Top Items:
Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Air Force Vet Ron Paul Drops Bombs On Newt Gingrich for War Deferments — Air Force veteran and presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul. R-Texas, has opened up a new line of attack against former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. — Interviewed by Megyn Kelly on Fox News Channel …
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New York Times:
Gingrich Parries With Challengers in Final Debate Before Iowa Caucuses — SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Republican presidential candidates began delivering their closing arguments at the final debate of the year here on Thursday night, with the rivals trying to whittle away at the credibility of Newt Gingrich …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Rush Limbaugh, The Caucus, American Spectator and The Page
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Gingrich Momentum Slows, Polls Suggest — A lot of bad habits when analyzing general election polls can be good ones when it comes to primaries and caucuses. In particular, making inferences about a trend based on just a couple of polls will often lead you astray in the general election.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Washington Monthly, Iowa Caucuses, CNN, Colorlines, RedState, Firedoglake, Real Clear Politics and The Atlantic Online
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Recuse Yourself, Chris Wallace
Recuse Yourself, Chris Wallace
Discussion:
The Raw Story, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway and Political Mojo
The Politico:
David Mark — Moderator : — Now that Rep. Ron Paul …
David Mark — Moderator : — Now that Rep. Ron Paul …
Discussion:
CNN, justforeignpolicy.org and 2012 Decoded
Rasmussen Reports:
Iowa: Romney 23%, Gingrich 20%, Paul 18%
Iowa: Romney 23%, Gingrich 20%, Paul 18%
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, Don Surber, Washington Monthly, Indecision Forever, Rush Limbaugh, The Daily Dish, Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog, Taylor Marsh, The Enterprise Blog, National Review, Weasel Zippers, LifeNews.com, GOP 12, Daily Pundit, americanthinker.com, The PJ Tatler, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Campaign 2012 and Althouse
Chris Stirewalt / Fox News:
High Stakes, High Drama for Final Debate Before Voting Begins
High Stakes, High Drama for Final Debate Before Voting Begins
Discussion:
Fox News
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Gingrich Running Strong With Traditionally Reliable Voters
Gingrich Running Strong With Traditionally Reliable Voters
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Weasel Zippers, The Politico, The Moderate Voice and Hot Air
Juli Weiner / Vanity Fair:
In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011 — Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir …
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David Folkenflik / NPR:
Writer Christopher Hitchens Dies At 62 — This graphic requires version 9 or higher of the Adobe Flash Player.Get the latest Flash Player. — Writer Christopher Hitchens was a critic of personalities, politicians and religious figures. — The influential writer and cultural critic …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Booman Tribune
Washington Post:
Congressional leaders reach spending deal to avoid government shutdown — Congressional negotiators signed off Thursday evening on a $1 trillion spending agreement for federal agencies, just 28 hours before a deadline that would have led to a government shutdown.
Discussion:
The Heritage Foundation, nation.foxnews.com, The Lonely Conservative and Weasel Zippers
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Josiah Ryan / The Hill:
Congress sends defense authorization bill to the White House
Congress sends defense authorization bill to the White House
Discussion:
The Politico
Jeffrey Lord / American Spectator:
The Ron Paul Newsletters — Yesterday, during a discussion on Ron Paul with Sean Hannity on the latter's radio show, Hannity brought up with me the impossible-to-get around subject of the infamous Ron Paul Newsletters. — As Hannity quite correctly pointed out, with the other GOP candidates having received …
Discussion:
American Power and Riehl World View
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Darren Samuelsohn / The Politico:
GOP wins light bulb fight — The shutdown-averting budget bill will block federal light bulb efficiency standards, giving a win to House Republicans fighting the so-called ban on incandescent light bulbs. — GOP and Democratic sources tell POLITICO the final omnibus bill includes …
Discussion:
Instapundit
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Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:
Omnibus spending deal blocks funding for light bulb efficiency standards
Omnibus spending deal blocks funding for light bulb efficiency standards
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative
Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
GOP debate: Gingrich's electability at issue — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's (R-Ga.) electability against President Obama and authenticity as a conservative were in focus at the top of Thursday's Republican presidential debate in Iowa, the last such skirmish before the state's Jan. 3 caucuses.
Discussion:
The Politico and CNN
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Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
In Congress, a Merry (and Stupid) Christmas Compromise
In Congress, a Merry (and Stupid) Christmas Compromise
Discussion:
The Impolitic, The PJ Tatler, The Hill and tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:
Frustration with Congress Could Hurt Republican Incumbents — GOP Base Critical of Party's Washington Leadership — OVERVIEW — Public discontent with Congress has reached record levels, and the implications for incumbents in next year's elections could be stark.
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Darren Samuelsohn / The Politico:
Allen West: Goebbels would be proud of Democrats
Allen West: Goebbels would be proud of Democrats
Discussion:
The Raw Story
Rebecca Evans / Daily Mail:
Saviour of 2,000 Afghans who saved a baby's life executed by the Taliban — Dr Karen Woo was with nine others in the Kuran Wa Munja district of Badakhshan when they were killed — A British doctor shot dead by the Taliban was part of a humanitarian mission that had helped 2,000 Afghans, an inquest heard yesterday.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report and Weasel Zippers
Scott Peterson / Christian Science Monitor:
Exclusive: Iran hijacked US drone, says Iranian engineer — In an exclusive interview, an engineer working to unlock the secrets of the captured RQ-170 Sentinel says they exploited a known vulnerability and tricked the US drone into landing in Iran. — ISTANBUL, TURKEY
Discussion:
CNN, The Lede and Danger Room, more at Techmeme »
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Byron Tau / The Politico:
POTUS on the GOP: 'Anything that Obama's for, we're against' — In an interview with ABC News' Barbara Walters, President Obama accused Republicans of grinding the government to a halt over personal animosity toward him — as well as an inability to compromise.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Devin Dwyer / Yahoo! News:
Obama faults Republican ‘lurch into extremes’ for DC gridlock
Obama faults Republican ‘lurch into extremes’ for DC gridlock
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Newt Gingrich: Gay People Choose To Be Gay Like Priests Choose Celibacy — Newt Gingrich told the Des Moines Register's editorial board this morning that gay people have a “significant range of choice within a genetic pattern” and can choose to be straight just like someone can “choose to be celibate.”
Discussion:
Althouse, The Other McCain, Towleroad News #gay and Good As You
Christina Ng / Nation:
Exclusive: ‘White Only’ Pool Sign Owner Explains — A female landlord, Jamie Hein, had a sign that read, “Public Swimming Pool, White Only” hanging on a gate at her house and her private pool. (Photo credit: Ohio Civil Rights Commission) — An Ohio landlord accused of discriminating …
Discussion:
Gawker, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Atlantic Online
Josh Lederman / The Hill:
Tea Party leader arrested with gun at NY airport — A major leader in the Tea Party movement was arrested at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Thursday after he tried to check in for a flight while carrying a gun. — Prosecutors charged Mark Meckler, the co-founder of Tea Party Patriots …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and CNN
Fox News:
EXCLUSIVE: Former Bush Attorneys General Call Gingrich Position on Courts ‘Dangerous’ — Two former attorneys general under President George W. Bush have found a few things to like in Newt Gingrich's position paper on reining in the authority of the federal courts, but other parts, they say, are downright disturbing.
Brian Stelter / The Caucus:
Romney Ku Klux Klan Report Backfires on Media — Don't just repeat it. Report it. — That's the lesson this week for MSNBC and for The Washington Post, both of which apologized for repeating a liberal blog's claim that Mitt Romney had uttered a phrase on the campaign stump that was used in the past by the Ku Klux Klan.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, American Prospect, The Atlantic Online and Washington Post
The Politico:
Newt in the loot? — Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has discussed directing $20 million to an outside group backing Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign, multiple sources told POLITICO — but Adelson denies he's made that promise. — After leaving Congress, Gingrich cultivated a network …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Taylor Marsh, GOP 12 and The Other McCain
Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
GOP Rep. Davis won't seek another term — Rep. Geoff Davis, who has represented Kentucky in the House since 2005, announced Thursday that he will not seek another term, becoming the first Republican to decide to retire in 2012 who is not seeking another office.
Discussion:
CNN and The Politico
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Rep. West: Joseph Goebbels would be ‘very proud of the Democrat Party’ — Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) on Thursday said Democrats have an “incredible propaganda machine,” comparing Democrat proficiency to that of a Nazi administration head. — “If Joseph Goebbels was around …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers