Top Items:
Neil A. Lewis / New York Times:
In Edwards Scandal, a Chapter Winds Down — CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The story of the spectacular rise and fall of John Edwards, with its sordid can't-look-away dimensions, is moving slowly but deliberately to its conclusion here in North Carolina. — Mr. Edwards, the one-term senator …
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Media Matters: This right-wing frenzy is reminiscent of Dallas 1963 — Uh huh. And we all remember what happened when a certain radical right-winger — who defected to the Soviet Union, married a Russian woman, and tried to assassinate a far-right anti-communist American general — got JFK in the crosshairs in Dallas.
Discussion:
Daimnation!
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Bruce Bartlett / Capital Gains and Games blogs:
Remembering Irving Kristol — I didn't know Irving Kristol well, but I knew him for a long time. There are many people who can say the same thing. He was the central figure in the post-Watergate revival of conservatism and the Republican Party. Sadly, the “movement” that he created, neoconservatism, is pretty well dead.
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Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
From Kristol To Beck — James Warren recalls the good old days of intelligent conservatism. what he doesn't say, understandably, is that, as neoconservatism became a dogma, and support for general common sense morphed into the loopiest fundamentalism and know-nothing populsim, Kristol retained his Trotskyite political sense.
Discussion:
The Enterprise Blog
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
G.O.P. Checks for a Pulse, and Finds One — WASHINGTON — Less than a year after an election that nearly wiped them out politically, conservatives are showing signs of life. — They are still searching for new leaders and new ideas. Their victories have been more about taking advantage …
Discussion:
American Power, JustOneMinute, The Caucus, No More Mister Nice Blog, Prairie Weather and Newshoggers.com
Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard:
Brezinski Calls for Obama to Shoot Down Israeli Jets; “A Liberty in Reverse” — In a little noticed interview with the Daily Beast (presumably little noticed because serious people don't read the Daily Beast), Zbigniew Brzezinski suggests that Barack Obama do more than just refuse to support …
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Senate jockeying begins on Baucus bill — Members of the Senate Finance Committee filed more than 500 amendments to Chairman Max Baucus's health care reform bill, setting the stage for a markup next week that will lay bare differences between the parties on overhauling the health care system.
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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Huckabee takes first in straw poll — Mike Huckabee cruised to an easy victory in a presidential straw poll taken among attendees at a social conservative conference, beating a group of four other Republican contenders by an over two-to-one margin. — Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor …
Discussion:
The Note
John / Power Line:
Are You A Racist? — These days it's hard to tell. If you think government-run medicine is a bad thing, former President Jimmy Carter and many other Democrats say you're most likely a racist. So Missourah.com explains everything in this handy chart; click to enlarge:
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Paul Krugman:
Memories of the Carter Administration — One of John Updike's novels was titled Memories of the Ford Administration; needless to say, it wasn't about Gerald Ford — basically it was about sex, because Updike remembered the Carter years as the golden age of extramarital affairs.
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Weekly remarks: Sue Myrick on healthcare costs, options; Obama on financial reforms — Weekly remarks by President Obama, as provided by the White House — Leaders of the world's largest economies will gather next week in Pittsburgh for the second time this year.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
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David S. Hilzenrath / Washington Post:
Papers Show Insurers Limited Coverage for Acne, Pregnancy — A proposal to make preexisting health conditions irrelevant in the sale of insurance policies could help not just the seriously ill but also people who might consider themselves healthy, documents released Friday by a California-based advocacy group illustrate.
Discussion:
Consumer Watchdog, Think Progress, Liberal Values, Washington Monthly and Pundit & Pundette
Paulburka / Texas Monthly:
Let them eat chili — This is the YouTube link for Perry's comments yesterday about Texas being recession-proof before an audience of business leaders in Houston. — Here is the transcript of what Perry said: — “Why is Texas kind of recession-proof, if you will?
Nicholas K. Geranios / Associated Press:
Insane killer escapes on field trip to county fair — SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A criminally insane killer from eastern Washington is on the run after escaping during a field trip to the county fair that his mental hospital organized. — Why such a dangerous person was out in public was a question many …