memeorandum: Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour — From Inside Player to White House Contender (Jill Lawrence/Politics Daily)

2:20 PM ET, February 8, 2011

Top Items:

Olbermann Said to Be Going to Current TV — Keith Olbermann, the former top-rated host on the news channel MSNBC, will announce his next television home on Tuesday, and people on Monday familiarwith his plans pointed to a possible deal with the public affairs channel Current TV.

Mark Joyella / Mediaite:

Keith Olbermann's New Gig, Revealed: “Chief News Officer, Current Media” — Less than three weeks after his high-visibility departure from MSNBC, Keith Olbermann has revealed his next step. Fittingly, Olbermann scooped his own news conference with a tweet: “Greetings from Keith Olbermann, Chief News Officer of Current Media!

Discussion: The Jawa Report and Mock, Paper, Scissors

Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Olbermann announces next move

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com

Laurence H. Tribe / New York Times:

On Health Care, Justice Will Prevail — THE lawsuits challenging the individual mandate in the health care law, including one in which a federal district judge last week called the law unconstitutional, will ultimately be resolved by the Supreme Court, and pundits are already making bets on how the justices will vote.

Discussion: Althouse, Patterico's Pontifications, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, campusprogress.org, The New Republic, SCOTUSblog, Politics, Pajamas Media, LewRockwell.com Blog, The Politico, Marginal Revolution, ACS Blog and Newsweek

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

What They Mean by ‘Civility’ — The New York Times raises no objection to murderous, racist rhetoric at a Common Cause rally. — (Best of the tube tonight: We'll discuss Common Cause's smear campaign on “America's Nightly Scoreboard” with David Asman. Fox Business, 7 p.m. ET tonight, with a repeat showing at midnight ET.)

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Betsy's Page, Doug Ross, SCOTUSblog, Jay Currie, Don Surber, TigerHawk, Shot in the Dark and The Daily Caller

Manu Raju / The Politico:

A new Dem threat to health care law — A handful of moderate Senate Democrats are looking for ways to roll back the highly contentious individual mandate — the pillar of President Barack Obama's health care law — a sign that red-state senators are prepared to assert their independence ahead of the 2012 elections.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Note, Guardian, Wake up America, New York Times, Mock, Paper, Scissors, Hot Air and The Huffington Post

The Politico:
GOP hedges on health care funds

Discussion: Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post

Marc A. Thiessen / Washington Post:
Fix or repeal? Obama's health-care trap

Discussion: protein wisdom, National Review and The New Republic

Christine McConville / Boston Herald:

Comic treatment for health plan — MIT econ whiz's hip idea to explain overhaul — The MIT economics whiz who crafted President Obama's national health-care overhaul now plans to explain the complex and controversial plan to the masses — in one long comic book.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Indecision Forever, protein wisdom, Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters.org, Economix, JammieWearingFool, Swampland and Pajamas Media

Lbentzterp / CNN:

CNN Poll: Republicans want winner over ideology in 2012 — Washington (CNN) - Given the choice between a candidate who agrees with them on the issues or a candidate who can defeat President Barack Obama in 2012, a new national poll indicates Republicans overwhelming want a winner.

Discussion: Hot Air, GOP 12 and The Politico

Alexander Burns / The Politico: That's the ticket: GOP loves look of VP field

The Politico:

For jobs Gibbs lacks, the list goes on — Robert Gibbs has held many jobs in his accomplished political career: White House spokesman, presidential confidant, campaign strategist and more. He even ran a Democratic 527 group during the 2004 campaign. — But there are also quite …

Discussion: Commentary

Fred Lucas / CNSNews:
White House Says It Will Implement ObamaCare Despite Judge's …

Discussion: protein wisdom and Weasel Zippers

Ryan Crowe / CBS Dallas:

Mandatory Arabic Classes Coming To Mansfield — MANSFIELD (CBSDFW.COM) - Some Students at Mansfield ISD schools could soon be learning Arabic as a required language. The school district wants students at select schools to take Arabic language and culture classes as part of a federally funded grant.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Pajamas Media, Don Surber, Atlas Shrugs and Liberty Pundits Blog

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Ditching unwritten rules for freshmen, Paul does it his way — Rand Paul has broken with tradition by eschewing the unwritten rules for freshman senators: Keep a low profile, learn the chamber's arcane procedures and cozy up to senior colleagues. — Unlike ex-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton …

Discussion: protein wisdom, The Hill, Barefoot and Progressive and Wonkette

Matthew Belloni / Hollywood Reporter:

Michael Moore Sues Weinsteins Over ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ (Updated) … Filmmaker Michael Moore has sued Harvey and Bob Weinstein, accusing the brothers of “Hollywood accounting tricks” and “financial deception” that cheated him out of at least $2.7 million in profits from the hit documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Other McCain

Nikki Finke / Deadline.com:
Michael Moore vs Movie Accounting: Sues Weinsteins For More 9/11 …

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com and Pajamas Media

Tim Adler / Deadline.com:

First Look: Meryl Streep As Mrs. Thatcher — Pathé UK has released the first shot of Meryl Streep as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Streep is in the 2nd week of filming The Iron Lady here in London. It's the first feature from director Phyllida since she directed Streep in Mamma Mia.

