Top Items:
New York Times:
Obama Poll Sees Doubt on Budget and Health Care — A substantial majority of Americans say President Obama has not developed a strategy to deal with the budget deficit, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, which also found that support for his plans to overhaul health care …
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Joseph Curl / Press Association:
Bush takes swipes at Obama policies — Defends interrogations — Former President George W. Bush fired a salvo at President Obama on Wednesday, asserting his administration's interrogation policies were within the law, declaring the private sector not government will fix the economy and rejecting the nationalization of health care.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, Raw Story, Gawker, msnbc.com, Political Punch, Wolf Howling and Gateway Pundit
Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:
Public Wary of Deficit, Economic Intervention — WASHINGTON — After a fairly smooth opening, President Barack Obama faces new concerns among the American public about the budget deficit and government intervention in the economy as he works to enact ambitious health and energy legislation …
Discussion:
US News, The Note, Commentary, The Politico, Los Angeles Times, msnbc.com, Pundit & Pundette, Daily Kos, Wizbang and The Campaign Spot
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
HE ALMOST MADE IT FIVE MONTHS.... In March, George W. Bush had a chance to criticize his successor, but he took a pass. “I'm not going to spend my time criticizing him,” Bush said. “There are plenty of critics in the arena. He deserves my silence.” — It was a good move.
Discussion:
Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
U.S. Struggling for Right Response to Iran — Obama Seeks Way to Acknowledge Protesters Without Alienating Ayatollah — The political unrest in Iran presents the Obama administration with a dilemma: keep quiet to pursue a nuclear deal with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader …
Discussion:
Newsweek, ATTACKERMAN, msnbc.com, Associated Press, The Campaign Spot, WillCollier.com, The Washington Independent and Dean's World
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Dan / Riehl World View:
Not Just Walpin - 3 IG Firings Being Questioned — This is interesting. I looked around and perhaps I missed it on another blog, but the Chicago Tribune reports that it isn't just Walpin's firing over which Senator Grassley wants some answers. He's worried about a pattern …
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Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Obama has fired 2 IGs in 2 weeks, leashed another — The firing of Gerald Walpin as Inspector General was not an isolated incident, as the Chicago Tribune reports today. Two more IGs have been dismissed in the past two weeks, and Senator Charles Grassley has started demanding answers.
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Outcry on Federal Same-Sex Benefits — WASHINGTON — The package of domestic partnership benefits that President Obama established for federal workers on Wednesday drew the loudest protests from some of those it was intended to help, gay men and lesbians who criticized the move as too timid.
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The Politico:
Obama fails to quell gay uproar — President Barack Obama's announcement Wednesday offering limited benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees failed to quell growing anger in the gay community that gay rights issues were getting short shrift at the White House.
Charles J. Brown / Undiplomatic:
Obama on Iran, McCain on His High Horse — Here's Obama's response to events in Iran. As Spencer Ackerman notes, just about pitch-perfect: — Now look at what John McCain said in contrast: … Take a moment to think about how the current government in Iran is going to react to this …
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New York Times:
Panel of Clerics Offers Talks With Iranian Opposition — TEHRAN — Days after it was urged to investigate the outcome of last week's disputed presidential election, Iran's authoritative Guardian Council said on Thursday that it had invited the three candidates challenging the official results …
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Think Progress, BBC, The Confluence, Associated Press, Guardian and Amnesty International
Kirit Radia / ABCNEWS:
Hillary Clinton Fractures Her Elbow — The Secretary of State will undergo surgery to repair the damage next week — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fell down on her way to the White House late Wednesday afternoon, fracturing her right elbow, her Counselor and Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills …
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Christopher Beam / Slate:
Why are Iranian police markings written in English? — Post-election protests continued in Tehran for the fifth day on Wednesday. In many photos, riot police wear uniforms with the English word police on them. Ambulances, too, bear the word ambulance in English.
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Just Tell the World, ‘Go Hang’ — Events in Iran catch President Obama flat-footed. — Printer — Friendly — “Wading into Iranian politics, President Barack Obama said on Tuesday there appeared to be few policy differences between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and rival Mirhossein Mousavi,” Reuters reports.
Discussion:
Power Line, Israel Matzav, Tammy Bruce, Bookworm Room, Hotline On Call and New York Times
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Drudge Report:
ABC REFUSES OPPOSITION ADS DURING WHITE HOUSE SPECIAL — ABC is refusing to air paid ads during its White House health care presentation, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, including a paid-for alternative viewpoint! — The development comes a day after the network denied a request …
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Renegade Lieberman works well with Obama — Seven months after nearly becoming politically irrelevant, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is working closely with a president he actively campaigned against and is playing a leading role in moving major pieces of legislation through the upper chamber.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
Robert Tait / Guardian:
Iran election turnouts exceeded 100% in 30 towns, website reports — At least 200 polling stations across Iran had participation rates of 95% or above, say sources of centrist Auyandeh site — Turnouts of more than 100% were recorded in at least 30 Iranian towns in last week's disputed …
Barry Ritholtz / The Big Picture:
Bailout Costs vs Big Historical Events — It is exceedingly difficult to convey exactly how much we are spending on all these bailouts. Whenever I start talking trillions (versus mere billions), I get puzzled looks from people. Humans have a hard time conceptualizing any number that large.
Discussion:
Commentaries
Lynn Sweet:
Lisa Madigan, weighing Senate bid, meets with Obama, Jarrett and Emanuel at the White House — WASHINGTON—The Obama White House is pushing to have Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan run for the U.S. Senate; she was at the White House last Friday meeting with President Obama …
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Taegan Goddard's …, Associated Press and Scorecard's Blog
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Good Neocons — Not all of them wish Ahmadinejad had won, or insist that the revolution is already crushed, or fear a more moderate Islamic republic because it would still threaten Israel, or just reflexively want to use this, of all things, as another bludgeon against Obama.
Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:
Months After Ted Stevens Debacle, Justice Department Corruption Unit in Disarray — Two months after prosecutors abandoned the criminal conviction of former senator Ted Stevens, the Justice Department unit that polices public corruption remains in chaos, coping with newly discovered evidence …
Discussion:
Law Blog
Shawna Flavell / The PETA Files:
Obama and the Fly — Well, I guess it can't be said that President Obama wouldn't hurt a fly. The commander in chief was recently pestered by a fly during an interview. He swatted at the insect and killed the little guy instantly. — Believe it or not, we've actually been contacted …
Kevin Drum / MoJo Blog Posts:
Healthcare CEOs Shoot Themselves in the Foot — Yesterday the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations decided to investigate the practice of recission. This is when you pay your premiums for years to a healthcare insurer, then get sick, and then have your insurance cancelled.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, The Mahablog, RedState, Cup O' Joe, Obsidian Wings, Seeing the Forest and Los Angeles Times
Conor Clarke / Atlantic Correspondents:
An Interview With Paul Samuelson, Part One — I've spent the last six months, off and on, trying to interview Paul Samuelson. Samuelson has a long list of accomplishments — A John Bates Clark Medal, a Nobel Prize — that I won't try to recap here. But by most accounts he is responsible …
Discussion:
Greg Mankiw's Blog
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:
Barney Frank throws us under the bus. Lauds incest brief. Says language was appropriate. — Well, it seems a trip to the Oval Office is all openly gay congressman Barney Frank needs to stab his community in the back. After criticizing the DOJ's anti-gay DOMA brief this morning …
Discussion:
United States House …, Salon, The Confluence, #gay, GayPatriot, Boston Herald and Newsweek Blogs
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