Top Items:

Wisconsin: The Hemlock Revolution — Revolutions everywhere—in the middle east, in the middle west. But there is a difference: in the middle east, the protesters are marching for democracy; in the middle west, they're protesting against it. I mean, Isn't it, well, a bit ironic …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, New York Times, Hullabaloo, TalkLeft, Pajamas Media, GayPatriot, Hot Air, The New Republic, The Other McCain and Power Line
RELATED:


Obama joins Wisconsin's budget battle, opposing Republican anti-union bill — MADISON, WIS. - President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Fox News, Associated Press, National Review, Hit & Run, TPMDC, Don Surber, neo-neocon, Left Coast Rebel, Little Green Footballs, The Caucus, Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard, Boehner, Virginia Politics Blog, TalkLeft, Outside the Beltway, Cubachi, The Politico, SEIU, Right Turn, Cato @ Liberty, The Atlantic Online, The Other McCain, New York Times, The Note, AmSpecBlog, Althouse, The Foundry, POWIP, The Hill, New York Magazine, RedState, Firedoglake, Prairie Weather, Fox Nation, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, CNN, The Enterprise Blog, Power Line, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, USA Today, Da Techguy's Blog and Taylor Marsh

What is actually being proposed in Wisconsin? — Reading the commentary, I think a lot of people are confused about what's actually being proposed in Wisconsin. So let's go through it. — You can find Gov. Scott Walker's proposal here. It's called “the Budget Repair bill.”
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, JSOnline, Mother Jones, Balloon Juice, PostPartisan, Rortybomb, Cato @ Liberty and Gawker

Unions aren't to blame for Wisconsin's budget — Let's be clear: Whatever fiscal problems Wisconsin is — or is not — facing at the moment, they're not caused by labor unions. That's also true for New Jersey, for Ohio and for the other states. There was no sharp rise in collective bargaining …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, National Review, blogs.alternet.org, Salon, The Plum Line, Washington Monthly, Guardian, PostPartisan, TPMDC and Obsidian Wings

Showdown in Wisconsin — The circus in Wisconsin is rapidly blowing up into the national issue of the moment, thanks in no small part to President Obama and of course Organizing for America, the group that grew out of his 2008 campaign, which seems to be playing a prominent role in building up the protests.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, National Review, Towleroad News #gay and Questions and Observations

Wis. governor: GOP won't be ‘bullied’ by union bill protesters — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) says his party has been emboldened by massive protests against his controversial budget plan. — Walker said demonstrators who filled the state Capitol building in Madison and the boycott …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh, Political Punch, Crooked Timber, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, Vox Popoli, Wake up America, Pajamas Media and FrumForum


Join Andrew Breitbart, Herman Cain & Jim Hoft at Wisconsin Freedom Rally to Support Scott Walker Saturday
Discussion:
The Mahablog, Left Coast Rebel, JSOnline, Moonbattery, Michelle Malkin, Da Techguy's Blog and Right Wing News

Obama, DNC Fuel State Employee Protests
Discussion:
The Note, Pajamas Media and JSOnline

Is This How a President Should Act?
Discussion:
James Pethokoukis, Sense of Events, The Daily Caller, National Review, PostPartisan, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG and AmSpecBlog

Gadsden Flag Bad, Egypt Flag Good
Discussion:
theblogprof

Gov. Walker's Pretext — In a year when governors across …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, PostPartisan, Althouse and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


House votes to defund Planned Parenthood — The House just approved Rep. Mike Pence's amendment to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, checking off a hot-button social issue even as it set up a bigger showdown over defunding the health care law. — The vote was 240-185 with 11 Democrats voting …
RELATED:

Planned Parenthood Funding Voted Down — Amendment Passes Despite Stunning Personal Testimony From Rep. Jackie Speier — The House of Representatives Friday passed a measure to end federal funding for abortion provider Planned Parenthood a day after Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif. …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Ben Smith's Blog, OpenSecrets.org, Pam's House Blend, Swampland and Joe. My. God.

