Top Items:
CNN:
Gingrich spokesman defends Wikipedia edits — (CNN) - As recently as last week, Newt Gingrich's communications director has been criticized by editors on Wikipedia for dozens of edits he has made and requested in defense of his candidate. — While some of the changes were minor …
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ThinkProgress
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Washington Post:
Obama holds edge over Romney in general election matchup, poll finds — Boosted by improved public confidence in his economic stewardship, President Obama for the first time holds a clear edge over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in a hypothetical general-election matchup, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Crooks and Liars, The Huffington Post, neo-neocon, USA Today, New York Times, Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Runnin' Scared, The American Independent, The New Republic, Political Watch, Media Research Center, The Maddow Blog, Prairie Weather, THEROOT.COM, Jay Bookman, No More Mister Nice Blog, livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com, Ballot Box, The Political Carnival, Balloon Juice and ABCNEWS
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
WaPo/ABC ends sample transparency in national polling — The Washington Post and ABC News has a new national poll out today. It purports to show that Barack Obama has a 50% approval rating and that he would beat Mitt Romney in a head-to-head matchup. And heck, that might even be true, except for a couple of problems.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Patterico's Pontifications and Washington Post
Adam Peck / ThinkProgress:
Romney Campaign Spins Low Turn Out: Voters Staying At Home Secretly Support Romney
Romney Campaign Spins Low Turn Out: Voters Staying At Home Secretly Support Romney
Discussion:
Politico, The Maddow Blog, Ballot Box, Angry Black Lady Chronicles and Daily Kos
Dino Grandoni / The Atlantic Wire:
Congressman Falls for The Onion's Planned Parenthood ‘Abortionplex’ Story — Meet John Fleming, the unfortunate Republican U.S. Representative from Louisiana who made that wonderful and all-too-common mistake of thinking that an Onion article was real and telling his Facebook followers to read it.
Niall Ferguson / The Daily Beast:
Israel and Iran on the Eve of Destruction in a New Six-Day War — There are plenty of arguments against an Israeli attack on Iran. And all of them are bad. — Jerusalem—It probably felt a bit like this in the months before the Six-Day War of 1967, when Israel launched …
Discussion:
Opinion L.A., The Daily Caller, The Atlantic Online, Israel Matzav, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mondoweiss and Noah Millman
Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:
Karl Rove ‘offended’ by Clint Eastwood's Chrysler ad — A Chrysler ad aired during the Super Bowl Sunday night has inspired ire among some Republicans and admiration among some Democrats — with both sides seeing a political message that boosts President Obama.
Discussion:
nation.foxnews.com, The Atlantic Wire, Reuters, The Nation, Politico, The Hill, The Moderate Voice, Wonkette, Christian Science Monitor, ABCNEWS, Los Angeles Times, Taylor Marsh, Crooks and Liars, The War Room …, PopWatch, Poynter, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story, Hullabaloo and Daily Kos
Chris Geidner / Poliglot:
BREAKING: Ninth Circuit Prop 8 Ruling on Tuesday — A Guide to Understanding What's Happening — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's public information office expects a ruling on Tuesday, Feb. 7 by 10 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Eastern Time in the Perry v. Brown case challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8.
Discussion:
Mercury News, Firedoglake, ThinkProgress and Guardian
David Catron / American Spectator:
Who Castrated Ann Coulter? — There is no conservative writer that I admire more than Ann Coulter. She's smart as hell and, more importantly, she is courageous. She has always been willing to write what other conservatives believe but don't have the guts to say in print.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Daily Pundit and Riehl World View
Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:
Rep. Issa threatens Chu with subpoena — Energy Secretary Steven Chu could face a subpoena if he does not testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in the next 60 days on his department's loan program, the panel's chairman said Monday.
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CNN
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Byron Tau / Politico:
Clean energy loan recipient lays off staff
Clean energy loan recipient lays off staff
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delawareonline and Weasel Zippers
Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:
The End of Wall Street As They Knew It — After surprisingly successful financial reform, public vilification, and politics that have turned against them, the Masters of the Universe are masters no longer. — On Wall Street, bonus season is a sacred ritual.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, The Awl, The Big Picture and The Impolitic
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Ari Fleischer and Komen — On Friday, Think Progress reported that former Bushie Ari Fleischer had “secretly” been helping to guide Susan G. Komen Center for the Cure's media response to the Planned Parenthood public relations disaster that has engulfed the organization.
Discussion:
TBogg, ThinkProgress, US Politics, DownWithTyranny! and Daily Kos
Dorsey Shaw / BuzzFeed:
Congressman Sources An Onion Article As Fact On Facebook — Partner Buzz — Hot Buzz — This is my sister's beagle and weenie, dressed up as a dragonborn... The Single Most Awkward Photo Of Madonna During Her Halftime Show — She's really concentrating here. — In Your Inbox
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CBS Washington, Jezebel and Right Wing Watch
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Bachmann: ‘I was the perfect candidate’ — Rep. Michele Bachmann thinks that America missed its opportunity with “the perfect candidate.” — The Minnesota congresswoman was asked by Bloomberg TV's Al Hunt which of the remaining candidates was the most conservative during an interview Friday …
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Washington Post
Keith Laing / The Hill:
Senate sends FAA bill to Obama's desk — The Senate on Monday approved a bill to fund the Federal Aviation Administration through 2015, ending a years-long battle on Capitol Hill. — The House previously approved the measure, which will now go to President Obama's desk. The president supports the legislation.
Discussion:
CNN, Blog of Rights and The Raw Story
Lee Drutman / Sunlight Foundation Blog:
Turnover in the House: Who keeps - and who loses - the most staff — House members depend on their staff to run their offices, to help them draft and pass legislation, and to advise them on how to vote. But some members do a much better job of holding onto staff than others.
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Politicker
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Sharyl Attkisson / CBS News:
“Hidden” mortgage fee paying for payroll tax cut — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — Just before Christmas, American workers got a rare gift from Washington politicians - the current payroll tax cut would be extended for two more months. — At the time, both President Barack Obama …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Questions and Observations, Conservatives4Palin and The Lonely Conservative
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
‘We the People’ Loses Appeal With People Around the World — WASHINGTON — The Constitution has seen better days. — Sure, it is the nation's founding document and sacred text. And it is the oldest written constitution still in force anywhere in the world. But its influence is waning.
Discussion:
Fox News, Hullabaloo, Global Public Square and Public Secrets
The Smoking Gun:
Atlanta Street Gang Members Videotaped Brutal Hate Crime Attack On “Faggot” — Buster — Members of an Atlanta street gang were filmed beating a man who was brutally assaulted because “faggots” were not allowed in their neighborhood, according to a videotape of the apparent hate crime.
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay and The Raw Story
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama: I'm getting ‘better as time goes on’ at being president — President Obama said that he gets “better as time goes on” at his job and that he believes the grassroots movement that propelled him to victory in 2008 will help him win a second term during an interview that aired Monday on NBC's “Today Show.”
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The PJ Tatler, Randy's Roundtable, National Review, The Last Tradition and nation.foxnews.com
Ayaan Hirsi Ali / The Daily Beast:
Ayaan Hirsi Ali:The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World — From one end of the muslim world to the other, Christians are being murdered for their faith. — We hear so often about Muslims as victims of abuse in the West and combatants in the Arab Spring's fight against tyranny.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Rod Dreher
Paul Marks / New Scientist:
Civilian drones to fill the skies after law shake-up — Law changes mean uncrewed aerial vehicles aren't just for the military any more - civilian uses are taking off, too — Editorial: “High time to welcome the friendly drones” — THE hobbyist was testing the camera on board …
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy
Reuters:
Russia, China lose credit in Arab world: League chief — (Reuters) - The Arab League chief said on Monday that Russia and China had lost diplomatic credit in the Arab world by vetoing a U.N. resolution on Syria and may have sent a message to Damascus that it had a free hand to crack down on protests.
Discussion:
New York Times and ThinkProgress
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Things Are Not O.K. — In a better world — specifically, a world with a better policy elite — a good jobs report would be cause for unalloyed celebration. In the world we actually inhabit, however, every silver lining comes with a cloud. Friday's report was, in fact, much better than expected …
Discussion:
American Prospect, Prairie Weather, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Eschaton and 2012 Decoded
Nick Baumann / Mother Jones:
House GOP Memo: “Abortion Is the Leading Cause of Death in the Black Community” — A House GOP memo obtained by Mother Jones argues for a controversial “prenatal discrimination bill” by referring to “black abortions” as distinct from abortions in general and claiming that “abortion is the leading cause of death in the black community.”
Discussion:
American Prospect, Wonkette and Angry Black Lady Chronicles
Byron Tau / Politico:
Obama criticized for walking out on Jeb Bush — Bloomberg's Al Hunt has a long list of examples of what he calls the Obama team's ‘hubris’ — including a recent anecdote where Obama left a fancy black tie dinner before former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush spoke:
Discussion:
Bloomberg and Weasel Zippers