Top Items:
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Why was it so hard for Dems even to start health care debate? — The extraordinary thing about the dramatic events surrounding the health care bill in the Senate is that there was any drama at all. Lawmakers were simply voting to begin debate on the Democratic version of health care reform.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, PoliBlog, American Power, Commentary, Stop The ACLU, GayPatriot, Pundit & Pundette and The Hill
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Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Sweeteners for the South — Staffers on Capitol Hill were calling it the Louisiana Purchase. — On the eve of Saturday's showdown in the Senate over health-care reform, Democratic leaders still hadn't secured the support of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), one of the 60 votes needed to keep the legislation alive.
Discussion:
Politics Daily, The Caucus, Scared Monkeys, NewsBusters.org, Mediaite, Des Moines Register and New York Times
Washington Post:
Senate Democrats vote to bring health bill to floor for debate
Senate Democrats vote to bring health bill to floor for debate
Discussion:
Swampland, Washington Monthly, Guardian, Virginia Politics Blog, The Atlantic Politics Channel and New York Times
David Espo / Associated Press:
Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
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ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES
Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:
In the trenches on climate change, hostility among foes — Stolen e-mails reveal venomous feelings toward skeptics — Electronic files that were stolen from a prominent climate research center and made public last week provide a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes battle to shape the public perception of global warming.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Overcoming Bias, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mudville Gazette and Dean's World
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Keith Johnson / Wall Street Journal:
Hacked Emails Show Climate Science Ridden with Rancor — The picture that emerges of prominent climate-change scientists from the more than 3,000 documents and emails accessed by hackers and put on the Internet this week is one of professional backbiting and questionable scientific practices.
Discussion:
Mudville Gazette
Frank Rich / New York Times:
The Pit Bull in the China Shop — AT last the American right and left have one issue they unequivocally agree on: You don't actually have to read Sarah Palin's book to have an opinion about it. Last Sunday Liz Cheney praised “Going Rogue” as “well-written” on Fox News even though …
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Matt Taibbi / Taibblog:
Sarah Palin, WWE Star … A woman reads Sarah Palin's book while waiting in line for an autograph in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 18 (Bill Pugliano/Getty) — The really beautiful thing about the culture war, from an entertainment standpoint, is that it is fundamentally irresolvable.
John E. Mulligan / Providence Journal:
Kennedy: Barred from Communion — WASHINGTON — Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has forbidden Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy to receive the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion because of his advocacy of abortion rights, the Rhode Island Democrat said Friday.
Discussion:
Townhall.com
Glenn Beck:
Glenn Beck reveals the Plan — What an amazing few days on the road this has been. Your spirits have been high, your faith strong and your spine unbendable. I ended my multiday book tour at The Villages with what had been billed as a rally but could be better described as a candid citizen-to-citizen chat.
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Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Visceral Has Its Value — It's easy to dismiss Sarah Palin. — She's back on the trail, with the tumbling hair and tumbling thoughts. The queen of the scenic strip mall known as Wasilla now reigns over thrilled subjects thronging to a politically strategic swath of American strip malls.
Robert Wright / New York Times:
Who Created Major Hasan? — Princeton, N.J. — IN the case of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and the Fort Hood massacre, the verdict has come in. The liberal news media have been found guilty — by the conservative news media — of coddling Major Hasan's religion, Islam.
Mark Schone / ABCNEWS:
Defense Attorney: Hasan Is Paralyzed From the Chest Down — Galligan Wants Military Justice System to Move More Slowly, Says Accused Fort Hood Shooter is in Severe Pain — Major Nidal Hasan, charged with killing 13 in the Fort Hood shooting spree, is paralyzed from the chest down and is not a flight risk …
Dexter Filkins / New York Times:
As Afghans Resist Taliban, U.S. Spurs Rise of Militias — ACHIN, Afghanistan — American and Afghan officials have begun helping a number of anti-Taliban militias that have independently taken up arms against insurgents in several parts of Afghanistan, prompting hopes of a large-scale tribal rebellion against the Taliban.