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Romney, Palin Lead Reduced GOP Field for 2012 — PRINCETON, NJ — Mitt Romney (17%) and Sarah Palin (15%) now lead a smaller field of potential Republican presidential candidates in rank-and-file Republicans' preferences for the party's 2012 nominee. Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich …
Discussion:
Iowa Caucuses, REPUBLICAN REDEFINED, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story, Wake up America, Washington Monthly, Associated Press, USA Today, The Page, LifeNews.com, iOwnTheWorld.com, Barefoot and Progressive, CNN, Political Insider, Daily Kos, William K. Wolfrum Chronicles, msnbc.com, GOP 12, New York Magazine, Hot Air, Economics, my dear Watson, The Daily Dish, National Review and Ben Smith's Blog
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Palin's “Exploratory” Campaign: A Nationwide Bus Tour — DES MOINES, Iowa — In a move designed to propel her closer to a presidential run, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will set out on a bus tour of the country on Sunday, making stops at symbolic sites along the way.


Sarah Palin to tour East Coast, New Hampshire — Sarah Palin is launching a nationwide bus tour starting Sunday in Washington, a Palin source has confirmed to POLITICO. — The first stop will be at the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally. Palin will then travel up the East Coast …
Discussion:
Philly.com and Althouse

Electoral Consequences of the Rapture — Voters nationally are evenly divided on Barack Obama's job performance at 48% approving and 48% disapproving. Despite the mixed feelings toward him he leads Mitt Romney by 7 at 49-42, Newt Gingrich by 14 at 51-37, and Sarah Palin by 17 at 54-37 in hypothetical match ups.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Hot Air and GOP 12

Sarah Palin to embark on bus tour as presidential speculation builds
Discussion:
SarahPAC, Wall Street Journal, Ben Smith's Blog, Pat Dollard and The Daily Dish


Getting ready for the tour
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, GOP 12, The Caucus, National Review, Pajamas Media and News Hounds

“Major indicator” of Sarah Palin run on the way?
Discussion:
Conservatives4Palin, Roger Ailes and The Daily Caller

Sarah Palin likened to Joan of Arc in two-hour documentary film
Discussion:
Yglesias, The Moderate Voice, Firedoglake, Politics and Washington Post

First Thoughts: Who wins (and loses) if Palin runs
Discussion:
The Reaction, Lisa Graas, The Daily Caller, The Other McCain, Wonkette, Jay Bookman and Ben Smith's Blog

Palin launching multi-city tour amid 2012 buzz
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, Outside the Beltway and Weasel Zippers


Dick Cheney: Arab uprisings unlikely to disrupt oil flows for long — Former Vice President Dick Cheney says he doesn't think the “Arab Spring” will significantly cut the flow of oil to world markets, but the Middle East is far different when he sought cooperation for the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.
Discussion:
CNN, The Politico, ThinkProgress, USA Today, Wonkette, TPMDC, The New Editor, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Raw Replay, Salon, The Page and FrumForum
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Dane County judge strikes down collective bargaining law — By Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel — Madison - A Dane County judge has struck down Gov. Scott Walker's legislation repealing most collective bargaining for public employees.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, National Review, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, POWIP, The Hill, Crooks and Liars, The Volokh Conspiracy, Wonkette and Pajamas Media


Sen. Rand Paul Delays Renewal of Patriot Act Provisions — Sen. Rand Paul has single-handedly stopped the extension of three key provisions of the Patriot Act until after they expire at midnight Thursday. Unless he folds. … The Senate voted to end debate on the measure, but Sen. Paul …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Left Coast Rebel, Outside the Beltway and The Maddow Blog
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Various matters — (updated below - Update II)
Discussion:
The Hill, Hit & Run, Cato @ Liberty, Danger Room and Emptywheel

Rand Paul's Controversial Gun Records Amendment May Get Patriot Act Vote After All
Discussion:
The Politico, Associated Press, Emptywheel, Hot Air, Danger Room and CNN


Why the Republican Lost in NY-26 — The Ryan Medicare plan needs a clearer and more populist defense. — Five and a half weeks after House Republicans passed their budget, Democrats and liberal pundits have decided it is political kryptonite that will fatally weaken the GOP.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Washington Monthly, Booman Tribune, Juice, Oliver Willis, Betsy's Page, Libertarian Leanings and Washington Post
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Looking for Medicare solutions, not politics as usual
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative, sisu and iOwnTheWorld.com


‘Business death penalty’ for hiring illegal workers is upheld by Supreme Court — The 5-3 decision gives states more authority to act against illegal immigrants. Justices rule that states can take away the business licenses of companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.


