Top Items:
Joe Biden / Washington Post:
Obama: On the way to a failed presidency? — Ronald Reagan famously quipped that the Democratic Party left him before he left the party. Like many progressive supporters of Barack Obama, I'm beginning to have the same feeling about this president. — Consider what we've seen since …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Outside the Beltway, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The New Republic
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Paul Krugman:
The Deal — So the tax deal is out. Obama extracted some concessions, with the big surprise being a payroll tax cut. How much better do these concessions make the thing? — Well, for starters we have the two-year extension of the Bush tax cuts. As I pointed out yesterday …
New York Times:
Tax Deal Suggests New Path for Obama — WASHINGTON — President Obama announced a tentative deal with Congressional Republicans on Monday to extend the Bush-era tax cuts at all income levels for two years as part of a package that would also keep benefits flowing to the long-term unemployed …
Discussion:
The Politico, Ben Smith's Blog, CNNMoney.com, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Firedoglake, Capital Gains and Games blogs, Swampland, Online NewsHour, Hot Air, Fox News, Connecting.the.Dots, Wonkette, New York Magazine, The Hill, Guardian, The Atlantic Online, The Confluence, FiveThirtyEight, Hullabaloo, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, The Sundries Shack, Open Congress, The Baseline Scenario, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, New York Times, The Note, AMERICAblog News and The New Republic
Jake Tapper / Political Punch:
Senior White House Official: ‘We Wanted a Fight,’ too. Congressional Dems 'Wouldn't Throw a Punch' — Vice President Biden heads to Capitol Hill today to lobby Senate Democrats to support the tax cut compromise, as President Obama faces criticism from congressional Democrats …
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, New York Times, No More Mister Nice Blog, Outside the Beltway, Swampland and National Review
Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
Obama sells out the left: a Republican win on taxes — There really is no other way to say it: the Republicans won, the liberal Democrats lost, and the president sided with the Republicans. The subject, of course, is an agreement to extend all the Bust tax cuts.
Ezra Klein:
An imperfect, but not-that-bad, deal on the tax cuts — The White House and the Republicans are pretty close to a final deal on the Bush tax cuts. Here are the specifics, though it's worth saying that as near as this is to completion, it's still not done, and so it could change:
Discussion:
Free exchange, National Review, Rortybomb, The Plum Line, Swampland, Commentary, New Deal 2.0, Mother Jones, Peter Daou, Balloon Juice, Feministing, Economist's View, NPR, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Brilliant at Breakfast, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Firedoglake, The Caucus, The Huffington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Felix Salmon, Daily Kos, The Politico, Philly.com, Taylor Marsh, Hullabaloo, The New Republic, Washington Post and Sadly, No!
The Politico:
Liberal Dems to Obama: fight harder — Resentments between President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats that began simmering even before their midterm disaster are nearing the boiling point on Capitol Hill, as liberals make clear that Obama's efforts to strike a lame-duck deal …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Top of the Ticket, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh and The Other McCain
Ezra Klein:
Wonkbook: Everything you need to know about the Bush tax cut deal — I'll admit it: I didn't think they had it in them. A temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts? Sure, they could manage that. Fear is a powerful motivator in Washington, and nothing scares politicians like the threat of a tax hike on their constituents.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, TPMDC and The Politico
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Sen. Durbin: Dems could ‘walk out’ on tax cut deal — A bloc of Senate Democrats could decide not to support a White House-brokered deal on tax cuts and unemployment benefits, thereby putting the plan in danger, according to the second-ranking Senate Democrat.
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Monthly, Roll Call, ABCNEWS, Washington Post, James Pethokoukis and Right Turn
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Left sees tax surrender, says Obama reelection bid now crippled
Left sees tax surrender, says Obama reelection bid now crippled
Discussion:
The Note and Pajamas Media
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
In tax defeat, Dems pay the price for old tricks
In tax defeat, Dems pay the price for old tricks
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Scott Wilson / Washington Post:
Obama's tax cut extension part of strategy to show bipartisanship
Obama's tax cut extension part of strategy to show bipartisanship
Discussion:
The Fix, Right Wing News and Prairie Weather
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
MAKING THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION.... At the surface …
MAKING THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION.... At the surface …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Guardian and Eschaton
McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Democrats could scuttle Obama-GOP tax cut deal
Democrats could scuttle Obama-GOP tax cut deal
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and The Foundry
Peter Baker / New York Times:
In Tax Deal With G.O.P., a Portent for the Next 2 Years
In Tax Deal With G.O.P., a Portent for the Next 2 Years
Discussion:
Arkansas Blog, Swampland, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and Suburban Guerrilla
David Weigel / Slate:
Just How Big of a Dive is Obama Taking on Tax Cuts?
Just How Big of a Dive is Obama Taking on Tax Cuts?
Discussion:
Eunomia, Salon, The Moderate Voice, Yglesias, AmSpecBlog and The Daily Dish
David Leonhardt / Economix:
A Second Stimulus — The apparent deal over the Bush tax cuts …
A Second Stimulus — The apparent deal over the Bush tax cuts …
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, The Plum Line and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*
New York Times:
British Court Denies Bail to Assange in Sex Inquiry — LONDON — Julian Assange, the founder of the beleaguered WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group, was denied bail by a London court on Tuesday and said that he would resist extradition to Sweden where he faces questioning in connection with alleged sex offenses.
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BBC:
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange arrested in London — Julian Assange denies sexually assaulting the two women — The founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been arrested by police in London. — The 39-year-old Australian, who was the subject of a European arrest warrant …
Discussion:
CNN, Sky News, Guardian, Close Read, Commentary, The Other McCain, Politics Daily, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Gawker and Don Surber, more at Mediagazer »
Richard Pendlebury / Daily Mail:
The Wikileaks sex files: How two one-night stands sparked a worldwide hunt for Julian Assange — A winter morning in backwoods Scandinavia and the chime of a church bell drifts across the snowbound town of Enkoping. Does it also toll for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange?
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Gateway Pundit, New York Magazine and LewRockwell.com Blog
Christopher Hitchens / Slate:
The WikiLeaks founder is an unscrupulous megalomaniac with a political agenda. — In my most recent book, I reprint some words from a British Embassy cable, sent from Baghdad to the Foreign Office in 1976. The subject is Iraq's new leader. His quiet coup d'etat is reassuringly described as …
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, The Daily Caller, Hot Air and Tim Blair, more at Mediagazer »
NPR:
British Judge Denies Bail For WikiLeaks Founder
British Judge Denies Bail For WikiLeaks Founder
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, TheAustralian and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
BBC:
Wikileaks' Visa payments suspended
Wikileaks' Visa payments suspended
Discussion:
CNET News, The Huffington Post and TPMMuckraker, more at Techmeme »
Caroline Overington / Media Diary:
‘The truth will always win’ - Julian Assange writes
‘The truth will always win’ - Julian Assange writes
Discussion:
Guardian, Mediaite, National Review and Raw Story
Dianne Feinstein / Wall Street Journal:
Prosecute Assange Under the Espionage Act
Prosecute Assange Under the Espionage Act
Discussion:
Salon, New York Times, Guardian, BLACKFIVE, The New Republic, The Nation and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Jill / Feministe:
Some thoughts on “sex by surprise”
Some thoughts on “sex by surprise”
Discussion:
Whiskey Fire, Focal Point, Poynter, The Other McCain, Crooks and Liars, Threat Level, AmSpecBlog, Tom Watson, Shakesville and Online NewsHour
Associated Press:
Elizabeth Edwards gravely ill with cancer — WASHINGTON (AP) — Elizabeth Edwards over the past six years has seen her husband's presidential ambitions thwarted, retreated from public life as their marriage disintegrated over his affair, then emerged to advocate for changes …
Discussion:
WTVD-TV, The Jawa Report, Feministing, TalkLeft and Pam's House Blend
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Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Unloads Citi Stake for a $12 Billion Profit — The U.S. Treasury sold the last of its Citigroup Inc. common shares in a $10.5 billion offering that capped the government's biggest bank bailout of the financial-market meltdown. — The stock sale, which was finalized Monday evening …
Discussion:
msnbc.com
Condoleezza Rice / Wall Street Journal:
New Start: Ratify, With Caveats — The treaty helpfully reinstates on-site verification of Russian nuclear forces, but senators should make it clear to Moscow that they don't see it as limiting U.S. missile defenses. — When U.S. President Bush and Russian President Putin signed the Moscow Treaty in 2002 …
Discussion:
The Politico, Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress and Wonk Room
The Star-Ledger Editorial Page:
Christie's bully act getting old — Two years ago, when Chris Christie announced he was running for governor, he dismissed questions about his days as the Godzilla freeholder — when he breathed fire on almost every issue, insulted Morris County colleagues and needlessly stomped on countless toes.
Sam Dillon / New York Times:
Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators — With China's debut in international standardized testing, students in Shanghai have surprised experts by outscoring their counterparts in dozens of other countries, in reading as well as in math and science, according to the results of a respected exam.
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, FrumForum and Prairie Weather
Adam Serwer / American Prospect:
Taibbi On The Prospect. — Matt Taibbi explains Matt Bai by...taking a shot at The Prospect? … Yeah, in Taibbi's world, the best way to get your hand on some of that Bob Rubin $$$ is to get a job at a magazine founded by someone who has basically declared himself to be a mortal enemy of Bob Rubin.
Discussion:
Yglesias, Suburban Guerrilla and Rolling Stone
Aaron Blake / The Fix:
Georgia Democrats Barrow and Bishop confront an uncertain redistricting fate — This is the third in an occasional series that focuses on the decennial redistricting process in key states. We call it “Mapping the Future.” The series aims to look forward to how the maps in these states …
Discussion:
Political Insider
Jerry Seper / Washington Times:
Panel finds Justice reluctant to take cases of white victims — The Justice Department stonewalled efforts by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to investigate the dismissal of a civil complaint against the New Black Panther Party, leaving open the question of whether the department is willing …
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah and Patterico's Pontifications