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:
CNN, The Politico, Pajamas Media, Raw Story, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, The Washington Note, AmSpecBlog, Politics, 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:
Weasel Zippers, Wonkette, The Page, AMERICAblog News and Gawker
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Jim Webb's retirement (and what it means) — Virginia Sen. Jim Webb's decision not to seek re-election creates an open seat in traditionally Republican territory that could further tilt the map in the GOP's favor as they aim to win back the Senate in 2012. — Webb's announcement …
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Towleroad News #gay and The Maddow Blog
Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Senator Webb Will Not Run for Re-election
Senator Webb Will Not Run for Re-election
Discussion:
FiveThirtyEight, Indecision Forever and Althouse
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.
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:
Washington Post, Liberal Values, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and Barefoot and Progressive
David Rogers / The Politico:
GOP cuts target EPA, high speed rail
GOP cuts target EPA, high speed rail
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Proof Positive, The Reaction and The Nation
Adam Serwer / The Plum Line:
Newsflash: Tea Party didn't kill Patriot Act
Newsflash: Tea Party didn't kill Patriot Act
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Politico, Weigel and PostPartisan
Russell Berman / The Hill:
After defeat on Patriot Act, Boehner says GOP ‘not perfect every day’
After defeat on Patriot Act, Boehner says GOP ‘not perfect every day’
Discussion:
The Politico and Prairie Weather
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
At CPAC, the race for second place as Paul goes all out — The Conservative Political Action Conference's annual straw poll typically indicates three things: Whom CPAC's segment of the conservative base prefers for president; who bought tickets for their supporters; and whether Ron Paul is really trying.
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Mike / Rortybomb:
Monetary Policy Hearing Today, or: Ron Paul Versus the Kochtopus. — Ron Paul is holding one of his first monetary policy hearings today, and he hasn't sold out. Ron Paul is from the school of libertarians that hates D.C. libertarians, which is weird since Ron Paul is one of the most well-known libertarians …
Discussion:
RedState and Paul Krugman
Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Dem accuses witness invited by Ron Paul of ‘hate group’ ties
Dem accuses witness invited by Ron Paul of ‘hate group’ ties
Discussion:
Oliver Willis
Myglesias / Yglesias:
The Strange Case of Pro-Confederate Monetary Policy
The Strange Case of Pro-Confederate Monetary Policy
Discussion:
LewRockwell.com Blog
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Ron Paul holds first hearing on Federal Reserve
Ron Paul holds first hearing on Federal Reserve
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Financial Services Committee, Little Green Footballs and Raw Story
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 Note
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Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
House Democrats say Justice Thomas should recuse himself in health-care case — Seventy-four House Democrats have signed a letter to Clarence Thomas asking the Supreme Court justice to recuse himself from any deliberations on the constitutionality of the national health care overhaul …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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 …
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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
Myglesias / Yglesias:
The Wages of Disengagement — Senator Barbara Boxer is outraged by the slew of new anti-choice bills being offered up by House Republicans: “It breaks faith with a decades-long bipartisan compromise, and it risks the health and lives of women.” — Ann Friedman's not buying it:
Discussion:
Ann Friedman and Eschaton
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Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Labor — Surveying the GOP's latest efforts to usher forth …
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
Reginald Fields / Plain Dealer:
Ohio Republican lawmakers introduce slew of bills aimed at …
Ohio Republican lawmakers introduce slew of bills aimed at …
Discussion:
Mother Jones
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:
The Politico, The Wrap, The Garlic, The Other McCain, The New Republic, Pajamas Media, Online NewsHour, Mediaite, Slate 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:
Weigel, No More Mister Nice Blog, Ben Smith's Blog, Washington Monthly and Roger Ailes
Marin Cogan / The Politico:
Insurance reality hits House GOP — Ask any House Republican about repealing President Barack Obama's health care law, and you'll get the same fiery, self-assured talking points about tearing down what Speaker John Boehner has called a “monstrosity.” — But talk to some of the 16 freshman lawmakers …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Washington Monthly, Weasel Zippers, The New Republic and msnbc.com
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
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
Michael Levenson / Boston Globe:
Patrick says he considered resigning — In book, governor says news stories took toll on wife — In early 2007, just weeks after taking office, Deval Patrick seriously considered resigning. His wife, weeping and unable to sleep, had been admitted to McLean Hospital with depression.
Discussion:
The Politico and Taegan Goddard's …
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Susan Rice warns GOP against U.N. cuts — United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice said today that the success America has had in using sanctions against Iran should give pause to Republicans who want to weaken U.S. ties to the institution. — The new House majority has renewed pressure on the United Nations …
Mark Bittman / Opinionator:
Is ‘Eat Real Food’ Unthinkable? — In recent weeks we've seen a big, powerful government agency, a big, powerful person and a big, powerful corporation telling us what to eat. Even with all this big, powerful input, we know nothing that we didn't know last year.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Yglesias, Wonkette, New York Times, Connecting.the.Dots, Daily Kos and nancynall.com
Christian Heinze / GOP 12:
Santorum calls out BARBOUR on truce — Rick Santorum tells Glenn Beck there's another trucer (Matt Lewis' term) out there besides Mitch Daniels, and it's the Indiana governor's good friend, Haley Barbour. … While Barbour hasn't been as outspoken as Daniels (if anyone could call the demur Daniels …
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog and Ben Smith's Blog
CNN:
Aide: Giffords can speak — (CNN) — U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, recovering from a gunshot wound to the head sustained January 8, is regaining part of her ability to speak, her spokesman said Wednesday. — C.J. Karamargin would not divulge what Giffords has said, other than saying she asked for toast.
Michelle Malkin / Townhall.com:
Who's Policing Amtrak Joe Biden's Rail Boondoggles? — At Philadelphia's 30th Street Station on Tuesday, lifelong government rail promoter Vice President Joe Biden unveiled a $53 billion high-speed train initiative and half-joked: “I'm like the ombudsman for Amtrak.”
Discussion:
The Foundry and Moonbattery