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Amid AIG Furor, Dodd Tries to Undo Bonus Protections He Put In — Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) on Monday night floated the idea of taxing American International Group (AIG) bonus recipients so the government could recoup the $450 million the company is paying to employees in its financial products unit.
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The dishonest “Blame Dodd” scheme from Treasury officials — There is a major push underway — engineered by Obama's Treasury officials, enabled by a mindless media, and amplified by the right-wing press — to blame Chris Dodd for the AIG bonus payments. That would be perfectly fine if it were true.


Treasury Attempts to “Blame Dodd” for AIG Bonuses — As Geithner tries to get out of the way of the AIG bonus train wreck, it looks like the designated sin eater is going to be Chris Dodd: … So Treasury says Chris Dodd did this? In a word. . . no. — What they're talking about is a clause …
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Open Left

Lose $165 Million, Gain an Issue
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NY Daily News, Clusterstock, Fox News, Pajamas Media, Neptunus Lex, The Foundry and Think Progress

Cuomo Details Million-Dollar Bonuses at A.I.G. — Seventy-three employees were paid more than $1 million in the latest bonuses at the insurance giant American International Group, according to the New York attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo. — The attorney general provided some new details …
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Why AIG outrage rings hollow
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Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Post, Pajamas Media, pw, QandO, Blue Crab Boulevard, Wizbang, JammieWearingFool, TPMDC, TIME.com and New York Times


JournoList: Inside the echo chamber — For the past two years, several hundred left-leaning bloggers, political reporters, magazine writers, policy wonks and academics have talked stories and compared notes in an off-the-record online meeting space called JournoList. — Proof of a vast liberal media conspiracy?
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The Sundries Shack, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Corner, Hot Air, Lean Left, protein wisdom, Erick's blog, Newshoggers.com, Michael Calderone's Blog, Ben Smith's Blog, Right Wing News, Vox Popoli, Patterico's Pontifications, NewsBusters.org, PoliGazette, AmSpecBlog, Wizbang and Grasping Reality …
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OBLIGATORY JOURNOLIST POST. — It is true: I am the coordinating force behind a vast, tentacular conspiracy involving every journalist and policy wonk in Washington, DC. — To this I say: It's all true. My power is immense. My enemies will be crushed. My bling shines fierce. Mwahahahahaha.

Santelli, Sen. Kyl Push Back Against “Outrage” Over AIG Bonuses — Defending AIG's right to award its senior executives $165 million in bonuses even after the company benefited from $170 billion in government bailout funds requires a certain amount of rhetorical or political dexterity.
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Santelli on AIG bonus rage: “You know, $165 million is like worrying …
Discussion:
Political Machine


It's not the bonuses. It's that AIG's counterparties are getting paid back in full. — Everybody is rushing to condemn AIG's bonuses, but this simple scandal is obscuring the real disgrace at the insurance giant: Why are AIG's counterparties getting paid back in full, to the tune of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars?
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Fox News apologizes for dishonest splicing of Biden clip. — Yesterday, ThinkProgress noted that Fox News spliced a six-month old clip of Vice President Biden to misleadingly imply that he recently said the “fundamentals of the economy are strong.” Today, Fox News's Martha MacCallum apologized …
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“Off With Those Pants”: Bill O'Reilly Seduces You in Clips From His Dirty Audiobook — Your Crap Archivist brings you the finest in forgotten and bewildering crap culled from basements, thrift stores, estate sales and flea markets. I do this for one reason: Knowledge is power. — Those Who Trespass audiobook


Canadians throw shoes to protest Bush — OTTAWA (AFP) — Three Canadians were arrested and others threw shoes in protest against George W. Bush on Tuesday when he gave his first post-presidential speech in western Canada's oil patch. — The footwear was tossed at an effigy …
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Dems Fuming Over White House Plan To Make Vets Pay For Service Injuries — Democrats in Congress are organizing to squash a White House proposal that would require veterans to use private insurance to pay for treatment of their combat and service-related injuries.
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ACORN to Play Role in 2010 Census — The U.S. Census Bureau is working with several national organizations to help recruit 1.4 million workers to produce the country's 2010 census, including one with a history of voter fraud charges: ACORN. — FOXNews.com


Mistrial by iPhone: Juries' Web Research Upends Trials — Last week, a juror in a big federal drug trial in Florida admitted to the judge that he had been doing research on the case on the Internet, directly violating the judge's instructions and centuries of legal rules.
Discussion:
TalkLeft


McCain Refuses To Condemn Ingraham's Attacks On His Daughter — Last week, ThinkProgress reported that hate radio host Laura Ingraham responded to Meghan McCain's criticism of right-wingers like Ann Coulter by calling her “plus-sized.” Meghan shot back, telling Ingraham, “stop talking about my body.”
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George's Bottom Line, CNET News, Hullabaloo, No More Mister Nice Blog and Comments from Left Field

Republicans Ask Obama to Withdraw Hill Nomination — The signatories include Senators Ensign, Brownback, Bond, Kyl, and Inhofe, though interestingly no Republican from the Foreign Relations Committee. The complaints echo those made by Senators Graham and McCain last week, mainly that Christopher Hill …

When asked for evidence, PAC withdraws anti-Murphy ad (Updated) — The conservative National Republican Trust PAC — the organization that ran the controversial presidential election television ad implying that Barack Obama would give a driver's license to 9/11 mastermind Mohammed Atta …
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Federal judge scolds prosecutor — Appeals Judge Richard Posner cites misconduct as conviction overturned — U.S. Appeals Judge Richard Posner is known for his provocative opinions, but his harsh criticism of a Chicago federal prosecutor surprises even close court observers.
Discussion:
TalkLeft

The outrageous offenses against Richard Cheney — (updated below - Update II - Update III) — Over the weekend, Dick Cheney — at John King's prodding — accused Barack Obama of, among other things, lying to the public about his proposed domestic policies, taking advantage of the financial crisis …

Yes, the Community Reinvestment Act Really Did Help Cause the Housing Crisis — There has been a lot of push back against the idea that the Community Reinvestment Act nudged banks to give mortgages to people who should have not gotten them. But then here comes this fantastic story …

Members want Obama to mull Afghanistan — A bipartisan group of 15 House members wants President Obama to reconsider sending 17,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan until after the administration comes up with an exit strategy for the mission there. — Republican Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.) …


North Korea launches perfect Italian pizza — North Korea has opened its first pizzeria after a decade of clandestine international research. — It has taken almost 10 years of work, but North Korea has acquired the technology to launch a project very dear to its leader's heart - the nation's first “authentic” Italian pizzeria.

Negotiations and Iran's Proxy War — Noah Schactman's scoop on the U.S. shootdown of an Iranian Unmanned aerial vehicle has been confirmed by both the U.S. Army and the Iraqi Army. The UAV was shot down on February 25 about 60 miles north of Baghdad in Diyala province.
Discussion:
Hot Air

WHAT IS GOING ON AT FOX NEWS? — What the hell is going on at Fox News? — On Friday evening, Fox viewers were treated to an hour-long televangelical special starring Glenn Beck. (The opening of the show can be seen in our Watch Now window, at right.) — Watching Beck cry for the cameras …


GRASSLEY DISMISSES SUICIDE TALK AS RHETORIC — From NBC's Domenico Montanaro — Chuck Grassley is apparently the Potter Stewart of rhetoric. — In an interview with MSNBC's David Shuster, Sen. Grassley didn't apologize for his comments that AIG representatives should either “resign, or go commit suicide.”