
In Washington today, politicians too often just stand their ground. Liberal strategist Bob Beckel and conservative columnist Cal Thomas provide a better model.
discussions
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JENNIFER STEINHAUER
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NYT
McCain, Facing G.O.P. Foe in Primary, Tilts to the Right
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Challenged by J. D. Hayworth from the airwaves, and soon in a primary, John McCain has moved starkly, and often awkwardly, to the right.
Blogs.usatoday.com
Opposing view: 'We need no lectures'
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Politics should never get in the way of national security. But too many in Washington are now misrepresenting the facts to score political points, instead of coming together to keep us safe.
Hotair.com
Brennan: Our critics are helping al-Qaeda
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Wait — before I write this post, I want to give a senior Obama administration official a word first: With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s point in mind, let’s turn to the conclusion of the op-ed written by John Brennan, Barack Obama’s Deputy National Security Adviser, on the merits of public discourse and dissent ...
Www.politico.com
Sammon row
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On Monday night, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and POLITICO executive editor Jim VandeHei debated Bill Sammon's controversial comment Sunday that the mainstream media "hates" the tea party movement.
Www.washingtonexaminer.com
GOP fires back: White House did not tell us about reading Abdulmutallab his rights
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Republican lawmakers are denying a charge made by top White House counterterrorism official John Brennan that they were briefed about -- and did not object to -- the decision to offer full American constitutional rights to accused Detroit bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
BBC News
Somali forces 'kill al-Qaeda man'
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Somali officials say their soldiers have killed a "senior Jordanian al-Qaeda fighter" who also belonged to the al-Shabab group.
Media Matters for America
Fox & Friends ' one-sided coverage of Brennan's remarks widens Fox's credibility gap with its terrorism experts
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Since White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan's February 7 appearance on Meet the Press , in which he criticized Republicans for politicizing the Obama administration's response to the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight, Fox & Friends has repeatedly hosted only conservatives and opponents of the Obama ...
Tom Maguire
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JustOneMinute
How We Can Learn To Stop Worrying And Love Iran's Bomb
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Let a smile be your umbrella - the NY Times runs a guest oped ed finding many silver linings in the possibility that Iran may eventually develop a nuclear bomb. The author, Adam B. Lowther, is "a defense analyst at...
Online
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Detnews.com
Experts evaluate details President Obama's jobs plan
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The Detroit News asked three experts to evaluate whether key elements of the president's jobs agenda would help businesses create more jobs in troubled Michigan: Rob Fowler, president of the Small Business Association of Michigan, Mark Gaffney, president of the Michigan State AFL-CIO, and Charles Ballard, an economics professor at Michigan ...
ROGER COHEN
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NYT
Op-Ed Columnist: The World’s Watchmaker
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China has America about where it wants it. You can make your own calculation of President Obama’s leverage over Beijing — and it’s heading south.
The Daily Star > Politics
Al-Qaeda in Yemen calls for attacks on US 'everywhere'
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Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemen-based group that claimed a botched Christmas Day attack on a US airliner, on Monday called for US interests to be targeted "everywhere.""American and Crusader interests are everywhere and their agents are moving everywhere," the militant group's number two, Said al-Shihri, said in an audio ...
44
Brennan: Political 'fear-mongering' serves 'the goals of al-Qaeda'
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By Scott Wilson President Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser asserted Tuesday that "too many in Washington are now misrepresenting the facts to score political points" regarding the administration's handling of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the alleged Christmas Day bomber. In a brief opinion piece published in USA Today, John O. Brennan ...
Hyscience
Obama administration 'out of touch'
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More and more Americans see the Obama administration as being out of touch, but Matthew Continetti says it's more like "out of orbit" and Obama can blame it on " The Mean Team. " If you don't immediately get what Continetti's refering to, here's a clue: Obama and his top advisers Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, and David Axelrod all hail from the ...
Rusty
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The Jawa Report
Ha-Ha, that's real, er, "funny"
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In the hierarchy of comedy the screaming-allahu-akbar-and-claiming-there's-a-bomb-on-the-train gag is just below yo-momma jokes, but not quite as bad as the hey-[insert favorite 1980s icon here]-called-and-they-want-their-[insert favorite kitchy phrase here]-back bit....
How Appealing
"UK Jews weigh fight after court ruling on 'Who is a Jew'"
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"UK Jews weigh fight after court ruling on 'Who is a Jew'": The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has this report , via The Jerusalem Post.
How Appealing
"Judge gets sarcastic over records rule criticism"
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"Judge gets sarcastic over records rule criticism": The Associated Press has a report that begins, "The chief justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court on Monday dished out a sarcastic response to criticism in newspaper editorials of a proposal to redact information from public court records."
Hyscience
The Meaning of Jihad
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Why is it that so many people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, "struggle" with the meaning of jihad? What does it really mean and why does the Obama administration not only refuse to associate extremist Islam with violence against us and avoids being intellectually honest about the war we are in, but ignores not only the meaning of jihad but even ...
Online
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Detnews.com
First lady: President Obama had 'phenomenal year'
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Washington -- First lady Michelle Obama says President Barack Obama "has done a phenomenal job," but that people have a right to criticize him.
Ed Morrissey
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Hot Air » Top Picks
Brennan: Our critics are helping al-Qaeda
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Accountability is suddenly not patriotic.
Editor
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Deja vu � Judith Apter Klinghoffer
IRAN, LIKE AL QAEDA YEMEN, WANTS BUT CAN'T
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"We knew they wanted to hurt us but we did not believe they are capable of so doing," US intelligence members explained when asked to justify their failure to stop the Christmas bomber. They were referring, of course, to Al Qaeda Yemen. The sentiment, however, is reflecting current intelligence assessment of the Iranian Mullahcracy. Yes, it is ...
Rick Hasen
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Election Law
"Narrow View of 'Corruption' in CU Case Invalidates 'Soft-Money' Ban, RNC Argues"
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BNA reports....
Rick Hasen
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Election Law
"Is a Constitutional Convention the Best Way to Reform California's Troubled Government?"
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This special issue of the California Journal of Politics and Policy looks terrific....
44
GOP wary of Obama's overtures
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By Ben Pershing It takes two to tango, and when it comes to President Obama's recent overtures toward bipartisanship, Republicans aren't sure yet whether they want to dance. Obama will host a bipartisan, bicameral meeting of congressional leaders Tuesday at the White House, just as both Republicans and Democrats are still digesting the president' ...
Annalthouse
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Althouse
"The View" women — joined by Meghan McCain — trash Sarah Palin and Tom Tancredo.
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The smugness and condescension of these women is irritating as hell, but please watch, so we can talk about this: There's no balance, with Meghan McCain in lieu of Elisabeth Hasselbeck. McCain is way too eager to win the love of liberals. She says: Congressman Tancredo went on TV, and he was the first opening speaker, and he said, "People who ...
Michael Moore
The Expanding US War in Pakistan
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Three US special forces soldiers were killed in northwest Pakistan this week, confirming that the US military is more deeply engaged on the ground in Pakistan than previously acknowledged by the White House and Pentagon (see " The Secret US War in Pakistan ," November 23, 2009). The soldiers died Wednesday in Lower Dir when their convoy was hit ...
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“Trying to explain the doctrine of the Trinity to readers of The New Republic is not easy.” On June 2, 1944, W.H. Auden penned that sentence in a letter to Ursula Niebuhr. On January 26, 2010, Andrew Sullivan posted it as the “quote for the day” on his blog. Displaced and unglossed quotations are always in some way mordant,
discussions
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AMERICAN DIGEST
How Would Sullivan Know? He's an Ass, Man
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Andrew Sullivan: The Atlantic's Breast Expert? More and more it's becoming clear that Andrew Sullivan must have been abused as a child by some woman in his life at the time. Following that I guess it was open season on the young and unfortunate lad. Still, the child is father to what passes for the man in Andrew's case, and I guess he has to get ...
