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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Tidings of Comfort — Indulge me while I tell you a story — a near-future version of Charles Dickens's “A Christmas Carol.” It begins with sad news: young Timothy Cratchit, a k a Tiny Tim, is sick. And his treatment will cost far more than his parents can pay out of pocket.
Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:
82 Year-Old Pope Benedict Attacked, Knocked Down at Midnight Mass (Video) ...Update: Same Nut Tried to Attack Pope in 2008 — A crazed woman jumped the barriers at St. Peter's Basilica and attacke 82 year-old Pope Benedict XVI at Midnight Mass knocking him to the floor.
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Rachel Donadio / New York Times:
Vatican Defends Status of WWII Pope — ROME — In an effort to calm growing tensions with Jewish groups, the Vatican said Wednesday that Pope Benedict XVI's decision moving the wartime pope Pius XII closer to sainthood was not a “hostile act” against those who believe Pius did not do enough to stop the Holocaust.
Ariel David / Associated Press:
Woman knocks down Pope at Christmas Eve Mass — Buzz up! — VATICAN CITY - A woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday. — The 82-year-old pope quickly got up and was unhurt …
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Sidney Awards — Every year, I give out Sidney Awards to the best magazine essays of the year. In an age of zipless, electronic media, the idea is to celebrate (and provide online links to) long-form articles that have narrative drive and social impact.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online
Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Fannie, Freddie chiefs to get Wall Street-style compensation packages — The government announced Thursday that it had approved Wall Street-style, multimillion-dollar compensation packages for top executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two mortgage companies that have become little more than arms of the federal government.
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K. Daniel Glover / Accuracy in Media:
Watch The Decline: The Media Lowlights Of 2009 — Climate “scientists” are about as trusted as used-car salesmen or congressmen these days thanks to the beating their profession has taken in the “ClimateGate” scandal. But give the alarmists their due: They know how to hide the decline.
Dan Pfeiffer / White House.gov Blog Feed:
Reality Check: For Opponents, It Was Never About the Bill — Today's Republican talking point of the day is that the historic health reform bill passed today represents the first major piece of social legislation to be passed without a single vote from across the aisle. — Well that may be true.
Frank Newport / Gallup:
This Christmas, 78% of Americans Identify as Christian — Over time, fewer Americans identify as Christian; more have no religious identity — PRINCETON, NJ — This Christmas season, 78% of Americans identify with some form of Christian religion, a proportion that has been declining in recent decades.
William M. Daley / Washington Post:
Keep the Big Tent big — The announcement by Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith that he is switching to the Republican Party is just the latest warning sign that the Democratic Party — my lifelong political home — has a critical decision to make: Either we plot a more moderate …
Discussion:
RedState, YID With LID, Big Government, Shot in the Dark, Riehl World View, Commentary, Lynn Sweet and The Strata-Sphere
Christopher Knight / Culture Monster:
A Warhol Christmas at the White House — When it comes to art, the right-wing anti-Obama crowd hasn't had a very good year. Repeated efforts to gin up outrage in a manufactured culture war have either fallen flat or proved downright embarrassing. (You can see some of them here, here and here.)
Discussion:
Big Government, Indecision Forever, Little Green Footballs, Big Hollywood, Politics Daily and Gateway Pundit
Barak Ravid / Haaretz:
U.S. official blasts Israel envoy's ‘unfortunate’ J-Street remarks — Remarks by Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, against the liberal Jewish lobby J Street were “most unfortunate” according to Hannah Rosenthal, head of the U.S. administration's Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.
Discussion:
Israel Matzav, Weekly Standard, ATTACKERMAN, Mondoweiss, Ben Smith's Blog and Jeffrey Goldberg
Wall Street Journal:
Senate Passes Landmark Health Bill — 60-39 Vote Is Landmark in Effort to Expand Insurance Coverage — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., center, answered questions outside of the Senate chambers on Capitol Hill. — WASHINGTON — The Senate approved sweeping health-overhaul legislation …
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