memeorandum: Hezbollah Courier Guilty of Role in Cyprus Terror Plot (Nicholas Kulish/New York Times)

1:05 PM ET, March 21, 2013

Top Items:

Manu Raju / Politico:

Saxby Chambliss: 'I'm not gay. So I'm not going to marry one' — Support for gay marriage is picking up steam all over the country — except on Capitol Hill. — Take Sen. Saxby Chambliss. When asked if his views had changed on gay marriage, the Georgia Republican quipped: “I'm not gay.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Raw Story, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Guardian, Ajc Blogs: &lsquo, Post Politics, The Maddow Blog, Mediaite, Towleroad News #gay, Daily Kos and American Prospect

Catherine Saint Louis / New York Times:

Pediatrics Group Backs Gay Marriage, Saying It Helps Children — The American Academy of Pediatrics declared its support for same-sex marriage for the first time on Thursday, saying that allowing gay and lesbian parents to marry if they so choose is in the best interests of their children.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, John M. Becker and The Raw Story

Manu Raju / Politico:
Saxby Chambliss: 'I'm not gay. So I'm not going to marry one'

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Ashley Parker / New York Times:
Young Opponents of Same-Sex Marriage Undaunted

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation, Good As You, NOM Blog, Opinionator and Business Insider

Politico:
Politicians and gay marriage: Profiles in calculation

Discussion: msnbc.com and TheBlaze.com

New York Times:

Obama Renews Call for 2-State Solution in Middle East — RAMALLAH, West Bank — Hours after Palestinian militants fired at least two rockets from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip that crashed into the Israeli border city of Sderot on Thursday, President Obama traveled to the West Bank city …

Discussion: BBC, Foreign Policy, Althouse and Mediaite

Politico:

Netanyahu on Obama: This guy, I need — JERUSALEM — Benjamin Netanyahu has never been Barack Obama's biggest fan — and for four years, he's eagerly scored political points picking fights with the president. — But two paradigm-shifting elections — one in the U.S., one in Israel …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, CNN, The Dish, The Week and The Hill

James S. Robbins / Associated Press:
Obama's Middle East policy in tatters: Column

Discussion: Questions and Observations, Instapundit and This Just In

Washington Wire:
Text of Obama's Speech in Israel

Discussion: Algemeiner.com and Guardian

Reuters:
Palestinians protest Obama visit: We want RPGs, not CIA collaboration

Discussion: Haaretz, Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit

James Nye / Daily Mail:
Thanks but no thanks: Tree gifted by President Obama to Israel this morning is dug up hours later for ‘pest’ testing

Discussion: Guardian

Herb Keinon / Jerusalem Post:
Analysis: Obama, he had us at ‘Shalom’

Discussion: Washington Wire, Washington Free Beacon and Haaretz

Associated Press:
Rockets hit Israel as Obama meets Palestinians

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Politico:
Obama urges Palestinians to new peace talks

Discussion: CNN

Jesse Helfrich / The Hill:

Unified House Republicans poised to pass Ryan budget blueprint — Republican leaders are poised to pass Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget on Thursday, having convinced centrists and conservatives to back the blueprint that Democrats believe is their road map back to the House majority.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos and msnbc.com

Alan Silverleib / CNN:
House passes Ryan budget

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Weasel Zippers

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Dems force GOP to vote down RSC budget

Discussion: Politico, Booman Tribune, americanthinker.com and Reuters

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
House rejects budget from Senate Democrats

Discussion: Post Politics, Ballot Box, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers and Politico

New York Times:
Senate Approves Spending; House Debates Next Budget

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, The Caucus and First Read

Stuart Rothenberg / Roll Call:

The GOP: A Party Increasingly at Odds With Itself — “I am not a member of any organized party — I am a Democrat,” humorist Will Rogers said many years ago. But if Rogers were alive today, he'd undoubtedly see his party as a model of organization and unity when compared to the GOP.

Thomas B. Edsall / Opinionator:

The Republican Autopsy Report — On Monday a Republican task force released a remarkably hard-headed diagnosis of the party's many liabilities: its ideological rigidity, its preference for the rich over workers, its alienation of minorities, its reactionary social policies and its institutionalized repression of dissent and innovation.

Discussion: The Dish, GOP.com, Poliglot, Prairie Weather and msnbc.com

Nancy Cook / NationalJournal.com:
The GOP Disconnect on Economic Policy

Discussion: The Plum Line and First Read

Greg Miller / Washington Post:

Secret report raises alarms on intelligence blind spots because of AQ focus — A panel of White House advisers warned President Obama in a secret report that U.S. spy agencies were paying inadequate attention to China, the Middle East and other national security flash points because they had become …

Discussion: AEIdeas, Lawfare, Wall Street Journal, emptywheel and Reuters

ThinkProgress:
National Security Brief: Obama Says Israeli Settlements Are An Obstacle To Peace

Discussion: Reuters, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Right Turn

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
Document Shows Abbas's Desire to Resume Israeli Talks

Discussion: The Week and The Times of Israel

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:

Iraq War made Obamacare possible … This week brought two milestones: It has been 10 years since the United States invaded Iraq, and three years since President Obama's health care legislation became law. It's fitting that the two events coincided, because it was the Iraq War that made the passage of Obamacare possible.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Hit & Run

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:

Why I was hoping for a government shutdown — I'll be honest. I was sort of hoping for a government shutdown. — Congress, you're terrible at your job. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomber) — It's not that I like government shutdowns. I'm as big a fan of national parks as the next guy.

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Week, Balloon Juice, The Maddow Blog and Politico

Daily Mail:

Dark Knight killer James Holmes ‘is now a Muslim who prays five times a day’ — James Holmes, the gunman behind the Dark Knight massacre in Colorado last July, has reportedly turned Muslim and prays five times a day. — The killer showed off a lengthy, thick beard during a court appearance earlier …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Weasel Zippers, Jihad Watch and Atlas Shrugs

Quinnipiac News + Events:

Release Detail — March 21, 2013 - Clinton Tops Florida Favorite Sons In 2016 Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; 91% Back Universal Gun Background Checks — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has double-digit leads over either of Florida's favorite sons, former Gov. Jeb Bush …

Discussion: CNN, Politico, Naked Politics, Ballot Box and First Read

Kristin Roberts / NationalJournal.com:

How Many Americans Are on the Kill List? Zero. — Updated: — (U.S. Air Force photo/Lt Col Leslie Pratt) — No Americans are currently marked for death on the U.S. government's terrorist strike list, according to the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Discussion: Yahoo! News, emptywheel and The Raw Story

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Michele Bachmann: Obamacare Will ‘Literally’ Kill People — As the country prepares to celebrate the third anniversary of health care reform, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) insisted on Thursday that the Affordable Care Act will “kill” vulnerable women and children during a speech on the floor of the House.

Discussion: Mediaite

NPR:

Interview With Vice President Joe Biden … The Obama administration is still fighting for a ban on assault weapons to be included in a larger bill in Congress, Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview with NPR. — After the school shootings in Newtown, Conn., last December …