memeorandum: Opt-Out Public Option Gains Steam Among Dems, But Questions Remain (The Huffington Post)

4:55 PM ET, October 9, 2009

Top Items:

Obama Says He's ‘Surprised’ and ‘Humbled’ by Nobel Prize — WASHINGTON — President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” a surprising honor that came less than nine months …

Discussion: Commentary, Matthew Yglesias, msnbc.com, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Newsweek Blogs, The Huffington Post, Washington Examiner, The Natural Truth, Crooked Timber, democracyarsenal.org, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Pajamas Media, USA Today, Little Green Footballs, Swampland, The Daily Dish, PewResearch.org, Jules Crittenden, The Note, The Washington Note, Think Progress, Betsy's Page, The Politico, Iain Martin, Opinion L.A., The Foundry, The Sundries Shack, Below The Beltway, NO QUARTER, scipio62's blog, Stop The ACLU, YID With LID, Blago Bloggo's PDB Watch, CBS News, theblogprof, Hot Air, Althouse, RealClearWorld, The Opinionator, The Monkey Cage, Left Coast Rebel, TBogg, Raw Story, Another Black Conservative, The Moderate Voice, The Caucus, Democratic Strategist, PERRspectives, Left in the West, Lean Left, Foreign Policy Watch, Atlas Shrugs and Feministe

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

DNC official: GOP siding with terrorists — A top Democratic National Committee official reacted furiously to a statement from Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele mocking — and describing as “unfortunate” — President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. — “The Republican Party has thrown …

Discussion: The Swamp, Hot Air, Media Matters Action Network, Michelle Malkin, The Plum Line, thedanashow.wordpress.com, Wonkette, Stop The ACLU, Antiwar.com and Ruby Slippers

Nobelprize.org:

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 — The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, Guardian, CBS News, The Corner on National …, Firedoglake, Financial Times, OpenSecrets.org, The Other McCain, Maggie's Farm, Left Coast Rebel, Christian Science Monitor, Danger Room, Gaea Times …, Lynn Sweet, Wonk Room and TechCrunch

Michael Binyon / Times of London:

Comment: absurd decision on Obama makes a mockery of the Nobel peace prize — The award of this year's Nobel peace prize to President Obama will be met with widespread incredulity, consternation in many capitals and probably deep embarrassment by the President himself.

Discussion: The Corner on National …, The Moderate Voice, The New Ledger, The Huffington Post, NO QUARTER, The TrogloPundit, Stop The ACLU and RedState

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Obama's Nobel Peace Prize — (updated below - Update II) — When I saw this morning's top New York Times headline — “Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize” — I had the same immediate reaction which I'm certain many others had: this was some kind of bizarre Onion gag that got accidentally transposed onto …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, At-Largely, The Confluence, The Washington Independent and Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Limbaugh: ‘Greater embarrassment’ than losing Olympics — Conservatives pounced on the the Nobel Prize committee's decision to award President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize, with talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh calling it a “greater embarrassment” than losing the Olympics.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Michael Calderone's Blog, Andy Worthington, Ben Smith's Blog, Top of the Ticket and Laura Rozen's Blog

Mickey Kaus / Kausfiles:

What Obama Should Do With His Nobel Peace Prize — Turn it down! Say he hasn't had the time yet to accomplish what he wants to accomplish. Result: He gets at least the same amount of glory—and helps solve his narcissism problem and his Fred Armisen ('What's he done?') problem …

Discussion: Minnesota Public Radio, Huck PAC, Instapundit, The Plum Line, The Corner on National …, Clusterstock, The New Republic, Reuters, JustOneMinute, Time, The Washington Independent, The Caucus, Washington Wire, Commentary, Coyote Blog, Newsweek Blogs, No More Mister Nice Blog and ATTACKERMAN

Erick Erickson / Erick's blog:

Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize: He's Becoming Jimmy Carter Faster Than Jimmy Carter Did. — I did not realize the Nobel Peace Prize had an affirmative action quota for it, but that is the only thing I can think of for this news. There is no way Barack Obama earned it in the nominations period.

Discussion: PostPartisan, Weekly Standard, TPMDC, The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, The Corner on National …, Indecision Forever, Ben Smith's Blog, The New Republic, Top of the Ticket and Firedoglake

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

DNC: Steele And GOP Have Thrown In Their Lot With The Terrorists By Criticizing Obama's Nobel — Dems intend to go on the offensive today by holding up Republican criticism of Obama's Nobel as the latest example of Republicans desperately hoping for America's failure, placing it alongside GOP cheer …

Discussion: Media Blog on National …

Washington Post:

President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize — President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Friday for his work to improve international diplomacy and rid the world of nuclear weapons — a stunning decision to celebrate a figure virtually unknown in the world before he launched his presidential campaign nearly three years ago.

