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.
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Associated Press:
Brown Decries Conservative Group's Anti-Coakley Ad — BOSTON (AP) ― A conservative group is joining Republican Scott Brown in his effort to defeat Democrat Martha Coakley and her bid to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, although Brown says he opposes the outside intervention.
Discussion:
Iowa Independent, The Washington Independent, Eye on 2010, Red Mass Group and Ben Smith's Blog
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 …
Two swipes at CPAC — Two stories today on Palin's decision …
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog
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 …
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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 …
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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, Financial Times, Economix, The Page and Scared Monkeys
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Christopher S. Rugaber / Associated Press:
Economy loses 85K jobs, unemployment rate steady
Economy loses 85K jobs, unemployment rate steady
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Townhall.com, Calculated Risk, Politics Daily and RedState
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:
The Caucus, Top of the Ticket, Politics Daily, Washington Times, Hotline On Call, Raw Story, Yahoo! News, Weasel Zippers and Crooks and Liars
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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 …
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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.
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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 …
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Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:
Janet Napolitano Says She's Most Surprised By “Al-Qaeda's Determination” (Video)
Janet Napolitano Says She's Most Surprised By “Al-Qaeda's Determination” (Video)
Discussion:
Founding Bloggers, Scared Monkeys, Sister Toldjah, Lynn Sweet and The Lonely Conservative
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:
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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.”
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:
Felix Salmon, The Business Insider, Grasping Reality …, Financial Times, Calculated Risk and The Awl
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
Aaron Blake / The Hill:
Club for Growth will oppose Sen. Bennett's reelection in 2010 — In an unusual move, the Club for Growth announced Friday that it will oppose Sen. Bob Bennett's (R-Utah) reelection, without specifying a candidate it might support. — A series of candidates are looking to upend Bennett …
Discussion:
The Washington Independent
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
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Dems favored for CT-GOV — There aren't going to be a lot of offices Democrats win for the first time since 1986 in this Republican trending year of 2010. But the Connecticut Governorship might be one of them. — Democratic front runners Susan Bysiewicz, Ned Lamont …
Discussion:
Politics Nation
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