Top Items:
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Wizard of Beck — Let us take a trip back into history. Not ancient history. Recent history. It is the winter of 2007. The presidential primaries are approaching. The talk jocks like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and the rest are over the moon about Fred Thompson.
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Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Steve Schmidt: Palin Would Be “Catastrophic” For GOPers in 2012 — Steve Schmidt, John McCain's former chief campaign strategist, said today that if former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin were to be the Republican nominee, it would be “catastrophic” for the Republican Party.
Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
McCain's mission: A GOP makeover — Fresh from a humbling loss in last year's presidential election, Sen. John McCain is working behind-the-scenes to reshape the Republican Party in his own center-right image. — McCain is recruiting candidates, raising money for them and hitting the campaign trail on their behalf.
The Huffington Post:
McCain Campaign Manager: Palin In 2012 Would Be Catastrophe for GOP — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — If Sarah Palin is her party's nominee for president in 2012 it will be a “catastrophic election” for the GOP, Sen. John McCain's 2008 campaign manager predicted on Friday.
Michael Schneider / Variety:
Letterman reveals extortion attempt — ‘Late Show’ host also admits sex with staffers — In an uncharacteristically personal revelation for David Letterman, the host took to his “Late Show” stage Thursday to admit that he was the victim of an extortion attempt — and acknowledge …
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NY Daily News:
David Letterman reveals $2M extortion plot; CBS News producer busted in scheme to reveal sex secrets — A top CBS News producer was busted Thursday for trying to shake down David Letterman - threatening to expose the late-night funnyman's affairs with several female staffers in a movie and book.
Discussion:
Deadline.com, Sister Toldjah, Gawker, Raw Story, TVNewser, Newsweek Blogs, TV Barn, The Other McCain, Media Decoder, Runnin' Scared, Mediaite, TVbytheNumbers, Gothamist and NewsBusters.org
Lynn Elber / Associated Press:
Letterman creates brilliant hour of TV from woes — It was business as usual for David Letterman and CBS'"Late Show." The band played. The host, dapper as always in a well-tailored suit, recited his monologue; some jokes hit, some missed. — Then Letterman proceeded to take viewers …
Bill Carter / New York Times:
David Letterman Reveals Extortion Attempt
David Letterman Reveals Extortion Attempt
Discussion:
City Room, ArtsBeat, Indecision Forever, Oh No They Didn't!, Media Decoder, Silicon Alley Insider and TMZ.com
Washington Post:
White House Considers Narrower War Effort in Afghanistan — Top Officials Challenge General's Assessment — Senior White House officials have begun to make the case for a policy shift in Afghanistan that would send few, if any, new combat troops to the country and instead focus …
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Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
What Michelle Obama told the Olympics Committee about her Chicago (and father)
What Michelle Obama told the Olympics Committee about her Chicago (and father)
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The Note, Think Progress, Political Punch, Wall Street Journal and Chicago Sun Times
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Obama, enroute to Denmark, hails Mahatma Gandhi
Obama, enroute to Denmark, hails Mahatma Gandhi
Discussion:
Erick's blog
Jack Healy / New York Times:
Jobless Report Is Worse Than Expected; Rate Rises to 9.8% — The American economy lost 263,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent, the government reported on Friday, dimming the prospect of any meaningful job growth by the end of the year.
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Mission Not Accomplished — Stocks are up. Ben Bernanke says that the recession is over. And I sense a growing willingness among movers and shakers to declare “Mission Accomplished” when it comes to fighting the slump. It's time, I keep hearing, to shift our focus from economic stimulus to the budget deficit.
Discussion:
EconLog, The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh, The Money Game, Economist's View and Wonk Room
Robert Reich / Robert Reich's Blog:
The Truth About Jobs That No One Wants To Tell You — Unemployment will almost certainly in double-digits next year — and may remain there for some time. And for every person who shows up as unemployed in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' household survey, you can bet there's another either …
Steven F. Hayward / Washington Post:
Is Conservatism Brain-Dead? — Over his decades as a columnist, lecturer, TV host and debater, William F. Buckley Jr. lost his cool in public only once — when he threatened to sock Gore Vidal “in your goddamn face” on the third night of their joint appearances on ABC during the ill-fated 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Lucia Mutikani / Reuters:
U.S. Sept non-farm payrolls plunge 263,000 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers cut a deeper-than-expected 263,000 jobs in September, lifting the unemployment rate to 9.8 percent, according to a government report on Friday that fueled fears the weak labor market could undermine economic recovery.
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Maya Jackson Randall / Wall Street Journal:
Jobs Cuts Unexpectedly Accelerate
Jobs Cuts Unexpectedly Accelerate
Discussion:
New Deal 2.0
The Huffington Post:
Senate Committee Passes Quasi-Public Option Amendment — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — The Senate Finance Committee narrowly passed an amendment Thursday from Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) that moves the conservative panel as close as it will likely get to a public health insurance option.
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Daily Kos, Democratic Strategist, Wonk Room, Firedoglake, The New Republic and The Political Carnival
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Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Kerry blocks DeMint trip to Honduras — Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has blocked Sen. Jim DeMint's (R-S.C.) trip to Honduras slated to begin Friday, according to DeMint's office. — DeMint's office informed The Hill of Kerry's decision Thursday afternoon.
Discussion:
The Note, Betsy's Page, Gateway Pundit, Fausta's Blog, The Field on the Narcosphere, YID With LID, POWIP and Riehl World View
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Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Washington Sketch — Helen Thomas is 89 years old and requires some assistance to get to and from the daily White House briefing. Yet her backbone has proved stronger than that of the president she covers. — On Thursday afternoon, Thomas gave a clinic in fortitude to President Obama's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, during the briefing.
Firstread / msnbc.com:
FIRST THOUGHTS: POWER OF PRESIDENCY — From Chuck Todd, Domenico Montanaro, Ali Weinberg and Kelly Paice — *** Power Of The Presidency: Two moments that have already taken place, only serve to underscore the power of the office. While most of America slept, the president was in Copenhagen making …
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New York Times:
Senator's Aid After Affair Raises Flags Over Ethics — WASHINGTON — Early last year, Senator John Ensign contacted a small circle of political and corporate supporters back home in Nevada — a casino designer, an airline executive, the head of a utility and several political consultants …
Benjamin Spillman / Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Reid: Final health bill will have a ‘public option’ — U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said today there will be a “public option” in whatever health insurance reform bill comes out of Congress. — “We are going to have a public option before this bill goes to the president's desk,” …
Neal Gabler / Los Angeles Times:
Politics as religion in America — Conservatism has been converted into a religious belief, and now compromise doesn't have a prayer. — For decades now, liberals have been agonizing because conservatives seem to win even when polls show that the public generally disagrees with them.