Top Items:
Dorothy Rabinowitz / Wall Street Journal:
What Ron Paul Thinks of America — It seemed improbable that the best-known American propagandist for our enemies could be near the top of the pack in the Iowa contest, but there it is. — Ron Paul's supporters are sure of one thing: Their candidate has always been consistent …
RELATED:
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Paul in 1995: Say, have you read my newsletters? — Mitt Romney can breathe a sigh of relief, because Andrew Kaczynksi has shifted his attention to Ron Paul this week. Andrew dug up a 1995 interview with C-SPAN, a year before running for Congress after a decade out of office.
Discussion:
Right Wing News, Outside the Beltway, Leon_H_Wolf's blog, Total Return, Mediaite and USA Today
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Old News Cont. — Correction: After some prodding from Julian Sanchez, I re-read the Dave's piece. Calling it a defense is wrong. It isn't. It's an explanation. My apologies. I leave the text intact so that nothing is hidden. — Yesteday Ron Paul claimed on CNN that he'd never read …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Daily Dish and ThinkProgress
Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:
Grappling With Ron Paul's Racist Newsletters — The biggest obstacle to his candidacy is making headlines again. If he wants to win anything, he's going to need to confront it. — Did you know about the racist newsletters published in the late 1980s and early 1990s under Ron Paul's name?
Discussion:
A plain blog about politics, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Dish, neo-neocon and The Reaction
Alex Alvarez / Mediaite:
Hey, CNN? Can We Talk About What's Going On Between You And Ron Paul?
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
Jackie Kucinich / USA Today:
Paul's story changes on racial comments
Discussion:
Stinque, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Wall Street Journal, Hit & Run, RedState, Pirate's Cove, Melanie Phillips, CNN, Hot Air, The Right Scoop and The Daily Caller
The Politico:
McConnell: Pass short-term extension — In a blow to House Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has called on the House to pass a two-month payroll tax extension — while pushing Democrats to negotiate a full year extension of the tax break. — McConnell's statement came …
Discussion:
USA Today, Washington Post, CBS News, ABCNEWS, CNN, The Mahablog, Booman Tribune, Daily Kos and US Politics
RELATED:
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
McConnell sides with Dems over Boehner — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been awfully quiet the last few days, as House Republicans rebel against the bipartisan payroll-tax-cut compromise he negotiated and helped pass last weekend. This morning that changed.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Associated Press, The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo and The New Republic
National / NationalJournal.com:
McConnell Breaks With Boehner, Says House Should Pass Payroll Extension — In an effort to resolve a standoff that a growing number of Republicans fear is hurting the party, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., broke with his GOP counterpart, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio …
Discussion:
Mediaite, National Review and 89.3 WFPL News
Susan Jones / CNSNews:
‘Waa, No Pizza Night’: Sad Stories Roll In at Request of Obama White House
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, The Lonely Conservative and Hot Air
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate GOP worries tax standoff could cost them chance at upper chamber
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Bloomberg, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post, The Politico, Prairie Weather and Roll Call
Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Obama shows he's confident he's beating GOP in payroll tax fight
Discussion:
New York Times, The Week, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Caucus and Booman Tribune
Concord Monitor:
Huntsman is the best choice for GOP — Purchase photo reprints at PhotoExtra » — Editorial review board with Jon Huntsman, Jr. on Tuesday, December 20, 2011.Purchase photo reprints at PhotoExtra » — There comes a time for many politicians when they gaze at their reflection and see a president.
Discussion:
The Politico and CNN
RELATED:
New York Post:
Former Congressman Anthony Weiner's wife gives birth to baby boy — After a year filled with ridicule and scandal, disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner finally has something he can feel proud about — a new baby boy. — Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, gave birth to the wee Democrat yesterday …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Gothamist, Runnin' Scared and msnbc.com
Mackenzie Weinger / The Politico:
Jim Sensenbrenner sorry for ‘big butt’ quip — Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner sent a note of apology Thursday to Michelle Obama for referring to her “large posterior” and “big butt,” his spokesperson told POLITICO. — Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) was overheard talking about the first lady's healthy food initiative …
Discussion:
JSOnline, FishbowlDC, ABCNEWS and Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Betsy Rothstein / FishbowlDC:
Sensenbrenner Aide Responds to Big Butt Allegation
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Gawker, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, iOwnTheWorld.com, Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story and nation.foxnews.com
George F. Will / Washington Post:
Gingrich, the anti-conservative — When discussing his amazingness, Newt Gingrich sometimes exaggerates somewhat, as when, discussing Bosnia and Washington, D.C., street violence, he said, “People like me are what stand between us and Auschwitz” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jan. 16, 1994].
Aliyah Shahid / NY Daily News:
Matt Damon rips President Obama in Elle magazine: A prez with ‘some balls’ would have been better — The ‘We Bought a Zoo’ star also weighed in on the Occupy Wall Street protests, arguing Obama's lack of leadership has contributed to Americans' overall discontent
Discussion:
Hit & Run
RELATED:
New York Times:
Explosions Rock Baghdad Amid Iraqi Political Crisis — BAGHDAD — A wave of coordinated explosions ripped across Baghdad early on Thursday, killing at least 63 people, wounding more than 180 and jolting a country already unsettled by a deepening political crisis and the absence of American troops.
Discussion:
Wonkette and americanthinker.com
RELATED:
Kareem Raheem / Reuters:
Baghdad blasts kill 63 as Iraq tensions rise
Discussion:
CNN, ThinkProgress and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:
What I Want For Christmas — Now that you ask. — Thanks to my old Shanghai/Beijing colleague Louisa Lim of NPR for the tip. Place your orders here.
Discussion:
The Washington Note
ProPublica:
How Democrats Fooled California's Redistricting Commission — This spring, a group of California Democrats gathered at a modern, airy office building just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The meeting was House members only — no aides allowed — and the mission was seemingly impossible.
Discussion:
Big Government, Political Mojo, Campaign 2012, Hotline On Call and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Exclusive: Citizens United's Iowa ad buy on Reagan flick, featuring the Gingriches — We wrote back in the summer about a promotion that Citizens United Productions was doing to promote a movie, with Michele Bachmann starring in the ad campaign. — Now, Citizens United …
Discussion:
Ballot Box, Gawker and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Annie Lowrey / New York Times:
Signs Point to Economy's Rise, but Experts See a False Dawn — WASHINGTON — As the fourth quarter draws to a close, a spate of unexpectedly good economic data suggests that it will have some of the fastest and strongest economic growth since the recovery started in 2009 …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Atlantic Online, The Enterprise Blog, Prairie Weather and American Power
Stephen Colbert / The State:
Colbert guest editorial: Naming rights, state mottoes and the GOP primary + video — As a proud son of South Carolina I must address recent unsubstantiated rumors published in The State that I, Stephen Colbert, tried to buy the naming rights to the 2012 Republican primary.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times and 2012 Decoded
Commissioning Editor - Practical Law — 
Energy Markets Reporter, London — 
Asia Credit Reporter, Seoul — 
Senior Social Media Specialist, NC — 
Courthouse Researcher, CA — 
Associate Editor - Aviation, TN — 
Newsperson - State Govt. & Politics, CA — 
Video Producer - YouTube, NY — 
Climate Crisis Columnist — 
Multimedia Journalist, CA — 
Community Engagement Mgr., DC — 
Editor, MA — 
Team Editor - Breaking News, ON — 
Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — 
Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — 
Managing Ed. - Berks County, PA — 
News Editor - UK, Remote — 
News Reporter, MA — 
Multimedia Journalist, PA — 
Private Credit Reporter, NY — 
Service Journalism Editor, CA — 
Reporter, PA — 
Los Angeles Issues Reporter, CA — 
Reporter - Middle East — 
Executive Editor, OR — 
California Playbook Writer, CA — 
Senior Media Editor — 
National Investigative Reporter, NY — 
Coastal Climate Reporter, SC — 
General Assignment Reporter, FL — 
Staff Reporter, CA — 
Data Editor, NY — 
