Top Items:
The Note:
Dem Senator: Negotiating with Republicans “Almost” like Negotiating with “Terrorists” — ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports: Did Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) just compare Republicans to terrorists? — Well, not really. But he did compare negotiating with Republicans to negotiating with terrorists.
Discussion:
Left Coast Rebel, theblogprof, CNN, The Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, iOwnTheWorld.com, PoliPundit.com, WyBlog and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Collins says 'Don't ask, don't tell' repeal must wait for tax cuts — Democrats hoping to move forward with legislation other than tax cuts shouldn't look to centrist Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to break the logjam. — Collins said again on Friday that, while she would vote with Democrats …
Discussion:
The Caucus, Box Turtle Bulletin, The Reality-Based Community and Balloon Juice
U.S. Senator Susan Collins:
SENATOR COLLINS' STATEMENT ON 'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL' — Following the conclusion of today's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy, Senator Susan Collins released this statement: — “Like our closest allies, the United States' Armed Forces …
Discussion:
Wonk Room, scottbrown.senate.gov, Firedoglake, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway and The Hill
Brad Reed / Crooks and Liars:
Dear Democrats, please, please, please don't eff this up
Dear Democrats, please, please, please don't eff this up
Discussion:
Washington Post and Squawk Box
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Dem senator compares negotiating with GOP to talks with terrorists
Dem senator compares negotiating with GOP to talks with terrorists
Discussion:
Cubachi, The Politico, Liberty Pundits Blog, Riehl World View and Hot Air
Adam Sorensen / The Page:
Donkey Doozy — The Democratic Party spirals unidirectionally.
Donkey Doozy — The Democratic Party spirals unidirectionally.
Discussion:
Don Surber, Hot Air and Commentary
David Kravets / Threat Level:
Viacom Says YouTube Ruling Will ‘Completely Destroy’ Copyright — Viacom appealed Friday its unsuccessful $1 billion copyright lawsuit against Google's YouTube in a case testing the depths of copyright-infringement protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and Techdirt
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
After Catfood Commission Fails to Meet Mandate, Dem Senators Rally for Austerity — Fourteen Democratic Senators have asked Harry Reid for action on reining in the budget deficit, on the same day that the Catfood Commission failed to reach the threshold to deliver an official report.
Discussion:
Zandar Versus The Stupid, The Atlantic Online and The Hill
RELATED:
John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
CBO: Dream Act would cut 1.4 billion dollars off the federal deficit.
CBO: Dream Act would cut 1.4 billion dollars off the federal deficit.
Discussion:
America's Voice Blog and Balloon Juice
Chusa / ConservativeHome's Survey blog:
The top ten pundits among Republican activists — 1,152 Republican activists, as identified by YouGov America and polled by ConservativeHome.com, have chosen their favorite pundits. — These pundits, more than any other, will be the talking heads who will influence the choice of the GOP's nominee for 2012.
Discussion:
iOwnTheWorld.com, Salon, The Other McCain, The Enterprise Blog, Lean Left and The Daily Dish
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Scott Brown comes out in favor of DADT repeal — This is potentially important. The statement just out from Senator Scott Brown's office: … A few quick points on this. First, it shows beyond doubt — as I thought would happen — that Robert Gates's handling of this whole affair …
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Can we please have some nuance? — It's being widely reported right …
Can we please have some nuance? — It's being widely reported right …
Discussion:
Gawker and Washington Monthly
Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Hardball — From First Read: … Maybe a reluctance to play hardball is the issue here. But there are at least two other things involved. The first is simply that Republicans believe their own PR more than Democrats do. When Republicans get hysterical about something, it's genuine.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, A plain blog about politics and msnbc.com
RELATED:
Jamelle Bouie / American Prospect:
What's So Hard About Hardball?
Praveen Swami / blogs.telegraph.co.uk:
The sight of women's breasts won't deter Islamists - they're obsessed with sex — Denmark's government is being called upon to employ a lethal new weapon in the fight against Islamist extremism: bare breasts. — No, I'm not making this up - and also deny outrageous suggestions that I'm looking …
Discussion:
iOwnTheWorld.com and The Gateway Pundit
Martha C. White / Slate:
What's in those free-trade agreements—and do they really boost exports? — On its face, trade policy may seem like pretty stodgy stuff, but don't be fooled. Since this administration hopes to reduce the deficit and increase employment by growing our exports, the policies that shape that flow of goods and services play a key role.
Discussion:
Grasping Reality … and Yglesias
RELATED:
Mitt Romney / Boston Globe:
Stop START — Nuclear treaty limits America's options for missile defense
Stop START — Nuclear treaty limits America's options for missile defense
Discussion:
The Angle, Eunomia, The Politico, GOP 12, Fox News, The Foundry and Balloon Juice
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Ron Paul stands up for Julian Assange — Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is taking a stand as one of Julian Assange's few defenders in Washington, arguing that the WikiLeaks founder should get the same protections as the media. — Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department …
Discussion:
Scripting News, Left Coast Rebel, AmSpecBlog and FrumForum, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Durbin: DREAM Act will come to the Senate floor next week — Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Friday predicted a Senate vote on the DREAM Act will be held next week. — “Sen. Reid is going to call it,” Durbin told The Hill shortly after the chamber adjourned at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
Discussion:
White House.gov Blog Feed and The Gateway Pundit
Fhardingj / CNN:
Palin book signing a tightly controlled operation — Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - Members of the media and book-toting Sarah Palin supporters were asked to follow a surprisingly strict set of guidelines Friday as the former Alaska governor appeared in South Carolina on the final stop …
Discussion:
GOP 12
Mark Joyella / Mediaite:
Karl Rove Slams Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee Over Bush-Bashing Comments — On Laura Ingraham's radio show, Karl Rove defended the Bushes against a series of comments, including Sarah Palin's reference to the Bushes as “blue-bloods” and Mike Huckabee saying the Bushes “weren't for me.”
RELATED:
Anemona Hartocollis / New York Times:
New Jersey Closer to Sales of Medical Marijuana — A standoff between Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and advocates for medical marijuana has ended in a compromise that could put marijuana on the market for seriously ill patients by next summer. — The new regulations, announced on Friday …
Discussion:
FrumForum
Mary Clare Jalonick / hosted2.ap.org:
Hold the brownies! Bill could limit bake sales … WASHINGTON (AP) — Don't touch my brownies! — A child nutrition bill on its way to President Barack Obama — and championed by the first lady — gives the government power to limit school bake sales and other fundraisers that health advocates …
Discussion:
Right Wing News, Weasel Zippers, Doug Ross and Joanne Jacobs
Kara Swisher / BoomTown:
Groupon Annual Revenues Actually $2 Billion — According to sources close to the situation, Groupon's actual run rate for this year is clocking in at $2 billion in revenue, rather than the widely quoted $500 million. — Who knew hawking spas treatments and stripper pole lessons could be so lucrative?
Discussion:
VentureBeat, GigaOM and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
Peter Baker / The Caucus:
President Obama Lands in Afghanistan for Unannounced Visit — Updated President Obama made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Friday as he sought to smooth over a troubled relationship with President Hamid Karzai and take stock of a nine-year-old American-led war that he hopes to begin winding down next summer.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast and Daily Kos
RELATED:
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Pays Visit to Afghanistan
Obama Pays Visit to Afghanistan
Discussion:
Firedoglake, FP Passport, American Power, Weekly Standard and Swampland
Douglas Holtz-Eakin / National Review:
The November Employment Report: A Wake-up Call — Awful. That's the best one can say about the November employment report. The headline — that unemployment jumped to 9.8 percent — is not really the bad news. If and when the economy does catch fire, droves of discouraged workers …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Power Line and Outside the Beltway
Shira Toeplitz / The Politico:
O'Donnell had nearly $1 million left — Delaware Republican Christine O'Donnell criticized the national GOP for not spending money on her campaign, but the long-shot Senate nominee was sitting on a mountain of cash. — O'Donnell reported having $924,800 in the bank after the election was over …
Discussion:
Hot Air, CNN, Ballot Box and FrumForum
Adam Ozimek / Modeled Behavior:
The mortgage interest deduction: winners and losers — The debate on tax reform is starting to heat up with various proposals being debated, and many policies are being considered for the chopping block. One of them is the mortgage interest deduction (MID).
Discussion:
Mother Jones
Barry Eichengreen / voxeu.org:
Ireland's rescue package: Disaster for Ireland, bad omen for the Eurozone — Irish interest spreads did not fall and contagion continues. Here one of the world's leading international economists explains why. Short-sighted, wishful thinking by EU and German leadership designed a package …
Discussion:
Marginal Revolution