Top Items:
New York Times:
Obama Rules Out Large Reduction in Afghan Force — WASHINGTON — President Obama told Congressional leaders on Tuesday that he would not substantially reduce American forces in Afghanistan or shift the mission to just hunting terrorists there, but he indicated that he remained undecided …
Discussion:
Salon, Weekly Standard, Commentary, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, TPMDC, The Huffington Post, CNN, Think Progress, The Cable, The Enterprise Blog, Taylor Marsh, Politics Daily, McClatchy Washington Bureau, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, Ben Smith's Blog, Christian Science Monitor, The Politico, Enduring America, The Faster Times, QandO, Jules Crittenden, Guardian, The Corner on National …, First Draft, Wonk Room, Wake up America, Foreign Policy Watch, Outside The Beltway, Riehl World View, American Power, marbury, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Hill, New York Times, Matthew Yglesias, George's Bottom Line and Indecision Forever
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Wall Street Journal:
Battle of Books Rages in Afghan Debate — WASHINGTON — The struggle to set the future course of the Afghan war is becoming a battle of two books — both suddenly popular among White House and Pentagon brain trusts. — The two draw decidedly different lessons from the Vietnam War.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Neptunus Lex, Jules Crittenden, The Corner on National …, The New Republic, msnbc.com, The Caucus and The Hill
Aunohita Mojumdar / Christian Science Monitor:
‘Code Pink’ rethinks its call for Afghanistan pullout
‘Code Pink’ rethinks its call for Afghanistan pullout
Anne / BackyardConservative:
Bill Ayers No Dream — There I was, sitting in Reagan National Monday morning, sipping a Starbucks by the United counter before going through security. I had a little time, so I was browsing through the news. Some military guys had borrowed a chair from my table.
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Examiner:
Bill Ayers admits writing ‘Dreams’ to conservative blogger — Last Friday we posted an article on these pages asserting Bill Ayers' authorship of President Barack Obama's ‘Dreams From My Father,’ based on claims made by Obama biographer Christopher Andersen.
Scott / Power Line:
Whose Dreams? — In the run-up to the election, Jack Cashill framed a speculative argument that Bill Ayers wrote Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father. Cashill first ventured his thesis in “Who wrote Dreams From My Father?” Cashill cited Obama's sophomoric stabs at poetry from his days at Occidental.
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
Will Obama Deny Bill Ayers' Accusation? — Anne Leary from Illinois blogs at Backyard Conservative. I've had a lot of contact with Anne, mostly because of my interest in the Rod Blagojevich fiasco last winter. Anne strikes me as a completely straight shooter.
Wall Street Journal:
State-Run Health Plans Garner Support — WASHINGTON — Some influential centrist Democrats in the Senate are warming to a compromise that envisions health-insurance plans run by state governments, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger added his voice Tuesday to a small group …
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Washington Post:
White House Gets Republican Backing for Bipartisan Reform
White House Gets Republican Backing for Bipartisan Reform
Discussion:
The Politico, Democratic Strategist, Daily Kos, Prescriptions, The Hill, SFGate, Blog entry, TPMDC and The Note
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE CARPER COMPROMISE.... The Wall Street Journal reports today …
THE CARPER COMPROMISE.... The Wall Street Journal reports today …
Discussion:
Prescriptions
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Approval of U.S. Congress Falls to 21%, Driven by Democrats — Lowest rating for Congress since January — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' approval of the job Congress is doing is at 21% this month, down significantly from last month's 31% and from the recent high of 39% in March.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, The Hill, RedState, Salon, TalkLeft, The Daily Dish, Wake up America, QandO, Gawker, Scared Monkeys and Politics Daily
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Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Parties Nearly Tied for Congress in 2010 — Voter preferences for Congress split 46% Democratic vs. 44% Republican — PRINCETON, NJ — Roughly a year before the 2010 midterm elections, Gallup finds the Republican and Democratic Parties nearly tied in the congressional ballot preferences of registered voters.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Politics Channel, Wall Street Journal, The Swamp, Taegan Goddard's …, The Plum Line, Commentary, RedState and The Hill
Paul Krugman:
Still chasing shadows? — This article on the continued troubles in credit markets was informative. But it raised a puzzle. Call me naive, but why does Fed policy seem to assume that the only way to repair credit markets is to return to the status quo ante, circa January 2007?
