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10:30 AM ET, February 16, 2010

Top Items:

Secret Joint Raid Captures Taliban's Top Commander — WASHINGTON — The Taliban's top military commander was captured several days ago in Karachi, Pakistan, in a secret joint operation by Pakistani and American intelligence forces, according to American government officials.

Spencer Ackerman / ATTACKERMAN:

It's Extremely Important We Don't Torture Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar — The Taliban's military commander has been captured in a joint Pakistani-U.S. intelligence raid. A high-five to Langley: this is one serious motherf**king success. Now it's really important we don't screw it all up by abusing Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Discussion: Guardian, DaTechguy's Blog and Wonkette

Charles Lane / PostPartisan:

Bayh to Obama: take this job and shove it — Millions of Americans long to tell their bosses “take this job and shove it.” Hardly any have the power and money to do so, especially in these recessionary times. Sen. Evan Bayh (D) of Indiana, however, is the exception.

ABCNEWS:

Sen. Bayh: ‘Too Much Brain-Dead Partisanship’ in Congress — Indiana Senator Rules Out 2012 Presidential Run, Mum on 2016 Ambitions — Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, whose retirement announcement Monday stunned the political world, today assailed partisanship in Congress and said he can achieve …

Discussion: The Caucus, The Page, Donklephant, The Politico, Mediaite and The Note

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

New poll: Now, signs of real vulnerability for California's Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer — So, is California's brittle Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer about to become the next Harry Reid? Which is to say, embattled at home. — As Reid worked the wallets of San Francisco on Presidents …

Discussion: GayPatriot, Daily Kos, Another Black Conservative, Commentary, Washington Times, Don Surber and Weasel Zippers

David Catanese / The Politico:
Five ways to lose the Senate majority

Discussion: Don Surber

The Huffington Post:
Evan Bayh's Retirement Leaves Democrats Scarred And Demanding Aggression

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Time, The Note, AMERICAblog News and Commentary

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Democrats Reel as Senator Says No to 3rd Term

Discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates, New York Post, The Note, Salon, The Politico, Connecting.the.Dots, Washington Post, Real Clear Politics, msnbc.com and Washington Times

Gautham Nagesh / The Daily Caller:
Democratic Indiana candidate says White House secretly backing Baron Hill

Discussion: Hot Air, protein wisdom, Gateway Pundit, The Washington Independent, National Review Online and RedState

Chris Good / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Bayh's Retirement — Fox News is reporting that Sen. Evan Bayh …

Discussion: BuzzFlash.org, Paul Krugman and Raw Story

Washington Post:
Democratic Sen. Bayh of Indiana won't run for reelection

Discussion: NY Daily News, The Fix, Gawker, protein wisdom, PostPartisan, John Stossel, OpenSecrets.org, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Lynn Sweet, Ezra Klein and Fox News

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Lane on Bayh — I have several more months in which to kick him around.

Discussion: TalkLeft

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Evan Bayh — Obviously, Evan Bayh's never been my favorite Senator.

Discussion: Dennis the Peasant, driftglass, The Sundries Shack and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Daniel Larison / Eunomia: Centrists Cannot Win As Insurgents

David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Senate Candidate Tamyra D'Ippolito: “Politics in Indiana is the Old Boy's School.”

Discussion: Erick's blog, Althouse, The Politico, Riehl World View, The Plum Line, Washington Examiner, Open Left, The Moderate Voice, The Washington Independent, Angry Bear and Hotline On Call

ABCNEWS:
Evan Bayh Disses Washington on Way Out

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, CNN, New York Magazine, The Politico, Mediaite, theblogprof, Commentary, Scared Monkeys, Politics Daily, Blogcritics, Wizbang, Truthdig and The Note

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Tea party leaders will meet with Steele and other Republican operatives — About 50 leaders of the grass-roots “tea party” movement will meet in Washington on Tuesday with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele and other top GOP operatives to discuss campaign strategies and conservative principles.

Discussion: Politics Daily, Hotline On Call, Riehl World View, msnbc.com and The Page

David Barstow / New York Times:

Tea Party Movement Lights Fuse for Rebellion on Right — Less than a year ago, Pam Stout was new to protest politics. Now she runs a Tea Party group in Sandpoint, Idaho. More Photos > — SANDPOINT, Idaho — Pam Stout has not always lived in fear of her government.

Discussion: Think Progress, Firedoglake, First Draft, Prairie Weather and Right Wing Watch

Domenico Montanaro / msnbc.com:

FIRST THOUGHTS: BYE, BAYH — Democrats, including Bayh, run for the hills when Obama's approval is at ... 50%?... More on Bayh's stunning announcement yesterday... The GOP now has at least eight legitimate Senate pick-up opportunities... The combined number of Dem and GOP retirements …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, pa2010.com, The Caucus, Democratic Strategist and Taegan Goddard's …

James Queally / New Jersey Online:

U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg is taken to area hospital after fall … U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg was taken by ambulance tonight from his Cliffside Park home after suffering a fall, his spokesman said. — The 86-year-old New Jersey Democrat was conscious when he was taken to the hospital …

Discussion: TPMDC

CNN:
New Jersey senator suffers fall

Discussion: The Political Carnival

Andrew Orlowski / The Register:

Now IPCC hurricane data is questioned — Open science: Got Excel? Debunk this — More trouble looms for the IPCC. The body may need to revise statements made in its Fourth Assessment Report on hurricanes and global warming. A statistical analysis of the raw data shows that the claims …

Discussion: theblogprof, Gateway Pundit, Orange County Register, Hot Air, The Strata-Sphere, YID With LID, EU Referendum and GayPatriot

Scott Horton / Harper's:

Does Dick Cheney Want to Be Prosecuted? — After he was indicted for the murder of Alexander Hamilton, vice president Aaron Burr fled to South Carolina, to hide out with his daughter. Another vice president, Spiro Agnew, kept completely silent before pleading nolo contendere on corruption charges.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, ABCNEWS and The Daily Dish

WCBS-TV:
Biden: NYC Estimates For 9/11 Trial Exaggerated

Discussion: Commentary, Weasel Zippers and Vancouver 2010

Jim Geraghty / National Review Online:

Let's Get Real: Barbara Mikulski Does Not Fear a Loss This Year. — By: Jim Geraghty — Many, many readers are excited about the rumor, eminating from The Vail Spot blog, that Sen. Barbara Mikulski will retire. — Mike Memoli of RealClearPolitics and Chris Cillizza of the Post …

Discussion: RedState and Don Surber

Rich V. / The Vail Spot:
Senator Mikulski of Maryland to Retire

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Open Left, Doug Ross, DownWithTyranny!, Conservatives4Palin.com, The Lonely Conservative, The Hill, The Fix and GayPatriot

Jane Taber / Globe and Mail:

Romney threatened on flight out of Vancouver — Republican politician Mitt Romney was physically threatened by a violent passenger on an Air Canada flight leaving Vancouver this morning. — Mr. Romney, who has been in Vancouver since Friday for the Olympic Winter Games, did not respond to the attack.

Discussion: TPMDC, Michelle Malkin and Gateway Pundit

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

FAIL... Just 6% of Americans Believe Obama's $787 Billion Stimulus Created Jobs — In December the Obama Administration announced they had “saved or created” 1.1 million jobs. — In January the Obama Administration announced they had “saved or created” 2 million jobs.

Discussion: Outside The Beltway and The Hill

Michael Calderone / Michael Calderone's Blog:

Milbank writing Beck book: ‘Tears of a Clown’ — Dana Milbank recently wrote how a Fox News star has really “captured the moment,” before posing the question: “Is Glenn Beck America?” — Milbank, who only had about 750 words to tackle that question in his Washington Post column …

Discussion: Mediaite, Gawker and Romenesko

NBC Chicago:

Wisconsin Billboard Calls for Obama's Ouster — Billboard will remain until June — Somebody in Wisconsin doesn't like President Barack Obama all that much. — An unnamed company has paid for a billboard along Highway 41 in Oshkosh that reads, “Impeach Obama.”

Discussion: No Sheeples Here and Power Line