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Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) announced Monday evening that he will support a Republican-led filibuster over President Barack Obama's nominee to serve on the National Labor Relations Board.
discussions
related items
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Bennelson.senate.gov
Senator Nelson Will Oppose Nominee With Personal Agenda
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February 8, 2010 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson announced that he will oppose a cloture motion to proceed to a vote and will vote no on the nomination of Craig Becker to be a board member of the National Labor Relations Board. The five-member board serves as a quasi-judicial body in deciding cases under the National Labor ...
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CNN
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CNN
Nelson joins GOP in opposition to Obama nominee
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Sen. Ben Nelson will oppose President Obama's nominee for the National Labor Relations Board (CNN) - Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson joined Republican lawmakers in opposing President Obama's controversial nominee for the National Labor Relations Board. Nelson said Monday he would vote against seating union lawyer Craig Becker on the five-member ...
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One of the more commonplace assertions among pundits on the center-right -- made rather carelessly by Victor Davis Hanson and more thoughtfully by Jay Cost, is that agenda put forward by Obama and the Democrats is overwhelmingly unpopular and that Democrats are simply getting their comeuppance for having pushed such a liberal set of reforms ...
discussions
related items
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Www.american.com
The Limits of Blaming Bush
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In his latest budget request, President Obama added roughly $1.6 trillion in spending over the next ten years on top of what he requested last year. Can President Obama blame that extra $1.6 trillion on former President Bush?
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John Cole
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Balloon Juice
ATTN: White House
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This is a real opportunity: Leading House Republicans raised the prospect Monday night that they might refuse to participate in President Obama’s proposed health care summit if the White House chooses not to scrap the existing reform bills and start over. In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, House Minority Leader John A. [
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Www.american.com
Making Bush Look Like a Piker
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The Bush-era deficits were bad. I know. I spent eight years complaining about them. How does President Obama stack up? The Bush-era deficits were bad. I know. I spent eight years complaining about the president’s lack of fiscal responsibly (here and here for instance). I even wrote that Republicans during Bush’s time in office made ...
Media Matters for America
Conservative media preemptively attack Obama's bipartisan health care summit
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Numerous conservative media outlets have criticized President Obama's plan to hold a bipartisan health care summit "to go through systematically all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward," by attacking the summit as a "dog and pony" show or a "PR stunt" before the event has even occurred. Additionally, some have urged Republicans ...
Theplumline.whorunsgov.com
Republicans Unlikely To Pull Out Of Health Summit, GOPers Say
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After talking to a bunch of senior Republican aides and advisers on background, I can report that the chatter in GOP circles is that it’s unlikely that Republicans will pull out of the health care summit, despite GOP leadership hints to the contrary.
Www.washingtontimes.com
Poll: Special interests more influential under Obama
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Contrary to President Obama's promises, voters say special interests have more influence on the political process now than they did a year ago, according to a new poll.
Media Matters for America
No longer "overexposed"? Fox & Friends complains about lack of recent Obama pressers
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On Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade and Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson Jr. criticized President Obama for not holding press conference since July, which Johnson claimed was a "tactic" to "avoid hard questions." But Fox News' newfound concern with Obama's purported press conference neglect stands in stark contrast to Fox's ...
Michael Moore
White House official: Feb. 25 health care meeting to be televised
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Washington -- President Obama's bipartisan meeting on health care reform planned for February 25 will be broadcast live, a senior administration official said Monday. Coverage details were not complete, but the official said the White House expected "the whole thing to be live." The half-day meeting is an attempt by the Obama administration to ...
Justin Elliott
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TPM
Palin Advocates War With Iran After Apparently Misunderstanding Buchanan Column
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Citing a column by Pat Buchanan that clearly argues against conflict with Iran, Sarah Palin on Sunday suggested that a war with Iran would be good policy and a boon for President Obama's 2012 reelection hopes. Buchanan's column , "Will Obama Play The War Card?" was a rebuttal of Daniel Pipes call last week for Obama to bomb Iran to save his ...
Matthew Balan
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NewsBusters.org
Cafferty Revisits His Palin Derangement Syndrome, But Slams Obama Too
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CNN’s Jack Cafferty returned to bashing Sarah Palin, one of his favorite subjects of scorn, on Monday’s Situation Room, but also slammed President Obama and top Democrats again for their closed-door negotiations on health care “reform.” Cafferty, along with anchor Wolf Blitzer, poked fun of Palin for writing talking points on her hand ...
CNN.com
Obama sets up task force on childhood obesity
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Turn off the television, drink more water and serve smaller portions to fight childhood obesity, first lady Michelle Obama is urging as she launches a national campaign against childhood obesity.
Michael Moore
Top House Republicans throw cold water on health-care summit
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Leading House Republicans raised the prospect Monday night that they might refuse to participate in President Obama's proposed health care summit if the White House chooses not to scrap the existing reform bills and start over. In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) and Minority Whip ...
NPR Blogs
Michelle Obama Escalates War On Childhood Obesity
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President Barack Obama smiles in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010, before signing a memorandum on childhood obesity. Standing, from left are, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, first lady Michelle Obama, and Interior ...
Myglesias
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Matthew Yglesias
Marc Thiessen: Obama is Too Good at Killing Terrorists
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As I was observing last night, for a bunch of people who like to slam liberals as insufficiently cruel and bloodthirsty, violent dimwits like Marc Thiessen expend a remarkable amount of time and energy trying to downplay and sugar-coat what it is they’re trying to say. So Foreign Policy magazine, which has a bizarre obsession [...]
Theplumline.whorunsgov.com
Obama Announces Big Summit With GOP On How To Move Forward On Health Care
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Racheting up efforts to call the GOP’s bluff on bipartisanship, Obama made a surprise announcement moments ago that he’ll be holding a summit of sorts with leading Republicans at the White House to discuss their ideas on health care reform — and possibly to move forward on legislation with them.
Daily Kos
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Daily Kos
Today in Congress. Maybe.
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In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader: Majority Leader Hoyer Statement on House Floor Schedule WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement tonight on the schedule for the U.S. House of Representatives: "Due to the weather affecting the ability of Members to travel to ...
Gabriel Winant
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Salon
GOP dusts off Bush playbook
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There is something of a master narrative of the early Obama administration currently emerging into view, issue by issue. It goes like this: A given situation is in a disastrous state of disarray when the new president and his staff take the reins. A rough and unsteady policy consensus forms among area experts and crucial political actors about ...
Brian Darling (Profile)
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RedState
Paul Krugman’s Filibuster Fear-Mongering
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The latest in a long line of attacks on the filibuster comes from Paul Krugman of the New York Times . Krugman, better known professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University and and Captain of the Obama Administration Cheerleading Squad, wrote a column arguing that the filibuster is destroying America. Krugman argued ...
The Fix
Obama, congressional Republicans in a staring contest over health care
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1. House Republicans' threat to boycott President Obama's proposed health care meeting on Feb. 25 creates the political equivalent of a staring contest with each side waiting for the other to blink. "A refusal to show up to a discussion of health care would show that Republicans would rather play politics than solve problems," one senior ...
Www.kaiserhealthnews.org
Sebelius To GOP: 'Don't Get Wrong Impression' About Obama Health Summit
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A day after President Barack Obama invited Republicans in Congress to a bipartisan health care summit, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said no one should get the wrong impression.
CNN
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CNN
Bipartisan meeting at the White House
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President Barack Obama holds a bipartisan meeting at the White House Tuesday morning. Jobs, the economy, and health care are expected to be on the agenda. Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama holds a bipartisan meeting at the White House Tuesday morning. Jobs, the economy, and health care are expected to be on the agenda. [...]
Dan McLaughlin (Profile)
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RedState
The Legislative Filibuster: Democracy’s Sobriety Checkpoint
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In recent weeks we have been deluged by hand-wringing columns from “progressive” pundits bemoaning the filibuster rules in the Senate - which allow a determined and unified minority to block legislation that has fewer than 60 votes - and essentially declaring the filibuster to be proof that American democracy doesn’t work and ...
Mail
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Democracy Now!
Obama Administration: US Forces Can Assassinate Americans Believed to Be Involved in Terrorist Activity
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The Obama administration has acknowledged it's continuing a Bush-era policy authorizing the killing of US citizens abroad. The confirmation came from Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair in congressional testimony last week. Blair said, "Being a US citizen will not spare an American from getting assassinated by military or intelligence ...
David Edwards
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Raw Story
CNN source: Medical error may be to blame for Murtha’s death
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Update: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms report of surgical error Rep. John Murtha's sudden death Monday may have been due to a surgical error, according to a source close to a congressman. Murtha was admitted to the hospital on Jan 31. after suffering an infection resulting from gallbladder surgery. He died days later. "This should have been a ...
Heather
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Crooks and Liars
Mark Halperin Lists Reasons Why Sarah Palin Will Never Be President
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DOWNLOADS: (134) PLAYS: (955) I don't agree with Mark Halperin about very much, but I agree with him on this one. After a discussion on Sarah Palin going to speak to the Tea Bag Convention and whether or not this is an independent movement or disgruntled Republican voters, Mark Halperin lists the reasons Sarah Palin will never be President. ...
Scott Whitlock
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NewsBusters.org
An Emotional George Stephanopoulos Coos: Murtha Made Congress ‘Work,’ Skips Smear on Marines
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Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday became emotional over the passing of John Murtha, named by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as one of Congress’ most corrupt politicians. He lauded the Democrat as " one of those guys who make the [House of Representatives] work. [Audio available here .] ...
FOXNews.com
Republicans Privately Worry Obama May Be Laying Trap With Televised Health Care Summit
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The House's top two Republican leaders openly questioned Obama's sincerity and hinted they might skip the meeting if he uses the Democratic bills as the starting point for discussions.
ABCNews.com
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The Note
Minnesota Billboard Asks: Missing George W. Bush Yet?
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ABC News’ Karen Travers reports: If you are driving down I-35 near Wyoming, MN, look up and consider the question being posed from the side of the highway. A billboard with a large grinning picture of former President George W. Bush asks: “Miss Me Yet?” The billboard was first stopped by Minnesota Public Radio but it is not yet clear who ...
Www2.timesdispatch.com
HINKLE—Surveillance Society: Obama Takes a Blue Pencil to the Bill of Rights
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No more illegal wiretapping of American citizens . . . .This administration acts like violating civil liberties is the way to enhance our security. It is not.
Democratic National Committee
Morning Open Thread
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Good morning. President Barack Obama hugs retiring White House butler James Ramsey, as First Lady Michelle Obama looks on, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Jan. 25, 2010. Photo by Pete Souza.
CNN
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CNN
Michelle Obama launching campaign against childhood obesity
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Turn off the television, drink more water and serve smaller portions to fight childhood obesity, first lady Michelle Obama is urging as she launches a national campaign against childhood obesity. Washington (CNN) – Turn off the television, drink more water and serve smaller portions to fight childhood obesity, first lady Michelle Obama is ...
Howie
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The Jawa Report
Was Obama Really Born?
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You know, we really don't run many Birther posts either way. But Big Journalism was able to get Bushhitler and Star Wars and as this cool icon all in today's post about the endless pursuit of Barack Obama's removal based...
Mediabistro.com
Obama to Briefing Room?
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Sources expect President Obama to appear in the White House briefing room in the next few minutes (around 1.30 pm). If the prez takes questions, this will be his first "press conference" in months. New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media .
Yahoo! News
GOP wary of pitfalls in Obama's health care summit
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AP - Republican leaders expressed renewed skepticism Tuesday about President Barack Obama's call for a bipartisan forum on health care, raising questions about how much can be achieved at the televised event later this month.
Owillis
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Oliver Willis
Christopher Nolan Working On Superman Reboot?
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I know that I’m in a minority of people who liked Superman Returns, but I understand the movie’s flaws to the non-diehards as well as the need for Warner Bros./DC to have a flagship character like Superman be on the big screen. So the idea that Christopher Nolan, the guy who’s done such a bang-up [...]
Online
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Detnews.com
Granholm calls Obama carp plan weak
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The Obama administration proposed Monday a $78.5M plan to try to prevent the voracious Asian carp from getting into the Great Lakes, but Gov. Jennifer Granholm said it falls short.
Yahoo! News
Obama: GOP and Dems together can spur job growth
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AP - Appealing for bipartisanship in a town where it's lacking, President Barack Obama sat down with Democrats and Republicans Tuesday to spur cooperation on job creation, deficit reduction and health care overhaul. He promised to do his part — but warned he would take Republicans to task if they don't do the same.
James Joyner
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Outside The Beltway
DC Snow Record Likely
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The DC region will likely reach record levels of snow over the next 24-36 hours, With the impending storm for [today] and Wednesday, we have a legitimate chance for an all-time (since records have been kept in the late 1800s) seasonal snow record. Our big weekend storm surged Reagan National Airport’s seasonal total to 45″ with the [...
Daily Kos
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Daily Kos
GOP Won't Play if They Can't Win
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Via John Aravosis , GOP House leadership says that if Obama won't agree to starting over from scratch, they won't come to his meeting . They are obviously trying to up the ante on this bill, calling for Obama to rule out using reconciliation to pass it. In a tersely worded letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on Monday, Minority ...
CNN.com
Obama holds bipartisan talks on jobs
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President Obama huddled with a bipartisan delegation of congressional leaders at the White House to debate new initiatives designed to spark stronger job growth.
Politics
Republicans doubt Obama's sincerity in health care summit, which could put GOP at disadvantage
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WASHINGTON - Republican legislative leaders are raising fresh doubts about any bipartisan agreement with President Barack Obama on health care unless he agrees to shelve bills already passed by Democrats in the House and Senate — a move the White House has rejected.
The Swamp
Health-care summit: Maybe, maybe not
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by Mark Silva The "party of no'' is sounding today like the party of maybe - or maybe not. With the White House planning a Feb. 25 summit of bipartisan congressional leaders to discuss health-care legislation, the House's Republican leaders have warned the administration that they may not be able to attend if the White House insists on pressing ...
Taegan Goddard
Republicans Threaten Boycott of Health Care Summit
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House Republican leaders raised the prospect "that they might refuse to participate in President Obama's proposed health care summit if the White House chooses not to scrap the existing reform bills and start over," the Washington Post reports. New York Times : "It is not clear that Republicans and the White House are willing to negotiate ...
The White House
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White House.gov Press Office Feed
First Lady Michelle Obama Launches Let's Move: America's Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids
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America’s move to raise a healthier generation of kids www.LetsMove.gov THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON – First Lady Michelle Obama today announced an ambitious national goal of solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight and unveiled a nationwide ...
Jwinkis
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Say Anything
Obama Adminstration Claims White House Photos Are For News Organizations Only
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Normally photos taken by government employees in the course of their duties fall in the public domain. That is apparently changing under the Obama administration, which is now claiming full copyright privilege in asserting that its photos can only be used by news organizations . Why this is happening isn’t entirely clear at this point, but ...
Ezra Klein
If the summit fails ...
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This isn't a very encouraging plan : Mr. Obama has repeatedly said Democrats' messy negotiations soured the public. The White House now hopes that a better, more public process will boost public support and give congressional Democrats enough confidence to pass the bill, using a parliamentary procedure that requires just 51 Senate votes. So far, ...
Pareene
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Gawker
Lady-Slasher's Last Day in New York Senate?
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Today, the New York State Senate may (or may not) expel violent lady-slasher Hiram Monserrate . There are extra sergeants-at-arms and state troopers posted inside and outside the chambers, just in case. (They should hide bottles and glassware!) Monserrate was accused of slashing his girlfriend's face with a broken glass in a jealous rage. But ...
AJStrata
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The Strata-Sphere
The Obama Administration’s Bait & Switch Schtick Is Getting Old
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Want to know why President Obama and the Democrats are cratering with the American People? It could be we are tired of all the lofty BS followed by lousy results culminating insulting excuses. Rewind back to inauguration day and the promises that had been collected during the campaign which were supposedly about to come true. Americans elected ...
WSJ.com
WIRE WATCH: Jobs Meeting; First Lady Fights Fat; Becker Vote to NLRB; Gitmo Briefing; Love Poems
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Cabin Fever, Continued: Federal agencies in the Washington region are closed again today as the capital area continues digging out from the weekend blizzard and prepares for another storm that forecasters say could dump another 10-20 inches of snow.
Rich Trzupek
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Big Journalism
Outsourcing The USEPA: An Open Letter To Congress
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Dear 111th Congress, I know that you are very busy these days pondering new ways to screw up health care and figuring out exactly how much money you need to spend in order to reduce the deficit, but you might want to take a moment to examine what’s going on at the United States Environmental Protection [...]
SPIEGEL ONLINE
GM-Plan für Opel: Taktik statt Vision
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Gib du mir, dann geb ich dir: GM-Manager Nick Reilly stellt milliardenschwere Investitionen für Opel in Aussicht - doch vorher soll der Staat zahlen, sollen Tausende Mitarbeiter gehen. Landespolitiker sind skeptisch, Autoexperten halten das Konzept für oberflächlich.
Hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com
Obama Hits Lowest Approval Mark
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Independent voters see Pres. Obama in a negative light by a nearly 2-1 margin, according to a new Marist College survey, while almost half of voters say he has failed to meet their expectations.
The Swamp
Michelle Obama's cause: Child obesity
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by Mark Silva and updated at 9:35 am EST The first lady has embarked on a cause, as anyone near a television set today will see: Michelle Obama will appear on Good Morning America and a run of other shows through PBS' Newshour tonight with a wake-up call for families overlooking childhood obesity. The first lady also has acknowledged the "guilty ...
Dan
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Riehl World View
Obama Creates NOAA - Climate Service.
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Is Obama not listening, does he not care? Or, is it both? The Obama administration announced plans yesterday to create a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Service. The proposed entity would provide "user-friendly" information to help governments and businesses adapt to climate change, creating a central federal source ...
Jeralyn
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TalkLeft
Sentencing Memos Filed in Bernie Kerik Case
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Former NY Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik is scheduled to be sentenced in a few weeks on his guilty plea to various tax offenses and false statement charges. Both sides filed lengthy sentencing statements yesterday . Both parties have agreed to a guideline sentence in the range of 27 to 33 months. The Government is clearly hoping for the max of ...
Msnbc.com
Obama: Parties must 'transcend petty politics'
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President Barack Obama said Tuesday that it's time for Democrats and Republicans to work hard because the American people "expect a seriousness of purpose that transcends petty politics."
Annalthouse
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Althouse
"Miss me yet?"
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A billboard out in Minnesota, in a place called Wyoming... I've been saying "I miss Bush" for a while. Here , I said it in a post at the end of the year. And at least one commenter said it a year ago: Patm said... I miss Bush. He never said the time for talk was over. 2/10/09 4:26 PM Ha! What a funny context. Patm was responding to this, from me:
Msnbc.com
GOP wary of Obama's health care summit
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Even as Republicans publicly welcome President Barack Obama's call for a bipartisan confab on health care, some privately worry that he might be laying a trap to portray their ideas as flimsy.
Truthout
Alabama Senator Shelby Backs Down From Blocking Obama's Nominees
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An Alabama Senator with long-standing ties to the US military-industrial complex and an outspoken critic of President Barack Obama is backing down from a direct confrontation with the White House today after taking the unprecedented step of announcing last week that he would filibuster all the president's appointments to secure earmarks for his ...
Steve
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Sweetness
Small Businesses Refused TARP Money
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From Jake Tapper at ABC News: A Tale Both Positive and a Cautionary: President Obama’s Phantom $15 Billion Program for Small Businesses Jake Tapper February 08, 2010 Last March 16, President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced a new $15 billion program to help encourage loans to small businesses — the Unlocking Credit for ...
AHN Media
Obamas Move Ahead On Fight Against Child Obesity
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"It's done, honey," President Barack Obama told the First Lady Michele Obama, after signing the "Memorandum on Childhood Obesity," Tuesday at the Oval Office, the White House. - (AHN)
Myglesias
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Matthew Yglesias
You Can’t Do Anything Without Money
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NYT article hints at some thin reeds of agreement between Democrats and Republicans on health care: While Republicans generally oppose any new entitlement or tax increase, they do have some areas of potential agreement with Democrats. They agree, for example, on the need to emphasize wellness and preventive health programs; to provide more ...
NPR Blogs
Obama: It Takes Two To Be Bipartisan
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By Mark Memmott During a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, President Barack Obama just said to reporters that he's told Republican lawmakers he remains "open to any ideas" that help overhaul the nation's health care system. But, he added, "bipartisanship can't be that I agree to all the things that they believe in ... and they ...
Faiz Shakir
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Think Progress
Cantor backtracks on his bluff, says he’ll show up to health care meeting with Obama.
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House Republican leaders John Boehner (R-OH) and Eric Cantor (R-VA) sent a letter to the White House yesterday, stipulating some preconditions for Republican participation in a bipartisan health care meeting proposed by President Obama. Boehner and Cantor’s letter said that unless Obama was willing to scrap the current health reform ...
Tom Maguire
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JustOneMinute
Obama Hoisting The White Towel On Health Care?
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I am watching Obama's press conference and am struck by his characterization of his goals in reaching a bipartisan accord in health care. Obama claimed to have three important objectives: 1. Cost control - the biggest driver of future deficits...
Michael D. Shear
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Wash Post Politics
Republicans may opt out of Obama's health-care summit
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Leading House Republicans raised the prospect Monday night that they may decline to participate in President Obama's proposed health-care summit if the White House chooses not to scrap the existing reform bills and start over.
Booman Tribune
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Booman Tribune
We Need a Public Option to Stop This
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If we don't create competition for our bloated American Health Insurance Corporations (and a public option like Medicare for all would provide that necessary element), we will continue to see these large corporations manipulate their markets to raise rates for health care policies to levels that few if anyone can afford. Example? Anthem Blue Cross,
ShrinkWrapped
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ShrinkWrapped
Race and Fairness
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To a great many White Americans, the election of Barack Obama brought the hope that our country's long fixation on race and racism might finally be coming to an end. Unfortunately that has not happened, and, if anything, there is...
Morgan Cohen
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TPM
Obama To Congressional Leadership: We Must Move Forward On Jobs Package
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The White House released the transcript of remarks delivered today by President Obama before he met with leaders of the House and Senate. Read the full text after the jump. THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Well, I want to thank both Democratic and Senate Leaders -- Democratic Senate Leaders, Democratic House Leaders, as well as Republican ...
Doug Bandow
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AmSpecBlog
President Obama's Poll Ratings Underwater
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The latest Marist Poll has bad news for the president. Reports the New York Daily News: President Obama's job approval rating has taken another dive, putting him underwater...
FOXNews.com
Obama Pleads for Bipartisanship, Calls for End to 'Grandstanding'
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President Obama says it's time for Democrats and Republicans to work hard because the American people "expect a seriousness of purpose that transcends petty politics."
Mediabistro.com
Roll Call WH Beat Goes to Bendery
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We're certain Jen Bendery will not miss her White House pool duty, as happened by mistake last week when her publication (NOT HER) went all Seasonique on Bloomberg's Ed Chen by forgetting to show for Pool duty. Chen then went a little emotionally postal on Roll Call . Last week Bendery said the White House post was just in the "interim". Today ...
Jwinkis
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Say Anything
Terrorism Policy Is All George Bush’s Fault
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The current administration has made drinking game out of blaming George Bush for every problem in this country. You’d think that President Obama and his staff would be careful not to take policy cues from someone as dangerously stupid and incompetent as they paint his predecessor. Unless of course, it’s politically expedient . “ ...
Reuters
Obama's healthcare summit sets stage for end-game
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's call for a healthcare summit including both his fellow Democrats and Republicans sets the stage for a final push to get stalled legislation through Congress, but skeptical Republicans said on Monday the only solution is to start over.
Gary Gross
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California Conservative
The Obama Administration’s Misuse of Miranda
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Last week, the Obama administration went to great lengths that they were still getting information from Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab despite the FBI’s Mirandizing him. Frankly, that’s missing the point. Here’s what Wikipedia says about Miranda rights: The Miranda warnings were mandated by the 1966 United States ...
