memeorandum: Food stamps put Rhode Island town on monthly boom-and-bust cycle (Eli Saslow/Washington Post)

1:05 PM ET, March 17, 2013

Top Items:

In defense of GOP consultants: It's the candidates' fault … If there was any villain at the just-completed Conservative Political Action Conference, it was the generic figure of the Republican political consultant. Overpaid, unprincipled, always on the lookout for the next client …

Discussion: Booman Tribune and Post Politics

Zach Carter / The Huffington Post:

Karl Rove Mocks Sarah Palin Tenure As Governor — WASHINGTON — GOP uberconsultant Karl Rove lashed out at former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Sunday, mocking her decision to leave office early. Rove's criticism was a response to comments Palin made at the Conservative Political Action Conference …

Discussion: protein wisdom

David Edwards / The Raw Story:

Rove mocks Palin: I'm may be a ‘balding fat guy,’ but 'I wouldn't leave office midterm' — Conservative strategist Karl Rove on Sunday lashed out at former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) after she used her speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to blast his super PAC for “vetting our candidates.”

Discussion: PolicyMic

Paul Singer / USA Today:

Palin mocks Obama and Rove in CPAC speech — OXON HILL, Md. — Former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin mocked President Obama, GOP consultant Karl Rove and the mainstream media in a folksy speech to a gathering of conservative activists outside Washington Saturday.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, PolicyMic, Washington Wire, Guardian and Towleroad News #gay

Emily Schultheis / Politico:
Rand Paul edges Rubio to win CPAC straw poll

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

USA Today:
Rand Paul edges Marco Rubio in CPAC straw poll

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and The Reaction

Alexandra Jaffe / Ballot Box: Sarah Palin fires up conservative grassroots in speech at CPAC

Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:

GOP Senator: Republicans Are Open To Tax Increases In Grand Bargain — Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) believes Senate Republicans would be open to increasing revenue through tax reform as part of a “grand bargain” to reduce the deficit. During an appearance on Fox News Sunday …

Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:

Corker: GOP would consider revenues in exchange for ‘true entitlement reform’ — A key Senate Republican conceded on Sunday that his party may be open to increasing taxes in exchange for a grand deal on cutting entitlement spending. — “I think Republicans if they saw true entitlement reform …

Discussion: Politico

Reuters:

Cyprus' savers bear brunt of unprecedented bailout — (Reuters) - The euro zone agreed on Saturday to hand Cyprus a bailout worth 10 billion euros ($13 billion), but demanded depositors in its banks forfeit some money to stave off bankruptcy despite the risk of a wider run on savings.

Discussion: Hot Air, Zero Hedge, Wonkblog, The PJ Tatler, Calculated Risk, americanthinker.com and The Agonist

Liz Alderman / New York Times:
Facing Bailout Tax, Cypriots Try to Get Cash Out of Banks

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Via Meadia, Belmont Club and Eschaton

Pawelmorski / Some of it was true:
Cyprus: A Brutal Lesson in RealPolitik

Discussion: Guardian, Open Europe blog and Wall Street Journal

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:

A Decade on, Most are Critical of the U.S.-Led War in Iraq — Ten years after U.S. airstrikes on Baghdad punctuated the start of the Iraq war, nearly six in 10 Americans say the war was not worth fighting - a judgment shared by majorities steadily since initial success gave way to years of continued conflict.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Outside the Beltway

Howard Fineman / The Huffington Post:
Iraq War 10th Anniversary Reminds Us Of The Questions We Didn't Ask

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Hullabaloo

Eli Saslow / Washington Post:

Food stamps put Rhode Island town on monthly boom-and-bust cycle — View Photo Gallery — Rhode Island town relies on food stamps: In Woonsocket, R.I., a third of the residents use SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, to pay for groceries. That means the businesses in the struggling town also rely on the program to survive.

Discussion: National Review

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

When The GOP Told Whitey I Aint Gonna Take It No More — Yesterday, a CPAC breakout session on reaching out to black voters broke down in shouting and acrimony as a handful of ‘disenfranchised whites’ attacked the premise of the session (along with black complaints about slaveholders) …

Discussion: Brad DeLong and Little Green Footballs

CNN:

Two teens found guilty in Steubenville rape case — Editor's note: Please note this story contains graphic language. — Steubenville, Ohio (CNN) — Two Steubenville high school football players accused of raping an allegedly drunk 16-year-old girl were found guilty by an Ohio judge on Sunday.

Discussion: The Atlantic Wire, Crooks and Liars, PolicyMic, Mommyish, This Just In and Business Insider

Geoff Liesik / KSL-TV:

New Helper mayor chosen by picking name from a basket — HELPER — The city's new mayor was sworn in Friday after winning his seat by luck of the draw. — “I was kind of shocked that I was the one whose name was drawn,” Mayor Ed Chavez Jr. said. — In two rounds of voting Thursday night …

Discussion: NBC New York