Top Items:
Robert Draper / New York Times:
The Palin Network — On the night of the midterm elections earlier this month, Sarah Palin stayed up until 3 in the morning. From her hotel bedroom in Manhattan, she and her husband, Todd, followed the returns while she wrote e-mails on her iPad — congratulating winners, consoling losers …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, ABCNEWS, The Moderate Voice, CNN, Guardian, msnbc.com, The New Republic, Conservatives4Palin.com, Ben Smith's Blog, Hit & Run, Taylor Marsh, The Politico, Weigel, Outside the Beltway, Anchorage Daily News, Salon, MyFox Philadelphia, The Nation, The Note, Indecision Forever, The Daily Caller, USA Today and GOP 12
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Mary Bruce / ABCNEWS:
Sarah Palin Says She Could Beat Obama — In Interview With Barbara Walters, Palin Says She Is Seriously Considering Entering Race in 2012 — Sarah Palin says she is seriously considering a run for the White House, and she believes she could beat President Obama in 2012, the former Alaska governor told ABC News' Barbara Walters.
NY Daily News:
Cupp: Happiness is a Warm Gun (and Sarah Palin) — Sarah Palin gets ready to head up the river in Dillingham, Alaska, in a scene from her new reality show 'Sarah Palin's Alaska.' — This past weekend, I traveled to Chicago to speak at the Conservatives4Palin meetup, where Mama Grizzlies …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Liberty Pundits Blog
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Palin: I could beat Obama in 2012
Palin: I could beat Obama in 2012
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, ABCNEWS and Guardian
The Politico:
Nancy Pelosi survives Democratic revolt — Democrats elected Nancy Pelosi as their minority leader on Wednesday, but only after a brutal two days of arguing behind closed doors and a 150-43 vote that revealed a bloc of disgruntled Democrats to be firmly in the anti-Pelosi camp.
Discussion:
The Confluence, The Nation, Weasel Zippers, Weigel, Gawker and American Power
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Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
Nancy Pelosi Elected to Lead House Dems in New Congress; Boehner to Lead GOP — Updated 4:07 p.m. Eastern Time — Nancy Pelosi has been elected to lead House Democrats in the new Congress despite presiding over the loss of more than 60 House seats in the midterm elections.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Indecision Forever, Fox Nation, Weasel Zippers, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, Queerty and Wake up America
The Hill:
House Dems elect Pelosi as leader
House Dems elect Pelosi as leader
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Michelle Malkin, Associated Press, GayPatriot, HotAirPundit, AMERICAblog News and American Power
The Politico:
Why Democrats don't dump Nancy Pelosi
Why Democrats don't dump Nancy Pelosi
Discussion:
The Caucus, FiveThirtyEight, The Atlantic Online, CNN, American Thinker and Right Wing News
Patrick O'Connor / Wall Street Journal:
Pelosi Elected House Democratic Leader
Pelosi Elected House Democratic Leader
Discussion:
Another Black Conservative, The Gateway Pundit, Patterico's Pontifications and Pajamas Media
The Smoking Gun:
Man Shoots TV Over Bristol Palin Dancing — Suspect surrendered after 15-hour standoff with Wisconsin cops … Like most Americans, Steven Cowan has been perplexed by Bristol Palin's curious ability to keep advancing in TV's “Dancing with the Stars” competition.
Discussion:
Cubachi, Big Hollywood, Mediaite, The Jawa Report, Indecision Forever, Liberty Pundits Blog and Hot Air
RELATED:
JSOnline:
Bristol Palin's dancing prompts man to shoot his TV — By Sharif Durhams of the Journal Sentinel — A rural Dane County man believes Bristol Palin should not be on “Dancing With The Stars.” — He demanded his wife get his pistols to emphasize his point.
Discussion:
City Room, Weasel Zippers and Another Black Conservative
Ed Treleven / host.madison.com:
Bristol Palin's dancing on TV set off man in standoff, complaint says
Bristol Palin's dancing on TV set off man in standoff, complaint says
Discussion:
Speakeasy, theblogprof and Show Tracker
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
GOP to force vote on NPR defunding — House Republicans announced Wednesday they plan to force a floor vote on defunding NPR in response to the firing of analyst Juan Williams last month. — House GOP Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) and Rep. Doug Lamborn (Colo.) said that cutting funds …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, The Atlantic Online and Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Behind delayed summit: Republican distrust of President Obama
Behind delayed summit: Republican distrust of President Obama
Discussion:
The Note, CNN, Crooks and Liars, The Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, Pajamas Media, TPMDC, Politics Daily, Daily Kos, Associated Press, ChattahBox News Blog, The Moderate Voice, Front Row Washington, The Caucus, ABCNEWS, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Post and Washington Monthly
Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:
Lugar rebukes own party for avoiding New START debate, wants to force vote now
Lugar rebukes own party for avoiding New START debate, wants to force vote now
Discussion:
Congress Blog, Commentary, democracyarsenal.org and Wonk Room
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
That's the Story? (#GalacticFail Edition)
That's the Story? (#GalacticFail Edition)
Discussion:
The Note, CNN, JustOneMinute, TPMDC, Gawker, Balloon Juice, The Impolitic, The Plum Line, The Politico, Wonkette, Politics Daily and The Mahablog
Jordy Yager / The Hill:
Leader of TSA offers pat-downs to senators — The head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) offered on Wednesday to have airport screeners come to Capitol Hill to give senators a pat-down so they could fully understand the mechanics of the newly deployed, controversial technique.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Liberty Pundits Blog and AmSpecBlog
RELATED:
Noah Shachtman / Wall Street Journal:
Has Airport Security Gone Too Far?
