Top Items:
David Brooks / New York Times:
What It Takes — About a decade ago, one began to notice a profusion of Organization Kids at elite college campuses. These were bright students who had been formed by the meritocratic system placed in front of them. They had great grades, perfect teacher recommendations …
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News Analysis: Kagan Nomination Leaves Longing on the Left — WASHINGTON — The selection of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be the nation's 112th justice extends a quarter-century pattern in which Republican presidents generally install strong conservatives on the Supreme Court …
Discussion:
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Kagan and the Military: What Really Happened — As dean, she upheld a policy already in place. — With the announcement of Elena Kagan as nominee for the open seat on the Supreme Court, comments both sound and foolish are sure to flood the media. In the prior category is the observation …
Scott Lemieux / American Prospect:
Is Kennedy Easily Manipulated? — One important component of the liberal case for Elena Kagan seems to be that she could exert a strong influence on the Court's median vote, Anthony Kennedy. Here's Jeffrey Rosen: … And half-seriously, Jonathan Zasloff:
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Matthew Yglesias, Concurring Opinions, Outside The Beltway, The New Republic and Slate
Eugene Volokh / The Volokh Conspiracy:
Elena Kagan as Scholar — As scholar, Elena Kagan worked in two main fields, First Amendment law and (more or less) administrative law. Since the first of those fields is one in which I also work, I decided to reread those articles, and — since some people have raised questions …
David Bernstein / The Volokh Conspiracy:
Isn't This a Bit Much? — The president went to Harvard, and barely defeated a primary opponent who went to Yale. His predecessor went to Yale and Harvard, and defeated opponents who went to Yale and Harvard, and Harvard, respectively. The previous two presidents also went to Yale …
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Evolving Politics And Ethics Of The Closet
The Evolving Politics And Ethics Of The Closet
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog, The Poor Man Institute, Towleroad News #gay, Sadly, No!, Conventional Folly and The Nation
Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:
Abortion could be sleeper issue in Supreme Court confirmation process
Abortion could be sleeper issue in Supreme Court confirmation process
Jon Ward / The Daily Caller:
Elena Kagan no longer thinks Supreme Court nominees should have …
Elena Kagan no longer thinks Supreme Court nominees should have …
Discussion:
Salon, TalkLeft, New York Times, The Volokh Conspiracy, Outside The Beltway, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Hot Air
ABCNEWS:
Biden: No ‘Anti-Military Bias’ in Kagan's Decision
Biden: No ‘Anti-Military Bias’ in Kagan's Decision
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, The Note, Associated Press, TPM LiveWire and The Caucus
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EXCLUSIVE: Mullah Omar Captured! — Through key intelligence sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I have just learned that reclusive Taliban leader and top Osama bin Laden ally, Mullah Omar has been taken into custody. — According to the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program …
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Marc A. Thiessen / Washington Post:
U.S. may be passing up chances to stop terrorist plots — Did a captured Taliban leader know about the Times Square plot and withhold this information from his interrogators? — On Sunday, Obama administration officials, including counterterrorism chief John Brennan …
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Tax bills in 2009 at lowest level since 1950 — Amid complaints about high taxes and calls for a smaller government, Americans paid their lowest level of taxes last year since Harry Truman's presidency, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data found. — Some conservative political movements such as the …
Discussion:
Glenn Thrush's Blog, Washington Monthly, Clusterstock, BuzzFlash.org, JammieWearingFool, The Consumerist and Daily Kos
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Gordon Brown quits as PM as Lib-Dem deal falls apart — Gordon Brown is set to resign tonight and allow David Cameron to be Britain's new Prime Minister. — The Labour leader's final desperate attempt to cling on to power with a Lib-Lab deal crumbled amid a rebellion on his own side …
Discussion:
Westminster Blog, Snowblog, Telegraph, Guardian, Clusterstock, The Daily Dish, thetorydiary, FT Alphaville, Left Foot Forward and Election '10
Ben Evans / Associated Press:
DeMint: A conservative kingmaker upends GOP order — WASHINGTON — Jim DeMint is becoming something of a tea party hero, even a potential conservative kingmaker, a status that is not making the freshman senator many friends among fellow Republicans in Congress.
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Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Obama Said to Be Open to New Miranda Look — WASHINGTON — David Axelrod, the top White House political adviser, said Monday that President Obama was amenable to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s call for a new law allowing interrogators to question terrorism suspects for lengthy periods without informing them of their rights.
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Jim Oliphant / The Swamp:
VP Biden's son Beau hospitalized — Vice President Joe Biden's son, Beau, has been hospitalized for reasons that have yet not been made public. — A terse statement released Tuesday morning by the vice-president's office said Beau Biden, Delaware's attorney general “is at Christiana Medical Center undergoing treatment at present.
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‘Secret prison’ at US air base — The US airbase at Bagram in Afghanistan contains a facility for detainees that is distinct from its main prison, the Red Cross has confirmed to the BBC. — Nine former prisoners have told the BBC that they were held in a separate building, and subjected to abuse.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Obama drug plan ‘firmly opposes’ legalization as California vote looms — The Obama administration said Tuesday that it “firmly opposes” the legalization of any illicit drugs as California voters head to the polls to consider legalizing marijuana this fall.
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Pope pins scandal on Church ‘sin’ — Pope Benedict XVI has warned that the greatest threat to the Catholic Church comes from “sin within”, rather than persecution from outside. — He made his comments in response to a question on the clerical child abuse scandal, while en route to Portugal.
Discussion:
Shakesville
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Rachel Donadio / New York Times:
Pope Issues Most Direct Words to Date on Abuse
Pope Issues Most Direct Words to Date on Abuse
Discussion:
The Stranger …
The Corner on National Review Online:
California Carly — By: NRO Staff — I am endorsing a fellow conservative who is running for the U.S. Senate in the hotly contested Republican primary race in California. — Carly Fiorina is a solid conservative who has solid pro-life values. She will support and defend Americans' Second Amendment rights …
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog
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Did Big Bet Trigger Stock Swoon? — Shortly after 2:15 p.m. Eastern time last Thursday, hedge fund Universa Investments LP placed a big bet in the Chicago options trading pits that stocks would continue their sharp declines. — On any other day, this $7.5 million trade for 50,000 options contracts might …
Peter Maer / CBS News:
White House Task Force Seeks Fight on Childhood Obesity — A White House report warns, “The childhood obesity epidemic in America is a national health crisis.” — The review by the Task Force on Childhood Obesity says one out of every three children is overweight or obese.
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'Tea party'-backed platform sails through Maine GOP convention — Maine is known for GOP moderates, but over the weekend, conservative activists succeeded in passing a platform that's backed by tea party groups. — Conservative activists backed by “tea party” groups have rejected …