Cjmalone
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BlueNC
Malone files for NC Senate today
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It was a good feeling to finally make the past several months of campaigning official by filing today for the NC Senate, Dist. 15, at the Wake County Board of Elections. The Republicans were there in force, but I had Democratic Party company after a while. At this point, I am the only Democrat running for the party nomination, but I won't know ...
The Seattle Times
Obama calls on Senate to stop blocking nominees
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President Barack Obama is calling on lawmakers to stop blocking the confirmation of government appointees in the Senate by raising objections not related to their qualifications.
Right Mind
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Right Mind
Marist Poll: Obama Hits Lowest Approval Mark, especially among Independents
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“Indie” here means independent voters. From Hotline On Call : Independent voters see Pres. Obama in a negative light by a nearly 2-1 margin, according to a new Marist College survey, while almost half of voters say he has failed to meet their expectations. The poll, conducted Feb. 1-3, showed just 44% of registered voters approving of ...
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Articles on National Review Online
Federalizing Fat -- By: Julie Gunlock
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M ichelle Obama has recently taken up childhood obesity as one of her major policy priorities. Interviewed about this “epidemic,” the first lady discussed in some detail her own children’s supposed weight problems as an illustration of her personal experience with her new signature issue. Mrs. Obama revealed that her daughters’ pediatrician had “ ...
ABCNews.com
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The Note
Something Fishy? Only One Hearing in DC
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ABC's Tom Shine reports: The U.S. House of Representatives has canceled its session today "DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER." Janet Napolitano was supposed to be on the Hill at 3 p.m. testifying before a House subcommittee -- CANCELED! Ray LaHood was scheduled to talk budget on the Senate side, where he would most certainly be asked where Toyota owners ...
Ben Armbruster
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Think Progress
Kristol Calls GOP’s Preconditions On Health Care Meeting ‘Silly’
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On Sunday, President Obama announced his intention to host a televised bipartisan meeting on health care reform “to go through systematically all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward.” Yesterday, congressional GOP leaders responded with a list of preconditions for simply sitting down with the President and Democrats. ...
Taegan Goddard
The Tea Party in Context
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Matt Yglesias puts yesterday's poll which showed 33% of Iowans support the "tea party" movement into context, noting that "38% of Americans have a favorable view of Cuba and 36% are favorably disposed toward socialism, but I don't see anyone writing newspaper articles about how a populist wave of socialism is sweeping the country." "The number ...
Tom Maguire
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JustOneMinute
The Ultimate Source Greaser
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David Brooks will be welcome in this White House forever after delivering an early Valentine to Joe Biden and the rest of the hard-working, reflective White House staff. The piece content-free, unless you need to know that Joe is a...
The Seattle Times
First lady: President Obama had 'phenomenal year'
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First lady Michelle Obama says President Barack Obama "has done a phenomenal job," but that people have a right to criticize him.
Congress Blog
Reversing a wrong-- repealing 'don't ask, don't tell'
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Over the past two weeks, President Obama and leading members of his administration have earned the gratitude of all of us who oppose unfair discrimination Read more...
How Appealing
"In interview, Scott Roeder speaks of lacking sympathy"
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"In interview, Scott Roeder speaks of lacking sympathy": Today's edition of The Kansas City Star contains an article that begins, "As he awaits sentencing for first-degree murder, Scott Roeder said in an interview released Monday that he has little sympathy for Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller's family."
Online
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Detnews.com
Obama: GOP and Dems together can spur job growth
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Washington -- President Barack Obama acknowledged the deep partisan divisions gripping Congress, but he urged Republican and Democratic leaders Tuesday to cooperate on legislation that creates jobs.
SayUncle
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SayUncle
Obama: I’m just like Bush
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Whose fault it always is.
Titania Kumeh
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Mojo Feed
Black History Month: What's In It For Me?
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FYI: It's Black History Month, and to honor the occasion I got the scoop on proposed policies that could directly impact me—a 25-year old, African-American female with some debt and no health insurance. To find out what the government has in store, I enlisted the help of Marjorie A. Innocent and Alana Hackshaw who are directors at the ...
Keith D. Milby
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Keith D. Milby :
Obama Hits Lowest Approval Mark
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Independent voters see Pres. Obama in a negative light by a nearly 2-1 margin, according to a new Marist College survey, while almost half of voters say he has failed to meet their expectations. via Obama Hits Lowest Approval Mark - Hotline On Call .
The White House
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White House.gov Press Office Feed
Remarks by the President Before Meeting with Bipartisan Leaders of the House and Senate
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Cabinet Room 10:21 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Well, I want to thank both Democratic and Senate Leaders -- Democratic Senate Leaders, Democratic House Leaders, as well as Republican Leaders from the House and Senate for joining us. As I said in my State of the Union, part of what we’d like to see is the ability of Congress to ...
Forum
Obama at daily briefing, taking questions
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Making a surprise appearance in the briefing room, President Obama says his meeting with bipartisan congressional leaders went "well." "We all understand there are legitimate and genuine differences within the parties," he says, but the public demands that they come together on some issues. "I'm going to continue to ...
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The Corner on National Review Online
Worst House Ever -- By: Jonah Goldberg
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I thought last night's House was not only bad, but also a terrible sign. Fans of the show have long noted that the title of the series is House M.D. , not Cuddy, Hospital Administrator . And yet last night we were treated to a thoroughly dull "day in the life" story of a bring-home-the-bacon-fry-it-up-in-the-pan supermom. The real problem here isn'
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Articles on National Review Online
Frank Rich and the State of Liberal Commentary -- By: Dennis Prager
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I f one had to read one columnist to appreciate the state of contemporary left-wing commentary, my nomination would be Frank Rich of the Sunday New York Times . No well-known columnist better exemplifies the worst aspects of today’s Left. Virtually every piece is filled with anger, filled with ad hominem responses to arguments, filled with ...
Editor
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Roll Call Daily News
Senate Republicans Say No Jobs Deal Yet
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) expressed confidence that he would be ready to announce a bipartisan jobs bill on Tuesday, but GOP leadership aides cautioned that Republicans have yet to sign off on any deal and are unlikely to do so until they have had a chance to read the bill.
Erik Gerding
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Conglomerate
Incorporated Americans
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A friend of mine sent me this cartoon on Citizens United . (I’ll leave you to decide if my friend is more real than the Canadian girlfriend I had in high school; she had trouble getting a visa, so didn’t make it down to New Jersey all that much). This got us thinking – what should we call corporations now that the Supreme Court has ...
ABC News
WATCH: Michelle Obama on Keeping Her Kids Healthy
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The first lady discusses changes her family made to promote healthy eating. Michelle Obama - Healthy diet - Health - Barack Obama - United States
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The Corner on National Review Online
Reading Tom Out -- By: John Derbyshire
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Hey Boss : [The Tea Party Convention] gave a platform to ranters Tom Tancredo, a former Republican congressman, and Joe Farah, editor of a right-wing website, both of whom predictably delivered cringe-inducing screeds. Okay, Point One: What's with "screed"? That's a word right out of the left-liberal vocabulary, one of the little stock they use ...
Forum
Obama's Outreach to Iran Unprecedented, Gates Says
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Obama's Outreach to Iran Unprecedented, Gates Says The Obama White House has gone further than any administration to reach out to Iran, and is disappointed with the response, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday. The Islamic Republic announced Tuesday that it began enriching uranium to 20 percent purity level in defiance of world ...
ABC News
White House Presses Anthem Blue Cross on Rate Hike
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The Obama administration is demanding answers from California's largest insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross, about why the company is suddenly raising premiums on some customers by up to 39 percent; more than 10 times the rate of inflation. Insurance - California - WellPoint - Presidency of Barack Obama - Business
Editor
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Roll Call Daily News
GOP Fears Obama's Health Summit Is a Trap
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President Barack Obama's call for a bipartisan health care summit was greeted with suspicion Monday by Congressional Republicans, who vowed to approach the televised Feb. 25 meeting with open minds even as they worried that the White House was using them as political "props."
Kate
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Small dead animals
"Who is Afraid of Big Government?"
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Via Rob Zurrer who writes; Victor Davis Hanson on what I would call a "blow off top" scenario in the bull market in government employees. OK, I am in hope ( a foolish state) that we are dealing with the...
