Top Items:
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
Republicans Lower Goal for Cuts to Budget — WASHINGTON — Many people knowledgeable about the federal budget said House Republicans could not keep their campaign promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending in a single year. Now it appears that Republicans agree.
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Carl Hulse / New York Times:
As Boehner Ascends, His Power Comes With Caveats — WASHINGTON — Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio is set to complete a remarkable political revival Wednesday when he becomes the 61st speaker of the House, placing him squarely at the crossroads between the desires of conservative activists …
Discussion:
CNN, The Politico, NationalJournal.com, Online NewsHour, American Power, Hotline On Call, The Caucus, New York Magazine and Roll Call
Kathleen Hennessey / Los Angeles Times:
‘Tea party’ freshmen embrace status quo — After campaigning against D.C.'s ways, new Republican lawmakers quickly turn to lobbyists and fundraisers. — Reporting from Washington — The new class of Republican lawmakers who charged into office promising to shun the ways …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Happy 112th Congress — Speaker Boehner: 'This is the people's House' — Cincinnati chili, Graeter's ice cream in Cannon Caucus - Pelosi promise to be ‘willing partner’ — Fallon rises — BULLETIN - FROM INCOMING SPEAKER BOEHNER'S PREPARED REMARKS — swearing-in about 2:30 p.m. …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Page and News Desk
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Report: House GOP backing away from promise to cut $100 billion in spending this year? — Their excuse will be that the fiscal year, which began on October 1, will already be almost half over by the time the budgetary resolution that was passed during the lame duck runs out in March.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Fausta's Blog, Flopping Aces, National Review and Patterico's Pontifications
Robert Pear / New York Times:
U.S. Alters Rule on Paying for End-of-Life Planning
U.S. Alters Rule on Paying for End-of-Life Planning
Discussion:
Washington Post and Ezra Klein
New York Times:
Pomp, and Little Circumstance
Pomp, and Little Circumstance
Discussion:
The Politico, NewsBusters.org blogs, Weasel Zippers and The Reid Report
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Boehner, congressional leaders change Twitter titles in web change-of-power
Boehner, congressional leaders change Twitter titles in web change-of-power
Discussion:
CNN, Post Tech and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
GOP congressional leaders are acting a lot like their predecessors
GOP congressional leaders are acting a lot like their predecessors
Discussion:
American Spectator, Firedoglake, The Politico, PostPartisan and Prairie Weather
Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
Wily old Dems take on whippersnapper Republicans
Wily old Dems take on whippersnapper Republicans
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
In House, new Republican majority plans to act fast to undo Obama's agenda
In House, new Republican majority plans to act fast to undo Obama's agenda
Discussion:
Hot Air, The BLT and The Other McCain
The Hill:
Tight calendar for 112th limits GOP's options on spending cuts
Tight calendar for 112th limits GOP's options on spending cuts
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Politico, Prairie Weather and TPMDC
Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Republicans Set to Wield New Power in Washington
Republicans Set to Wield New Power in Washington
Discussion:
Yahoo! News and Pirate's Cove
John R. Parkinson / ABCNEWS:
Exclusive: President Michele Bachmann? — Sources: Tea Party Favorite Is Mulling a Presidential Bid in 2012 — Forget the fervent chatter speculating that Tea Party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann is considering launching a campaign to challenge Sen. Amy Klobuchar for the Minnesota U.S. Senate seat …
Discussion:
TPMDC, Washington Monthly, The Note, SpyTalk, Comments from Left Field, Outside the Beltway, Joe. My. God. and GOP 12
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Bachmann to Iowa as she considers presidential bid — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is planning a trip to Iowa, perhaps to explore the possibility of a run for president in 2012. — Bachmann's office confirmed on Wednesday that the Tea Party lawmaker planned to hold a fundraiser …
Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:
Gibbs to Leave as White House Press Secretary — Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary and close confidante to President Obama, said Wednesday that he will step down and become an outside political adviser to the president and his re-election campaign.
