memeorandum: Palin Camp Rips Limbaugh, Hits His “Retard” Comment As “Crude And Demeaning” (Greg Sargent/The Plum Line)

11:15 PM ET, February 4, 2010

Top Items:

Franken lays into Ax over health bill — Sen. Al Franken ripped into White House senior adviser David Axelrod this week during a tense, closed-door session with Senate Democrats. — Five sources who were in the room tell POLITICO that Franken criticized Axelrod for the administration's failure …

The Huffington Post:

Obama's Engagement On Health Care Has ‘Dried Up’: Dem Senator — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Despite urging Democratic senators on Wednesday to forge ahead on health care reform, President Obama and his aides have been largely hands-off in guiding the legislative process, Senate aides tell the Huffington Post.

Discussion: Hot Air, Political Punch, The Moderate Voice, Commentary, Dennis the Peasant, The Plum Line, The Politico, RedState, Washington Monthly and The Caucus

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:

A slowdown on health care — A week ago, Democratic congressional leaders said they hoped to settle on a health care strategy by the end of this week. — But they are expected to leave for the weekend without having made any final decisions or tangible progress.

Discussion: CNN

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Palin Camp Rips Limbaugh, Hits His “Retard” Comment As “Crude And Demeaning” — Sarah Palin versus Rush Limbaugh! — Palin believes Limbaugh's repeated use of the word “retard” yesterday was “crude and demeaning,” her spokesperson emails. — In the wake of Palin's demand that Rahm Emanuel …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, RushLimbaugh.com, US News, Think Progress, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Liberal Values, Mediaite, Washington Post, Althouse, CNN, Daily Kos, Hot Air, Raw Story and Ben Smith's Blog

Jake Gibson / Fox News:
Palin Camp Fires Back at Washington Post

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Firedoglake and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

John Cook / Gawker:

There's No Good Reason the National Enquirer Shouldn't Win a Pulitzer Prize — The National Enquirer has thrown its hat in the ring for a 2010 Pulitzer Prize, seeking official recognition from the media Brahmins for its ownership of the John Edwards sex scandal. Said Brahmins are harrumphing, and here's why they're wrong.

Discussion: Majikthise, Mediaite and Romenesko

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

My John Edwards Failure — I've been thinking about what seems to me a double standard in my treatment of vice-presidential frauds, with respect to Sarah Palin and John Edwards, and trying to figure out where I went wrong. No, I'm not backtracking on Palin: all I regret is not being able to expose her for real yet.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Mediaite, NewsReal Blog and Opinionator

Jim Treacher / The DC Trawler:

Last night I got hit by a car and broke my knee — Sometime between 7 and 7:30, not long after I got home from work, I walked to the CVS on 22nd and M to get some bread, milk, and a SmartTrip card. I was right across the street from the CVS, and I waited for the crosswalk light to tell me to go before I crossed.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Wonkette, Jules Crittenden, The Lonely Conservative, Moe Lane and Media Blog on National …

Megan Mulligan / The Daily Caller:
Struck Down: Feds Refuse to Explain How Agent Injured Daily Caller Writer

Discussion: Hit & Run, POWIP, The Awl and The DC Trawler

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Prayers for Jim Treacher; Update: State Dept, not Secret Service

Discussion: Jezebel, Media Matters for America and Jules Crittenden

Chicago Sun Times:

Details surface of Scott Lee Cohen's 2005 domestric violence arrest — Scott Lee Cohen — a pawnbroker who shocked state Democratic leaders Tuesday night by winning the party's nomination for lieutenant governor — was arrested about four-and-a-half years ago and accused of holding a knife …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, RedState, Hot Air, Clout St, Another Black Conservative, The Capitol Fax Blog, Matthew Yglesias, Townhall.com, The Glittering Eye, Newsalert, NewsReal Blog, TPMMuckraker, JammieWearingFool, Real Clear Politics and PoliBlog

Chicago Sun Times:
Lt. gov. nominee: I won't drop out of race over abuse history

Discussion: Lynn Sweet, Don Surber and TPMDC

Newsdesk / Clout St:
Quinn's running mate says he has “no intention of stepping down”

Discussion: The Capitol Fax Blog, Chicago Breaking News, The Hill, TPMDC, msnbc.com, RedState and The Eye

Laurie Goodstein / New York Times:

National Prayer Breakfast Draws Controversy — For more than 50 years, the National Prayer Breakfast has served as a prime networking event in Washington, bringing together the president, members of Congress, foreign diplomats and thousands of religious, business and military leaders for scrambled eggs and supplication.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Post, HRC Back Story, Taylor Marsh, CNN, New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, AMERICAblog Gay, The Caucus, Left Coast Rebel, The Swamp, AMERICAblog News, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Towleroad News #gay, Prairie Weather, Washington Monthly and The Bilerico Project

The White House:
Remarks by the President at the National Prayer Breakfast

Discussion: Hit & Run, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Shakesville and White House.gov Blog Feed

Ben Frumin / TPM LiveWire:
Obama Makes Birther Joke At Prayer Breakfast (VIDEO)

Discussion: The Caucus, Raw Story and Newsalert

Anne E. Kornblut / Washington Post:
Obama's spirituality is largely private, but it's influential, advisers say

Discussion: CBS News, The Foundry, Ben Smith's Blog and Political Punch

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

Our Strange Constitution — I'm not even slightly surprised to find out that the Obama administration has some kind of process in place to assassinate American citizens who it's decided are in cahoots with terrorists. I was always raised to appreciate the “out of control spies” …

Discussion: Ezra Klein and Dennis the Peasant

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
On the claimed “war exception” to the Constitution

Discussion: Hot Air, Firedoglake, Emptywheel, Raw Story and Washington Times

Steve Krakauer / Mediaite:

NBC Cafeteria Celebrates Black History Month With Fried Chicken Special (Update) — So who at NBC thought it would be a good idea for the special today to be, among other things, fried chicken, “in honor of Black History Month”? — Because, spoiler alert - it wasn't a good idea at all.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, The Confluence, NewsReal Blog, Big Journalism, NewsBusters.org, JammieWearingFool, American Power, The Political Carnival, Hot Air and Weasel Zippers

CNN:

Brown sworn in as new senator from Massachusetts — Washington (CNN) — Republican Scott Brown was sworn in Thursday as the new U.S. senator from Massachusetts to fill the seat formerly held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, and immediately signaled opposition to President Obama's spending plans.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Sister Toldjah, Jules Crittenden, Left Coast Rebel, JammieWearingFool, Mudville Gazette, Another Black Conservative, The Lonely Conservative and Boston Globe

CNN:
Brown to take Kennedy's office

Discussion: The Politico and The Hill

TPMDC:

Boehner Distances Republicans From Ryan Budget...But He Can't Name A Single Objection — House Republicans are at pains to point out that a far-reaching budget roadmap unveiled by their top budget guy, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), isn't their budget, but when asked today at a press conference …

Discussion: PERRspectives, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, AMERICAblog News and National Review

Wall Street Journal:
GOP Chases Wall Street Donors

Discussion: Politics Daily, Matthew Yglesias, Washington Wire, The New Republic, Democracy in America, Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Ben Smith's Blog, The Political Carnival and Washington Post

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Boehner: No difference in beliefs between GOP and tea partiers

Discussion: CNN, Little Green Footballs and The Huffington Post

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

New Hampshire independents abandoning Obama in droves: Poll — The crucial independent voters of notoriously independent New Hampshire, the ones who were so vital to Barack Obama's 2008 victory there and nationally, are fast falling out of love with the Democrat.

Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:

Poll: Republicans Prefer Having A Deficit With Tax Cuts, Over A Balanced Budget And Higher Taxes — A new Rasmussen poll supplies a very interesting data point in the ongoing debate about the budget deficit: As it turns out, Republican voters would prefer having a deficit if it meant …

Discussion: Rasmussen Reports, Guardian, QandO, The Daily Dish, Liberal Values, Taegan Goddard's …, Matthew Yglesias and TalkLeft

Tony Romm / The Hill:

Gibbs to Sen. Bond: Apologize to law enforcement, White House for leak claim — Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is calling on Republican Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) to apologize “to the law enforcement community and those that work in this building” for alleging the White House had leaked classified information …

Discussion: Political Punch, The Caucus, Raw Story and Connecting.the.Dots

CNN:

Biden ponders filibuster reform — Washington - Moments after swearing in Sen. Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts, whose presence in the Senate means Democrats no longer have their 60-vote filibuster-proof supermajority, Vice President Joe Biden told reporters he thinks filibusters have been abused …

Marc Lacey / New York Times:

10 Americans in Haiti Are Charged With Abduction — PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Ten Americans detained after trying to take 33 Haitian children across the border last week were charged Thursday with abduction and criminal association, according to prosecutors.

Discussion: RHRealityCheck.org, The Lede, Newshoggers.com, Associated Press and Truthdig

Thom Shanker / New York Times:

U.S. General Offers Upbeat Views on Afghan War — ISTANBUL — The senior commander of American and allied forces in Afghanistan offered a guarded but unexpectedly upbeat assessment of the war effort on Thursday, saying that while the situation remained dangerous it was no longer deteriorating …

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, democracyarsenal.org, ATTACKERMAN, Registan.net, The Majlis and The Washington Independent

Peterhamby / CNN:

Club for Growth targets Gingrich — Newt Gingrich is being attacked by the conservative Club for Growth. — Washington (CNN) - The conservative Club for Growth is hitting back at former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for criticizing the small government group during an appearance in Utah for Republican Sen. Bob Bennett.

Discussion: American Power

Retracto / Big Journalism:

Correction Request: Max Blumenthal, Salon.com — In Max Blumenthal's article “James O'Keefe's race problem” for Salon.com of February 3, 2010, Mr. Blumenthal makes a number of unverifiable and provably false claims regarding James O'Keefe's attendance at a 2006 conference called “Race and Conservatism.”

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Moe Lane, The Greenroom and Runnin' Scared

The Note:

Landrieu says Republicans should ‘shut their mouth’ — ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Don't mess with Mary Landrieu. — The Democratic Senator from Louisiana has had about enough of people criticizing the clause she helped put into the Senate version of health care reform and she took …

Discussion: No Sheeples Here, The Politico and And So it Goes in Shreveport

Bloomberg:

Ken Lewis, Bank of America Sued by Cuomo for Fraud — Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) — Former Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lewis was sued by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for defrauding investors and the government when buying Merrill Lynch & Co. The bank agreed …

Discussion: CNNMoney.com, The Hill and Hullabaloo

Philip Terzian / Weekly Standard:

Clarence Thomas on Why He Skips the State of the Union — I don't go because it has become so partisan. — One final contribution to the post-mortem on the State of the Union address. — In a question-and-answer session at Stetson University College of Law in Florida this week …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Another Black Conservative and The Atlantic Politics Channel

Joan E. Darrah / CNN:

My secret life under 'don't ask, don't tell' — Editor's note: Retired Navy Capt. Joan E. Darrah served 29½ years as a naval intelligence officer and was chief of staff and deputy commander at the Office of Naval Intelligence. She has received several awards: three Legion of Merits …

Discussion: Lean Left and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

James Hohmann / The Politico:

Pelosi may wait on 'Don't Ask' vote — Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi suggested Thursday that Democrats may wait on voting to repeal the ban on gays in the military until after the midterm elections and after the Pentagon has completed a full review of its “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy.

Discussion: The Hill, The Note and Towleroad News #gay

Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:

Chris Wallace on whether Palin will sit on his lap during their interview: ‘One can only hope.’ — This week, former Alaska governor and Fox News contributor Sarah Palin will be on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, in his first Sunday show appearance ever.

Discussion: Michael Calderone's Blog, Media Matters for America and Hit & Run

Dick Brass / New York Times:

Microsoft's Creative Destruction — AS they marvel at Apple's new iPad tablet computer, the technorati seem to be focusing on where this leaves Amazon's popular e-book business. But the much more important question is why Microsoft, America's most famous and prosperous technology company …