Top Items:
Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Fierce White House Debate Over Contraception Mandate — “What are we doing here?” asked Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, stepping outside his wheelhouse to ask about a rising storm involving the Obama administration and the Catholic Church. “What's the point?”
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative, The Hill, Whiskey Fire, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, The PJ Tatler, Rod Dreher, Bloomberg and CatholicVote.org
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Jennifer Epstein / Politico:
Biden: Compromise on contraception
Biden: Compromise on contraception
Discussion:
Sky Dancing and Weasel Zippers
Skschust / CBS New York:
Cardinal-Designate Dolan: Obama Reneging On Birth Control Provision
Cardinal-Designate Dolan: Obama Reneging On Birth Control Provision
Discussion:
The Last Tradition, Instapundit, Weasel Zippers, The Huffington Post, The PJ Tatler, CBS News, Daily Kos and Daily Pundit
Evan McMorris-Santoro / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Will Dems Shoot Themselves In The Foot On Contraception?
TPM2012 — Will Dems Shoot Themselves In The Foot On Contraception?
Discussion:
ACS Blog, Firedoglake, LifeNews.com, tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com, Washington Post and Daily Kos
Marie Diamond / ThinkProgress:
Catholic Bishops Demand All Businesses Be Given The Right To Deny Women Contraception Coverage
Catholic Bishops Demand All Businesses Be Given The Right To Deny Women Contraception Coverage
Ross Douthat:
Catholics, Conscience and Contraception
Catholics, Conscience and Contraception
Discussion:
Rod Dreher, TBogg, ncronline.org, The Daily Dish, The New Republic, Opinionator and Business Insider
Amy Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:
The Contraception Coverage Debate Isn't Just About the Bishops
The Contraception Coverage Debate Isn't Just About the Bishops
Discussion:
The New Republic, The Hill, Swampland and ABCNEWS
Linda Greenhouse / Opinionator:
Whose Conscience?
Whose Conscience?
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, National Review, GetReligion, beliefnet and New York Times
Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:
Fox Pundit Tells CPAC Crowd That Rachel Maddow Is ‘The Best Argument In Favor Of Her Parents Using Contraception’ — In the “closed circuit world on the right,” MSNBC's Rachel Maddow is often the subject of ugly denigrations. Whether it's being mocked for her sexual orientation, her name …
Discussion:
The Last Tradition, The Moderate Voice, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Raw Story
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Is 2012 Slipping Away From the GOP? — For a long time, I was confident that Republican voters would oust Barack Obama in 2012, hold the House and, in all likelihood, take the Senate. Obama is a weak incumbent, who has been chronically unpopular since early in his term.
Matthew Yglesias / Slate:
The Five Things You Need To Know About Today's Foreclosure Settlement — LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 14: Attorney General of California Kamala Harris speaks onstage at the Cinema For Peace event benefitting J/P Haitian Relief Organization in Los Angeles held at Montage Hotel on January 14, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Kos, Prairie Weather, Firedoglake and New York Times
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CNNMoney.com:
Mortgage deal could bring billions in relief
Mortgage deal could bring billions in relief
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and Hullabaloo
The United States Department of Justice:
Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach $25 Billion Agreement with Five Largest …
Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach $25 Billion Agreement with Five Largest …
Discussion:
ProPublica, Political Mojo, Business Insider, FORECLOSURE FRAUD, Calculated Risk and Wall Street Journal
Alan I. Abramowitz / Sabato's Crystal Ball:
The Third Party Illusion — If you've been following the political commentary in the national media recently, you've probably heard that the 2012 presidential election is likely to result in the largest vote for a third party candidate in many years, perhaps exceeding the 19% of the national popular vote won by Ross Perot in 1992.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune
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American Prospect:
Wall Street's Third Party — This November, when Barack Obama faces off against his Republican opponent, there will be a third candidate in the race, too. This candidate has already qualified for the ballot in 14 states, including California. The campaign to ensure the candidate's ballot access …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:
UPDATED: Mississippi Rep. Wants ‘Gulf Of Mexico’ Changed To ‘Gulf Of America’ — Mississippi State Rep. Steve Holland, a Democrat, introduced a bill in the state's lower chamber calling for the part of the Gulf of Mexico that borders his state to be renamed the “Gulf of America.”
