memeorandum: The President Is Raging Against a Budget Crisis He Created (John Boehner/Wall Street Journal)

4:25 PM ET, February 20, 2013

Top Items:

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.

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, The Maddow Blog, AMERICAblog, 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.

Discussion: Campaign for America's Future, Talking Points Memo, The Maddow Blog, AMERICAblog, PoliticusUSA, The Reality-Based Community, Daily Kos, Speaker.gov, xpostfactoid, The Dish, Outside the Beltway, momentoftruthproject.org and Fix the Debt

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: Politico, Washington Monthly, Wonkblog and First Read

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Why Congress won't win a sequester showdown with President Obama — in 3 easy steps

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Roll Call, Washington Examiner, PostPartisan, The Hill and Post Politics

Kori Schulman / White House.gov Blog:
Setting the Record Straight About the Sequester

Discussion: NBC Politics and Washington Examiner

Jeremy Herb / The Hill:
Pentagon informs Congress of plans to furlough 800K civilians

Discussion: Campaign for America's Future and Washington Examiner

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Sequester just over a week away, but blame game has already begun

Discussion: Power Line, NewsBusters blogs, Wall Street Journal, The Fix, Post Politics and New York Times

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) …

Discussion: The Caucus, Little Green Footballs, Politico, alan.com, Right Turn, Truthdig, msnbc.com, The Week, Gawker, Daily Kos, Mediaite, The National Memo, Boing Boing, National Review and Prairie Weather

Ben Shapiro / BREITBART.COM:

NY DAILY NEWS HACK POSITS HE'S SOURCE OF ‘FRIENDS OF HAMAS,’ LIES BY OMISSION — Dan Friedman of the New York Daily News wrote a piece today suggesting that he was the inadvertent source of Breitbart News' story on “Friends of Hamas” in early February. There's only one problem.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Little Green Footballs, Slate, DownWithTyranny!, The Raw Story and Politico

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: Weekly Standard, Washington Free Beacon and Weasel Zippers

David Taintor / Talking Points Memo:
NY Daily News Reporter: It Seems I Created ‘Friends Of Hamas’ Hagel Rumor

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Maddow Blog and Washington Monthly

Michael Warren / Weekly Standard:
Graham to Hagel: Did You Say Israel Risked Becoming an Apartheid State?

Discussion: The Times of Israel and Daniel Pipes

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: The Hill, CNN, Politico, Post Politics, Roll Call, alan.com, Watchdog.org, The Raw Story, Gretawire, Gawker and Daily Kos

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 and The Hill

Corrie MacLaggan / Reuters:
Republican Senator Cruz defends style a Democrat likened to McCarthyism

Discussion: Politico, Washington Monthly and Washington Examiner

Adam Serwer / Mother Jones:
Obama's Immigration Plan Far Harsher Than Reagan's

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, Hot Air and Post Politics

Michael Spurlin / myfoxaustin.com:
Senator Cruz tours Leander weapons manufacture

Discussion: The Raw Story, The Rightnewz and Freedom's Lighthouse

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, CBS Las Vegas, Townhall.com, TVNewser, Weasel Zippers and nation.foxnews.com

Jon.Ralston / Ralston Reports:
Fahrenkopf opines on GOP's “idotic” stances, Christie's “French kiss,” the media's bias and more

Discussion: The Hill, Taylor Marsh, NewsBusters blogs, Mediaite, First Read and National Review

Robert Costa / National Review:

Romney to Speak at CPAC — Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will appear at the Conservative Political Action Conference next month, according to two sources familiar with the event's itinerary. Romney's speech, which will be delivered at the Gaylord National hotel …

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, Post Politics and Outside the Beltway

The Great Debate:

The future of free-market healthcare — Over nearly a century, progressives have pressed for a national, single-payer healthcare system. When it comes to health reform, what have conservatives stood for? — For far too long, conservatives have failed to coalesce around a long-term vision …

Discussion: Ross Douthat and TheBlaze.com

Jason Garcia / Orlando Sentinel:
Universal to drop health insurance for part-time workers

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Hot Air, Wonkblog and NewsBusters blogs

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, neo-neocon, Hot Air, p m carpenter's commentary and TheBlaze.com

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, KDVR.com and Associated Press

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: The Fix, Washington Wire, NBC Politics and Washington Free Beacon

Cindy Adams / New York Post:

Soledad headed out at CNN — High-profile morning anchor Soledad O'Brien is on her way out at CNN as new boss Jeff Zucker moves Erin Burnett into her morning slot, Page Six has exclusively learned. — We're told award-winning journalist O'Brien has indicated she is ready to leave …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Other McCain and American Power

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: Trail Blazers Blog, Booman Tribune and JSOnline

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: Washington Examiner and CBS DC

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, Politico, PostPartisan, CNN, Balloon Juice, Ballot Box, Washington Examiner and Prairie Weather

Ginger Gibson / Politico:

Jackson Jr. faces 47-57 months in prison — Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday morning to charges stemming from the misuse of campaign funds. — “Sir, for years I lived off my campaign,” Jackson told the judge. “I used money I shouldn't have used for personal purposes.”

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and NewsBusters blogs