House rejects extra $22 billion in cuts that divided Republicans — The House rejected a measure cutting an additional $22 billion from the Republican spending bill, as conservatives ran into a wall of opposition from the GOP establishment over the depth of reductions to federal funding.
Discussion:
protein wisdom, Washington Post, Hot Air and CNN


Rep. Jackie Speier gets personal on abortion
Discussion:
CNN and New York Magazine

House passes measure stripping Planned Parenthood funding
Discussion:
AOL News and Little Green Footballs

House cuts off funding for healthcare reform, Planned Parenthood
Discussion:
The Plum Line

House votes to defund Planned Parenthood, Title X
Discussion:
Booman Tribune and Don Surber

House votes to block all funding to Planned Parenthood
Discussion:
Focal Point, The Foundry, Feministe and Cubachi


Government shutdown is likely, Pelosi aide says — A high-ranking aide to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told chiefs of staff of Democratic lawmakers that a government shutdown is more likely than not, according to attendees. — Speaking at a regular meeting of the top aides to House Democrats …
Discussion:
Boehner, ThinkProgress, GayPatriot and FrumForum
RELATED:

Pelosi says she's ‘proud’ of Wisconsin Democrats who fled
Discussion:
CNN, Weasel Zippers and Hot Air

THEY MAY ACTUALLY BE ‘A BUNCH OF YAHOOS’.... A month …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos and Booman Tribune

Democrat suggests ‘ObamaCare’ rhetoric should be banned from House floor — House Republicans and Democrats started Friday morning's debate over whether to defund last year's healthcare law, and as part of this debate sparred over whether members should be allowed to call that law “ObamaCare.”
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Politico, The Note, iOwnTheWorld.com and Maggie's Notebook
RELATED:

Jeff Bingaman to retire — New Mexico Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman is expected to announce his retirement today, according to a source close to the decision, a move that further complicates his party's efforts to hold their Senate majority in 2012. — Bingaman had been mulling whether …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Politics Daily, Grist, Hotline On Call, The Raw Story, Swampland, RedState, Swing State Project and Daily Kos

Americans Say Reagan Is the Greatest U.S. President — Lincoln and Clinton next on the list; Washington fifth — PRINCETON, NJ — Ahead of Presidents Day 2011, Americans are most likely to say Ronald Reagan was the nation's greatest president — slightly ahead of Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Politico and Outside the Beltway

Obama administration replaces controversial ‘conscience’ regulation for health-care workers — The Obama administration rescinded most of a federal regulation Friday designed to protect health workers who refuse to provide care they find objectionable on personal or religious grounds.
Discussion:
The American Independent and The Foundry

Firefighter refused call to Tucson shooting spree scene — A veteran city firefighter's refusal to respond to the Jan. 8 shooting spree, citing “political bantering,” may have slowed his Tucson Fire Department unit's response to the incident that left six dead and 13 wounded, city memos show.
Discussion:
New York Times, msnbc.com, Salon, Chicago Boyz and AMERICAblog News

Libya protests: massacres reported as Gaddafi imposes news blackout — Opposition says 61 killed as diplomats report use of heavy weapons in Benghazi and rumours sweep the country — Libyans have taken to the streets and buried their dead, accusing government forces of perpetrating massacres …
Discussion:
msnbc.com and Libya February 17th
RELATED:

Libya Protests Build, Showing Revolts' Limits and Power
Discussion:
Al Jazeera Blogs, hrw.org, Outside the Beltway, Libya February 17th and Gawker


Obama's Louis XV budget — Five days before his inauguration, President-elect Obama told The Post that entitlement reform could no longer be kicked down the road. He then spent the next two years kicking - racking up $3 trillion in new debt along the way - on the grounds …
Discussion:
neo-neocon


Security Forces in Bahrain Open Fire on Mourners — MANAMA, Bahrain — Government forces opened fire on hundreds of mourners marching toward Pearl Square Friday, sending people running away in panic amid the boom of concussion grenades. But even as the people fled, at least one helicopter sprayed fire …

Poll: Public unions a hard sell — A new poll from the Washington-based Clarus Group asked: — Do you think government employees should be represented by labor unions that bargain for higher pay, benefits and pensions ... or do you think government employees should not be represented by labor unions?
Discussion:
GayPatriot, The Plum Line, Behind the Numbers and Fire Andrea Mitchell!

Tomorrow Never Comes — Jonathan Alter wrote a book about Barack Obama's first year in office called “The Promise.” That's a great title because it works on so many levels. For example, over the past four years, Obama's career has been marked by a constant promise: He has continually …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, The New Republic, Right Turn, Balloon Juice, JustOneMinute and msnbc.com


Stunner! Supremes to give eligibility case another look — Challenge to Obama getting 2nd conference before court — In a stunning move, the U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled another “conference” on a legal challenge to Barack Obama's eligibility to occupy the Oval Office …
Discussion:
iOwnTheWorld.com, Classical Values and PoliPundit.com