Top Items:
New York Times:
Obama's Health Care Speech to Congress — Following is the prepared text of President Obama's speech to Congress on the need to overhaul health care in the United States, as released by the White House. — Madame Speaker, Vice President Biden, Members of Congress, and the American people:
Discussion:
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Carl Hulse / New York Times:
In Lawmaker's Outburst, a Rare Breach of Protocol — WASHINGTON — It was a rare breach of the protocol that governs ritualistic events in the Capitol. — In an angry and very audible outburst, Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, interrupted President Obama's speech Wednesday night with a shout of “You lie!”
Discussion:
TigerHawk, The Note, Wall Street Journal, Front Row Washington, Facing South, Salon, Ben Smith's Blog, Riehl World View, Achenblog, Mediaite, The Politico, The BLT and James Fallows
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Washington Sketch: Republicans Behaving Badly at Obama Speech — As President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, the nation's rapidly deteriorating discourse hit yet another low. — It happened at 8:40 pm, just after the president vowed to lawmakers …
Mere Rhetoric:
Video Flashback: Dems Shout And Boo At Bush During 2005 SOTU [Video] — The scrupulous FogCityJohn, member of the reality-based Daily Kos community, currently has a top post intriguingly titled “If Joe Wilson Were A Democrat.” He muses thusly: … Remember the time when some deep-feeling member …
Associated Press:
Obama heckled by GOP during speech to Congress — WASHINGTON — The nastiness of August reached from the nation's town halls into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as President Barack Obama tried to move his health care plan forward. — South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted …
CNN:
CNN Poll: Double-digit post-speech jump for Obama plan — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Two out of three Americans who watched President Barack Obama's health care reform speech Wednesday night favor his health care plans — a 14-point gain among speech-watchers, according to a CNN/Opinion Research …
CNN:
Wilson apologizes: ‘I let my emotions get the best of me’ — WASHINGTON (CNN) — GOP Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina issued a statement Wednesday night apologizing for his outburst during President Obama's speech to Congress:
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Shakesville, RedState, The Raw Story, TPMDC, Alas, a blog, The Hinterland Gazette, Pam's House Blend, Philly.com and Taylor Marsh
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
The House Bill Does Cover Illegals — During Barack Obama's speech tonight, Obama said it was untrue that “the reforms I am proposing” cover illegal aliens. Someone in the audience, reportedly South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson, yelled out “liar.” — Now this isn't the British parliament, so I don't agree with shouting out.
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: GOP congressman yells “liar” at Obama; Update: Wilson apologizes — The culprit was South Carolina rep Joe Wilson, who felt moved to act when The One told what was, in fact, a lie. Although certainly not his biggest of the night: Where this jackass gets off lecturing Americans …
Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
BREAKING: The News in the Speech — Looks like there's some news in the speech after all. Quite a bit. — On the policy front, President Obama tonight endorses, clearly and unambiguously, a requirement that everybody obtain insurance—that is, an individual mandate. He has not done that before, not this explicitly.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, Hullabaloo, Salon, Politics Daily, Swampland, Democracy in America, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, Open Congress, TPMCafe and Reason
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
A voice from the floor on illegal immigrants: ‘Lie’ — One of the most persistent conservative concerns about health care legislation is that it will provide health care to illegal immigrants — and the heated claim spilled onto the floor of President Obama's address to a joint session …
Discussion:
Think Progress, The Nation, Time, Daily Kos, Flopping Aces, The Moderate Voice, Open Congress, The Washington Independent and QandO
Gateway Pundit:
Stunner... AP Pummels Liar In Chief's Dishonest Speech — Here's a stunner. — After the campaign speech Barack Obama delivered to Congress tonight the state-run media reported that Dear Leader's talking points were not true. — They were being kind. — This made it past the editor's desk at the AP:
WhiteHouse.gov Blog:
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS ON HEALTH CARE — Washington, D.C. — THE PRESIDENT: Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, and the American people: — When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, The Nation, Clive Crook, GayPatriot and SquareState.net
Democracy Corps:
Obama's Speech Moves Swing Voters to Support Reform
Obama's Speech Moves Swing Voters to Support Reform
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, MoJo Blog Posts, Capital Gains and Games blogs and Taegan Goddard's …
WhiteHouse.gov Blog:
THE OBAMA PLAN: STABILITY & SECURITY FOR ALL AMERICANS
THE OBAMA PLAN: STABILITY & SECURITY FOR ALL AMERICANS
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Associated Press, Open Left, TalkLeft, The Atlantic Politics Channel and The Moderate Voice
Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
‘You lie’: Rep. Wilson apologizes
‘You lie’: Rep. Wilson apologizes
Discussion:
The Hill, Nice Deb, FiveThirtyEight, Donklephant, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and No More Mister Nice Blog
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Aim of Obama Health Speech: Reigniting a Presidency
Aim of Obama Health Speech: Reigniting a Presidency
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, The Plum Line, AMERICAblog News, msnbc.com, Associated Press and The Hill
Gateway Pundit:
Congressman Yells “Liar” as Obama Spews Talking Points to Congress (Video)
Congressman Yells “Liar” as Obama Spews Talking Points to Congress (Video)
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org
Dan Balz / Washington Post:
With Health-Care Reform on the Line, Obama Reframes Critical Debate
With Health-Care Reform on the Line, Obama Reframes Critical Debate
Discussion:
ABCNEWS
Mickey Kaus / Kausfiles:
Obama's Big Speech: Triangulation + Airbrushed Orszagism — Expectations: Low! ... Expectations: Exceeded. A moderately effective speech. ... 1) Triangulation: Almost always works! Obama pushed off, most notably, against single payer but also against Dems who demand a public option.
Discussion:
The Rhetorican
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Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Obama's Big Political Gamble — Red-state Democrats are being asked to risk their seats. — Printer — Friendly — Millions of Americans watched President Barack Obama's speech last night to a joint session of Congress. Much of it was familiar, having been delivered in at least 111 speeches …
Jerry Seper / Washington Times:
EXCLUSIVE: Inquiry opened into New Black Panther case — The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility has begun an inquiry into the dismissal in May of a civil complaint against the New Black Panther Party and two of its members who disrupted a Philadelphia polling place during last year's presidential elections.
Telegraph:
Army anger as soldier killed saving journalist who ignored Taliban warning — Senior Army figures have expressed disquiet over the death of a British soldier killed helping to free a reporter who had been kidnapped in Afghanistan after ignoring security advice against entering a Taliban stronghold.
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Wall Street Journal:
Read the Union Health-Care Label — Get ready for Detroit-style labor relations in our hospitals. — Washington Wire — GOP Rep. Boustany's Rebuttal: ‘Time to Start Over’ — Some Republicans have begun to acknowledge the health-care system needs work.
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James O'Keefe / Big Government:
Chaos for Glory: My Time With ACORN — A famous community organizer once said, “The only way to upset the power structure in your communities is to goad them, confuse them, irritate them and, most of all, make them live by their own rules. If you make them live by their own rules, you destroy them.”
William Kristol / PostPartisan:
The Real Public Option: Start Over — So President Obama invited himself into our living rooms tonight...why? Not to address questions of war and peace — even though we are fighting two wars overseas, and even though an avowed enemy and terror sponsor is rushing towards nuclear weapons.