Discussion:
Felix Salmon
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Wall Street Journal:
Fed Frets Over Commercial Real Estate
Fed Frets Over Commercial Real Estate
Discussion:
The Atlantic Business Channel, Calculated Risk, Clusterstock, naked capitalism, NPR Blogs and Balloon Juice
Jenny Anderson / New York Times:
Debt-Market Paralysis Deepens Credit Drought
Debt-Market Paralysis Deepens Credit Drought
Discussion:
Not Tucker Carlson, MoJo Blog Posts, The Baseline Scenario, naked capitalism and The Big Picture
carter.house.gov:
Carter Joins New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Buffalo News, Minneapolis Star-Tribune in Calling for Chairman to Step Down — (WASHINGTON, DC) - House Members Wednesday will have to cast a recorded vote on whether it is acceptable …
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Rep. Waters: ‘Many members’ suffer from disclosure problems like Rep. Rangel — “Many members” of Congress suffer from the same disclosure issues as the embattled Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), one of his congressional allies suggested Wednesday. — Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) …
Michael B. Oren / The New Republic:
Deep Denial — Toughened by their frontier ethos, steeled by serial wars, Israelis are not prone to flattery. Most, in fact, eschew using the closest equivalent to the Hebrew word for flattery—chanupa— in favor of the derisive Yiddish-derivative, firgun.
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Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Israeli Ambassador Says Richard Goldstone is Worse than Ahmadenijad
Israeli Ambassador Says Richard Goldstone is Worse than Ahmadenijad
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Latest Internal Whip Count: Nearly Three-Fourths Of House Dems Support Robust Public Option — Still more grounds for cautious optimism about the public option: — I've got the latest internal whip count numbers from Dem Rep. Raul Grijalva, the co-chair of the Congressional Progressional Caucus …
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Key House chairman: Dems ‘arriving at a consensus’ on health bill
Key House chairman: Dems ‘arriving at a consensus’ on health bill
Discussion:
The Politico
Tony Romm / The Hill:
FEMA halts ACORN grant, GOP lawmakers approve — The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday announced it would halt its $1 million fire prevention grant to ACORN — a decision Republican lawmakers have since praised. — The Department of Homeland Security initially earmarked …
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Tony Romm / The Hill:
150 Dems to Pelosi: No tax on health insurance — More than 150 House Democrats have urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi to quash a new tax on expensive insurance plans. — In a letter sent Wednesday to Pelosi (D-Calif.), a broad coalition of Blue Dogs and progressives said the proposed fee …
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Catherine Rampell / New York Times:
Support Builds for Tax Credit to Help Hiring — The idea of a tax credit for companies that create new jobs, something the federal government has not tried since the 1970s, is gaining support among economists and Washington officials grappling with the highest unemployment in a generation.
Mark Preston / CNN:
First on the Ticker: Obama enlists Hollywood in new ad — WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama is turning to a handful of Hollywood stars to judge a contest that asks grassroots supporters to create a television commercial promoting health care reform. — Musician Will.I.Am, actor John Cho …
Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
The Supreme Court mauls the law banning animal-cruelty videos. — Witness the American deputy solicitor general in his natural habitat—the Supreme Court. As Neal Katyal roams softly across the cool marble chamber, he has no idea what awaits him. He is here to protect his tribe …
Tankerbabelc / From Cow Pastures to Kosovo:
Survivors in Afghanistan Need Immediate Help - 56 Soldiers Lost EVERYTHING — UPDATE as of 6 OCT 09 2130 hrs — I'm still working through a list of emails from so many of you. THANK YOU. And thank you for your patience. I don't have the speadsheet update in full yet but I do know that we are mostly still in need of:
Lee Fang / Think Progress:
Rep. Louie Gohmert: Hate crimes bill will lead to Nazism, legalization of necrophilia, pedophilia, and bestiality. — Led by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) last night, lawmakers convened for a special session of floor speeches urging a repeal of Don't Act Don't Tell.
Discussion:
Law Dork
Amanda Carpenter / Washington Times:
A new mommy tax — When Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus proposed taxing medical devices to raise $40 billion over the next 10 years for his health care plan, opponents started digging in and looking at what would be taxed. It turned out feminine products, like tampons …
Jackson Baker / Memphis Flyer:
Finally! A Mayoral Forum With Character(s)! — Of all the mayoral debates and forums that have been held so far this campaign season, perhaps the most bizarre was the one sponsored Tuesday night at the University of Memphis' Rose Theatre by the NAACP. Three of the 12 candidates on stage …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
Gary Grado / East Valley Tribune:
Feds strip Arpaio of immigration authority — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stripped Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of his authority to arrest suspected illegal immigrants based solely on their immigration status. — But Arpaio said Tuesday he plans to continue his controversial …
Josh McAuliffe / Scranton Times-Tribune:
Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson coming to Scranton to discuss war in Afghanistan — The U.S. military's ongoing conflict in Afghanistan is a movie Charlie Wilson has seen before, and he isn't thrilled with where the plot of this one is going. — “I think they're looking at us more and more like occupiers,” he said.