Has Airport Security Gone Too Far?
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Danger Room, CBS News, Associated Press, Israel Matzav, Prairie Weather and Left Coast Rebel
Joshua Norman / CBS News:
Senators and TSA Defend “Love Pats” at Airports
Senators and TSA Defend “Love Pats” at Airports
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Pundit & Pundette, Swampland, Washington Post and LewRockwell.com Blog
Elise Viebeck / The Hill:
GOP lawmaker: Full-body scanners violate Fourth Amendment
GOP lawmaker: Full-body scanners violate Fourth Amendment
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and AMERICAblog News
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
White House backs ‘Four Loko’ ban — The White House on Wednesday threw its support behind a ban on beverages that infuse alcohol and caffeine. — Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske said he welcomed a ruling by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that would effectively ban drinks like Four Loko and Joost …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Balloon Juice, Washington Post, Hit & Run, Gawker and New York Magazine
RELATED:
Rob Stein / Washington Post:
FDA, FTC crack down on caffeinated alcoholic drinks
FDA, FTC crack down on caffeinated alcoholic drinks
Discussion:
BlogPost, THEROOT.COM, Guardian, Maryland Politics, The Consumerist and Runnin' Scared
Peter Finn / Washington Post:
Ahmed Ghailani, Gitmo detainee, acquitted of all but 1 charge in NY — The first former Guantanamo Bay detainee to be tried in federal criminal court was found not guilty on Wednesday on all but one of the 285 counts he faced for his role in the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, TPMMuckraker and Jihad Watch
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Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:
Detainee Acquitted on Most Counts in '98 Bombings — The first former Guantánamo detainee to be tried in a civilian court was acquitted on Wednesday of all but one of more than 280 charges of conspiracy and murder in the 1998 terrorist bombings of the United States Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, ATTACKERMAN and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog
Howard Kurtz / The Daily Beast:
Roger Ailes Lets Rip — UPDATE: White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday that he was not surprised by Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes quotes about President Obama to The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz. “I think if you watch most of the programming on the channel …
Fhardingj / CNN:
CNN Poll: Only one-third favor tax cut extension for wealthy — Washington (CNN) - Only a third of all Americans think Bush-era tax cuts should be extended for families regardless of how much money they make, according to a new national poll. — A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Politico, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, The Hill, AMERICAblog Gay and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*
RELATED:
Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
Democrats Press GOP Lawmakers to Turn Down Government Health Care
Albert Bozzo / CNBC:
Members of US Congress Get Richer Despite Sour Economy — Despite a long and deep recession, the collective personal wealth of congressional members increased by more than 16 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to a study released Wednesday by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Discussion:
Moonbattery
RELATED:
Communications / OpenSecrets.org:
Congressional Members' Personal Wealth Expands Despite Sour National Economy
Congressional Members' Personal Wealth Expands Despite Sour National Economy
Discussion:
The Caucus, Don Surber and YID With LID
Aaron Wiener / The Washington Independent:
The Washington Independent, signing off — Nearly three years ago, The Washington Independent was launched as a bold experiment in online journalism. The idea was to combine hard-nosed investigative reporting with all the web had to offer: the nimbleness of real-time coverage …
Discussion:
Weigel, ATTACKERMAN, The Other McCain, Gawker and Oliver Willis, more at Mediagazer »
Sean Cockerham / Anchorage Daily News:
Murkowski's lead more than 10,000 votes — Today's review of write-in ballots ended with Sen. Lisa Murkowski enjoying an apparently insurmountable 10,420-vote lead over Joe Miller. — Murkowski also now has collected more votes that went unchallenged by Miller ballot observers than Miller's total vote count.
Discussion:
The Fix, TPMDC, PostPartisan, Hot Air, Politics Daily, Hotline On Call, Ballot Box, Talking Points Memo, The Other McCain, Gawker and Daily Kos
RELATED:
Warren E. Buffett / New York Times:
Pretty Good for Government Work — My mother told me to send thank-you notes promptly. I've been remiss. — Let me remind you why I'm writing. Just over two years ago, in September 2008, our country faced an economic meltdown. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the pillars that supported …
Discussion:
The Big Picture, Mediaite, Felix Salmon, Ezra Klein and ChattahBox News Blog
David Dayen / news.firedoglake.com:
Reed, Casey Seek One-Year Extension of Unemployment Benefits — Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Bob Casey (D-PA) want the Senate to take up and pass a one-year extension of unemployment insurance benefits from 26 to 99 weeks, but they did not sound hopeful on a conference call that this could get done …
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Yes, DADT repeal could still pass, Senate staffers say — Good news: Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal is not dead yet. — It's widely assumed that the reason the White House and Dems will punt on holding a vote on Don't Ask Don't Tell during the lame duck session is that there aren't 60 votes …
Discussion:
Advocate, Washington Blade, The Daily Dish, AMERICAblog Gay, Pam's House Blend, Towleroad News #gay and Queerty
Drew Armstrong / Bloomberg:
Insurers Gave U.S. Chamber $86 Million Used to Oppose Obama's Health Law — Health insurers last year gave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce $86.2 million that was used to oppose the health-care overhaul law, according to tax records and people familiar with the donation.