memeorandum: Hollywood myth-making on Valerie Plame controversy (Washington Post)

9:05 PM ET, December 4, 2010

Top Items:

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Graham: GOP ‘made some pretty poor choices’ for Senate candidates this fall — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that Republicans “made some pretty poor choices” in choosing their Senate candidates this fall. — Graham, in a Senate floor speech on Saturday, made an aside comment underscoring …

Discussion: Reuters, Scared Monkeys and Weasel Zippers

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

WHY COMPROMISE WITH THESE GUYS IS IMPOSSIBLE, PART MCCXVII.... I can only hope folks in the West Wing take a moment to consider what incoming House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told Slate's John Dickerson the other day. … Ryan went on to say Republicans sent some letters …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

The Politico:

Now it's all or nothing on tax cuts — Democrats failed to break a Republican filibuster Saturday of two measures that would have ended Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, forcing both parties back to the negotiating table if they want to avert a tax hike next year for most Americans.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Liberal Values, Associated Press, No More Mister Nice Blog, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, Wake up America, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Scared Monkeys, Washington Monthly, iOwnTheWorld.com and Left Coast Rebel

J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:

Senate rejects million-dollar tax-cut compromise in Saturday session — United Senate Republicans joined a small handful of Democrats on Saturday to defeat a pair of proposals to extend some of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts signed into law by President George W. Bush.

Discussion: Sky Dancing, Outside the Beltway, Connecting.the.Dots and Booman Tribune

David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:

Senate Rejects Obama's Plan on Extending Tax Cuts — WASHINGTON — The Senate on Saturday rejected President Obama's proposal to let tax rates rise for the highest-income Americans, as Republicans held firm in their push to continue all of the expiring Bush-era tax cuts.

Discussion: RedState

The Politico:

Now it's all or nothing on tax cuts — “It became apparent the second time we met that actually there weren't going to be any bipartisan negotiations to reach a decision until there had been a political catharsis on the Democratic side,” said Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who was tapped for a bipartisan working group led by the administration.

Discussion: Power Line and Outside the Beltway

Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:
Senate Blocks Democrats on Middle Class Tax Cut; Obama Still Confident of Deal

Discussion: ThinkProgress

CNN:
Democratic procedural votes on extending Bush tax cuts fail in Senate

Discussion: TPMDC, Mediaite and New York Magazine

Washington Post:

Hollywood myth-making on Valerie Plame controversy — WE'RE NOT in the habit of writing movie reviews. But the recently released film “Fair Game” - which covers a poisonous Washington controversy during the war in Iraq - deserves some editorial page comment, if only because of what its promoters are saying about it.

Discussion: Wonk Room, Pajamas Media, NewsBusters.org blogs, Balloon Juice, Moe Lane, Fausta's Blog, NO QUARTER, TBogg, Sister Toldjah and Grasping Reality …

Daily Mail:

Narnia fans' fury after Liam Neeson claims Aslan - the symbol of Christ - could also be Mohammed — The much-loved children's stories have an unapologetic Christian message. — C. S. Lewis was clear that the character of Aslan in his Chronicles of Narnia is based on Christ.

Discussion: Cubachi, Big Hollywood, Jihad Watch, Right Wing News and Liberty Pundits Blog

New York Times:

Cables Discuss Vast Hacking by a China That Fears the Web — As China ratcheted up the pressure on Google to censor its Internet searches last year, the American Embassy sent a secret cable to Washington detailing one reason top Chinese leaders had become so obsessed with the Internet search company: they were Googling themselves.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Mashable!, New York Magazine and The Peking Duck, more at Techmeme »

Michael Lerner / Washington Post:

Save Obama - by running against him — People who used to say, “Give President Obama more time” when the president was criticized for capitulating to the right, or who argued that Obama must have a plan to turn things around, are now largely depressed and angry.

Discussion: Sky Dancing, Eunomia and Vox Popoli

Zaid Jilani / ThinkProgress:

Merkley Lays Out A Course For Reforming The Filibuster In The Next Senate: ‘Mark This Date On Your Calendar’ — Earlier this year, Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) delivered an address about conservative obstruction at the Center for American Progress Action Fund titled “Deliberation, Obstruction or Dysfunction?

Discussion: Zandar Versus The Stupid

Charles M. Blow / New York Times:

She Who Must Not Be Named — This is it. This is the last time I'm going to write the name Sarah Palin until she does something truly newsworthy, like declare herself a candidate for the presidency. Until then, I will no longer take part in the left's obsessive-compulsive fascination with her …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Towleroad News #gay, House of Eratosthenes, Wake up America, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Vox Popoli, Eschaton and Prairie Weather

Reuters:

Clinton charm falls flat with Iranian minister — (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton lost him at “hello.” — The Secretary of State had a rare chance to interact with Iran's foreign minister at a Bahrain security conference, where Clinton urged Tehran to engage with the international community …

Discussion: The Hill and Weasel Zippers

Robert / Jihad Watch:

New Turkish film highlights “America's paranoia with the Islamic world after 9/11” — Check out the trailer here (thanks to Philip). The movie is clearly an orgy of Muslim victimhood, complete with a villainous U.S. law enforcement officer (played by Robert Patrick) stalking …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Atlas Shrugs

Paul Krugman:

Class And Social Security — Digby sounds the warning: a fair number of “centrist” Democrats - probably including the Incredible Shrinking President — seem willing, even eager, to join up with Republicans in cutting Social Security benefits and raising the retirement age.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Modeled Behavior and AMERICAblog News