Top Items:
John Boehner / Wall Street Journal:
The President Is Raging Against a Budget Crisis He Created — Obama invented the ‘sequester’ in the summer of 2011 to avoid facing up to America's spending problem. — A week from now, a dramatic new federal policy is set to go into effect that threatens U.S. national security, thousands of jobs and more.
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Byron York / Washington Examiner:
The GOP's astonishingly bad message on sequester cuts … In a Wall Street Journal op-ed Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner describes the upcoming sequester as a policy “that threatens U.S. national security, thousands of jobs and more.” — Which leads to the question …
Discussion:
The Plum Line, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, Hit & Run, Speaker.gov, p m carpenter's commentary and msnbc.com
John Avlon / The Daily Beast:
The PowerPoint That Proves It's Not Obama's Sequester After All — Republicans have taken to calling the deep cuts that could reverse our hard-won economic recovery 'Obama's Sequester.' But a July 2011 PowerPoint obtained by John Avlon shows the opposite may be true.
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Shutdown isn't fight GOP wants — Republicans have decided that the sequester scheduled for March 1 — not a government-funding bill due at the end of March — is where they'll make their stand on spending cuts. — After the bruising political battles of the last Congress …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and First Read
Kori Schulman / White House.gov Blog:
Setting the Record Straight About the Sequester — In less than two weeks, dangerous across the board budget cuts are slated to take effect, potentially threatening hundreds of thousands of jobs, our national security and our economic recovery. The President has laid out a specific plan …
Discussion:
NBC Politics
Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Sequester just over a week away, but blame game has already begun
Sequester just over a week away, but blame game has already begun
Discussion:
Power Line, Wall Street Journal, The Fix, Post Politics, Right Turn, Weekly Standard and The Week
Dan Friedman / NY Daily News:
‘Friends of Hamas’: My role in the birth of a rumor — A Daily News reporter explains how he inadvertently created the myth that Chuck Hagel spoke to a non-existent group. — Daily News reporter Dan Friedman recounts the origin of a rumor he unwittingly started about Chuck Hagel (pictured) …
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Maggie Haberman / Politico:
Schumer: Chuck Hagel ‘almost had tears’ in meeting — New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Chuck Hagel “almost had tears in his eyes” as he explained to the former Nebraska senator that the expression “Jewish lobby” is rooted in a negative depiction of Jews.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and National Review
Newt Gingrich / Human Events:
WHY KARL ROVE AND STUART STEVENS ARE PLAIN WRONG — RESIZE: — I am writing this newsletter in a very direct, no baloney, effort to get across how much trouble we Republicans are in and how real the internal party fight is going to be. — I strongly support RNC Chairman Reince Priebus' effort …
Discussion:
Politico, p m carpenter's commentary and TheBlaze.com
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NationalJournal.com:
The Senate's Most Conservative Member: Ever Heard of Him? — James Risch, an Idaho Republican, edges out his more well-known colleagues in the upper chamber. — When people think about conservative “all stars” in the Senate (if people ever actually think about such a thing), a few names probably come to mind.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune, JSOnline and Trail Blazers Blog
John Robertson / Albuquerque Journal:
Ex-Sen. Domenici discloses son born in secrecy — Former New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici told the Journal on Tuesday he fathered a son outside of his marriage over 30 years ago, revealing a secret kept for decades. — Statements given to the Journal by Domenici and the son's mother …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, The Hill, Roll Call, Post Politics, alan.com, Watchdog.org, Gretawire and Gawker
Dylan Byers / Politico:
Debate co-chair: ‘Mistake’ to have Candy Crowley moderate presidential debate — Frank Fahrenkopf, a co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates, said tonight that the Commission made a “mistake” by selecting CNN anchor Candy Crowley to moderate one of the 2012 presidential debates.
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Townhall.com, CBS Las Vegas, TVNewser, Weasel Zippers and nation.foxnews.com
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Jon.Ralston / Ralston Reports:
Fahrenkopf opines on GOP's “idotic” stances, Christie's “French kiss,” the media's bias and more — What better place than the Las Vegas Country Club, where time seems to have stopped in 1974 or so, for a group of conservatives to gather to figure out how to capture the glory days.
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsBusters blogs, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, First Read and National Review
Wayne Slater / Trail Blazers Blog:
Ted Cruz says attacks on Marco Rubio are because he's a Hispanic Republican — Sen. Ted Cruz says some of the attacks on fellow Republican Sen. Marco Rubio by Democrats are motivated by race. Cruz said today the fact that Rubio is a Republican Latino poses a threat to political adversaries.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Hill and The Fix
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Corrie MacLaggan / Reuters:
Republican Senator Cruz defends style a Democrat likened to McCarthyism
Republican Senator Cruz defends style a Democrat likened to McCarthyism
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Politico and Washington Examiner
Adam Serwer / Mother Jones:
Obama's Immigration Plan Far Harsher Than Reagan's
Obama's Immigration Plan Far Harsher Than Reagan's
Discussion:
CNN, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air and Post Politics
Quinnipiac News + Events:
Release Detail — February 20, 2013 - New Jersey Gov Flies High, Buries Unknown Dem, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Christie Close To Clinton, Leads Cuomo In '16 Pres Race — New Jersey voters today continue Gov. Christopher Christie's record-breaking 74 - 22 percent approval rating …
Discussion:
msnbc.com, PostPartisan, Ballot Box, Politico, CNN, Balloon Juice, Washington Examiner and Prairie Weather
Numbers / Pew Research Center:
Hagel Better Known, Viewed More Negatively — Rubio Overwhelmingly Popular among Tea Party Republicans — OVERVIEW — Unfavorable opinions of Chuck Hagel have increased over the past month as he has faced a bruising confirmation battle to become President Obama's secretary of defense.
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Right Turn, NBC Politics and Washington Free Beacon
Spencer Ackerman / Wired:
Senate Minority Leader Fooled by Report in Military Version of The Onion — The best parody contains elements of truth. Which might explain how the military's answer to The Onion suckered the Senate's Republican leader. — Meet The Duffel Blog, if you haven't already.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, The Maddow Blog and Daily Kos
Minneapolis Star Tribune:
GOP Minnesota legislator preparing to co-sponsor gay marriage bill — Before becoming a co-sponsor, Branden Petersen has concerns. — Republican state Sen. Branden Petersen is preparing to become a co-sponsor of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota.
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay, The Raw Story and Joe. My. God.
Jeffrey H. Anderson / Weekly Standard:
California Dept. of Transportation: ‘Be Sure to Black Out the ‘United States’ and [the] Motto’ — For three years, a private citizen named Steve LeBard has led the effort to build a privately funded memorial in Orcutt, California—a tranquil small town located on the Golden State's gorgeous Central Coast—to honor military veterans.
Discussion:
The Spectacle Blog
Mark Gokavi / Dayton, Ohio, News and Information:
Woman claims she was fired for voting for Obama — DAYTON — A Kettering woman alleges in a lawsuit that she was fired for voting for President Obama, a charge the company denies. — Patricia Kunkle is seeking in excess of $25,000 from Dayton-based defense contractor Q-Mark …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and Associated Press
Steven Mufson / Washington Post:
Gas prices are on a mysterious climb — The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped 45 cents in the past 31 days, according to AAA, the fastest run-up since 2005. — Retail gasoline prices have climbed for 33 days in a row. A month ago, a gallon of regular gasoline cost $3.30 …
Discussion:
Jared Bernstein, Informed Comment and Hot Air
David R. Henderson / Wall Street Journal:
An Economist Who Made the Science Less Dismal — Armen Alchian never won a Nobel Prize in economics. But no less than Friedrich Hayek said he ‘deserved’ one. — In 1975, I attended a week-long conference in Connecticut at which the star attraction was Friedrich Hayek.
Discussion:
ProfessorBainbridge.com, Cafe Hayek and EconLog
Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
RNC raises $6.9M in January — The Republican National Committee raised $6.9 million in January and has $7.1 million cash on hand, it announced Wednesday afternoon. — The RNC, which did not take on debt at the end of the election cycle, is in much better financial shape …
Discussion:
CNN
Erik Ortiz / NY Daily News:
Body of missing Canadian woman, 21, found in water tank on Los Angeles hotel roof — Elisa Lam, of Vancouver, British Columbia, had travelled to California last month alone. She was reported missing on Jan. 31. Officials matched the body found inside a water tank Tuesday at the Cecil Hotel.
Discussion:
CBC News, L.A. NOW, Scared Monkeys and Althouse
James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
The Devil Made Them Do It — Senate Democrats try to dodge responsibility for ObamaCare. — “Powerful Democrats” subjected a top Obama administration health-care official “to withering criticism” last week, notes Walter Russell Mead. When Gary Cohen, head of the Center for Consumer Information …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and NewsBusters blogs
Cristina Silva / Associated Press:
McCain defends immigration plan to angry residents — PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona took center stage in the national immigration debate Tuesday as Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano toured the state's border with Mexico and Sen. John McCain defended his proposed immigration overhaul to an angry crowd in suburban Phoenix.
Discussion:
Mediaite, alan.com, The Hill, PoliticusUSA, Hot Air, National Review, Post Politics, The Raw Story, CNN and nation.foxnews.com
Ulrike Putz / Spiegel Online:
How the Mossad Works: The Mystery of Israel's ‘Prisoner X’ — An Israeli agent commits suicide in his prison cell. Was he a traitor? The mysterious case of “Prisoner X,” reported to be Australian-born Benjamin Zygier, provides an insight into the workings of the Mossad.
Discussion:
Israel Matzav and The Times of Israel
Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:
Hillary Clinton's Speaking Fee North Of $200K — It puts her in the stratosphere of the speaking circuit, along with her husband and Arnold Schwarzenegger. — Image by Win McNamee / Getty Images — WASHINGTON — Now that she's out as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton isn't going to be hurting …
Discussion:
CBS DC