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 Note, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Pundits Blog, The Atlantic Online, Washington Wire, Politics Daily, Think Progress, Hotline On Call, msnbc.com, The Huffington Post, CNN, The Daily Dish, Hot Air, AmSpecBlog, The Swamp, The Corner on National …, Riehl World View, Raw Story, The Nation, TPMDC, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, AMERICAblog News, BLACKFIVE, Salon, FrumForum, D.C. Now and Real Clear Politics
RELATED:
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:
Ben Smith's Blog, JOSHUAPUNDIT, The Note, Outside the Beltway, Taylor Marsh, Pat Dollard and The Politico
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, Newshoggers.com, Wonkette and FrumForum
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
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, PostPartisan, The Daily Dish, Daily Kos and The Stranger …
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Top Republicans Pile On Steele, Call For His Ouster
Top Republicans Pile On Steele, Call For His Ouster
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Ben Smith's Blog, Hotline On Call, Talking Points Memo, Guardian, Daily Kos, The Stranger … and AmSpecBlog
Chris Good / The Atlantic Online:
The Biggest Michael Steele Gaffe of All
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
RELATED:
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:
Economy lost 125,000 jobs and 652,000 workers in June — A brutal unemployment report this month. Payrolls dropped by 125,000. In another one of those unwanted lessons in how we calculate unemployment data, the unemployment rate dropped from 9.7 percent to 9.5 percent — but not because people got hired.
David Leonhardt / Economix:
The Recovery Is Losing Steam
The Recovery Is Losing Steam
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Real Time Economics, Bloomberg, The Politico, Online NewsHour and Washington Monthly
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.
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.
RELATED:
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 …
RELATED:
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Tea Party Supporters Overlap Republican Base
Tea Party Supporters Overlap Republican Base
Discussion:
Democratic Strategist, The Plum Line, PostPartisan, Hullabaloo, Real Clear Politics, Daily Kos and Balloon Juice
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:
FrumForum, Democracy in America, Economix, Angry Bear, Clusterstock, The Glittering Eye, Don Surber and Eschaton
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Myths of Austerity — When I was young and naïve, I believed that important people took positions based on careful consideration of the options. Now I know better. Much of what Serious People believe rests on prejudices, not analysis. And these prejudices are subject to fads and fashions.
Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:
Obama and Reid in animated discussion before Byrd service — President Obama had an animated discussion with the top Senate Democrat en route to the memorial service for the late Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.) at the West Virginia State Capitol. — Obama and Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) …
Discussion:
The Politico
RELATED:
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:
Questions and Observations, Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, Townhall.com and Left Coast Rebel
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 …
Michelle Malkin:
Assimilation and the Founding Fathers — As we head into Independence Day weekend, my column today reflects on the other “A” word missing from the immigration debate: Assimilation. — Assimilation and the Founding Fathers — by Michelle Malkin — Creators Syndicate — Copyright 2010
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.
Apple:
Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4 — The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple's history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems …
Discussion:
Silicon Alley Insider, The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Gadget Lab, Guardian and Digital Society, more at Techmeme »
Glenn Beck:
Announcing Beck University — School may be out for the summer, but for Glenn Beck class is just starting. — This July, while others are relaxing poolside, head back to the classroom - from the comfort of your own home. That may sound like an oxymoron but Glenn's new academic program is only available online.