memeorandum: “We Are Speaking Very Loudly. We Are Carrying a Small Stick.” (John Judis/The New Republic)

4:55 PM ET, March 4, 2014

Top Items:

Putin's Press Conference Proved Merkel Right: He's Lost His Mind — In Sunday's New York Times, Peter Baker reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had tried talking some sense into Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader has an affinity for the Germans and Merkel especially …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, WorldViews, News Desk, Mediaite, susiemadrak.com, New York Times and Bloomberg View

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Obama, the feckless tyrant — President Obama is such a weak strongman. What's more, he is a feeble dictator and a timid tyrant. — That, at any rate, is Republicans' critique of him. With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Obama's critics pivoted seamlessly from complaining about his overreach …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Eric Cantor …, Power Line, Daily Kos and Prairie Weather

Jason Karaian / Quartz:

The markets are punishing Russia more swiftly than diplomats ever could — Strongly worded statements, threats of travel restrictions, and summit no-shows. So far, these are the relatively mild diplomatic implications for Russia of its incursion into Ukraine, as few in the West can stomach …

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Mediaite, Washington Monthly, The Huffington Post, New York Times and Business Insider

Reuters:

Russian stocks, ruble rebound as Putin breaks silence on Ukraine — (Reuters) - Russian assets rebounded on Tuesday as President Vladimir Putin said he would only use force in neighbouring Ukraine as a last resort. — The mood on the markets was calmer after panic selling on Monday …

Discussion: US Department of State, Booman Tribune and Associated Press

CNN:

Putin: Russia has no plans to annex Ukraine's Crimea region — Crisis in Ukraine — Simferopol, Ukraine (CNN) — Russia is not considering trying to make Crimea a part of Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday. Only people who live in Crimea can determine their future, he said.

Discussion: National Review, Mashable, Washington Post, Power Line, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh and The Gateway Pundit

CNN:
Rubio, Cotton: Congress must act quickly to punish Putin, support Ukraine

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, Weekly Standard, Mashable and Politico

David Freedlander / The Daily Beast:
As Ukraine Rages, GOP Fires on Hillary for Failed “Reset”

Discussion: BuzzFeed, The Dish, Yahoo! News, The Week and The Moderate Voice

Katherine Miller / BuzzFeed:
14 Insane Moments From RT's Coverage Of The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

Discussion: The Intercept, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post, TheBlaze.com and RedState

David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
Crimean Leader Says Ukrainian Military Units Are Surrendering

Discussion: Guardian, Sister Toldjah, The Daily Caller and Gawker

John Judis / The New Republic:
“We Are Speaking Very Loudly. We Are Carrying a Small Stick.”

Discussion: The Agonist, Politico, TIME, National Review, The Federalist and Hot Air

Bret Stephens / Wall Street Journal:
Stephens: Anatomy of a Feckless Presidency

Discussion: New York Times, Foreign Policy and Firedoglake

Eugene Robinson / Washington Post:
In the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. has a credibility problem

Discussion: The New Republic, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, The Week, EcoWatch, Guardian, kyivpost.com and The Huffington Post

Michael J. Totten / Michael J. Totten's blog:
Pity the Vassals of Moscow

Discussion: TIME and Washington Examiner

Guardian: Crimea crisis: Putin rules out war but will use force ‘as last resort’

Elise Viebeck / The Hill:

New ObamaCare delay to help midterm Dems — The Obama administration is set to announce another major delay in implementing the Affordable Care Act, easing election pressure on Democrats. — As early as this week, according to two sources, the White House will announce a new directive allowing insurers …

Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
Obama 2015 budget: $3.9 trillion

Discussion: New York Times and Fox News

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
John Boehner: ‘Most irresponsible budget yet’

Discussion: Hit & Run

Natalie Villacorta / Politico:

Sarah Palin: Barack Obama known for ‘mom jeans’ — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a man known for wrestling bears while President Barack Obama is known for wearing mom jeans. — “People are looking at Putin as one who wrestles bears and drills for oil …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Jammie Wearing Fools

Josh Feldman / Mediaite:

Palin: Obama ‘Wears Mom Jeans’ and ‘Equivocates’ on Russia — Sarah Palin sat down with Sean Hannity Monday night for a victory lap of sorts, touting her 2008 comments about Russia capitalizing on a weak Barack Obama presidency to amass power. Palin believed she was vindicated, saying Russia exploited “Obama's weak leadership.”

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Americans Against the …, The Raw Story, Hinterland Gazette and Scared Monkeys

The Fiscal Times:

Economists Say Paul Ryan Misrepresented Their Research — The Fiscal Times — An exhaustive critique of the federal social safety net released by Rep. Paul Ryan on Monday is meant to be the intellectual foundation for an overhaul of the federal anti-poverty programs.

Discussion: New York Times, Daily Kos, Weekly Standard and The Raw Story

Brian Beutler / Salon:
Hidden in plain sight: Proof GOP doesn't actually care about the poor

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Eschaton and Daily Kos

Andrew Kirell / Mediaite:

Lindsey Graham Blames Russian Invasion on Obama Reaction to Benghazi — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) took to Twitter this afternoon to connect the Russian invasion into Ukraine's Crimean peninsula to the Obama administration's response to the 2012 terrorist attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya that left four Americans dead.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Liberaland, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Daily Kos and Business Insider

Zack Beauchamp / ThinkProgress:
Lindsey Graham Blames Benghazi For Ukraine Crisis

Discussion: The New Civil Rights Movement

Ezekiel J. Emanuel / The New Republic:

Insurance Companies as We Know Them Are About to Die — And here's what's going to replace them — Americans hate health insurance companies. They are easy targets for everyone to beat up on. When premiums go up, we blame insurance companies; we do not blame the underlying hospitals …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Firedoglake, CBS DC and The Gateway Pundit

Igor Bobic / Talking Points Memo:

Man Accidentally Shoots 12-Year-Old Driving By His House, Immediately Shoots Self — An Orlando, Fl. man accidentally discharged a gun on Friday, first striking a 12-year-old girl in a moving car then himself immediately after, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Discussion: Orlando Sentinel and ThinkProgress

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:

Rothman: MSNBC's Most Embarrassing Mockery of Romney's Russia Warnings — The smug self-assuredness that often suffices for expertise on cable news was perhaps never more smug than when former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney warned the American public that Russia …

Discussion: NewsMax.com, Washington Free Beacon and The Daily Caller

Isaac Chotiner / The New Republic:
Mitt Romney Was Right About Russia

Discussion: Ricochet Conversations Feed, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, The Week and Ed Driscoll

Anna Silman / Vulture:

Let's Talk About Those Creepy Rural Mardi Gras Pictures on True Detective — On last night's True Detective, Rust Cohle began to tie up some of the show's many loose ends. He implicated some people in the Dora Kelly Lange case and, more important, decoded the purported serial killers' fondness for off-beat headwear.

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Todd Starnes / Fox News:

Team Obama wins fight to have Christian home-school family deported — Uwe and Hannelore Romeike came to the United States in 2008 seeking political asylum. They fled their German homeland in the face of religious persecution for homeschooling their children.

Discussion: Right Wing Watch and Right Wing News