Top Items:

Rudy Giuliani Wrong in Saying ‘No Domestic Attacks Under Bush’ — President Obama yesterday took personal responsibility for failures in the Christmas day terror plot, but Rudy Giuliani still isn't convinced. — I spoke to the former mayor of New York City this morning on GMA …
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Giuliani Update — Through his spokesman, Rudy Giuliani has clarified the remarks he made this morning on GMA regarding terrorist attacks on the United States under Presidents Bush and Obama. — The Mayor's spokesman says that the remark “didn't come across as it was intended” …
Discussion:
Media Decoder, Mediaite, The Daily Dish, AMERICAblog News and The Washington Independent


Mr. 9/11 Gets Amnesia: 'We Had No Domestic Attacks Under Bush; We've Had One Under Obama' (VIDEO) — Rudy Giuliani, the man who was mayor of New York City during the 9/11 attacks, appeared on Good Morning America today to say President Obama should take lessons from former President George W. Bush on how to prevent a terrorist attack.

Giuliani says Obama ‘turned the corner’ on terror
Discussion:
The Politico

What we're seeing in Massachusetts — Because of the heavy interest we'll try to get our Massachusetts numbers out over the weekend. But because we've already conducted most of the interviews for it here are some of the major storylines we're seeing: —At this point a plurality …
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It's On - Push Polling “Hate Group” Support for Brown — I received this e-mail from a Massachusetts resident and businesswoman (and I verified her identity through publicly available sources), regarding a phone call she received last night: … In a follow up, the e-mailer went into more detail about the call.


Democrats Anxious Over a Once-Safe Seat — BOSTON — Martha M. Coakley, the Democrat running for Senator Edward M. Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts, had seemed so certain of winning the special election on Jan. 19 that she barely campaigned last month. — But the dynamic has changed in recent days.

Gruber responds: ‘Completely consistent’ — One of the key voices for Congressional health care legislation, MIT economist Jon Gruber, is taking fire from the precincts of the left that oppose the Senate plan over the fact that he is on contract with Department of Health and Human Services.
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Economist Was Under Contract With HHS While Touting Health Reform Bill — MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, one of the leading academic defenders of health care reform, is taking heat for failing to disclose consistently that he was under contract with the Department of Health and Human Services …

Jonathan Gruber Failed to Disclose His $392,600 Contracts with HHS (Updated)
Discussion:
Megan McArdle, Crooks and Liars, Swampland, Clusterstock, AMERICAblog News, Daily Kos and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Steele comments have GOP aides pleading, ‘Get him to stop’ — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele, under fire this week for a string of controversial statements he has made while promoting his new book, has so angered the party's congressional leaders that their aides …
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After Declaring ‘I Want The Gig,’ Steele Claims He Didn't ‘Seek’ RNC Chairmanship
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog, Ben Smith's Blog, Glenn Thrush's Blog, FrumForum, GOP 12, The Page, msnbc.com, The Plum Line, The Washington Independent, Riehl World View and TPMDC


Carville: Airport scanners can ‘measure my penis’ — The debate over full body security scans just got a lot more graphic, thanks to Democratic political strategist and frequent flyer James Carville. — Speaking on The Tony Kornheiser Show Friday, Carville laid out, or unzipped, his vision for airport security.


British woman ‘arrested in Dubai after being raped’ — A 23-year-old British woman on holiday in Dubai told police she had been raped, only to be arrested herself for having illegal sexual intercourse. — The woman, a Muslim of Pakistani descent, was celebrating her engagement …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report


The Risk of Catastrophic Victory — Obama is in the midst of one. Can the GOP avert one of their own? — Printer — Friendly — Passage of the health-care bill will be, for the administration, a catastrophic victory. If it is voted through in time for the State of the Union Address …

Memo to Palin: Get Over Yourself — Okay, now that I have ensured that I will receive lots of hateful comments.... Sarah Palin's decision not to attend CPAC (the Conservative Political Action Conference) is ridiculously petty. I will grant that CPAC should not have let the Birchers be minor sponsors.
Discussion:
Riehl World View
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Two swipes at CPAC — Two stories today on Palin's decision …
Discussion:
The Washington Independent


On the December Jobs Numbers — Today's employment report, though a setback from November, is consistent with the gradual labor market stabilization we have been seeing over the last several months. — Payroll employment declined 85,000 in December. To put this number in perspective …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Reuters, The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Confluence, The Hill and Jay Bookman
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Craig James eyeing politics, not ruling out U.S. Senate run — DALLAS Former SMU football star and ESPN Analyst Craig James has made news recently regarding his role with his son and former Texas Tech Football Coach Mike Leach. But James could be making news this year in politics, too.

Ford Says He Won't Be ‘Bullied’ by Senator's Allies — Under assault from allies of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former congressman Harold E. Ford Jr. fired back on Friday afternoon, saying he would be not be “bullied or intimidated” by “party bosses” as he considers challenging her in this fall's Democratic primary.
Discussion:
The Buzz


A blogger's parting with the right — (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times / January 7, 2009) — Charles Johnson's Little Green Footballs website once was devoted to writing about the ‘Loony Left.’ Now he prefers to focus on his liberal social views and disagreeing conservatives.

Cheney group recalls ‘24’ — Liz Cheney's group, Keep America Safe, is out with a new video that casts President Obama's response to the Christmas Day terror attempt as a parody of the television show “24.” — The video uses unflattering moments from the administration's response …
Discussion:
Wonkette


Republican Lugar Says Cheney's Criticism of Obama Is ‘Unfair’ — Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) — Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, defended President Barack Obama's handling of recent terrorism threats, taking issue with former Vice President Dick Cheney's criticism.