Top Items:
John Heilemann / New York Magazine:
The West Wing, Season II — Almost overnight, Barack Obama overhauled his White House and rewrote much of the script. Now all he needs is a happy ending. — David Axelrod awoke at three in the morning and checked his BlackBerry. It was January 12, a few hours before Barack Obama …
Discussion:
Ezra Klein and Washington Post
RELATED:
Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
State of the union forecast: Atmospherics over policy — When President Barack Obama steps into the House chamber Tuesday to deliver his second State of the Union address, ambience will trump substance. — In his speech, the president will talk about jobs, the deficit and the future …
Discussion:
CNN, Fox Nation, Right Wing News and The Hill
The Caucus:
Speech Will Highlight Obama the Author — The State of the Union address President Obama will deliver on Tuesday was developed during months of deliberations with a small group of White House advisers who helped Mr. Obama channel his instincts as an author.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Obama's transformation culminates in State of the Union
Obama's transformation culminates in State of the Union
Discussion:
CNN and Prairie Weather
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:
Commentary, Politics Daily, Haaretz, Comments from Left Field, Associated Press, Israel Matzav, Harry's Place and The Washington Note
RELATED:
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:
Sky Dancing, Time, Firedoglake, Elder of Ziyon, AMERICAblog News, The Page and The Agonist
Gregg Carlstrom / Aljazeera:
“The biggest Yerushalayim” — PA offered to concede almost …
“The biggest Yerushalayim” — PA offered to concede almost …
Discussion:
AOL News, New York Times, Guardian, msnbc.com and Raw Story
Seumas Milne / Guardian:
Palestinian leaders weak - and increasingly desperate
Palestinian leaders weak - and increasingly desperate
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Informed Comment, Ben Smith's Blog and FrumForum
Gregg Carlstrom / Aljazeera:
Introducing The Palestine Papers
Introducing The Palestine Papers
Discussion:
Washington Post and Guardian, more at Mediagazer »
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Competition Myth — Meet the new buzzword, same as the old buzzword. In advance of the State of the Union, President Obama has telegraphed his main theme: competitiveness. The President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board has been renamed the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
Discussion:
Brilliant at Breakfast, Daily Kos and Prairie Weather
Michael Whitney / Firedoglake:
Statement of Events: Bradley Manning's Primary Visitor Detained at Quantico — At roughly 1:00 pm, upon driving onto the base at Quantico, David House and blogger Jane Hamsher were detained by military guards. House, who is on the Quantico Brig's visitation list, has been visiting Bradley Manning in confinement since last September.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Mother Jones, Informed Comment, Guardian and Prairie Weather
RELATED:
Michael Whitney / Firedoglake:
BREAKING: Military Harassing David House, Jane Hamsher for Visiting Bradley Manning
BREAKING: Military Harassing David House, Jane Hamsher for Visiting Bradley Manning
Discussion:
Pirate's Cove, Raw Story, The Agonist and skippy the bush kangaroo
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
America's treatment of detainees
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Tea time for Antonin Scalia — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will speak on Monday on the separation of powers at an event organized by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and her Tea Party Caucus. — Though the Tea Party Caucus is a conservative group, Bachmann's office confirmed …
Discussion:
Althouse and The Caucus
RELATED:
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, HillBuzz.org, FrumForum and HotAirPundit
Bridget Johnson / The Hill:
The World from The Hill: U.N. funding an early target for House Republicans — A key House Republican is quickly pressing forward with her goals to scale back U.S. funding for the United Nations. — Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Weasel Zippers and FrumForum
City Journal:
Sarah Palin and the Battle for Feminism — When Sarah Palin took the podium in St. Paul to accept her nomination for the vice presidency in September 2008, calm and collected feminists might have recalled the old saw: Be careful what you wish for. Here she was, an ambitious political woman …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
Interviewing Thomas Sowell On Basic Economics — Interviewing Thomas Sowell On Basic Economics — Late last year, I wrote a column for Townhall called, 10 Life Changing Books To Give This Christmas. One of those book was Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics 4th Ed: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy.
Discussion:
YID With LID
John T. Bennett / The Hill:
20 years after Desert Storm, Congress defers to the Pentagon on budgets — Since the swift U.S.-led victory in Operation Desert Storm, Congress largely has shown deference to Pentagon decisions on budgets, weapon programs and war plans - a trend accelerated by the 9/11 attacks, defense experts say.
Wall Street Journal:
Global Price Fears Mount — As Food, Raw Materials Soar, Europe's Central Bank Head Warns on Inflation — Inflation fears—fueled by spiraling food, oil and raw material prices—are mounting around the globe, prompting the head of the European Central Bank to signal that it could raise interest rates …
Discussion:
Paul Krugman, The Big Picture and Economist's View
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:
Firedoglake, Open Congress, Washington Post, The Hill and The Politico
RELATED: