Top Items:
Michael Moore / Mike's Letter:
An Open Letter to President Obama from Michael Moore — Do you really want to be the new “war president”? If you go to West Point tomorrow night (Tuesday, 8pm) and announce that you are increasing, rather than withdrawing, the troops in Afghanistan, you are the new war president. Pure and simple.
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Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Obama Issues Order for More Troops in Afghanistan — WASHINGTON — President Obama has issued his order to send more troops to Afghanistan, communicating his decision to military leaders late Sunday afternoon during a meeting in the Oval Office, and will spend Monday speaking with foreign leaders …
New York Times:
Obama's Speech on Afghanistan to Envision Exit — WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to lay out a timeframe for ultimately winding down the American involvement in the war in Afghanistan when he announces his decision this week to send more forces, senior administration officials said Sunday.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Jules Crittenden, PERRspectives, New York Times, ThreatsWatch, Politics Daily, TPMCafe, Hot Air, ATTACKERMAN, Wonk Room, msnbc.com, The Moderate Voice, snooperreport.com, The Politico, CBS News, Left Foot Forward, Prairie Weather, Firedoglake and Guardian
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
My mixed feelings about the war in Afghanistan. — Columnists are supposed to have firm views and express them with steadfast certainty. Since I write a column called “War Stories,” the least a reader might expect from me is a clear opinion on whether the United States should escalate or pull out of the war in Afghanistan.
Washington Post:
Today's GOP is both united and divided — Opposition to Obama is strong, but Republicans are split on GOP's direction and leaders — The Republican rank and file is largely in sync with GOP lawmakers in their staunch opposition to efforts by President Obama and Democrats …
Discussion:
The Plum Line, The Daily Dish, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Ezra Klein, EconLog, The Confluence, snooperreport.com, The Corner on National …, Democratic Strategist, Glenn Thrush's Blog, Washington Monthly, Politics Daily, NewsBusters.org, Raw Story, The Fix, The Caucus, Hotline On Call, msnbc.com and Daily Kos
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Washington Post:
Palin particularly popular among fans of Limbaugh and Beck — Sarah Palin may or may not run for president in 2012, but she is already the overwhelming favorite in the Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck primaries. — In a new Washington Post poll, Palin beats other GOP leaders on two questions …
Geoffrey Dunn / The Huffington Post:
Palin's Latest Rogue Gaffe — There have been so many lies and distortions pointed out in Sarah Palin's Going Rogue since it was released last week that her memoir has already become something of a gag line. — But perhaps the most embarrassing gaffe so far is her mis-attributed quote to UCLA basketball legend John Wooden.
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Huck PAC:
STATEMENT REGARDING WASHINGTON STATE SLAYINGS — The senseless and savage execution of police officers in Washington State has saddened the nation, and early reports indicate that a person of interest is a repeat offender who once lived in Arkansas and was wanted on outstanding warrants here and in Washington State.
Discussion:
Seattle Times, New York Times, Opinionator, Michelle Malkin, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Crooks and Liars, KIRO-TV, Little Green Footballs, CNN, Reuters, msnbc.com, Pajamas Media, The Corner on National …, Wizbang, PERRspectives, Boston Globe, Leader, Matthew Yglesias, Hot Air, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, nwcn.com, Daily Kos, Another Black Conservative, Scared Monkeys, Brilliant at Breakfast, Sister Toldjah, Mediaite, snooperreport.com, Riehl World View, TPMMuckraker, Ben Smith's Blog, The Washington Independent, The Note and Newshoggers.com
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Peter Hamby / CNN:
Huckabee: Justice system ‘failed miserably’ with Clemmons
Huckabee: Justice system ‘failed miserably’ with Clemmons
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, Seattle Times, The Washington Independent, The Other McCain, The Caucus, The Hill, Hot Air, Mike Huckabee, Washington Post and ArkansasTimes
Jim Brunner / Seattle Times:
Suspect released in Arkansas after claiming he had changed
Suspect released in Arkansas after claiming he had changed
Discussion:
Fox News, Michelle Malkin, TPMMuckraker, The Other McCain, AmSpecBlog and Another Black Conservative
John F. Harris / The Politico:
7 stories Obama doesn't want told — Presidential politics is about storytelling. Presented with a vivid storyline, voters naturally tend to fit every new event or piece of information into a picture that is already neatly framed in their minds. — No one understands this better …
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Jeffrey Young / The Hill:
CBO report predicts hike in insurance costs — Individual insurance premiums would increase by an average of 10 percent or more, according to an analysis of the Senate healthcare bill. — The long-awaited report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation …
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Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
CBO: Health Care Reform Will Lower Out-Of-Pocket Burden For Most Consumers
CBO: Health Care Reform Will Lower Out-Of-Pocket Burden For Most Consumers
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog, White House.gov Blog Feed, Weekly Standard, Paul Krugman, The Foundry, Washington Monthly and TalkLeft
David Stout / New York Times:
Supreme Court Overturns Decision on Detainee Photos — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday set aside a lower court's order that called for the release of photographs of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan being abused by American military personnel. The high court told the lower court to re-examine the issue.