Discussion:
The Hill, Hotline On Call and Towleroad News #gay, more at Mediagazer »
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Brobinson / Fox Nation:
Speaker Pelosi Leaves With a Whopper — At her final press conference as House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “Deficit reduction has been a high priority for us. It is our mantra, pay-as-you-go.” — The numbers tell a different story. — When the Pelosi Democrats took control …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Scared Monkeys, TigerHawk, Weasel Zippers and Doug Ross
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Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
‘Speaker’ Pelosi finally gives up title on Twitter — If she's not “Speaker” on Twitter anymore, Nancy Pelosi's time leading the House majority must really be over. — Pelosi's held onto the title through Tuesday - though the Constitution would suggest she lost that title at noon Monday …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Warren P. Strobel / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
WikiLeaks: ‘Voluptuous’ nurse cable costs diplomat his job — WASHINGTON — In what appears to be the first diplomatic casualty from the latest WikiLeaks revelations, the U.S. ambassador to Libya has returned to Washington and is likely to leave his post, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Discussion:
The Politico, New York Magazine and Guardian
David Harsanyi / Denver Post:
The Constitution is dead. Long live the Constitution. — Every patriotic fiber of my body tells me that reading the Constitution aloud at the commencement of congressional sessions is a good idea. Heck, a pop quiz might even be in order. It is vital that members of Congress fully immerse themselves …
Discussion:
Cold Fury
CNN:
Tea Party leaders not swayed by Lugar meeting — Washington (CNN) - Hoping to head off a primary challenge from the right, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, sat down with Tea Party leaders last month but did little to persuade them of his conservative credentials.
Discussion:
Ballot Box and Taegan Goddard's …
Chris Christie / Zogby:
New Jersey Governor Leads Obama, 43%-40% — UTICA, New York - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie leads a hypothetical field of contenders for the Presidential nomination among Republican voters, and is the only Republican tested who leads President Barack Obama among all voters …
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, Fox Nation and Hot Air
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Nathan Frandino / CBS New York:
Poll: Christie Ahead Of Obama Among GOP Hopefuls
Poll: Christie Ahead Of Obama Among GOP Hopefuls
Discussion:
Paul Mulshine and Weigel
Ezra Klein:
Repealing health-care reform would cost hundreds of billions of dollars — and Eric Cantor knows it — House Republicans are in a pickle: One of their new rules says that new legislation must be paid for. But the health-care bill reduces the federal deficit by more than $100 billion over the next 10 years.
Discussion:
The New Republic, The Caucus, Oliver Willis and Washington Post
Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft:
Norquist Triumphant — Digby: … The problem is not the deficit sez the Beltway. The problem is government spending. This is what Obama's Deal has wrought. Grover Norquist has won. As Digby says: … This victory for Norquist was achieved by the “most progressive President of ALL TIME!!!!!!!!”
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
David Leonhardt / Economix:
Q.&A. With Gov. Mitch Daniels — Following are excerpts of my recent interview with Mitch Daniels, the Republican governor of Indiana: — Q. ... what is it that government essentially does too much of now? What's the common theme here of things that you can get government to stop doing without adversely affecting people's lives?
Discussion:
The Fix, Ben Smith's Blog, New York Times and Taegan Goddard's …
Reuters:
Chavez floats Stone, Penn, Clinton for U.S. envoy — (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sought to end a diplomatic stand-off with the United States on Tuesday by suggesting it name Bill Clinton, actor Sean Penn or director Oliver Stone as its envoy to Caracas.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Michael Theodoulou / Daily Mail:
Vulture tagged by Israeli scientists flies into Saudi Arabia ... and is arrested for being a spy — A vulture tagged by scientists at Tel Aviv University has strayed into Saudi Arabian territory, where it was promptly arrested on suspicion of being a Mossad spy, Israeli and Saudi media reported Tuesday.
Discussion:
Spectator, Don Surber, The Atlantic Online, Cubachi, The Jawa Report, Raw Story, TPMMuckraker and Arutz Sheva
Lee Fang / ThinkProgress:
Theater Audience Boos Tea Party Billionaire David Koch — David Koch masks his role as one of the top financiers of the Tea Party movement and pro-polluter front groups by loudly tacking his name to more laudable charities, like the New York city ballet. Koch, who has professed his devotion to …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Wall Street Journal:
Facebook Deal Spurs Inquiry — SEC Launches Review of 1960s-Era Disclosure Regulations for Private Firms — The Securities and Exchange Commission has begun examining whether disclosure rules for privately held firms need to be rewritten as a result of recent deals allowing investors …
Discussion:
Paul Kedrosky's …