Top Items:
William Kristol / Weekly Standard:
A Letter to Michael Steele — You are, I know, a patriot. So I ask you to consider, over this July 4 weekend, doing an act of service for the country you love: Resign as chairman of the Republican party. — Your tenure has of course been marked by gaffes and embarrassments …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, The Note, Pundits Blog, The Atlantic Online, Washington Wire, Hotline On Call, FiveThirtyEight, The Swamp, Think Progress, sisu, Politics Daily, The Corner on National …, Hot Air, msnbc.com, Riehl World View, TPMDC, The Nation, AmSpecBlog, CNN, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Dish, Raw Story, AMERICAblog News, BLACKFIVE, Salon, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, D.C. Now, Real Clear Politics and FrumForum
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Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
RNC chairman: Obama pursued Afghanistan war ‘trying to be cute’ — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele was caught on video at a fundraiser in Connecticut on Thursday raising doubts about the war in Afghanistan. — The Democratic National Committee (DNC) pushed out the video …
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN, Little Green Footballs, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Outside the Beltway, Taylor Marsh, Pat Dollard and The Note
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Dems say Steele is “rooting for failure.” Really, Dems? — By all means, Dems should go on the attack against Michael Steele for his wild comments about Afghanistan. But do they really think it's a good idea to say he's for cutting and running, is “rooting for failure” and is “betting against our troops”?
Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Steele Says We Shouldn't Be In Afghanistan; Calls It Obama's War Of Choice — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele may be misremembering exactly how and when the Afghanistan war began. — At a Republican Party fundraiser in Connecticut on Thursday, Steele declared …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, Talking Points Memo, West Virginia Blue, Wonkette, Newshoggers.com and FrumForum
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Top Republicans Pile On Steele, Call For His Ouster — Republicans are furious with RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who was caught on camera saying that the war in Afghanistan is a doomed effort launched by President Obama. Steele has no shortage of enemies in the GOP and many of them sense an opportunity here.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Ben Smith's Blog, Hotline On Call, Guardian, Talking Points Memo, The Stranger …, Daily Kos and AmSpecBlog
Barbara Morrill / Daily Kos:
Michael Steele: Afghanistan “was a war of Obama's choosing”
Michael Steele: Afghanistan “was a war of Obama's choosing”
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
RNC Chairman Steele tries to stamp out controversial remarks
Alex Seitz-Wald / Think Progress:
RNC Chair Michael Steele Converts Into Anti-War Protester …
RNC Chair Michael Steele Converts Into Anti-War Protester …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Plum Line, The Fix, Mother Jones, PostPartisan, TPMDC, The Daily Dish and The Stranger …
Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
RNC Tries To Explain Steele's Afghanistan Comments
RNC Tries To Explain Steele's Afghanistan Comments
Discussion:
The Sundries Shack, GOP.com, Riehl World View, Democrats.com, FiveThirtyEight and New York Magazine
Charlie Cook / National Journal Online:
Hurricane GOP On The Way — MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT: THERE IS A WAVE OUT THERE, AND FOR DEMOCRATS, THE HOUSE IS, AT BEST, TEETERING ON THE EDGE. — Imagine sitting in Washington's Verizon Center, listening blissfully to Carole King and James Taylor, thanks to a fast-thinking friend who managed to score four floor seats.
RELATED:
Michael Powell / New York Times:
U.S. Economy Shed 125,000 Jobs in June; Rate Is 9.5% — The United States added just 83,000 private-sector jobs in June, a dishearteningly low number that could add to the growing number of economists who warn that the economic recovery is stalling. — Multimedia
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Christina Romer / White House.gov Blog Feed:
The Employment Situation in June — Today's employment report shows continued signs of gradual labor market recovery. Private nonfarm payroll employment increased by 83,000 in June and the unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 9.5%. June marks the sixth month in a row …
Ezra Klein:
Are Democrats setting themselves up for failure in 2011 by not passing a budget? — The most important job news of the days was not the June jobs numbers. It was a mostly ignored vote in the House of Representatives last night. By a vote of 215 to 210, the House passed a …
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Steven T. Dennis / Roll Call:
Republican Eyes Hoyer for Speaker
Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:
Obama and Reid in animated discussion before Byrd service
Obama and Reid in animated discussion before Byrd service
Discussion:
The Politico
USA Today:
What is the Tea Party? A growing state of mind — WASHINGTON — The “Tea Party” is less a classic political movement than a frustrated state of mind. — A year and a half after the idea of a Tea Party burst into view, three of 10 Americans describe themselves in the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll …
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Frank Newport / Gallup:
Tea Party Supporters Overlap Republican Base
Tea Party Supporters Overlap Republican Base
Discussion:
Democratic Strategist, PostPartisan, The Plum Line, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos, Real Clear Politics and Balloon Juice
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Kagan Reminds Senators: Legislation Is Your Job — WASHINGTON — Supreme Court confirmation hearings are usually designed to probe a nominee's conception of the role of the justices. But this week's questioning of Elena Kagan turned into a tutorial on Congressional responsibility.
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Carlos Miller / Photography is Not a Crime:
We were permanently banned from the Miami-Dade Metrorail for taking photos — Update: The National Press Photographers Association is protesting the way authorities handled the situation. The Society of Professional Journalists is also looking into the situation. — By Carlos Miller
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Stretch Ledford / Very Stretchy Indeed:
Banned for Life from the Miami-Dade Metrorail
Fred Lucas / CNSNews:
Congressional Report Claims Administration Misled About Efforts on Oil Spill — (CNSNews.com) - Billy Nungesser, president of New Orleans' Plaquemines Parish, sensed that a chart showing 140 oil skimmers at work — a chart given to him by BP and the Coast Guard — was “somewhat inaccurate.”
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Questions and Observations, Michelle Malkin, Townhall.com and Left Coast Rebel
RELATED:
Anita Lee / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Is BP rejecting skimmers to save money on Gulf oil cleanup?
Is BP rejecting skimmers to save money on Gulf oil cleanup?
Discussion:
Firedoglake
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
BUY THAT SENATOR A NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION.... I've noticed, from time to time, that Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) seems to be a little slow on the uptake. As the New York Times' Gail Collins noted this week, after the senator tried to talk about Wall Street reform, and demonstrated …
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Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Sharron Angle: I am not a Birther — Earlier today, I spoke exclusively to Sharron Angle, the Republican nominee to challenge Harry Reid for the Senate seat in Nevada. In the past few days, rumors have swirled that Angle is a crypto-Birther. I asked her “flat out” whether she believed Barack Obama …
Marist Poll:
7/2: Don't Know Much About History? — There's good news for American education. About three-quarters of residents — 74% — know the U.S. declared its independence from Great Britain in 1776. The bad news for the academic system — 26% do not. This 26% includes one-fifth who are unsure …
Motoko Rich / New York Times:
Factory Jobs Return, but Employers Find Skills Shortage — BEDFORD, Ohio — Factory owners have been adding jobs slowly but steadily since the beginning of the year, giving a lift to the fragile economic recovery. And because they laid off so many workers — more than two million since the end of 2007 …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Democracy in America, Economix, FrumForum, Angry Bear, The Glittering Eye, Clusterstock, Don Surber and Eschaton
Ron Brynaert / Raw Story:
Exclusive: Washington Post fails to disclose blogger's ties to White House — UPDATE: Washington Post responds, promises it will require full disclosure from all “Leadership” contributors — Kris Coratti, Communications Director of The Washington Post, issued this statement in response to Raw Story's report.