Top Items:
Robert Draper / New York Times:
Can the Republicans be Saved From Obsolescence? — One afternoon last month, I paid a visit to two young Republicans named Bret Jacobson and Ian Spencer, who work in a small office in Arlington, Va., situated above an antique store and adjacent to a Japanese auto shop.
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Mike Allen / Politico:
VALENTINE'S DAY EDITION - EPIC 36 HOURS AHEAD: GOP TRIES FOR HAGEL DELAY - Why Stuart Stevens never tweeted — Simpson, Bowles duet: Playbook Breakfast on Tue. — Mayor Mike bday — IF YOU'RE A BOSS, BE LIKE JOHN TODAY: A foggy little bird says that at the start of the State Department's …
Discussion:
National Review, The PJ Tatler and Reuters
Politico:
Chuck Hagel blocked: Harry Reid says he doesn't have the votes — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Thursday that Republicans have told him that they plan to block Chuck Hagel's nomination to be the next secretary of Defense over demands for more information from the White House.
Discussion:
The Fix and Taylor Marsh
Kevin Baron / Foreign Policy:
Reid sets Hagel showdown for Friday morning; DOD rejects claim U.S. left without a defense secretary today — High noon for Chuck Hagel is coming on Friday morning. — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) opened Thursday's Senate floor session by announcing he will test …
Discussion:
The Hill, NPR, Michelle Malkin and Post Politics
Michael Warren / Weekly Standard:
Reid Falsely Claims Pentagon Could Be Without Leader If Hagel Not Confirmed
Reid Falsely Claims Pentagon Could Be Without Leader If Hagel Not Confirmed
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Wayne LaPierre / The Daily Caller:
Stand and Fight — Before I tell you how the NRA and our members are going to Stand And Fight politically and in the courts, let's acknowledge that all over this country, tens of millions of Americans are already preparing to Stand And Fight to protect their families and homes.
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ThinkProgress:
The Nine Most Insane Quotes From The NRA's New Apocalyptic Op-Ed — Wednesday afternoon, National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre published a bizarre, paranoid screed on the Daily Caller outlining a series of wildly implausible scenarios in which (among other things) …
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Booman Tribune, The Daily Caller and Prairie Weather
David Corn / Mother Jones:
FreedomWorks Made Video of Fake Giant Panda Having Sex With Fake Hillary Clinton — Hillary: Spirithalloween; Panda: Partysuperstore — An internal investigation of FreedomWorks—the prominent conservative advocacy group and super-PAC—has focused on president Matt Kibbe's management of the organization …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, alan.com, The Maddow Blog, The Raw Story, Business Insider, The Week and Daily Kos
RELATED:
Kevin Robillard / Politico:
Report: FreedomWorks made fake Hillary Clinton sex video
New York Times:
Pistorius Charged With Murder in Shooting of Woman — The development stunned a nation that had elevated Mr. Pistorius to iconic status as a national sporting hero, an emblem of the ability to overcome acute adversity and a symbol of South Africa's ability to project achievements onto the world stage.
Discussion:
alan.com, Taylor Marsh, NBCNews.com, The Week, Outside the Beltway and Gawker
RELATED:
Martin Peretz / Wall Street Journal:
The New New Republic — I don't recognize the magazine I used to own. We were liberal but not narrowly partisan. — Like many readers of the New Republic, I didn't at first recognize the most recent issue of the magazine. The stark white cover was unlike anything the New Republic ran during my 35 years as the owner.
Discussion:
The Other McCain, Politico and The Volokh Conspiracy, more at Mediagazer »
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
CNN Slides Ever Lower — There isn't much left of the CNN brand, but there is still a little room to sink deeper-and today, CNN did. Compare and contrast: CNN's panel is excited about Chris Dorner. They can understand why lots of people think he is a “superhero.”
Discussion:
americanthinker.com and The Other McCain
RELATED:
Elon Musk / Tesla Motors:
A Most Peculiar Test Drive — You may have heard recently about an article written by John Broder from The New York Times that makes numerous claims about the performance of the Model S. We are upset by this article because it does not factually represent Tesla technology …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, The Verge and Brad DeLong
Josh Feldman / Mediaite:
Stewart Tears Into State Of The Union, Slams Obama: 'Who's Running This Sh*thole, Right, People?' — Jon Stewart took on last night's State of the Union, and in the midst of a series of hydration gags mocking Marco Rubio's sip of water, Stewart was alarmed that President Obama …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story, Business Insider, Jammie Wearing Fools and Red Alert Politics
Joshua Miller / Roll Call:
Kentucky Democrats Fear Judd May Drag Down Ticket — Actress Ashley Judd's movement toward a Senate run against Minority Leader Mitch McConnell makes Democrats in Washington, D.C., happy. — But back in Kentucky, for many Bluegrass State Democrats, a potential Judd run brings a different feeling: heartburn.
Discussion:
WHAS
Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:
Republican Leaders Worry Their Party Could Divide in Two — As Rand Paul mulls a presidential campaign, GOP frets over impact of disaffected voters and shifting coalitions. Democrats should worry, too. — Inside the cozy enclaves of GOP bonhomie—hunkered at the tables …
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Ben Wolfgang / Washington Times:
Rand Paul puts hold on Brennan nomination
Rand Paul puts hold on Brennan nomination
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Washington Free Beacon
Godfrey Hodgson / Guardian:
Ronald Dworkin obituary — Brilliant philosopher of law who put human dignity at the centre of his moral system — Ronald Dworkin, who has died aged 81, was widely respected as the most original and powerful philosopher of law in the English-speaking world.
Discussion:
Althouse and Crooked Timber
Laurie Penny / New Statesman:
Ten years ago we marched against the Iraq war and I learned a lesson in betrayal — Ten years ago this month, millions of people all over the world marched against the war in Iraq - and were ignored. I was one of them. For me, at the age of 16, there were a lot of firsts on 15 February 2003 …
Talking Points Memo:
Pelosi: Boehner Was ‘Projecting’ When He Called Obama Weak — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) was “projecting” his own failures when he claimed that President Obama won't cut spending because he is too weak to stand up to the liberal wing of his party.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and Daily Kos
Brett Norman / Politico:
ACA premium sticker shock could fuel foes — And of the 4.8 million people, ages 19 to 29, who bought insurance on the individual market in 2011, more than half made less than that, said Sarah Lueck, senior health policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Discussion:
National Review
Joby Warrick / Washington Post:
Iran's bid to buy banned magnets stokes fears about major expansion of nuclear capacity — Iran recently sought to acquire tens of thousands of highly specialized magnets used in centrifuge machines, according to experts and diplomats, a sign that the country may be planning a major expansion …
Discussion:
New York Times, Hot Air, americanthinker.com, Macleans.ca and Israel Matzav
Politico:
Elizabeth Warren's quiet plan for the Senate — When the newest senators lunched together for the first time last November, their biggest star immediately tried to flee. — As a flock of reporters approached Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat turned and engaged fellow freshman Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) in a fake conversation.
Discussion:
Business Insider and CNN
Tar Sands Action:
48 Environmental, civil rights, and community leaders engage in historic act of civil disobedience to stop Keystone XL pipeline — Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ tarsandsaction/sets/72157632761399084/ — Contacts: — Eddie Scher, Sierra Club, 415-815-7027 — Maggie Kao, Sierra Club, 202-675-2384
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Tar Sands Blockade and Crooks and Liars