memeorandum: LSE investigates Gaddafi's son plagiarism claims (Katherine Sellgren/BBC)

10:20 PM ET, March 1, 2011

Top Items:

Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:

Huckabee: Obama Grew Up “In Kenya” — During a radio appearance yesterday, Mike Huckabee repeatedly falsely claimed that President Obama grew up in Kenya. After questioning Obama's purported secrecy about the birth certificate, radio host Steve Malzberg asked Huckabee if “we deserve to know more about this man.”

Discussion: The Note, The Hill, Crooks and Liars, The Reaction, Taylor Marsh, A plain blog about politics, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, The Atlantic Online, Washington Monthly, CNN, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and ABCNEWS

David Weigel / Weigel:

Mike Huckabee is Not a Birther — Let's call this off right now. I don't hear birtherism anywhere in Mike Huckabee's interview with Steve Malzberg. … Occam's razor: Huckabee is just ill-informed. — 1) Barack Obama spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, with his Indonesian stepfather Lolo Soetoro.

Discussion: Roger Ailes and The Politico

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Huckabee didn't mean it — Mike Huckabee, who has never indulged paranoia about Obama's birth — and who has generally chided vitriolic attacks on the president and First Lady — pretty clearly misspoke in a radio interview today, prompting a boomlet of outrage. — Says his spokesman Hogan Gidley to POLITICO:

Discussion: Mediaite, Mother Jones and Media Matters for America

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:

Huckabee Questions Obama Birth Certificate — Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2012, said on Monday that he would “love to know more” about where President Obama was born and claimed — falsely — that Mr. Obama was raised in Kenya.

Discussion: Mediaite, FOK News Channel, Salon, Swampland, Mother Jones, Politics Daily and George's Bottom Line

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Huckagaffe — He's now withdrawn the statement that Obama grew …

Discussion: AMERICAblog News

Emi Kolawole / Washington Post:
Huckabee claims inaccurately that Obama was raised in Kenya

Discussion: msnbc.com, The Political Carnival and Swampland

Andy Barr / The Politico:
He's no birther, but Huck claims Obama raised in Kenya

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Hot Air

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

House Approves Budget Measure to Avert Shutdown — WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday passed a two-week budget measure that cuts $4 billion in federal spending, and Senate Democrats said they would quickly follow suit, averting any threat of a government shutdown when money runs out on Friday.

Discussion: Gawker and Booman Tribune

Vicki Needham / The Hill:
In boost for GOP plan, Fed chief says cuts won't derail recovery

Discussion: Econbrowser, Ezra Klein, Mother Jones, Wonk Room, The Plum Line, 2chambers, msnbc.com, FrumForum and National Review

Felicia Sonmez / 2chambers:
House passes stopgap funding to avert federal shutdown

Discussion: Firedoglake, Fox News, Don Surber, Online NewsHour and Balloon Juice

Lauraklairmont / CNN:
Romney contributes to congressional Republicans

Discussion: The Hill, The Politico and Hot Air

Josh Gerstein / The Politico:

Eric Holder: Black Panther case focus demeans ‘my people’ — Attorney General Eric Holder finally got fed up Tuesday with claims that the Justice Department went easy in a voting rights case against members of the New Black Panther Party because they are African American.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Maggie's Notebook, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, The Gateway Pundit, theblogprof, The Political Carnival, Public Secrets, Sister Toldjah and Pajamas Media

Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:

Ohio Lawmakers Battle Over Union Bargaining Rights — COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican state senators unveiled a new version of a bill governing public employee unions on Tuesday, saying it would preserve their right to collective bargaining, but Democratic lawmakers said the revisions failed …

Discussion: The TrogloPundit, The Political Carnival and Truthdig

Wall Street Journal:
A Union Education — What Wisconsin reveals about public workers and political power.

