memeorandum: Jeff Sessions Isn't a Wonk McCarthyite, or a Wonk Anything (Jonathan Chait/New York Magazine)

4:30 PM ET, March 4, 2013

Top Items:

Empathy For the Devil — At New York Magazine, Jason Zengerle's got a long article on Mark Sanford's fall and rise, focusing on his very touchy relationship with his ex-wife Jenny, who could have easily preempted his comeback congressional campaign with one of her own, and could sink his today with a few tart words.

Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Balloon Juice

Jason Zengerle / New York Magazine:

Back on the Trail — When disgraced South Carolina governor Mark Sanford decided to run for office again, he asked his ex-wife, Jenny, for her blessing. Whether he has her vote is another matter. — Late last year, a few days before Christmas, former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford embarked on a delicate political mission.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Politico

New York Magazine:
Back on the Trail — According to Jenny, she had already told Mark …

Discussion: Hot Air and The Hill

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Jeb Bush pushes back against pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants — Former Florida governor - and potential GOP presidential candidate - Jeb Bush said this week that a pathway to citizenship should not be a component of an overhaul of the nation's immigration system.

Discussion: Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Examiner and AEIdeas

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Jeb Bush says revenue increase could be part of budget deal

Discussion: The National Memo

Eun Kyung Kim / TODAY.com Blogs:
Jeb Bush: I won't rule out 2016 White House run 'but I won't declare today'

Discussion: NBCNews.com, The Political Carnival and Weasel Zippers

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Jeb Bush won't rule out 2016 presidential bid

Discussion: American Prospect, Politico, CNN and Hot Air

Bloomberg:

Apple's Planned ‘IWatch’ Could Be More Profitable Than TV — While Tim Cook has dropped hints that Apple Inc. (AAPL) is hard at work on a television to drive the next era of growth, the company's wristwatch-style device, still in development, may prove more profitable.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Mashable!, Fortune, The Week and TechCrunch

Nilay Patel / The Verge:
Apple's watch will run iOS and arrive later this year, say sources

Discussion: TechCrunch

First Read / NBCNews.com:

First Thoughts: A truce - for now — Both sides declare a budget truce — for now... How a Grand Bargain could still take place... And why achieving a Grand Bargain has been so difficult... NYT on a GOP that's united on just one issue right now: taxes and spending... Obama …

Discussion: Reuters, NBCNews.com, The Moderate Voice, Taegan Goddard's … and Wonkblog

Chris Wallace / Fox News:
Exclusive: Mitt and Ann Romney on campaign mistakes, life after presidential election loss and political future

Discussion: Firedoglake, News Desk, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Mother Jones, Connecting.the.Dots, The Week, Daily Kos, The Caucus, NewsHounds blog, The Reality-Based Community, Mediaite, Althouse, The Fix and Gothamist

Daniel Larison / The American Conservative:
The Story of Romney's Career: “What I Said Is Not What I Believe”

Discussion: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, The Week and The Moderate Voice

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

Bill Cosby Slams Republicans Who Sat Through SOTU: As Bad As Civil Rights-Era Segregationists — One of the key issues currently being decided by the Supreme Court is whether or not racism has ended sufficiently to gut the Voting Rights Act, or as conservative hero Justice Antonin Scalia calls it, “racial entitlement.”

Discussion: National Review, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Hinterland Gazette

Daily Mail:

Priest burns picture of pope in CHURCH in protest at resignation as ‘rock star’ cardinals gather to choose successor — It ought to have been the most serene of days for the former Pope. — But Benedict XVI's first Sunday in retirement has been sullied by a village priest who burnt a photograph of him during Sunday mass.

Discussion: The Raw Story, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Hinterland Gazette

John F. Burns / New York Times:
Following Resignation, Top British Cardinal Acknowledges Sexual Misconduct

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Lede, Advocate and The Dish

Brian X. Chen / NYT Bits:

Samsung's New Smartphone Will Track Eyes to Scroll Pages — Samsung's next big smartphone, to be introduced next month, will have a strong focus on software. A person who has tried the phone, called the Galaxy S IV, described one feature as particularly new and exciting: Eye scrolling.

Discussion: The Verge, TechCrunch and Mashable!

Dylan Matthews / Wonkblog:

One study explains why it's tough to pass liberal laws — Last year, a group of political scientists took a random sample of state legislators and asked them a slew of questions, most of which boiled down to: “What do your constituents think about policy?” Do they support gay marriage?

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Campaign for America's Future and Booman Tribune

Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:

Recovery in U.S. Lifting Profits, Not Adding Jobs — With the Dow Jones industrial average flirting with a record high, the split between American workers and the companies that employ them is widening and could worsen in the next few months as federal budget cuts take hold.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, msnbc.com, The Confluence, Marginal Revolution, AEIdeas, No More Mister Nice Blog, Prairie Weather, The Reaction, Angry Bear and Gawker

Steve Kornacki / Salon:

“In the real world we were kidding ourselves” — Newt Gingrich talks to Salon about why he and his party were so wrong about the election and the future of the GOP — There was a popular theory for much of the 2012 Republican presidential campaign that Newt Gingrich wasn't actually running …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Andrew Dugan / Gallup:
Asian-Americans Solidly Prefer Democrats

Discussion: Politico and The Political Carnival

Arthur C. Brooks / Wall Street Journal:

Republicans and Their Faulty Moral Arithmetic — Conservative values and money issues are worth less than concern for the poor. — In the waning days of the 1992 presidential campaign, President George H.W. Bush trailed Bill Clinton in the polls. The conventional wisdom was that Mr. Bush seemed …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, AEIdeas and Right Turn

Lara Seligman / The Hill:

Hill Poll: President's support for Israel found wanting by many voters — Three times as many voters believe the Obama administration is not supportive enough of Israel as believe it is too supportive, according to a new poll for the Hill. — The proportion of voters who now say the president does …

Discussion: Politico, Weekly Standard, Weasel Zippers and Washington Free Beacon

Annie Lowrey / New York Times:

As Automatic Budget Cuts Go Into Effect, Poor May Be Hit Particularly Hard — WASHINGTON — The $85 billion in automatic cuts working their way through the federal budget spare many programs that aid the poorest and most vulnerable Americans, including the Children's Health Insurance Program and food stamps.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, NewsBusters, The Week, The National Memo, Angry Bear, Firedoglake, Daily Kos and Jammie Wearing Fools

Bill Keller / New York Times:

Obama's Fault — Our feckless leaders may be incapable of passing a budget, but, boy, can they pass the buck. The White House spent last week in full campaign hysteria, blitzing online followers with the message that heartless Republicans are prepared to transform America into …

Discussion: The Plum Line, A plain blog about politics, The Daily Caller and Taylor Marsh

ThinkProgress:

GOP Congresswoman: I Opposed Domestic Violence Bill Because It Protected Too Many Groups — Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Monday openly admitted that she opposed the latest reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) because it included protections for LGBT, Native American, and undocumented victims of domestic violence.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Darren Goode / Politico:

President Obama to pick Gina McCarthy, Ernest Moniz to lead EPA, DOE — President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate EPA air chief Gina McCarthy as the agency's next administrator and MIT physicist Ernest Moniz to take over the Energy Department. — The long-anticipated announcements …

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, The Plum Line and The PJ Tatler

Steven Mufson / Washington Post:
Ernest Moniz, MIT physicist, nominated as energy secretary

Discussion: Wonkblog and Washington Examiner

James Andrew Miller / New York Times:

Olbermann Angling for Return to ESPN — Keith Olbermann was in Los Angeles on Friday being deposed for a reported $70 million lawsuit he filed against his most recent employer, Current TV, with the trial expected to begin in May. Whether the court rules in favor of Olbermann or the network …

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette, Politico, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Gawker, The Daily Caller and National Review

Emmanuel Touhey / Foreign Policy:

‘Israel lobby’ to push for aid despite sequestration cuts — The long-dreaded sequestration has arrived, bringing with it potentially catastrophic consequences for governmental programs designed to benefit those most in need. The NAACP estimates these across-the-board cuts will result …

Discussion: CNN