Top Items:
Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:
The wrong John Wayne — Rep. Michele Bachmann kicked off her presidential campaign on Monday in Waterloo, Iowa, and in one interview surrounding the official event she promised to mimic the spirit of Waterloo's own John Wayne. — The only problem, as one eagle-eyed reader notes …
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TPMDC, Washington Wire, CNN, The Note, Crooks and Liars, The Atlantic Online, News Desk, msnbc.com, Washington Monthly, Little Green Footballs, Guardian, New York Magazine, Outside the Beltway, The Washington Independent, Hit & Run, The Powers That Be, Gawker, Under The Golden Dome, Indecision Forever and The Daily Caller
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Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Bachmann cites wrong John Wayne, praises notorious serial killer — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has a thing for John Wayne. In an interview yesterday with Newsmax, she said she wants to live in “John Wayne's America.” And in the Iowa town of Waterloo today, where she announced …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, The Atlantic Online, No More Mister Nice Blog, Ben Smith's Blog and Towleroad News #gay
Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Bachmann won't take Fox host's apology — Via POLITICO's Jennifer Epstein, Michele Bachmann isn't accepting an apology from Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace for asking her yesterday, “Are you a flake?” — ABC News' Jon Karl, who's been getting face-time with Bachmann in Waterloo in advance …
Discussion:
The Caucus, Washington Monthly, The Atlantic Online, Salon, Guardian, Comments from Left Field, Pajamas Media, National Review, Outside the Beltway, Taylor Marsh, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, ABCNEWS, Little Green Footballs, Mediaite, The TrogloPundit, The Moderate Voice, Althouse, Fox News, Pundit & Pundette, This Just In, Indecision Forever, The Daily Caller and Hot Air
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
John Wayne's Waterloo connection — Michele Bachmann misstated Iowa (and Hollywood) history when she said John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa, but she may have been thinking of Wayne's parents, who had at least a brief connection to the town. From the biography, “John Wayne: American”:
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Weigel
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Michele Bachmann picks wrong John Wayne — After a campaign rollout heavily focused on her Iowa native creds, Michele Bachmann stumbles into one heck of a case of mistaken identity: … Bachmann has run into this kind of trouble before, like when she confused Concord, N.H., with Concord …
David Frum / CNN:
I was wrong about same-sex marriage — Editor's note: David Frum writes a weekly column for CNN.com. A special assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002, he is the author of six books, including “Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again,” and is the editor of FrumForum.
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog, American Power, Box Turtle Bulletin, Outside the Beltway, Oliver Willis, Good As You, Liberal Values, FrumForum and NOM Blog
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New York Times:
Gay Marriage: Where's Mr. Obama? — On Thursday night, when same-sex marriage in New York State was teetering on a razor's edge, President Obama had a perfect opportunity to show the results of his supposed evolution on gay marriage. — Unfortunately, he did not take it, keeping his own views in the shadows.
Discussion:
Queerty, Guardian, AMERICAblog News, Balloon Juice, The TrogloPundit, Pam's House Blend, Hotline On Call, Shakesville, AMERICAblog Gay and LGBTQ Nation
Michael Barbaro / City Room:
How the Same-Sex Marriage Deal Nearly Collapsed — Until the end, when 33 state senators had cast their votes on Friday night, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo privately feared that his bill to legalize same-sex marriage would fail. — A few days before, it nearly did.
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Hillary Clinton backs New York gay marriage law
Hillary Clinton backs New York gay marriage law
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay and New York Magazine
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Democracy and Gay Marriage
Democracy and Gay Marriage
Discussion:
The Monkey Cage, National Review, NewsBusters.org blogs and The Daily Dish
Chicago Tribune:
Blagojevich guilty on 17 counts — A federal jury today convicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich on 17 of 20 counts, finding he brazenly abused the powers of his office in a series of attempted shakedowns captured on undercover government recordings. — Blagojevich showed no reaction as the jury announced their decisions.
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Monica Davey / New York Times:
Jury Finds Blagojevich Guilty of Corruption
Jury Finds Blagojevich Guilty of Corruption
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Outside the Beltway
Chris Bury / ABCNEWS:
Blagojevich Jurors Reach Verdict, Reportedly Agree on 18 of 20 Counts
Blagojevich Jurors Reach Verdict, Reportedly Agree on 18 of 20 Counts
Discussion:
The Politico, msnbc.com, Mediaite, americanthinker.com and FrumForum
Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Sarah Palin team reaching out to Iowa activists for meetings — Sarah Palin's camp is reaching out to activists and operatives in Iowa about setting up meetings while she's in the state Tuesday for the screening of a documentary about her - including with Chuck Laudner, a former Iowa GOP executive director and prominent conservative.
Discussion:
CNN, The Note and National Review
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Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:
Palin Not Reaching Out to Key Iowans Ahead of Visit — WATERLOO, Iowa — Sarah Palin appears to be designing her impending visit to Iowa to be as low-key as possible. — The former Alaska governor is slated to arrive in the small Iowa town of Pella on Tuesday to attend the premiere of …
The Note:
Is Michele Bachmann Just Another Mike Huckabee?
Is Michele Bachmann Just Another Mike Huckabee?
Discussion:
CNN, Roll Call, Pajamas Media, USA Today and The Politico
The Note:
Herman Cain's ‘Money Bomb’ Drops Today
Herman Cain's ‘Money Bomb’ Drops Today
Discussion:
The Caucus, AmSpecBlog, USA Today and The Atlantic Online
Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
White House: ‘Significant’ deal on debt possible — WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Monday that a “significant” deal with Republicans on cutting government spending and raising the nation's debt limit is still possible, even as the administration hardened its stance on the need …
Discussion:
Gawker, Pajamas Media and National Review
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Josiah Ryan / The Hill:
McConnell: Tax hikes ‘politically impossible’
McConnell: Tax hikes ‘politically impossible’
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and The New Republic
Associated Press:
Justices Reject Ban on Violent Video Games for Children — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday refused to let California regulate the sale or rental of violent video games to children, saying governments do not have the power to “restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed” despite complaints about graphic violence.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, PopWatch and New York Magazine, more at Techmeme »
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Jordan Fabian / Ballot Box:
Supreme Court strikes down Arizona matching funds campaign law
Supreme Court strikes down Arizona matching funds campaign law
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ABCNEWS
CNN:
TSA stands by officers after pat-down of elderly woman in Florida — (CNN) — The Transportation Security Administration stood by its security officers Sunday after a Florida woman complained that her cancer-stricken, 95-year-old mother was patted down and forced to remove her adult diaper while going through security.
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Raw Story, USA Today, Sister Toldjah, Techdirt, Hit & Run, TIME.com, msnbc.com, Pajamas Media, This Just In and The Daily Caller
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Meena Hartenstein / NY Daily News:
TSA defends decision to make 95-year-old cancer patient remove adult diaper for security screening
TSA defends decision to make 95-year-old cancer patient remove adult diaper for security screening
Discussion:
CNN, International Liberty and Mediaite
Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:
In Response To Prosser Choking Allegations, Fox's Van Susteren Calls On Female Chief Justice To Resign — Over the weekend, the Wisconsin State Journal reported that Justice David Prosser “grabbed fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley around the neck in an argument in her chambers last week …
Discussion:
The Politico, JSOnline, Salon, Law Blog, Shakesville, Daily Kos and Balloon Juice
ABC News:
N Korean children begging, army starving — Footage shot inside North Korea and obtained by the ABC has revealed the extent of chronic food shortages and malnutrition inside the secretive state. — The video is some of the most revealing footage ever smuggled out of the impoverished North Korean state.
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative, The Right Scoop, Pajamas Media and Boing Boing
Jesus' General:
Murder our Citizens, Please — As boatloads of American humanitarianofascists, including Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein, and the Obamishly hued novelist/poet Alice Walker, steam toward Gaza, one proud GOP operative, Josh Trevino, assures Israel: … That's what I call thinking out of the box.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, The Huffington Post, Eschaton and CNN
Andrew Harmon / Advocate:
Pentagon Confirms New DADT Discharges — The Pentagon confirmed Monday that more service members have been discharged under “don't ask, don't tell” pending certification of the policy's repeal, with one individual's discharge approved as recently as Thursday.
Discussion:
Poliglot, Towleroad News #gay and Shakesville
Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:
Robertson: God Will Destroy America For Marriage Equality — Following a story on New York passing marriage equality, Pat Robertson on The 700 Club warned that God will destroy America just like God destroyed Sodom, saying that “there's never been a civilization ever in history …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Gawker, ThinkProgress, Indecision Forever, Box Turtle Bulletin, Holy Bullies … and Shakesville
Katie Kindelan / ABCNEWS:
Bristol Palin Cites ‘Foolish Decision’ on Virginity and ‘Not Accusing Levi of Date Rape’ — Bristol Palin's contention that former boyfriend Levi Johnston “stole” her virginity is no attempt to bash him for their first sexual encounter, she said on “Good Morning America” today.
New York Post:
LI man busted for ‘pretending’ to be soldier to get first-class upgrade — This GI Joe wannabe got a hero's welcome just by dressing the part. — A Long Island man was arrested for donning an Army uniform and brazenly posing as a soldier so he'd get bumped up to first class on a flight …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and Outside The Wire
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
160 Million and Counting — In 1990, the economist Amartya Sen published an essay in The New York Review of Books with a bombshell title: “More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing.” His subject was the wildly off-kilter sex ratios in India, China and elsewhere in the developing world.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway, Shakesville and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Amira Hass / Haaretz:
Gaza flotilla activists: One of our ships was sabotaged — Israeli activist says his ship, which is docked in Greece's Piraeus port, was found with its propeller shaft broken which he believes was a deliberate attempt at sabotage. — One of the ships due to participate in the Gaza flotilla …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Mondoweiss and War in Context
New York Post:
Bloomberg's big bluff — Just call him Mayor Blowhard. — Or, compared to Gov. Cuomo, maybe Mayor Mouse is more apt. — Both Mike Bloomberg and Andrew Cuomo this year introduced budgets marinated in apocalyptic rhetoric — to reform their respective governments and curb their unions' appetites.
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