Top Items:
David Sanger / The Caucus:
On Iran, Hagel Muddles the Message — Dealing with Iran is complicated, but President Obama's policy on the question of whether a nuclear-armed Iran could be successfully “contained” - the way the Soviet Union was during the cold war - is simple. — His answer is no.
Discussion:
Power Line, Daily Pundit, The PJ Tatler, CBS News, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers, Right Turn and NewsBusters blogs
RELATED:
Winslow Wheeler / TIME:
Hagel's Hearing: Profoundly Depressing — Chuck Hagel at his confirmation hearing Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. — Watching the Senate Armed Services Committee interact Thursday with former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel—President Obama's candidate to be secretary of defense …
Discussion:
Guardian, Outside the Beltway, Business Insider, News Desk, WorldViews, New Atlanticist and The Atlantic Online
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
TODAY IN HAGEL BASHING — Former Senator Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday in what can only be described as nothing more than a show. — There really shouldn't be as much low farce in confirming a Cabinet appointment than was on display today …
William Kristol / Weekly Standard:
Any Profiles in Courage? — On October 3, 2005, President George W. Bush announced his intention to nominate his White House counsel, Harriet Miers, to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. On October 27, after vigorous statements of opposition …
Discussion:
TBogg
David Weigel / Slate:
The Hagel Vote: Counting to 51 or Counting to 60?
The Hagel Vote: Counting to 51 or Counting to 60?
Discussion:
Hot Air, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller and Washington Monthly
Post Politics:
Scott Brown won't run for Senate — Former Massachusetts Republican senator Scott Brown will not run in the special election for outgoing Democratic Sen. John Kerry's seat, according to a Republican source familiar with his plans. Brown's decision means Kerry's seat is very likely to remain in Democratic hands.
RELATED:
Boston Globe:
Scott Brown will not run for US Senate — Scott Brown, who surprised the political world with his upset victory in the 2010 special election, announced Friday afternoon that he will not enter the special election to replace John F. Kerry. — “I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign …
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, Balloon Juice and The Raw Story
Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:
Brown Decides Against Massachusetts Senate Bid
Brown Decides Against Massachusetts Senate Bid
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Maddow Blog and The Fix
Twitter Blog:
Keeping our users secure — As you may have read, there's been a recent uptick in large-scale security attacks aimed at U.S. technology and media companies. Within the last two weeks, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have chronicled breaches of their systems …
Associated Press:
Ed Koch, three-term mayor who became a symbol of NYC, dead at 88 — NEW YORK - Former Mayor Ed Koch, the combative, acid-tongued politician who rescued the city from near-financial ruin during a three-term City Hall run in which he embodied New York chutzpah for the rest of the world, died Friday.
Discussion:
“The Lid”, DownWithTyranny!, Business Insider and New York Post
RELATED:
Kevin Robillard / Politico:
Hillary Clinton: ‘I am more optimistic today’ — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said goodbye to the nation's diplomatic corps and aid workers on her last day on the job, and said she was more upbeat about the fate of the world than she had been at the start of her tenure.
