Top Items:
Associated Press:
Obama Social Security Offer at Odds With Top Dems — President Barack Obama's offer to slow the growth of Social Security benefits would force fellow Democrats in Congress to abandon promises to shield the massive retirement and disability program from cuts as part of negotiations to avoid the year-end fiscal cliff.
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Reid J. Epstein / Reuters:
Barack Obama to announce guns task force — President Barack Obama will on Wednesday announce the first step on gun control following the Newtown school shootings: an interagency task force, led by Vice President Joe Biden, charged with guiding the administration's continuing response.
Discussion:
Politico
Jared A. Favole / Wall Street Journal:
Obama to Tap Biden to Oversee Gun-Control Efforts — WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama on Wednesday will tap Vice President Joe Biden to spearhead White House efforts to mold new gun and mental health policies following the Newtown shootings, a choice that could prove crucial to getting changes through Congress.
Discussion:
Business Insider
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Facing Critical Choice After Shooting
Obama Facing Critical Choice After Shooting
Discussion:
The Caucus and msnbc.com
Washington Examiner:
White House endorses specific gun restrictions
White House endorses specific gun restrictions
Discussion:
nation.foxnews.com and The Hill
Michael Scherer / TIME:
2012 Person of the Year: Barack Obama, the President — Twenty-seven years after driving from New York City to Chicago in a $2,000 Honda Civic for a job that probably wouldn't amount to much, Barack Obama, in better shape but with grayer hair, stood in the presidential suite on the top floor …
Discussion:
GOP 12, ABCNEWS, Forbes, The Tell, Towleroad News #gay, Gothamist, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, CNN, Business Insider, The Lonely Conservative, Gawker, Post Politics and The BLT
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Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama is Time's ‘Person of the Year’ — President Barack Obama was named Time magazine's “Person of the Year,” the publication revealed Wednesday morning. — It is the president's second time winning the award; he won in 2008 after being elected to the White House for the first time.
New York Times:
Inquiry Into Libya Attack Is Sharply Critical of State Dept. — WASHINGTON — An independent inquiry into the attack on the United States diplomatic mission in Libya that killed four Americans on Sept. 11 sharply criticizes the State Department for a lack of seasoned security personnel …
Discussion:
“The Lid” and The Hinterland Gazette
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Anne Gearan / Washington Post:
Review of Benghazi attack faults ‘grossly’ inadequate security, leadership failures
New York Post:
Hillary Clinton's head fake
Hillary Clinton's head fake
Discussion:
Exposing Liberal Lies, CNN, Outside the Beltway, Politico, The Raw Story, The Daily Caller and The Glittering Eye
Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:
Benghazi verdict: grossly inadequate security and systemic failures of leadership
Benghazi verdict: grossly inadequate security and systemic failures of leadership
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Betsy's Page
Jana Winter / Fox News:
EXCLUSIVE: Fear of being committed may have caused Connecticut gunman to snap — NEWTOWN, CONN. - The gunman who slaughtered 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school may have snapped because his mother was planning to commit him to a psychiatric facility …
Ruby Cramer / BuzzFeed:
Michigan's Republican Governor Vetoes Concealed Gun Bill, Cites Sandy Hook Shooting — Sandy Hook was a factor, said Snyder in a statement. “This type of violence often leaves society with more questions than answers.” — Republican Michigan Governor Rick Synder vetoed a concealed gun bill Tuesday afternoon.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, SOM, msnbc.com and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'
RELATED:
Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:
BREAKING: Michigan Gov. Snyder To Veto Bill Allowing Guns In Schools
BREAKING: Michigan Gov. Snyder To Veto Bill Allowing Guns In Schools
Discussion:
Liberal Values, Talking Points Memo, Public Policy Polling and rubber hose
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Michigan Gov. Snyder vetoes concealed gun bill
Michigan Gov. Snyder vetoes concealed gun bill
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
Gov. Rick Snyder / Detroit Free Press:
Snyder vetoes concealed weapons bill
Chad Livengood / detroitnews.com:
Snyder vetoes Michigan concealed weapons bill
