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Marco Rubio's drinking problem — Twitter exploded during Sen. Marco Rubio's Republican response to the State of the Union, as the Florida senator appeared a little sweaty and dry-mouthed at mid-speech, taking an awkward swig from a bottle of water that had been placed off-camera.
Discussion:
Associated Press, First Read, CBS News, The Raw Story, Connecting.the.Dots, NewsHounds blog and Hot Air
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Everyone On Twitter Made The Exact Same Joke About Marco Rubio's Water Break — The fall of western civilization is complete.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars


Marco Rubio: ‘I needed water’ — Even the Republican savior gets thirsty. — Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) joked Wednesday about his abrupt, awkward water-break during his delivery of the GOP rebuttal to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday — by doing the same thing again, and then again.
Discussion:
Althouse


Marco Rubio as the anti-Mitt Romney — His desperate need for a drink of water created the immediate headline, but Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) much-anticipated speech Tuesday night had a very serious intent: it was as much an exercise in erasing Mitt Romney's legacy on the Republican Party …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Reuters and Washington Post

Rubio jokes: ‘I needed water’ while delivering Republican response
Discussion:
Politico


Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address — The following is the text as prepared for delivery of President Obama's State of the Union Address, as provided by the White House: — PRESIDENT OBAMA: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:
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The Broke, Retreating State of Our Union — It is terribly appropriate that President Obama gave his halting and graceless State of the Union address on Mardi Gras: He spent the evening shouting “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” at every liberal constituency in sight, promising new spending …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Washington Wire, NationalJournal.com, The Daily Beast and The Week, more at Mediagazer »


CNN Poll: 53% who watched speech give president thumbs up — Washington (CNN) - A majority of Americans who watched President Barack Obama's State of the Union address said they had a very positive reaction to his speech, according to a survey of people across the country who viewed Tuesday night's address.
Discussion:
New York Times, Taylor Marsh, The Hill, USA Today, Taegan Goddard's … and Politico
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Tea party State of the Union 2013 rebuttal: Rand Paul response (full text, video)
Discussion:
CNN, The Lonely Conservative, Campaign for America's Future, DCist, Slate and Balloon Juice

First on CNN: NRA charges Obama's efforts will lead to gun confiscation
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler, alan.com and Reuters


News Analysis: Obama Makes Case for Government in State of Union Address
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, National Review, No More Mister Nice Blog and Naked Politics

John Boehner's Senate-first strategy — The same House Republican majority that spent the entire past two years haranguing Senate Democrats for ignoring piles of legislation has a new strategy. — Let the Senate act first — on nearly everything. — Boehner is trying to shift …
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The President's Dream State
Discussion:
Wonkblog, The Plum Line, Booman Tribune, The Fix, Democratic Strategist and naked capitalism

President Obama goes old-time Democrat in State of the Union
Discussion:
News Desk, Slate and NewsBusters blogs


Officials: Christopher Dorner May Be Dead Following Deadly Standoff — SEVEN OAKS (CBSLA.com) — LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith says that despite earlier reports, Christopher Dorner's body has not been recovered from a burned out cabin where he was reportedly holed up during a deadly shootout with authorities earlier today.
Discussion:
CNN, KTLA 5, Twitchy, Associated Press, Scared Monkeys, L.A. NOW, Gawker, Infowars, This Just In, CBS News, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, LAist, Michelle Malkin and The Verge
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Statement on my Vote Against the Violence Against Women Act — I believe we should have re-authorized the existing Violence Against Women Act that has helped reduce the annual incidence of domestic violence by more than 50 percent, among other successes. I also continue supporting the work …
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Roy Blunt says Republicans have votes to delay Chuck Hagel nomination — Sen. Roy Blunt signaled Wednesday that there may be enough votes in the Senate to delay debate on the nomination of Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon. — Blunt (R-Mo.) said he believed there were 40 votes in the Senate that indicated …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard


Challenged for His Seat at 89, a Senator Does Not Go Gentle — WASHINGTON — As he approached his 89th birthday this year, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey was finally considering retirement, an option he had tried a decade earlier and hated so much that he jumped at the chance to return to political life.
Discussion:
Ballot Box, Althouse, Taegan Goddard's …, First Read and Roll Call


The Deficit Chart That Should Embarrass Budget Hawks — Here's a pretty important fact that virtually everyone in Washington seems oblivious to: The federal deficit has never fallen as fast as it's falling now without a coincident recession. — To be specific, CBO expects the deficit …
Discussion:
Reuters, Washington Post, The Atlantic Online, Calculated Risk, Wonkblog, The National Memo, Business Insider and New York Times
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OBAMA WILL USE TONIGHT'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS TO LAY OUT A PLAN THAT DOESN'T INCREASE …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller


Gropez even ‘ogled’ a child: Accusation he made creepy comments on 14-year-old intern — There's a creepy new accusation in the sexual-harassment probe of Assemblyman Vito Lopez — that he even leered at a 14-year-old intern and made comments about her sexy attire, sources told the The Post.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Politicker and Jammie Wearing Fools

The Rap on Rubio — Not long ago, scrolling for a movie, I saw that “Notorious” was on. — How can you resist Cary Grant as an American spy in Rio recruiting Ingrid Bergman to seduce and betray a Nazi played by Claude Rains? — But it turned out to be a very different “Notorious,” …
Discussion:
msnbc.com


Coburn: ‘I Agree We Need To Vote On Guns’ — Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) said Wednesday morning he agrees with President Obama's State of the Union call that gun violence prevention legislation deserves a vote in Congress. — “I agree we need to vote on guns,” Coburn said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.”


Obama Peddles a Dangerous Fantasy About the Debt Crisis — Fiscal Policy: President Obama now says the deficit problem is all but fixed, so we can stop all this unpleasant talk about spending cuts and get on with government spending. Maybe this is good politics, but it's reckless policy.
Discussion:
Hit & Run

Anonymous CALL TO IMMEDIATE ACTION! #opSOTU — Last year we faced our greatest threat from lawmakers. We faced down SOPA, PIPA, CISPA and ACTA. — And we won! — But that victory did not come easily. Nor did it come without a price. — Aaron Swartz was one of the leading voices …
Discussion:
Post Politics, The Lonely Conservative, Mediaite, NBCNews.com, Runnin' Scared, Mashable!, Guardian and Truthdig