Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Evan Bayh won't seek re-election, Senate majority in play? — Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh will not seek re-election this year, he announce Monday, a decision that hands Republicans a prime pickup opportunity in the middle of the country. — “After all these years, my passion for service …
Discussion:
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
WHAT BAYH IS THINKING.... Sen. Evan Bayh's (D-Ind.) retirement is a shocker, leading many to wonder what on earth a popular incumbent with plenty of money and a big lead in the polls is thinking. Bayh alluded to his frustrations on the Hill as part of his rationale.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, The Impolitic, Democratic Strategist and The Washington Independent
Eric Zimmermann / The Hill:
Bayh to retire in huge blow to Dems — Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) will announce this afternoon that he will not seek re-election in 2010. — The news is a big loss for Democrats, opening up a very competitive seat in what's shaping up to be a tough cycle for Democrats.
Discussion:
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Reid Wilson / Hotline On Call:
Bayh To Retire In Face Of Challenge — Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) will not seek a 3rd term in the Senate next year, according to a Dem source, handing Dems yet another setback as they struggle to salvage their damaged ship. — Bayh, elected statewide 5 times, will become the 5th Senate Dem not to seek another term.
Hotline On Call:
Explaining The IN Filing Process — Sen. Evan Bayh's (D-IN) decision to retire has sent Dems scrambling to figure out who will carry the party's standard — and how to go about getting that person on the ballot in the first place. — Candidates running for statewide office …
Discussion:
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Holy Crap — Evan Bayh will announce today he's retiring from Congress. Which is a huge blow for the Democrats and a big, big surprise. — Seems like the very effective political knee-capping of Dan Coats was all for naught. And that raises something questions in itself …
ABCNEWS:
Bye Bayh: Sen. Evan Bayh to Retire, Deal Blow to the Dems — Two-term Democratic Senator from Indiana Today Will Announce Decision to Not Seek Re-election — Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh will announce today that he's not seeking another term, handing a huge blow to Democrats and giving Republicans …
Fox News:
Democratic Sen. Bayh Will Not Seek Re-Election This Year
Democratic Sen. Bayh Will Not Seek Re-Election This Year
Discussion:
Associated Press, Don Surber, Outside The Beltway, NewsReal Blog, Wizbang, Pajamas Media and HotAirPundit
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Senate Candidate Tamyra D'Ippolito: “Politics in Indiana is the Old Boy's School.”
Senate Candidate Tamyra D'Ippolito: “Politics in Indiana is the Old Boy's School.”
Discussion:
Open Left
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
BAYH TO RETIRE.... A huge surprise out of Indiana this morning …
BAYH TO RETIRE.... A huge surprise out of Indiana this morning …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns and Money
Boston Herald:
‘Oddball’ protrait emerges — Suspect's family, pals offer clues — As authorities searched for clues into what could have sent a University of Alabama neurobiology professor on an alleged killing spree, friends and family yesterday described Braintree native Amy Bishop as an awkward introvert …
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Ezra Klein:
Democrats released a compromise health-care reform proposal — On Friday, I posted about the guest list for the White House's health-care summit, but I missed the big news in the accompanying invitation (mostly because I didn't notice that there was an accompanying invitation). Here's the money bit:
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Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:
White House revamps communications strategy — White House officials are retooling the administration's communications strategy to produce faster responses to political adversaries, a more disciplined focus on President Obama's call for “change” in Washington and an increasingly selective use of the president's time.
Discussion:
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Rich V. / The Vail Spot:
Senator Mikulski of Maryland to Retire — I've just heard from an impeccable source that Barbara Mikulski, the Democratic Senator who is up for reelection this November, will choose to retire. Mrs. Mikulski is expected to make her formal announcement in the next few days.
Washington Post:
Series of missteps by climate scientists threatens climate-change agenda — With its 2007 report declaring that the “warming of the climate system is unequivocal,” the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won a Nobel Prize — and a new degree of public trust in the controversial science of global warming.
Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
Senator: VP comments ‘insulting’ — Joe Biden shakes hands with Scott Brown. AP — Sen. Scott Brown thinks Vice President Joe Biden was “off base” when he suggested Sunday that the Massachusetts Republican get his facts straight on the legal procedures for military tribunals.
New York Times:
Corrections — EDITORS' NOTE — In a number of business articles in The Times over the past year, and in posts on the DealBook blog on NYTimes.com, a Times reporter appears to have improperly appropriated wording and passages published by other news organizations.
Discussion:
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
DON'T BRING A DOLT TO AN MTP FIGHT.... If you missed it, there was an exchange on “Meet the Press” yesterday, which only lasted about a minute and a half, but which deserves the attention it's received. — Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
Ken Starr to head Baylor University — Ken Starr, the constitutional lawyer who conducted the independent counsel investigation that lead to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, is expected to be named this week as president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, according to a source with knowledge of the decision.
Peter Hamby / CNN:
Podesta: American political system ‘sucks’ — Washington (CNN) - John Podesta, president of the Center for American Progress, can describe the state of Washington politics with a single word. And it's not a nice one. — Asked in an interview with the Financial Times to comment on …
Michael Calderone / Michael Calderone's Blog:
Ezra Klein becomes Newsweek contributor — The Washington Post's Ezra Klein will soon be writing for another publication in the Post Co. orbit: Newsweek. — Klein has signed on as a Newsweek contributor and will write a biweekly column for the print magazine.
Ann Coulter / Associated Content:
Ann Coulter Refers to Joe Biden as Drunken Irishman Twice in Debate Over Biden Attempt to Counter Cheney Criticism — Ann Coulter has referred to VP Joe Biden as a “drunken Irishman” not once, but two, extremely enjoyable times in a debate with former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi …
Eric Zimmermann / The Hill:
Dodd: Obama will be elected to a second term ‘overwhelmingly’ — Presidet Obama will be “re-elected overwhelmingly,” Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) confidently predicted today. — Appeaing on Imus in the Morning, Dodd rejected a comparison between Obama and Jimmy Carter and said Obama will be more political successful.
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
People Trust The Government When The Economy is Good — I think there's a huge tendency among journalists to underrate the extent to which macroeconomic conditions drive everything in politics. For example, John Sides reviews the data and concludes that public trust in government is basically just driven by economic statistics: