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:
Ben Smith's Blog, Ezra Klein, Booman Tribune and Washington Post
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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:
ThinkProgress, CNN, Fox Nation, Right Wing News and The Hill
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Obama's transformation culminates in State of the Union — When President Obama delivers his State of the Union address to Congress, it will mark the culmination of a transformation the White House hopes will lead to a second term in 2012. — Obama and his aides began positioning the president …
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post, Prairie Weather and AMERICAblog News
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 …
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, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Jonathan Freedland / Guardian:
Now we know. Israel had a peace partner
Now we know. Israel had a peace partner
Discussion:
Commentary, Politics Daily, Haaretz, Associated Press, Comments from Left Field, Israel Matzav, Harry's Place and The Washington Note
Gregg Carlstrom / Aljazeera:
Introducing The Palestine Papers
Introducing The Palestine Papers
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Guardian, FP Passport and Washington Post
Gregg Carlstrom / Aljazeera:
“The biggest Yerushalayim” — PA offered to concede almost …
“The biggest Yerushalayim” — PA offered to concede almost …
Discussion:
New York Times, AOL News, 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
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:
Informed Comment, Associated Press, Mother Jones, 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
CNN:
Scalia set to speak to Tea Party Caucus on Capitol Hill — Washington (CNN) — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is scheduled to speak Monday in a closed-door meeting with the Tea Party Caucus — an informal group of conservative lawmakers. — The conservative justice is a popular speaker …
Discussion:
The Politico and The Page
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Sarah Palin / USA Today:
'America's lifeguard' — I had the privilege of coming of age during the era of Ronald Reagan. I like to think of him as America's lifeguard. As a teenager, Ronald Reagan saved 77 lives as a lifeguard on the Rock River, which ran through his hometown of Dixon, Ill. The day he was inaugurated in 1981 …
Discussion:
The Politico, Hot Air, HillBuzz.org, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Conservatives4Palin
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:
CNN, Ben Smith's Blog, Scared Monkeys, HillBuzz.org, OpenSecrets.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
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:
Hit & Run and YID With LID
Richard Goldstein / New York Times:
Jack LaLanne, Founder of Modern Fitness Movement, Dies at 96 — Jack LaLanne, whose obsession with grueling workouts and good nutrition, complemented by a salesman's gift, brought him recognition as the founder of the modern physical fitness movement, died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, Calif. He was 96.
Discussion:
Guardian, nancynall.com, JustOneMinute, Scared Monkeys, ABCNEWS and The Awl
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 …
Gretchen Morgenson / New York Times:
Mortgage Giants Leave Legal Bills to the Taxpayers — Since the government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, taxpayers have spent more than $160 million defending the mortgage finance companies and their former top executives in civil lawsuits accusing them of fraud.
Discussion:
The Foundry, New York Magazine and FrumForum
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