Discussion: Big Hollywood, AmSpecBlog and The Gateway Pundit

David Corn / Politics Daily:

Glenn Beck is walking toward a cliff—or running, or skipping. The question is, will Fox News go flying over the edge with him, or give him a push? — For years, Beck has pitched various conspiracy theories with a rather predictable thrust: the left is out to take over and/or destroy the United States.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, NewsReal Blog, The Reaction, The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog, Commentary and Mother Jones

John Tierney / New York Times:

Social Scientist Sees Bias Within — SAN ANTONIO — Some of the world's pre-eminent experts on bias discovered an unexpected form of it at their annual meeting. — Discrimination is always high on the agenda at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology's conference …

Discussion: Paul Krugman, Freakonomics, National Review, The New Republic, Hit & Run, The Mahablog, Outside the Beltway, Althouse, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Power Line, JustOneMinute, TigerHawk, The Reality-Based Community and Grim's Hall

Lynn Bartels / Denver Post:

Wadhams drops bid for re-election as Colorado GOP chairman — Dick Wadhams on Monday unexpectedly dropped his bid for re-election as chair of the Colorado Republican Party, warning GOP leaders that their chances in 2012 could be “severely undermined” by a strategy aimed solely at uniting conservatives.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and TPMDC

The Fix:
The GOP's nuclear option on spending

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Wake up America, Hot Air and Washington Monthly

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Americans Sympathetic to Egyptian Protesters — Majority think the outcome will be mostly good for the U.S. and for Egypt — PRINCETON, NJ — Most Americans support the protesters who have called for a change in the government in Egypt, with 82% saying they are sympathetic to the protesters …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and The Page

New York Times:

On Evolution, Biology Teachers Stray — Teaching creationism in public schools has consistently been ruled unconstitutional in federal courts, but according to a national survey of more than 900 public high school biology teachers, it continues to flourish in the nation's classrooms.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Volokh Conspiracy and Joanne Jacobs

Lbentzterp / CNN:

Don't mess with the Iowa Caucuses, Gov. says — Washington (CNN) - Don't mess with Iowa. — That's the message Republican Gov. Terry Branstad is delivering to potential presidential candidates who may be tempted to take a pass when it comes to competing in the first-in-the-nation Caucus state …

Discussion: The Page

Sharon Otterman / New York Times:

Most New York Students Are Not College-Ready — New York State education officials released a new set of graduation statistics on Monday that show less than half of students in the state are leaving high school prepared for college and well-paying careers. — The new statistics …

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, Right Wing Nut House, Mother Jones and Balloon Juice

Wall Street Journal:

'I Didn't Raise Taxes Once' — Refreshing the President's memory. — Bill O'Reilly's Fox interview with President Obama on Sunday was fascinating, and not merely because Mr. Obama made clear he's an ardent fan of these pages. What really caught our attention was the President's claim that “I didn't raise taxes once.

Discussion: Politifact.com Truth …, ThinkProgress, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Prairie Weather

Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Online:

Inside the Secret Service — When President Obama and two-thirds of the world's leaders gather in New York City, it is up to the U.S. Secret Service to keep them all safe. Granted unprecedented access, our author tells the story of how the agency pulls off the most complicated security event of the year …

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

Rep. Posey Can't Say If He Takes Govt. Health Care Because He Doesn't ‘Know’ If He's ‘A Federal Employee’ — Over the past few months, congressional Republicans have endured much criticism for privately accepting government-sponsored health insurance as they publicly railed against health care reform.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

‘Absurd’ for Israel to become partisan issue, says ex-Obama adviser — HERZLIYA, Israel — It would be “absurd” if support for Israel becomes a divisive, partisan issue in the U.S. political arena, one of President Obama's former top advisers said Monday. — Amid signs that Israel …

Discussion: The Politico and JammieWearingFool

Terry Davidson / Toronto Sun:

Multiculturalism will fail: Tarek Fatah — A prominent voice in Canada's Muslim community said British Prime Minister David Cameron was “spot on” when he insisted British multiculturalism has failed. — And just like Britain, Canada's will fail, said Muslim Canadian Congress founder Tarek Fatah.

Discussion: National Review

Jill Lawrence / Politics Daily:

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour — From Inside Player to White House Contender … Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has been such a force in national politics for so long that it's a shock to realize most of the country doesn't know him. As he makes preparations to run for president …

Discussion: GOP 12