The Dreamer Goes Down For The Count — I had never thought there were many similarities between the pleasure-loving Charles II of England and the more upright Barack Obama until this week. Listening to his speeches on the Middle East at the State Department, US-Israel relations …
Discussion:
Mondoweiss, Transterrestrial Musings and FrumForum
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On Israel, Harper stands alone at G8 summit
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Politics, Jihad Watch and The Daily Dish


BREAKING: Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin Makes History By Signing Into Law Single Payer Health Care — Last month, the Vermont Senate passed legislation, approved earlier by the House, that would establish a single payer health care system in the state. The legislation would make Vermont …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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Vermont's Road to Single Payer: HHS Waivers Required; You Can Help
Discussion:
Consumer Reports News and delawareonline

Barney Frank knocked on his Fannie — Rep admits to helping lover land job at mortgage giant in '91 — U.S. Rep. Barney Frank admitted he helped his ex-lover land a lucrative post with Fannie Mae in the early 1990s while the Newton Democrat was on a committee that regulated the lending giant …
Discussion:
Salon
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Two New York City Police Officers Acquitted of Rape — Two New York City police officers were acquitted on Thursday of the most serious charges in the rape of a drunken woman who had been helped into her apartment by the officers while on patrol. — The verdict provides some measure …
Discussion:
Runnin' Scared, Gothamist, Feministing, Shakesville, Boing Boing, New York Magazine and Feministe

Who would you rather have lunch with - Obama, Palin or Romney? — A new Sachs/Mason Dixon poll gets to the heart of the presidential choices in front of us. Who would you rather have lunch with? More than three times as many Americans - 53 percent - would choose to have a one-on-one lunch chat …
Discussion:
REPUBLICAN REDEFINED, Shakesville, Pajamas Media and GOP 12

Iraq, Iran ... A trail goof for Pawlenty, who fielded a question on Iran policy with an answer on Iraq policy in a video sent over by the new Democratic group American Bridge, in what seems to be its first tracking hit: — REPORTER: U.S. foreign policy towards Iran [unintelligible] how would you address contradictions in the U.S?
Discussion:
Mediaite and Outside the Beltway

DNC chief attacks GOP field on American ‘exceptionalism’ — Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz attacked the GOP presidential contenders on their own terms Thursday. — The Florida representative questioned just how dedicated they were to “American exceptionalism.”
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, The Note, Weasel Zippers and Nice Deb


A 62% Top Tax Rate? — Democrats have said they only intend to restore the tax rates that existed during the Clinton years. In reality they're proposing rates like those under President Carter. — Media reports in recent weeks say that Senate Democrats are considering a 3% surtax on income …
Discussion:
Left Coast Rebel, The Lonely Conservative and Wake up America

In Britain Obama repeats his error on Israel — President Obama is in Europe, supposedly trying to dissuade the Europeans from participating in the Palestinians' attempt to gain statehood without offering peace to Israel. At his press conference he, no surprise to his critics …
Discussion:
The White House and Moe Lane

CIA to search bin Laden compound — Pakistan has agreed to allow the CIA to send a forensics team to examine the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed, giving the agency permission to use sophisticated equipment in a search for al-Qaeda materials that might have been hidden inside walls or buried at the site, U.S. officials said.
Discussion:
Reuters, Guardian, msnbc.com and Battleland

The Greatest Achievement of the Settlers — The settlers of the West Bank have accomplished a great many things: They have built entire towns on previously-barren hilltops; they have created a network of schools, religious institutions and cultural centers that rival their counterparts in Israel proper.
Discussion:
Pajamas Media and The Daily Dish


Where Are the Obama Scandals? — One of the least remarked upon aspects of the Obama presidency has been the lack of scandals. Since Watergate, presidential and executive branch scandal has been an inescapable feature of the American presidency, but the current administration has not yet suffered …


Mark Zuckerberg's new challenge: Eating only what he kills (and yes, we do mean literally...) — Last year Mark Zuckerberg set out to learn Chinese. Now he's determined to get in touch with his food. If the goats, lobsters and chickens of Silicon Valley aren't trembling, they should be.
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