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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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:
CNN, The Fix, Taylor Marsh, NewsBusters and neo-neocon
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, Reuters, The Week and Israel Matzav
Kevin Baron / Foreign Policy:
Reid sets Hagel showdown for Friday morning; DOD rejects claim U.S. left without a defense secretary today
Reid sets Hagel showdown for Friday morning; DOD rejects claim U.S. left without a defense secretary today
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:
The Daily Caller, msnbc.com, Booman Tribune 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 …
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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:
News Desk, Taylor Marsh, alan.com, NBCNews.com, The Week, Outside the Beltway and Gawker
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Associated Press:
Olympian, Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius charged with murder in shooting of girlfriend
Olympian, Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius charged with murder in shooting of girlfriend
Discussion:
Deadspin, WorldViews, Guardian, Telegraph, NBCNews.com, Mediaite and Shakesville
Daily Mail:
Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius charged with murder after 'he accidentally shot dead his model girlfriend …
Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius charged with murder after 'he accidentally shot dead his model girlfriend …
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys and The Gateway Pundit
Tiisetso Motsoeneng / Reuters:
“Blade Runner” Pistorius charged with murdering girlfriend
“Blade Runner” Pistorius charged with murdering girlfriend
Discussion:
Telegraph, Addicting Info, The Week and Mashable!
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, neo-neocon, Politico and The Volokh Conspiracy, more at Mediagazer »
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Ronald Dworkin, Legal Philosopher, Dies at 81 — Ronald Dworkin, a legal philosopher and public intellectual of bracingly liberal views who insisted that morality is the touchstone of constitutional interpretation, died Thursday in London. He was 81. — Richard Revesz, the dean …
Discussion:
TalkLeft
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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
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:
Wonkblog, Guardian, TechCrunch, Mashable!, The Verge and Brad DeLong, more at Mediagazer »
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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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 and Jammie Wearing Fools
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
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
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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 …
National Review:
Amash Mulls Senate Run — Republican insiders tell National Review Online that Representative Justin Amash of Michigan is privately considering a Senate bid, should incumbent Democrat Carl Levin retire. — “People are asking him to look at it, and he hasn't closed the door,” …
Discussion:
Ballot Box and Roll Call
Danny Shea / The Huffington Post:
Anita Dunn: ‘Alternative Fox Universe’ Is ‘Crumbling’ (VIDEO) — Former White House communications director Anita Dunn, who led the Obama administration's critiques of Fox News during its first term and lobbied against the network as “opinion journalism masquerading as news,” …
Discussion:
Mediaite and NewsBusters blogs
Alana Goodman / Washington Free Beacon:
Report: Hagel Said State Department Controlled by Israel — Fox News Channel on Tuesday reported that secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel failed to disclose to the United States Senate speeches delivered to controversial groups such as the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee …
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler, National Review and Israel Matzav
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
Austin American-Statesman:
Austin seeing interest from California companies ‘double or triple,’ chamber says — California tax changes said to prompt businesses to ask about relocating. — Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce officials, who sent a representative on Gov. Rick Perry's recent California recruiting trip …
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler and UrbanGrounds
Kevin Cirilli / Politico:
Reports: Marco Rubio selling Florida home — Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) - who boasted in his State of the Union response that he still lives in the working class neighborhood where he was raised - might be movin' on up. — The possible 2016 presidential contender has listed his West Miami …