Top Items:
Runnin' Scared:
Crotch-Bomber Fails to Blow Up Plane, in Yet Another Disaster for Obama — There are a few ways to look at the case of the thwarted holiday crotch-bomber. On the one hand, we have a deluded fellow who, allegedly assured of eternal glory by jihadists who bade him sew explosive chemicals into his underwear …
Discussion:
Washington Post, American Power, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, AmSpecBlog, The Mahablog, Gates of Vienna, CNN, alicublog and Guardian
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New York Times:
Security System Failed, Napolitano Acknowledges — WASHINGTON — Backtracking from a widely criticized assertion over the weekend, the secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano, said in a televised interview on Monday that the thwarted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner …
Kenneth Chang / New York Times:
Explosive on Flight 253 Is Among Most Powerful — Sewn into the underwear of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a powerful plastic explosive, the authorities say. — Had Mr. Abdulmutallab, sitting in seat 19A of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Friday from Amsterdam to Detroit …
Discussion:
American Power, National Review Online, Danger Room, The Foundry, Townhall.com, Washington Wire and PoliBlog
Lovegetspeace / CBS News:
U.S. Failed to Catch Suspect's Active Visa — Exclusive: 2 State Dept. Checks Before Alleged Terror Attack Didn't Discover Abdulmutallab had Active Visa Allowing Entry — (CBS) By CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian. — CBS News has learned the State Department system designed …
ABCNEWS:
Abdulmutallab: More Like Me In Yemen — Accused Northwest Bomber …
Abdulmutallab: More Like Me In Yemen — Accused Northwest Bomber …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, CNN, The Plum Line, Commentary, Political Byline, Hot Air, National Review Online, Wizbang and Gateway Pundit
Wall Street Journal:
The Terror This Time — Janet Napolitano says the system worked.
The Terror This Time — Janet Napolitano says the system worked.
Discussion:
CNN, Guardian, Taylor Marsh, The Politico, The Strata-Sphere, Cato @ Liberty, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Israel Matzav and Commentary
Mark Hosenball / Newsweek Blogs:
What U.S. Intelligence Knew About the Underpants Bomber
What U.S. Intelligence Knew About the Underpants Bomber
Discussion:
The Washington Independent
John F. Burns / New York Times:
Britain Rejected Visa Renewal for Terrorism Suspect
Britain Rejected Visa Renewal for Terrorism Suspect
Discussion:
The New Republic
TMZ.com:
The JFK Photo That Could Have Changed History — TMZ has obtained a never-before published photograph which appears to show John F. Kennedy on a boat filled with naked women — it's a photo that could have altered world events. — We believe the photo was taken in the mid-1950s.
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The Smoking Gun:
TMZ Falls For JFK Photo Hoax — Photo that “could have changed history” actually from a Playboy shoot — In a colossal screw-up, the gossip web site TMZ.com today published a photo purporting to show John F. Kennedy frolicking on a yacht with a harem of naked women—except …
TMZ.com:
Kennedy Picture — A Fake — TMZ received an email from someone who said the photo we posted showing a man appearing to be John F. Kennedy on a yacht with naked women was actually a photo from a 1967 Playboy photo shoot. — We have contacted Playboy and a rep says the photo did indeed run in one of its 1967 issues.
Discussion:
Gawker
Avi Zenilman / The Plum Line:
Tea Partiers To Republicans: You Better Call For Full Repeal of Reform, Or Else — It's now becoming clear that this could be a major issue for Republicans in 2010: the Tea Party movement, as well as high-profile conservatives, are going to demand that candidates call for a full repeal …
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE MOST POPULAR ‘MTP’ GUEST OF THE YEAR.... In the previous post …
THE MOST POPULAR ‘MTP’ GUEST OF THE YEAR.... In the previous post …
Discussion:
The Plum Line
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
GOP blame at TSA? — As Republicans seek to put the blame for the widespread perception of ineptness at the Transportation Security Administration on the Obama administration, Democrats are arguing that Republican legislators bear part of the blame and that they're politically vulnerable on the subject.
Discussion:
MyDD, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Coop's Corner, TalkLeft, Little Green Footballs, msnbc.com and The Political Carnival
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
“Political Winners” Circle Filled by Figures Close to Obama — Americans divided in labeling Sarah Palin as a political winner or loser — PRINCETON, NJ — In Americans' estimation, the top three political winners of 2009 are all women closely linked with the Obama administration …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, The Swamp, The Politico, The Hill, D.C. Now, Boston Globe, Real Clear Politics and The Political Carnival
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Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Now, Michelle Obama too is sliding in the polls
Now, Michelle Obama too is sliding in the polls
Discussion:
Townhall.com
Patrick Gavin / The Politico:
MAX BAUCUS'S SPEECH UNDER CONSERVATIVE FIRE — “DRUNK WITH POWER? TOP DEM SLURS ON SENATE FLOOR...” reads the Drudge Report headline. — Newsbusters.org writes: “How can one explain this incredibly bizarre performance by Max Baucus on the Senate floor?
Laura Northrup / The Consumerist:
AT&T Customer Service: “New York City Is Not Ready For The iPhone” — AT&T has apparently found a workable solution to the reported data congestion in New York City. They've quietly stopped selling the iPhone from their web site to customers in the New York metropolitan area.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Business Channel, City Room, CNN, The Huffington Post, Mashable!, TechCrunch, Bits and Runnin' Scared
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Peter J. Wallison / The Enterprise Blog:
Administration Won't Estimate Total Losses of Fannie and Freddie — It's a favorite government trick to announce bad news on a Friday afternoon, so it appears in Saturday's paper, the least likely edition to be read. By Sunday and Monday, it's old news. The Obama Treasury just went one better …
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The Huffington Post:
Andy Martin, GOP Senate Candidate, Accuses Opponent Mark Kirk Of Homosexuality — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — If there was any question whether or not the 2010 election season was heating up, it was dispelled on Monday morning when a Republican Senate candidate from Illinois released …
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Big Zero — Maybe we knew, at some unconscious, instinctive level, that it would be an era best forgotten. Whatever the reason, we got through the first decade of the new millennium without ever agreeing on what to call it. The aughts? The naughties? Whatever.
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Where Have They Taken Him? — There are two critical lines that were crossed yesterday. The first was widespread savagery and violence by the junta on the day of Ashura. This breaks a profound taboo, violates the integrity and core meaning of the religious festival, and places the regime symbolically as the enemy of Shia Islam.
Tyler Cowen / Marginal Revolution:
What are the odds that the best chess player in the world has never played chess? — The more general issues are how well the modern world allocates talent and how much exposure you need to something you eventually will be very good at. — My view is that people who are born into a reasonably …