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Transcript: President Obama's Exclusive Interview With George Stephanopoulos — GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: — Mr. President, thank you for doing this. — PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: — It's great to be here. — GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: — So, you've done all meetings on Capitol Hill …
Discussion:
Politico, Business Insider and Mediaite
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President Obama Won't Balance Budget ‘Just for the Sake of Balance’ — In an exclusive interview with ABC News, President Obama rejected calls to balance the federal budget in the next ten years and instead argued that his primary economic concern was not balancing the budget, but rather growing the economy.
Discussion:
CBS News, Talking Points Memo, Weasel Zippers, Reuters, BuzzFeed and Post Politics

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Discussion:
Business Insider, naked capitalism and The National Memo

Obama: Goal is not ‘balanced budget just for the sake of balance’
Discussion:
Jared Bernstein


Fox News Anchor Shouts Down Criticism Of Ryan Budget
Discussion:
PostPartisan, Wonkblog and The Plum Line

The Ryan Budget's Step Backward
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Heritage Foundation, Guardian, Roll Call, American Prospect, The Week, AEIdeas and Slate

Missed chance: Obama's tax problem — President Obama faces huge, and probably insurmountable, obstacles to reviving a grand bargain — none higher and more difficult to overcome than his decision to increase taxes by $600 billion in December. — At the time, Obama claimed victory …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
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Senate Democrats pepper Obama with questions on entitlements — Liberal Democrats challenged President Obama on Tuesday over his willingness to cut Social Security benefits. — At a meeting that lasted just less than 90 minutes, Obama was peppered by questions from Sens. Tom Harkin …
Discussion:
The Political Carnival and Politico

Obama meets with not-quite-united Senate Democrats
Discussion:
Not the Singularity, Reuters and Daily Kos


CPAC muddle mirrors GOP mess — It's not hard to make fun of CPAC. From the presence of Donald Trump to a meaningless straw poll to a cavalcade of fringe-dwelling book merchants, the event has become more carnival than conservative salon. — What is more notable about this year's rendition …
Discussion:
New York Times, msnbc.com, UTSanDiego.com and TheBlaze.com
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AP Exclusive: Applying for health care not easy — Associated Press/J. David Ake - A draft copy of the 21-page of a Health and Human Services Department form proposed for use to apply for low-cost insurance from Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program ...more
Discussion:
Right Turn, americanthinker.com, Vodkapundit, Clayton Cramer's Blog and Conservatives4Palin
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Paul Ryan Accidentally Says He Is “Destroying The Health Care System”
Discussion:
The Hill, Liberal Values and Crooks and Liars

George P. Bush running for Texas land commissioner — AUSTIN — George Prescott Bush filed the official paperwork Tuesday to run for Texas land commissioner next year, hoping to use a little-known but powerful post to continue his family's political dynasty in one of the country's most-conservative states.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune
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Partisan ‘mistrust’ fueled voting rights fights at Justice Dept.
Discussion:
Politico


Where the Sun Don't Shine — President Obama promised transparency and open government. He failed miserably. So why do Washington watchdog groups look the other way? — President Obama has failed to deliver on few promises as miserably as his vow to create a more transparent and open government.
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy


How Bill Clinton Inspired The 47 Percent Filmmaker — WASHINGTON — Bill Clinton won the presidential election for Barack Obama. But it wasn't his masterful Democratic National Convention speech or the advice he offered the president's reelection campaign.
Discussion:
Telegraph, Mother Jones, Gawker, The Caucus and Pressing Issues


Ukrainian Attack Dolphins on the Loose — If you're swimming in the Black Sea, beware dolphins with weapons strapped to their heads. — flickr/mr_t_in_dc — Dolphin scientist Justin Gregg brings us this slightly disturbing, if hilarious, bit of Delphic news.
Discussion:
Gawker
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Ukrainian Killer Dolphins Deserted to Seek Mates - Expert
Discussion:
The Week, PIX 11, Business Insider and FP Passport


The troubling things I learned when I re-reported Bob Woodward's book on John Belushi. — John Belushi in Animal House, 1978 Courtesy of Universal Pictures — A little more than a week ago, during an interview with Politico, Bob Woodward came forward to claim he'd been threatened in an email by a …
Discussion:
Ed Driscoll, The Impolitic, Washington Monthly, Hit & Run and Unfogged, more at Mediagazer »


Sources: NRA won't oppose background check deal - if Democrats cede tough records fight — Senators negotiating a bill mandating background checks for all gun buyers are privately expecting the National Rifle Association not to fight the measure — provided the legislation does …
Discussion:
US News, Mother Jones, Daily Kos, Hot Air, ABCNEWS and The Truth About Guns

Obama looking for way to resume White House tours for school groups — President Obama said his administration was looking at ways to resume White House tours for school groups. — “This was not a decision that went up to the White House,” noted Obama in an ABC News interview aired on Wednesday …
Discussion:
Jammie Wearing Fools


See the Adams Morgan Sinkhole — The message from AlertDC was pretty ominous: “MPD reports a large sink hole in the 1900 block of Biltmore Street NW. The sink hole is described as 25 feet deep and expanding from east to west. Biltmore Street is closed between 19th Street and Cliffbourne Pl NW.
Discussion:
Business Insider and Politico


chris huhne ridiculed on his first day in wandsworth jail — Shamed MP Huhne mocked by warder in jail Tannoy prank — DISGRACED MP Chris Huhne was ridiculed on his first day in Wandsworth jail yesterday — when a warder called him to breakfast by yelling: “Order! Order!”
Discussion:
Guardian, BBC and National Updates

We'll deal with cheap alcohol - PM — Dr Sarah Wollaston tells the House of Commons that “whenever alcohol is too cheap, more people die” — David Cameron has told MPs he will “deal with” cheap alcohol being sold in supermarkets in England and Wales. — It comes after reports the government …
Discussion:
Guardian and thetorydiary

FRC: No Right to Have Sex Outside of Marriage, Society Should ‘Punish It’ — Family Research Council senior fellow Pat Fagan appeared alongside Tony Perkins, the head of FRC, on Washington Watch yesterday to discuss his article which claims that Eisenstadt v. Baird, the 1972 case that overturned …
Discussion:
Public Discourse, Mediaite, The Raw Story, Joe. My. God. and FRC

State Rep. Says Robocalls About Taking ‘Homosexual Money’ Are Offensive — CHICAGO — A conservative Chicago-based political action committee is telling Downstate voters to ask a legislator to vote against the proposed marriage equality bill, saying children raised by same-sex couples will “never know their real parents.”
Discussion:
The Raw Story

Corbett in dire shape for reelection — Tom Corbett- already among the country's most unpopular Governors- has seen his position worsen considerably over the last two months. Only 33% of voters now approve of his job performance, compared to 58% who disapprove.
Discussion:
Capitol Notebook, Taegan Goddard's …, DownWithTyranny! and Daily Kos