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Editor's note: Michael Gerson replaces George Will — Dear Post-Dispatch readers, — Starting today, Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson replaces George Will on Thursdays and Sundays. — Mr. Gerson, who grew up in St. Louis and still has family here, is a former speechwriter and top aide to President George W. Bush.
Discussion:
Politico, The Other McCain, Talking Points Memo, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Taylor Marsh, Althouse, Mediaite, Booman Tribune, NewsBusters and The Raw Story
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Megyn Kelly to Dick Cheney: Wrong, sir — FOX News' Megyn Kelly had some tough questions for former Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday night, after he and his daughter, Liz, offered a scathing review of the Obama administration's foreign policy. — “In your op-ed [in the Wall Street Journal] …
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Kerry on Iraq crisis: We will honor our veterans' sacrifice
Discussion:
CNN, Guardian, Politico, National Review, Fox News Insider, Business Insider, Mediaite, Fox News and Washington Post

Brian Schweitzer says his ‘gaydar’ goes off when he sees Eric Cantor — (CNN) - Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer chose an interesting path and offered puzzling critiques since he tossed his name in the hat for a potential presidential run in 2016. — But comments he made about Rep. Eric Cantor …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, more at Mediagazer »
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The Brian Schweitzer presidential speculation was fun while it lasted — Brian Schweitzer is nothing if not unusual. Just Tuesday, we cautioned that the former Montana governor should never be viewed through the lense of traditional political logic — or even logic writ large.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, Gawker, The Raw Story, Mediaite and The Week


Sources: Lois Lerner's emails likely gone forever — Ex-IRS official Lois Lerner's crashed hard drive has been recycled, making it likely the lost emails of the lightening rod in the tea party targeting controversy will never be found, according to multiple sources.

Immigration Reform Can't Wait — There is rarely a good time to do hard things, and America won't advance if legislators act like seat-warmers.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Washington Post and Mediaite
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Immigration Reform Can't Wait
Discussion:
factivists.democrats.org, Politico, Business Insider and The Huffington Post


GOP chooses leaders today — House Republicans will decide on Thursday whether to respond to the stunning defeat of Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) by adding a representative from a deep red state to their leadership team. — Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) …
Discussion:
Politico and Washington Post
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After Cantor's Loss, Bigger Republican Contest Is on the Horizon
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Los Angeles Times

How Hillary Clinton Is Trying to Have It Both Ways on the IRS Scandal — With an eye on the presidency in 2017, another Clinton is parsing words and pandering. — Did Hillary Clinton sell out President Obama on the IRS scandal? I assumed so when BuzzFeed Politics posted this tweet:
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Hillary Clinton Gets Friendly With ‘Squirrel’ The RNC Sent To Stalk Her (VIDEO)
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos, Shakesville and Business Insider


Seven in 10 Americans Back Euthanasia — Support strong for past two decades — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Most Americans continue to support euthanasia when asked whether they believe physicians should be able to legally “end [a] patient's life by some painless means.”
Discussion:
Shakesville, Outside the Beltway and Hullabaloo


Obama to leaders: Iraq plan won't require congressional vote — President Obama is not close to seeking congressional authorization for airstrikes in Iraq. — After a White House meeting between Obama and the top four leaders in Congress, all sides involved signaled they want to leave options open …
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News, Hot Air, Business Insider, Fox News, The Moderate Voice, Washington Post and ABC News
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As sex-abuse allegations multiply, Billy Graham's grandson is on a mission to persuade Protestant churches to come clean. — I. The Calling — In November 2012, Bob Jones University, the longtime flagship institution of fundamentalism, announced it had hired GRACE (short for Godly Response …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Al Jazeera America


Public Faith in Congress Falls Again, Hits Historic Low — Of major U.S. institutions, Americans most confident in the military — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' confidence in Congress has sunk to a new low. Seven percent of Americans say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Political Insider blog and Booman Tribune


American Apparel ousts CEO; source says Dov Charney ‘will fight like hell’ — Dov Charney, the controversial CEO of American Apparel, was ousted Wednesday by the company's board of directors, who said the action “grew out of an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct.”
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Quartz, New York Magazine, Mashable and The Week


Chaos in Iraq prompts soul-searching among military veterans — The sudden collapse of Iraqi forces in the face of lightly armed insurgents has catalyzed an emotional debate within the U.S. military about a war that, just a few years ago, seemed on the brink of going down in history as a success.


Why we're banning Redskins in The Seattle Times — The most controversial name in sports won't appear again in The Seattle Times' print edition or on the seattletimes.com home pages as long as I am sports editor. — It's time to ban the use of “Redskins,” the absurd, offensive and outdated name of the NFL team in Washington, D.C.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and ProFootballTalk

Young-adult group hits Landrieu in new ad: 'We can't afford that!' — Generation Opportunity, a nonprofit advocacy group with ties to billionaire donors Charles and David Koch that's geared toward young adults, is attacking Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) on economic issues in its second ad this cycle.

Cotton leads Pryor in internal poll — [READ POLLING MEMO.] — Cotton leads Pryor by 47 percent to 40 percent in the live-caller poll, conducted by OnMessageInc for Cotton's campaign. — Campaigns' internal polls should always be viewed with a bit of skepticism, as they're released …
Discussion:
Talk Business