Top Items:
Washington Wire:
Text of Hillary Clinton's Senate Testimony on Benghazi — Here is the prepared text of Hillary Clinton's testimony on Benghazi. — SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS — WASHINGTON, DC — Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity.
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Washington Free Beacon:
Paul to Clinton: ‘I would have relieved you of your duty’ — RAND PAUL: One of the things that disappointed me most about the original 9/11 was no one was fired. We spent trillions of dollars, but there were a lot of human errors, these are judgment errors, and the people who make judgment errors need …
Discussion:
TheBlaze.com and The PJ Tatler
Politico:
Joe Biden ‘intoxicated’ by 2016 run — Joe Biden summoned more than 200 Democratic insiders to the vice presidential residence Sunday night to chat about the 2012 triumph — but many walked away convinced his rising 2016 ambitions were the real intent of the long, intimate night.
Discussion:
American Prospect, Associated Press, Post Politics, The Fix, Taylor Marsh, The Week, Weasel Zippers, NBC Politics, Twitchy, Reuters and CNN
Talking Points Memo:
Hillary Clinton Erupts At GOP Senator Over Benghazi Attack — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday fired back at Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) over accusations that the Obama Administration misled the public by claiming the Benghazi attack was the result of a spontaneous protest.
Discussion:
The Maddow Blog, Fox News Insider and National Review
Greg Holyk / ABCNEWS:
Clinton More Popular than Biden; Let the 2016 Handicapping Begin — Of two potential Democratic successors to Barack Obama, one has a clear advantage in personal popularity: Hillary Clinton, whose favorability rating exceeds Joe Biden's by a hefty 19 percentage points in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Political Capital, Ballot Box, ABCNEWS, CNN, Shakesville, Politico, Taegan Goddard's …, The Hill and The Political Carnival
Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog:
THE BREITBART/O'KEEFE-IZATION OF AMERICAN POLITICS, PART MCMLXXVII — I haven't been able to watch the Benghazi hearings, but I've checked my Twitter feed, and the lefties who've been watching are 100% convinced that Hillary Clinton has been wiping the floor with the Republicans who are trying to take her down.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Twitchy, Weekly Standard, Balloon Juice, BREITBART.COM and The Agonist
Matthew Cooper / NationalJournal.com:
Why Benghazi Hasn't Brought Down Hillary Clinton-and Won't
Why Benghazi Hasn't Brought Down Hillary Clinton-and Won't
Discussion:
Nice Deb, The Heritage Foundation, Hot Air and TheBlaze.com
Olivier Knox / Reuters:
Choking up, Hillary Clinton says Benghazi is ‘personal’
Choking up, Hillary Clinton says Benghazi is ‘personal’
Discussion:
Atlas Shrugs and msnbc.com
David Taintor / Talking Points Memo:
Clinton: I Did Not Select Susan Rice To Deliver Message On Benghazi Attack
Clinton: I Did Not Select Susan Rice To Deliver Message On Benghazi Attack
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Hillary Clinton pays off 2008 campaign debt
Hillary Clinton pays off 2008 campaign debt
Discussion:
CNN, The Spectacle Blog and Taylor Marsh
Washington Post:
Clinton appears before Congress over Benghazi attack
Clinton appears before Congress over Benghazi attack
Discussion:
The Fix, Weasel Zippers, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Mediaite, ABCNEWS, Right Turn, National Review, Hot Air and Post Politics
Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
GOP critics get opportunity to grill Secretary Clinton on Benghazi
GOP critics get opportunity to grill Secretary Clinton on Benghazi
Discussion:
Politico, ABCNEWS, Weekly Standard, New York Times, CNN, americanthinker.com and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
Obama Speech Leaves G.O.P. Stark Choices — WASHINGTON — President Obama's aggressive Inaugural Address on Monday presented Congressional Republicans with a stark choice over the next two years: accommodate the president's agenda on immigration, guns, energy and social programs and hope …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, The Moderate Voice, The Plum Line, Daily Kos, Booman Tribune, Washington Post, Hullabaloo and Pundits Blog
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Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Wayne LaPierre of N.R.A. Has Angry Response to Obama — WASHINGTON — Wayne LaPierre, the executive director of the National Rifle Association, angrily accused President Obama on Tuesday of demonizing law-abiding gun owners and of wanting to put “every private personal firearms transaction right under …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Hill, The Raw Story, Hot Air, The Reaction, Online NewsHour and Shakesville
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Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
NRA's LaPierre: Absolutism is virtue, not vice
NRA's LaPierre: Absolutism is virtue, not vice
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and First Read
Shushannah Walshe / ABCNEWS:
Aretha Franklin ‘Really Laughed’ About Beyonce Lip-Sync Controversy — Beyonce sings the National Anthem at the inauguration, Jan. 21, 2013. ; Singer Aretha Franklin performs during the inauguration ceremony for President Obama at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009.
Discussion:
CNN, Reuters, ABCNEWS, The Week, Guardian, New Jersey Online, Gawker, The Hinterland Gazette and theGrio
Mary Elizabeth Williams / Salon:
So what if abortion ends life? — I believe that life starts at conception. And it's never stopped me from being pro-choice — Of all the diabolically clever moves the anti-choice lobby has ever pulled, surely one of the greatest has been its consistent co-opting of the word “life.” Life!
Discussion:
National Review, LifeNews.com, Mother Jones, Care2 Causes and Guardian
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Contemplating Obama's Place in History, Statistically — With President Obama's second term under way, we have begun to see more reflections on how he might come to be regarded historically. — As common sense might dictate — and as the statistics will also reveal — it is far too soon to conclude very much about this.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
Anthony Faiola / Washington Post:
Sting operations reveal Mafia involvement in renewable energy — PALERMO, Italy — Inside a midnight-blue BMW, a Sicilian entrepreneur delivered his pitch to the accused mafia boss. A new business was blowing into Italy that could spin wind and sunlight into gold, ensuring the future …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Sen. Durbin: Democrats lack votes to pass talking filibuster reform — Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), a leading liberal, said Wednesday Democrats do not have enough votes to implement the talking-filibuster reform. — He said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …
Discussion:
Slate, Wonkblog, The Political Carnival, Daily Kos and LifeNews.com
Matthew Yglesias / Slate:
Constitutionally Questionable GOP Debt Ceiling Bill Could Be Bad News — House Republicans are out today with a baroque proposal on the debt limit. Rather than allowing the federal government to continue financing previously authorized spending by increasing the debt ceiling …
Discussion:
Wonkblog and Washington Monthly
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Jake Sherman / Politico:
The GOP's 48-hour debt ceiling makeover
Ruth Styles / Daily Mail:
These adult movie posters shocked in the 50s and 60s... But in the light of today's disturbing trend for sexting, over-exposure and limitless online porn they seem tame — Comes as Government advise parents to keep a closer eye on their children's internet and phone use
Quinnipiac News + Events:
Release Detail — January 23, 2013 - New Jersey Voters Back Christie's Rap On GOP 5-1, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Tell Lautenberg To Step Aside — Gov. Christopher Christie was right to criticize Congressional Republicans for delaying a vote on Hurricane Sandy relief …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Taegan Goddard's …, CNN, Hot Air, Politico, Ballot Box, The PJ Tatler and Philly.com
Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Union Members Summary — For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Wednesday. — Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov — UNION MEMBERS — 2012 — In 2012, the union membership rate …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Wonkblog, Washington Examiner, msnbc.com and The Greenroom
Bob Young / The Seattle Times:
Inslee encouraged by marijuana talk with Attorney General Holder — Gov. Jay Inslee said his conversation with Attorney General Eric Holder was “very satisfying” and a “confidence-builder” about the state's ability to move forward implementing legal marijuana.
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Rand Paul to Hillary: Let's face it, you should have been fired over Benghazi — Via Gateway Pundit, I figured he might be the boldest Republican questioner but I had no idea how bold. The key line: “I think it's good that you're accepting responsibility because no one else is.”
Martin Wolf / Financial Times:
America's fiscal policy is not in crisis — The urgent challenge is to promote economic recovery — The US confronts huge challenges, at home and abroad. Its fiscal position is not one of them. This is a highly controversial statement. If one judged by the debate in Washington …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Washington Wire and Economist's View
Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Government Spending is Down in the Obama Era — The chart below has been making the rounds today, so I thought I'd colorize it and annotate it to drive home its point a little more clearly. Republicans like to say we have a spending problem, not a taxing problem, but the evidence doesn't back that up.
Discussion:
Paul Krugman, The Maddow Blog, Prairie Weather and Corrente
James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Bitter Clingers Again — The bigotry behind the push for gun control. — Presidential frenemy Bill Clinton was at it again over the weekend, Politico reports: … Oh, these people, these poor misguided hicks! All they've got is their hunting and their fishing!
Discussion:
American Spectator