Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Chris Dodd to step aside — Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans. — Dodd's retirement comes after months …
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Michael Barbaro / New York Times:
Harold Ford Jr. Weighs a Challenge to Gillibrand — Encouraged by a group of influential New York Democrats, Harold Ford Jr., the former congressman from Tennessee, is weighing a bid to unseat Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand in this fall's Democratic primary, according to three people who have spoken with him.
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Senator Dodd Will Not Seek Re-election, Democrats Say — WASHINGTON — Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the embattled Connecticut Democrat who was facing an increasingly tough bid for a sixth term in the Senate, has decided to step aside and not seek re-election, Democrats familiar with his plans said Wednesday.
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The Note:
Democrats are Dropping Like Flies — ABC News' David Chalian Reports: Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado, who was in for a tough reelection fight this year, canceled a scheduled fundraiser this evening and has decided not to seek reelection, according to Democratic sources familiar with the governor's plans.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, ABCNEWS, The Politico, The Confluence, The Strata-Sphere and Scorecard's Blog
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd won't seek reelection, will retire at end of term — Embattled Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek reelection, sources familiar with his plans said Tuesday night.
Discussion:
Power Line, Weekly Standard, msnbc.com, The Hill, Hot Air, RHRealityCheck.org, Don Surber, Swampland and TigerHawk
Justin Kitsch / Byron L. Dorgan:
STATEMENT BY U.S. SENATOR BYRON DORGAN — “Representing North Dakota in the U.S. Congress for nearly 30 years has been one of the great privileges of my life. — “The work I have been able to do to expand our economy, create new opportunities in energy and water development …
Discussion:
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Nashuatelegraph.com:
Blumenthal to run for Dodd's Senate seat — AP-CT — Dodd Retirement-Blumenthal,0127 — Eds: APNewsNow. — HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he will seek to succeed fellow Democrat Christopher Dodd in the U.S. Senate.
The Politico:
Top Democrats head for the exits — The grim outlook for Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections just got a little worse. — Four top Democrats—including veteran Sens. Chris Dodd and Byron Dorgan—all prepared to pull the plug on their campaigns in a 24-hour period that began Tuesday …
Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:
In shocker, Dorgan announces retirement — Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) announced this evening that he's retiring at the end of his term, a shocking development that threatens Democratic control of his Senate seat next year. — Dorgan was up for re-election in 2010, but the third-term senator …
Discussion:
The Swamp, Commentary, Shot in the Dark, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, PoliPundit.com, The Moderate Voice and Sister Toldjah
Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:Hoeven planning to run for the Senate
Discussion:
The Washington Independent
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:Dorgan to retire — North Dakota Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan …
Discussion:
Congress Matters, Washington Monthly, The Reaction, JustOneMinute, Daily Kos and Pajamas Media
Jared Allen / The Hill:
Dems agree that House will take up, tweak Senate healthcare bill — House and Senate leaders have formally agreed to bypass a bicameral conference committee to merge two healthcare bills, and have opted to instead “ping-pong” the Senate bill over to the House and back again, according to House leadership aides.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, Michelle Malkin, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, Washington Post and The Note
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The Politico:
Pelosi swipes at Obama's promises — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, piqued with White House pressure to accept the Senate health reform bill, threw a rare rhetorical elbow at President Barack Obama Tuesday, questioning his commitment to his 2008 campaign promises. — A leadership aide said it was no accident.
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Ritter Dropping Out in Colorado — A source tells Political Wire that Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) is ending his re-election campaign. A fundraiser scheduled for tonight was canceled and all campaign staff was sent home in the middle of the day. — The decision does not appear …
Discussion:
Swing State Project, Daily Kos, CNN, Scared Monkeys, Washington Post, TalkLeft, MyDD, The Lonely Conservative and AMERICAblog News
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Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Boy, now he's in real trouble; Obama administration revokes U.S. visa of accused Nigerian bomber — Under the category of looks-like-about-12-days-too- late, the State Department has announced it is revoking the U.S. visa for suspected Nigerian underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
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Publius / Big Government:
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Military Blogger Michael Yon Detained, Handcuffed by TSA in Seattle Airport — Award winning war correspondent Michael Yon was detained and handcuffed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Yesterday by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel.
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit, protein wisdom, Bookworm Room, Stop The ACLU, Flopping Aces, The Moderate Voice, American Power and TigerHawk
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Clusterstock:
CHART OF THE DAY: How The Government Payroll Replaced Goods-Producing Jobs — In the just-so story of the evolution of our economy, our old manufacturing based economy has been replaced by an innovative knowledge economy. That's not quite true. — In fact, the decline of the jobs …
Jules Crittenden:
It's Pretty Bad ... When the local lefty broadsheet goes on jihad against the Liberal Lion's annointed successor, Martha Coakley, in the midst of said Lion's legacy health-care fight, the day after a leading pollster shows her opposition to be within pistol-shot in the race.
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Michael Rezendes / Boston Globe:Some saw Coakley as lax on '05 rape case
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
Richard A. Epstein / Forbes:
Deregulation Now — A New Year's resolution for failing state governments. — As we enter a new decade, the political mood of the country can be captured in one word: glum. In particular, there is widespread recognition at the state level that conditions have reached near crisis proportions.
William J. Broad / New York Times:
Iran Shielding Its Nuclear Efforts in Maze of Tunnels — Last September, when Iran's uranium enrichment plant buried inside a mountain near the holy city of Qum was revealed, the episode cast light on a wider pattern: Over the past decade, Iran has quietly hidden an increasingly large part …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Republicans see courts as last line of defense vs. Democrats' agenda — Republicans and allied groups say they will spend millions to oppose healthcare reform and other Democratic initiatives in the courts, which they see as a last line of defense against President Barack Obama's agenda.
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News
Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Paul takes aim at Cheney — (CNN) - Dick Cheney is taking criticism from at least one member of his own party over the former vice president's recent and persistent criticisms of the Obama administration's handling of national security issues. — Ron Paul, the Texas congressman …
Discussion:
LewRockwell.com Blog
Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard:
Palin: It's War, not a Crime Spree — A strong statement from the People's Governor:
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