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 …
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO BREAK KEY PROMISE ON DAY 1.... When House Republican leaders unveiled their Pledge to America in September, it included a pretty striking promise to voters — if elected, the GOP majority would “roll back government spending” by “at least $100 billion in the first year alone.”
Reuters:
Anti-Nancy Pelosi vote looms — House Democrats are closely watching who votes against Rep. Nancy Pelosi during the floor session that officially taps the next speaker of the House — a roll call that may show some lingering anti-Pelosi sentiment among a handful of Democrats.
Discussion:
The Note, The Politico, Weasel Zippers and The Caucus
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:
Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, Cold Fury, The Gateway Pundit, TigerHawk, Scared Monkeys, Weasel Zippers and Doug Ross
Erik Wasson / The Hill:
House Republicans back away from pledge to cut $100 billion from budget
House Republicans back away from pledge to cut $100 billion from budget
Discussion:
Yglesias and National Review
Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
Wily old Dems take on whippersnapper Republicans
Wily old Dems take on whippersnapper Republicans
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
New York Times:
Pomp, and Little Circumstance
Pomp, and Little Circumstance
Discussion:
YID With LID, Don Surber, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Reid Report and Weasel Zippers
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Happy 112th Congress — Speaker Boehner: 'This is the people's …
Happy 112th Congress — Speaker Boehner: 'This is the people's …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, The Page, Washington Post and News Desk
Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:
Gibbs to Leave as White House Press Secretary — Updated 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:
Political Punch, USA Today, Washington Monthly, Ballot Box, The Politico, Fox Nation, Swampland, Mediaite, Left Coast Rebel, CANNONFIRE, AOL News, The Fix, The Impolitic, Wonkette, RedState, Hotline On Call, Raw Story, Emptywheel, Weigel, TPMDC, The Daily Caller, BLACKFIVE, AmSpecBlog, New York Magazine, Atlas Shrugs, Gawker and Towleroad News #gay, more at Mediagazer »
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Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Howard Dean endorses Daley for chief of staff, rips White House — Former DNC chairman and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said Wednesday that William Daley would be a “huge plus” for the Obama administration if he is tapped to be the president's new chief of staff.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and TPMDC
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Robert Gibbs will leave job as White House press secretary — White House press secretary Robert Gibbs will leave his position early next month, according to a senior administration official. — Gibbs, the top public voice for the Obama administration, will pursue opportunities outside …
Discussion:
blogs.telegraph.co.uk, The Nation, Weasel Zippers and TPMDC
Steve Holland / Reuters:
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs to resign
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs to resign
Discussion:
Associated Press and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
Morning Bits — In other words, he drives the left batty.
Morning Bits — In other words, he drives the left batty.
Discussion:
The Nation, The Daily Beast, Moe Lane and Wall Street Journal
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:
Progress Illinois, The Caucus, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, The New Republic, Oliver Willis, Washington Post and TPMDC
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Boehner, congressional leaders change Twitter titles in web change-of-power — In twin moves reflecting their new roles in the next Congress, Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) modified their official handles on Twitter. — Pelosi, the outgoing Speaker of the House …
Kathleen Hennessey / Los Angeles Times:
‘Tea party’ freshmen embrace status quo
‘Tea party’ freshmen embrace status quo
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
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:
Washington Monthly, American Spectator, The Politico, Firedoglake, PostPartisan and Prairie Weather
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
‘Speaker’ Pelosi finally gives up title on Twitter
‘Speaker’ Pelosi finally gives up title on Twitter
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
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:
Online NewsHour, The Other McCain and The BLT
Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Republicans Set to Wield New Power in Washington
Republicans Set to Wield New Power in Washington
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, Pirate's Cove and Weigel
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 …
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Bachmann to Iowa as she considers presidential bid
Robert Pear / New York Times:
U.S. Alters Rule on Paying for End-of-Life Planning — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, reversing course, will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning as part of the annual physical examinations covered under the new health care law, administration officials said Tuesday.
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Washington Post, Weasel Zippers, Shakesville, AMERICAblog News, Da Techguy's Blog and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS
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, AOL News, New York Magazine and Guardian
Ezra Klein:
The incumbent's advantage — In theory, I'm the perfect customer for the Nissan Leaf. I don't drive frequently. I don't need a car with much space. I never need to go farther than 100 miles at a time. — But the Nissan Leaf wouldn't work for me at all, as I don't own a garage …
Discussion:
Slate
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, Taegan Goddard's … and National Review
New York Times:
There He Goes Again — Justice Antonin Scalia has a knack for drawing unflattering light to himself and the Supreme Court. Recall, for example, when he refused to recuse himself from a case involving the energy task force run by Dick Cheney, his friend and duck-hunting companion, when Mr. Cheney was vice president.
Discussion:
SCOTUSblog, Daily Kos, The Huffington Post, PostPartisan, Salon, Gawker and Law Blog
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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
Don Surber:
David Corn goes Ezra Klein — The Constitution? — Liberals won't hear of it. — Young Ezra Klein was the first to cover his ears and go la-la-la-la at the thought of someone publicly reading the Constitution. — He messed up by saying the Constitution is old and the language is archaic and waah!
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Althouse and AOL News
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