Top Items:


Stop Coddling the Super-Rich — OUR leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched. — While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan …
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Buffett: I beg you to raise my taxes — Warren Buffett, the third wealthiest man in the world with a net worth of around $80 billion, is demanding the U.S. government make the rich like him pay higher taxes and says they should no longer be protected like endangered “spotted owls.”
Discussion:
CNN, Weasel Zippers and JammieWearingFool


Rick Perry schools Michele Bachmann in Waterloo — WATERLOO, Iowa — Rick Perry came to Michele Bachmann's home town Sunday evening and schooled the newly minted Iowa front-runner in her native state's demanding retail political culture. — The day after Perry announced his candidacy …
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After Iowa, Republicans Face a New Landscape — WATERLOO, Iowa — The leading Republican presidential candidates scrambled to take command of a new landscape on Sunday after Tim Pawlenty abruptly ended his campaign and a three-way race began taking shape to find a nominee who can emerge as the strongest challenger to President Obama.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, CNN, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Politico and The Caucus


Bachmann-Perry Overdrive — GOP voters are still searching for a unifying candidate. — The fight for the Republican Presidential nomination is finally getting underway in earnest, with Texas Governor Rick Perry bull-riding his way into the race and Michele Bachmann winning Saturday's straw poll in Iowa.
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


Pawlenty Drops Out of Presidential Race After Disappointing Straw Poll Finish
Discussion:
The Note, Shakesville, Top of the Ticket, LGBTQ Nation, Wizbang, Radio Iowa and Iowa Caucuses

Adrift in Iowa: Tired Rituals in Tough Times
Discussion:
Daily Kos, National Review and Washington Post

The Texas Unmiracle — As expected, Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, has announced that he is running for president. And we already know what his campaign will be about: faith in miracles. — Some of these miracles will involve things that you're liable to read in the Bible.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Paul Krugman and Prairie Weather
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Rick Perry's Ruthless Drive to Win — Rick Perry has called Social Security unconstitutional and presided over the execution of a man who was probably innocent. But as Paul Begala argues, that's just the beginning. — I first met Rick Perry in 1985. He was a Democratic freshman state rep …

Romney defends his comments about corporations — MANCHESTER, N.H. - At a friendly Republican gathering here last night, presidential candidate Mitt Romney defended his recent comment in Iowa that “corporations are people” and said Democrats fundamentally misunderstand corporations' makeup.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and The Huffington Post
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Obama returns to the campaign trail with Midwest bus tour — President Obama, itching to spend more time outside of Washington, begins a three-day bus tour of the Midwest on Monday afternoon in Minnesota. — Obama will fly to St. Paul, Minn. on Monday morning and will hold two town-hall events …
Discussion:
CNN


Obama begins Midwest bus trip, hoping for economic jump-start
Discussion:
The Other McCain and JammieWearingFool


A Businessman in Congress Helps His District and Himself — VISTA, Calif. — Here on the third floor of a gleaming office building overlooking a golf course in the rugged foothills north of San Diego, Darrell Issa, the entrepreneur, oversees the hub of a growing financial empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars and The Page

Obama approval rating hits new low in latest Gallup tracking poll — President Obama's approval rating hit an all-time low on Sunday in the Gallup Poll's rolling average of public opinion of the president. — Thirty-nine percent of Americans said they approve of the way Obama is handling …
Discussion:
TPMDC, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Political Punch, The Caucus, The Daily Caller, Truthdig and New York Magazine
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Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility — Since its launch in November 2007, Android has not only dramatically increased consumer choice but also improved the entire mobile experience for users. Today, more than 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, AllThingsD, Clusterstock, Globe and Mail, New York Magazine and FT Alphaville, more at Techmeme »

Tea Party's heyday may be coming to an end, say political experts — The reign of the Tea Party may be coming to an end in Washington, according to academic political experts who say polls show a backlash against the conservative movement. — Two national polls released this month by CNN …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Reality-Based Community, Don Surber and The Impolitic

Pakistan gave China access to secret U.S. aircraft involved in bin Laden raid, paper says — ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan gave China access to the previously unknown U.S. “stealth” helicopter that crashed during the commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May despite explicit requests …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway and The Gateway Pundit
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Pakistan lets China see US helicopter
Discussion:
This Just In and Via Meadia


Bernie Madoff ditched by his wife of 52 years as she seeks reconciliation with son — The wife of Bernard Madoff has severed ties with the disgraced Wall Street financier and not seen him for more than six months, it has been revealed. — Ruth Madoff, who has been married to the convicted fraudster …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Clusterstock