Top Items:
Dan Primack / Fortune:
Gingrich's ‘Bain bomb’ fizzles — The “Bain bomb” is full of wet fuses. — We've been keeping regular track of claims made about Mitt Romney's business history over at our Mitt Meter, but today's video “documentary” from the Gingrich-affiliated Winning Our Future PAC requires its own post.
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Justin Sink / Ballot Box:
Poll: Romney slipping in South Carolina, holds just 2 point lead over Gingrich — Despite a historic sweep of the first two nominating contests in the GOP field, Mitt Romney holds just a two percentage point lead in South Carolina, his smallest lead of 2012.
Discussion:
The Politico, The Caucus, Liberal Values, FiveThirtyEight, Hot Air, The Other McCain, Connecting.the.Dots, The Mahablog, msnbc.com, The Political Carnival, The Reaction, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Indecision Forever, Democratic Strategist, Politics, ThinkProgress, CNN and The Moderate Voice
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Yes, Romney Could Lose — I just watched the Bain documentary featured below and being broadcast throughout South Carolina by Newt Gingrich's SuperPac in full. It's loaded with out-of-context quotes and heavily biased; it focuses on the specific human suffering of the necessary …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, The Atlantic Online and Saint Petersblog
Kevinliptak / CNN:
Colbert for president (again) — (CNN) - Faux-news host and comedian Stephen Colbert announced Thursday night he was launching his second run for president in South Carolina. — “I'm proud to announce I plan to form an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for my candidacy …
Discussion:
The Politico, Election Law Blog and Hot Air
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
‘When Mitt Romney Came to Town’ — We knew the short film from Newt Gingrich's Super PAC, targeting Mitt Romney's private-sector work, was on the way. We didn't know just how devastating it would be. — Probably the easiest-to-see version of “When Mitt Romney Came to Town” …
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Giuliani to Newt: ‘What the hell are you doing?’
Giuliani to Newt: ‘What the hell are you doing?’
Discussion:
Riehl World View
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Romney Makes History
Romney Makes History
Discussion:
The Daily, The State, The Politico, Weekly Standard, St. Petersburg Times, New York Times and The PJ Tatler
Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:
3 billionaires who'll drag out the race
3 billionaires who'll drag out the race
Discussion:
Hot Air, Time, Big Journalism, Christian Science Monitor, Media Decoder, Washington Wire, Applesauce, CNN, ABCNEWS and Taylor Marsh
Reid J. Epstein / Reuters:
Mitt Romney readies Bain Capital counterattack
Mitt Romney readies Bain Capital counterattack
Discussion:
USA Today, Sabato's Crystal Ball, Metro, Crooks and Liars, ABCNEWS, The Caucus, New York Times, Campaign 2012, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, The Raw Story, Firedoglake, CNN, Reuters, The Moderate Voice, Saint Petersblog and New York Magazine
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Mitt Romney's extreme defense of capitalism
Mitt Romney's extreme defense of capitalism
Discussion:
The Politico, Brad DeLong, FAIR Blog, Sky Dancing, Washington Monthly, The Daily Dish, Riehl World View and Applesauce
Dave Levinthaland Anna Palmer / The Politico:
POLITICO Influence: ‘Clean up house’
POLITICO Influence: ‘Clean up house’
Discussion:
Reuters
Wallacegw / CNN:
South Carolina GOP Chairman defends free market amid Romney attacks
South Carolina GOP Chairman defends free market amid Romney attacks
Discussion:
The Politico
Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Dems Prepare To Hammer Romney With The REAL Bain Onslaught
TPM2012 — Dems Prepare To Hammer Romney With The REAL Bain Onslaught
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Newt Gingrich: South Carolina will be ‘Armageddon’
Newt Gingrich: South Carolina will be ‘Armageddon’
Discussion:
The Politico, Booman Tribune, Guardian and Daily Kos
Arthur S. Brisbane / The Public Editor's Journal:
Should The Times Be a Truth Vigilante? — I'm looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by newsmakers they write about. — One example mentioned recently by a reader: As cited in an Adam Liptak article on the Supreme Court …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Atlantic Online, ThinkProgress, Hullabaloo, Firedoglake, Vanity Fair, The Incidental Economist, Booman Tribune, The Huffington Post, New York Times, Washington Monthly, The Awl, Viking Pundit, ECHIDNE of the snakes, Boing Boing, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, emptywheel, FAIR Blog, Balloon Juice, First Draft, The Daily What, Mediaite, Gothamist, Sky Dancing, Shakesville, Poynter, US Politics, Althouse, Wonkette, New York Magazine, JustOneMinute, Discourse.net, National Review, INSTAPUTZ, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »
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Jim Romenesko:
NYT public editor on reaction to Truth Vigilante post — What I was trying to ask was whether reporters should always rebut dubious facts in the body of the stories they are writing. I was hoping for diverse and even nuanced responses to what I think is a difficult question.