Hamilton Nolan
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Gawker
Prosecutors: Bernie Kerik Was a Republican
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Disgraced former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik is about to be sentenced. Prosecutors are asking for a stiff penalty, since he "became a wealthy man by shamelessly exploiting the most horrific civilian tragedy in this nation's history." So...Giuliani's next? [ NYT ]
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Sen. Christopher S. Bond regularly railed against President Obama's economic stimulus plan as irresponsible spending that would drive up the national debt. But behind the scenes, the Missouri Republican quietly sought more than $50 million from a federal agency for two projects in his state.
discussions

As a volatile election season gets under way, the Republican Party of Florida is facing its biggest crisis of confidence in decades. Donors and party activists are livid over newly revealed records that suggest outgoing chairman Jim Greer used the party as a personal slush fund for lavish travel and entertainment. The records also show that ...
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Thehill.com
Blue Dogs push to go further than Obama spending freeze
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Blue Dog Democrats want Congress to go further than President Barack Obama’s proposal to freeze spending in next year’s budget. The group of House centrists will soon introduce a bill capping discretionary spending at specific levels. The move would challenge their leadership and the president, who are balancing concerns with the nearly $1.6 ...
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AHN Media
Florida Highway Crash Kills 1 Human, Scores Of Livestock
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One person is dead and more than 100 livestock were killed in a crash Monday night on a Florida road. An 18-wheeler hit an overturned truck transporting the livestock, killing the driver of the semi-trailer and scores of farm animals. Police and tow truck drivers worked through the night to clear up the scene that was described as a horrific mess.
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Articles on National Review Online
The Potent Tea Party -- By: Rich Lowry
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Editor’s note: This column is available exclusively through King Features Syndicate. For permission to reprint or excerpt this copyrighted material, please contact: kfsreprint@hearstsc.com, or phone 800-708-7311, ext. 246. N o one has vested more hope in the tea-party movement than the Democrats. For all the scorn and abuse they’ve heaped on the ...
Mark Murray
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First Read
The midterms: All the right moves
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ARIZONA : The New York Times is the latest to look at John McCain’s shift to the right, given his August primary challenge. “Mr. McCain now sharply criticizes the bailout bill he voted for, pivoted from his earlier position that the Guantánamo Bay detention facility should be closed, offered only a muted response to the Supreme Court’s ...
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The Corner on National Review Online
Sweet Tea -- By: Robert Costa
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One question that keeps popping up: Can the Tea Party work with the GOP to elect conservatives ? Well, down in the Palmetto State, tea-party folks are already working with the state GOP in an official capacity : The South Carolina Republican Party announced Monday that it’s uniting with tea party groups in the state to share resources, ...
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PAUL AND MARIA VanNocker are filing a federal lawsuit today on behalf of their 5-year-old son, Kyler, whose insurance company, HealthAmerica, refuses to pay for the latest treatment needed to prolong his life.
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Zaid Jilani
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Think Progress
Insurer Denies Life-Prolonging Treatment To Five-Year-Old Boy With Cancer
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One of the worst abuses of private insurance companies is the practice of using spurious reasons to deny claims for medical treatments, which are often necessary for saving patients’ lives. Kyler Van Nocker’s story shows that even 5-year-old kids are not exempt from this insurance company abuse. Van Nocker has neuroblastoma, which is ...
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ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
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NYT
Rajendra K. Pachauri and the U.N. panel he leads face accusations of scientific sloppiness and conflicts of interest.
discussions
Voters appear to have soured on embattled New Hampshire Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter after a series of bizarre antics have made her the subject of widespread derision in Washington and New Hampshire. According to a new poll by the University of New Hampshire only 35% of likely voters approve of the job Shea-Porter is doing in Congress. 40% ...
discussions

Gene Conti checks on the 2,500-watt generator powering appliances in his Stafford St. home in Pittsburgh's Sheraden neighborhood Monday afternoon. His home has been without electricity since Friday night.
discussions
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Brian Moylan
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Gawker
New York City Manages to Ruin Tomorrow's Snow Day for All the Little Children
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Due to the ominous forecast for tomorrow , New York City has already ordered a preemptive snow day for public schools. Great way to rob these children of one of the greatest feelings that they'll ever have, Bloomberg. One of the immense joys of childhood was waking up in the morning to look out the window and see a world covered in white, ...
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PhillyBurbs.com
NJ full of snow, low on salt as storm approaches
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Road crews in some parts of New Jersey are running low on one crucial weapon in the fight against slippery roads as another snow storm approaches Tuesday: salt.
Baltimoresun.com
Snow pounds Midwest, Chicago airports reporting delays; Mid-Atlantic prepares for 2nd big storm
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Snow blew across the Midwest Tuesday on track for the hard-hit Mid-Atlantic region, where federal government offices were closed for a second straight day and utility workers struggled to restore power knocked out by a weekend blizzard.
Dianne
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Daffodil Lane
Forget Bread and Milk....10 Essentials for Making it Through Another Major Snow Storm
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10 Essentials for Making it Through Another Major Snow Storm: 1. A couple (at least) bottles of wine, and some lemon vodka. 2. Nutella. (Why had I never tried this stuff before last week?) 3. Bacon 4. Strawberry Häagen-Dazs 5. Gala apples 6. Lands End snow boots 7. Plenty of green tea 8. The Wii to keep the tea cup occupied since she can't play ...
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Chicago Sun-Times :
Another major storm headed to snowy Mid-Atlantic
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WASHINGTON -- A second major snow storm in less than a week was blowing Tuesday toward the Mid-Atlantic region, where plows still hadn't touched some roads, utility workers were struggling to restore power and shovels were in short supply.
Forum
Major Cities To Break Seasonal Snow Records
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AccuWeather.com is now projecting that Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Wilmington (DE), Baltimore, Atlantic City and others will break their records for snowiest season in recorded history, after tomorrow's storm. Here are the stats (in inches, current/record/expected after tomorrow): Philly: 56.4 / 65.5 / 71.0 Atlantic City: 42.8 / 46.9 / 53.
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New Hampshire Democrats have been on a roll for years, particularly at the federal level in winning both House seats in 2006, a Senate race in 2008, and going blue for Democrats in the presidential elections of 2004 and 2008. But a new University of New Hampshire Granite State poll shows that the party is [...]
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TEHRAN (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday that it wanted a U.N. sanctions resolution on Iran "within weeks" as Iran further expanded its nuclear programme in defiance of growing international pressure.
discussions
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Agence France-Presse
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Raw Story
Iran anniversary ‘punch’ will stun West: Khamenei
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TEHRAN (AFP) - Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran is set to deliver a "punch" that will stun world powers during this week's 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. "The Iranian nation, with its unity and God's grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) in [...]
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Mgutierrez
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IPS Inter Press Service
US-IRAN: Sanctions Are the Talk of the Day
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WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (IPS) - If there were any doubts about what exactly U.S. President Barack Obama meant when he warned Iran of "growing consequences" during his State of the Union address last month, they seem to be dispelled by recent statements from top administration officials, who are beating the sanctions drum loud and clear.
Raw Story
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Raw Story
Whoops: Palin advocates war with Iran, apparently misreading column
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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has always tried to portray herself as tough on national security. On Sunday, however, Palin may have taken it too far. Speaking to Fox News' Chris Wallace, the onetime Republican vice presidential nominee signaled that she supported war with Iran, referring to a recent online column by conservative Pat Buchanan. "Say he ...
Yahoo! News
U.S. wants Iran sanctions in weeks; Russia gets tough
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Reuters - The United States said on Tuesday that it wanted a U.N. sanctions resolution on Iran "within weeks" as Iran further expanded its nuclear programme in defiance of growing international pressure.
BBC News
Italy embassy in Iran 'targeted'
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Dozens of people including pro-government militia try to attack the Italian embassy in Iran, Italy's foreign minister says.
BBC News
Iran 'ups nuclear fuel enriching'
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Iran has begun the process of enriching uranium to 20% at its plant at Natanz in defiance of the West, state media says.
