Top Items:
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The Real Reason Republicans Hate Hagel — It has more to do with President Obama than the former senator from Nebraska. — It's good news that President Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel as his secretary of defense, despite the frantic campaign against him that's been mounted by certain Republicans.
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Lee Enterprises / Lincoln Journal Star:
Exclusive: Hagel says critics distort his views on Israel, Iran — Chuck Hagel said Monday an accurate assessment of his record will demonstrate “unequivocal, total support for Israel” and endorsement of tough international economic sanctions against Iran. — Critics have “completely distorted” …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, The Hinterland Gazette and Post Politics
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Why Hagel Matters — According to various reports, Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel for defense secretary. Beinart puts the nomination in context: … To my mind, this is his core qualification. Unlike so many of the lemmings and partisans of Washington DC, Hagel actually called out the catastrophe of the Iraq War as it happened.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Mondoweiss, Mother Jones, Hullabaloo, Wired and Firedoglake
Peter Beinart / The Daily Beast:
Why Hagel Matters — If the former senator is confirmed over Republican objections as Obama's new secretary of defense, it could signal the beginning of a new era in American foreign policy, says Peter Beinart. — If media reports are true, Barack Obama will soon nominate Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, PERRspectives, No More Mister Nice Blog, Weasel Zippers, AEIdeas, Crooks and Liars and The Daily Caller
Algemeiner.com:
Ed Koch on Chuck Hagel Nomination: Obama's Reneging on His Conveyed Support for Israel Has Come Earlier Than I Thought
Ed Koch on Chuck Hagel Nomination: Obama's Reneging on His Conveyed Support for Israel Has Come Earlier Than I Thought
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler and National Review
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Crack Pipe — I'm watching a lot of neoconservative policy activists …
Crack Pipe — I'm watching a lot of neoconservative policy activists …
Discussion:
Guardian and Balloon Juice
Kevin Bohn / CNN:
White House officials reach out to Jewish community to answer Hagel concerns
White House officials reach out to Jewish community to answer Hagel concerns
Discussion:
Politico, ABCNEWS, The Hinterland Gazette, Israel Matzav and Business Insider
Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
Topsy-turvy Hagel politics
Topsy-turvy Hagel politics
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, Politico, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, Forbes, RNC Research, Power Line and neo-neocon
Hayes Brown / ThinkProgress:
FLASHBACK: Bill Kristol Wanted Chuck Hagel To Be Vice President
FLASHBACK: Bill Kristol Wanted Chuck Hagel To Be Vice President
Discussion:
J Street and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'
Michael Schwirtz / New York Times:
Obama Expected to Pick Chuck Hagel for Defense Post
Obama Expected to Pick Chuck Hagel for Defense Post
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, Politico, The Plum Line, American Prospect, CNN, Washington Examiner, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Algemeiner.com, The Week, msnbc.com, Lawfare, emptywheel, Mondoweiss, JustOneMinute, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, First Read, The BLT, The Atlantic Online, Quartz, Taylor Marsh, The Caucus and ThinkProgress
Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:
How The White House Is Selling Chuck Hagel
How The White House Is Selling Chuck Hagel
Discussion:
The Page and Post Politics
Elliott Abrams / Weekly Standard:
Mr. Hagel and the Jews — During the hearings on Chuck Hagel's …
Mr. Hagel and the Jews — During the hearings on Chuck Hagel's …
Discussion:
Power Line and The Spectacle Blog
Katie Glueck / Reuters:
The critics' case against Chuck Hagel
The critics' case against Chuck Hagel
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, Politico, Politicker and Washington Free Beacon
Reuters:
Obama picks Hagel for defense, Brennan for CIA
Obama picks Hagel for defense, Brennan for CIA
Discussion:
Salon, TalkLeft and Wall Street Journal
Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
FLASHBACK: GOP Senators Praised Chuck Hagel's Statesmanship, Foreign Policy Expertise
FLASHBACK: GOP Senators Praised Chuck Hagel's Statesmanship, Foreign Policy Expertise
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs
Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
Obama Taps ‘Patriot’ Hagel for Defense
Obama Taps ‘Patriot’ Hagel for Defense
Discussion:
Politico, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Week and ABCNEWS
Paul Krugman:
Be Ready To Mint That Coin — Should President Obama be willing to print a $1 trillion platinum coin if Republicans try to force America into default? Yes, absolutely. He will, after all, be faced with a choice between two alternatives: one that's silly but benign, the other that's equally silly but both vile and disastrous.
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This Just In:
Hillary Clinton back at work - with a football helmet — Hillary Clinton went back to work as secretary of state this morning and was greeted by colleagues showing off their sense of humor. — First off, we got the official State Department photo of her hosting the weekly meeting of assistant secretaries of state.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Joe. My. God., The Immoral Minority and Sense of Events
Stephen Moore / Wall Street Journal:
The Education of John Boehner — Leverage for the next clash: GOP willingness to let the spending sequester take effect. — What stunned House Speaker John Boehner more than anything else during his prolonged closed-door budget negotiations with Barack Obama was this revelation …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Guardian, The Fix, FOX News Radio, The Plum Line, The New Republic, Los Angeles Times, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, The PJ Tatler, Washington Wire, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Weasel Zippers, Business Insider, Daily Kos, Betsy's Page, Washington Monthly, Wall Street Journal Topics, Roll Call, Althouse, Outside the Beltway, p m carpenter's commentary, Post Politics, National Review, Our American Constitution, The Gateway Pundit, Booman Tribune and Taegan Goddard's …
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Alex Pareene / Salon:
The conservative movement is still an elaborate moneymaking venture — The story of FreedomWorks' big Glenn Beck payout encapsulates the right-wing media — The conservative media movement exists primarily as a moneymaking venture. As Rick Perlstein explained in the Baffler …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Impolitic, Liberal Values, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Immoral Minority
Alexandra Jaffe / Ballot Box:
Sen. Warren: Barney Frank would do ‘extraordinary’ job as interim senator — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) offered strong support for former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to act as interim senator if John Kerry (D-Mass.) is confirmed as secretary of State, calling him an “extraordinary” option for the seat.
Discussion:
Boston Herald and Daily Kos
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Paul Krugman:
The Outside Man — Yes, I've heard about the notion that I should be nominated as Treasury Secretary. I'm flattered, but it really is a bad idea. — Part of the reason is that I am indeed the World's Worst Administrator — and that does matter. Someone else can do the paperwork …
Discussion:
Politico, Ballot Box, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Weekly Standard and Economist's View
Christine Haughney / New York Times:
After Pinpointing Gun Owners, Paper Is a Target — WHITE PLAINS — Local newspapers across the country look for stories that will bring them national attention, but The Journal News, a daily nestled in a wooded office park in a suburb north of New York, may have gotten more than it bargained for.
Discussion:
Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, Right Wing News, Weasel Zippers, Gothamist and Capital New York, more at Mediagazer »
Glenn Greenwald / Guardian:
John Brennan's extremism and dishonesty rewarded with CIA Director nomination | Glenn Greenwald — Obama's top terrorism adviser goes from unconfirmable in 2008 to uncontroversial in 2013, reflecting the Obama legacy — (updated below - Update II) — Prior to President Obama's …
Discussion:
The Plum Line, emptywheel, Business Insider, Taylor Marsh and The Daily Dish
RELATED:
Scott Shane / New York Times:
Counterterror Adviser to be Named Chief of C.I.A.
Counterterror Adviser to be Named Chief of C.I.A.
Discussion:
Politico, emptywheel, Outside the Beltway and msnbc.com
Nick Wing / The Huffington Post:
Joe Arpaio Dispatches Armed Volunteer Posses To Begin School Patrols … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Arizona Politics, Video, Maricopa County, Arizona, Arpaio School Patrols, Joe Arpaio Armed Posse, Joe Arpaio School Patrols, Joe Arpaio Schools, Politics News
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs and Joe. My. God.
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Big Fail — It's that time again: the annual meeting of the American Economic Association and affiliates, a sort of medieval fair that serves as a marketplace for bodies (newly minted Ph.D.'s in search of jobs), books and ideas. And this year, as in past meetings …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, CANNONFIRE, Prairie Weather and Vox Popoli
Kyle Olson / EAGnews.org:
Crowd laughs as Chicago Teachers Union president talks about killing the rich — CHICAGO - The Chicago Teachers Union is not just about looking out for its members' interests. The union wants to fundamentally change America, too. — That shift occurred when the radical Karen Lewis was elected as its president two years ago.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, FreedomWorks, Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit
Jeffrey Toobin / New Yorker:
CASTING VOTES — Here's a safe prediction for 2013: few people will pine for the Presidential campaign of 2012. Even Barack Obama's most ardent supporters acknowledge that his victory provided little of the euphoria of four years ago. Not many Republicans have longed to hear …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Dems look for up to $1T in new revenues — Democrats say they want to raise as much as $1 trillion in new revenues through tax reform later this year to balance Republican demands to slash mandatory spending. — Democratic leaders have had little time to craft a new position …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Plum Line, The New Republic, Political Watch, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, New York Times, Vodkapundit, The Gateway Pundit and The Reaction