Top Items:
Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
TRENDING: ‘Idiot’ jab lobbed at Perry — (CNN) - Former Treasury official Bruce Bartlett labeled newly-minted Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry “an idiot” Friday. — Bartlett, who served at Treasury under former President George H.W. Bush and as a domestic policy adviser …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, The Politico, Connecting.the.Dots, TPMDC and The Impolitic
RELATED:
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Perry, parties, and pragmatism — This fascinating clip made the rounds yesterday, and with good reason. To get a sense of how Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) evaluates evidence, it's an illustrative three minutes. — I can't find a full transcript, but to offer a flavor …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, ABCNEWS and Little Green Footballs
The Politico:
Perry's loose lips worry Hill Republicans — Cut the cowboy talk. — That's the message congressional Republicans facing the prospect of sharing a ballot next year with Rick Perry have for the newest GOP presidential candidate. — In a series of interviews, uncommitted Republican members praised …
Discussion:
Politics, The New Republic, Texas on the Potomac, The Daily Beast and American Thinker
Paul Waldman / TAPPED:
Rick Perry Talks About Sex — We sure are talking about Rick Perry a lot. But why stop now — he's not only new, but interesting in ways that some of his opponents aren't. Jonathan Chait brings us this video of Perry seemingly flummoxed when confronted with the fact that his preferred policy …
Discussion:
The New Republic, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Washington Monthly
The Politico:
Rick Perry's gifts: Boots, trips, medical tests
Rick Perry's gifts: Boots, trips, medical tests
Discussion:
The Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, Pajamas Media and Gawker
JSOnline:
Feingold says he won't run in 2012 — He'll continue teaching law, working on book — By Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel — Democrat Russ Feingold has decided he will not be a candidate for political office next year, taking himself out of the running in 2012 for either U.S. senator …
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Russ Feingold / Progressives United:
A Message from Russ — I am grateful for the friendship and support of so many fellow Wisconsinites who suggested I consider running for statewide office in the coming months. While I may seek elective office again someday, I have decided not to run for public office during 2012.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Poliglot, Washington Post, The Nation, TPMDC, CatholicVote.org, The Hill, AMERICAblog News and Public Policy Polling
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Feingold won't run for Senate or Governor in 2012
Feingold won't run for Senate or Governor in 2012
Discussion:
LifeNews.com and Moe Lane
Aaron Glantz / New York Times:
Number of Green Jobs Fails to Live Up to Promises — Flanked by a cadre of local political leaders, Mayor Chuck Reed of San Jose used a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a solar power company last week to talk up the promise of the green economy. — Mr. Reed called the opening of the new headquarters …
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, Hit & Run, Questions and Observations, Hot Air and The Gateway Pundit
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Byron York / Campaign 2012:
Key Dems: Obama's ‘green jobs’ plan a bust
Key Dems: Obama's ‘green jobs’ plan a bust
Discussion:
Power Line, Red Dog Report, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and AmSpecBlog
New York Post:
Parking ‘squat’ — Eleven years ago, Charles Mysak snagged a primo parking spot on the corner of Columbus Avenue and 68th Street — and he hasn't budged since. — The sidewalk bookseller keeps his inventory piled up in the beat up green '94 Civic, held partially together with duct tape …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, New York Magazine and Gothamist
Bruce Horovitz / USA Today:
Burger King freshens fast-food image, kicks King to the curb — In the first of many steps to reinvent itself over the next year, the struggling fast-feeder Friday will announce that it's dethroning the creepy King character — and other wacky, teen-targeting stuff — and refocusing on a customer it had all but forgotten: Mom.
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, msnbc.com, The Daily What and Gawker
Memphis Commercial Appeal:
West Memphis Three — WEST MEMPHIS 3 - TITANS TRAINING CAMP - OVERTON SQUARE - THE EARLY YEARS - BASTED DAYS AND PASTED NIGHTS — All members of the West Memphis Three will be released today after pleading guilty to first-degree murder charges in the 1993 deaths of three West Memphis 8-year-olds.
