memeorandum: Labor secretary steps out in Wisconsin union fight (Byron York/Washington Examiner)

11:30 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, Taylor Marsh, Sky Dancing, The Reaction, A plain blog about politics, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Atlantic Online, New York Magazine, Washington Monthly, CNN and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

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: Mother Jones, Mediaite and Media Matters for America

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, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air and Roger Ailes

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Huckagaffe — He's now withdrawn the statement that Obama grew up in Kenya and says he meant Indonesia.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: AMERICAblog News

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, Mother Jones, Politics Daily, Swampland and George's Bottom Line

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

Discussion: PostPartisan, msnbc.com, The Political Carnival and Swampland

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

House Advances Budget and Cuts $4 Billion — WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday approved a two-week budget measure that cuts $4 billion in federal spending. Senate Democrats said they would quickly pass the bill and send it to President Obama, averting any immediate threat of a government shutdown …

Discussion: Gawker and Booman Tribune

ThinkProgress:
Religious Coalition Tells The GOP That 'The Budget Shouldn't Be Balanced On the Backs Of The Poor'

Discussion: Cubachi, CNN and USA Today

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

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

The Hill:
Despite steep cuts, Reid says Senate Dems will pass House GOP plan

Discussion: FrumForum

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

Discussion: Firedoglake, Fox News, Don Surber, 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: The Hill, HazZzMat, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative, theblogprof, The Gateway Pundit, The Political Carnival, Maggie's Notebook, Public Secrets, Sister Toldjah and Pajamas Media

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: CNN, Hot Air 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

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, National Review and Hot Air

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

Discussion: Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, AOL News, The Plum Line, WisPolitics Budget Blog, The Political Carnival, National Review, American Power 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: Hawaii Reporter, The Big Picture, protein wisdom and The Atlantic Online

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

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

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: New York Times, Pundits Blog, USA Today, FishbowlDC, Weigel, The Note, The Other McCain, CNN, 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: CNN, The Caucus, The Politico, Washington Post, USA Today and The Atlantic Online, more at Mediagazer »

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

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

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: protein wisdom

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
Breaking: Wisconsin GOP Senator Glenn Grothman Mobbed at Wisconsin Capitol (Video)

Discussion: POWIP

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

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 …

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

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

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, Poliglot, GOP 12, The Page and The Atlantic Online

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

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

Harvard University Gazette:

Rev. Peter J. Gomes dies at 68 — Harvard scholar regarded as one of America's leading preachers — File photo by Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer — The Rev. Peter Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church, passed away on Feb. 28.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Afterword, CNN and Balloon Juice

Mark Finkelstein / NewsBusters.org:

Reich To Rich: Redistribute Or Risk Angry Populace Turning On You! — Nice house there, rich guy. Wouldn't wanna see nuthin' happen to it . . . Robert Reich has actually argued that the rich should welcome redistributing more of their income to prevent an angry American populace from turning on them.

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative

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.

Marc Caputo / Naked Politics:

Rick Scott sued by Senators Joyner, Altman in Florida Supreme Court — Two Florida senators just sued Gov. Rick Scott in the Florida Supreme Court to stop him from killing a Tampa-Orlando bullet train. — Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, and Republican Thad Altman of Melbourne said Scott …

Discussion: Daily Kos and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

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

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 »

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: The Politico, OpenSecrets.org, CNN, The Note, Fire Andrea Mitchell! and Gawker

Greg Bump / WisPolitics Budget Blog:

Mahoney: Officers aren't the “palace guard” — Frustrated by a lack of explanation for the clamping down of access to the Capitol building, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said his deputies yesterday were pulled from a duty to keep people from entering the Capitol.

Discussion: TPMDC and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG