memeorandum: National Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 10.0% in December (Daniel Indiviglio/The Atlantic …)

10:40 AM ET, January 8, 2010

Top Items:

In Massachusetts, Anxiety for Favored Democrats — BOSTON — Martha M. Coakley, the Democrat running for Senator Edward M. Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts, had seemed so certain of winning the special election on Jan. 19 that she barely campaigned last month. — But the dynamic has changed in recent days.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Associated Press, msnbc.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, Eye on 2010, sisu, Jules Crittenden, Commentary, Riehl World View, Prairie Weather and The Page

Andy Barr / The Politico:

Palin rebuffs CPAC, Keene — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Pain is turning down an invitation to speak at one high-profile conservative gathering while accepting another. — Palin is declining an invitation to address the Conservative Political Action Conference next month because, a source said …

Discussion: GOP 12, Outside The Beltway, The Lonely Conservative, Conservatives4Palin.com, Riehl World View, New Orleans Times-Picayune and Gateway Pundit

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Sarah Palin and the first 2012 Republican proving ground — 1. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's decision to attend — and speak at — the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans in April transforms that event into the first legitimate cattle-call of the 2012 Republican presidential sweepstakes.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh and Boston Globe

Hotline On Call:

GOP Insiders Sour On Palin — A poll of GOP insiders suggests that ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has little support among the party's professional class — and maybe that's just how she wants it. — In a survey of 109 party leaders, political professionals and pundits, Palin finished 5th …

Discussion: Another Black Conservative, FiveThirtyEight, DaTechguy's Blog, JammieWearingFool, Donklephant and GOP 12

James A. Barnes / National Journal Online:
Romney Takes The Inside Rail

Discussion: Real Clear Politics

Peter Hamby / CNN:
Palin to speak at major GOP event

Discussion: Coop's Corner, Ben Smith's Blog, The Page and Hot Air

Brian Ross / ABCNEWS:

Shock: Obama Forced to ‘Order’ Follow-Ups of Terrorist Tips — President Pledges ‘Accountability’ But No One Fired for Systemic Intel Failures — In a revealing admission, President Barack Obama said today he was directing U.S. intelligence agencies to begin to do something many had assumed …

Discussion: Washington Post

The White House:

Remarks by the President on Strengthening Intelligence and Aviation Security State Dining Room — THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. The immediate reviews that I ordered after the failed Christmas terrorist attack are now complete. I was just briefed on the findings and recommendations …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, FrumForum, The Daily Dish, democracyarsenal.org and FP Passport

Esnr / CBS News:
CIA, Counterterrorism Execs Managed Bomb Crisis from Afar

Discussion: Betsy's Page, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Weasel Zippers

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
CBS: Panetta didn't interrupt his vacation either after Flight 253 plot

Discussion: CBS News and The Strata-Sphere

New York Times:
Obama Orders Improvements in Security Policies

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, msnbc.com, Los Angeles Times, McClatchy Washington Bureau, The New Republic and Washington Post

Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:
Obama: ‘We Are at War’ — President Obama on Thursday ordered …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, New York Times, The Hill, The Politico, CNN, The Swamp, Political Byline and The Moderate Voice

Jesse Lee / White House.gov Blog Feed:
Release of the Security Review Conducted After the Failed Christmas Terrorist Attack

Discussion: Political Punch, Laura Rozen's Blog, Michelle Malkin, Top of the Ticket, Mudville Gazette, ABCNEWS, Taylor Marsh, AMERICAblog News, NO QUARTER and The Lonely Conservative

New York Times:

U.S. Job Losses in December Dim Hopes for Quick Upswing — The United States economy lost more jobs than expected in December, tempering hopes for a swift and sustained recovery from the Great Recession. — The Labor Department said on Friday that the economy shed another 85,000 jobs last month …

Discussion: White House.gov Blog Feed, Power Line, Washington Monthly, Matthew Yglesias, Financial Times, Economix, The Page and Scared Monkeys

Christopher S. Rugaber / Associated Press:

Economy loses 85K jobs, unemployment rate steady — Employers cut more jobs than expected in December, unemployment rate holds at 10 percent — WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy lost more jobs than expected in December while the unemployment rate held steady at 10 percent …

Discussion: Associated Press, Politics Daily, Economix, Calculated Risk, Daily Kos and RedState

Daniel Indiviglio / The Atlantic Business Channel:
National Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 10.0% in December

Discussion: Townhall.com, The Huffington Post, AmSpecBlog and The Daily Dish

Eamon Javers / The Politico:
Jobless rate stays at 10 percent

Discussion: The Swamp

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Palin aide warned of ‘epic debacle’ — Sarah Palin's charming opening debate line for now-Vice President Joe Biden — “Hey, can I call you Joe?” — was scripted after she repeatedly referred to him as “O'Biden” in preparation sessions, former McCain campaign senior adviser Steve Schmidt told “60 Minutes.”

