memeorandum: The Decline of the Justice Department (Mwarren/Weekly Standard)

9:10 PM ET, January 22, 2011

Top Items:

Bill Carter / Media Decoder:

Olbermann's MSNBC Exit Was Weeks in the Making — On Thursday, NBC's news division staged an elaborate presentation for advertisers, seeking to sell commercial time in NBC's news programs over the next year. All the members of MSNBC's prime-time lineup spoke at the lunch with one exception …

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Wire, Daily Kos, Seeing the Forest and HotAirPundit, more at Mediagazer »

TMZ.com:

Keith Olbermann's Exit — Secret Deal — Keith Olbermann saw the handwriting on the wall with the new owner of NBC and cut a deal for his exit that will give him money and options — sources tell TMZ. — Here's how it went down. Sources familiar with the situation tell us …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Epicenter and YID With LID

Deadline.com:

NEW DETAILS: “MSNBC And Keith Olbermann Have Ended Their Contract”; Lefty MSNBC About To Make Right Turn? — 2ND UPDATE, SATURDAY AM: An MSNBC insider told this to Deadline today about Keith Olbermann's departure Friday: … Rachel Maddow & Bill Maher React To Keith Olbermann's Ouster

Discussion: Mixed Media, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, Liberty Pundits Blog, National Review and HillBuzz.org

New York Post:

MSNBC pulls plug on gasbag Olbermann — Broadcast blowhard Keith Olbermann's countdown has finally come to an end. — The liberal lip of MSNBC was unceremoniously dumped by the peacock network last night in a major shakeup that set tongues wagging across the broadcast world.

Discussion: Hot Air, Salon, NewsBusters.org blogs, Pajamas Media, his vorpal sword and The Daily Caller

Howard Kurtz / The Daily Beast:
Keith Olbermann Quits Countdown

David Bauder / Associated Press:
Keith Olbermann gives abrupt goodbye to MSNBC show

Discussion: HillBuzz.org, Moonbattery, The Wire, FrumForum, Michelle Malkin, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite and Instapundit

Sam Schechner / Wall Street Journal:
MSNBC, Olbermann Call It Quits, Cancel Show

Discussion: Speakeasy, Doug Ross and No Left Turns

msnbc.com:
Olbermann signs off msnbc

Discussion: NewsBusters.org blogs, The Nation, Scripting News, Scared Monkeys, Runnin' Scared, NewsBusters.org, Guardian, Jesus' General, Daily Kos, Media Decoder, Mediaite and JammieWearingFool, more at Mediagazer »

The Note:

Romney Wins New Hampshire Republican Party Committee Straw Poll — ABC News Political Director Amy Walter reports: — In the first ever “straw poll” of New Hampshire Republican party committee members sponsored by ABC News and WMUR and sanctioned by the state Republican party …

Discussion: CNN, Cubachi, TPMDC, The Other McCain, Scared Monkeys and LewRockwell.com Blog

Kasie Hunt / The Politico:

Mitt Romney wins N.H. GOP straw poll — DERRY, N.H. - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the first presidential straw poll of the 2012 cycle, kicking off New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary election race. — Romney won with 35 percent, beating second-place finisher Ron Paul …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and FrumForum

James Pindell / WMUR Political Scoop:

Results: WMUR, ABC News, NH GOP 2012 Straw Poll — Here are the results from the WMUR, ABC News, NH GOP 2012 Straw Poll that was conducted today at the NH GOP annual meeting held at Pinkerton Academy in Derry. — Nearly 500 republicans were eligible to vote, and 273 of them cast ballots.

Discussion: The Fix, The Hill, iOwnTheWorld.com, Freedom's Lighthouse and TPMDC

Abby Goodnough / New York Times:
Tea Party Activist Takes Over New Hampshire G.O.P.

Discussion: Politics Daily and Associated Press

Alexander Burns / The Politico:
First in nation, last with Sarah Palin

Discussion: Anchorage Daily News, CNN and Conservatives4Palin

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

Spotlight From Glenn Beck Brings a CUNY Professor Threats — On his daily radio and television shows, Glenn Beck has elevated once-obscure conservative thinkers onto best-seller lists. Recently, he has elevated a 78-year-old liberal academic to celebrity of a different sort, in a way that some say is endangering her life.

Discussion: Power Line, Sky Dancing, Mediaite, TPMCafe, New York Magazine, Zandar Versus The Stupid, The Reaction, Outside the Beltway, Prairie Weather, iOwnTheWorld.com, The Nation, Balloon Juice and Hullabaloo

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
WHEN BECK'S MINIONS GET THE MESSAGE.... Glenn Beck doesn't just rail …

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, American Power and The Mahablog

Mike Stopa / Boston Globe:

The reality of death panels — ObamaCare's end-of-life planning comes down to economics — SUPPORTERS OF President Obama's health care reform law have relentlessly derided Sarah Palin's notion of “death panels” as a vulgar rhetorical technique, with no basis in reality …

Discussion: Don Surber and Conservatives4Palin

Mwarren / Weekly Standard:

The Decline of the Justice Department — Mukasey's verdict on Holder. — Former attorney general Michael Mukasey is not prone to hyperbole. He's a former federal judge, a meticulous lawyer, and, as he proved in succeeding Alberto Gonzales, a skilled administrator who restored morale …

Discussion: Power Line and Pajamas Media

CNN:

Former U.S. lawmaker assisting Duvalier — Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — A former U.S. congressman was among a group of American attorneys accompanying former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier as he spoke in the country's capital Friday. — Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Eunomia, Outside the Beltway and Hit & Run

Wall Street Journal:

Obama to Push New Spending — State of Union Speech to Call for Boosting ‘Competitiveness’ While Nodding to Need for Budget Cuts — President Barack Obama and GE's Jeffrey Immelt, left, with plant manager Kevin Sharkey, visited a GE factory Friday to talk about green jobs.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, The Gateway Pundit, Fausta's Blog, Weasel Zippers, Firedoglake, Fox News, RedState, protein wisdom, Pajamas Media and FrumForum

Tim Hoover / Denver Post:

Secretary of State plans to moonlight with old firm — Less than two weeks on the job, Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler says the $68,500 a year salary doesn't pay enough. — That's why Gessler, a Republican, says he is going to be moonlighting as a lawyer for his old law firm …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and The Huffington Post

Big Journalism:

Washington Post Organizes News Boycott of Sarah Palin; Starts Twitter Campaign Against GOP Star — The Washington Post is engaging in online political activism by encouraging its readers to boycott news coverage of Sarah Palin. — The Post has picked up the call initiated this morning …

Discussion: Don Surber, Publius Forum, Liberty Pundits Blog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway, Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Wire, Hot Air and The Nation

Tom Diemer / Politics Daily:

Obama on Abortion Ruling Anniversary: Government ‘Should Not Intrude’ … On the 38th annivesary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, President Obama said Saturday said he is committed to protecting what he considers a fundamental principle: “government should not intrude on private family maters.”

Discussion: theblogprof and The Moderate Voice

Kathie Obradovich / Des Moines Register:

Bachmann impresses some top Iowa Republicans — Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann received strong reviews from some top Iowa Republicans tonight but left them guessing about her intentions for the 2012 presidential race. — I live-tweeted her remarks. There's also Register coverage at Iowa Politics Insider.

Discussion: Cubachi, CNN, Liberty Pundits Blog, Derek Wallbank and Raw Story