Top Items:
IBDeditorials.com:
It's Not An Option — Congress: It didn't take long to run into an “uh-oh” moment when reading the House's “health care for all Americans” bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal. — IBD Exclusive Series: Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For Failure
Discussion:
Government Bytes, Instapundit, JustOneMinute, unbossed.com, Townhall.com, No Sheeples Here!, NewsBusters.org, Gateway Pundit, Patterico's Pontifications, Open Congress, Daily Dose, theblogprof, Flopping Aces, Say Anything, The Foundry, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Michelle Malkin, Maggie's Farm, Right Wing News, Fausta's Blog and Transterrestrial Musings
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The Note:
CBO Sees No Net Federal Cost Savings in Dem Health Plans — ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: — Here's a blow to President Obama and Democrats pressing health care reform. — One of the main arguments made by the President and others for investing in health reform now is that it will save …
Discussion:
Political Punch, ABCNEWS, American Spectator, Wonk Room, Hot Air, msnbc.com, The Politico, Wonkette, QandO, American Power, Scared Monkeys, TPMDC, MoJo Blog Posts, Townhall.com and Liberal Values
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
CBO Chief Criticizes Democrats' Health Reform Measures — Director Says Proposed Changes Would Weaken Economy — Instead of saving the federal government from fiscal catastrophe, the health reform measures being drafted by congressional Democrats would worsen an already bleak budget outlook …
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Firedoglake, The Hill, The Corner, Matthew Yglesias, The Foundry, YID With LID, NOW! Blog, Washington Monthly, Arkansas News and Wizbang
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Baucus: Bipartisan health deal close — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus(D-Mont.) said Thursday that he hopes to have a bipartisan deal on a health care reform bill by the end of the day. — He made the remarks after huddling for about two hours with five Finance Committee members …
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Video: Witness rips Boxer for racial condescension — Red meat by the slab, folks! Barbara Boxer wound up getting reamed by Harry Alford, the chair of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, after attempting to challenge his testimony on energy policy. When Boxer started waving position papers …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Fausta's Blog, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Townhall.com, Weekly Standard, Say Anything and The Other McCain
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:
Black Chamber head slams Boxer words as ‘racial,’ ‘condescending’ and ‘God awful’ — The President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) tore into Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) Thursday for what he said were “condescending” and “God awful” racial statements at a hearing.
Anne Schroeder Mullins / Anne Schroeder's Blog:
Sen. Barbara Boxer, accused of race politics today during the EPW hearing
Sen. Barbara Boxer, accused of race politics today during the EPW hearing
Penny Starr / CNSNews:
Joe Biden: ‘We Have to Go Spend Money to Keep From Going Bankrupt’ — (CNSNews.com) - Vice President Joe Biden told people attending an AARP town hall meeting that unless the Democrat-supported health care plan becomes law the nation will go bankrupt and that the only way to avoid that fate is for the government to spend more money.
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Washington Post:
Up Next: Biden vs. Cantor — Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) landed a fresh blow in a tit-for-tat battle with Vice President Biden today after the latter accused the senior Republican lawmaker of smearing the administration's $787 billion stimulus package. — Cantor called an afternoon news conference …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Hot Air, Say Anything, Washington Monthly, Weekly Standard, msnbc.com and Gateway Pundit
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
How Republicans missed their chance with Sotomayor — Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are down to their last chance to make the case that there are serious questions about Sonia Sotomayor's fitness for the Supreme Court. One of the things they will do is stress a subject …
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Jennifer Rubin / Commentary:
Rosen Was Right — After two days of Sotomayor testimony I thought of Jeffrey Rosen's piece on Sotomayor back in May (before he had to backpedal and support her so as not to embarrass the “team"). I don't think much of his temperament criticism, but his analysis of her legal and intellectual capabilities seems exactly on the money:
Washington Post:
Sessions: GOP Won't Block Vote on Sotomayor Nomination — Witnesses Testify Following Nominee Questioning — Judge Sonia Sotomayor ended four days of testimony this afternoon with prospects of rapid confirmation to the Supreme Court improved, as a conservative Republican …
Discussion:
New York Times, Above the Law, PERRspectives, The Nation and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Contradictory Objections from the Blue Dogs — One thing that's clear from reading today's news is that Representative Mike Ross (D-AR) is very upset about the House health care bill and is planning to lead a bloc of Blue Dog Dems on the Energy & Commerce Committee to vote against it unless major changes happen.
Discussion:
Arkansas News, The Daily Dish, Don Surber, NOW! Blog, Taylor Marsh and Grasping Reality …
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Jonathan Cohn / The Treatment:
BREAKING: AMA Endorses House Bill. — Via Health Care for America Now: The American Medical Association just sent a letter to House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, endorsing the health reform proposal put forward by three House committees. — This is unexpected. Or, at least, I wasn't expecting it.
Discussion:
NOW! Blog, New York Times, Firedoglake, Liberal Values, Democratic Strategist, Open Left, Washington Monthly, AmSpecBlog, Blog entry and Paul Krugman
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Lily Gordon / Ledger-Enquirer.com:
Federal judge dismisses reservist's suit questioning Obama's presidency — A federal judge this morning dismissed the suit filed here by a U.S. Army reservist who says he shouldn't have to go to Afghanistan because he believes Barack Obama was never eligible to be president.
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John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Lou Dobbs and the Birthers: Stefan Cook's orders were rescinded by the military
Lou Dobbs and the Birthers: Stefan Cook's orders were rescinded by the military
Discussion:
The Reaction
CNN:
Tracking Michelle Obama's slave roots — GEORGETOWN, South Carolina (CNN) — In many places across the South you can walk in the footsteps of slaves, and if you understand the history, it is not a happy journey. The same is true at Friendfield Plantation outside Georgetown, South Carolina.
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Romney Edges Palin, Huckabee in Early 2012 GOP Test — Palin's favorable rating stable after announcement of her resignation — PRINCETON, NJ — About one in four Republicans and Republican-leaning independents make Mitt Romney their top choice for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination …
Not Larry Sabato:
REPUBLICANS BECOMING UNHINGED — VA-GOP CANDIDATE JUST SAID: “IF WE LOSE AT THE BALLOT BOX, WE WILL HAVE TO TURN TO THE BULLET BOX.” VIDEO TO COME!! — UPDATE: Quote corrected (it's actually worse):"We have the chance to fight this battle at the ballot box before we have to resort to the bullet box …
John Yoo / Wall Street Journal:
Why We Endorsed Warrantless Wiretaps — The inspectors general report ignores history and plays politics with the law. — Printer — Friendly — It was instantly clear after Sept. 11, 2001, that our security agencies knew little about al Qaeda's inner workings …
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Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
The President Moves the Economic Goalposts — The stimulus isn't working as originally advertised. — Printer — Friendly — So what's a president to do when the promises he made about his economic stimulus program fail to materialize? If you're Barack Obama …
Matt Taibbi / Taibblog:
The real price of Goldman's giganto-profits — Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO Lloyd Blankfein in Washington DC in November 2008 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty) … So what's wrong with Goldman posting $3.44 billion in second-quarter profits, what's wrong with the company so far earmarking $11.4 billion in compensation for its employees?
Sarah Van Schagen / Grist:
How should you talk to your cab driver about cap-and-trade? 16 — TWITTER - NEWSVINE - GOOGLE BOOKMARKS - STUMBLEUPON — During my travels to the Rothbury Music Festival, I ended up in a cab in Grand Rapids, Mich., with a very cranky driver who wanted to talk ... about cap-and-trade …
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The Huffington Post:
Former GOP Congressmen Accuse Republicans Of Putting Party Above Constitution — Two former Republican members of Congress have accused their GOP colleagues of putting party politics over the Constitution during the Bush years, arguing that they failed dramatically to check the White House's use of executive powers.
Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
Obama losing his cool? — It's been a tough week for President Obama's cool factor. — Not only is he weathering criticism of his policies, but the Cool One has also taken a few dings to his immaculate image in recent days. — It started on Monday. Speaking at the White House …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly