memeorandum: Wayne LaPierre: If It's Crazy To Put More Guns In Schools, Then Call Me Crazy (Evan McMorris-Santoro/Talking Points Memo)

3:05 PM ET, December 23, 2012

Top Items:

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

Bloomberg, LaPierre and the Void — FOR a week after the Newtown shooting, the conversation was dominated by the self-righteous certainties of the American center-left. In print and on the airwaves, the chorus was nearly universal: the only possible response to Adam Lanza's rampage …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and Brad DeLong

Adam Peck / ThinkProgress:

David Gregory Shocked By NRA's LaPierre: You Fly In The Face Of Common Sense — During Sunday's Meet the Press, the National Rifle Association's Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre sat down with host David Gregory and defended his organization's universally panned call for armed guards …

Discussion: The Raw Story

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:

Wayne LaPierre: If It's Crazy To Put More Guns In Schools, Then Call Me Crazy — In his first media appearance since the Friday press conference that drew outrage from gun control advocates, National Rifle Association vice president Wayne LaPierre once again made it clear Sunday on Meet …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Hinterland Gazette, Business Insider and The Raw Story

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

Armed guards like air marshals, claims NRA program chief — (CNN) - The man charged with developing the National Rifle Association's program to place armed guards in American schools defended the controversial plan Sunday against critics who claim it's a dangerous diversion from new gun restrictions.

Discussion: Politico

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo: Michael Steele: NRA Press Conference ‘Very Haunting And Very Disturbing’ (VIDEO)

New York Times:
The N.R.A. Crawls From Its Hidey Hole

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Althouse, The Hinterland Gazette, JustOneMinute, Guardian, Washington Monthly, The Moderate Voice, The Agonist, The BRAD BLOG, IHT Rendezvous and Daily Kos

Michael Kranish / Boston Globe:

The story behind Mitt Romney's loss in the presidential campaign to President Obama — (Associated Press photo of Mother Jones video) — You are reading this article for FREE courtesy of BostonGlobe.com. Get unlimited access. — It was two weeks before Election Day when Mitt Romney's …

Discussion: The Hill, Mediaite, Gawker, The Other McCain and Outside the Beltway

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:

Sen. Barrasso: Obama sees a ‘political victory’ in going over the cliff — Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said Sunday he thinks President Obama wants to dive over the so-called “fiscal cliff.” — “I believe the president is eager to go over the cliff for political purposes,” Barrasso told Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.”

Discussion: Politico and CNN

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Isakson would back bill to extend middle-class rates if ‘only choice’ left — GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) on Sunday said he would be willing to vote for a “fiscal cliff” solution that only prevented tax rises on the middle class if it was the only option left.

Discussion: Politico

Carlo Muñoz / The Hill:
LaTourette: ‘Plan B’ failure not a rebuke of Boehner's ‘leadership’

Discussion: CNN

Candice M. Giove / New York Post:

Ryan Lanza mourns Newtown shooter sibling and mom, claims he's a victim — Newtown killer Adam Lanza, who shot dead his mother, six other adults and 20 children, is badly missed by his brother. — “I am a victim,” Ryan Lanza, 24, told The Post yesterday in a Facebook chat. “I loss [sic] my mom and brother.”

Discussion: Mediaite, The Hinterland Gazette, TMZ.com and WTVR-TV

Binyamin Appelbaum / New York Times:

How Party of Budget Restraint Shifted to ‘No New Taxes,’ Ever — WASHINGTON — On a Saturday afternoon in October 1990, Senator Pete Domenici turned from a conversation on the Senate floor, caught the eye of a clerk by raising his right hand, and voted in favor of a huge and contentious bill to reduce federal deficits.

Discussion: Calculated Risk, The National Memo and Business Insider

Laura Donnelly / Telegraph:

Hospital apologises to 38 families for appalling care that saw a patient starve to death — An NHS hospital has apologised to 38 families after a patient starved to death and it left other dying people screaming in pain. — From left: Patricia Bridle, Laurence Hodges, Lois Smith and Chris Grande

Discussion: BBC, americanthinker.com, Power Line and ParaPundit

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

Potential Hagel nomination met with skepticism from senators — (CNN) - Former Sen. Chuck Hagel's name has yet to be officially sent to the Senate for confirmation as President Barack Obama's next secretary of defense, yet he faced a wave of skepticism from lawmakers Sunday about past positions …

Discussion: Politico

Jazz Shaw / Hot Air:

“Confiscation could be an option” — It's one of the most common refrains coming from the “reasonable discussion” crew as they pave the way for upcoming gun control legislation. Whether we hear it from the clucking tongues of guests on Morning Joe or from their legions of supporters on the web, the patter is the same.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, protein wisdom and National Review