Top Items:
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Breaking: Reid Signals Support For Reconciliation Vote On Public Option — In another surprising step forward for the public option, Senator Harry Reid's office says that if a final decision is made to pass health reform via reconciliation, the Majority Leader would support holding a reconciliation vote on the public option.
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Ezra Klein:
The strange politics of the public option revival — Trying to figure out the politics of this public option revival has been a bit of a strange experience. On the one hand, momentum seems to be building: The letter asking Reid to run the public option through the reconciliation process has 18 senators attached.
New York Times:
Obama to Offer Health Bill to Ease Impasse as Bipartisan Meeting Approaches — WASHINGTON — President Obama will put forward comprehensive health care legislation intended to bridge differences between Senate and House Democrats ahead of a summit meeting with Republicans next week …
Discussion:
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Cantor: Obama must take reconciliation off the table for healthcare reform
Cantor: Obama must take reconciliation off the table for healthcare reform
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
A Sensible Response to Terrorism — As you probably know, a white guy entranced by an extremely version of Tea Party-style right-populist paranoia deliberately crashed an airplane into an IRS building in Texas yesterday. I'm not especially interested in debating semantics …
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Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Holder admits nine Obama Dept. of Justice officials worked for terrorist detainees, offers no details — Attorney General Eric Holder says nine Obama appointees in the Justice Department have represented or advocated for terrorist detainees before joining the Justice Department.
Discussion:
Power Line, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Confederate Yankee, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and The Corner on National …
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Is the next GOP presidential candidate a CPAC speaker? — There's no question that the next GOP presidential nominee will have spoken at this year's CPAC conference, a top Republican lawmaker said Friday. — Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Oversight …
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Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Pawlenty compares administration to Tiger Woods, voters to scorned wife — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) on Friday told voters to follow the lead of Tiger Woods' wife Elin Nordegren and “take a nine-iron and smash the window out of big government.” — Pawlenty, who is considered …
Discussion:
The Politico, Left Coast Rebel, Ben Smith's Blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNN, The Swamp and Daily Kos
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Harvey Araton / New York Times:
Apologizing, Woods Sets No Date for Return to Golf
Apologizing, Woods Sets No Date for Return to Golf
Discussion:
RaceWire
Josh Margolin / New Jersey Online:
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg is diagnosed with cancer … U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey's 86-year-old senior senator, was diagnosed with treatable stomach cancer in the last 24 hours and will begin chemotherapy today. — The Democrat still plans to finish out his current term …
Discussion:
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Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:
Bush lawyers who approved waterboarding to face no discipline — Bush administration lawyers who wrote memos blessing the waterboarding of terrorism suspects and other harsh interrogation tactics “exercised poor judgment” but will not face discipline for their actions, according …
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Scott Shane / New York Times:
F.B.I., Laying Out Evidence, Closes Anthrax Letters Case — WASHINGTON — More than eight years after anthrax-laced letters killed five people and terrorized the country, the F.B.I. finally closed its investigation of the matter on Friday. The bureau released a 92-page report adding eerie …
Discussion:
Politics Daily
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Joby Warrick / Washington Post:
FBI closes investigation into 2001 anthrax attacks
FBI closes investigation into 2001 anthrax attacks
Discussion:
The Hill
The Huffington Post:
John Ashcroft: Civilian Trials For Terrorists Have ‘Use And Utility’ — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — In an acknowledgment that throws a wrench in Republican talking points, former Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Friday that the criminal justice system does, indeed, have a role to play in trying terrorist suspects.
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Andy Barr / The Politico:
Bachmann: Obama ‘intending to fail’ — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) urged conservatives on Friday to fight to prevent an American “decline” created by the policies of President Barack Obama. — In a long and meandering speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference evoking …
Michael F. Cannon / Cato @ Liberty:
Krugman Don't Know Health Insurance — When I debated Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman on health care reform, I asked him if he was familiar with the work of University of Pennsylvania economist Mark Pauly. Pauly is a leader in the economics of health insurance.
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Zaid Jilani / Think Progress:
CPAC audience boos former GOP Rep. Bob Barr for saying waterboarding is torture. — This afternoon, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held a debate titled “Does Security Trump Freedom?” that featured former GOP congressman and Libertarian Presidential candidate Bob Barr …
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Jimmy Orr / Christian Science Monitor:
Rapper Sky Blu says Mitt Romney used ‘Vulcan grip’ on him in plane fiasco — Sky Blu, singer of the band LMFAO, says Mitt Romney had him in a ‘Vulcan grip’ while aboard an airplane Monday night in Vancouver. — Mitt Romney used a “Vulcan grip” on rapper Sky Blu? — Wow.
Discussion:
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Gays, gay marriage foes spar at CPAC — The young crowd at CPAC doesn't seem terribly interested in the issue of same-sex marriage, but there's been a bit of shadow boxing between the gay Republican group GOProud, which got a booth over objections from social conservatives …
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The Note:
Ron Paul supporters are taking over CPAC! — ABC News' Bret Hovell reports: Libertarian Texas Congressman Ron Paul - who has a large and occasionally rowdy backing throughout the country - was scheduled to speak here at the Conservative Political Action Conference at 4:30 — Friday afternoon.
The Note:
Far-Right John Birch Society 2010 — ABC's Jonathan Karl reports: This week's Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington has a co-sponsor from the far-right fringe of American politics: The John Birch Society. — According to Ian Walters, a spokesman for CPAC …
Alex Seitz-Wald / Think Progress:
Profit-Seeking Palin Reportedly Rips CPAC As A Profiteering Convention — One leading Republican who is conspicuously absent from this year's CPAC is Fox News pundit Sarah Palin. A source told Politico that Palin declined the invitation because she “does not want to be affiliated” …
Thomas Fitzgerald / Philly.com:
Sestak says federal job was offered to quit race — Not so, says White House — Rep. Joe Sestak (D., Pa.) said yesterday that the White House offered him a federal job in an effort to dissuade him from challenging Sen. Arlen Specter in the state's Democratic primary.