Discussion: The Big Picture, protein wisdom, The Atlantic Online and Betsy's Page

Mary Wisniewski / Reuters:
Ohio union plan like Wisconsin draws protests

Discussion: AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, The Raw Story, Firedoglake and Pirate's Cove

Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:

Assange Complains of Jewish Smear Campaign — LONDON — The WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, suggested in comments published on Tuesday that British journalists, including the editor of The Guardian newspaper, were engaged in a Jewish-led conspiracy to smear his organization.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, The Jawa Report and Salon

Sunny Hundal / Liberal Conspiracy:

Assange goes off deep end - blaming Jews and Guardian in Private Eye — This is published in the latest edition of Private Eye (buy a copy!). — The article is titled, ‘A Curious Conversation With Mr Assange’ - and it is the phone version of a horrible car crash. (hat-tip @jamesrbuk)

Discussion: Salon, Runnin' Scared, The Raw Story, FP Passport and Moe Lane

JSOnline:

Budget cuts would touch most Wisconsinites — Sarah Thomas, a UW-Stevens Point student, keeps track on her arm the nights she's spent on the floor of the rotunda inside the Capitol. Fellow protester C.J. Terrell of Madison looks on. Media and staff are still being allowed in …

Discussion: Pajamas Media, First Draft and AOL News

Wall Street Journal:
Wisconsin Governor Seeks $4.2 Billion in Cuts

Discussion: USA Today, Firedoglake, Hot Air and National Review

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Wisconsin closely divided, but against Walker

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Daily Kos, AOL News, The Plum Line, WisPolitics Budget Blog, The Political Carnival, National Review, American Power and Pajamas Media

The Politico:

Darrell Issa fires press secretary Kurt Bardella in New York Times e-mail flap — House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) fired Kurt Bardella, one of Capitol Hill's top press secretaries, after he provided e-mailed correspondence with other journalists to New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich.

Discussion: Pundits Blog, USA Today, Weigel, FishbowlDC, The Note, The Other McCain, Washington Wire, New York Magazine, TPMMuckraker, News Desk, Gawker, FrumForum, Poynter and 2chambers, more at Mediagazer »

Jack Shafer / Slate:
John F. Harris, go soak your head.

Discussion: The Politico, The Caucus, Washington Post, USA Today, CNN and The Atlantic Online, more at Mediagazer »

ThinkProgress:

Religious Coalition Tells The GOP That 'The Budget Shouldn't Be Balanced On the Backs Of The Poor' — In an address at the National Association of Religious Broadcasters Sunday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) made a moral case for the deep cuts passed by House Republicans, saying, “[i] …

Discussion: Cubachi, CNN and USA Today

Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
Gingrich Jumps In: First 2012 GOP Candidate

Discussion: CNN, Right Turn, Mediaite, NationalJournal.com, Political Insider, National Review, Wonkette, Ballot Box, Hot Air, Politics Daily, Shakesville and FrumForum

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Dodd said last year he would not lobby — Former Sen. Chris Dodd (D) on Monday took the type of job he said last year he would not accept. — Dodd accepted the chairmanship of the Motion Picture Association of America — Hollywood's top lobbyist — on Monday.

Discussion: CNN, The Note and Gawker

New York Times:
Motion Picture Industry Group Names Ex-Senator Dodd as Its New Chief

Discussion: Yglesias

Tony Romm / The Politico:
Chris Dodd to lead MPAA

Discussion: OpenSecrets.org and Fire Andrea Mitchell!

Damian Paletta / Wall Street Journal:

Billions in Bloat Uncovered in Beltway — The U.S. government has 15 different agencies overseeing food-safety laws, more than 20 separate programs to help the homeless and 80 programs for economic development. — These are a few of the findings in a massive study of overlapping …

Discussion: New York Times, Cubachi, Right Turn, Hot Air, Liberty Pundits Blog, Parker Spitzer, AmSpecBlog, Big Government, Federal Eye, Washington Wire and New York Magazine

Ezra Klein:
What the GAO thinks we can do without

Discussion: Mother Jones

U.S. Government Accountability Office:
Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue

Discussion: The Hill, Hit & Run, National Review, Associated Press, The Lonely Conservative, FT Alphaville, Liberty Pundits Blog, The Foundry and The Note

Bob Woodward / Foreign Policy:

