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Joby Warrick / Washington Post:
Little Blue Pills Among the Ways CIA Wins Friends in Afghanistan — The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity …
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS.... Conditions in Afghanistan have been deteriorating, and the pressure on U.S. troops and officials is increasing. Apparently, in some cases, there's been a diplomatic breakthrough thanks to a little blue pill. … U.S intelligence officials use “novel incentives,” but this is not limited to Viagra.
Spencer Ackerman / ATTACKERMAN:She Said You Couldn't Stay Up — The portrait of 2009's passel …
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
The Heretik / theheretik.us:You Can't Make This Stuff Up — Afghan warlords align themselves …
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
Susan Page / USA Today:
Poll: Obama is man Americans admire most — WASHINGTON — A month before his inauguration, Americans choose Barack Obama as the man they admire most in the world, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. It's the first time a president-elect has topped the annual survey in more than a half-century.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, TPM Election Central, TIME.com, Donklephant, Oliver Willis and Shakesville
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Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Obama, Hillary Clinton Share “Most Admired” Billing — Palin makes impressive showing as second most admired woman — PRINCETON, NJ — A remarkable 32% of Americans choose Barack Obama as the man they most admire living anywhere in the world today, putting him in the No. 1 position on Gallup's annual Most Admired Man list.
Wall Street Journal:
Retail Sales Plummet — Price-slashing failed to rescue a bleak holiday season for beleaguered retailers, as sales plunged across most categories on shrinking consumer spending, according to new data released Thursday. — Despite a flurry of last-minute shoppers lured by the deep discounts …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, On Deadline, TIME.com, Angry Bear, Riehl World View, naked capitalism, QandO and Jules Crittenden
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Chris Fusco / Chicago Sun Times:
Blagojevich's lawyer asks House for subpoenas — Gov. Blagojevich's lead lawyer has asked the Illinois House panel weighing whether to impeach the governor to subpoena three high-profile witnesses. — The lawyer, Ed Genson, said Wednesday that testimony by Valerie Jarrett …
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Barack Be Good — Times have changed. In 1996, President Bill Clinton, under siege from the right, declared that “the era of big government is over.” But President-elect Barack Obama, riding a wave of revulsion over what conservatism has wrought, has said that he wants to “make government cool again.”
Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
White House Press Corps Faces Unique Challenges in Hawaii — It's prime time and CNN's Ed Henry is standing on the white sand of Waikiki Beach, reporting live on President-elect Barack Obama's holiday vacation in Hawaii. With the volcanic mountain Diamond Head in the distance …
Discussion:
Michael Calderone's Blogs
Mark Landler / New York Times:
Chinese Savings Helped Inflate American Bubble — “Usually it's the rich country lending to the poor. This time, it's the poor country lending to the rich.” — WASHINGTON — In March 2005, a low-key Princeton economist who had become a Federal Reserve governor coined a novel theory …
Michael Saul / NY Daily News:
Caroline has stiffed N.Y. Dems for years — Caroline Kennedy's supporters say she could raise tons of money as a senator, but when it comes to writing checks to New York Democrats, she's been largely AWOL. — This decade, other than a $1,000 donation to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn …
Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post:
Study Criticizes Bush Approach to War Funding, Calls for Changes — President-elect Barack Obama's administration needs to monitor war spending much more closely than the current White House has, according to a new study that criticizes President Bush's approach to funding the Iraq and Afghanistan wars …
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Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
New Board Named at Fannie Mae — Regulator Picks Members; No Stock Awards for New Directors — Fannie Mae, the District mortgage-finance giant taken over by the government in early September, yesterday announced the members of its newly constituted board of directors.
Turki al-Faisal / Washington Post:
Peace for the Mideast — How Our Plan Could Aid Barack Obama's Efforts — RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President-elect Barack Obama is about to inherit not just a nation entrenched in two wars but a world of instability and an entire Middle East that is sick with discord.
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