memeorandum: MCCONNELL'S CONCERN TROLLING, WITH A TOUCH OF DESPERATION. … (Steve Benen/Washington Monthly)

10:00 AM ET, March 3, 2010

Top Items:

Speaker Pelosi on Rangel: ‘I guess he is still chair of Ways and Means’ — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday night told The Hill that Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) is still chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. — After huddling with Rangel for 45 minutes, Pelosi initially said …

Discussion: The Politico, Bloomberg, Outside The Beltway, NY Daily News, The Foundry, Washington Post, Associated Press, Connecting.the.Dots, Pajamas Media, Wall Street Journal, Sister Toldjah, NewsReal Blog, Townhall.com, The Corner on National … and Left Coast Rebel

New York Times:

Under Fire, Rangel Steps Aside as Chair of Committee — WASHINGTON — Caught in a swirl of ethics inquiries, Representative Charles B. Rangel, the dean of the New York Congressional delegation, announced Wednesday that he would temporarily step down from his powerful post as chairman of the tax-policy-writing Ways and Means Committee.

Discussion: AMERICAblog News, Naked Politics and Politics Nation

Washington Post:

Rep. Charles Rangel to temporarily quit key tax post — Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that he would temporarily step down as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, days after being was admonished for breaking House rules by accepting corporate-financed travel.

Discussion: The Page

msnbc.com:
Rep. Rangel steps down from tax committee

Discussion: Betsy's Page, CNN, The Hill, Washington Post, George's Bottom Line, The Speakers Lobby, Politics Daily, YID With LID, Swampland, The Page, Associated Press, TPMDC, The Moderate Voice and Pajamas Media

Roll Call:
Source: Rangel Still Expected to Give Up Gavel

Discussion: Washington Post, msnbc.com and Taegan Goddard's …

The Politico:
Rangel on the brink — Charlie Rangel is on the verge of losing …

Discussion: Hotline On Call, The Note, Hot Air, Firedoglake, JammieWearingFool, Another Black Conservative, The Lonely Conservative and Sister Toldjah

New York Times:
Under Fire, Rangel Appears to Be Losing Grip of Committee

Discussion: Associated Press and Neptunus Lex

Hasani Gittens / NBC New York:
Rangel Giving Up the Gavel

Discussion: The Speakers Lobby, Michelle Malkin, NPR Blogs and Weasel Zippers

David Catanese / The Politico:

Perry trounces Hutchison in Texas — Gov. Rick Perry won a decisive victory over Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the Texas GOP primary for governor Tuesday night, bringing a bruising fight between two of the state's most popular Republicans to an anticlimactic conclusion.

Discussion: The Note, Outside The Beltway, Gateway Pundit and Scared Monkeys

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Historic sprint: health-care reform in 2 weeks? 4? — Buzz already about Rick Perry for '12 — Defiant Rangel on verge of losing gavel — Howard Wolfson named Deputy Mayor — TOP TALKERS - NYC release: “Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that Kevin Sheekey, who served as Deputy Mayor …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and msnbc.com

Ben Domenech / The New Ledger:
Why Rick Perry Won

Discussion: The Politico and Dr. Melissa Clouthier

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Rick Perry, Bill White win Texas primaries for governor

Discussion: Swing State Project

Wall Street Journal:
Perry Rolls to Victory in Texas Primary

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, Pajamas Media and Pundit & Pundette

Corrie MacLaggan / Austin American-Statesman:
Perry wins GOP nomination without a runoff

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Rick Perry wins in Texas, Democrats pounce

Discussion: National Review Online and New West Notes

R.G. Ratcliffe / Houston Chronicle:
Perry to face showdown against White in November

Discussion: msnbc.com, TRAIL BLAZERS and FrumForum

John Stanton / Roll Call:

Bunning Accepts Deal Allowing Benefits Bill to Advance — Under increasing pressure from Democrats and members of his own party, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) Tuesday night abandoned his one-man filibuster of a one-month extension to unemployment benefits and other programs.

Discussion: Washington Post, MyDD, Associated Press, Firedoglake, Another Black Conservative, Liberal Values, PoliBlog, Gateway Pundit, TPMDC, Talking Points Memo, The Political Carnival, Sister Toldjah, Top of the Ticket and JammieWearingFool

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Bunning ends his one-man filibuster — Sen. Jim Bunning's (R-Ky.) one-man filibuster ended on Tuesday. — Bunning agreed to stop blocking legislation to extend benefits and COBRA health plan subsidies to the unemployed after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …

Discussion: The Politico and Open Left

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
G.O.P. Splits on Senator's Move to Block Benefits

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:
Media Ignores Bomb Threats at Senator Bunning's Offices

Discussion: GayPatriot, Sister Toldjah, Moonbattery, Pajamas Media and NewsBusters.org

Digby / Hullabaloo:
Teabag Poster Boys

Discussion: Mother Jones, Liberty Street, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and American Prospect

John Stanton / Roll Call:
Democrats May Force All-Night Session

Discussion: The World Newser, Washington Monthly, TPMDC, Open Left, The Hill, The Moderate Voice, No More Mister Nice Blog, Right Pundits, The Lonely Conservative, Talking Points Memo, Taegan Goddard's …, The Political Carnival, The Note, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air and The Corner on National …

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

It's Jay Leno's new ‘Tonight Show’ starring Sarah Palin — Sarah Palin popped up on Jay Leno's revived NBC “Tonight Show” tonight and poked a little fun at herself by writing Jay's introduction cue notes on her hand. (See video below.) — The pair, both of whom have taken hits in the media …

Discussion: Wizbang, Liberal Values, Dr. Melissa Clouthier and Ruby Slippers

CBS News:

Romney Tells Letterman: Palin “Has a Rifle, You Know” — Posted by Brian Montopoli 5 comments - Share - - - Share - E-mail - Print - Font Likely 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appeared on CBS's “Late Show with David Letterman” Tuesday as part of his tour to promote his new book …

Discussion: Wilshire & Washington, Riehl World View, The Page, Conservatives4Palin.com and Wall Street Journal

The Note:
‘The View’ Couch Not So Cozy for Romney

Discussion: Eunomia, Ruby Slippers, Taylor Marsh and Hot Air

Associated Press:
Sarah Palin jokes with Jay Leno on ‘Tonight Show’: I am going to …

Discussion: msnbc.com, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and JammieWearingFool

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
'Sarah Palin's primaries:' 55 party fights

Discussion: CNN, The Politico and The Atlantic Online

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:

President Obama to Say Democrats Will Use Reconciliation to Pass Senate Health Care Reform Fix, If Not Given Up or Down Vote — White House officials tell ABC News that in his remarks tomorrow President Obama will indicate a willingness to work with Republicans on some issue …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, The Politico, Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, Row 2, Seat 4, Washington Post, Pajamas Media, And So it Goes in Shreveport, CNN, The Hill, Wizbang, The Lonely Conservative, AMERICAblog News, Weasel Zippers, Conservatives4Palin.com and Slate

Washington Post:

As Democrats seek to push through health bill, Obama reaches out to Republicans — As Democrats on Capitol Hill prepared a risky effort to muscle sweeping health-care legislation to final passage, President Obama on Tuesday made a last gambit to split Republicans on the issue …

Discussion: New York Times, Roll Call, The Plum Line, The New Republic, USA Today, Power Line, New York Times and Wonk Room

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
MCCONNELL'S CONCERN TROLLING, WITH A TOUCH OF DESPERATION. …

Discussion: Prescriptions, The Impolitic, Bark Bark Woof Woof and Daily Kos

The Huffington Post:

Rahm Emanuel: Obama's Chief Of Sabotage — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — The latest toxic meme to spread across the pages of my once-beloved Washington Post is that President Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is the one reasonable man in the White House. — First came perpetually …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, TPMCafe, Marbury, Night Light, Ezra Klein, Betsy's Page, The Atlantic Online and Lynn Sweet

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:

The Chief — You think it's so great being Rahm Emanuel? — One of the enduring mysteries about White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is why he took the job in the first place. At the time he accepted it, he was the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, a position he'd attained with considerable effort.

Discussion: Associated Press

John / Power Line:

More Diplomatic Incompetence from the Obama Administration — One wonders: does the Obama administration deliberately try to screw up our foreign policy, or is it just a matter of ignorance and incompetence? This is painful reading: “Argentina celebrates diplomatic coup as Hillary Clinton calls for talks over Falklands.”

Discussion: US Department of State and Laura Rozen's Blog

Michael Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic …:

Governor Christie: “Time to Hold Hands and Jump Off the Cliff” - Chris Christie For President? — In an amazingly candid appraisal of the sorry state of affairs in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie laid it on the line in a speech to about 200 mayors at the New Jersey League of Municipalities.

Discussion: Moe_Lane's blog and Michelle Malkin

Sindya N. Bhanoo / Dot Earth:

Fuel Taxes Must Rise, Harvard Researchers Say — To meet the Obama administration's targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, some researchers say, Americans may have to experience a sobering reality: gas at $7 a gallon. — To reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector 14 percent …

Discussion: QandO, Townhall.com, The Lonely Conservative and Weasel Zippers