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The politics of Obama's offshore drilling announcement — Here are the two main political implications of the Obama administration's announcement that it will expand offshore drilling: — A compromise with Conservadems While Republicans have been particularly loud in their support …
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Stall, Baby, Stall — By: NRO Staff — Many Americans fear that President Obama's new energy proposal is once again “all talk and no real action,” this time in an effort to shore up fading support for the Democrats' job-killing cap-and-trade (a.k.a. cap-and-tax) proposals.

Boehner rebukes Obama offshore drilling plan — President Barack Obama's plan to allow expanded offshore oil and gas exploration won rebuke from the top House Republican on Wednesday. — House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) dismissed the president's plan as not going far enough in opening up U.S. waters for exploration.
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Washington Monthly, TPM LiveWire, The Hill, Grist, Guardian, Wonkette, The Washington Independent, Firedoglake, Mother Jones, Open Congress and The New Republic

Obama Energy Announcement: More Imported Oil, Less Domestic Production, Fewer Jobs
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Power Line

Drill, Baby, Drill — Welcome to the coastal drilling era:
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JammieWearingFool, The Huffington Post, The Impolitic, Salon, The Daily Dish, Washington Post and Mother Jones

Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time
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Mother Jones, Houston Chronicle, The New Republic, USA Today, Ezra Klein, Washington Post, Associated Press, Washington Wire, Think Progress, Calitics, The Huffington Post, RedState, ACS Blog, ABCNEWS, TPM LiveWire, About.com Conservative …, The Politico, Salon, Los Angeles Times, psychologytoday.com, The Powers That Be, Newsweek Blogs, Crooks and Liars, The Daily Dish, SENATUS, Docudharma, Washington Monthly, The Caucus, Left Coast Rebel, Wall Street Journal, It's Getting Hot In Here, Grist, Another Black Conservative, MyDD, EnviroKnow, Political Punch, msnbc.com, Facing South, Gothamist, Firedoglake, The Washington Independent, skippy the bush kangaroo, The Moderate Voice, Confederate Yankee, Say Anything, The Rachel Maddow Show, Shakesville, Taylor Marsh, Jules Crittenden, Gawker and Riehl World View

Bush Official Dan Bartlett Admits Authorizing Offshore Oil Drilling …
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GOP.gov, The Political Carnival, Climate Progress, The Washington Independent and Townhall.com

Of pipelines and pipedreams: Obama's drilling deception
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The Foundry, Hot Air, James Pethokoukis, Pundit & Pundette, Newsweek Blogs, Gateway Pundit and New York Times

Tony Perkins urges conservatives to stop giving money to RNC — Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council and an influential social conservative, is urging his members to stop giving money to the Republican National Committee, POLITICO has learned. — “I've hinted at this before …
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Former GOP Officials Launch Political Group — As troubles at the Republican National Committee continue, a group of former Republican officials are starting an outside political group that could compete with the RNC for wealthy donors and prominence. — The group, American Crossroads …
Discussion:
Riehl World View

RNC cancels Young Eagles events — In the wake of a scandal around the Republican National Committee's sponsorship of an event at a racy Los Angeles club, the committee is putting parts of its Young Eagles program for younger donors on hold. — With traditional major donors shying away …


Conservative leader tells donors to stop giving to RNC — (CNN) - The head of an influential social conservative organization urged supporters Wednesday to stop donating to the Republican National Committee and instead contribute to its own coffers or to candidates with like-minded goals.

Federal Judge Finds N.S.A. Wiretapping Program Illegal — WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program was illegal, rejecting the Obama administration's effort to keep shrouded in secrecy one of the most disputed …
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Palin, Fox News, LL Cool J tangle over phantom interview — Here's a chapter in the culture wars that no one saw coming: Sarah Palin and Fox News facing off against '80s rap star and actor LL Cool J. — Palin makes her hosting debut Thursday night on Fox, as captain of an interview special in Greta Von Susteren's 10 p.m. slot.
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Show Tracker, Gothamist, The Huffington Post, Gawker, From Inside the Box, Gateway Pundit, The Hill, Shakesville and Latest Open Salon Blog
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Like LL Cool J, Toby Keith was unaware of his inclusion in Sarah Palin's show — Like LL Cool J, Toby Keith is slated to appear on “Real American Stories,” a Fox News show hosted by Sarah Palin. Unlike LL Cool J, Keith is still slated to be on the program, but his inclusion was news to him.


