Top Items:
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Webb won't seek reelection — Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb plans to announce today that he won't seek reelection, the Senator confirmed Wednesday. — Webb appeared likely to face a rematch with former Senator George Allen, whom he beat in a bruising 2006 contest.
Discussion:
The Politico, Raw Story, AmSpecBlog, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, The Washington Note, Politics, Pajamas Media, JOSHUAPUNDIT and National Review
RELATED:
Ben Pershing / Virginia Politics Blog:
Sen. James Webb won't run for reelection in 2012 — Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) has announced that he will not run for reelection in 2012. — Webb's decision, long anticipated by many in Virginia politics, will make his seat more difficult to hold for his party.
Discussion:
The Fix, Wonkette, The Page, AMERICAblog News and Gawker
Washington Post:
Patriot Act extension fails in the House by seven votes — House Republicans suffered an embarrassing setback Tuesday when they fell seven votes short of extending provisions of the Patriot Act, a vote that served as the first small uprising of the party's tea-party bloc.
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Daily Kos, Bloomberg, Examiner, Sky Dancing, The Foundry, Prairie Weather and ThinkProgress
RELATED:
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The Tea Party and civil liberties — It's long been clear that the best (and perhaps only) political hope for civil liberties in the U.S. is an alliance that transcends the standard Democrat v. GOP or left v. right dichotomies. Last night's surprising (and temporary) failure of the House …
Discussion:
Weigel, The Plum Line, Balloon Juice and Firedoglake
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
House rejects measure that would extend key Patriot Act provisions through December — A measure to extend key provisions of the Patriot Act counterterrorism surveillance law through December failed the House Tuesday night, with more than two-dozen Republicans bucking their party to oppose the measure.
The Politico:
Rank-and-file reject Patriot Act
Rank-and-file reject Patriot Act
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Washington Monthly, Threat Level, Hot Air, The Hill, ThinkProgress, The Nation, The Note and Proof Positive
Chris Moody / The Daily Caller:
Cantor plans to give Obama a business lesson at White House lunch
Cantor plans to give Obama a business lesson at White House lunch
Discussion:
Mock, Paper, Scissors, Washington Post and Daily Kos
Teddy Partridge / Firedoglake:
Tea Party Meets Kucinich Halfway, Foils PATRIOT Act Extension
Tea Party Meets Kucinich Halfway, Foils PATRIOT Act Extension
Discussion:
Washington Post and rubber hose
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
House fails to extend Patriot Act surveillance as Republicans defect
House fails to extend Patriot Act surveillance as Republicans defect
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, National Review, Fox News, Raw Story, Booman Tribune, The Impolitic and Hit & Run
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Obama's Approval Rating on Deficit Sinks to New Low — Egypt ranks among issues on which Obama is best rated — PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama's approval rating for handling the federal budget deficit has gone from bad to worse in recent months, even as his ratings …
Discussion:
The Note, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, Wake up America, Commentary, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air and National Review
RELATED:
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Just as things looked brighter for Obama, Americans' approval …
Just as things looked brighter for Obama, Americans' approval …
Discussion:
Gallup
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Arianna Huffington's ideological transformation — Did Arianna Huffington just sell out her fellow progressives? — In the literal sense, she undoubtedly has: The sale of Huffington Post to AOL for $315 million (including a large pile of cash going to Huffington herself) …
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, The Other McCain, Ezra Klein, Mediaite, The New Republic, Online NewsHour and Hot Air, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Simmi Aujla / The Politico:
West: AOL-HuffPo merger threatens tea party groups
West: AOL-HuffPo merger threatens tea party groups
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Washington Monthly and Weigel
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Labor — Surveying the GOP's latest efforts to usher forth a particular species of fiscal responsibility, I was recalled to a bit of personal history, which I try to not to think about. Like a lot of couples, the notice that our family would increase by a half was greeted with great joy.