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, ABCNEWS and Taylor Marsh
RELATED:
Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
Hillary Clinton Exits Politics: Her Enduring Legacy
Hillary Clinton Exits Politics: Her Enduring Legacy
Discussion:
Mediaite, Pat Dollard, TheBlaze.com, Weasel Zippers, The PJ Tatler, Hot Air, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Politico and Associated Press
Peter Nicholas / Washington Wire:
Interview: Axelrod on Hillary Clinton's Political Prospects
Interview: Axelrod on Hillary Clinton's Political Prospects
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Washington Examiner and Wall Street Journal
Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com:
Pro-Life Groups Blast Revisions to Obama Abortion-HHS Mandate — Leading pro-life groups don't have much good to say about the proposed changes the HHS department announced today to the Obamacare mandate that forces religious groups and religiously-run companies to pay for birth control and abortion-causing drugs.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Gawker, ABCNEWS and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
The White House's contraceptives compromise
The White House's contraceptives compromise
Discussion:
CainTV, Mother Jones, The National Memo, BuzzFeed, Hit & Run, The Maddow Blog, Say Anything and nwlc.org
Dan Merica / CNN:
Opt out option expected for religious insurers who oppose contraceptives
Opt out option expected for religious insurers who oppose contraceptives
Discussion:
National Review, Washington Monthly, LifeNews.com, Business Insider, Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Shakesville
Julie Watson / bigstory.ap.org:
APNEWSBREAK: MARINES ISSUE SURVEY ON WOMEN'S ROLE — You are here — Home » James F. Amos » APNewsBreak: Marines issue survey on women's role — SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Marine Corps survey found about 17 percent of male Marine respondents who planned to stay in the service …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Say Anything and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES
Talking Points Memo:
Former First Dog Barney Bush Passes Away — The Bush family statement, via Reuters:
Discussion:
Firedoglake and Mock, Paper, Scissors
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
The Democrats' Unconstitutional Gun Grab — It's not just Washington: all across the country, the Democratic Party is trying to rob firearm owners of their constitutional rights. Here in Minnesota, the Democrats took control of both houses of the legislature in November …
Discussion:
Shot in the Dark
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Scott Whitlock / NewsBusters blogs:
Disgraceful: Chris Matthews Smears John McCain as an ‘Angry’ Vietnam Vet Having a ‘Flashback’ — Liberal anchor Chris Matthews on Friday stooped to the lowest level, smearing John McCain as an “angry” Vietnam veteran who is having a “flashback.” Resorting to the cheapest of stereotypes …
Discussion:
Hot Air and Ricochet Conversations Feed
Martin Fletcher / The Times:
Iran's space monkey triumph exposed as a fake … Iran enjoyed rare triumph on Monday — the successful launch of a monkey into space. — The regime proclaimed it as proof that Iranian scientists could match their Western counterparts, evidence that international sanctions were ineffectual, and a stepping stone to a manned flight.
Discussion:
Gawker, BuzzFeed and Running Chicken
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Easy Problem — Over here in the department of punditry, we deal with a lot of hard issues, ones on which the evidence is mixed and the options are all bad. But the immigration issue is a blessed relief. On immigration, the evidence is overwhelming; the best way forward is clear.
Discussion:
Balkinization and The Daily Dish
Lee Fang / The Nation:
Meet Jason Rapert, the Koch-Backed Evangelical Steering Arkansas's Radical Abortion-Restriction Effort — On Wednesday, the Arkansas legislature lurched forward with a radical measure to ban most abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected within six weeks of a pregnancy …
Discussion:
Associated Press, ThinkProgress, Hullabaloo, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and The Maddow Blog
RELATED:
Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:
GOP Lawmaker Behind Abortion Ban: 'We're Not Going To Allow Minorities To Run Roughshod'
GOP Lawmaker Behind Abortion Ban: 'We're Not Going To Allow Minorities To Run Roughshod'
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Alexis Simendinger / Real Clear Politics:
2nd Oval Office Readied in White House Rehab Project — This summer there will be two Oval Offices in the White House complex, and it won't be a case of double vision. — In preparation for a major, two-year renovation of the West Wing, the government is undertaking extensive work to complete …
Discussion:
CNN, Weasel Zippers and Politico
Timothy Gardner / Reuters:
Keystone pipeline decision to languish until mid-June-US source — * No time frame for national interest determination — The Obama administration's decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline will not be made until at least June, a U.S. official said, which would delay the project for months …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Weasel Zippers and The Daily Caller
Wbastone / The Smoking Gun:
A Suspect Should Never Waive His Rights And Tell The Cops, “I Was Trying To Make The Horse Have A Baby.” — When it comes to post-arrest statements, the admissions made by a Texas man arrested for having sex with a horse are a good reminder why suspects should take advantage of their right to remain silent.
Discussion:
The Other McCain and Mediaite
Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Conservatives Shocked to Discover Healthcare in America is Really Expensive — “Can you respond to this?” asks a reader via Twitter. “Conservative friends are posting it all over.” It turns out that “this” is a headline from CNS: … Apparently conservatives are outraged by this …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, The PJ Tatler, Shakesville, The Gateway Pundit and The Mahablog
Ronald Brownstein / NationalJournal.com:
Why Obama Is Giving Up on Right-Leaning Whites — For decades, Democrats shaped their policies around fears of the culturally conservative white voters to the GOP. But Obama's winning coalition has altered that calculus. — With his suddenly aggressive second-term agenda …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and American Prospect