Discussion: Washington Wire, The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Fix, The Moderate Voice, PostPartisan, The Huffington Post, FiveThirtyEight, Taegan Goddard's …, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Think Progress, Open Left and Cato @ Liberty

BBC:

Obama wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize — US President Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. — The Nobel Committee said he won it for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”. — The committee highlighted …

Discussion: Guardian, TigerHawk, Clusterstock, Harry's Place and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Reuters:

Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize — OSLO (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for giving the world “hope for a better future” with his work for peace and calls to reduce the global stockpile of nuclear weapons. — The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Obama for …

Discussion: The Corner on National …, Telegraph, Power Line, The Hill, Mediaite, The Politico, Pajamas Media, Right Wing Nut House, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Gateway Pundit, The Confluence, thedanashow.wordpress.com, The Foundry, Townhall.com, Flopping Aces and Newsweek Blogs

Mark Finkelstein / NewsBusters.org: White House: Scarborough ‘A-Hole’ For Mocking Nobel

Richard Cohen / PostPartisan:
Palin, Vaughn, Rabinowitz Win Awards

Discussion: Commentary

Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel: But Should He Turn It Down? — At Slate, John Dickerson writes …

Sharon Otterman / The Lede:
World Reaction to a Nobel Surprise

Discussion: The Daily Dish, BBC, TalkLeft, Maggie's Farm and Newsweek Blogs

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Unexpected Developments — It's not the accustomed stance of a writer or blogger.

Discussion: Washington Post

Washington Wire: Steele's Nobel Comments Spark Backlash on the Backlash

Peter Beinart / Blogs and Stories:
Obama's Nobel Farce

Discussion: Time

Mary Katharine Ham / Weekly Standard:
Meet the People Who Were Passed Over for Obama

Discussion: All American Blogger

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize. No, really. Update: “It's not April 1, is it?”

Discussion: The Page, Michelle Malkin, Ben Smith's Blog, CNN, Grist, Newsweek Blogs, Time and The Greenroom

Ruth Marcus / PostPartisan:
A Nobel for a Good Two Weeks? — “Mom!” my 12-year-old yelled from the kitchen.

Discussion: Hot Air and Freakonomics

Dan / Riehl World View:
BBC Call: NO FREAKIN' WAY!: Obama Wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

Discussion: Megan McArdle and CBS News

CNN:
McCain says Nobel award based on expectations

Discussion: George's Bottom Line

John Dickerson / Slate:
Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize?

Discussion: News Desk, Washington Wire, Robert Reich's Blog and Right Wing Nut House

Yuval Levin / The Corner on National Review Online: The Nobel for Narcissism — By: Yuval Levin

Media Matters / Media Matters for America:
RedState's Erickson smears Obama's Nobel Peace Prize as “an …

Discussion: Think Progress

Jesse Lee / WhiteHouse.gov Blog:
Building a World that “Gives Life to the Promise of Our Founding Documents”

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and James Fallows

Robert Naiman / The Huffington Post:
Nobel Committee, Strategic As Ever, Taps Obama for Peace Prize

Discussion: truthout, Washington Monthly, TalkLeft and Pam's House Blend

Amber Bellaire / Globe and Mail:
Who were the Nobel nominees?

Discussion: Making Light

CNN:
Obama accepts Nobel as ‘call to action’

Discussion: The Washington Independent, GOPUSA and TPMDC

Anthony Man / Sun-Sentinel:

Broward Republicans go gunning — Congressional candidate draws fire for shooting at target bearing rival's initials — HALLANDALE BEACH - Armed with handguns and AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles, the members of the Southeast Broward Republican Club abandoned the usual community center …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Juice, The Hill, Think Progress, Glenn Thrush's Blog and Talking Points Memo

MiamiHerald.com: Fla. GOP members shoot Muslim targets at gun range

Adam Sage / Times of London:

Nuclear engineer from Cern lab arrested for al-Qaeda links — French agents have arrested a researcher from Europe's top atomic lab on suspicion of links to al-Qaeda, fuelling fears that terrorists could be targeting the nuclear industry. — The 32-year-old man, who was detained along with his brother …

Discussion: Telegraph, The Jawa Report, Hot Air and Atlas Shrugs

BBC: ‘Al-Qaeda-link’ Cern worker held

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

Transit Pricing — I rode the Copenhagen Metro today and damn was it expensive—about $4 for the cheapest available (i.e., two zone) single ticket. That left me scratching my head as to why you would possibly put the fare so high. It turns out, however, that if you buy tickets ten at a time you get almost a 40 percent discount.