Top Items:
Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Top Republican calls Limbaugh, Gingrich comments ‘terrible’ — (CNN) — A top Senate Republican is taking aim at recent statements from conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich suggesting Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a “racist.”
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Wall Street Journal:
Republicans, Let's Play Grown-Up — Sotomayor's hearings are an opportunity for serious debate. — Printer — Friendly — “Let's play grown-up.” When I was a child, that's what we said when we ran out of things to do like playing potsie or throwing rocks in the vacant lot.
New York Times:
Sotomayor's Sharp Tongue Raises Issue of Temperament — WASHINGTON — Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, has a blunt and even testy side, and it was on display in December at an argument before the full federal appeals court in New York.
Discussion:
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Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
A Republican Response to Sonia Sotomayor: Criticize, Then Confirm — Sonia Sotomayor has a classic American story. So does Frank Ricci. — Ricci is a New Haven firefighter stationed seven blocks from where Sotomayor went to law school (Yale). Raised in blue-collar Wallingford, Conn. …
Discussion:
American Prospect, The Daily Dish, The Plum Line, Balkinization, Bench Memos and Law Blog
NPR:
Senators Offer Competing Views Of Sotomayor — · Judge Sonia Sotomayor is expected to begin making courtesy visits next week to Senate leaders and members of the Judiciary Committee who will conduct hearings on her nomination to the Supreme Court. — NPR talked with two committee members …
National Journal Online:
Political Insiders Poll — Q: Would it be politically smart for Republicans to try to block the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor? — Democrats (92 votes) — Yes 8% No 89% Depends 3% — Yes — “It's their only way to appear relevant.
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Empathy Issue — The American legal system is based on a useful falsehood. It's based on the falsehood that this is a nation of laws, not men; that in rendering decisions, disembodied, objective judges are able to put aside emotion and unruly passion and issue opinions on the basis of pure reason.
Matt Corley / Think Progress:
Barnes: Sotomayor ‘benefited’ from affirmative action ‘tremendously.’ — On MSNBC yesterday, Pat Buchanan repeatedly attacked Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor as an “affirmative action candidate,” echoing right-wing claims that she has “been the recipient of preferential treatment for most of her life.”
Tom LoBianco / Washington Times:
Lawyers tag nominee as ‘terror on the bench’
Lawyers tag nominee as ‘terror on the bench’
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, USA Today, The Hill, The Politico, Washington Post, Pat Dollard and PrairiePundit
Peter Hamby / CNN:
Bush: ‘The information we got saved lives’ — BENTON HARBOR, Michigan (CNN) - Former President George W. Bush on Thursday repeated Dick Cheney's assertion that their enhanced interrogation program was legal and garnered valuable information that prevented future terrorist attacks.
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Peter Hamby / CNN:
Bush defends policies, stays out of argument
Bush defends policies, stays out of argument
Discussion:
CBS News, Macsmind, Right Wing News, No More Mister Nice Blog, Connecting.the.Dots and Truthdig
Sen. John Cornyn / Senator_John_Cornyn's blog:
On the NRSC Endorsement — Thanks very much to Sen. Cornyn for his willingness to reach out to us on this issue. — Erick — Two and a half years ago, the Republican Party suffered a major blow in the 2006 midterm elections as the Democrats regained control of Congress and began laying …
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Jules Crittenden:
HOT — Lady Gaga and Small Wars Journal. Both hot. But don't take my word for it. Rolling Stone: … Yeah, well, anyone with a Y chromosome can see the chick with the Phyllis Diller fright wig and the bubble bikini is hot. * Glad to see RS is getting hip to how hot Small Wars can be.
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Big Inflation Scare — Suddenly it seems as if everyone is talking about inflation. Stern opinion pieces warn that hyperinflation is just around the corner. And markets may be heeding these warnings: Interest rates on long-term government bonds are up, with fear of future inflation …
The Huffington Post:
Brenda Lee, Reporter, Dragged Kicking And Screaming From Near Air Force One — LOS ANGELES — A writer for a small Georgia newspaper who wanted to give President Barack Obama a letter was forcibly removed from a press area near Air Force One on Thursday shortly before he arrived at the airport.
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Christina Hoag / NBC Los Angeles:
Kicking & Screaming: Journo Dragged From Near AF1
Kicking & Screaming: Journo Dragged From Near AF1
Discussion:
Moe Lane, Newsbroke, FishBowlDC, Joe. My. God., American Power, Instapundit, Raw Story, Hot Air, Stop The ACLU, INSTAPUTZ and Riehl World View
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: O'Reilly apologizes to Hot Air, sort of — Yes, he concedes, the quote last night should have been specifically attributed to a commenter, not to the site itself — but that's what we get for letting stuff like that be posted, now isn't it? Do a better job of moderating comments and we won't have this problem.
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Laura Rozen / The Cable:
Netanyahu: “What the hell do they want from me?” — Last night, shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told journalists that the Obama administration “wants to see a stop to settlements — not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a confidante.
Discussion:
The Opinionator, TPMCafe, Washington Post, US Department of State, Balloon Juice, Wonk Room and Commentary
The Cajun Boy / Gawker:
Did Erich ‘Mancow’ Muller Fake His Waterboarding for Publicity? — Yesterday we showed you video of Erich “Mancow” Muller, a Chicago-based right-wing shockjock, appearing as a guest on Keith Olbermann's show to discuss his being waterboarded. He claimed it led to an ideological conversion!
John Derbyshire / The Corner:
Give Montana Girls a Chance — A reader vents: Derb — I've been hoping that someone might be bold enough to rain on the Sotomayor “compelling life story” parade. The woman grew up in the capital of the world, went to two Ivy League schools, and was blessed by Providence …
Discussion:
The League of Ordinary …, alicublog, pandagon.net, Jules Crittenden and Talking Points Memo
Times of London:
Slaughter in Sri Lanka — Evidence gathered by The Times has revealed that at least 20,000 Tamils were killed on the beach by shelling as the army closed in on the Tigers — “Deeply disappointing” was how a human rights group yesterday described the vote in the United Nations Human Rights Council hailing …
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Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Obama Approval Compares Favorably to Prior Presidents — Only three presidents since Eisenhower have had higher May ratings — PRINCETON, NJ — So far in May, Barack Obama has averaged 65% job approval. Since World War II, only three of the previous eight presidents elected to their first terms …