Top Items:
Glenn Thrush / Politico:
The reboot: Can Podesta save Obama? — Barack Obama's at the lowest point of his presidency. Can John Podesta save him? — When President Barack Obama's chief of staff, Denis McDonough, approached John Podesta a few weeks ago about taking over the high-aggravation job of White House counselor …
Discussion:
CNN, Talking Points Memo, Roll Call, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, National Review, The Week, The Daily Caller and Washington Post
RELATED:
Peggy Noonan's Blog:
Incompetence — Everyone is doing thoughtful year-end pieces on President Obama. Writers and reporters agree he's had his worst year ever. I infer from most of their essays an unstated but broadly held sense of foreboding: There's no particular reason to believe next year will be better …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Betsy's Page and Viking Pundit
Jim Acosta / CNN:
Tech source: We weren't at White House for health care chat
Tech source: We weren't at White House for health care chat
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, americanthinker.com, Wonkblog and Business Insider
David Martosko / Daily Mail:
Obama ‘hijacks’ tech executive meeting to make ‘PR pitch’ on Obamacare website fix instead …
Obama ‘hijacks’ tech executive meeting to make ‘PR pitch’ on Obamacare website fix instead …
Discussion:
VodkaPundit, Weasel Zippers, AMERICAN DIGEST and The PJ Tatler
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
This is the ad every Democrat should be scared of in 2014 — Ending Spending, a conservative outside group dedicated to, well, ending (government)spending, is running an ad in New Hampshire that will be replicated endlessly by Republican candidates and groups in the 2014 midterm election.
Discussion:
National Review, The PJ Tatler, americanthinker.com, ABC News, Reuters and Politico
Mark Leibovich / New York Times:
How John McCain Turned His Clichés Into Meaning — When I walk into John McCain's office a week before Thanksgiving, he is not at all happy — and seems to be enjoying it quite a bit. — He is sampling none of the usual flavors of upset we tend to associate with the Arizona senator …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, Mediaite and Post Politics
James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Of course the uninsured hate ObamaCare too. — Reason's Peter Suderman takes note of a poll result that surprises him: … If Suderman's surprise is sincere, he must have taken a sip of the ObamaCare Kool-Aid. Implicit in his reasoning is a huge unwarranted assumption—to wit, that people without health insurance desire to have it.
Discussion:
theGrio, Canada Blog …, Guardian and The Raw Story
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New York Times:
Saudi Arabia Will Go It Alone — London — Saudi Arabia has been friends with our Western partners for decades; for some, like the United Kingdom where I serve as ambassador, for almost a century. These are strategic alliances that benefit us both. Recently, these relationships have been tested …
Discussion:
Jihad Watch, The Jawa Report and Israel Matzav
RELATED:
Khaled Yacoub Oweis / Reuters:
Exclusive: West signals to Syrian opposition Assad may stay
Exclusive: West signals to Syrian opposition Assad may stay
Discussion:
Hot Air and The Agonist
Kelly Whiteside / USA Today:
Obama sends message by naming Sochi Olympic delegation — The White House delivered a strong message of opposition to Russia's anti-gay laws Tuesday with the announcement of its delegation to the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics. — The White House delegation will include an openly gay athlete: tennis great Billie Jean King.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Shakesville, Towleroad News #gay, americanthinker.com, ThinkProgress, ABC News, National Review and Balloon Juice
RELATED:
Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Obama, Biden, Top U.S. Officials To Stay Away From Sochi Olympics
Obama, Biden, Top U.S. Officials To Stay Away From Sochi Olympics
Discussion:
Salon, BillMoyers.com, AMERICAblog News, Advocate and Hot Air
Jennifer Epstein / Reuters:
For U.S. Sochi delegation: Diversity, not diplomacy
For U.S. Sochi delegation: Diversity, not diplomacy
Discussion:
The Hill, The Daily Caller and CNN
CNN:
Arrest, strip-search of Indian diplomat in New York triggers uproar — (CNN) — The arrest and detention of an Indian consular official in New York on visa fraud charges has created a diplomatic uproar, with punitive steps taken against State Department officials in New Delhi.
Discussion:
americanthinker.com and ImmigrationProf Blog
Russell Berman / The Hill:
Ryan won't run for White House in 2016, his GOP colleagues say — Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has a choice to make. — The Republican Budget Committee chairman is the most popular conservative in the House, and over the coming year, he will have to decide whether to seek a more powerful committee gavel …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! News, CNN, The Plum Line, ABC News and Hot Air
Alex Pareene / Salon:
Hack List No. 4: David Brooks — Our annual list is here! This time, we channeled each hack's unique voice — and let them “write” their own entries — It seems a pleasant life to be a Columnist. He writes a few hundred words once, or at most twice a week.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post and Mediaite
Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters:
Barbara Walters on Obama: ‘We Thought He Was Going To Be The Next Messiah’ — Yes, she really said it. — On CNN's Piers Morgan Live Tuesday, in a brief discussion about President Obama, Barbara Walters actually said, “We thought that he was going to be - I shouldn't say this at Christmastime …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Ed Driscoll and americanthinker.com
Caroline May / The Daily Caller:
Senate Dems block amendment to restore veteran benefits by closing illegal immigrant welfare loophole — Senate Republicans were unable to stop military pension cuts when Senate Democrats blocked a vote on an amendment to prevent the cuts by closing a welfare loophole for illegal immigrants Tuesday night.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Scared Monkeys, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, Right Wing News and The Lonely Conservative
Bloomberg:
North America to Drown in Oil as Mexico Ends Monopoly — The flood of North American crude oil is set to become a deluge as Mexico dismantles a 75-year-old barrier to foreign investment in its oil fields. — Plagued by almost a decade of slumping output that has degraded Mexico's …
Discussion:
americanthinker.com and The Jawa Report
Committee to Protect Journalists:
Second worst year on record for jailed journalists — For the second consecutive year, Turkey was the world's leading jailer of journalists, followed closely by Iran and China. The number of journalists in prison globally decreased from a year earlier but remains close to historical highs.
Discussion:
Guardian and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
New York Times:
Budget Deal Offers a Reprieve From Washington Paralysis — WASHINGTON — Something odd happened here on Tuesday. The Senate advanced a two-year bipartisan budget deal that will now surely be sent to the president for his signature later this week without waiting for a cliff, a chasm, a deadline or a shutdown to force its hand.
Discussion:
The Week
RELATED:
Tom Coburn, M.D., United States Senator from Oklahoma:
Coburn Releases Annual Wastebook Highlighting Most Egregious Spending of 2013 — (WASHINGTON, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today released his annual oversight report “Wastebook 2013” …
Discussion:
Western Free Press, American Spectator, Patterico's Pontifications, Hot Air, Michelle Malkin and KFOR-TV
RELATED:
S.A. Miller / New York Post:
Duck penis studies, lifecoaches for Senate staff: $30B in government spending questioned
Duck penis studies, lifecoaches for Senate staff: $30B in government spending questioned
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Liberaland
Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider:
Watch The Moment Mitt Romney Realizes He Is Going To Lose The Election — Netflix is out with a trailer for its new Mitt Romney documentary — “MITT” — which provides a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look into some of the most important moments of his failed campaign for president.
Discussion:
The Verge, FishbowlDC and The Week
Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
Senate Asks C.I.A. to Share Its Report on Interrogations — WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked the C.I.A. for an internal study done by the agency that lawmakers believe is broadly critical of the C.I.A.'s detention and interrogation program but was withheld from congressional oversight committees.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Lawfare