memeorandum: Top senators seek deal on rules for nominations (Associated Press)

1:30 AM ET, January 24, 2011

Top Items:

Jonathan Freedland / Guardian:

Now we know. Israel had a peace partner — The classified documents show Palestinians willing to go to extreme lengths and Israel holding a firm line on any peace deal — Who will be most damaged by this extraordinary glimpse into the reality of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?

Discussion: Politics Daily, Haaretz, Associated Press, Israel Matzav, Harry's Place and The Washington Note, more at Mediagazer »

Gregg Carlstrom / Aljazeera:

Introducing The Palestine Papers — Al Jazeera has obtained more than 1,600 internal documents from a decade of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. — Over the last several months, Al Jazeera has been given unhindered access to the largest-ever leak of confidential documents related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Discussion: Firedoglake, War in Context, Washington Post and Blazing Cat Fur

Gregg Carlstrom / Aljazeera:

“The biggest Yerushalayim” — PA offered to concede almost all of East Jerusalem, an historic concession for which Israel offered nothing in return. — Ramat Shlomo, Israel - For all the international controversy over construction at this quiet settlement in north Jerusalem, there is little of it in evidence.

Discussion: Guardian, New York Times and Raw Story

Guardian:

Secret papers reveal slow death of Middle East peace process — • Massive new leak lifts lid on negotiations — • PLO offered up key settlements in East Jerusalem — • Concessions made on refugees and Holy sites — The biggest leak of confidential documents in the history …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Elder of Ziyon, FrumForum and The Agonist

Mark Landler / New York Times:
Trying to Break Logjam, Scholar Floats an Idea for a Palestinian Map

Discussion: Commentary, Israel Matzav, The Washington Note and Yglesias

Matthew Robertson / Epoch Times:

Chinese Pianist Plays Propaganda Tune at White House — US humiliated in eyes of Chinese by song used to inspire anti-Americanism — Lang Lang the pianist says he chose it. Chairman Hu Jintao recognized it as soon as he heard it. Patriotic Chinese Internet users were delighted as soon as they saw the videos online.

Michael Whitney / Firedoglake:

BREAKING: Military Harassing David House, Jane Hamsher for Visiting Bradley Manning — Jane Hamsher is with David House who is trying to visit Pvt. Bradley Manning at Quantico today while carrying a petition with 42,000 signatures requesting humane treatment for Manning.

Discussion: Raw Story, Pirate's Cove, The Agonist and skippy the bush kangaroo

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
America's treatment of detainees

Discussion: Informed Comment and CNN

Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:

George Will rejects SOTU ‘pep rally’: ‘Every president ... tries to stroke every erogenous zone in the electorate’ — We're just days away from President Barack Obama's second State of the Union address and while there is a lot of media attention focused on what direction the president …

Discussion: Freedom's Lighthouse

ABCNEWS:
‘This Week’ Transcript: Sens Lieberman, Conrad and Hutchison

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

David Catanese / The Politico:

George Allen to announce Senate bid Monday — Former Sen. George Allen will end weeks of speculation and formally declare his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Virginia on Monday, two Republican advisers tell POLITICO. — Allen, who has been making all the moves of a candidate in recent weeks …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and HotAirPundit

Associated Press:

Top senators seek deal on rules for nominations — WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior senators are negotiating to reduce the 1,400 presidential appointments subject to time-consuming Senate confirmation, hoping to streamline a system that has frustrated administrations of both parties, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

Discussion: Open Congress, The Politico and The Hill

Tom Cohen / CNN:
Date night for Congress?

Discussion: This Just In, The Daily Beast and Michelle Malkin

Erik Wasson / The Hill:
McConnell: I'll sit ‘where I usually sit’

Discussion: Washington Post and CNN

The Auditor:

Gov. Chris Christie declines to counter State of the Union speech — In 1995, Christie Whitman, a New Jersey governor who was a rising Republican Party star, delivered the GOP's response to President Bill Clinton's State of the Union address in front of a cheering crowd in the Assembly chamber.

Discussion: Fox Nation and Ben Smith's Blog

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:

Power, Baby, Power — Tim Lee says that American liberalism has incorporated libertarian critiques at a striking rate over the past few decades: … He's right! And there are both benefits and drawbacks to this. Still, Will Wilkinson points out that liberals and libertarians remain pretty far apart.

Discussion: Sky Dancing

Myglesias / Yglesias:
Union Power — Kevin Drum says: … That's definitely true.

Discussion: Mother Jones

HillBuzz.org:

HAWAII GROUND REPORT: Could Hawaiian Governor Neil Abercrombie not be as incompetent and foolish as he appears, but orchestrating a deliberate birth certificate recovery dead end to cover his own papakole? UPDATED: Mystery solved! Reason Obama will not release birth certificate is because his name …

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Little Green Footballs, Scared Monkeys, Moe Lane, JammieWearingFool, NewsReal Blog, Don Surber and iOwnTheWorld.com

Kim Geiger / Los Angeles Times:

Clarence Thomas failed to report wife's income, watchdog says — Virginia Thomas earned over $680,000 from conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation over 5 years, a group says. But the Supreme Court justice did not include it on financial disclosure forms. — Reporting from Washington —