Top Items:
Abby Goodnough / New York Times:
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.
RELATED:
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 …
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.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Two swipes at CPAC — Two stories today on Palin's decision to skip CPAC, the grassroots event at which she'd likely be embraced, and two explanations: — Palin is declining an invitation to address the Conservative Political Action Conference next month because, a source said …
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog
Peter Hamby / CNN:
Palin to speak at major GOP event
Palin to speak at major GOP event
Discussion:
Conservatives4Palin.com, Hotline On Call, Coop's Corner, Ben Smith's Blog, The Page and Hot Air
George Stephanopoulos / George's Bottom Line:
Rudy Giuliani Assails Obama Administration's National Security Decisions — President Obama yesterday took personal responsibility for failures in the Christmas day terror plot, but Rudy Giuliani still isn't convinced. — I spoke to the former mayor of New York City this morning on GMA …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Washington Independent, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Eschaton and Media Matters for America
RELATED:
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:
Power Line, Washington Monthly, Associated Press, Matthew Yglesias, Economix, Financial Times, The Page and Scared Monkeys
RELATED:
Christina Romer / White House.gov Blog Feed:
On the December Jobs Numbers — Today's employment report, though a setback from November, is consistent with the gradual labor market stabilization we have been seeing over the last several months. — Payroll employment declined 85,000 in December. To put this number in perspective …
Discussion:
The Hill
Daniel Indiviglio / The Atlantic Business Channel:
National Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 10.0% in December
National Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 10.0% in December
Discussion:
Townhall.com, The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Huffington Post, AmSpecBlog and The Daily Dish
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
RELATED:
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:
Top of the Ticket, Hotline On Call, The Caucus, Politics Daily, Washington Times, Raw Story, Yahoo! News, Crooks and Liars and Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
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 …
RELATED:
D.B. Grady / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Why Heads Should Roll — How courageous is Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, the father of terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab? If, as it is argued, the Islamic world sees the War on Terror as a War on Islam, it must have been quite intimidating to walk into the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.
RELATED:
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:
RELATED:
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.”
BBC:
Portugal backs gay marriage — Portugal's parliament has passed a law to legalise same-sex marriage, but rejected proposals to allow homosexual couples to adopt. — The bill was approved with the support of the governing Socialist Party and other parties further to the left.
RELATED:
David Kocieniewski / New York Times:
New Jersey Senate Defeats Gay Marriage Bill
New Jersey Senate Defeats Gay Marriage Bill
Discussion:
The Corner on National …, LGBT POV, Politics Daily, Associated Press and AMERICAblog Gay
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
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