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Delaying Vote, Debt Panel Splits on Taxes and Spending — WASHINGTON — The chairmen of President Obama's debt-reduction commission have been unable to win support from any of the panel's elected officials for their proposed spending cuts and tax increases, underscoring the reluctance …
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House May Block Food Safety Bill Over Senate Error — A food safety bill that has burned up precious days of the Senate's lame-duck session appears headed back to the chamber because Democrats violated a constitutional provision requiring that tax provisions originate in the House.


Fiscal Commission Final Report — Get your fresh catfood! — FDL has obtained a copy of the Catfood Commission final report in advance of its official 9:30 release. — It can be downloaded here: PDF — Their reigning spirit of self-importance comes through on the very first page: “The Moment of Truth.”
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Paul Krugman and Lawyers, Guns & Money


Commission's final deficit report preserves controversial spending cuts; panel to vote Friday on whether to endorse plan — The leaders of President Obama's fiscal commission released a final report Wednesday that is full of political dynamite, including sharp cuts in military spending …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, Bloomberg, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, National Review, FrumForum, Daily Kos and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

In Tax Cuts, the Options Run Short — Democrats have left themselves in a tough spot on the Bush tax cuts. After delaying the issue until after the election and then being trounced in that election, they find themselves with little leverage. — If they cannot come up with a plan …
Discussion:
The Politico, Wake up America, TalkLeft, The Caucus, Unfogged, Prairie Weather and The Hill

Senate GOP letter calls for blocking most bills — WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans intend to block action on virtually all Democratic-backed legislation unrelated to tax cuts and government spending in the current postelection session of Congress, officials said Tuesday …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, Fox News, ThinkProgress, Bloomberg, TalkLeft, AMERICAblog Gay and Alan Colmes' Liberaland


DADT No More? Republicans Threaten To Block All Dem Initiatives — Just hours after Democrats and Republicans agreed to bargain on tax cuts, and fewer hours still after Defense Secretary Robert Gates implored Congress to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell this year, word leaked that Republicans …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Guardian, Zandar Versus The Stupid, TPMMuckraker, Wonkette and Joe. My. God.

Vast Majority Wants Some Aspect of Bush Tax Cuts Extended
Discussion:
Hotline On Call, Politics Daily, TPMDC, Washington Post and CNN

Why The GOP Is Like Bear Bryant
Discussion:
TalkLeft and The Caucus

Senate Republicans: No Legislation Until After Tax Cut Extension
Discussion:
Colorado Independent, Mediaite, Gawker and Box Turtle Bulletin

All About the Tax Cuts — Nothing will happen in Congress …
Discussion:
Washington Post, RedState and Daily Kos


After the White House Summit: Towel-Snapping Partisanship Lives On
Discussion:
The Note, National Review and The Politico

Senate GOP vows to halt action in lame-duck session until tax deal
Discussion:
Republican.Senate.Gov, Outside the Beltway and The Page

GOP threatens to stall Senate action
Discussion:
Hot Air, Power Line, PostPartisan, ABCNEWS and New York Times

Senate GOPers: Take up tax cuts first
Discussion:
Economist's View, Weasel Zippers and EconoSpeak

The Strategy of WikiLeaks — Ezra Klein on the likely consequences of WikiLeaking: … I think that's essentially correct. But as zunguzungu explains in a excellent WikiLeaks-sympathetic post this is likely Julian Assange's actual strategy and not some failure on his part.
Discussion:
TalkLeft, The Moderate Voice and The Duck of Minerva
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The moral standards of WikiLeaks critics
Discussion:
TalkLeft, The Huffington Post and Swampland

Call for WikiLeaks culprit to be executed
Discussion:
Reuters, LOON, The Nation, News: News blog and FrumForum

WikiLeaks: Interpol issues wanted notice for Julian Assange
Discussion:
RedState, Associated Press, interpol.int, New York Times, Outside the Beltway, The Reaction, Wake up America, Little Green Footballs, YID With LID, The Volokh Conspiracy, CNN, Threat Level, Reuters, Barcepundit, FrumForum, Balloon Juice, Gawker, The Agonist, Scared Monkeys, JammieWearingFool, TechCrunch and Washington Post

Bill Clinton expects leak of files to cost lives
Discussion:
Politics Daily, FrumForum and Washington Post

WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Tells TIME: Hillary Clinton ‘Should Resign’

Judge upholds healthcare reform law — A federal judge in Virginia on Tuesday rejected a legal challenge to the healthcare reform law, the second time the law's mandate that people buy insurance has been ruled constitutional. — The lawsuit was brought by Liberty University …
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Judge Rejects Health Law Challenge
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Monthly, Law Blog and Outside the Beltway


Co-host spittin' mad over Spitzer — Tweet — Eliot Spitzer's TV sidekick is so fed up with playing second fiddle to the hooker-loving ex-gov that she's threatening to walk, sources told The Post yesterday. — Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker actually stormed off the set of the …
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org blogs and JammieWearingFool, more at Mediagazer »

Cheney to co-host fundraiser for Cino in RNC race — Washington (CNN) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney and a clutch of former George W. Bush advisers have a horse in the Republican National Committee chairman race: Maria Cino. — CNN has learned that Cheney will be among the hosts next Tuesday …
Discussion:
The Politico, Ben Smith's Blog, The Daily Caller, FrumForum and TPMDC
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Oil drilling ban to be maintained in key areas, sources say — Obama administration officials will announce Wednesday afternoon they will not allow offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico or off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as part of the next five-year drilling plan …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Hot Air
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Cantor Urges ‘Open Mind’ On VA Legislature Plan To Blow Up The Constitution — Incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is part of a class of Republicans who say they want to change the country fundamentally — and to that end, Cantor isn't dismissing a plan by legislators in his home state …

30 Most Dynamic Cities in the World — What is the most dynamic city in the post-recession world? — The surprising answer is Istanbul, according to a new report that shows the developing world is leading the way out of the Great Recession. — Grading each metropolis by the growth …
Discussion:
The New Republic, Brookings Institute, alicublog and Prairie Weather


The Irony of Wikileaks — By threatening U.S. diplomacy, the hard left is undercutting its own worldview. — There's no question that many of the Wikileaks documents are a great read. These diplomatic conversations between American officials and leaders from the Arab world, China …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and Booman Tribune

Inhofe refuses to participate in ‘holiday’ parade — WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe said Tuesday that he won't participate in Tulsa's Holiday Parade of Lights until organizers put “Christ” back in the event's title. — “Last year, the forces of political correctness removed the word 'Christmas …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Right Wing Watch and TPMDC

From WikiChina — While secrets from WikiLeaks were splashed all over the American newspapers, I couldn't help but wonder: What if China had a WikiLeaker and we could see what its embassy in Washington was reporting about America? I suspect the cable would read like this:
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Betsy's Page, National Review, Guardian and China Digital Times

Is GOP Breaking Silence on Sarah Palin for President? — Among Potential GOP Contenders, Politeness Still Rules — When the television host and former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough published a scathing op-ed piece in Politico against Sarah Palin on Tuesday, he was not only trying to put a dent in her presidential ambitions.
Discussion:
Donklephant, Conservatives4Palin.com and CNN

Why the Spending Stimulus Failed — New economic research shows why lower tax rates do far more to spur growth. — President Obama and congressional leaders meeting yesterday confronted calls for four key fiscal decisions: short-run fiscal stimulus, medium-term fiscal consolidation, and long-run tax and entitlement reform.
Discussion:
Right Turn, AmSpecBlog, NewsBusters.org and Shot in the Dark