Discussion:
Daily Kos and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
Arthur S. Brisbane / The Public Editor's Journal:
Update to my Previous Post on Truth Vigilantes — I have appended a note statement from Jill Abramson, the executive editor, responding to this post. — First, though, I must lament that “truth vigilante” generated way more heat than light. A large majority of respondents weighed in with …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »
Jay Rosen / Pressthink:
So whaddaya think: should we put truthtelling back up there at number one? — Somewhere along the way, telling truth from falsehood was surpassed by other priorities to which the press felt a stronger duty. Arthur Brisbane, public editor of the New York Times, was unaware of this history …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, New York Times, Poynter, Brad DeLong and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »
Adam Clark Estes / The Atlantic Wire:
Yes, The New York Times Should Definitely Be a Truth Vigilante
Yes, The New York Times Should Definitely Be a Truth Vigilante
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and JIMROMENESKO.COM
Fox News:
Panetta orders probe of video allegedly showing Marines urinating on dead Taliban — The top commanders of the Marine Corps U.S. forces in Afghanistan are investigating a video that purports to show U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and Little Green Footballs
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New York Times:
Outrage Over Video of Marines Urinating on Taliban Corpses
Outrage Over Video of Marines Urinating on Taliban Corpses
Discussion:
Gawker, The Atlantic Online, Danger Room, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, The Daily What, US Politics, New York Magazine and American Power
Al Kamen / Washington Post:
President Obama's got sons? — President Obama, speaking last night in Chicago at a fundraiser at a private home, unloaded this bombshell: — Obama, according to the White House transcript, talked about “The first bill I signed — a bill that said that we're going to have equal pay …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Sense of Events, The Daily Caller and Jammie Wearing Fools
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Conservatives Remain the Largest Ideological Group in U.S. — Overall, the nation has grown more polarized over the past decade — PRINCETON, NJ — Political ideology in the U.S. held steady in 2011, with 40% of Americans continuing to describe their views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal.
Discussion:
Doug Ross, The PJ Tatler and The Big Picture
Dan Savage / The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper:
Canada's Conservative Government Turns My Husband Back Into My Boyfriend — After issuing thousands of marriage licenses to same-sex couples from United States and other nations where same-sex marriage is not yet legal—marriage licenses that did not come with a disclaimer or an asterisk …
Discussion:
Globe and Mail
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Kirk Makin / Globe and Mail:
Despite legal about-face, Harper has ‘no intention’ of reopening gay marriage
Despite legal about-face, Harper has ‘no intention’ of reopening gay marriage
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Poliglot and Firedoglake
Jeremy Wallace / HT Politics:
Laura Bush wanted Jeb to run for president in 2012 — SARASOTA — Former first lady Laura Bush wishes there were one more candidate in the Republican presidential primary: Jeb Bush. — Speaking to a sold-out Sarasota audience on Wednesday, Bush said she had hoped that her brother-in-law …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, GOP 12, Indecision Forever, Guardian, CNN, The Daily Caller and Saint Petersblog
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Justice Department memo argues Obama recess appointments were legal — The Department of Justice offered a defense Thursday for President Obama's controversial decision to make several recess appointments while Congress was holding pro forma sessions. — In a memo, Justice argued …
Discussion:
The Politico, Weasel Zippers, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Congressman Diane Black and The Huffington Post
RELATED:
Josh Gerstein / Reuters:
Justice Department approved recess appointments
Justice Department approved recess appointments
Discussion:
Hot Air, CNN, The Heritage Foundation and The New Republic
Alex Alvarez / Mediaite:
C-SPAN Getting Hammered With Prank Calls About Mitt Romney's Penis — C-SPAN is not, typically, a place where one can expect to find the sort of gaffes, fights, and general shenanigans running rampant on other politically-minded networks. But, lately, it has had to contend with a couple of] …
Discussion:
JIMROMENESKO.COM, The Daily What and Gawker
Kelly Kennedy / USA Today:
5% of patients account for half of health care spending — WASHINGTON - Just 1% of Americans accounted for 22% of health care costs in 2009, according to a federal report released Wednesday. — That's about $90,000 per person, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Discussion:
Firedoglake and ThinkProgress
The Onion:
Scandalous Photos Reveal Grover Norquist Carried On Secret Affair With Taxes For Years — WASHINGTON—In a scandal that strikes at the very heart of the American anti-tax movement, a series of incriminating photos surfaced online Thursday, revealing that, for decades, leading Republican power …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and The Hill
Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
President Obama requests $1.2T debt hike over GOP objections — President Obama on Thursday made an official request that Congress raise the debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion over the objections of several House Republicans. — Obama's formal notification gives both chambers 15 days to vote on whether to approve the hike.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and Big Government