memeorandum: The Villain — The left hates him. The right hates him even more. (Roger Lowenstein/The Atlantic Online)

9:30 PM ET, March 14, 2012

Top Items:

Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs — TODAY is my last day at Goldman Sachs. After almost 12 years at the firm — first as a summer intern while at Stanford, then in New York for 10 years, and now in London — I believe I have worked here long enough to understand the trajectory of its culture, its people and its identity.

Neil Rafferty / The Daily Mash:

Why I am leaving the Empire, by Darth Vader — TODAY is my last day at the Empire. — After almost 12 years, first as a summer intern, then in the Death Star and now in London, I believe I have worked here long enough to understand the trajectory of its culture, its people and its massive, genocidal space machines.

Rolling Stone:

On Goldman Executive Greg Smith's Brave Departure — Wall Street is buzzing this morning about a resignation - a historic one. Greg Smith, the executive director and head of Goldman Sachs's United States equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, not only decided to quit Goldman …

Discussion: DealBook, ThinkProgress, naked capitalism, Deal Journal, The Huffington Post, Ezra Klein, Guardian and The Big Picture

Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:

Goldman Sachs Mobilizes Rapid Smear Campaign Against Whistleblower — Today, Goldman Sachs employee Greg Smith excoriated the investment bank in a New York Times op-ed, resigning due to the banks “toxic and destructive” culture, one in which the bank's trading profits took precedence over its customers' financial well-being.

Discussion: Firedoglake and Deal Journal

Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:
A Public Exit From Goldman Sachs Hits at a Wounded Wall Street

Discussion: The Huffington Post, ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway, DealBook, Deal Journal, FT Alphaville, Truthdig and The BLT

David Enrich / Deal Journal:
Goldman Rejects Claims Made by Outgoing Executive

Discussion: The Jungle, New York Times, The Huffington Post, DealBook, ThinkProgress, blogs.telegraph.co.uk and Guardian

Alex Altman / Swampland:

Why Ron Paul May Cut a Deal With Mitt Romney — Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Ron Paul shake hands before the start of the first 2012 Republican presidential debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, June 13, 2011. — For Ron Paul, victory is finally in sight.

Discussion: Hot Air, Campaign 2012, Ballot Box, The War Room …, Taegan Goddard's … and Washington Post

Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:
Santorum-Gingrich Ticket Floated By Gingrich Adviser

Discussion: The Last Tradition, ABCNEWS, The Raw Story, Indecision Forever, Business Insider, Mother Jones, Power Line, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, National Review, GOP 12, The Moderate Voice and New York Times

Erick Erickson / RedState:
Not Closing the Deal — “In five years of campaigning …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Other McCain, American Spectator, The Daily Caller, msnbc.com, GOP 12 and American Power

Dylan Byers / Politico:
NBC pulls Ron Paul's last embed

Discussion: Business Insider, Mediaite and Taylor Marsh, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:
TRENDING: Republicans to Romney: Fix your message

Discussion: Politico, ABCNEWS and ThinkProgress

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Obama up in NC, primary hinges on Newt

Discussion: Firedoglake, Guardian and Outside the Beltway

2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Rick Santorum Wins Alabama, Mississippi

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Metro Weekly, Politico and ABCNEWS

Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:

House Republican Leaders Plan To Renege On Debt Ceiling Deal — Last week, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) signaled during an interview with Fox Business that he was open to reneging on the budget deal the GOP crafted with Democrats last year during the debacle over raising the nation's debt ceiling.

Discussion: The Impolitic and Hullabaloo

David Lawder / Reuters:

House Republican leaders set to break US budget deal — * Republican aides say cuts may not be enough for conservatives — * Spending bill impasse, September shutdown battle feared — Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are ready to break a hard-fought budget deal …

Discussion: Daily Kos, A plain blog about politics and Balloon Juice

Scott Wong / Politico:
Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell strike deal on judges

Discussion: Washington Blade and ThinkProgress

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Here we go again — Via Pat Garofalo, Reuters reports:

Discussion: US Politics

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Senate OKs highway bill

Discussion: CNN and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Reuters:

Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood — (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told Puerto Ricans on Wednesday they would have to make English their primary language if they want to pursue U.S. statehood, a statement at odds with the U.S. Constitution.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, Wonkette and Business Insider

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Santorum says Puerto Rico must adopt English as official language if it wants statehood

Discussion: CNN

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / Bloomberg:

Republicans Losing on Birth Control as 77% in Poll Spurn Debate — Americans overwhelmingly regard the debate over President Barack Obama's policy on employer-provided contraceptive coverage as a matter of women's health, not religious freedom, rejecting Republicans' rationale for opposing the rule.

Discussion: Daily Kos, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, Little Green Footballs, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Raw Story, Politico, ThinkProgress, Ballot Box, Reuters and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

David Freddoso / Campaign 2012:

250 words, ‘Republican war on women’ used 4 times — The Sandra Fluke episode hasn't done much for Democrats in terms of public opinion — Obama has slipped a bit with women since it occurred — a little-appreciated truth about their social issue portfolio more broadly.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Hot Air

Roger Lowenstein / The Atlantic Online:

The Villain — The left hates him. The right hates him even more. But Ben Bernanke saved the economy—and has navigated masterfully through the most trying of times. — THE U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE was founded 99 years ago, as a bulwark to the banking system and an antidote to its frequent runs and panics.

Discussion: Free exchange and Modeled Behavior

Neil Munro / The Daily Caller:

Times nixes anti-Islam ad, runs anti-Catholic ad — Executives at The New York Times have rejected a full-page anti-Islam advertisement that mimicked a controversial anti-Catholic advertisement they published on March 9. — According to a Mar. 13 letter sent by the Times to the ad's sponsor …

Discussion: Wake up America, The Catholic League, Taylor Marsh, iOwnTheWorld.com and Atlas Shrugs

BuzzFeed:

Democrats Accuse Conservative News Outlet Of “Blackmail” — The Caller was, perhaps, leaning into the story a bit. Boyle stands by his warning. — The Democratic National Committee is at odds with the conservative Daily Caller over a reporter's threat as to how he would interpret an unreturned email.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM

Erin Gloria Ryan / Jezebel:

Law Will Allow Employers to Fire Women for Using Whore Pills [Pill Baby Pill] — A proposed new law in Arizona would give employers the power to request that women being prescribed birth control pills provide proof that they're using it for non-sexual reasons.

Discussion: Jesus' General, Sky Dancing, Crooks and Liars, Hullabaloo, ECHIDNE of the snakes, ThinkProgress, The Mahablog and Balloon Juice

Thania A. Betancourt / ASU News:
Senate judiciary committee endorses controversial contraceptive bill

Discussion: Addicting Info, The Diary of Daedalus, Little Green Footballs, Business Insider, Firedoglake, Feministing and Outside the Beltway

Wynton Hall / BREITBART.COM:

EXCLUSIVE: CHRIS ROCK ATTACKS CONSERVATIVE AUTHOR OVER TEA PARTY QUESTION — The New York Times bestselling author of the explosive new book, Hollywood Hypocrites: The Devastating Truth About Obama's Biggest Backers, Jason Mattera, had his crew's camera snatched and hurled by comedian Chris Rock …

Discussion: Mediaite, Hot Air, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, No More Mister Nice Blog and Michelle Malkin

Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:

Coulter on Palin, brokered convention: GOP has ‘a problem with con men and charlatans’ — Conservative columnist Ann Coulter, the author of “Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America,” took some shots at those seeking the limelight in the Republican Party and the conservative movement Monday night …

Discussion: The Raw Story, Hot Air, The Shark Tank and Wonkette

Guardian:

Exclusive: secret Bashar al-Assad emails lift lid on life of leader's inner circle — • Messages show Bashar al-Assad took advice from Iran — • Leader made light of promised reforms — • Wife spent thousands on jewellery and furniture — Bashar al-Assad took advice …

Discussion: msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, FP Passport and Gawker

Jennifer Bendery / The Huffington Post:

Company Puts Obama's, Pelosi's Faces On ‘BastardBlaster’ Shooting Targets — Barack Obama , Nancy Pelosi , Sarah Palin , Video , Obama Shooting Target , Palin Shooting Target , Pelosi Shooting Target , Yipe Media , Yipe Media Shooting Targets , Politics News

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

nbcconnecticut.com:

Woman Raped at Occupy New Haven: Cops — Police charged England Gamble, 53, of New Haven, with sexual assault. — A member of the Occupy New Haven movement was raped in a tent at the Occupy camp late on Monday night or early Tuesday morning, police said.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, TBogg, Little Green Footballs, Weasel Zippers and Hartford Courant

Joshua Rhett Miller / Fox News:

American flag with President Obama's image sparks outrage at Florida Democrats — Lake County Democratic Party officials removed the flag on Tuesday following complaints by local veterans in Florida. — An American flag with President Obama's image in place of the stars flew …