Top Items:
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Government War — In these columns I try to give voice to a philosophy you might call progressive conservatism. It starts with the wisdom of Edmund Burke — the belief that the world is more complex than we can know and we should be skeptical of handing too much power to government planners.
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Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Party Affiliation Gap in U.S. Narrowest Since 2005 — Democratic advantage shrinks as more independents lean to the Republican Party — PRINCETON, NJ — The advantage in public support the Democratic Party built up during the latter part of the Bush administration and the early part …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Commentary, Washington Wire, Weekly Standard, American Power and The Corner on National …
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“History Happened” — I find myself in agreement with David Brooks' column this morning on how - unwittingly - the Obama administration was forced into the kind of big government action required to cope with several huge crises, after years of negligence and drift.
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Gov. Brewer signs controversial immigration bill — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer today signed a controversial immigration bill into state law, advancing a politically charged debate that is already having reverberations in Washington. — “Respect for the rule of law means respect for every law,” said Brewer, a Republican.
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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Obama Blasts Arizona Illegal Immigration Effort — This is pretty big: Obama just now sharply condemned the controversial anti-illegal immigration effort in Arizona, calling it “misguided” and “irresponsible” — and even said his administration could insert itself into the fight if civil rights are found to be violated.
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Online:
Have Conservatives Gone Mad? — Serious thinkers on the right have finally gotten around to a full and open debate on the epistemic closure problem that's plaguing the conservative movement. The issue, to put it in terms that even I can understand, because I didn't study philosophy much in college: has the conservative base gone mad?
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SEC staffers watched porn as economy crashed — WASHINGTON - Senior staffers at the Securities and Exchange Commission spent hours surfing pornographic websites on government-issued computers while they were being paid to police the financial system, an agency watchdog says.
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Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
SEC Officials Surfing Porn During Financial Crisis, Report Finds
SEC Officials Surfing Porn During Financial Crisis, Report Finds
Discussion:
The Swamp, ProPublica: Blog, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, The Huffington Post, Right Now and Politics Daily
Kate Sheppard / Mother Jones:
Kerry: Three Big Oil Companies Likely to Back Climate Bill — When Sens. John Kerry, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman release their climate bill on Monday, they expect to have the backing of three of the five major oil companies, Mother Jones has learned. In a conference call with a coalition …
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Report says health care will cover more, cost more — WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law is getting a mixed verdict in the first comprehensive look by neutral experts: More Americans will be covered, but costs are also going up. — Economic experts at the Health …
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The Specter of Socialism is Haunting Jonah Goldberg — I'm egomaniacal enough to keep tabs on what's being said about me on the internet, so I've seen a ton of conservative blogs quote this section of a Jonah Goldberg article in Commentary purporting to vindicate the right's “socialist” hits on Barack Obama:
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Open Left
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Jonah Goldberg / Commentary:
What Kind of Socialist Is Barack Obama? — The assertion that Barack Obama is a socialist became a hallmark of the 2008 presidential campaign. His opponent, John McCain, used Obama's own extemporaneous words to an Ohio plumber as Exhibit A: “When you spread the wealth around,” Obama had said, “it's good for everybody.”
Discussion:
The Corner on National …
Catholic League:
NOT ALL GAY SEX IS ABUSIVE — Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a story in today's New York Times about a case of alleged sexual abuse committed by a Chilean priest: — If a 17-year old guy has sex with an older guy for twenty years, and continues to have sex with him at the age of 38 …
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Palin testifies in hacking case — Sarah Palin took the stand for about an hour Friday morning in the Knoxville, Tennessee, trial of a man accused of hacking her e-mail, a manager in the court clerk's office said. — (CNN) - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin testified that she did not realize anyone …
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Maybe America doesn't want an immobilized judicial branch after all. … - Climate Change Is Going To Reshape the American Electoral Map. Here's How.- J. Lo's New Movie Is Terrible but Not as Bad as Other Rom-Coms- Project Runway Finale: The Nazi-Inspired Designs Win?
Discussion:
Washington Times
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Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Judging for the Powerful — Dahlia Lithwick tries to construct …
Judging for the Powerful — Dahlia Lithwick tries to construct …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Online:
Gay Activists v. The White House: The Inside Story — For 17 years, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy has grabbed thousands of gay soldiers by their collars and thrown them out of the military. By this time next year, that policy will be gone. Gay people will be openly serving in the United States Armed Forces.
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Sarah Palin / Facebook:
Institutionalizing Crony Capitalism — In the wake of the recent financial meltdown, Americans know that we need reform. Not only have many individuals learned lessons about personal responsibility through this, but we've been able to engage in a discussion about government's appropriate role.
Rush Limbaugh / Wall Street Journal:
Liberals and the Violence Card — Conservative protest is motivated by a love of what America stands for. — The latest liberal meme is to equate skepticism of the Obama administration with a tendency toward violence. That takes me back 15 years ago to the time President Bill Clinton accused …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Mediaite, NewsReal Blog, Gateway Pundit and No More Mister Nice Blog
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The Real Republican Civil War — The struggle between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist for the Florida Senate seat symbolizes the rift between the reformers and the establishment in the GOP. — Marco Rubio appeared on a Sunday talk show this month to say something remarkable.
Discussion:
Commentary
Alan Weisman / CNN:
Is the Earth striking back? — Editor's note: Alan Weisman is the author of “The World Without Us,” an international bestseller now in 33 languages. It was named the Best Nonfiction Book of 2007 by both Time magazine and Entertainment Weekly, the #1 Nonfiction Audiobook of 2007 by iTunes …
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Virginia DMV Pulls License Plate Coded With Neo-Nazi Message From Truck With Anti-Islam Imagery — A photo has been circulating the Internet this week showing a truck parked in a disabled person parking spot, emblazoned with a large Confederate flag, and featuring a picture of the World Trade Center burning.
Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
Barack Obama Strangelove Backing A Weapon Too Crazy For Bush/Cheney — The NY Times continues to present the Administration spin in favor of reducing our nuclear arsenal. Part of the rationale was that our conventional weapons, such as smart bombs and cruise missile, are much more accurate and powerful.
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Don't Cry for Wall Street — On Thursday, President Obama went to Manhattan, where he urged an audience drawn largely from Wall Street to back financial reform. “I believe,” he declared, “that these reforms are, in the end, not only in the best interest of our country, but in the best interest of the financial sector.”
The Note:
Sens. Lugar, Durbin Ask Napolitano to Stop Deporting Students — ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports: With prospects of immigration reform this year continuing to fade, a bipartisan duo of Senators has asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to halt deportation of some undocumented immigrants …
Discussion:
JammieWearingFool
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James tells us, “This is Alabama. We speak English.” — From The Rachel Maddow Blog — ‘This is Alabama. We speak English’: … This guy is about as subtle as a brick upside your head. — h/t Laffy
Tim Fernholz / American Prospect:
Why The SEC Split Really Doesn't Matter. — WaPo's Zachary Goldfarb looks into the SEC's split decision on whether to go after Goldman Sachs for fraud, with Democrats saying yes and Republicans saying no. Their reasoning was very suspect: … Personally, I would like to live in a world …