Top Items:
Michael Hastings / Rolling Stone:
Another Runaway General: Army Deploys Psy-Ops on U.S. Senators — The U.S. Army illegally ordered a team of soldiers specializing in “psychological operations” to manipulate visiting American senators into providing more troops and funding for the war, Rolling Stone has learned …
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Mark Joyella / Mediaite:
Could Get Ugly: Rolling Stone Says Army Deployed ‘PsyOps’ To Influence Senators — In a story breaking overnight that's sure to explode on cable news through the day, a report in Rolling Stone suggests the U.S. Army deployed a a specialized “psychological operations” team to target Senators …
Discussion:
Firedoglake and msnbc.com
Michelle Malkin:
Video: CWA union thug strikes young female FreedomWorks activist; Updated — This is Tabitha Hale, a young conservative activist/original Tea Party organizer/blogger who works for Washington, D.C.-based FreedomWorks. I know her from her great grass-roots work with Smart Girl Politics when the Tea Party movement was just emerging.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Examiner, Common Sense Political Thought, Boston Globe, UNCOVERAGE.net, RedState, Right Wing News, Doug Ross, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, theblogprof, Hot Air, The Sundries Shack, Big Journalism, Mofo Politics, Human Events, The Gateway Pundit, Moe Lane, Cold Fury, The Other McCain, Wall Street Journal, AmSpecBlog, Weasel Zippers, POWIP, JammieWearingFool, protein wisdom, Sister Toldjah, No Runny Eggs, The Daley Gator, American Power, Da Techguy's Blog, Pajamas Media and Instapundit
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Tabitha Hale / RedState:
Union Thuggery Descends On FreedomWorks — Today, union thugs descended on the FreedomWorks office. It was the middle of the day, and there was some excitement outside as all the buses pulled up and people started to fill the courtyard. We decided to go out and show our support for freedom.
Discussion:
Wonkette, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, Scared Monkeys and Moe Lane
Kyle Cheney / Boston Herald:
Capuano ‘bloody’ comment becomes flashpoint in union flap — U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano expressed regret Wednesday for his choice of words at a Tuesday rally to support Wisconsin workers, after national and local Republicans pounced on him for “over-the-top and inflammatory rhetoric.”
Discussion:
Right Wing News, Weasel Zippers and AmSpecBlog
Ezra Klein:
Andy Stern: ‘It may not end beautifully in Wisconsin.’ — Last year, Andy Stern retired as the president of SEIU, the service employees union that he'd built into a 2.2 million member heavyweight. During his tenure, Stern was known — and sometimes reviled — for his efforts to reform organized labor …
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Jonathan Weisman / Wall Street Journal:
Obama Sits Out State Fights
Obama Sits Out State Fights
Discussion:
USA Today, Washington Times, The Note and The Politico
Timothy P. Carney / Washington Examiner:
Democrats just don't understand the new populism
Democrats just don't understand the new populism
Discussion:
Grim's Hall and Betsy's Page
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Liberals to stage Tea Party-like revolts against GOP spending cuts — Democratic strategists believe their Tea Party moment has arrived. — Working with labor unions and liberal groups, they are using the Presidents Day congressional recess to organize a public backlash against billions of dollars in cuts to federal programs.
Discussion:
Fox Nation, Weasel Zippers, protein wisdom, Prairie Weather and Wake up America
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Jonathon M. Seidl / The Blaze:
VAN'S GRAND PLAN TO SPAN THE LAND: A UNION PROTEST AT EVERY STATE CAPITOL
VAN'S GRAND PLAN TO SPAN THE LAND: A UNION PROTEST AT EVERY STATE CAPITOL
Discussion:
New Zeal, RedState, JSOnline, The Jawa Report and Colorlines
Chris Frates / The Politico:
Lobbyists: White House sends meetings off-site to hide them — Caught between their boss's anti-lobbyist rhetoric and the reality of governing, President Barack Obama's aides often steer meetings with lobbyists to a complex just off the White House grounds - and several of the lobbyists involved …
Discussion:
Top of the Ticket, Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, The Foundry, Pundit Press, RedState and Pajamas Media
Guardian:
WikiLeaks founder must face Swedish rape allegations — WikiLeaks founder can be sent to Sweden, Belmarsh magistrates court rules — Follow reactions to the ruling on our live blog — The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is to be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.
RELATED:
BBC:
Wikileaks' Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden
Wikileaks' Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden
Discussion:
Politics Daily, The Independent, Outside the Beltway, Guardian and Politics
Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:
London Court Grants Swedish Request to Extradite Assange
London Court Grants Swedish Request to Extradite Assange
Discussion:
Guardian, CNN, Runnin' Scared, Gawker, New York Magazine, Wonkette and Prairie Weather
Aurelius / Pundit Press:
Go Figure: Obama White House Can't Spell “Libya” — Well, I may now know why President Obama took so long to talk about the revolts in Libya: his advisors and press people simply cannot spell the country's name. I mean, it's five whole letters! No one can figure that out:
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, JammieWearingFool, Outside the Beltway and Weasel Zippers
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Pushes Mortgage Deal — Obama Proposal Seeks Multibillion-Dollar Settlement of Loan-Servicing Cases — The Obama administration is trying to push through a settlement over mortgage-servicing breakdowns that could force America's largest banks to pay for reductions in loan principal worth billions of dollars.
Discussion:
Wonk Room, Sweetness & Light, Emptywheel, naked capitalism, Mish's Global Economic …, UNCOVERAGE.net, The Page and Calculated Risk
John / Power Line:
The Left's War on the Kochs — The most extraordinary story in the news these days is the all-out assault that the Left is mounting against Charles and David Koch and their company, Koch Enterprises. A day doesn't go buy—hardly an hour goes by—without some new attack being launched against these two lonely libertarians.
Discussion:
GayPatriot, The Caucus, The Other McCain, Booman Tribune, Sky Dancing, Yahoo! News, TBogg, Nice Deb, The Democratic Daily, ABCNEWS, Hot Air and Michelle Malkin
Reid Wilson / NationalJournal.com:
McCain's Shift Makes Him Senate's Most Conservative — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., along with seven of his colleagues, voted most often on the conservative side. — The politician who once best exemplified the idea of a “maverick” independent has shifted so far to the right that he is now tied …
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Caucus and New York Magazine
Reuters:
Obama breaks silence, condemns Libya crackdown — (Reuters) - President Barack Obama condemned the “outrageous” crackdown by Libyan security forces on protesters and said Washington would work with international partners to hold Muammar Gaddafi's government accountable.
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Kasie Hunt / The Politico:
Spotted, Huntsman flees China rally — ‘You want to see chaos in China,’ a man says. 'No, I don't,' Huntsman answers. AP Photo — Jon Huntsman was caught on tape at an anti-government protest in China—and quickly left the scene after someone in the crowd noticed the U.S. ambassador's presence …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and FrumForum
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Teddy Schleifer / The Daily Princetonian:
Daniels '71: Into the spotlight — After Mitch Daniels '71 was arrested, indicted and convicted on charges of drug use as an undergraduate in May 1970, he said that he thought his aspiring political career was doomed. “Any goal I might have had for competing for public office were shot,” …
Discussion:
CNN and The Politico
Inside Higher Ed:
Roadblocks for ROTC? — When the federal government repealed the Pentagon's “don't ask, don't tell” policy last year, it seemed to remove the chief obstacle keeping the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program from returning to many elite universities. But the debate on ROTC's return …
Discussion:
RedState
Nick Bunkley / New York Times:
G.M. Reports an Annual Profit, Its First Since 2004 — DETROIT — General Motors, which nearly collapsed from the weight of its debts two years ago before reorganizing in a government-sponsored bankruptcy, said Thursday that it earned $4.7 billion in 2010, the most in more than a decade.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and The New Republic
Orin Kerr / The Volokh Conspiracy:
The Executive Power Grab in the Decision Not to Defend DOMA — I can understand the intense political pressure on the Obama Administration not to defend DOMA. Presumably Obama and pretty much every significant lawyer in the Obama Administration opposes DOMA, whether or not they can take that position on the record.
Discussion:
The League of Ordinary …, Flopping Aces, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, New York Times, The Atlantic Online, alicublog, Balkinization, The Foundry, JustOneMinute, The United States Department …, PointOfLaw Forum, The Moderate Voice, JONATHAN TURLEY, Runnin' Scared, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, National Review and Hit & Run
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Neither Party Has Edge on Federal Budget Dealings — Americans favor compromise over budget shutdown by 2-to-1 margin — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are closely divided over whether the Republicans in Congress (42%) or President Obama and the Democrats (39%) are doing the better job …
Discussion:
The Hill, CNN and Top of the Ticket
New York Times:
Qaddafi Massing Forces in Tripoli as Rebellion Spreads — BAIDA, Libya — Forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi were reported to be striking back in several cites surrounding Tripoli on Thursday, as rebellion crept closer to the capital and defections of military officers multiplied.
Discussion:
FP Passport and FrumForum