How Rumsfeld misleads and ducks responsibility in his new book — Few people know the ins and outs of the Bush Administration as well as the Washington Post's Bob Woodward, who is flat-out disgusted with the evasions and elisions in Donald Rumsfeld's new book. Here he explains why: — By Bob Woodward

Discussion: News Desk, The Politico, Liberal Values, Emptywheel, Philly.com, The Daily Dish, Ben Smith's Blog and Oliver Willis

Maggie / NOM Blog:

Breaking News: Sarah Palin Denounces Obama's DOMA decision (to NOM) — In response to a question from me, Sarah Palin offered this exclusive response to President Obama's DOMA decision: … Please cite www.nationformarriage.org as the source for this statement from Sarah.

Discussion: CNN, GOP 12, Poliglot, The Atlantic Online and The Page

Stephen C. Webster / The Raw Story:

Fox News reporter appears to have lied about being ‘punched’ by protester — Fox News has been making a lot of hay about one of their reporters allegedly being “punched” by a protester in Madison, Wisconsin. — Turns out, that didn't happen. — Mike Tobin, reporting from amid …

Discussion: Salon, The Political Carnival and NewsBusters.org

Katherine Sellgren / BBC:

LSE investigates Gaddafi's son plagiarism claims — There were student demonstrations at the LSE last week over its links with Libya — The London School of Economics has confirmed it is investigating allegations that Colonel Gaddafi's son plagiarised his PhD thesis.

Discussion: Unqualified Offerings and Guardian

Brobinson / Fox Nation:

Exclusive: AWOL Democrats Experiencing ‘Dissension in the Ranks’ — Fox Nation has learned exclusively from a highly placed source within Wisconsin state politics that the fourteen AWOL Democrats are experiencing “dissension in the ranks.” State Sen. Julie Lassa (D) is pregnant and “extremely unhappy” about being on the run.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Maggie's Notebook, JSOnline, Whiskey Fire, Verum Serum and Moe Lane

WMUR:

Bill Would Make Some Airport Screening Sexual Assault — Those Convicted Would Be Tier III Sex Offenders — CONCORD, N.H. — A House committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday on a bill that would make it a sexual assault for an airport screener to touch or view a person's breast or genitals without probable cause.

Discussion: Don Surber, No More Mister Nice Blog, Right Wing News and LewRockwell.com Blog

Patrick Gavin / The Politico:

ANSWER THIS: ANDREW SULLIVAN — Andrew Sullivan has achieved the hat trick of Washington journalism: author, editor, blogger. And he's adding another item to his long and diverse résumé, announcing this week that he's leaving The Atlantic and taking his blog to the new Daily Beast/Newsweek venture in April.

John Cook / New York Observer:

Was a Vanity Fair Editor Secretly Working for the Church of Scientology? — Gawker.com, where the author is employed as a staff writer, declined to publish this story. — Did the Church of Scientology use a Vanity Fair contributing editor to infiltrate and gather intelligence on the cult's enemies in the media?

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, New York Magazine and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Christina Wilkie / The Hill:

Rep. Holt beats Watson the super-computer at ‘Jeopardy!’ — There are a lot of smart people on Capitol Hill. But none of them can claim quite the same brainy bragging rights as Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.). — On Monday, Holt beat IBM's super-computer, known as Watson, at a round of “Jeopardy! …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, JustOneMinute, CNN, Shakesville, neo-neocon and The Fix

Rich Lowry / National Review:

‘I already know I could win’ — Dan already wrote a piece about it, but Chris Christie was in the office last week. I just wanted to quote him more extensively on 2012. I asked him whether he knew that, given the moment, there is a serious chance he could win the Republican nomination if he ran.

Discussion: Hot Air, Capitol Quickies and Ben Smith's Blog

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Toss up in Virginia — The Virginia Senate race is about as much of a toss up as it could be: Tim Kaine and George Allen tie at 47% in our first poll since Jim Webb announced his retirement. — Kaine is slightly more popular than Allen, sporting a 46/38 favorability spread to Allen's 39/40.

Discussion: Ballot Box, Virginia Politics Blog and Swing State Project