memeorandum: The Polling Contradiction — In the latest NEWSWEEK Poll … (Sarah Kliff/Newsweek)

8:57 PM ET, February 20, 2010

Top Items:

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Reid: Dems will use 50-vote tactic to finish healthcare in 60 days — Democrats will finish their health reform efforts within the next two months by using a majority-vote maneuver in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said. — Reid said that congressional Democrats …

Discussion: The Hill, The Politico, The Moderate Voice, RedState, AmSpecBlog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, Liberal Values, Donklephant, iOwnTheWorld.com, Scared Monkeys, Pundit & Pundette, Townhall.com and Say Anything

The Hill: Senate GOP: Dems lack votes to use partisan tactic on health reform

Jared Allen / The Hill:
Obama slams Anthem rate increase in pushing healthcare bill

Discussion: CNN and The Politico

Fox News:

Ron Paul Wins Presidential Straw Poll at CPAC — Paul, a Republican congressman from Texas known for his libertarian views, ran for president in 2008 but was never a serious contender for the GOP nomination.

Discussion: Power Line, The Moderate Voice, The Raw Story, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, AmSpecBlog and Flopping Aces

Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:

Obama Scornfest: Conservatives Gun for Prez — Republicans who may want Obama's job descend on Washington; early tryout of sorts — Republicans who may want President Barack Obama's job flocked to the town they love to hate this weekend and repeatedly ripped into the Democrat, an early tryout of sorts for the GOP nomination.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Ron Paul wins CPAC straw poll — Texas Rep. Ron Paul won the 2010 CPAC straw poll tonight, a victory that will further energize his already enthusiastic supporters but will have little effect on the coming presidential contest. — Paul, who ran for president in 2008, took 31 percent of the vote.

Discussion: Say Anything and The Page

Peter Hamby / CNN:
Ron Paul takes CPAC presidential straw poll

Discussion: The Note and The Caucus

Jonathan Martin / The Politico: Boos as Paul wins CPAC straw poll

Larry O'Connor / Big Journalism:

Breitbart Takes Down Blumenthal at CPAC — A funny thing happened on the last day of CPAC. Max Blumenthal, recently corrected and embarrassed “journalist” from Salon.com paraded through the convention with a camera crew. Like last year, he was looking for a confrontation of some kind.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, YID With LID and NewsReal Blog

David Weigel / The Washington Independent:

Andrew Breitbart Meets Daryle Jenkins of the One People's Project — Max Blumenthal's appearance at CPAC ended, apparently, with a confrontation between him and Andrew Breitbart. The subject of the argument: the Salon.com story that I've written about here in which Blumenthal claimed …

Discussion: Michael Calderone's Blog, Big Journalism and The Lonely Conservative

Tim Weiner / New York Times:

Alexander M. Haig Jr. Dies at 85; Commanding White House Aide — Alexander M. Haig Jr., the four-star general who served as a confrontational secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan and a commanding White House chief of staff as the Nixon administration crumbled …

Discussion: Guardian, The Talking Dog, The Moderate Voice, CNN, Jules Crittenden, Swampland, BBC and New York Magazine

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
Alexander Haig, former secretary of state, dies at 85

Discussion: Newsbroke, No Sheeples Here, BBC, Christian Science Monitor, Politics Daily, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, American Power, Truthdig and AmSpecBlog

Stephen Miller / Wall Street Journal: Alexander Haig Dies at Age 85

Anne Gearan / Associated Press: Alexander Haig, former secretary of state, dies

Bruce Bartlett / Capital Gains and Games blogs:

Another Dumb Right-Wing Idea: Default on the Debt — Over the years I have heard a number of conservatives suggest that defaulting on the national debt wouldn't be such a bad thing. Today Prof. Glenn Reynolds of the University of Tennessee Law School (better known as “Instapundit") suggests the idea once again.

Discussion: Paul Krugman, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Matthew Yglesias and Economist's View

Sarah Kliff / Newsweek:

The Polling Contradiction — In the latest NEWSWEEK Poll, the majority of Americans are opposed to President Obama's health-care reform plan—until they learn the details. Plus, a look at very unhappy mood of the electorate.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, AMERICAblog News, Liberal Values and Newsweek Blogs

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary:

Yoo and Bybee Cleared, Justice Department's Shoddy Investigation Exposed — The Justice Department has finally closed a sorry chapter in its history — the attempt to criminalize the work of Department lawyers who rendered legal judgment on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques …

Discussion: Power Line, Raw Story, The Corner on National …, Gateway Pundit, Politics Daily, unbossed.com and Confederate Yankee

Justin Elliott / TPMMuckraker:
Top DOJer Overruled Finding Of Misconduct For Torture Memo Authors

Discussion: Newsweek Blogs, The Democratic Daily, Open Left, Balkinization, Mother Jones, Emptywheel, The Reality-Based Community, Firedoglake and The Reaction

Heather / Crooks and Liars:

Newt Gingrich Greeted Like Rock Star at CPAC — Good grief. Newt Gingrich was treated like a rock star at the CPAC 2010 Convention. He entered the auditorium with “Eye of the Tiger” playing and the audience gave him a standing ovation and pats on the back as he made his way to the stage.

Discussion: Right Wing Watch

Chris Good / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Newt Gingrich Rocks A Stage At CPAC

Discussion: The Washington Independent and The Page

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Why Obama needs Rahm at the top — Let us now praise Rahm Emanuel. — No, seriously. — It is the current fashion to blame President Obama's disappointing first year on his chief of staff. “First, remove Rahm Emanuel,” writes Leslie Gelb in the Daily Beast, because he lacks …

Discussion: AMERICAblog News, NO QUARTER, Firedoglake, TalkLeft, Ben Smith's Blog and Prairie Weather

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

SHOCK VIDEO— Obama Caught in a Major ACORN Lie — The brazen dishonesty of this president is a bit concerning to say the least. — A newly discovered video shows Obama lying to the American people about his relationship with ACORN: — Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) …

Discussion: Moonbattery, Left Coast Rebel, AmSpecBlog, iOwnTheWorld.com and The Vail Spot

The White House:

Weekly Address: President Obama Says it is Time to Move Forward on Health Care Reform — WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama used his weekly address to call on Democratic and Republican leaders to attend next week's health care meeting in good faith to find reforms that work for American families and small businesses.

Discussion: TPMDC, Paul Krugman, Washington Monthly, The New Republic, MyDD and Politics Daily

New York Times:

Up Next! On Live TV! A Battle Over ... Health Care? — WASHINGTON — When he jousts with Congressional Republicans over health care policy during a televised meeting on Thursday, President Obama will seek to portray his adversaries as sharing many of the broad goals of his legislation …

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Joe Stack's Manifesto — After a pretty crazy week of debate and travel, I've now been able to read and ponder Mr Stack's “manifesto.” It seems to me that there are all sorts of incoherent strands of populist rage within it, right and left, as well, obviously, as personal issues …

Discussion: NewsReal Blog, Dennis the Peasant and Left Coast Rebel

Scott / Power Line:

The case of Rashad Hussain, part 2 — Rashad Hussain is the deputy associate White House counsel who is Obama's recently designated representative to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. We wrote about his appointment here, noting his 2004 expression of support for convicted terrorist Sami al-Arian.

Discussion: Josh Gerstein's Blog