Top Items:
Rachel Donadio / New York Times:
Frail Pope Breaks Tradition and Resigns — VATICAN CITY — Citing advanced years and infirmity, but showing characteristic tough-mindedness and unpredictability, Pope Benedict XVI shocked Roman Catholics on Monday by saying that he would resign on Feb. 28, becoming the first pope to do so in six centuries.
Discussion:
alan.com, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Telegraph, Guardian, News Desk, Fox News, The Week, Business Insider, Hot Air, American Spectator, protein wisdom, Advocate, Politico, Taylor Marsh, Quartz, No More Mister Nice Blog, Achenblog, NPR, Outside the Beltway, americanthinker.com, Mock, Paper, Scissors, Mother Jones, The Moderate Voice, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Confluence, Shakesville, The Spectacle Blog and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
What Did Pope Benedict Do, Anyway? — Pope Benedict XVI, who took office in 2005, announced on Monday that he will resign on Feb. 28, the first pope to leave the papacy since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. The 85-year-old pontiff is in poor health and has been advised by doctors “not to take any more transatlantic trips.”
Discussion:
NBCNews.com, en.radiovaticana.va, ProfessorBainbridge.com, NPR, NewsHounds blog, msnbc.com, Law Blog and FIRST DRAFT
David Willey / BBC:
Pope Benedict XVI — Born in Germany in 1927, joined Hitler Youth during WWII and was conscripted as an anti-aircraft gunner but deserted — As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger spent 24 years in charge of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - once known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition
Max Fisher / WorldViews:
The bizarre stories of the four other popes to have resigned in the last 1,000 years
The bizarre stories of the four other popes to have resigned in the last 1,000 years
Discussion:
Washington Post, Guardian, The Fix, Poynter, Hit & Run and FIRST DRAFT
ncronline.org:
Can a pope resign? — Yes, a pope can resign — up to 10 popes …
Can a pope resign? — Yes, a pope can resign — up to 10 popes …
Discussion:
NPR, Firedoglake and The Dish
John Stanton / BuzzFeed:
Catholic Left Looks For An Opening With A New Pope
Duck of Minerva:
What Political Science Says About Papal Elections
What Political Science Says About Papal Elections
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Spectator, The Dish, Daniel W. Drezner, National Review and Blazing Cat Fur
USA Today:
Pope Benedict XVI to resign
Pope Benedict XVI to resign
Discussion:
The Reaction, The Awl, The Agonist and The Latest Word
Phil Bronstein / Esquire:
The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden... Is Screwed — For the first time, the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden tells his story — speaking not just about the raid and the three shots that changed history, but about the personal aftermath for himself and his family.
Discussion:
CNN, The Moderate Voice, Wonkblog, Truthdig, Hot Air, The Impolitic, Washington Examiner, NO QUARTER USA NET, Guardian, Newser, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, AMERICAblog, The Week, Politico, The Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, alan.com, NPR, BuzzFeed, emptywheel, Gawker, The Daily Caller and Jammie Wearing Fools
Glenn Thrush / Politico:
Obama's State of the Union: Aggressive — President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech will be less a presidential olive branch than a congressional cattle prod. — Emboldened by electoral victory and convinced the GOP is unwilling to cut deals, Obama plans to use his big prime …
Discussion:
CNN, alan.com, NBCNews.com, American Prospect, Shakesville, USA Today, The Plum Line, First Read, Hot Air, The Huffington Post, msnbc.com and The Hill
RELATED:
Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Obama weighing executive actions on housing, gays and other issues
Obama weighing executive actions on housing, gays and other issues
Discussion:
Firedoglake, BREITBART.COM, Weasel Zippers and The PJ Tatler
White House.gov Blog:
State of the Union 2013: President Obama's Speech is Just the Beginning
State of the Union 2013: President Obama's Speech is Just the Beginning
Discussion:
Washington Wire, TechCrunch and Mashable!
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Don't Believe the Hype — Let's just say it: Marco Rubio is the Wes Clark of 2013. Only with many fewer accomplishments. — It pains me to say this because I'm an admirer of Gen. Wesley Clark. I think he would have made a good president. He was an extremely accomplished career military officer.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, The Daily Caller, Booman Tribune and The Raw Story
Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:
Ted Nugent to be guest at State of the Union — While other members of Congress are hosting gun-control advocates for Tuesday's State of the Union address, Rep. Steve Stockman has given one of his visitor's gallery tickets to Ted Nugent, the conservative gun-rights supporter.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and The Right Scoop
Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
Sen. Inhofe threatens filibuster to block Hagel — Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) on Sunday threatened to filibuster former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)'s nomination for Defense secretary, if necessary to prevent his confirmation. — “I want a 60-vote margin and you don't have to filibuster to get that …
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Tim Mak / Politico:
GOP threatens walkout on Chuck Hagel vote
GOP threatens walkout on Chuck Hagel vote
Discussion:
The Hill, CBS News, Israel Matzav, National Review, Washington Monthly, The Week, Taylor Marsh and Lawfare
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
New Rove Group Could Backfire on G.O.P. — The strategist Karl Rove and his allies last week announced the formation of Conservative Victory Project, a new “super PAC” designed to lend support to what they see as more electable candidates in Republican Senate primaries.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Prairie Weather
Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:
Obama Prepares To Screw His Base — Young people reelected the president. Now they get to pay disproportionately for ObamaCare. — President Obama talks with college students while waiting for an order of fries at OMG Burgers in Coral Gables, Florida last September. — Image by C.W. Griffin/Miami Herald/MCT
Neil Irwin / Washington Post:
Is Congress really going to miss its free lunch on infrastructure? — Since the election, there have been hints that we could be entering a period with some actual productive, bipartisan dealmaking, most explicitly on immigration reform. But the Republican reaction to Obama's expected proposals …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Prospect, Mother Jones and No More Mister Nice Blog
Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
Biden in Philly: 'I'm coming' to talk about gun control effort — PHILADELPHIA - Vice President Biden delivered a message for rural America: He's coming to talk about gun violence. — “I'm coming, I'm coming,” Biden said here after saying he'd read a skeptical comment in the local newspaper …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Biden says gun lobby's depiction of Obama plan ‘a bunch of malarkey’
Biden says gun lobby's depiction of Obama plan ‘a bunch of malarkey’
Discussion:
CNN and Weasel Zippers
Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress:
Virginia Cuts State Employees' Hours To Avoid Providing Obamacare Coverage — As part of his state's new budget, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his administration are trying to force potentially tens of thousands of public sector employees in the state to work fewer hours so that the government …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Mock, Paper, Scissors and Balloon Juice
Wall Street Journal:
The Absentee Commander in Chief — The Defense secretary told the president that Americans in Benghazi were under attack. Then: nothing. — We've both had the honor to work in the White House. We've seen presidents, vice presidents, chiefs of staff and national security advisers during moments of international crisis.
Discussion:
Althouse, americanthinker.com and msnbc.com
Donovan Slack / Politico:
W.H.: We have a spending problem — White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday that Washington does have a spending problem and the main driver of that problem is health-care costs. — The remarks followed a statement by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Sunday that …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Hot Air, AEIdeas and Weasel Zippers
Ben Terris / NationalJournal.com:
The Curse of the State of the Union Aisle Seat — Lawmakers wait for hours to get one of these coveted seats, but at what cost? — Some members wait for hours just for a chance to be in this picture. (Richard A. Bloom/Photo illustration) — It was supposed to be one of the best seats in the House.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, The Atlantic Online and TheBlaze.com
Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Armed Pro-Gun Protesters Occupy Oregon State Capitol — A few hundred pro-gun demonstrators rallied outside the Oregon state Capitol on Friday to protest efforts to enact gun safety laws. A handful of protesters also entered the Capitol building itself and brandished assault rifles and other guns in the Capitol rotunda:
Discussion:
ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES