memeorandum: Higher Payroll Tax Pinches Those With Least to Spare (Nelson D. Schwartz/New York Times)

3:05 PM ET, February 8, 2013

Top Items:

Audacious Hack Exposes Bush Family Pix, E-Mail — Hacker breached AOL account of ex-president's sister, other victims — The apparent hack of several e-mail accounts has exposed personal photos and correspondence from members of the Bush family, including both former U.S. presidents, The Smoking Gun has learned.

Mike Glenn / Houston Chronicle:

Probe launched after Bushes' email hacked — A hacker apparently gained access to a score of confidential emails and other electronic correspondence between members of the Bush family and friends, prompting a criminal investigation. — A spokesman for former President George H.W. Bush confirmed …

Discussion: NPR

Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
Ex-President Bush Gets Hacked

Discussion: Business Insider and americanthinker.com

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Kick That Can — John Boehner, the speaker of the House, claims to be exasperated. “At some point, Washington has to deal with its spending problem,” he said Wednesday. “I've watched them kick this can down the road for 22 years since I've been here. I've had enough of it. It's time to act.”

Discussion: Slate, Firedoglake, Hullabaloo, Wall Street Journal, Prairie Weather, msnbc.com, Shakesville, Talking Points Memo and The Plum Line

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:

Sequester cuts a time bomb for GOP? — Republicans open to letting billions in sequester cuts go through figure they can blame the president if the economy goes south. — But Democrats are betting they can shift that blame right back to the GOP. — They're so confident, in fact …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Examiner, The Plum Line, New York Times and Viking Pundit

Ian Swanson / The Hill:

Senate Democrats struggle to craft plan for sequester replacement — Senate Democrats are struggling to come up with a replacement for the $85 billion sequester set to begin on March 1. — Key Democrats huddled Thursday in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) …

Discussion: Politico, The Plum Line, Hot Air and Speaker.gov

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Call Obama's sequester bluff

Discussion: The Plum Line, Business Insider and The PJ Tatler

Mary Ann Ahern / nbcchicago.com:

Jesse Jackson Jr. Signs Plea Deal In Federal Probe — Jesse Jackson Jr. was a once-rising political star. But he was sidelined by a medical condition and a federal investigation into his finances. Carol Marin reports. — It's been nearly three months since Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned from Congress …

Discussion: Post Politics, Mediaite and The Right Sphere

Michael Sneed / Chicago Sun Times:

Jesse Jackson Jr. signs plea deal in federal investigation — Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has signed a plea deal with federal prosecutors, according to a source familiar with the matter. — The latest development comes in the ongoing federal investigation of Jackson's alleged misuse of campaign funds.

Discussion: Politico

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Report: Jackson Jr. signs plea deal

Discussion: ABCNEWS and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Mike Ramsey / CBS Chicago: Judge Would Decide If Jackson Jr. Goes To Jail Under ‘Blind Plea’ Deal

Emily Maxwell / Cincinnati, Ohio:

Poll worker accused of voter fraud in Hamilton County speaks out — CINCINNATI - The Hamilton County Board of Elections is investigating 19 possible cases of alleged voter fraud following months of investigation after the 2012 election. — Twenty-eight subpoenas have been issued as a result …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, “The Lid”, The PJ Tatler, The Right Scoop, The Mental Recession and The Right Sphere

John Fund / National Review:

The Voter Fraud That ‘Never Happens’ Keeps Coming Back — Critics of photo ID and other laws cracking down on voter fraud claim they're unnecessary because fraud is nonexistent. Brennan Center attorneys Michael Waldman and Justin Levitt claimed last year: “A person casting two votes risks jail time and a fine for minimal gain.

Discussion: Whiskey Fire and The Lonely Conservative

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:

Ohio Poll Worker Admits to Voting Twice — John Fund reports on 19 possible cases of alleged voter fraud in Hamilton County, Ohio and has video of poll worker Melowese Richardson candidly admitting to a local television station that she voted twice in the last presidential election.

Discussion: Election Law Blog

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:

When Crazed Shooters Can't Be Linked To The Tea Party, Media Displays Admirable Restraint — Alleged Los Angeles shooter Christopher Jordan Dorner, influenced by left-leaning media coverage of gun crime in the wake of the Newtown shootings, has virtually paralyzed the City of Angels.

Discussion: National Review

Lateef Mungin / CNN:
Cops hunt for ex-cop who's hunting them

Discussion: The Week, NPR, CBS Los Angeles and Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times:
Big Bear locked down amid manhunt

Discussion: L.A. NOW, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Awl and NPR

Maggie Haberman / Politico:

Chris Christie struggles with politics of his weight … After years of questions about his girth, Chris Christie seemed to settle on a strategy - leave them laughing. — The overweight New Jersey governor took to Dave Letterman's couch, donut in hand, on Monday night …

Discussion: rci.rutgers.edu, CNN and msnbc.com

Jason Volentine / KASW-TV:
Valley doc reacts to N.J. Gov. Chris Christie's angry phone call

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, Post Politics and New Jersey Online

Kate Nocera / Politico:

Bill Clinton to Democrats: Come up with a plan — LEESBURG, Va. — Former President Bill Clinton had a message for House Democrats on Friday: come up with a plan. — Clinton, speaking to the caucus at their retreat, said that heading into the midterm elections Democrats couldn't just run …

Russell Berman / The Hill:
Clinton brings warning to House Democrats about 2014 campaign

Discussion: Politico

Betty Chestnut / boywithgrenade.org:
Christopher Dorner Manifesto (Uncensored)

Discussion: JustOneMinute

Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:

Is a Franken-Bachmann Showdown on the Horizon? — Politically, 2012 was not exactly a banner year for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann. — In January, the Tea Party-backed Republican finished a distant sixth in the Iowa presidential caucuses, garnering just 1,223 more votes than she did in winning …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Mock, Paper, Scissors

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

So God Made a Fawner — Paul Harvey's ad was terrific. Steve Kroft's interview was shameful. — So many people this week mentioned Jeep's great Super Bowl spot, “So God Made a Farmer,” from a 1978 speech by the late Paul Harvey. — Here are some reasons it was great:

Discussion: Politico, INSTAPUTZ, The PJ Tatler and TheBlaze.com

Michael Catalini / NationalJournal.com:

New Poll Shows Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio More Popular Than Obama — Quinnipiac tests the favorability ratings of prominent politicians, with some surprises. — President Barack Obama's second term just got under way, but it's outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who is far more popular …

Discussion: Mediaite and Weasel Zippers

Susan Heavey / Reuters: Hillary Clinton most popular U.S. politician, poll shows

Ross Eisenbrey / New York Times:

America's Genius Glut — WHILE genuine immigration reform has the potential to fix a seriously broken system, four senators have introduced a bill to solve a problem we don't have: the supply of high-tech workers. — The bill's authors, led by Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah …

Discussion: Business Insider, AEIdeas and Hit & Run

Andrew Malcolm / Investor's Business Daily:

Why are the feds loading up on so much ammo? — In a puzzling, unexplained development, the Obama administration has been buying and storing vast amounts of ammunition in recent months, with the Department of Homeland Security just placing another order for an additional 21.6 million rounds.

Discussion: Examiner, protein wisdom, The PJ Tatler, Infowars and Sense of Events

Thomas E. Ricks / Foreign Policy:

Will Hagel withdraw? I'd say 50-50 — But declining by the day. No, that hearing last week didn't reflect well on the U.S. Senate. But he didn't do well in it, either. He didn't appear that interested in the job. — He has the votes, but not much else.

Discussion: Weekly Standard and National Review

Jennifer Jacobs / Des Moines Register:

Tom Vilsack is Iowans' Senate pick — Iowans think the most appealing candidate for U.S. Senate is Democrat Tom Vilsack, someone who so far hasn't shown much interest in the seat. — On the day that fellow Democrat Bruce Braley became the first candidate to dive into the 2014 race …

Discussion: Politico, Roll Call and Taegan Goddard's …