Top Items:
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Baucus and the Threshold — So Senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has released his “mark” on proposed legislation — which would normally be the basis for the bill that eventually emerges from his committee. And serious supporters of health care reform will soon face their long-dreaded moment of truth.
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Ezra Klein:
What's Wrong With the Finance Bill? An Interview With Sen. Jay Rockefeller. — Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) chairs the Finance Committee's Health Care Subcommittee. His support will be crucial — maybe even decisive - in getting health-care reform out of the Finance Committee.
Discussion:
The Hill, The League of Ordinary …, TalkLeft, TPMDC, TPMCafe, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, The Plum Line and The Page
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Snowe: I Haven't Changed, My Party Has — It would be easy to over-interpret this statement from Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), but it would be a mistake to dismiss it. — “I've always been a Republican for the traditional principles that have been associated with the Republican party since …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
REFUSING TO TAKE ‘YES’ FOR AN ANSWER.... As months of negotiations …
REFUSING TO TAKE ‘YES’ FOR AN ANSWER.... As months of negotiations …
Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:
Obama: Legalize illegals to get them health care — Republicans see a backdoor move toward ‘amnesty’ — President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage.
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Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Obama, Too Subtle to Lie, Misleads on Health Reform — You lie? No. Barack Obama doesn't lie. He's too subtle for that. He . . . well, you judge. — Herewith three examples within a single speech — the now-famous Obama-Wilson “you lie” address to Congress on health care — of Obama's relationship with truth.
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senior Democrat turns healthcare debate into fight over illegal immigration — Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is putting Democrats in a bind by seeking to let illegal immigrants benefit from the healthcare overhaul. — Menendez, the only Hispanic senator, has considerable leverage …
Robert F. Worth / New York Times:
Amid Large Protests, Iran Leader Calls Holocaust a Lie — BEIRUT, Lebanon — Tens of thousands of green-clad protesters chanted and carried banners through the heart of Tehran and other Iranian cities on Friday, defying tear gas and truncheons as they turned large swaths …
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Wall Street Journal:
Bankers Face Sweeping Curbs on Pay — Fed Plans to Limit How Lenders Can Structure Compensation for Executives, Traders, Loan Officers; 5,000 Firms Affected — Policies that set the pay for tens of thousands of bank employees nationwide would require approval from the Federal Reserve …
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John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Irving Kristol, 1920-2009 — Irving Kristol, writer, editor, and social philosopher, has died in Washington at the age of 89. His wisdom, wit, good humor, and generosity of spirit made him a friend and mentor to several generations of thinkers and public servants. —The Editors
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Washington Sketch: Michelle Obama Gets Her Farmers Market — Let's say you're preparing dinner and you realize with dismay that you don't have any certified organic Tuscan kale. What to do? — Here's how Michelle Obama handled this very predicament Thursday afternoon:
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Pundit & Pundette, JustOneMinute, JammieWearingFool, Fausta's Blog and Reason
David Brooks / New York Times:
No, It's Not About Race — You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I go running several times a week. My favorite route, because it's so flat, is from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol and back. I was there last Saturday and found myself plodding through tens of thousands of anti-government “tea party” protesters.
Washington Post:
Duo in ACORN Videos Say Effort Was Independent — Duo in Sting Video Say Their Effort Was Independent — The proposition was outrageous, outlandish, and right up James E. O'Keefe III's alley. Hannah Giles was on the phone from the District, and she was asking him to dress like her pimp …
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Prairie Weather, Don Surber, National Review Online, Reason and Pundit & Pundette
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Wall Street Journal:
Mandatory Insurance Is Unconstitutional — Why an individual mandate could be struck down by the courts. — Printer — Friendly — Federal legislation requiring that every American have health insurance is part of all the major health-care reform plans now being considered in Washington.
Gateway Pundit:
Shock Video... Obama 2007 Revelation: Health Care Reform Requires Tax Hikes— Savings Are Just a Theory — SHOCK VIDEO— Barack Obama in April 2007 told a group of supporters: Health Care Reform Requires Tax Hikes — Savings Just a Theory. — “Initially you may need another $90-100 billion each year.”
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The Politico:
Conservatives use liberal playbook — Conservatives are coming for the Democrats on their blind side — the left. — The evidence is everywhere. — At tea parties and town halls, conservative demonstrators oppose health care reform with signs bearing the abortion-rights slogan …
The Note:
Miss California Wows Conservatives — ABC News' Teddy Davis and Brittany Crockett Report: — The Value Voters Summit heard from potential Republican presidential candidates and GOP congressional leaders on Friday morning. — But it was Carrie Prejean—former Miss California—who stole the show.
Discussion:
The Politico
Mike Allen / The Politico:
DNC promises ‘rain of hellfire’ — The increasingly aggressive Democratic National Committee on Friday launched a new “Call 'Em Out” website targeting prominent Republicans for statements they have made about President Barack Obama's health reform plans. — “Help debunk the outrageous lies …
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CNN:
Sources: Transit hub likely target of terror plot — (CNN) — A terror plot that came to light this week following raids in New York may have been targeting a major transportation center, sources close to the investigation told CNN on Thursday. — There was planning and preparation for an attack …
Associated Press:
Analysis: ‘Racist’ claims defuse word's power — With the word being used so often, it's harder to define its meaning — Everybody's racist, it seems. — Republican Rep. Joe Wilson? Racist, because he shouted “You lie!” at the first black president. Health care protesters, affirmative action supporters?
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Michelle Malkin:
Olympic-sized boondoggle: What Valerie Jarrett and Michelle Obama are up to — In Culture of Corruption, I spotlight the intimate relationship between Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's crony lawyer Valerie Jarrett and First Lady Michelle Obama. — Jarrett's slum lord record in Chicago …
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Former CIA Directors Urge Torture Prosecution Reversal — The Justice Department investigation into CIA torture allegations may have already jeopardized American intelligence capabilities, seven former CIA directors told President Obama have claimed. In a letter, the spy chiefs urge …
Brian M. Rafferty / Queens Tribune:
Pagan ‘King’ Has Council GOP Nod — Dan Halloran, the Republican candidate for City Council facing primary winner Kevin Kim in the 19th District, already has a leadership role in a vast community that very few people know about - or understand. — Halloran is the “First Atheling,” or King …