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A Pen, a Phone, and a Flailing President — The White House's problem might not be strategies and tactics. It might be Obama himself. — For months, the White House and its allies mocked critics of Barack Obama's leadership, arguing that no president has “Green Lantern” superhero powers.
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Plum Line, Power Line, The Fix, neo-neocon, Booman Tribune, VodkaPundit, National Review and Politico
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Obama to Assert Unilateral Agenda — President to Seek to Use State of the Union Address to Shift Souring View of Leadership … WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night will seek to shift the public's souring view of his leadership …
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Business Insider, Guardian, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, Towleroad News #gay and New York Times


Are House Republicans planning to pull a fast one on immigration?
Discussion:
The Plum Line, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Business Insider and Washington Wire

Don't Do It — The House Republican leadership has been confronted …
Discussion:
Hot Air

Morning Plum: Inside Obama's game plan for 2014
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, Hot Air and Hullabaloo

Some Republicans Departing From State of Union Response Script
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice and Taegan Goddard's …


NSA and GCHQ target ‘leaky’ phone apps like Angry Birds to scoop user data — GCHQ documents use Angry Birds - reportedly downloaded more than 1.7bn times - as a case study for app data collection. — The National Security Agency and its UK counterpart GCHQ have been developing capabilities …
Discussion:
News Desk, ProPublica, The Daily Banter, Talking Points Memo, TechCrunch, Gawker, emptywheel, Truthdig, Hinterland Gazette, Shakesville, Booman Tribune, The PJ Tatler and The Verge
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Spy Agencies Scour Phone Apps for Personal Data — When a smartphone user opens Angry Birds, the popular game application, and starts slinging birds at chortling green pigs, spy agencies have plotted how to lurk in the background to snatch data revealing the player's location, age …
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Caller, Mashable, Hit & Run, NPR, Liberaland and emptywheel

A Republican plan to replace ObamaCare, cover pre-existing conditions and lower costs — During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama will probably declare that his signature health care law is finally starting to work as designed. — We expect him to claim the mantle of …
Discussion:
Wonkblog, National Review, Business Insider and AEIdeas
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Senate Republicans Develop The Most Credible Plan Yet To ‘Repeal And Replace’ Obamacare — “Repealing and replacing” Obamacare with market-oriented reforms has been the Republican mantra for years now. If you're a long-time follower of this space, you know that we're skeptical that Obamacare …
Discussion:
The Mahablog, Daily Kos, National Review and AEIdeas


The Five Worst Things About The New Republican Proposal To Replace Obamacare
Discussion:
Liberaland

State of the Union 2014: The search for a non-awkward Obamacare shout-out
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VodkaPundit


Hillary Clinton: “My Biggest Regret Is What Happened In Benghazi” — QUESTION: Any do-overs that you would — relative to Secretary of State? HILLARY CLINTON: Oh, sure. I mean, you know, you make these choices based on imperfect information. And you make them to — as we say, the best of your ability.
Discussion:
Liberaland, Taylor Marsh, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and National Review
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Hillary Clinton Says She Hasn't Driven A Car Since 1996 (VIDEO)
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American Power

Hillary Clinton: Benghazi ‘biggest’ regret
Discussion:
Hot Air and Fox News Insider

Clinton's biggest regret at State: Benghazi
Discussion:
Politico and Fox News Insider

Clinton Supporters Want Iowa To Want Her
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Weekly Standard, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Post and Booman Tribune


What is wrong with this guy? He is such a jerk! He is a repeat offender! — This posting is not about Wendy Davis. It is not about her views. This is about a man who has pattern of being disrespectful to women: — We are a big nation with different viewpoints.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and The Other McCain


I Watched The New Mitt Romney Documentary With My Wife And It Was A Huge Mistake — The compelling new Netflix film reveals, among other things, the ideal Mormon husband. Thanks a lot, Mitt. — At the Republican National Convention in 2012, the Romney campaign released a piece …


Sochi 2014: No gay people in city, says mayor — The mayor of Sochi, host of the Winter Olympics, has said there are no gay people in the city. — Anatoly Pakhomov said homosexuals were welcome at the Games - as long as they “respect Russian law” and “don't impose their habits on others”.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Mashable, AMERICAblog News, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, ThinkProgress, ABC News and Outside the Beltway


How the right destroyed itself: History, ideology and strategic blunders — Even if they could, Democrats already beat them there — Last week I wrote an article arguing that the impediments to conservative reform are structural — that the idiosyncrasies of the Republican base make appealing …
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Walker's numbers up in Wisconsin poll — (CNN) - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has a slight edge over his Democratic opponent in the state's 2014 gubernatorial contest, according to a new Badger State survey. — The Marquette Law School poll released Monday indicates 47% of Wisconsin voters …
Discussion:
Politico
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How Scott Walker and the conservatives saved Wisconsin. America, take note
Discussion:
Rush Limbaugh and Althouse


Trey Radel to resign House seat — Rep. Trey Radel (R-Fla.) will resign from Congress on Monday, according to multiple sources. — Radel, 37, was caught buying cocaine in November from an undercover federal agent in Washington and spent nearly a month in a rehabilitation facility.


Hawaiians, D.C. Residents Most Approving of Obama in 2013 — Wyoming and West Virginia residents least approving — PRINCETON, NJ — Residents of 11 states and the District of Columbia gave President Barack Obama job approval ratings above 50% in 2013. Hawaii had the highest approval rating among …
Discussion:
Politico, GovBeat, Hinterland Gazette, National Review and Washington Post


Quentin Tarantino Suing Gawker Over Leaked ‘Hateful Eight’ Script (Exclusive) — The director takes legal action over the distribution of his script. — Quentin Tarantino — Quentin Tarantino has filed a copyright lawsuit against Gawker Media for allegedly facilitating the dissemination …


At The Grammys, Beyoncé And Jay-Z Made The Case For Marriage That Conservatives Can't — On Saturday, the New York Times' Ross Douthat wrote a column in which he suggested concessions both liberals and conservatives ought to make if we're to get together on the joint project of making marriage more appetizing and acceptable.
Discussion:
ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, The Raw Story, The Daily Caller and New York Times


Sheriffs cheer pot shot, say DEA chief ripped Obama remarks — Photo by: — WE'RE ‘FRUSTRATED’: Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson, above, lauded DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart after she criticized President Obama for comparing smoking marijuana to drinking alcohol. — By: