Top Items:


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 …
RELATED:


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


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, RedState, Right Wing News, Doug Ross, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, UNCOVERAGE.net, 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
RELATED:


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 …, Moe Lane and Scared Monkeys

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


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 …
RELATED:


Obama Sits Out State Fights
Discussion:
USA Today, Washington Times, The Note and The Politico

Democrats just don't understand the new populism
Discussion:
Grim's Hall and Betsy's Page

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
RELATED:

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


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

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.
Discussion:
The Hill and AOL News, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:


Wikileaks' Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden
Discussion:
Politics Daily, The Independent, Outside the Beltway, Guardian and Politics

London Court Grants Swedish Request to Extradite Assange
Discussion:
Guardian, CNN, Runnin' Scared, Gawker, New York Magazine, Wonkette and Prairie Weather

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.


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


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


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


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
RELATED:

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, The New Republic and Daily Kos

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.
RELATED:

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

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

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, alicublog, The Atlantic Online, 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


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

Transcript of prank Koch-Walker conversation — The following is the transcript of the conversation between Gov. Scott Walker and who he thinks is billionaire donor David Koch, although it is actually blogger Ian Murphy, who goes by the name Buffalo Beast. — Walker: Hi; this is Scott Walker.
Discussion:
Guardian, The Nation, Washington Post and The Huffington Post