Top Items:
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Carper quietly devises third option — Sen. Tom Carper bided his time on health care reform. — Rarely in the spotlight, and unfailingly restrained, the Delaware Democrat never staked out a public position on the government insurance option, solidifying his status as the model of an undecided moderate in need of persuading.
Discussion:
Open Congress, race42008.com, Donklephant, Salon, The Page, NewsBusters.org, Hot Air and The Hill
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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Talking Points For Obama's Political Operation Describe Public Option As “Small Part” Of Reform — This one is likely to irk public option fans: A new set of talking points being distributed on the state level by Obama's political operation instructs organizers to describe the public option as …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Post editors should read their own columnists — The Washington Post Editorial Page today lashes out at “Roman Polanski's apologists,” a group it says is “typified by the comments of Swiss filmmaker Otto Weisser, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, film and TV celebrity Whoopi Goldberg” …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, American Prospect, The Daily Dish, The Sideshow, American Thinker and The Huffington Post
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Los Angeles Times:
In Roman Polanski case, is it Hollywood vs. Middle America? — Reactions to the extradition of the fugitive filmmaker show a sharp divide. — Roman Polanski (Getty Images) — From Michael Moore's politics to on-screen sex and violence, the movie business is constantly being assailed for not sharing the country's values.
Discussion:
Big Hollywood, Feministe, Moonbattery, L.A. NOW, The Sundries Shack, Hit & Run and Wilshire & Washington
Rasmussen Reports:
Roman the Rapist — A Commentary By Susan Estrich — He had sex with a 13-year-old girl. He got her to go to Jack Nicholson's house by promising that she would be in a photo shoot. When she got there, he fed her a Quaalude and alcohol — champagne for a 13-year-old, how enticing — and then he raped her.
New York Times:
McChrystal Rejects Scaling Down Afghan Military Aims — LONDON — The top military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, rejected calls for scaling down military objectives there on Thursday and said Washington did not have unlimited time to settle on a new strategy to pursue the eight-year-old war.
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Yochi J. Dreazen / Wall Street Journal:
Gates Doubts U.S.'s Afghan Strategy — WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama met with senior counselors for three hours Wednesday to launch his review of Afghan war strategy, amid indications that his defense secretary — the key link between the White House and the military — is among those undecided about the right approach.
Michael Yon / Washington Times:
The Greatest Afghan War — ANALYSIS/OPINION: — The Greatest Afghanistan War has deteriorated so noticeably that one can now feel the enemy's growing pulse. Each month it beats steadier, stronger, and in 2010 it will finally be born. — On Sept. 11 in Kandahar, a South African civilian …
Discussion:
Michael J. Totten
Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:
Pelosi: No Grayson apology necessary UPDATED — Nancy Pelosi is shrugging off GOP calls for a mea culpa from Alan “they want you to die quickly' Grayson. — “We have to have a debate that is not distracted from... Apparently Republicans are holding Democrats to a higher level than they are holding …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, CNN, Think Progress, Hullabaloo, JammieWearingFool and Marathon Pundit
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CNN:
Grayson calls Republicans ‘knuckle-dragging Neanderthals’
Grayson calls Republicans ‘knuckle-dragging Neanderthals’
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Washington Wire, Michelle Malkin, Gateway Pundit, Breitbart.tv, Jules Crittenden and race42008.com
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Pawlenty preps 2012 campaign team — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been quietly assembling the blueprint of a presidential campaign and will announce Thursday the support of a group of high-level political strategists and donors, complemented by a handful of top new media consultants, POLITICO has learned.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Boston Globe, The Fix, Philly.com, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Des Moines Register, Newsweek Blogs, Another Black Conservative, The New Republic, AmSpecBlog, The Swamp, Politics Daily, race42008.com, The Daily Dish, GOP 12, Below The Beltway, The Page and The Washington Independent
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Quinnipiac University:
Pennsylvania Senate Seesaw Tips To Toomey, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Obama's Approval Drops Below 50 Percent — The seesaw 2010 Senate race in Pennsylvania tips to Republican Pat Toomey, who has 43 percent to recently converted Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter's 42 percent, too close to call …
Discussion:
The Fix, The Hill, Glenn Thrush's Blog, The Corner on National …, Politics Daily, Salon, race42008.com, Open Left, Commentary, TPMDC and Taegan Goddard's …
James Pethokoukis:
Obama's not-so-secret plan to raise taxes — Does President Obama have a secret plan to raise taxes on middle-class Americans — and,well, pretty much everybody else — with a European-style, value-added tax? Actually, it's not such a big secret. Connect the dots:
Discussion:
The Corner on National …, Political Byline, Cato @ Liberty, American Power and Sister Toldjah
Wall Street Journal:
Stimulus Spending Doesn't Work — Our new research shows no evidence of a Keynesian ‘multiplier’ effect. There is evidence that tax cuts boost growth. — Printer — Friendly — The global recession and financial crisis have refocused attention on government stimulus packages.
Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:
EXCLUSIVE: Cantor: Obama's not met with GOP leaders since May — President Obama has cut off communication with Republican leaders, going more than four months without hosting the bipartisan congressional leadership at the White House to discuss his health care proposal, the No. 2 Republican in the House said Wednesday.
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
ABORTION FIELD TRIPS.... I've seen a few outlets noting Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) new attack on health care reform. Except, it's not really “new” — it's a point some right-wing websites raised a few months ago. Bachmann is just getting around to it now.
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Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2010: Delaware Senate — 2010 Delaware Senate: Castle 47%, Biden 42% — The 2010 U.S. Senate race in Delaware is all about the candidates who haven't decided whether to run yet. — The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey in the state finds that longtime Republican …
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, The Washington Independent, Real Clear Politics, TPMDC, Below The Beltway and YID With LID
Associated Press:
FBI Ordered to Release Cheney Interview — Judge Says FBI Must Reveal Much of Interview Conducted During CIA Leak Investigation — (AP) A federal judge ruled Thursday that the FBI must publicly reveal much of its interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney during the investigation …
Discussion:
The Political Carnival
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Patrick Gavin / The Politico:
AUSTAN GOOLSBEE TAKES THE PRIZE — White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee took home the top prize in the 16th annual “D.C.'s Funniest Celebrity” contest on Wednesday evening, and he did so in a very unconventional way. Instead of adopting a traditional comedic routine of joke buildup and punchline …
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Carter walks back racism charge — Former President Jimmy Carter insisted Thursday that he did not say protests against President Barack Obama were driven by racism. — Carter touched off a firestorm three weeks ago when he said Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) “You Lie!” outburst was …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Sharon Waxman / The Wrap:
Exclusive: Comcast in Talks to Buy NBC-Universal from General Electric (updated) — Deal was negotiated at a meeting among bankers in New York on Tuesday. Comcast denies a deal is done, but does not deny talks — Comcast, the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment …
Discussion:
Gawker, New York Times, Mediaite, Silicon Alley Insider, Media Decoder, The Huffington Post, TVNewser, TVbytheNumbers and Mashable!
Maxim Lott / Fox News:
Obama's ‘Safe Schools’ Czar Admits He Poorly Handled Underage Sex Case — Kevin Jennings was teaching high school in 1988 when a gay student confessed an involvement with an older man. Rather than reporting it, he told the boy, “I hope you knew to use a condom.” — FOXNews.com
Discussion:
The Brody File, Political Punch, The Foundry, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Gateway Pundit and Confederate Yankee
New York Times:
Iran Agrees to More Nuclear Talks With U.S. and Allies — GENEVA — Critical talks over Iran's nuclear ambitions that included the highest level bilateral discussions between the United States and Iran in many years ended Thursday evening with Iran agreeing to meet to talk again before the end of the month.
Nicholas Ballasy / CNSNews:
Millionaire Filmmaker Michael Moore: ‘Capitalism Did Nothing For Me’ — (CNSNews.com) — Documentary film director Michael Moore, who has become a millionaire thanks to the profits from his movies, told CNSNews.com that “capitalism did nothing” for him. — CNSNews.com spoke with Moore …
Patrick / Now! Hampshire:
Portsmouth PD: Shea-Porter was removed from Bush town hall by two police officers — Two officers of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department removed Carol Shea-Porter and Susan Mayer from a February 2005 town hall event hosted by then-President George W. Bush at the request of the owner …
Discussion:
Moe_Lane's blog
Political Punch:
President Obama Signs Executive Order Banning Federal Employees from Texting While Driving — ABC News has learned that President Obama signed an executive order last night banning federal employees from text-messaging while on government business, driving government vehicles or using government equipment.