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Truly Pathetic — Why on earth did the Democrat speaking for the Democrats just now on Hardball say it was “courageous” but “politically stupid” for Paul Ryan to put up a plan to abolish Medicare and other federal social programs? That's the best he can do? “Courageous”? That's simply amazing.
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House GOP's ‘Radical’ Plan For Medicare, Medicaid — If anything will make it easier for House conservatives to back off on shutting down the government this week, it's the prospect of a different, and much larger fight over the federally funded social safety net.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Brilliant at Breakfast, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo and CANNONFIRE


Will Paul Ryan Propose a Giant Tax Hike To Make Tax Cuts For the Rich Affordable? — Based on Carl Hulse's reporting from yesterday it's clear that Rep Paul Ryan (R-WI) intends to go through with his plan to replace Medicare with vouchers to buy private health insurance, and then cut spending on the vouchers.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Marginal Revolution, Firedoglake, Guardian, The New Republic and Weigel


GOP Aim: Cut $4 Trillion
Discussion:
USA Today, Fox News, Wonk Room, AmSpecBlog, Power Line, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, The Atlantic Online, Free exchange, FrumForum, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Washington Post, PERRspectives, GayPatriot, The Politico, Balloon Juice, The Reality-Based Community, ThinkProgress, USW Blog, The New Republic and National Review

Dems ‘likely’ to offer budget alternative to Rep. Ryan's plan
Discussion:
The Politico and FrumForum

Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicaid gamble
Discussion:
Hit & Run and Opinion L.A.

Bring on the Bamboozlement — As House Republicans cue …
Discussion:
That Mr. G Guy's Blog and MyDD

KSM to be tried by military commission at Gitmo; Holder set to make announcement today — Attorney General Eric Holder today will announce that self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad will be tried in a military commission, CBS News has learned.
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In Reversal, 9/11 Plotter to Be Tried by Military Panel — WASHINGTON — In a major reversal, the Obama administration has decided to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for his role in the attacks of Sept. 11 before a military commission at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and not in a civilian courtroom.
Discussion:
Emptywheel, News Desk, Philly.com, Althouse, No More Mister Nice Blog, TalkLeft, Outside the Beltway, Power Line, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos and Balloon Juice

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Accused 9/11 Co-Conspirators to Face Military Trial

A Hamstrung Eric Holder Blasts Critics of Civilian Trials
Discussion:
Hot Air and Flopping Aces

Boehner digs in on spending cuts, saying $33B is ‘not enough’ — Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Monday that a spending accord with the Senate and White House must contain more than the $33 billion in immediate cuts Democrats have said the two sides already agreed upon.
Discussion:
The Politico, The Hill, Cubachi, Fox News, The Lonely Conservative, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Liberty Pundits Blog and FrumForum
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41 senators vow to oppose Planned Parenthood rider — Forty-one senators have pledged to filibuster any bipartisan spending bill that includes an amendment to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood, threatening an impasse with House conservatives. — The group, led by Sen. Barbara Boxer …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, Blue Collar Philosophy and FrumForum


Top Republicans: There Is No Budget Deal
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Washington Monthly, Roll Call and Outside the Beltway

Clinton: Shutdown would hurt GOP but might not be ‘traumatic’ for economy
Discussion:
Don Surber, The Politico, Hot Air, Pat Dollard, The Moderate Voice, Connecting.the.Dots and FrumForum

Obama invites leaders to budget talks
Discussion:
The Politico and FrumForum

No degree, little experience pay off big — Just in his mid-20s, Brian Deschane has no college degree, very little management experience and two drunken-driving convictions. — Yet he has landed an $81,500-per-year job in Gov. Scott Walker's administration overseeing environmental …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Wonkette, The Raw Story, Daily Kos and Jesus' General
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Wisconsin union battle ‘helped define’ Democrats, Trumka says
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers

Supreme Court Allows Tax Credit for Religious Tuition — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday effectively upheld an Arizona program that aids religious schools, saying in a 5-to-4 decision that the plaintiffs had no standing to challenge it. — The program itself is novel and complicated …
Discussion:
The Political Carnival, Booman Tribune and Balloon Juice
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MONEY TALKS — Eight of the current Supreme Court Justices are known for their zeal in questioning lawyers. That tendency was on display last week during the oral argument over the constitutionality of an Arizona law known as the Citizens Clean Elections Act, a law that attempts …
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's … and Law Blog

Campaign to recall Wirch says it has enough signatures — The head of the campaign to recall Sen. Robert Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) says the group has gathered enough signatures to force a recall election. — Dan Hunt, chairman of Taxpayers to Recall Robert Wirch, says his organization has …
Discussion:
The Hill, TPMDC, Pajamas Media and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


Critics' review unexpectedly supports scientific consensus on global warming — A UC Berkeley team's preliminary findings in a review of temperature data confirm global warming studies. — A team of UC Berkeley physicists and statisticians that set out to challenge the scientific consensus …
Discussion:
The Political Carnival, Watts Up With That?, Hit & Run and Little Green Footballs

Four Hidden Messages In Obama's 2012 Reelection Launch — If you haven't yet seen it, here is the video that President Obama is using to launch his 2012 campaign. — Notice anything? Here's what I saw: — 1. The new slogan—"It begins with us"—is not a statement of fact.
Discussion:
The New Republic and Ben Smith's Blog

Re: Lindsey Graham and the First Amendment — Andrew, ever since I ran into a spot of bother in Canada, I've found myself giving speeches in defense of freedom of expression in Toronto, London, Copenhagen, etc. I did not think it would be necessary quite so soon to take the same stand …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Hit & Run, Riehl World View, Diana West, RedState, theblogprof, Cold Fury, The Other McCain, Althouse and The Lonely Conservative


No fried food: Health Dept. workers cringe at new rules restricting foods, fragrances, decorations — No overbearing perfume. No obscene pictures. And definitely no French fries for work lunches. — That's the new edict for employees of the same city Health Department that brought …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, Weasel Zippers, Pajamas Media and Sweetness & Light


John Phillips: Why Hillary Clinton must run in 2012 — If Hillary Clinton's primary voters and President Obama had their relationship status listed on their Facebook pages, it would change from “Married” to “It's complicated.” — To be fair, Hillary voters never fell in love with Obama, they just fell in line.
Discussion:
CNN, Don Surber, The Radio Patriot, Proof Positive, Wizbang and Sipsey Street Irregulars


Obama launches reelection campaign with e-mail, web video — The president pledges to focus on his job, but will pick up the tempo of campaigning this month with several fundraisers. The campaign is hoping to raise a record $1 billion. — President Obama speaking in March (Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images))
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L.A. Times Announces Obama's New Campaign Website - http://www.latimes.com
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily, Weasel Zippers, Patterico's Pontifications and The Gateway Pundit


Public Would Blame Both Sides if Government Shuts Down — Tea Party Reps Say Stand on Principle Even If It Means a Shutdown — With an April 8 deadline approaching for a possible shutdown of the federal government, the public remains divided over whether congressional Republicans …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Outside the Beltway, The Hill and CNN


The truth about GE's tax bill — Did GE pay U.S. income taxes in 2010? The company known for minimizing its tax bill made a muddled situation worse responding to a New York Times report suggesting it might get a refund. GE now says it has a small tax liability for 2010.
Discussion:
ProPublica, The Atlantic Online, Felix Salmon, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Herman Cain: 'It's okay to call me black ... Obama is not the president of black people' [VIDEO] — Potential Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain doesn't want whites to beat around the bush when addressing his race, according to a video interview he did with Accuracy in Media reporter Benjamin Johnson.
Discussion:
Mediaite and Blue Collar Philosophy

Katie Couric Has a Few Regrets — When you started hosting the “CBS Evening News” in 2006, there was a lot of talk about mold-breaking. Now the show looks very much like the other network broadcasts. — In retrospect I would have given people what they were used to, a traditional newscast.
Discussion:
Media Decoder, The Wire, newsfeed.time.com, Associated Press, The 6th Floor, Taylor Marsh, PopWatch, Poynter and Inside TV, more at Mediagazer »


For the War Before He Was Against It — Rush Limbaugh's cynical dissent from Pres. Obama's ill-conceived military adventure. — PRESIDENT OBAMA'S DECISION to wage war in Libya without Congressional authorization is the worst abuse of power we've seen in his administration …
Discussion:
The Other McCain and A plain blog about politics

Maine GOP Legislators Publicly Rebuke Gov. Paul LePage … WASHINGTON — Eight Republican state senators have issued a rare public rebuke of Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), writing an op-ed expressing “discomfort and dismay” with some of his recent comments directed at labor backers.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly


March Madness: U.S. Gov't Spent More Than Eight Times Its Monthly Revenue — (CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Treasury has released a final statement for the month of March that demonstrates that financial madness has gripped the federal government. — During the month, according to the Treasury …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers