Top Items:
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 …
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Richard Stengel / TIME:
The Choice — In 1782 an expatriate French aristocrat named J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur who lived in New York's Hudson Valley published a book in London called Letters from an American Farmer. The third letter was titled “What Is an American?”
Discussion:
Politico, Gawker and Post Politics
Fox News:
Robert Bork, former Supreme Court nominee, dies — Robert Bork, former federal judge and Supreme Court nominee, has died, his family confirms to FoxNews.com. — Family members said Bork, 85, died early Wednesday morning. He had a history of heart problems and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung condition.
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Roger Kimball / Roger's Rules:
Robert H. Bork, 1927-2012 — Judge Robert H. Bork, one of the the greatest jurists this country has ever produced, died early this morning from heart complications in a Virginia hospital near his home. He was 84. — Bork was a national celebrity. Several years ago …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Freedom's Lighthouse, americanthinker.com and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Steven Hayward / Power Line:
Robert Bork's Revenge? — The distinguished jurist Robert Bork has died at the age of 85. Roger Kimball recalls him here, noting with understatement that the Left's scorched-earth opposition to his Supreme Court nomination was “obscene.” I have a long account of it in The Age of Reagan …
Discussion:
PointOfLaw Forum
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
Ethan Bronner / New York Times:
Robert H. Bork, Conservative Jurist, Dies at 85 — Robert H. Bork, a former solicitor general, federal judge and conservative legal theorist whose 1987 nomination to the United States Supreme Court was rejected by the Senate in a historic political battle whose impact is still being felt, died on Wednesday in Arlington, Va. He was 85.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
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:
Associated Press, americanthinker.com, “The Lid”, The Hinterland Gazette and First Read
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Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Benghazi probe faults ‘systemic failures’ at State Department
Benghazi probe faults ‘systemic failures’ at State Department
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, Reuters, American Power and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Anne Gearan / Washington Post:
Review of Benghazi attack faults ‘grossly’ inadequate security, leadership failures
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
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
Barack Obama to announce guns task force
Discussion:
Politico, New York Times, Daily Kos and Capital New York
Bloomberg:
AmEx's Chenault Said to Be Discussed for Treasury Post
AmEx's Chenault Said to Be Discussed for Treasury Post
Discussion:
DealBook, Quartz and Business Insider
Jared A. Favole / Wall Street Journal:
Obama to Tap Biden to Oversee Gun-Control Efforts
Obama to Tap Biden to Oversee Gun-Control Efforts
Discussion:
The Caucus and Business Insider
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
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Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org:
Piers Morgan Calls Pro-Gun Advocate ‘Unbelievably Stupid,’ ‘Dangerous’: ‘You Shame Your Country’
Piers Morgan Calls Pro-Gun Advocate ‘Unbelievably Stupid,’ ‘Dangerous’: ‘You Shame Your Country’
Discussion:
Gawker, Freedom Outpost, Washington Examiner and Towleroad News #gay
Sheldon Alberts / The Hill:
Boehner calls for GOP ‘discussion’ on guns
Boehner calls for GOP ‘discussion’ on guns
Discussion:
Hot Air, Fox News, Mediaite, Balloon Juice and The Hill
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
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 …
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Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
A better target for gun control
A better target for gun control
Discussion:
msnbc.com, CNN, The Plum Line, American Spectator and Moe Lane
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 …
Discussion:
Politico, New York Times, Hot Air, Right Turn, National Review, “The Lid”, The Atlantic Online, Moe Lane and Commentary Magazine
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Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Neocons push against Chuck Hagel
Neocons push against Chuck Hagel
Discussion:
Booman Tribune, Weekly Standard, Foreign Policy, americanthinker.com, Slate, Washington Free Beacon, The New Republic and Open Zion
Adolph L. Reed Jr / New York Times:
The Puzzle of Black Republicans — WHEN Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina announced on Monday that she would name Representative Tim Scott to the Senate, it seemed like another milestone for African-Americans. Mr. Scott will complete the term of Senator Jim DeMint, who is leaving to run Heritage Foundation.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Mediaite, The Week, The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers
Matt Ridley / Wall Street Journal:
Cooling Down the Fears of Climate Change — Evidence points to a further rise of just 1°C by 2100. The net effect on the planet may actually be beneficial. — Forget the Doha climate jamboree that ended earlier this month. The theological discussions in Qatar of the arcana of climate treaties are irrelevant.
Discussion:
Power Line, Hit & Run, Watts Up With That?, The Glittering Eye and Althouse
Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:
Quoting Rush Limbaugh Verbatim Is the Easiest Way to Discredit Him — His broadcasts since the Newtown shooting are an apt illustration of his self-contradiction and lack of intellectual integrity. — Reuters — There's been a lot of talk about the “national conversation” these last few days.
Discussion:
Riehl World News
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.
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Greg McDonald / NewsMax.com:
Bolton: Clinton's ‘Diplomatic Illness’ Shouldn't Stop Benghazi Testimony
Bolton: Clinton's ‘Diplomatic Illness’ Shouldn't Stop Benghazi Testimony
Discussion:
Politico
Tampa Bay Times:
Man shot at St. Pete pizza joint had been complaining about slow service — ST. PETERSBURG — Florida's controversial “stand your ground” law has been cited in hundreds of cases. People have used it to justify shooting, stabbing, killing and maiming would-be intruders, romantic competitors and rival gang members.
Discussion:
The Hinterland Gazette, Booman Tribune and The Raw Story
Vicki Needham / The Hill:
Democrats turn up pressure on extending long-term jobless aid — Senior House Democrats insist they won't leave Washington until Congress extends jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. — Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), the House Ways and Means Committee ranking member …
Sam Baker / The Hill:
Boehner: Raising Medicare age can wait until next year — Congress doesn't need to raise the Medicare eligibility age this year, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Tuesday. — Raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67 was on the table in earlier debt talks, and has been floated again …
Discussion:
CNN