Discussion:
Blog of New Orleans, Gambit, The Reaction, Balloon Juice and Shakesville
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Mark Memmott / NPR:
Call It ‘Gulf Of America,’ Not Gulf Of Mexico, Lawmaker Says In Bit Of Satire
Call It ‘Gulf Of America,’ Not Gulf Of Mexico, Lawmaker Says In Bit Of Satire
Discussion:
Jezebel
Elizabeth Llorente / Fox News:
Mississippi Bill Changes Name of ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’
Mississippi Bill Changes Name of ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’
Discussion:
Sky Dancing and Riptide 2.0
Debra Erdley / PittsburghLIVE.com:
Pa. GOP voters quit Gingrich for Santorum — It never pays to count Rick Santorum out. — A Tribune-Review/WPXI-TV poll conducted Feb. 2-6 shows the former senator was gaining strength among Pennsylvania Republicans even before this week's victories in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Conservative Hideout 2.0, Hot Air and Washington Wire
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Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
DeMint: Brokered convention a possibility
DeMint: Brokered convention a possibility
Discussion:
CNN, The Impolitic, Campaign 2012 and Slate
Dan Lamothe / Marine Corps Times:
Marine scout snipers used Nazi SS logo — Marine Corps scout snipers used the logo of the notorious Nazi SS organization while in Afghanistan in 2010, the service acknowledged Thursday. — The logo appeared on a flag in a photograph of the platoon taken in September 2010 in Sangin district …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Political Mojo and Politico
Constance Johnson / Guardian:
About my ‘spilled semen’ amendment to Oklahoma's Personhood bill | Constance Johnson — I took this stand because I'm sick of the hypocrisy of Republican lawmakers who want to police women's reproductive health — As a woman and a 31-year veteran of the legislative process in Oklahoma …
Discussion:
The Raw Story, Feministing, ThinkProgress, Weasel Zippers and The New Civil Rights Movement
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Crowd Pleaser — At first glance, President Obama and Mitt Romney share some similar traits. Both Harvard Law School grads are smart and analytical. Both are emotionally reserved rather than touchy-feely. Both are traditionalist in their family and personal lives.
Discussion:
Hot Air
Rick Santorum / CNN:
Santorum takes on ‘environmental terror’ — Oklahoma City (CNN) - Speaking in one of the top energy-producing states in the country, Rick Santorum tailored his stump speech here on Thursday to appeal to a raucous crowd of domestic energy-loving Okies. — Reaffirming his support …
Discussion:
Roland Martin Reports, Politico and Little Green Footballs
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CNN:
As Santorum and Romney battle, Paul slams both as liberal
As Santorum and Romney battle, Paul slams both as liberal
Discussion:
2012 Decoded, The Hill, ABCNEWS and Daily Kos
Nick Baumann / Mother Jones:
Marco Rubio's Plan Could Cut Off Birth Control Coverage for Millions — How the Florida senator—and potential VP pick—aims to use religion to undermine Obama's health care policy. — A new bill introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a rising conservative star and leading contender …
Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — CPAC Wants To Help You Get A Hot Conservative Date — “'I was thinking about how sexy it would be to kiss you,'” world renowned pickup artist Wayne Elise told a group of young Rick Santorum fans. “You can say that [to a girl], it's cool.” — Elise, better known by his handle …
Discussion:
Rumproast, pandagon.net, Talking Points Memo and Hullabaloo
Matt Stopera / BuzzFeed:
The Best Testimony From Washington State's Gay Marriage Hearing — Try not to cry. Watch Representative Maureen Walsh's moving testimony from yesterday's gay marriage vote in Washington. Rep. Walsh was one of two Republicans to vote for the bill.
Discussion:
The Daily What, The New Civil Rights Movement, Shakesville, ThinkProgress and Towleroad News #gay
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Santorum: Obama Has Put America On ‘The Path’ Of Executing Religious People By Decapitation — Rick Santorum continued to rail against President Obama's so-called war against religion during a town hall in Plano, Texas Wednesday night. The former Pennsylvania senator …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Liberal Values, Wonkette, The Maddow Blog, The New Civil Rights Movement and Hullabaloo
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Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Santorum Doubles Down: ‘ObamaCare’ Is The First Step To The ‘Guillotine’
Santorum Doubles Down: ‘ObamaCare’ Is The First Step To The ‘Guillotine’
Discussion:
ECHIDNE of the snakes
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Pelosi: ‘Colbert used to be my friend’ — Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) mocked comedian Stephen Colbert as part of her campaign against super-PACs. — The House minority leader released a web video on Thursday that jokingly attacks Colbert for launching a super-PAC.
Wall Street Journal:
Apple vs. Google: The Stakes Are Rising — Google Inc. is developing a home-entertainment system that streams music wirelessly throughout the home and would be marketed under the company's own brand, according to people briefed on the company's plans. — The effort marks a sharp shift …
Discussion:
Washington Post, AllThingsD and TechCrunch, more at Mediagazer »
Maggie Haberman / Politico:
Santorum's issue with women in combat — Rick Santorum, in an interview with CNN's John King a bit ago, was asked whether he thinks it's a good idea or a bad idea for the Pentagon to relax some of the rules about women taking frontline roles in combat, “perhaps opening the door to a broader role for, ultimately, women in combat.”
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
Conn Carroll / Campaign 2012:
Obama declares himself dictator of education — President Obama granted 10 states (Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee) waivers from the federal government's No Child Left Behind law today.
Discussion:
Nation Now, Fox News, The Heritage Foundation, Hot Air, Guardian and The PJ Tatler
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