Snyder vetoes Michigan concealed weapons bill
Discussion:
Post Politics and msnbc.com
NY Daily News:
Comfort dogs help ease pain of mourning Newtown community — Groups from across the country brought dogs, some of them therapy animals, some just caring pets, to help both young and old cope with their grief over the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. — Dogs comfort a little boy Monday …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
RELATED:
Sheldon Alberts / The Hill:
Boehner calls for GOP ‘discussion’ on guns — Republicans need to “have a discussion on guns” in the wake of last week's grade-school massacre in Newtown, Conn., Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told his conference Tuesday. — Speaking to his troops at a closed-door meeting in the Capitol …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Mediaite, The Hill and The Caucus
Jeryl Bier / Speak With Authority:
Never Let a Crisis... Sometime it almost feels wrong …
Never Let a Crisis... Sometime it almost feels wrong …
Discussion:
Israel Matzav, The Lonely Conservative, Washington Examiner, Weasel Zippers and Twitchy
Washington Post:
Chuck Hagel is not the right choice for defense secretary — FORMER SENATOR Chuck Hagel, whom President Obama is reportedly considering for defense secretary, is a Republican who would offer a veneer of bipartisanship to the national security team. He would not, however, move it toward the center …
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Michael Warren / Weekly Standard:
Senate Republicans May Oppose Hagel SecDef Nomination
Senate Republicans May Oppose Hagel SecDef Nomination
Discussion:
Washington Post, Slate, The Daily Caller and Israel Matzav
BuzzFeed:
NRA Promises “Meaningful” Contributions — The gun group breaks its silence. “We were shocked, saddened, and heartbroken.” — National Rifle Association spokesman Andrew Arulanandam emails the first statement from the organization since Friday's massacre in Newtown.
Discussion:
The Week, The New Republic, Weasel Zippers, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hot Air and Mediaite
RELATED:
USA Today:
NRA releases statement on Conn. shooting
NRA releases statement on Conn. shooting
Discussion:
msnbc.com, WTVR-TV, New York Times and CNN
James Rosen / Fox News:
NRA to ‘push back’ soon, schedules news conference
NRA to ‘push back’ soon, schedules news conference
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and Daily Kos
Dylan Byers / Politico:
NRA News has already addressed Newtown
NRA News has already addressed Newtown
Discussion:
Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Taylor Marsh and Roger Ailes
Alexander Abad-Santos / The Atlantic Wire:
Conservatives Think Hillary Clinton Is Faking Her Concussion — Do you hear that faint sound? It's the grumbling of conservative pundits who are now churning out a theory that Hillary Clinton is lying about her concussion to avoid having to testify about Benghazi. Clinton had a concussion recently, her team said Saturday.
Discussion:
The Camp Of The Saints, The Moderate Voice, CNN and The Heritage Foundation
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John Hinderaker / Power Line:
The Times Embarrasses Itself on Guns-Again! — It's too bad the members of the New York Times editorial board don't sign their editorials. If they did, we could ridicule them by name. The Times, as an institution, has chosen to place ideology above accuracy.
Discussion:
Quartz
RELATED:
Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
More Fun With Numbers At The Times
More Fun With Numbers At The Times
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy, Kieran Healy and Sociological Images
Alexander Burns / Politico:
New GOP polling firm goal: Catch up with Dems — The Republican polling community is about to get a shake-up. — With the GOP still reeling from its defeats in the 2012 election, a new Republican polling firm is seeking to help the party bounce back with a fresh stream of data on the state of the electorate.
Rajiv Chandrasekaran / Washington Post:
Civilian analysts gained Petraeus's ear while he was commander in Afghanistan — Frederick and Kimberly Kagan, a husband-and-wife team of hawkish military analysts, put their jobs at influential Washington think tanks on hold for almost a year to work for Gen. David H. Petraeus when he was the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
Discussion:
LewRockwell.com Blog and emptywheel
New York Sun:
Kagan on the Second — There have been so many irresponsible statements by those seeking to exploit the tragedy at Newtown, Connecticut, that it's hard to keep up with them, but for the combination of arrogance and inaccuracy one can't beat the editorial the New York Times ran out this week under …
Discussion:
Right Turn