Top Items:
John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Obama Now Selling Judgeships for Health Care Votes? — Obama names brother of undecided House Dem to Appeals Court. — Tonight, Barack Obama will host ten House Democrats who voted against the health care bill in November at the White House; he's obviously trying to persuade them to switch their votes to yes.
Discussion:
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Gregg suggests Obama may renege on fixing Senate health bill — The White House may renege on passing fixes to the Senate's healthcare bill once the House has passed it, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) claimed Thursday. — Gregg, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee …
The Atlantic Online:
Perfect Storm Nearly Killed Health Reform; Another Storm May Save It — It was a perfect storm that nearly killed health care reform in Congress last year — an elongated process, weak leadership from the White House, strong Republican opposition and the election of Scott Brown.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Stupak: 12 previous health bill supporters could flip over abortion
Stupak: 12 previous health bill supporters could flip over abortion
Discussion:
The Swamp, Power Line, CNN, Hotline On Call, RHRealityCheck.org, Taylor Marsh, The Politico, The New Republic, QandO, Wake up America and Hot Air
Emily Pierce / Roll Call:
Democrats Hope to Finish Writing Health Bill This Week
Democrats Hope to Finish Writing Health Bill This Week
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SENATUS
Mike Madden / Salon:
Key House liberal may vote against healthcare bill
Key House liberal may vote against healthcare bill
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Washington Monthly, The Reaction, The New Republic, The Plum Line and Political Punch
The Politico:
Stark hands off gavel — Rep. Sander Levin will take over as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee after Rep. Pete Stark, who held the gavel for a day, stepped aside. — The dominoes fell after Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) resigned the chairmanship of the powerful tax-writing panel Wednesday …
Discussion:
The Note, CNN, Washington Times, Wizbang, Left Coast Rebel and Another Black Conservative
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Tory Newmyer / Roll Call:
Levin to Succeed Rangel as Ways and Means Chairman — Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) will take the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee and Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) will step aside, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told the Democratic Caucus on Thursday morning, sources in attendance said.
Jay Heflin / The Hill:
Second Ways and Means boss ousted; Levin replaces Stark — Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) will be the acting chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced to her caucus on Thursday. — The startling announcement comes a day after Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) …
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Exclusive: RNC document mocks donors, plays on ‘fear’ — The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to “save the country from trending toward socialism.”
Discussion:
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The Note:
Swamp Things: Eerie Memories of '06 Haunt Democrats in '10 — The swamp, it turns out, is still wet. And it's muddy enough to create a muddle. — What if 2010 isn't 1994 or 1982, but 2006? — Congress lurches forward on health care haunted by old memories: If you're not thinking about Tom DeLay …
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The Caucus, McClatchy Washington Bureau, No More Mister Nice Blog and Commentary
The Politico:
New York gone wild — Once a source of national leaders of both political parties, New York state has descended into a bizarre, riveting spectacle of corruption and political debasement, with its governor facing calls to resign and new charges of accepting illicit perks and lying under oath …
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The Awl
The Politico:
Hoyer knew of Massa allegations
Hoyer knew of Massa allegations
Discussion:
Commentary, NY Daily News, Politics Daily, The Speakers Lobby, Hotline On Call, Wall Street Journal, Instapundit, Scared Monkeys, New York Times, The Rachel Maddow Show, The Note, Roll Call, Moonbattery, The Daily Beast, NPR Blogs, Glenn Thrush's Blog, Wake up America and The Daily Politics
CBS13/CW31:
Anti-Gay Lawmaker At Gay Club Before DUI Arrest — SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ― Sources tell CBS13 a state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento, early Wednesday morning.
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Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
Left rallies against Lincoln — Organized labor and liberals have committed more than $5 million to Sen. Blanche Lincoln's primary election opponent, Bill Halter, signaling that the Arkansas Democratic Senate primary is shaping up, for the left, as a hill to die on.
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Ellen R. Malcolm / The EMILY's List Blog:
Surprised about Blanche Lincoln's fight for survival? I'm not.
Surprised about Blanche Lincoln's fight for survival? I'm not.
Leslie Kaufman / New York Times:
Darwin Foes Add Warming to Targets — Critics of the teaching of evolution in the nation's classrooms are gaining ground in some states by linking the issue to global warming, arguing that dissenting views on both scientific subjects should be taught in public schools.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Woman charged with killing husband is lobbyist — A 45-year-old woman, charged with ending a domestic dispute by killing her 26-year-old husband of five days, is a registered lobbyist for a group fighting domestic violence. — Arelisha Bridges was ordered held without bond in the Fulton County Jail.
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Senator Proposes Deal on Handling of Detainees — WASHINGTON — Senator Lindsey Graham wants to make a deal on detainees with President Obama. If the White House agrees to the bargain, it would be a defining moment for the administration — and could transform how the government deals with terrorism suspects.
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David S. Broder / Washington Post:
The fable of Emanuel the Great — In the space of 10 days, thanks in no small part to my own newspaper, the president of the United States has been portrayed as a weakling and a chronic screw-up who is wrecking his administration despite everything that his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, can do to make things right.
Sheelah Kolhatkar / Time:
Eliot Spitzer's Mission Impossible — Spitzer has the resources to tackle any challenge — except maybe another campaign — Eliot Spitzer was his usual agitated self. It was a brisk Tuesday evening, and the former governor of New York was bundled in the back of a black sedan …
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Ultimate Bush Insider Lifts Veil on Presidency — WASHINGTON — Karl Rove, the chief political adviser to President George W. Bush and architect of his two successful campaigns for the White House, says in a new memoir that Mr. Bush probably would not have invaded Iraq had he known there were no unconventional weapons there.
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Jim Bunning / USA Today:
Why I took a stand — ‘If the Senate cannot find $10 billion to pay for a measure we all support, we will never pay for anything.’ — I have been serving the citizens of Kentucky for nearly 24 years in Washington. During that time I have been a member of both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
Mark Steyn / The Corner on National Review Online:
Fringe Benefits — By: Mark Steyn — Gee, prosecuting Geert Wilders for “Islamophobia” in a politically rigged show trial seems to be working out just swell for the Dutch establishment. Local election watch from EuroNews: … From Time: … From the Financial Times: … From the Guardian:
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Financial Times
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Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:
Divorced Before Puberty — It's hard to imagine that there have been many younger divorcées — or braver ones — than a pint-size third grader named Nujood Ali. — Nujood is a Yemeni girl, and it's no coincidence that Yemen abounds both in child brides and in terrorists (and now …