Top Items:
Ezra Klein / Bloomberg:
Mistakes, Excuses and Painful Lessons From the Iraq War — I supported the Iraq War, and I'm sorry. — I have my excuses, of course. I was a college student, young and dumb. I thought that if U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell and former President Bill Clinton …
Discussion:
The Dish, Booman Tribune, Hit & Run, Salon, The Atlantic Online and A plain blog about politics
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John Yoo / Ricochet Conversations Feed:
Considering Iraq: Another View — Peter Robinson asks provocatively whether, if we knew then what we know now about Iraq, the United States should have invaded. Others on Ricochet and in the commentariat have gone through the benefits and costs of the war, and I won't rehearse them here.
Discussion:
New Republic and The Atlantic Online
Zack Beauchamp / ThinkProgress:
Former Bush Official Justifies The Iraq War: ‘We Shared The Benefits’ With The Iraqis — Former Bush administration lawyer John Yoo is most famous for his legal memoranda defending torture and virtually unlimited presidential power in the realm of national security.
Discussion:
New Republic, Ink Spots, The Huffington Post, Wonkette and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Mike Lupica / NY Daily News:
Spineless pols spit on the graves of Newtown victims by not pushing for assault weapons ban — The words of a teary-eyed President and other politicians meant nothing, because they didn't turn into action, as a ban on assault weapons won't be included in gun legislation that's shaping up in the U.S. Senate.
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Keith Coffman / Reuters:
Colorado prison chief shot dead on eve of gun laws signing — (Reuters) - The head of Colorado's prison system was shot dead at his home in what police said may have been a targeted killing, just hours before the governor on Wednesday signed new gun control laws spurred by a rash of deadly mass shootings in Colorado and elsewhere.
Discussion:
The Spectacle Blog
McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:
Religious Right Could Be Left Behind By New Republican Plan — Abandoned by the Establishment, beset by libertarians, the base is playing defense. — Image by John Gara/Buzzfeed — When the great Republican resurrection comes to pass, will conservative Christians be left behind?
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Taylor Marsh, American Prospect, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos and The Week
The Times of Israel:
Full text of Obama's speech on arrival in Israel — US president says it's no accident that his first foreign visit in his second term is to the Holy Land — Shalom. — President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and most of all, to the people of Israel, thank you for this incredibly warm welcome.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, The Dish, Guardian, Elder of Ziyon, Foreign Policy and The Hill
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Mark Landler / New York Times:
Obama Arrives in Israel for Two-Day Trip
Obama Arrives in Israel for Two-Day Trip
Discussion:
Post Politics and Mediaite
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
On first visit to Israel as president, Obama vows ‘eternal’ alliance
On first visit to Israel as president, Obama vows ‘eternal’ alliance
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, msnbc.com and BuzzFeed
ESPN:
Obama takes Indiana over Louisville for title — President Barack Obama is favoring the Big Ten in this year's NCAA tournament, ultimately selecting Indiana to win it all. — The president predicted that Louisville, Indiana, Ohio State and Florida will reach the Final Four …
Discussion:
White House.gov Blog, National Republican …, Politico, TheBlaze.com and Bleacher Report
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Associated Press:
PRESIDENT OBAMA MAKES HIS FINAL FOUR PICKS
PRESIDENT OBAMA MAKES HIS FINAL FOUR PICKS
Discussion:
“The Lid”, Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative and The PJ Tatler
Matt Berman / NationalJournal.com:
Want to Win Your March Madness Pool? Don't Follow Obama's Bracket.
Want to Win Your March Madness Pool? Don't Follow Obama's Bracket.
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, The Daily Caller, Bleacher Report, Post Politics and BuzzFeed
Jesse Helfrich / The Hill:
Obama honeymoon may be over — The second-term honeymoon for President Obama is beginning to look like it is over. — Obama, who was riding high after his reelection win in November, has seen his poll numbers take a precipitous fall in recent weeks. — A CNN poll released Tuesday showed …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, neo-neocon and Prairie Weather
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Fox News:
DHS questioned over decision to let Saudi passengers skip normal passport controls — A Department of Homeland Security program intended to give “trusted traveler” status to low-risk airline passengers soon will be extended to Saudi travelers, opening the program to criticism for accommodating …
Discussion:
Jihad Watch and The Jawa Report
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Kimberly Arnold / The Investigative Project …:
Special Travel Benefit for Saudis a “Slap in the Face” — Saudi Arabia, the nation which produced 15 of the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 attacks, is about to become one of a handful of countries whose travelers can bypass normal passport controls at major U.S. airports.
Discussion:
BizPac Review, Weasel Zippers, Blazing Cat Fur and American Spectator
Toddstarnes / Fox News:
Family's Home Raided over Facebook Photo of Child's Rifle — New Jersey police and Dept. of Children and Families officials raided the home of a firearms instructor and demanded to see his guns after he posted a Facebook photo of his 11-year-old son holding a rifle. — FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS.
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Howard Kurtz / The Daily Beast:
Roger Ailes Couldn't Care Less What You Think About His Obama Comments — The Fox News chief tells Howard Kurtz he stands by the laziness charge and says Sarah Palin made ‘mistakes’ and that Dick Morris looked like a ‘jerk’ when he predicted a Romney landslide. Plus, read the 16 juiciest bits from the new Ailes biography.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, TVNewser and New Republic, more at Mediagazer »
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Americans Widely Back Government Job Creation Proposals — Seven in 10 favor business tax breaks and infrastructure repair programs — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans widely support each of three job creation proposals, including offering tax breaks to businesses that create jobs in the U.S …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Plum Line, Daily Kos, The National Memo, Eclectablog, The Political Carnival and Paul Krugman
Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:
Washington Post seeks blogger to post ‘at least’ 12 times per day — The Washington Post's arts and living section, Style, is looking for a blogger, an internal announcement reads. Whoever lands this position may want to invest in a serious coffee machine:
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, more at Mediagazer »
Bruce Smith / Associated Press:
Sanford advances to GOP runoff in SC House race — CHARLESTON, S.C. — Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford advanced Tuesday to a runoff in the Republican contest for an open congressional seat, taking a step toward reviving a political career that was derailed by an extramarital affair while he was governor.
Reuters:
Cyprus seeks Russian bailout aid, EU threatens cutoff — (Reuters) - Cyprus pleaded for a new loan from Russia on Wednesday to avert a financial meltdown, but won no immediate relief after the island's parliament rejected the terms of a European bailout, raising the risk of default and a bank crash.
Discussion:
The Week, Hot Air and Wall Street Journal
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Daniel Klaidman / The Daily Beast:
Exclusive: No More Drones for CIA — Three senior officials tell Daniel Klaidman that the Obama administration is poised to shift the CIA's drone program to the Pentagon. — At a time when controversy over the Obama administration's drone program seems to be cresting …
Discussion:
Wired, ThinkProgress, Hit & Run, FP Passport, Lawfare, emptywheel, The Raw Story and Mashable!
Christine Haughney / New York Times:
Journalism Professor Sues Columbia, Claiming Misuse of Endowment Funds — A tenured professor at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism and co-director of that school's business program filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing the university of misdirecting $4.5 million in funds over the last decade.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, more at Mediagazer »
Mike Allen / Politico:
IRAQ, 10 YEARS ON — RNC CHAIR VOWS ‘BIG AND BOLD’ PARTY PUSH IN OFF-YEAR VOTING: Grassroots rebel again establishment effort to truncate primaries — The future of news on the Web — SHOT — 10 YEARS AGO TONIGHT, at 10:16 p.m., President George W. Bush announced Operation Iraqi Freedom …
Discussion:
The Maddow Blog
Tara Culp-Ressler / ThinkProgress:
Sugary Drinks Linked To 180,000 Annual Deaths Around The World — New research finds that the consumption of sugary drinks and sodas contributes to about 180,000 obesity-related deaths around the world — including the deaths of about 25,000 adult Americans — each year.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The AHA/ASA Newsroom, The Daily Caller and Questions and Observations
Denis Nzioka / Identity Kenya:
Gay Man Allegedly Stoned To Death In Somalia — A GAY man was allegedly stoned to death as punishment for homosexuality, a gay Muslim group has said Saturday. — According to Somali Gay Community, the young man, Mohamed Ali Baashi ,18, was buried in a hole up to his chest and then pelted …
Discussion:
Blazing Cat Fur, Weasel Zippers, Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs, Gay Star News and Towleroad News #gay
Binyamin Appelbaum / New York Times:
As Men Lose Economic Ground, Clues in the Family — WASHINGTON — The decline of two-parent households may be a significant reason for the divergent fortunes of male workers, whose earnings generally declined in recent decades, and female workers, whose earnings generally increased …
Discussion:
Mother Jones and Marginal Revolution
Kevin Cirilli / Politico:
Fla. poll: Crist crushes Gov. Scott — Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist easily beats the Sunshine State's current Gov. Rick Scott in a gubernatorial matchup, according to a new poll Wednesday. — Crist — who switched to the Democratic Party after having served as a GOP governor …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Orlando Sentinel, CNN, Yahoo! News and Outside the Beltway
New York Times:
Pope Francis' Old Colleagues Recall Pragmatic Streak — BUENOS AIRES — The very idea was anathema to many of the bishops in the room. — Argentina was on the verge of approving gay marriage, and the Roman Catholic Church was desperate to stop that from happening.