Editor
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Israel's News
IRAN: 20% Increase on Uranium Stockpile, 15% on Rhetoric
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“Today Palestine is the symbol of life, determination, faithfulness, diligence, and dignity,” Iran’s Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei told Ramadan Abdullah, the secretary general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement . “Israel is going downhill toward decline and fall and God willing its obliteration is certain.” In ...
L.A. Times
Iran plans to build 10 more nuclear plants
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Despite Western threats of sanctions, Tehran says it will build more nuclear fuel plants and beef up its military. As Iran moved to enrich uranium to a higher level of purity and build new nuclear-fuel plants, U.S. and French defense officials suggested Monday that sanctions were needed to force Tehran to curb its nuclear program.
Christian Science Monitor
On eve of Iran anniversary, talk of compromise
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Opposition protesters are ready to rally when Iran's Islamic republic celebrates its 31st birthday on Thursday. Observers say both sides may be prepared to compromise after eight months of unrest.
FOXNews.com
Gates Wants Iran Sanctions in 'Weeks, Not Months'
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The defense secretary believes a U.N. resolution would lay the legal groundwork countries need to impose sanctions independently and pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear program.
JOE GANDELMAN
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The Moderate Voice
Iran’s Latest Defiance: Starts Higher Uranium Enrichment Process
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Iran has again thumbed its nose the U.S. and other countries that want to halt its nuclear program with its latest defiant move: it has started the higher enrichment process: Iran says it has begun enriching uranium to a higher level, defying international efforts to curb its nuclear activity. Iranian state television quoted officials who said ...
Blake Hounshell
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FP Passport
China is now Iran's top trading partner
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Still think China's going to sign on to a new round of tough sanctions against Iran? Think again. China has most likely already passed the European Union to become Iran's No. 1 trading partner, the Financial Times reports : Official figures say the EU remains Tehran’s largest commercial partner, with trade totalling $35bn in 2008, compared ...
Ben Armbruster
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Think Progress
Bolton: Either Iran Gets Nukes Or ‘Israel Or Somebody Else Uses Military Force To Stop It’
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Last week, Iran’s President Mahmoud Amadinejad said Tehran would have “ no problem ” agreeing on a deal to send its enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment. But today, Iran told the IAEA that it would back out of the deal and begin enriching its uranium stockpile in Iran. On Fox News today, John Bolton declared that ...
Jricole
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Informed Comment
Salehi: Iran would back Down if West supplies LEU; Khamenei vows self-defense against 'US-backed saboteurs'
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The USG Open Source Center translated remarks of Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, regarding Sunday's announcement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iran would seek to enrich uranium to the 19.75% necessary to produce medical isotopes. Salehi represented the announcement as a way for Iran to put pressure on the ...
The Daily Star > Politics
Iran tells UN of enrichment plan as new sanctions loom
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Iran said Monday it has formally told the UN nuclear watchdog of its plan to produce higher enriched uranium, sparking fresh warnings by world powers of new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.“Iran’s official letter about commencing the 20 percent enrichment activity in order to provide fuel for the Tehran reactor has been handed over to the ...
The Daily Star > Politics
Iran reformist leaders deny links to foreigners
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Iran's top reformist leaders on Monday rejected the authorities' accusation that the opposition movement had links to foreigners and urged people to attend rallies on Thursday marking the 1979 Islamic revolution.The opposition is expected to revive anti-government protests at the February 11 events, raising fears of further clashes with the ...
FOXNews.com
Obama's Outreach to Iran Unprecedented, Gates Says
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The Obama White House has gone further than any administration to reach out to Iran, and is disappointed with the response, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.
Forum
What Would Make China Budge on Iran?
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Has Iran finally gone too far, pushing China into changing its mind about sanctions? Maybe not just yet. Tuesday, after Iran ratcheted up its uranium-enrichment programelevating the purity of its enriched product to 20 percentBeijing looked increasingly isolated in its calls to continue negotiations. "To talk about sanctions at ...
Jason Sigger
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Armchair Generalist
Pulsers Say, "Bomb Iran Now"
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SHORTER Arnaud de Borchgrave: "If we bomb Iran now, it will restore downtrodden American spirits and stop the impending Iranian EMP attack against the United States of America." Now this might seem that only a really crazy person would say...
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The Corner on National Review Online
Where's the Punch? -- By: Kathryn Jean Lopez
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You may have read that : Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran is set to deliver a "punch" that will stun world powers during this week's 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. "The Iranian nation, with its unity and God's grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) in a way ...
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The Corner on National Review Online
Krauthammer's Take -- By: NRO Staff
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On Iran’s announcement that it is moving forward with uranium enrichment: Well, on the one hand, this is yet another slap at the administration, where we turn another cheek, another insult, and another challenge. However, this one, I think, is a real escalation -- when they openly announce enrichment up to 20 percent. The French know that this --
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Brooklyn Decker, 22-year-old wife of tennis star Andy Roddick, serves up the glamour on the cover of the magazine's annual issue. The cover shot was taken on a beach in the Maldives. "I feel like the Saints did Sunday night," the supermodel said Tuesday. Andy Roddick - Brooklyn Decker - Tennis - Maldives - Cover girl
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Could the Republican primary for Governor in Texas end up in a runoff between Rick Perry...and Debra Medina? Medina is coming on strong and polls now at 24%, just four points behind Kay Bailey Hutchison's 28%. Perry continues to hold a double digit advantage at 39%.
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Taegan Goddard
Texas Race Could Be Headed to a Runoff
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A new Public Policy Polling survey finds the Republican primary for Texas governor on a path to a runoff. Surprisingly, however, the runoff could be between Gov. Rick Perry (R) and Debra Medina (R), leaving Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) as the odd-woman out. Perry currently leads with 39%, followed by Hutchison at 28% and Medina at 24%. Analysis: "
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Forum
Poll: Debra Medina closing on Kay Bailey Hutchison
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Tea party-backed candidate Debra Medina is closing on Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in Texass Republican gubernatorial primary, increasing the odds the race led by Gov. Rick Perry will be thrown into a runoff. According to a by Public Policy Polling, Medina, a nurse whos now a businesswoman, had the support of 24 percent of likely ...
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Global warming is having a seemingly peculiar effect on winter in the continental United States says NWF's report, Odd-ball Winter Weather: Global Warming's Wake-Up Call for the Northern United States.
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Www.gallup.com
Global Perceptions of U.S. Leadership Improve in 2009
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Perceptions of U.S. leadership worldwide improved significantly from 2008 to 2009. The U.S.-Global Leadership Project, a partnership between the Meridian International Center and Gallup, finds that a median of 51% of the world approves of the job performance of the current leadership of the U.S., up from a median of 34% in 2008.
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Editor
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Truthdig
Palin Calls Global Warming Research ‘Snake Oil Science’
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During her speech at a logging conference in Redding, Calif., on Monday, Sarah Palin criticized California’s environmental regulations, pointed to her polar-bear-related lawsuit against the federal government, and compared certain global warming research to “snake oil science.” San Jose Mercury News: She criticized what she said were heavy- ...
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THE CHAMP The America’s Cup defender Alinghi 5, a catamaran with a mast almost 200 feet tall, practicing last month in Valencia, Spain. More Photos
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Chip
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AfterDowningStreet.org
Growing Hunger in America
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Growing Hunger in America By Stephen Lendman In January 2010, Feeding America (FA, formerly America's Second Harvest) released its disturbing new report on growing hunger titled, "Hunger in America 2010." The Chicago-based organization is the nation's "leading domestic hunger-relief charity," serving the needy "through a nationwide network of ...
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Economist.com
A tale of two iPhones
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Democracy in America China, America and intellectual property M.S. What the iPhone tells us about America's relations with China Images: CHINA'S patent applications grew by 210% from 2005 to 2009, surpassing France but still well behind America, as we report this week. Does China's growing intellectual-property sector mean the country now ...
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Economist.com
Malpractice and the social contract
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Democracy in America Medical malpractice liability M.S. To limit malpractice liability, patients must get something in return Images: I JUST wanted to add one thing about the idea of limiting medical malpractice liability. I'm instinctively sympathetic to this idea in part because I come from a family of doctors and have heard complaints about ...
Michael Moore
Civil fraud charges filed against Bank of America
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New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo filed fraud charges Thursday against Bank of America and two of its former top executives, alleging that they lied not only to investors but also to government officials who were orchestrating a massive bailout of the bank in the final months of 2008. The company and two former executives -- chief ...
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One of the pioneering efforts in new ways to deliver news and connect with audiences in Tennessee (and the country) is "going dark" WKRN-TV's "Nashville is Talking" Web site, termed a "quaint reminder" of days gone by shuts down on Friday. On the Web site WKRN general manager Gwen Kinsey writes: NIT in its infancy introduced individual blogging ...
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Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda brows as he makes a recall announcement during a press conference at the automaker's office in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid cars worldwide to fix brake problems - the latest in a string of embarrassing safety problems at the world's ...
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Dave Levinthal
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Capital Eye
Toyota's Lobbying Power Primed for Test as Congressional Scrutiny Mounts
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Toyota's leadership and army of prominent lobbyists face a monumental government relations battle as Congress primes itself for a series of public hearings regarding the embattled automaker 's recall of hundreds of thousands of vehicles over accelerator pedal and brake defects. But they're likely as ready as any of their ilk: Among foreign car ...
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Yahoo! News
State Farm says it warned NHTSA on Toyota in 2007
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AP - The nation's largest auto insurer said Tuesday it alerted federal safety regulators in late 2007 about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the latest warning sign to emerge about the massive recall.
Baltimoresun.com
Federal safety officials to probe complaints over Toyota Corolla steering
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal safety officials say they will look into complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about difficulty with the steering on their vehicles.
Steve
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Sweetness
Toyota Recalls 437,000 Hybrid Priuses
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From a mixed emotioned Reuters: Toyota adds new Prius to global recall list By Nobuhiro Kubo And John Crawley February 9, 2010 TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp said it would call in nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiraling safety crisis at the world’s [...]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Chicago Sun-Times :
Toyota recalls 437,000 Prius, hybrids globally
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Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid cars worldwide to fix brake problems -- the latest in a string of embarrassing safety problems at the world's largest automaker. Company President Akio Toyoda made the recall announcement Tuesday afternoon at a press conference.
ABC News
WATCH: Toyota Recalls Prius Worldwide
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Toyota recalls nearly half a million of the hybrid cars including the Prius and Lexus off the road. Toyota - Toyota Prius - Hybrid vehicle - Japan - Recreation
Yahoo! News
Toyota recalls new Prius in latest safety fix
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Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp said it would call in nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiraling safety crisis at the world's biggest carmaker.
Christian Science Monitor
Toyota problems with recalls can lead to a new Japan
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The Prius recall by Toyota is another wake-up call for the Japanese to shift their corporations, government, and society to a new economic strategy.
Reuters
Toyota recalls new Prius in latest safety fix
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TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp said it would call in nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiraling safety crisis at the world's biggest carmaker.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Chicago Sun-Times :
Steering on 2009-2010 Toyota Corolla under scrutiny
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WASHINGTON Federal safety officials say they will look into complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about difficulty with the steering on their vehicles.
ABC News
Toyota Recalls 437,000 Priuses, Hybrids Worldwide
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Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, in his second press conference since Friday, announced the company recalled an additional 437,000 vehicles worldwide. The recall related to a software problem that controls the antilock braking system includes the 2010 model Prius and Lexus HS250h in North America. Toyota spokesperson Ririko Takeuchi told ABC News 155,000 ...
FOXNews.com
Bloomberg Pulls Recalled Toyotas From New York City Fleet
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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration pulled all of its 2010 Toyota Prius vehicles from the road ahead of Tuesday's recall from the world's largest automaker.
Online
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Detnews.com
Snow delays Toyota hearing
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Washington -- The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee canceled a hearing on Toyota's massive recalls set for Wednesday because of another snowstorm headed for the capital.
NPR Blogs
Vowing To Regain Customers' Faith, Toyota Adds Some 2010 Prius Vehicles To Recall
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By Mark Memmott Toyota has taken the expected next step in responding to problems with some of its vehicles -- recalling "about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems," as the Associated Press writes. The company's statement about recalls in the U.S. says: It will conduct a voluntary safety recall on approximately ...
Jeff Jarvis
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BuzzMachine
What Toyota should do
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Including my parents, we own four Toyotas in my family; over time, we’ve probably owned eight or 10. Will we ever buy another? Depends. Depends on whether we can trust the company given its performance lately. There’s a reason we bought our Toyotas. They are incredibly reliable. I abuse mine, skipping service calls. But — [...]
HIROKO TABUCHI
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NYT
Toyota Details Hybrid Recall in Attempt to Contain Crisis
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The worldwide recall will affect about 437,000 hybrid vehicles, including the 2010 Prius, according to the company’s filing.
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Gov. Bob McDonnell has updated the State of Emergency he issued for last weekends snowstorm, which left parts of Virginia covered under 2 or even 3 feet of snow. The update will prepare for the possibility of more snowfall predicted this week.
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At this point, I don't think it's well understood how many of the GOP's central health-care policy ideas have already been included as compromises in the health-care bill. But one good way is to look at the GOP's "Solutions for America" homepage, which lays out its health-care plan in some detail. It has four planks. All of them -- yes, you read ...
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Ashby Jones
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WSJ.com-Law Blog
How Health Care Reform Setback Might Benefit BigLaw
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It's an interesting, and often underexposed component of BigLaw practice -- lobbying. And given the popularity nationwide of lobbyists and their oft-derided "special interests," it's not entirely surprising that firms with sizable D.C. offices don't do more to publicize this niche. That said, the practice isn't faring all that badly. Much as the ...
Sifu Tweety Fish
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The Poor Man Institute
**** POOR MAN EXCLUSIVE **** MUST CREDIT THE POOR MAN **** SECRET GOP TALKING POINTS ****
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By working our network of highly-placed sources in DC Republican circles (thanks, Kandy! You deserve all the bills that fit in that garter.) we’ve been able to acquire a copy of Mitch McConnell’s secret GOP talking points on the upcoming health care summit. We’ve reprinted them below. CONDFIDENTIAL — NOT FOR RELEASE TO ...
ROBERT STEIN
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The Moderate Voice
Before the Health-Care Summit
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In a pre-Super Bowl interview, President Obama told Katie Couric about a televised bipartisan health-care meeting on February 25th to go through “all the best ideas…and move it forward.” If he hadn’t been absorbed in the game, watching Bill Moyers Journal would have given him a more productive idea than meeting with members of ...
Mark Murray
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First Read
GOP watch: PAC-men
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“Several possible 2012 Republican contenders are using their political action committees to dole out large amounts of cash to an array of GOP members and candidates this cycle,” CQ writes. “Leading the way in largesse are South Dakota Sen. John Thune ’s Heartland Values PAC, which made $118,000 in contributions in 2009, all to Republican ...
Ezra Klein
Reader questions: No, the health-care bill does not keep you from paying money in exchange for services
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Commenter Fast Eddie is concerned : Do you have enough courage to take on the most controversial part of the whole Obama-Reid-Pelosi agenda? If they managed to get the Senate bill passed in the House, HOW WOULD THAT EFFECT A MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES ABILITY TO PRIVATELY CONTRACT WITH THEIR PERSONAL DOCTOR in the event that their healthcare ...
Keith D. Milby
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Keith D. Milby :
No high hopes for health care summit
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Immediately after President Barack Obama announced a bipartisan health reform summit, Democrats and Republicans made clear they have almost no expectation the half-day meeting can break a bitter yearlong standoff. via No high hopes for health care summit - Carrie Budoff Brown and Patrick O’Connor - POLITICO.com .
Forum
Beverage industry douses tax on soft drinks
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Employing a broad-based lobbying effort, the soft drink industry has smothered a plan to tax sugared beverages a plan advocates said would have reduced obesity and helped finance health care reform. Only months ago, public health advocates thought the tax would be a natural for congressional Democrats looking for revenues to fund expanded ...
Christianity Today Magazine
Casting Too Wide a Net
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With the battle over health-care reform winding down, the U.S. Congress is poised to tackle the financial arena. But ministries are crying foul over the potential reach of a proposed Consumer Protection Agency.
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