Discussion:
The Daily What
RELATED:
Campbell Robertson / New York Times:
Deal Frees ‘West Memphis Three’ in Arkansas
Jeannie Nuss / Associated Press:
Deal for West Memphis 3 may allow innocence claim
Deal for West Memphis 3 may allow innocence claim
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Nation Now and Law Blog
Pat Dooris / KGW-TV:
DeFazio says Obama lacks will to fight, may lose Oregon — EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon Congressman Peter Defazio is traveling around his district and leveling verbal body blows at President Obama. — In his Eugene office Wednesday, Defazio accused the President of lacking the will to fight for the promises he made to get elected.
Discussion:
The Raw Story, Questions and Observations, The Politico, Taegan Goddard's … and Moe Lane
RELATED:
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
House liberal says Obama's chances of reelection ‘very tough’
House liberal says Obama's chances of reelection ‘very tough’
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Keith Koffler / White House Dossier:
Michelle's Separate Travel Costs Taxpayers Thousands — Michelle Obama and President Obama traveled to Martha's Vineyard just hours apart, costing taxpayers thousands in additional expenses so she could have just a bit of extra vacation time. — Mrs. Obama and her daughters arrived …
Discussion:
nation.foxnews.com, Moonbattery and Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Daily Mail:
Teen girl gang assaults woman in brazen daylight attack outside Philadelphia City Hall — An astonishing video has emerged of a vicious gang of teenage girls assaulting a female pedestrian as she walks outside a city hall in broad daylight. — The woman, who has not been named …
Discussion:
UrbanGrounds
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Bad luck? Bad faith? — “We had reversed the recession, avoided a depression, got the economy moving again. . . . But over the last six months, we've had a run of bad luck.” — Decorah, Iowa, Aug. 15 — A troubled nation wonders: How did we get mired in 9.1 percent unemployment …
Discussion:
The New Republic and Betsy's Page
Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary — Technical information: — Employment: (202) 691-6559 * sminfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/sae — Unemployment: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau — Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
Discussion:
Ballot Box, Real Time Economics, Calculated Risk and Sister Toldjah
Paul Krugman:
Awesome Wrongness — I hear that there was some action in the markets yesterday. But we were too busy sipping champagne at the Nobel Museum to care. — OK, seriously: things are looking really terrible, And crucially, they're looking terrible in the wrong way, at least if you wanted …
Discussion:
The Confluence
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
A prime aim of the growing Surveillance State — Several weeks ago, a New York Times article by Noam Cohen examined the case of Aaron Swartz, the 24-year-old copyright reform advocate who was arrested in July, after allegedly downloading academic articles that had been placed behind a paywall …
Terence P. Jeffrey / CNSNews:
Obama's Approval Has Dropped 36 Points Among Hispanics, Says Gallup — (CNSNews.com) - Only 49 percent of Hispanic Americans said last week they approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, according to the Gallup poll. That is down 36 points from the high of 85 percent …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and Pajamas Media
Arab News:
Woman disables anti-Islam websites — DAMMAM: An Alkhobar woman studying in the United States is taking credit for destroying 23 Danish websites that denigrated the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Al-Madinah newspaper reported on Thursday. — Nouf Rashid told the Arabic newspaper …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report and Jihad Watch
Ann Carrns / Bucks:
Mortgage Rates Hit 50-Year Low — Back in June, in a post about adjustable-rate home loans, Bucks mused about how nice it would be to have a mortgage interest rate that began with a “3.” The way things are going, that time may not be far off for fixed-rates loans, as well.
Discussion:
Rortybomb, Free exchange and The Big Picture
Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Watching Armageddon From an Armchair — Watching the world slide slowly back into recession without a fight, even though we know perfectly well how to prevent it, is just depressing beyond words. Our descendents will view the grasping politicians and cowardly bankers responsible …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Free exchange
Michael C. Bender / St. Petersburg Times:
Gov. Rick Scott's original transition e-mails accidentally deleted, state now says — The e-mail accounts of Rick Scott and most of the governor-elect's transition team were deleted soon after he took office, potentially erasing public records that state law requires be kept.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog and The Daily Pulp
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Bachmann on why she worked for IRS: “First rule of war is ‘know your enemy’” — This is fun. Michele Bachmann, on the campaign trail today, offered what seems to be a new explanation for her previous work as a lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service, something that has drawn some ire from the right.
Discussion:
TPMDC, Indecision Forever and Hot Air