Top Items:
Sarah Palin / Facebook:
An Open Letter to Republican Freshmen Members of Congress — Welcome to all Republican Freshmen and congratulations! — Congratulations to all of you for your contribution to this historic election, and for the contributions I am certain you will make to our country in the next two years.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune and The Page
Washington Post:
One and done: To be a great president, Obama should not seek reelection in 2012 — President Obama must decide now how he wants to govern in the two years leading up to the 2012 presidential election. — In recent days, he has offered differing visions of how he might approach the country's problems.
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Murkowski: DeMint will have to make first move for ‘making up’ — If Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is interested in apologizing to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), he'll have to make the first move, Murkowski said Friday. — The Alaska senator, who appears poised to win reelection as a write …
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William Yardley / The Caucus:
Lawyers Depart Alaska as Miller's Chances Dim
Lawyers Depart Alaska as Miller's Chances Dim
Discussion:
Hot Air and Outside the Beltway
Associated Press:
House Dems Avert Leadership Battle — WASHINGTON — House Democrats averted a messy leadership struggle Friday night, clearing the way for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to remain in a top position and preventing a battle between other representatives as the party becomes the minority.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, HotAirPundit, The Politico and Washington Wire
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Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
Pelosi backs Clyburn for new No. 3 post — Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says she intends to back Democratic Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn (S.C.) for a new third-ranking leadership post next week. — In a statement released late Friday night, Pelosi signaled an end …
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN and FrumForum
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Shuler may officially launch bid against Pelosi on Sunday talk show, ‘Morning Joe’
Shuler may officially launch bid against Pelosi on Sunday talk show, ‘Morning Joe’
Discussion:
Gawker, Weasel Zippers, WECT-TV, FrumForum, TPMDC, Daily Kos and The Daily Beast
Jonathan V. Last / Weekly Standard:
American Narcissus — The vanity of Barack Obama — Why has Barack Obama failed so spectacularly? Is he too dogmatically liberal or too pragmatic? Is he a socialist, or an anticolonialist, or a philosopher-president? Or is it possible that Obama's failures stem from something simpler: vanity.
Discussion:
Power Line and Pundit & Pundette
Ted Koppel / Washington Post:
Olbermann, O'Reilly and the death of real news — To witness Keith Olbermann - the most opinionated among MSNBC's left-leaning, Fox-baiting, money-generating hosts - suspended even briefly last week for making financial contributions to Democratic political candidates seemed like a whimsical …
Discussion:
Don Surber, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Mediaite, American Power and NewsBusters.org blogs, more at Mediagazer »
Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
Obama's iPad: iReggie — Washington (CNN) - Apparently President Obama doesn't need an iPad; he's got an aide for that: iReggie. — At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' retreat in Yokohama, Japan, on Saturday, a print pool reporter was within earshot of a brief exchange between …
Peggy Noonan:
Obama's Gifts to the GOP — Republicans own the political center for now. Not because they deserve it. — Democrats are down, and sniping at each other. That's the way it goes when parties lose. What's interesting is the mood this week among Republicans on the ground. It's not triumphal.
Discussion:
Instapundit, TBogg, No More Mister Nice Blog and Eunomia
Kenneth R. Bazinet / NY Daily News:
Expert: past 10 days have been worst of President Obama's ‘political life’ — WASHINGTON - President Obama is coming home from his overseas trip pretty much empty-handed. — After watching his party take a beating in the midterm elections, Obama wasn't able to secure even a symbolic victory …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
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Meredith Jessup / The Blaze:
HONEST CRITIQUE: JON STEWART CLASHES WITH RACHEL MADDOW — In a primetime interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Thursday evening, comedian (and stomach flu patient) Jon Stewart gave a candid assessment of the 24-hour cable news “arms race” and how they've missed the point of his “Rally to Restore Sanity.”
Discussion:
Hot Air and Liberty Pundits Blog
Phil Gast / CNN:
Growing backlash against TSA body scanners, pat-downs — (CNN) — A growing pilot and passenger revolt over full-body scans and what many consider intrusive pat-downs couldn't have come at a worse time for the nation's air travel system. — Thanksgiving, the busiest travel time of the year, is less than two weeks away.
Discussion:
LewRockwell.com Blog
Laurie Goodstein / New York Times:
For Catholics, Interest in Exorcism Is Revived — The rite of exorcism, rendered gory by Hollywood and ridiculed by many modern believers, has largely fallen out of favor in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. — There are only a handful of priests in the country trained as exorcists …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Gothamist, Associated Press, CNN and Pharyngula
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
At 52%, Palin's Unfavorable Score Hits a New High — Americans remain split in their reactions to Tea Party movement — PRINCETON, NJ — More than half of Americans, 52%, now view Sarah Palin unfavorably, the highest percentage holding a negative opinion of the former Alaska governor …
Discussion:
Public Policy Polling, Politics Daily, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, The Hill and GOP 12
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The Huffington Post:
George Bush Book ‘Decision Points’ Lifted From Advisers' Books — When Crown Publishing inked a deal with George W. Bush for his memoirs, the publisher knew it wasn't getting Faulkner. But the book, at least, promises “gripping, never-before-heard detail” about the former president's key decisions …
Discussion:
Gawker, Big Government, Sky News, Salon and Wonkette
Brian Bolduc / National Review:
Olympia Snowe Is Getting a Challenger — And Soon — I have direct knowledge of a conservative in Maine who is preparing to challenge Olympia Snowe. He has told me he is running but has asked me to keep things vague so as not to step on his announcement, which he plans to make early next year.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Salon, The New Republic and Balloon Juice
John Carney / CNBC:
Get Ready for the Great MERS Whitewash Bill — When Congress comes back into session next week, it may consider measures intended to bolster the legal status of a controversial bank owned electronic mortgage registration system that contains three out of every five mortgages in the country.
Discussion:
Emptywheel
Iron Mill News Service:
Don't Let Them Steal OUR New Members of Congress: DC Insiders Indoctrinating OUR Freshmen — OP-ED from Jenny Beth Martin for Tea Party Patriots — A situation has arisen with the Freshmen Orientation being sponsored by Tea Party Patriots this weekend, and we need your help.
Discussion:
LewRockwell.com Blog, Gawker, The Caucus and Erick's blog
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
GOP's transition leader says common sense ‘an endangered species’ in D.C. — Republicans are working to make sure the House of Representatives functions better than ever, the leader of the GOP's effort to transition into power said Saturday. — Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) …
Discussion:
Pirate's Cove
Gordon Lubold / The Politico:
Robert Gates orders leak probe — Defense Secretary Robert Gates is opening an investigation to determine who in the Defense Department leaked information to The Washington Post that showed a majority of the military would not object if the “don't ask, don't tell” policy were lifted.
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