RELATED:
Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
Under Banner of Fiscal Restraint, Republicans Plan New Abortion Bills
Under Banner of Fiscal Restraint, Republicans Plan New Abortion Bills
Nicholas Ballasy / CNSNews:
Lautenberg to Pro-Life Republicans: 'Don't Go Near My Daughters'
Lautenberg to Pro-Life Republicans: 'Don't Go Near My Daughters'
Discussion:
The Mahablog, JOSHUAPUNDIT, National Review and Liberty Pundits Blog
Charles Thomas / WLS-TV:
ABC7 poll: Emanuel leading mayor's race — ABC7's exclusive poll on the Chicago mayor's race provides a snapshot of how the candidates are doing as we head into the final two weeks of the campaign. — Rahm Emanuel's 54 percent share in the survey suggests an overwhelming lead …
Discussion:
The Hill
RELATED:
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Rahm Emanuel captures enormous polling lead
Rahm Emanuel captures enormous polling lead
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
Christian M. Wade / TBO Politics:
RNC's former Tampa convention team spent $1 million — TAMPA - They rented an exclusive waterfront mansion, wined and dined at five-star restaurants and hired family members and friends, all on the taxpayers' dime. — Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's 2012 convention team based …
Discussion:
Mother Jones and National Review
John Vidal / Guardian:
Saudi oil reserves ‘overstated by 40%’ — US diplomat convinced by Saudi expert that reserves of world's biggest oil exporter have been overstated by nearly 40% — • Peak oil alarm revealed by secret official talks — • Datablog: Are we running out of oil?
Discussion:
Mother Jones, The Daily Dish, Raw Story, Israel Matzav, Scared Monkeys, Weasel Zippers, Philly.com, The Nation and AMERICAblog News
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Democrats: Justice Thomas should recuse himself in healthcare reform case — A group of 73 House Democrats on Wednesday demanded U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself from any case examining the constitutionality of healthcare reform. — Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) …
Discussion:
The Politico, The Note, Washington Post and The Fix
Chairman Ben S. Bernanke / Board of Governors …:
Testimony — The Economic Outlook and Monetary and Fiscal Policy — Before the Committee on the Budget, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. — Chairman Ryan, Ranking Member Van Hollen, and other members of the Committee, I am pleased to have this opportunity to offer my views …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and Ezra Klein
Suzi Parker / Politics Daily:
Breaking the Sarah Palin Trademark Story: A Lesson in Journalism Ethics … Sometimes a light bulb goes off. — One night at 2 a.m. I was reading a story by Matt Lewis about Herman Cain, a possible 2012 presidential candidate from Georgia. Pursuing the Cain story further …
Discussion:
Firedoglake and Poynter
Daniel Strauss / Ballot Box:
Nelson ‘learning toward’ another Senate run — Sen. Ben Nelson has rehired his former campaign manager, sending a strong signal that he will run for reelection in 2012. — KETV NewsWatch 7 in Nebraska reports that Nelson has brought back Paul Johnson, the manager of his 2006 Senate campaign.
Discussion:
SENATUS
Wall Street Journal:
Apple's New iPad in Production — Apple Inc. has started manufacturing a new version of its iPad tablet computer with a built-in camera and faster processor, said people familiar with the matter. — The new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the first model, these people said.
Discussion:
Mashable!, AOL News, Engadget, GigaOM, L.A. Times Tech Blog and CrunchGear, more at Techmeme »
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Rep. Allen West receives plum speaking slot at conservative gathering — Freshman Tea Party Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) will deliver the coveted closing speech on Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). — West, the headline-grabbing lawmaker and former Army officer …
Discussion:
Cubachi, The Politico, Hotline On Call, Goldfish and Clowns …, Ben Smith's Blog and The Other McCain
Lee Fang / ThinkProgress:
Republicans Call For Defunding Half-Finished Stimulus Projects They Once Supported And Took Credit For — Nearly every Republican voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly known as the stimulus. But the majority of the GOP caucus later took credit for dozens of successful local stimulus jobs and projects.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org blogs:
Chris Matthews Calls Palin ‘A Cuckoo Clock’ and Gingrich ‘A Mortal Enemy to Our Civilization’ — Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey said Monday that MSNBC's Chris Matthews “seems to be slipping out of touch with reality.” — On Tuesday, the “Hardball” host proved Armey's point by calling Sarah Palin …
Michelle Malkin:
Culture of corruption: Who's policing Amtrak Joe Biden's $53 billion rail boondoggles? — Yesterday, we had a little fun with Amtrak Joe Biden's “seize the future” moment during his rail boondoggle event in Philly. Today, I take a serious look at the continued politicization and cronyism in the federal rail bureaucracy.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Denver Post and oversight.house.gov
Oren Kessler / Jerusalem Post:
Muslim Brotherhood text reveals scope of radical creed — Translated by Palestinian Media Watch, book details group's goal of global Islamic conquest. — Talkbacks (2) — One of the greatest beneficiaries of the unrest in Egypt has been the Muslim Brotherhood.
Discussion:
Right Wing News, Babalú Blog, Weasel Zippers and Right Turn