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Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Rick Warren, Silent Enabler Of Hatred — One of Rick Warren's (and president George W. Bush's) longtime allies in Uganda, Martin Ssempe, is the author of a classic piece of minority-baiting legislation. Its details belong in the history of genocidal hatred:
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Mark Steyn / The Corner on National Review Online:
Come Fry with Me — By: Mark Steyn — In order to save the planet from global roasting, it seems entirely reasonable to ask Mr. and Mrs. Joe Peasant to subordinate their freedom of movement to an annual “carbon allowance” preventing them flying hither and yon and devastating the environment.
Tom Moran:
A surprisingly dark day for gay rights in New Jersey … Support for gay marriage in Trenton is draining away like water from a tub as nervous legislators scurry towards safer political ground. — “I can't say I'm confident now,” says Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), a lead sponsor.
Clive Crook:
More on Climategate — In my previous post on Climategate I blithely said that nothing in the climate science email dump surprised me much. Having waded more deeply over the weekend I take that back. — The closed-mindedness of these supposed men of science, their willingness …
Discussion:
Telegraph, Gawker, Guardian, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, World Economics, Michelle Malkin, MoJo Blog Posts, The Jawa Report and TBR.cc
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Americans Still Leaning Against Healthcare Legislation — Majority disapprove of Obama's handling of the issue — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans currently tilt against Congress' passing healthcare legislation, with 49% saying they would advise their member to vote against a bill …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Hot Air, The Swamp, Boston Globe, Scared Monkeys, NewsBusters.org and The Hill
Victor Zapanta / Think Progress:
Washington Times Runs Anti-Obama Birther Ad Featuring Racial Undertones — This latest national edition of the Washington Times features a full-page ad that claims that President Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States. The ad was purchased by the anti-Obama website ProtectOurLiberty.org.
Paul Krugman:
Things to come — What's going to happen, economically and politically, over the next few years? Nobody knows, of course. But I have a vision — what I think is the most likely course of events. It's fairly grim — but not in the approved way. This vision lies behind a lot of what I've been writing …
Discussion:
Wonk Room
Jeffrey Goldberg:
Did Obama Inadvertently Excuse Palestinian Violence? — This is what the President had to say after the Israeli announcement that 900 apartment units would be built in the South Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo: … Two issues. The first is that this Administration, unlike previous Administrations …
Sam Tanenhaus / New Yorker:
NORTH STAR — Populism, politics, and the power of Sarah Palin. — The last time the publication of a political memoir aroused as much interest as Sarah Palin's “Going Rogue: An American Life” (Harper; $28.99) was probably in 1995, when Colin Powell's autobiography, “My American Journey,” came out.
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Mark Kirk Wrongly Claims That Health Reform Could Make It “Law” For Gov To Deny Mammograms — A new incarnation for the death panels? — GOP Rep Mark Kirk, who's running for Senate and facing a primary challenge from the right, is now claiming that if health care reform passes, it …
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Jobs Imperative — If you're looking for a job right now, your prospects are terrible. There are six times as many Americans seeking work as there are job openings, and the average duration of unemployment — the time the average job-seeker has spent looking for work — is more than six months, the highest level since the 1930s.
Chelsea Clinton Engaged / Political Punch:
Chelsea Clinton Engaged — ABC News has learned that Chelsea Clinton is engaged to her longtime boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky, a spokesman for former President Clinton confirmed to ABC News. — Clinton, 29, is the only child of the former president and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Times of India:
Copenhagen conference: India, China plan joint exit — BEIJING: In an unprecedented move, India on Saturday joined China and two other developing countries to prepare for a major offensive on rich nations at the Copenhagen conference on climate change next month.
John Heilemann / New York Magazine:
Obama Lost, Obama Found — How the president finds his way out of the woods. — The Thursday before last, President Barack Obama came home from his eight-day trip to Asia and received a welcome even frostier than the subfreezing temperatures that had greeted him in Beijing.