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, DaTechguy's Blog, Conservatives4Palin.com, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Atlantic Politics Channel

Robert Costa / The Corner on National Review Online:

Palin Scoops Politico — By: Robert Costa — Did Politico's Mike Allen read Going Rogue? If he did, he'd know that his scoop on Sarah Palin is actually quite old. Here's how Allen opens his story on Politico's homepage: … O, please. Palin detailed all of this months ago on page 289 of her book:

Discussion: Top of the Ticket

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Steele comments have GOP aides pleading, ‘Get him to stop’ — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele, under fire this week for a string of controversial statements he has made while promoting his new book, has so angered the party's congressional leaders that their aides …

Discussion: Right Pundits, Top of the Ticket, The Caucus, Raw Story, Washington Times, Yahoo! News and Crooks and Liars

Reid Wilson / Hotline On Call:
GOP Furious At Steele; RNC Admits Little Control

Discussion: Think Progress, Washington Monthly, Politics Daily, The Washington Independent, The Plum Line, Riehl World View, TPMDC, MyDD, Washington Post, Daily Kos, The Note and Washington Times

Roger Lowenstein / New York Times:

Walk Away From Your Mortgage! — John Courson, president and C.E.O. of the Mortgage Bankers Association, recently told The Wall Street Journal that homeowners who default on their mortgages should think about the “message” they will send to “their family and their kids and their friends.”

Discussion: The Business Insider, Felix Salmon, Grasping Reality …, Financial Times, Calculated Risk and The Awl

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

CBO estimates $390 billion budget deficit for first quarter of FY 2010 — The Congressional Budget Office late Thursday released a report estimating that the federal budget deficit was $390 billion for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010. — During the same quarter in 2009 …

Discussion: The Page

Golnaz Esfandiari / Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

Iran State TV Suggests Neda's Iconic Death Was ‘Faked’ — Iranian state television has made a documentary about the death of Neda Agha Soltan, a young Iranian woman who was shot dead during the June postelection protests in Tehran, suggesting she was an agent of the United States and Britain who staged her own death.

Discussion: Enduring America, The Moderate Voice, Perfunction, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Hit & Run and FP Passport

Leah Farrall / All Things Counter Terrorism:

Can we stop the hysteria about AQAP please? — Greetings everyone. Allthingsct is officially back on deck for 2010. — Tonight's cynical Friday task is some myth busting in relation to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, especially since the Xmas Day plots have spawned a good deal …

Discussion: Washington Post, Waq al-Waq, ATTACKERMAN, The Washington Independent and The Majlis

Elizabeth Mendes / Gallup:

More Americans Went Uninsured in 2009 Than in 2008 — Increase in number without health insurance spans across demographic groups — WASHINGTON, D.C. — While President Obama works with House and Senate leaders to hammer out a final healthcare bill before the State of the Union address …

Discussion: The Hill

New York Times:

Potential Ford Senate Bid Sets Off Scramble — The New York political world reacted swiftly and strongly to the possibility of Harold Ford Jr.'s candidacy for the United States Senate, with top Senate leaders trying to squash the bid and close advisers to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg meeting …

Discussion: New York Post, msnbc.com, The Faster Times and The Page

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

Janet Napolitano Says She's Most Surprised By “Al-Qaeda's Determination” (Video) — Janet Napolitano told reporters today that she was most surprised by Al-Qaeda's determination. — Where has she been for the last 9 years? — They're terrorists, Janet. It's what they do.

Discussion: Founding Bloggers, Scared Monkeys, Lynn Sweet, Sister Toldjah and The Lonely Conservative

David S. Broder / Washington Post:

Failed Christmas bomb plot will likely alter Obama's agenda — Was Christmas Day 2009 the same kind of wake-up call for Barack Obama that Sept. 11, 2001, had been for George W. Bush? — The near-miss by a passenger plotting to blow up an American airliner as it flew into Detroit seems …

Discussion: The Note, The Politico, Commentary and Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!

Big Journalism:

As Climategate Becomes Pressgate, Questions for the Media — Trillions of dollars are at stake in the man-made global warming debate. The Climategate scandal - where leaked emails and computer programs involve dozens of prominent scientists worldwide - has almost everything …

Greenwich Time:

Former White House lawyer charged with attempting to kill wife in New Canaan — NEW CANAAN — A prominent attorney and former White House lawyer was charged with attempting to kill his wife Wednesday night. — John Michael Farren, 57, of New Canaan, was charged with attempted murder …

Discussion: TBogg, Law Blog, Above the Law, The BLT, Wonkette, Raw Story and Washington Post

Rachel Slajda / TPM LiveWire:
Former Bush Attorney Charged With Trying To Kill His Wife

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG, Reuters, The Moderate Voice, TalkLeft and skippy the bush kangaroo

David Brooks / New York Times:

The Messiah Complex — Every age produces its own sort of fables, and our age seems to have produced The White Messiah fable. — This is the oft-repeated story about a manly young adventurer who goes into the wilderness in search of thrills and profit. But, once there …

Discussion: JustOneMinute

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Obama pivots to jobs as key theme — President Barack Obama on Friday is making his promised hard pivot to jobs, following up the morning's release of December unemployment figures with an East Room announcement at 2:40 p.m. ET about stimulus dollars going to clean-tech jobs.

Discussion: Post on Politics