memeorandum: In Afghanistan attack, CIA fell victim to series of miscalculations about informant (Associated Press)

2:15 PM ET, January 16, 2010

Top Items:

Coakley dismisses Schilling: ‘Another Yankee fan’ — In the intensifying Democratic precriminations game over who to blame if Coakley loses, here's one for the blame Coakley camp: On another talk radio show, “Nightside With Dan Rea,” Coakley jabs Rudy Giuliani as a Yankee fan …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Fix, Washington Post, Another Black Conservative, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, New York Times, Jules Crittenden, The Lonely Conservative, JammieWearingFool, The Corner on National …, Hot Air, Althouse, Weasel Zippers and Pajamas Media

Curt Schilling / 38 Pitches:

I've been called a LOT of things... But never, and I mean never, could anyone ever make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn't know what the hell is going on in your own state maybe you could.... This is great stuff.

Discussion: Power Line, Gateway Pundit, National Review, National Review Online, AmSpecBlog, Pundit & Pundette, TigerHawk, Betsy's Page, The Daily Caller and PoliPundit.com

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Quote For The Day — “I've been called a lot of things...but never, I mean never, could anyone make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn't know what the hell is going on in your own state maybe you could...” - Curt Schilling, responding to Martha Coakley's latest, awful gaffe.

Discussion: Dennis the Peasant

Jim Geraghty / National Review Online:

One Internal Poll: Dead Even. The Other Internal Poll: Brown by 11. — By: Jim Geraghty — A weird evening. Within five minutes, two sources call, each one hearing through the grapevine the internals of one of the two major campaigns in Massachusetts.

Robert Costa / National Review:

Not Wicked Awesome — By: Robert Costa — Coakley calls BoSox great Curt Schilling a Yankees fan: — Here's the transcript (via the Brown campaign): … Another Coakley gaffe? Can't say I'm really surprised. Instead of offering further commentary/eye rolls, I'll just leave you with this:

Discussion: The Natural Truth

Jon Walker / Firedoglake:

Ohio Democrat Steve Driehaus Losing To Steve Chabot 39% to 56% — Steve Driehaus (image via aflcio2008 flickr) — FDL/SurveyUSA, 1/12-1/14, 600 likely voters, Margin of Sampling error ± 4.1% … A new SurveyUSA poll sponsored by Firedoglake shows incumbent Democrat Steve Driehaus …

Discussion: The Fix and RedState

Jonathan D. Salant / Bloomberg:

Senate Can Pass Health With 51 Votes, Van Hollen Says — Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) — Even if Democrats lose the special election to pick a new Massachusetts senator Tuesday, Congress may still pass health-care overhaul through a process called reconciliation, a top House Democrat said.

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, Scared Monkeys, The Corner on National …, sisu, Another Black Conservative, Hot Air, RedState, The Lonely Conservative, Daily Kos, Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

The Note:
Bill Buckner Curse Haunts Health Care?

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House, Wall Street Journal, Flopping Aces, Hot Air, American Power, Political Punch, Taylor Marsh, TPMDC, The Politico, Democratic Strategist, PoliPundit.com, ABCNEWS, Betsy's Page and Opinionator

Michelle Malkin:

Video: “Massachusetts Miracle” — Everyone's e-mailing it to me: — See what others have said — Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand.

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Bush, Clinton join Obama at White House to kick off Haiti relief fund — President Barack Obama joined his two predecessors at the White House on Saturday to kick off a Haiti relief drive. — Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton returned to the White House to join Obama to speak about the …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Associated Press, The Swamp, Washington Post and PERRspectives

The Hill:
Payments to states emerges as major obstacle to healthcare reform

Discussion: The Plum Line, The Politico, RedState and The Political Carnival

Ben Nelson, U.S. Senator for Nebraska:
NELSON REITERATES CALL FOR RELIEVING UNFUNDED MANDATE FOR ALL STATES …

Discussion: Roll Call, Hit & Run and Washington Wire

Christina Bellantoni / TPMDC:

In MA-Sen Race That's All About Health Care, Is GOPer Brown Providing Coverage to Staff? — The campaign staffers helping Scott Brown for U.S. Senate are being paid as independent contractors rather than as employees and are responsible for paying their own taxes and, presumably, health care coverage.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Boston Globe and The Political Carnival

Associated Press:
Lawmaker: If GOP wins seat, health care dead

Discussion: The Democratic Daily, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, National Review, The Hill, The Caucus and The Plum Line

Bshor / Boris Shor, PhD:
Scott Brown is a more liberal Republican than Dede Scozzafava

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Pajamas Media, The Reaction, FiveThirtyEight, FrumForum, The Lonely Conservative, Power Line, Hot Air, Brendan Nyhan and Riehl World View

Hank Investigates / WHDH-TV:
The Hiller Instinct: Suffolk University Poll

Discussion: TBogg and NewsBusters.org

New York Post:

Hood massacre report gutless and shameful — There are two basic problems with the grotesque non-report on the Islamist- terror massacre at Fort Hood (released by the Defense Department yesterday): — * It's not about what happened at Fort Hood. — * It avoids entirely the issue of

Discussion: Outside The Beltway and The Daily Caller

David Weigel / The Washington Independent:

Did Firedoglake Take Out Vic Snyder? — Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) announced his retirement today, mixed-but mostly dire-news for Democrats, who were hopeful that he could hold on and defeat his likely, scandal-tainted GOP opponent Tim Griffin. One of the possible reasons for the retirement?

Discussion: Washington Post, Firedoglake, Power Line, The Agonist, FiveThirtyEight, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog! and Washington Wire

Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:
Vic Snyder retiring

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Townhall.com, ArkansasTimes and Firedoglake

Aaron Blake / The Hill: Rep. Snyder bows out — Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) …

Associated Press:

In Afghanistan attack, CIA fell victim to series of miscalculations about informant — AMMAN, JORDAN — He was an ambitious young doctor from a large family who had a foreign wife and two children — details that officers of Jordan's intelligence service viewed as exploitable vulnerabilities, not biography.

Discussion: TalkLeft and ATTACKERMAN

ZIP / Weasel Zippers:

Honest Democrat Ed Schultz Says 'I'd Cheat' To Keep Scott Brown From Winning... The Democrat Party should change it's name to ‘Thieves “R” Us’... Via Breitbart.tv — FreeThinkerNY

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, DaTechguy's Blog, Breitbart.tv, AmSpecBlog and The Greenroom

New York Times:

Cadillac Plans — The agreement between the White House, Congressional leaders and labor unions over taxing high-priced health insurance policies is a reasonable solution to an issue that was threatening to derail health care reform. The agreement treats unionized workers far more favorably …

Discussion: TalkLeft

CNN:

Ex U.N. inspector stung in Web sex case — (CNN) — Pennsylvania authorities say they arrested a former United Nations weapons inspector after he allegedly exchanged sexually explicit online messages with a police officer who was pretending to be a 15-year-old girl.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars