Top Items:
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Obama's Hostage Deal — I've spent the past couple of days trying to make my peace with the Obama-McConnell tax-cut deal. President Obama did, after all, extract more concessions than most of us expected. — Yet I remain deeply uneasy — not because I'm one of those “purists” …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Questions and Observations, Dennis the Peasant, TPMCafe, Daily Kos, NPR and Prairie Weather
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Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Swindle of the year — Barack Obama won the great tax-cut showdown of 2010 - and House Democrats don't have a clue that he did. In the deal struck this week, the president negotiated the biggest stimulus in American history, larger than his $814 billion 2009 stimulus package.
Discussion:
Clusterstock, Top of the Ticket, Outside the Beltway, The Page and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
Obama Weighs Tax Overhaul in Bid to Address Debt — WASHINGTON — President Obama is considering whether to push early next year for an overhaul of the income tax code to lower rates and raise revenues in what would be his first major effort to begin addressing the long-term growth of the national debt.
Discussion:
The Politico, The Hill, Bloomberg, Sky Dancing, JustOneMinute, TPMDC and Washington Post
NPR:
Transcript: Obama On Taxes, Economy And START … PRESIDENT OBAMA: All right, fire away. — STEVE INSKEEP: OK, we'll jump right into it here. Mr. President, what do you intend to do about the House Democrats who have said that they are not going to bring your plan to a vote in its current form?
Discussion:
National Review and Politics Daily
Scott Horsley / NPR:
Obama ‘Confident’ Congress Will Pass Tax Deal
Obama ‘Confident’ Congress Will Pass Tax Deal
Discussion:
Washington Wire, CNN, Guardian and Parker Spitzer
Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Chuck Schumer vs. President Obama — It wasn't on the White House's official schedule, but on Nov. 22 Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) quietly slipped into the Oval Office on a self-appointed mission to steel Barack Obama for the tax cut fight. — Schumer, the newly anointed message guru …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, The New Republic, JustOneMinute, RedState, The Foundry and Daily Kos
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Susan Crabtree / The Hill:
Dems show signs of abandoning Obama elsewhere after frustration with tax deal — Incensed over President Obama's tax compromise, House Democratic leaders are showing signs of abandoning the administration and going their own way on critical issues such as national security.
Discussion:
Hot Air
Matea Gold / Los Angeles Times:
Obama's tax-cut deal upsets many major donors
Obama's tax-cut deal upsets many major donors
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Taylor Marsh
The Politico:
The dirtiest word in politics: Has Barack Obama been caught triangulating?
The dirtiest word in politics: Has Barack Obama been caught triangulating?
Discussion:
Politics Daily
New York Times:
Senate Leaders Unveil Package of Tax Cuts
Senate Leaders Unveil Package of Tax Cuts
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill and SENATUS
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Senate tax bill lures Democrats with sweeteners
Senate tax bill lures Democrats with sweeteners
Discussion:
Hot Air, Liberty Pundits Blog, Pundit & Pundette, CNN, DownWithTyranny! and Open Congress
Anna Palmer / Roll Call:
Profanity, Anger Spill Over in House Democratic Caucus Meeting — The frustration with President Barack Obama over his tax cut compromise was palpable and even profane at Thursday's House Democratic Caucus meeting. — One unidentified lawmaker went so far as to mutter “f— the president” …
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Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org:
Fineman To Olbermann: Democrats Said of Tax Plan ‘F the President,’ ‘No F-ing Way,’ ‘He F-ed It Up’ — Roll Call reported Thursday that during a heated meeting of House Democrats to discuss Barack Obama's tax compromise plan, an unknown member was heard saying, “F—k the President.”
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Why Harry Reid decided to move foward with DADT vote — Earlier this afternoon, just before Harry Reid went onto the Senate floor and gave a speech calling for a vote on repeal of don't ask don't tell — which has now failed — he turned to a Senate aide and shrugged his shoulders.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Roll Call, The Politico, The White House, The Other McCain, AMERICAblog Gay, Federal Eye, Sky Dancing, The New Republic, A plain blog about politics, Crooks and Liars, VetVoice, Close Read, The Hill, msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, Hot Air, Washington Post, South Capitol Street, MyDD, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Towleroad News #gay, The Moderate Voice and The Daily Dish
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Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Snowe, Collins pledge support for New START
Snowe, Collins pledge support for New START
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — Obama honors Nobel winner with statement about himself — There was an extraordinary scene at the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo Friday morning. The prize went to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was barred by the Chinese government from attending the ceremony.