Memo to Paul Krugman and Rep. Van Hollen: My Search Was Not in Vain (Updated) — In last Thursday's column, Paul Krugman admitted to having fun watching “right-wingers go wild.” One of the things that apparently delighted him was this map which Sarah Palin posted on her Facebook page:
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Gateway Pundit, Nice Deb, Moe Lane, The Corner on National …, Villainous Company, HotAirPundit, Sister Toldjah and Weasel Zippers

Taxes per Person — Some pundits, reflecting on the looming U.S. budget deficits, claim that Americans are vastly undertaxed compared with other major nations. I was wondering, to what extent is that true? — The most common metric for answering this question is taxes as a percentage of GDP.
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Poll: More blame Obama for poor economy, unemployment — WASHINGTON — Americans anxious about unemployment and the economy increasingly blame President Obama for hard times, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, amid signs of turbulence in November's midterm elections.
Discussion:
Riehl World View

How Is the Stimulus Money Allocated? — By: Veronique de Rugy — Unemployment isn't a factor, but politics is. Your stimulus dollars at work. — Using recipient report data from Recovery.gov, as well as economic and political data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau …


Tea Partier Tells Mediaite Racist Sign Was Forged; We Have Him On Record Defending Its Use — Self-proclaimed Tea Party founder Dale Robertson told Tommy Christopher at Mediaite that the infamous photo of him holding a sign with the n-word (which he spelled wrong) is a fake. Reports Christopher:

A Trip Down Memory Lane — 31 March 2010 >> Not too long ago, taking to the streets to protest your government was considered a patriotic act. — It's true! — But it seems that publicly airing your grievances stopped being patriotic right around noon on January 20th, 2009.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, 24Ahead, RedState, Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative and Founding Bloggers
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GOP Wary of Health Law Repeal Push in Fall Races — GOP leaders temper call for repealing health law, saying jobs, economy are key to fall races — Top Republicans are increasingly worried that GOP candidates this fall might be burned by a fire that's roaring through the conservative base …

Immigrant Leaders Get Commitment From RNC Chairman Steele To Help In Securing Republican Support For Immigration Reform — WASHINGTON - Today, ten leaders with the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) met with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to discuss the future …

Gallup: Majority Says Dem Health Reform Tactics Were “Abuse Of Power” — Yesterday I noted the seemingly odd finding by Gallup that more Americans blame Democrats than Republicans or conservatives for the rash of violence that greeted the passage of the reform law.


Top Bank Regulator Changes Tune, Now Calls For Independent Consumer Agency — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — After months of criticizing the Obama administration's proposal to create a consumer-focused agency dedicated to protecting borrowers from abusive lenders, the nation's top big-bank regulator has reversed course.

Why All the Wounded Fawns? — By: Victor Davis Hanson — Why are charges of racism and political extremism suddenly in the air? — Party politics is always the norm, but what is unusual this time around is the juxtaposition between the once-soaring Obama unity rhetoric of the past …
Discussion:
Metablog


Michelle Obama Blooms in the White House — Back in the White House Garden, The First Lady's Popularity is Already Growing by the Bushel — (CBS) The White House garden has done quite well in weathering the wild winter. — The garden has produced 50 pounds of produce before the tulips even came up.
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org

The Affordable Care act is not a “mandate.” It's government paying for your private insurance when your employer doesn't. — My post on why the ACA will become popular was too long and confusing. Shorter me: — The phrase “individual mandate,” though it explained to wonks …
Discussion:
Mother Jones

West's Middle East strategy criticised — Exclusive: Ex-nuclear chief says west must rethink Middle East policy as speculation grows he may run for office in Egypt — Western governments risk creating a new generation of Islamist extremists if they continue to support repressive regimes …
Discussion:
Rethink Afghanistan War Blog