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Barack Obama takes opportunity Sarah Palin missed — In the span of a single news cycle, Republicans got a jarring reminder of two forces that could prevent them from retaking the presidency next year. — At sunrise in the east on Wednesday, Sarah Palin demonstrated that she has little interest …
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Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Salon, A plain blog about politics, RedState, Outside the Beltway, No More Mister Nice Blog, AOL News, The Sundries Shack, Guardian, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Plum Line, Ben Smith's Blog, neo-neocon, Washington Monthly, Taegan Goddard's … and Balloon Juice
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Christie Says Palin Needs to Go Unscripted to Contend for 2012 — Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey says it's way too early to handicap the field of his fellow Republicans who might run for president in 2012, but on Wednesday he voiced a few sharp words about the most famous one.


Obama and Palin, a Tale of Two Speeches — President Obama spoke Wednesday night at an event at the McKale Memorial Center honoring the shooting victims in Tucson. — Wednesday was bookended by two remarkable — and remarkably different — political performances that demonstrated the vast expanse of America's political landscape.
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msnbc.com, NewsBusters.org, iOwnTheWorld.com, Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo, Runnin' Scared, AMERICAblog News, Washington Monthly and Marbury

Remarks by the President at a Memorial Service for the Victims of the Shooting in Tucson, Arizona — McKale Memorial Center University of Arizona — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Please, please be seated. (Applause.)


John Boehner turns down Air Force One ride to Tucson — Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) turned down an offer by President Barack Obama to travel on Air Force One to Arizona for a memorial service on behalf of the victims of Saturday's shooting, a decision that has upset some Democrats.
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USA Today, Hot Air, CNN, Mediaite, Wake up America, Politics Daily, Riehl World View, Taylor Marsh, Outside the Beltway, FrumForum and The Hill
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Obama speech undercuts federal charge for judge's murder
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The Daily Dish, Emptywheel and Don Surber


Boehner Didn't Really Snub Obama, Tucson Memorial
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Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, Gawker and Raw Story

As We Mourn — It is a president's responsibility to salve a national wound.
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The Caucus, Don Surber, Verum Serum, Daily Kos, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and AOL News

GOP leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor: We're against Rep. Peter …
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The Hill, Raw Story, National Review and Salon

White House seeks momentum after speech praised by right, left — The White House hopes to build on any momentum created from President Obama's emotional speech in Arizona with the State of the Union address later this month. — Obama's speech Wednesday night at a memorial service for victims …
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CNN
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Facing Challenge, Obama Returns to Unity Theme
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JustOneMinute, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, The Empire, Moonbattery and The Gateway Pundit

Branding the Tucson massacre: “Together We Thrive” …
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Hot Air, Firedoglake, No More Mister Nice Blog, BlogPost, Hullabaloo, Politics Daily, Fox Nation, Tammy Bruce, Scared Monkeys, The Moderate Voice, Liberty Pundits Blog, The Mahablog, Newshoggers.com, alicublog, Pundit & Pundette, NewsBusters.org blogs, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Pajamas Media, TBogg, The Gateway Pundit, Crooks and Liars, JammieWearingFool, Gawker, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Proof Positive, American Power, Roll Call, Doug Ross and Breaking News

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison won't seek re-election in 2012 — gjeffers@dallasnews.com — Kay Bailey Hutchison will not run for re-election to the U.S. Senate. — In a letter to supporters, Hutchison said she enjoyed serving Texas. — “I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate …
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Washington Monthly, TPMDC, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos, Pajamas Media, The Page, AmSpecBlog, msnbc.com and FrumForum
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Thoughts on Hutchison — Regardless of the official reasons …
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Hotline On Call

'It's time for a new person,' U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says
Discussion:
National Review and The Daily Caller


If Elected President, Pawlenty Tells Fischer He'll Reinstate Don't Ask, Don't Tell — There are few Religious Right leaders active today who can compete with the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer in terms of openly hostile bigotry against gays, Muslims, and all those who do not share his radical worldview:
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Pawlenty To Bryan Fischer: I'd Support Reinstating DADT
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Talking Points Memo

Dems settle on branding for GOP repeal effort: “The Patient's Rights Repeal Act” — “The Patient's Rights Repeal Act.” — At a House Dem leadership meeting last week, Dem leaders decided that this is the phrase they will officially use to brand the House GOP's push to repeal health reform, aides tell me.
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Daily Kos
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House GOP to move forward with repeal next week
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Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Caucus, Raw Story, TPMDC and Swampland

Conservatives Accuse Obama Of Lying About Giffords Opening Eyes; Her Doctors Disagree — In one of the most cynical displays in recent memory, following the lead of Gateway Pundit Jim Hoft, several conservative websites - including Fox Nation and MRC arm CNS News - suggested that President Obama lied …
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Giffords' Eye Opening News
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The Gateway Pundit, CNSNews, Fox Nation, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Mediaite

Doctors cite ‘major milestone’ in Rep. Giffords's recovery, remain cautious
Discussion:
The Politico


Why the Left Lost It — The accusation that the tea parties were linked to the Tucson murders is the product of calculation and genuine belief. — There has been a great effort this week to come to grips with the American left's reaction to the Tucson shooting.
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American Power, The Politico, HillBuzz.org, Cato @ Liberty and Opposing Views
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S&P, Moody's Warn On U.S. Credit Rating — LONDON—Two leading credit rating agencies on Thursday cautioned the U.S. on its credit rating, expressing concern over a deteriorating fiscal situation that they say needs correction. — Moody's Investors Service said in a report Thursday …

Romney Locks in Beeson, Newhouse for '12 Bid — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has secured both a pollster and a political director for his near-certain presidential bid this coming cycle, according to sources connected to Romney's 2008 presidential effort.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, Outside the Beltway and TPMDC


Don't Try This at Home: Adultery in the Marital Bed — THE woman who came to see Ken Altshuler, a divorce lawyer, had reason to be enraged: her husband was not only having an affair, he was also having an extravagant, money's-no-concern, fabled-and-faraway-beaches affair.
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Jezebel, New York Magazine and Runnin' Scared

House GOP to move quickly on healthcare 1099 tax repeal — Republicans signaled Wednesday that repealing a controversial tax provision in the healthcare law is one of their most pressing priorities. — House Republicans have re-numbered the bill repealing the tax requirement as H.R. 4 …
Discussion:
Hot Air and Michelle Malkin
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GOP in a bind over healthcare repeal vote
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Patterico's Pontifications and RedState


A Fifth Star for David Petraeus — The general clearly deserves to join the rank held by MacArthur, Marshall and Nimitz. His promotion would also honor our troops and their mission in the war on terror. — On a cold December evening in 1783, at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan …
Discussion:
Parker Spitzer, Commentary, The Moderate Voice and Swampland


What the left did wrong — Why were the last four days a mini-disaster for the swampland of the left? It boils down to: facts, response and time. — Members of the left pounced first and didn't much care about the facts. Before it was clear just how crazy Jared Loughner is …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, neo-neocon, Booman Tribune and Pajamas Media

Congressman's wife gets 30 days in jail for tax conviction — The wife of Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) was sentenced to 30 days in jail Thursday for helping her brother engage in tax fraud. — Patricia Tierney, 59, pleaded guilty in October to four counts of helping her brother …
Discussion:
Boston Globe


What violent rhetoric? Another right-wing nutcase arrested for threatening congressman. Was O'Reilly the inspiration? — Gee, and here I thought that all this talk about violent rhetoric was just a figment of our liberal imaginations: — One arrested in threats against Seattle congressman
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Daily Kos, Shakesville, DownWithTyranny!, TPMMuckraker and Gawker