memeorandum: Gingrich will not announce exploratory committee Thursday (Michael O'Brien/The Hill)

8:35 AM ET, March 2, 2011

Top Items:

Phil / Dane101:

Wisconsin GOP Senator Glenn Grothman chased, trapped by hecklers, saved by Dem. Rep. Hulsey — Phil Ejercito is a 29 year old freelance photographer based in Madison, WI. His primary photographic services include (but are by no means limited to) live music, event coverage, politics and activism …

Discussion: Nice Deb

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:

Breaking: Wisconsin GOP Senator Glenn Grothman Mobbed at Wisconsin Capitol (Video) — Breaking Report: Wisconsin Republican Glenn Grothman was just mobbed by a group of union thugs. — Republican youth leader Josiah Cantrall reported that the Republican Senator was mobbed by union thugs as he approached the capitol today.

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative, Whiskey Fire, RedState and Shows

Michelle Malkin:

Mob rule video: Unhinged crowd corners Wisconsin GOP senator shouting “F**k you,” “Shame!” ; Update: A Fleebagger returns? — Scroll for updates... I got bad chills up and down my spine watching this group of crazed, pro-union Madison thugs gang up on a lone conservative in a public space just trying to do his job.

Discussion: Nice Deb, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Patterico's Pontifications and The Gateway Pundit

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: Wisconsin Dem intervenes to protect GOP senator threatened by mob

Discussion: Breitbart.tv, Althouse, theblogprof and Moonbattery

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: NewsBusters.org, Taylor Marsh, Sky Dancing, Examiner, The Reaction, The Note, Roger Ailes, The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, A plain blog about politics, Crooks and Liars, The Atlantic Online, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, CNN, Washington Monthly and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Huckagaffe — He's now withdrawn the statement that Obama grew up in Kenya and says he meant Indonesia. Here's the original quote: … Well, how do you get a view of the Mau Mau revolution in Indonesia? So I don't buy the mis-spoke explanation. And Obama did not “grow up with” a Kenyan father and grandfather.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and AMERICAblog News

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: Washington Post, PostPartisan, Media Matters for America, msnbc.com, Mother Jones and Mediaite

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: The Politico, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air and Outside the Beltway

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Huckabee Questions Obama Birth Certificate

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

Jack Shafer / Slate:

Unless they're paying beaucoup bucks, his transfer to New York makes no sense to me. … Like This Story — Follow Slate's Press Box … - The U.S. Has Frozen $30 Billion of Qaddafi's Assets. Can We Spend It? - John Roberts Writes the Funniest Sentence in Supreme Court History …

Discussion: Prairie Weather, Yahoo! News, Poynter, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Issa press aide scandal is like bad reality TV

Discussion: Politics Daily, Swampland, USA Today and Balloon Juice

The Politico:
Darrell Issa fires press secretary Kurt Bardella in New York Times e-mail flap

Discussion: News Desk, FishbowlDC, New York Times, Weigel, Pundits Blog, The Other McCain, FrumForum, TPMMuckraker and New York Magazine

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

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

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Politico Requested E-Mails of Other Reporters in 2009

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Ben Smith's Blog, CNN, USA Today, Gawker, Moe Lane, The Note and Washington Wire

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: Ballot Box, GOP 12, Hot Air, CNN and Capitol Quickies

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:

Christie: I could win the W.H. — Gov. Chris Christie said he knows he could win the White House if he ran for president next year. — The New Jersey governor and GOP rock star made the comments in an interview with the National Review last week while he was in Washington D.C.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and FrumForum

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, Salon and The Jawa Report

Ben Quinn / Guardian:
Assange in ‘Jewish conspiracy’ row

Discussion: ECHIDNE of the snakes, Gawker and FrumForum

TwitLonger:
WikiLeaks — Because WikiLeaks has some Jewish staff …

Discussion: New York Magazine and Liberal Conspiracy

Sunny Hundal / Liberal Conspiracy:
Assange goes off deep end - blaming Jews and Guardian in Private Eye

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

Sam Youngman / Ballot Box:

Late 2012 GOP start a boon for Obama — Hey, Newt, what's the rush? — That's what senior Democrats and White House officials enjoying the time off between campaigns are saying as former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) readies an announcement he is forming an exploratory committee for a White House run.

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
House Advances Budget and Cuts $4 Billion

Discussion: Gawker and Booman Tribune

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

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

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: Federal Eye, The Gateway Pundit, Maggie's Notebook, HazZzMat, Patterico's Pontifications, Scared Monkeys, The Political Carnival, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Sister Toldjah, Public Secrets, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers, theblogprof, The Hill, Pajamas Media and Liberty Pundits Blog

Jordy Yager / The Hill:

Holder: Gitmo may stay open beyond 2012 — Attorney General Eric Holder left open the possibility Tuesday that the Guantánamo Bay terrorist prison camp might live on beyond President Obama's first term. — Asked in a congressional hearing whether the prison would be closed by November 2012, Holder said: “I don't know.

Discussion: FrumForum

Eric Lach / TPMDC:

Walker Unveils Budget — Says Cuts Will Be More Painful If Dems Don't Return — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) gave a speech at the state Capitol Tuesday to unveil his budget for the next two years, even as the debate over his budget repair bill still rages.

Discussion: The Reality-Based Community

JSOnline:
Walker's budget cuts would touch most Wisconsinites

Discussion: Pajamas Media, AOL News and First Draft

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

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

Guardian:

Gaddafi speaks at rally as Libya battles continue — • Battle for oil refinery town of Brega, deaths reported — • Gaddafi forces retake towns near Tripoli — • Failed bombing attempt on arms dump in Ajdabiya — • Gaddafi gives new speech blaming al-Qaida

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Libya February 17th and msnbc.com

Dan Nolan / Aljazeera:
Fierce battles rage in Libya

Discussion: Guardian, AOL News and FrumForum

Eric Lach / TPMDC:

Wisconsin Sheriff Pulled Deputies From Capitol, Says They Won't Be ‘Palace Guard’ (VIDEO) — At the same press conference where Dane County, Wisc., District Attorney Ismael Ozanne told reporters he found nothing criminal in Gov. Scott Walker's comments to a prank caller last week …

Greg Bump / WisPolitics Budget Blog:
Mahoney: Officers aren't the “palace guard”

Discussion: AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, The Nation and TPMDC

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: Sky Dancing, 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

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: Mish's Global Economic …, The TrogloPundit, The Political Carnival and Truthdig

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

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

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Gingrich will not announce exploratory committee Thursday — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will not announce the formation of an exploratory committee to run for president on Thursday, his spokesman said Tuesday. — After a day of speculation resulting in reports that Gingrich …

Discussion: CNN