Discussion:
Shot in the Dark, Commentary and JammieWearingFool
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Wall Street Journal:
Big Patent Firm Sues Nine Tech Firms — Technology companies on Wednesday received troubling news that some had feared for years: Intellectual Ventures LLC has started suing. — The secretive firm co-founded by former Microsoft Corp. Chief Technology Officer Nathan Myhrvold has raised $5 billion …
Discussion:
Yglesias, Mother Jones and Felix Salmon
Sarah Palin / Wall Street Journal:
Why I Support the Ryan Roadmap — Let's not settle for the big-government status quo, which is what the president's deficit commission offers. — The publication of the findings of the president's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform was indeed, as the report was titled, “A Moment of Truth.”
Discussion:
CNN, Hot Air, The Page, GOP 12, iOwnTheWorld.com, AmSpecBlog, Conservatives4Palin.com, The Gateway Pundit and Israpundit
ABCNEWS:
Assange Lawyers Prepare for U.S. Spying Indictment — Attorney Says American Indictment Related to Espionage Act Imminent for Wikileaks Founder — Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the man behind the publication of more than a 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables …
Discussion:
The Firewall, Foreign Policy, The Nation, News: News blog, Guardian and The Agonist, more at Techmeme »
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Steven Erlanger / New York Times:
Europeans Criticize Fierce U.S. Response to Leaks
Europeans Criticize Fierce U.S. Response to Leaks
Discussion:
Democracy in America, Eunomia, Don Surber and Foreign Policy
Bloomberg:
Americans in Poll Want Deficit Cut With Entitlements Secured — Americans want Congress to bring down a federal budget deficit that many believe is “dangerously out of control,” only under two conditions: minimize the pain and make the rich pay. — The public wants Congress to keep …
Discussion:
The Note and Capital Gains and Games blogs
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Slim Majority of Americans Would Vote for DREAM Act Law — Fifty-four percent favor granting legal status to illegal immigrants brought to U.S. as children — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are more likely to say they would vote for than against a law that would grant legal status …
Discussion:
The Politico and TPMDC
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Washington Wire:
The Number: $858 Billion — The Obama-McConnell tax compromise will cost $858 billion over the next 10 years, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. — In other words, the Republican-backed tax plan will cost more than the stimulus bill, which priced out at $787 billion.
Discussion:
Dennis the Peasant
Paul Harris / Daily Mail:
Defacing the Cenotaph, urinating on Churchill... how young thugs at student protest broke every taboo — In a grotesque insult to those who championed the very freedoms which allowed them to stage their protest, a baying rabble of masked and hooded troublemakers turned a student demonstration into anarchy yesterday.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, National Review and Guardian
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David Brooks / New York Times:
Obama's Very Good Week — Over the past week we've seen the big differences between cluster liberals and network liberals. Cluster liberals (like cluster conservatives) view politics as a battle between implacable opponents. As a result, they believe victory is achieved through maximum unity.
Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Santorum: A 2012 long shot tests the water — GOFFSTOWN, N.H. - It was pushing 10 p.m., and Rick Santorum was sitting at the corner table in a near-empty Dunkin' Donuts. The garishly lit scene might have been lifted straight from the movie “Primary Colors.”
Discussion:
Ballot Box, USA Today, GOP 12 and The Page
CNN:
Palin to make surprise trip to Haiti — (CNN) - It turns out that Sarah Palin's next overseas trip won't be to England or Israel, as was widely reported Thursday. — CNN has learned that the former Alaska governor will be traveling to Haiti this weekend with Franklin Graham and his relief organization Samaritan's Purse.
Discussion:
Online NewsHour, The Politico, National Review and Cubachi
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Becky Bohrer / Associated Press:
Palin to visit Haiti for humanitarian effort
Palin to visit Haiti for humanitarian effort
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Christianity Today, The Daily Beast and Conservatives4Palin.com
Pam Spaulding / Pam's House Blend:
A New Year's wish for the community: Joe Solmonese's resignation — I'm sure you know that's been my position for some time, but in harmony with Autumn's post last night that summarized the complete Senate legislative fail yesterday, it's simply too easy to point the finger at just Harry Reid …
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay
Justin Lahart / Wall Street Journal:
Companies Cling to Cash — Coffers Swell to 51-year high as Cautious Firms Put Off Investing in Growth — Corporate America's cash pile has hit its highest level in half a century. — Rather than pouring their money into building plants or hiring workers, nonfinancial companies in the U.S …
Shane D'Aprile / Ballot Box:
Manchin votes against 'Don't ask' repeal, then apologizes — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) appeared to take a stand on the repeal of “Don't ask, don't tell” Thursday, becoming the only Senate Democrat to vote against a procedural motion to move the measure forward.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …