memeorandum: Sen. Warren: Barney Frank would do ‘extraordinary’ job as interim senator (Alexandra Jaffe/Ballot Box)

4:10 PM ET, January 7, 2013

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.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, ABCNEWS, The Week, Quartz, The Agonist, Via Meadia, The Daily Dish, The Atlantic Online, Right Turn, p m carpenter's commentary, Daniel W. Drezner and The Hill

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

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, The Hinterland Gazette and Post Politics

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Crack Pipe — I'm watching a lot of neoconservative policy activists and a lot of people in the press telling me that it's a very up in the air thing whether Chuck Hagel gets confirmed as Secretary of Defense. These folks should stop smoking crack. Because crack isn't good for you.

Discussion: Guardian and Balloon Juice

Reuters:
Obama picks Hagel for defense, Brennan for CIA

Discussion: Salon, TalkLeft and Wall Street Journal

Kevin Bohn / CNN:
White House officials reach out to Jewish community to answer Hagel concerns

Discussion: Politico, ABCNEWS, The Hinterland Gazette and Business Insider

Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
Topsy-turvy Hagel politics

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, Politico, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, RNC Research, Forbes, Power Line and neo-neocon

Hayes Brown / ThinkProgress:
FLASHBACK: Bill Kristol Wanted Chuck Hagel To Be Vice President

Discussion: J Street and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:
How The White House Is Selling Chuck Hagel

Discussion: The Page and Post Politics

Michael Schwirtz / New York Times:
Obama Expected to Pick Chuck Hagel for Defense Post

Elliott Abrams / Weekly Standard:
Mr. Hagel and the Jews — During the hearings on Chuck Hagel's …

Discussion: Power Line and The Spectacle Blog

Bryan Bender / Boston Globe:
Still a potent gay rights voice, Barney Frank dials back opposition to Chuck Hagel nomination

Discussion: Politico, American Prospect, The Maddow Blog, The Atlantic Online, The Huffington Post, The Back Channel and Right Turn

Katie Glueck / Reuters:
The critics' case against Chuck Hagel

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Politico, Politicker and Washington Free Beacon

Scott Shane / New York Times:
Counterterror Adviser to be Named Chief of C.I.A.

Discussion: emptywheel, Guardian, The Plum Line, Taylor Marsh, Outside the Beltway and msnbc.com

First Read:
First Thoughts: Hagel — a man without a party

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, ABCNEWS, The Page, The National Memo, The Fix, Business Insider, New Atlanticist, msnbc.com, Capital New York and CNN

Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
Obama Taps Hagel for Defense Secretary, Girds for Fight

Discussion: Politico, The Huffington Post, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Week and ABCNEWS

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
FLASHBACK: GOP Senators Praised Chuck Hagel's Statesmanship, Foreign Policy Expertise

Discussion: Little Green Footballs

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
John Brennan tapped to lead CIA

Discussion: CNN, Politics, Power …, Business Insider and Israel Matzav

Mickey Kaus / The Daily Caller:
Hagel's Mideast blunder-not on Israel

Discussion: The Week

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.

Discussion: MarketWatch, The Hill, Mother Jones, The Informer, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Economist's View, Gawker, Marginal Revolution, The Week, Vodkapundit, Capital New York, Business Insider and Post Politics

Congressman Greg Walden: 2010:
Greg Walden plans to introduce bill to stop U.S. Treasury from creating trillion dollar platinum coins …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Political Watch, Mediaite, Business Insider and National Review

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 …

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Dems look for up to $1T in new revenues

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Plum Line, The New Republic, Political Watch, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, New York Times, Vodkapundit, The Gateway Pundit and The Reaction

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
14th Amendment Option: Nancy Pelosi Urges Obama To ‘Just Go Do It’ (VIDEO)

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation, Weasel Zippers and The Week

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

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

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

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

Sam Baker / The Hill:
Supreme Court to hear arguments in March on same-sex marriage

Discussion: Politico

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 »

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, Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit

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: Daily Kos