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Ex-House Leader DeLay Found Guilty in Texas Case — AUSTIN - A Texas jury Wednesday found Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader and Texas political powerhouse, guilty in a money-laundering trial involving contributions to political campaigns. — Jurors deliberated for 19 hours …
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The Politico, TalkLeft, CNN, Mediaite, The Daily Dish, Taegan Goddard's … and Gawker
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DeLay convicted of money laundering charges — AUSTIN - A Travis County jury today found former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay guilty of political money laundering charges relating to a corporate money swap in the 2002 elections. — The verdict came down five years after DeLay …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Politics Daily, Firedoglake, The Confluence and Newshoggers.com

Jury convicts Tom DeLay in money laundering trial — Below: — AUSTIN, Texas — Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay — once one of the most powerful and feared Republicans in Congress — was convicted Wednesday on charges he illegally funneled corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and HotAirPundit

Jury convicts DeLay in money-laundering case — Update: 4:53 p.m.: Tom DeLay, the former U.S. House majority leader whose name became synonymous with the Republicans' controversial rise to power in the Texas House, was found guilty today of laundering money in connection with the 2002 elections.
Discussion:
The BRAD BLOG, The Political Carnival and Daily Kos


Palin: 'Obviously, We've Got To Stand With Our North Korean Allies' — In recent days, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has hinted in her clearest language yet that she is seriously considering a run for the presidency in 2012. Many observers have argued that Palin could never win …
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palingates, Wonkette and Yahoo! News
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AUDIO: Sarah Palin: “We Gotta Stand With Our North Korean Allies” — Genius. Absolute genius. When Glenn Beck is correcting you on foreign policy, well... genius.
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iOwnTheWorld.com, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, Firedoglake, No More Mister Nice Blog, Conservatives4Palin.com and FrumForum

Obama: 'I Don't Think About Sarah Palin' — “Obviously Sarah Palin has a strong base of support in the Republican Party and I respect those skills,” Obama said. “But I spend most of my time right now on how I can be the best possible president. And my attitude has always been …


Sarah Palin: “We Gotta Stand With Our North Korean Allies” — Sarah Palin's choosing sides in the conflict between North and South Korea-and picking Kim Jong Il? — Couldn't be. But there she is on Glenn Beck's radio show saying just that: “This speaks to a bigger picture …
Discussion:
CBS Minnesota, msnbc.com, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Weekly Standard and Liberal Values


North Korea's consistent message to the U.S.
Discussion:
Danger Room, Lawyers, Guns & Money and American Prospect


Sarah Palin clubs to death a fish on reality show labelled ‘a snuff video’ by animal rights group — Sarah Palin is under fire for clubbing a fish to death on her new reality TV show. — The Tea Party darling and her daughter Bristol, 20, were shown on a halibut fishing trip filmed for her new programme, Sarah Palin's Alaska.
Discussion:
Say Anything, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, Dennis the Peasant and JammieWearingFool
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Palin dismisses ‘blue-blood’ Bush criticism — Sarah Palin dismissed Barbara Bush's recent criticism as a matter of class privilege in an interview with Laura Ingraham today: — “I don't want to concede that we have to get used to this kind of thing, because i don't think the majority …
Discussion:
The Note, GOP 12, Liberal Values, National Review, The Page and Oliver Willis

Palin Hits Back at Barbara Bush — In an interview on the Laura Ingraham Show, Sarah Palin blasted back at Barbara Bush's recent comments suggesting she stay in Alaska and not run for president. — Said Palin: “I think the majority of Americans don't want to put up with the blue bloods.
Discussion:
Salon and Booman Tribune

Palin rebukes Barbara Bush, family as ‘blue bloods’ after remark
Discussion:
HotAirPundit and Ballot Box


Woman: TSA Agents Singled Me Out For My Breasts — Travelers Plan To Boycott TSA's Latest Security Measure Aiming To Clog Security Lines — ORLANDO, Fla. — The head of the Transportation Security Administration said the agency will look further into allegations that two male TSA workers picked …
Discussion:
Gallup, Proof Positive, WTSP.com 10 News, Infowars, The Jawa Report, The Gateway Pundit, YID With LID, HillBuzz.org, Nice Deb and The Other McCain
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Poll finds 61% oppose new airport security measures
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Fox News, American Power, New York Times, Zogby, DownWithTyranny!, We Won't Fly, LewRockwell.com Blog and Slate

Alternative to TSA pat-downs: More background checks
Discussion:
Pat Dollard

Anatomy of a journalistic smear job — (updated below - Update II) — One long-standing — and justifiable — progressive grievance is that whenever ordinary Americans allow their personal plight to enter the public sphere in a way that advances a liberal political goal …
Discussion:
LewRockwell.com Blog, Firedoglake, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Boing Boing
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TSAstroturf: The Washington Lobbyists and Koch-Funded Libertarians Behind the TSA Scandal — Does anyone else sense something strange is going on with the apparently spontaneous revolt against the TSA? This past week, the media turned an “ordinary guy,” 31-year-old Californian John Tyner …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Daily Caller, Weigel, Hit & Run, Verum Serum, Cato @ Liberty, LewRockwell.com Blog and The Political Carnival


Fliers Claim TSA Have Deactivated Body Scanners [Updated] — According to tweeting travelers, many backscatter and millimeter-wave AIT scanning machines at airports are not in use at all, making opting out impossible. We've asked DHS/TSA for comment, but you can help us confirm.
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The TSA Blog, Threat Level, Hot Air, iOwnTheWorld.com, msnbc.com, Say Anything, Infowars, We Won't Fly, Pajamas Media, New York Magazine, CNN and National Opt-Out Day
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No. 1: Richard Cohen — The Washington Post's Richard Cohen has been a columnist since 1976. He's good friends with Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn. He works one day a week. At a certain point, in that exceptionally privileged and cushy position, his brain disintegrated.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish and ECHIDNE of the snakes


11/24: Looking to 2012: 48% Plan to Vote Against Obama — If the 2012 presidential election were held today, President Barack Obama would have his work cut out for him. 48% of registered voters nationwide report they plan to definitely vote against Mr. Obama while 36% say they will definitely vote for him. 16% are undecided.
Discussion:
CNN, Scared Monkeys, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Online, GOP 12, The Moderate Voice and Capital Tonight
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HarperCollins settles Gawker suit over leaked Palin excerpts
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Cubachi, The Wire, Gothamist, Hot Air, Liberty Pundits Blog, Wake up America, Media Decoder and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

New Palin Book Offers a Road Map for a Run Against Obama
Discussion:
The Note and Alan Colmes' Liberaland


Cooley concedes to Kamala Harris in fight for attorney general — Steve Cooley conceded defeat today to Kamala Harris in the political slugfest for California attorney general. — The Republican called Harris today to congratulate her, and the two had a “brief and cordial conversation,” …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog and Joe. My. God.
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Kamala Harris wins attorney general's race as Steve Cooley concedes [Updated]
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars and Opinion L.A.

Fed lowers economic expectations for 2011 — Unemployment is set to remain higher for longer than previously thought, according to new projections from the Federal Reserve that would mean more than 10 million Americans remain jobless through the 2012 elections - even as a separate report …
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Mr. Smut goes to Washington — While November's election brought a tsunami of change to Michigan policies, some incumbents are untouchable. So untouchable, apparently, that they openly read girlie magazines on their trips to and from Washington. Detroit Congressman John Conyers was caught …
Discussion:
The Wire, Michelle Malkin, Say Anything, theblogprof, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, Hot Air and The Gateway Pundit


Family Research Council Labeled ‘Hate Group’ By SPLC Over Anti-Gay Rhetoric — The Family Research Council is perhaps the most prominent voice in conservative social politics and the hosts of an annual rite of passage for many Republicans who hope to run for president.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, The Huffington Post, Holy Bullies …, Speakeasy and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Latest Column — On a mistake I made. Below the fold... (For Swampland regulars, this column is dedicated to implacable commenter Stuart Zechman). And Happy Thanksgiving! — My Continuing Education — No columnist nails every call. Here's one I got wrong—and why I should have known better.


Trust in Government — Matt Bai muses: … That broad-based skepticism of government is, of course, why the Obama Era has also witnessed a broad-based public backlash against unrestrained government surveillance powers, the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, public demands that Obama cut Medicare benefits more sharply.
Discussion:
Dennis the Peasant
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Pat-Down Dispute Shows Mistrust of Government
Discussion:
Althouse, Prairie Weather, Hit & Run, Pajamas Media and Indecision Forever


The Real Story Behind Those “Record” Corporate Profits — Corporate profits hit a new record in the U.S. in the third quarter of this year. At least, that was the headline after the data were released Tuesday. It was kind of a meaningless distinction: In a growing economy …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, National Review, Ezra Klein, PERRspectives, The New Republic, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, ThinkProgress, Economix and BizzyBlog