Top Items:

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 …
Discussion:
msnbc.com, The Note, The Last Tradition, CNN, Hot Air, Top of the Ticket, Salon, The Powers That Be, New York Magazine, The Atlantic Online, Washington Wire, The TrogloPundit, Gawker, Under The Golden Dome, thefastertimes.com, Guardian, Outside the Beltway, The Washington Independent, Washington Monthly, Hit & Run, Crooks and Liars, Indecision Forever and The Daily Caller
RELATED:

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, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Atlantic Online, The Mahablog and Towleroad News #gay


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 Atlantic Online, Guardian, The Caucus, Mediaite, Washington Monthly, Salon, National Review, Pajamas Media, Comments from Left Field, Taylor Marsh, ThinkProgress, ABCNEWS, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The TrogloPundit, Pundit & Pundette, Outside the Beltway, This Just In, Althouse, Fox News, Indecision Forever, The Moderate Voice, Little Green Footballs, The Daily Caller and Hot Air

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”:
Discussion:
TPMDC


Sarah Palin team reaching out to Iowa activists for meetings
Discussion:
CNN, The Note, Pajamas Media and National Review

Michele Bachmann picks wrong John Wayne
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog and Daily Kos

Bachmann Misspeaks While Noting Her Hawkeye Roots
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Fox Nation, CNN and Associated Press


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.
RELATED:

New York City ‘I Do’ Campaign Woos Same-Sex Weddings After State Approval
Discussion:
USA Today, Towleroad News #gay, Box Turtle Bulletin and LGBT | POV

Hillary Clinton backs New York gay marriage law
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay and New York Magazine


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.
RELATED:


Jury Finds Blagojevich Guilty of Corruption
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway


Texas votes to defund Planned Parenthood — The Texas Legislature approved a bill Monday that would both compel the state to push the Obama administration to convert Texas's Medicaid program into a block grant and defund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, ThinkProgress, Sky Dancing, Weasel Zippers, FrumForum and Balloon Juice
RELATED:

Hatch showdown? Tea party activists knock on GOP's door, literally — Washington (CNN) - Will it spark an altercation between tea party activists and establishment Republicans? — On Monday, leaders and supporters of FreedomWorks - a major tea party sponsor - will make an unscheduled visit …
Discussion:
Instapundit and The Impolitic
RELATED:

Can The Tea Party Survive A Debt Ceiling Deal?
Discussion:
RealClearPolitics Video Log, Weigel, AmSpecBlog and Hot Air


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
RELATED:

McConnell: Tax hikes ‘politically impossible’
Discussion:
The Politico, Washington Monthly, The New Republic and FrumForum


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:
DownWithTyranny!, Poliglot, Ben Smith's Blog, Towleroad News #gay and Shakesville

Women Withhold Sex Until Road Is Fixed — Erin Gloria Ryan —Have you ever used sex as a tool to get your boyfriend or partner to bend to your will? Have you ever performed a sex act as a reward for a desired behavior or series of behaviors? How about withheld it in response to bad behavior …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress


Santorum Laments Pro-Democracy Movement In Egypt, Says Obama Threw Mubarak ‘Under The Bus’ — ThinkProgress filed this report from Ames, Iowa. — In his bid for the White House, Rick Santorum is trying to shed the perception that he is mainly a religious right candidate.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland


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:
JSOnline, WisconsinWatch.org, The Politico, The BRAD BLOG, Shakesville, Law Blog, Salon, Daily Kos and Jesus' General


Hillary: State Dept. ‘Instrumental in Sealing Deal’ For Lady Gaga's Gay Pride Gig in Rome — Clinton specifically pointed to a letter that David Thorne, the U.S. ambassador to Italy, sent to Lady Gaga urging her to participate in the event. — “And then there is the work that our embassy team in Rome has been doing,” Clinton said.
Discussion:
Whiskey Fire, Weasel Zippers and Breaking news and opinion …

Rep. Woolsey officially announces retirement — Rep. Lynn Woolsey, one of the most liberal members of Congress, is retiring next year. — Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) confirmed Monday evening that she's retiring next year. — Speaking to reporters at her California home, Woolsey, 73, cited her age as one of the reasons.
Discussion:
Marin Independent Journal


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


Pinch Happened — It's been a bad month for the New York Times. The feeding frenzy it tried to stir up over Sarah Palin's e-mails left the sharks unfed. And the “investigative” story that was supposed to prove Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be an unethical scoundrel fell flat …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Pajamas Media, National Review and Washington Monthly


Obama DREAMs On — The DREAM Act is dead in Congress, but the White House is quietly moving to limit deportations of certain undocumented immigrants. — Post Comment — Has President Barack Obama found a way to enact the principles of the DREAM Act—the bill that would prevent …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Daily Kos and The Washington Independent


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:
justforeignpolicy.org, Taylor Marsh, Mondoweiss and War in Context


About Jeffrey Goldberg — Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for the Atlantic, is the author of “Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror.” He was formerly a Washington correspondent and a Middle East correspondent for the New Yorker. — Tim Pawlenty Girds for Romney, Embraces Reagan: Jeffrey Goldberg
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, FrumForum and Swampland

Judge blocks parts of Ga. immigration law — ATLANTA — A federal judge on Monday blocked parts of Georgia's law cracking down on illegal immigration from taking effect until a legal challenge is resolved. — Judge Thomas Thrash granted a request to block parts of the law that penalize people …
Discussion:
The Politico, The Washington Independent and The News Tribune

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, Balloon Juice, Liberal Values, Gawker, Indecision Forever, Box Turtle Bulletin, Holy Bullies … and Shakesville