war of the global economic crisis looks like? — Ordered by Congress to “buy American” when spending money from the $787 billion stimulus package …
Discussion:
Right Pundits, Greg's Opinion, RedState, TigerHawk, QandO, The Campaign Spot, MoJo Blog Posts and Reason
Jeremy P. Jacobs / The Hill:
Lieberman to pay $50K campaign finance penalty — Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Friday agreed to pay a $50,000 civil penalty for campaign finance violations. — According to the Federal Election Commission, Lieberman's 2006 reelection campaign and its treasurer, Lynn Fusco …
Discussion:
Politics Daily
National Journal Online:
Political Insiders Poll — Q: Has Dick Cheney helped or hurt the Republican Party since leaving office? — Democrats (103 votes) — Helped 6 percent Hurt 92 percent — Both; neither; time will tell — (volunteered) 3 percent — Helped