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The GOP Path to Prosperity — Our budget cuts $6.2 trillion in spending from the president's budget over the next 10 years and puts the nation on track to pay off our national debt. — Congress is currently embroiled in a funding fight over how much to spend on less than one-fifth of the federal budget for the next six months.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Free exchange, Cubachi, The Politico, Democracy in America, Yglesias, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, The Moderate Voice, PERRspectives, Economist's View, Swampland, RedState, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Dish, YID With LID, neo-neocon, The Hill, The Note, Cold Fury, GayPatriot, The Caucus, Ricochet.com, The Foundry, TPMDC, The Incidental Economist, Blue Collar Philosophy, The Hill, National Review, Hot Air, Questions and Observations, Liberty Pundits Blog, Verum Serum, MyDD, American Spectator, Liberal Values, No More Mister Nice Blog, Wonk Room, BizzyBlog, Scared Monkeys, Washington Post, Speaker, AmSpecBlog, Another Black Conservative, Right Wing News, The Lonely Conservative, That Mr. G Guy's Blog, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Washington Wire, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Fausta's Blog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Pajamas Media, sisu and Viking Pundit
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Moment of Truth — It was a season of fiscal perestroika. Last fall, the Simpson-Bowles deficit commission released a bold report on how to avoid an economic catastrophe. For a few weeks, the think tanks and government offices were alive with proposals to reduce debt and reform entitlements …


The Ryan Budget: Big Cuts, Bigger Questions — House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan's 2012 budget is estimated to cost $6.2 trillion less over 10 years than President Obama's plan, with an initial deficit of $950 billion next year that decreases, along with government debt, over time.
Discussion:
American Power, Eschaton and The Hill


Paul Ryan's Plan Counts On Reducing Unemployment To Below “Full Employment” Level — By Magic! — Tim Fernholz reports: “An analysis performed by the conservative Heritage Foundation at Ryan's request found the unemployment rate would be reduced to 4 percent in 2015 by Ryan's budget …
Discussion:
The Incidental Economist and TPMDC

Palin offers praise for Ryan's budget — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Tuesday commended House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget, calling it “Serious & necessary.” — Palin, a potential 2012 presidential candidate, said that Ryan's proposal is a good start …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog and Conservatives4Palin

Choice-based Medicare cost controls
Discussion:
Yglesias, National Review, Washington Post, The Incidental Economist and The Atlantic Online


Paul Ryan Slams Medicaid's Middle Class Beneficiaries As The New Welfare Queens
Discussion:
Paul Krugman, Washington Monthly, Washington Post and Daily Kos

Paul Ryan is Not Jesus, But His Path To Prosperity Gospel is Really Good
Discussion:
The Politico, Cubachi, RedState, Yglesias, Big Government and AmSpecBlog

Another Continuing Resolution Introduced to Prevent Government Shutdown, Cut $12 billion in Spending — WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers today introduced another temporary funding measure - known as a Continuing Resolution (CR) - to prevent a government shutdown …
Discussion:
The Politico, Hot Air, Fox News, Michelle Malkin, The Hill, Open Congress, LifeNews.com, Say Anything, Washington Post and National Review
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GOP Leadership: White House Has Rejected Emergency One-Week Funding Measure … WASHINGTON — Congressional GOP leaders said on Tuesday that the Obama administration has informed them that it will oppose a last-ditch stopgap funding measure proposed by House Republicans to keep the government running for an additional week.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Hill and Swampland

Ex-NPR chief: House Republicans have thrust NPR into ‘turmoil’ — The change of power in the House has thrust NPR into “turmoil,” according to the former chief executive of the organization. — Vivian Schiller said NPR has been through a “very difficult” time in the past several months.
Discussion:
Fox Nation and Weasel Zippers


John Boehner: No deal at White House meeting
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Hot Air and Say Anything

Shutdown Looms as Talks on Stopgap Budget Fail
Discussion:
Philly.com, Swampland and Althouse

Behind Closed Doors, House Republicans Cheer A Possible Shutdown
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Post, The Caucus and The Note

Budget Deal Would Give Pentagon Extra Funds In Exchange For Social Program Cuts
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos and AMERICAblog News

BREAKING: GOP Readies Short-Term CR as Budget Talks Break Down
Discussion:
Nice Deb, The Lonely Conservative, Doug Ross, Pundit & Pundette and The Politico

Countdown to Shutdown: Federal Agencies Make Preparations
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice


Warning Signs Among the GOP — It's not inconceivable that Republicans might start seeing things go against them in the court of public opinion, starting with the current spending debate. — Until recently, Republicans were taking solace in a number of things as they looked forward to 2012.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, msnbc.com, Hullabaloo, USA Today and Daily Kos

Maine Mural Controversy: U.S. Labor Department Says Put It Back Up Or Repay The Money … Department Of Labor , Department Of Labor Maine , Labor Mural , Labor Protests , Maine Mural , Paul Lepage , Paul Lepage Maine , Paul Lepage Maine Governor , Paul Lepage Mural , Politics News
Discussion:
The Reaction, Daily Kos and Portland Press-Herald
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Department Of Labor steps into battle over Maine mural
Discussion:
Kennebec Journal and Weasel Zippers

Romney leads in NH, Trump makes things interesting — Mitt Romney's still the clear early front runner to take the Republican primary in New Hampshire next year but for the first time in our polling of the race PPP finds someone within single digits of him...Donald Trump.
Discussion:
The Politico, GOP 12, Wonkette, Taegan Goddard's … and Ballot Box

ElBaradei: We'll fight back if Israel attacks Gaza — In interview with Arab newspaper, former IAEA chief says if elected as Egypt's next president he will open Rafah crossing in case of an Israeli attack — Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei …
Discussion:
RedState, Right Wing News, Israpundit, The Gateway Pundit, YID With LID, Pajamas Media, Israel Matzav and Weasel Zippers


Toby Harnden — Toby Harnden is the Daily Telegraph's US Editor, based in Washington DC. Click here for Toby's website. His email is toby.harnden@telegraph-usa.com. Follow him on Twitter here @tobyharnden and on Facebook here. His second book, Dead Men Risen, is available through Telegraph Books.
Discussion:
Firedoglake and LewRockwell.com Blog
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Gen. Petraeus Being ‘Seriously Considered’ For CIA Director, NPR Reports
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Hot Air, The AfPak Channel, The Raw Story and CBS News

Parody gets more views than real Obama launch — The National Republican Senatorial Committee's parody of Obama's 2012 campaign, released Friday, now has 665,000 views on YouTube. — Obama's real launch video, released yesterday: Just 168,000. — YouTube's metrics tend to lag a bit …
Discussion:
techPresident and The Daily Caller

Cowardice Blocks the 9/11 Trial — Last year, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. described a federal court trial for the self-professed mastermind of Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, as “the defining event of my time as attorney general.” On Monday, Mr. Holder's dream for demonstrating …

Obama, The God That Failed — As someone who has studied, taught, and written about the Middle East for years, I'm the first to concede that President Obama has a tough task. What would I do about Libya if I were president? How about Egypt? — I'm not exactly sure.

Racial slur led to fight with Illinois trooper, student says — CARLINVILLE • The politically connected head of Gov. Pat Quinn's Southern Illinois security detail used a racial slur against a black college student in a Carlinville bar, starting a fight that preceded the officer's resignation, the student says.
Discussion:
Big Government, Moe Lane and That Mr. G Guy's Blog

Coburn vs. Norquist — The Senator is right on ethanol and, in this case, on tax subsidies. — Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has a fighting chance to begin reforming Washington's bonehead ethanol policy. That is unless one prominent conservative organization manages to sabotage his effort.
Discussion:
The Foundry and Pajamas Media

Tim Kaine launches Virginia Senate bid — Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine launched Tuesday his campaign for Senate. — Kaine, in a video recounting his previous work in Virginia, principally as governor, said what had long been suspected: that he'd run to succeed retiring Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.).
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog


Scott Pelley To Replace Katie Couric At CBS — CBS network sources tell TMZ ... Katie Couric's replacement for the “CBS Evening News” will be Scott Pelley. — We're told Pelley, a veteran journalist and “60 Minutes” correspondent, is the choice of CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager.
Discussion:
New York Post, Hot Air, JammieWearingFool, The Wire and ReelzChannel Movie News

The Odds on Obama — Only two Democrats in the last 90 years have been reelected to a second term — Franklin Roosevelt and Bill Clinton. The rest of the Democrats have seen their presidencies cut short, and so the historical odds of Obama winning a second term are at first glance not encouraging.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice


A Cigarette for 75 Cents, 2 for $1: The Brisk, Shady Sale of ‘Loosies’ — By 8:30 a.m., amid the procession of sleepy-eyed office workers and addicts from the nearby methadone clinic, Lonnie Loosie plants himself in the middle of the sidewalk on Eighth Avenue in Midtown.
Discussion:
Runnin' Scared, City Room, That Mr. G Guy's Blog and Gothamist


Radiation in water rushing into sea tests millions of times over limit — Tokyo (CNN) — Japanese utility and government authorities suffered fresh setbacks Tuesday with the detection of radiation in a fish and news that water gushing from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific …
Discussion:
Runnin' Scared and The Jawa Report