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:
Raw Story, AmSpecBlog, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, The Washington Note, Pajamas Media, Politics, JOSHUAPUNDIT and National Review
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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, Weasel Zippers, Wonkette, The Page, Towleroad News #gay, AMERICAblog News and Gawker
Christopher Weber / Politics Daily:
Sen. Jim Webb Won't Seek Reelection, Spurring GOP Hopes for 2012 Pickup … Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection next year and will instead return to the private sector, boosting Republican George Allen's chances of reclaiming his former seat.
Discussion:
AOL News
Shane D'Aprile / Ballot Box:
Sen. Webb won't seek another term in 2012 — Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) has decided not to run for reelection, a decision that closes the door on what could have been a hotly-contested rematch between Webb and former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.). — In a statement Wednesday, Webb said …
Discussion:
The Politico
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:
The Atlantic Online, Politics Daily, National Review, Daily Kos, Bloomberg, Examiner, The Foundry, Prairie Weather, Sky Dancing and ThinkProgress
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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:
The Plum Line, Weigel, Balloon Juice and Firedoglake
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
House rejects measure that would extend key Patriot Act provisions through December
House rejects measure that would extend key Patriot Act provisions through December
The Politico:
Rank-and-file reject Patriot Act
Rank-and-file reject Patriot Act
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Washington Post, Threat Level, Washington Monthly, 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
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
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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
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, The New Republic, Mediaite, Online NewsHour, Ezra Klein and Hot Air, more at Mediagazer »
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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, Weigel and Washington Monthly
Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
Under Banner of Fiscal Restraint, Republicans Plan New Abortion Bills — WASHINGTON — All but invisible during the midterm elections, the abortion debate has returned to Congress. — Invoking the mantra of fiscal restraint that has dominated House action since lawmakers reconvened last month …
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Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Labor — Surveying the GOP's latest efforts to usher forth …
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
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
Associated Press:
Santorum weighs 2012 presidential bid — WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Sen. Rick Santorum's crushing 18-point loss in his 2006 re-election bid in Pennsylvania seems an unlikely launching pad for a White House run. — Yet the outspoken conservative, once a rising star in the GOP …
Discussion:
Mother Jones and GOP 12
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Andy Barr / The Politico:
Rick Santorum: Sarah Palin skips CPAC for C-notes
Rick Santorum: Sarah Palin skips CPAC for C-notes
Discussion:
CNN, National Review, Cubachi and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
The GOP's Israel primary
The GOP's Israel primary
Discussion:
The Hill, GOP 12, Hotline On Call, Israel Matzav, Left Coast Rebel, Right Wing News and CNN
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
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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, Ecocentric, The Daily Dish, Raw Story, Israel Matzav, Scared Monkeys, Weasel Zippers, Philly.com, The Nation and AMERICAblog News
Barry Eichengreen / Project Syndicate:
Why Egypt Should Worry China — print recommend Send link clip secure rights — BERKELEY - A strictly economic interpretation of events in Tunisia and Egypt would be too simplistic - however tempting such an exercise is for an economist. That said, there is no question …
Discussion:
NPR Blogs, China Digital Times and Real Time Economics
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
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:
Washington Monthly, The Hill, The New Republic, Weasel Zippers and msnbc.com
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.
Discussion:
Wonkette
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 »
Jennifer Yachnin / Roll Call:
Former Members Get Millions From Pensions — Taxpayers are likely to foot the bill for at least $26 million in pensions for former Members of Congress this year, even as Congress embraces austerity by curbing its annual pay raises and voting to slash office budgets.
Discussion:
USA Today