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4:40 PM ET, February 9, 2009

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Obama Has Upper Hand in Stimulus Fight  —  Obama's 67% approval rating on the stimulus is more than twice that of Republicans  — USA - Congress - Democrats - Government and Politics - Leadership - Republicans - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Republicans See Long-Term Victory in Defeat on Stimulus Plan  —  Three months after their Election Day drubbing, Republican leaders see glimmers of rebirth in the party's liberation from an unpopular president, its selection of its first African American chairman and, most of all …
CNN:
Obama's approval is high — but the stimulus isn't as popular  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A new national poll suggests that three out of four Americans approve of the job Barack Obama's doing as President — but the economic stimulus package he's trying to push through Congress is not nearly as popular.
Pew Research Center:
Support for Stimulus Plan Slips, But Obama Rides High
Byron York / www.dcexaminer.com:
The Happy Party  —  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) …
Discussion: Firedoglake and TIME.com
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Destructive Center  —  What do you call someone who eliminates hundreds of thousands of American jobs, deprives millions of adequate health care and nutrition, undermines schools, but offers a $15,000 bonus to affluent people who flip their houses?  —  A proud centrist.
RELATED:
Ross Douthat:
The Trouble With Centrism  —  The liberals are angry, and not without reason.  You can imagine a world in which “centrist” Senators used their awesome deal-making powers to forge compromises that incorporate ideas from the left and right alike.  A world in which moderate “gangs,” …
Arlen Specter / Washington Post:
Why I Support the Stimulus  —  I am supporting the economic stimulus package for one simple reason: The country cannot afford not to take action.  —  The unemployment figures announced Friday, the latest earnings reports and the continuing crisis in banking make it clear that failure to act …
Michael Tomasky / Guardian:
Be happy, worried liberals. Obama's bill is a triumph
Discussion: The Daily Dish and TalkLeft
Bloomberg:
U.S. Taxpayers Risk $9.7 Trillion on Bailouts as Senate Votes  —  Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) — The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government's commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than 90 percent of the nation's home mortgages.
RELATED:
Mary Ann Akers / The Sleuth:
Treasury Secretary Geithner Sheds His First-Class Image
Discussion: TIME.com
Wall Street Journal:
Bank Bailout Plan ‘Intact’ Ahead of Debut
Huma Khan / Political Punch:
Obama Administration Maintains Bush Position on ‘Extraordinary Rendition’ Lawsuit  —  From Jake Tapper and Ariane de Vogue:  —  The Obama Administration today announced that it would keep the same position as the Bush Administration in the lawsuit Mohamed et al v Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc.
RELATED:
ACLU:
ACLU In Court Today To Argue Extraordinary Rendition Case Should Go Forward
Discussion: Think Progress
Ali Frick / Think Progress:
Obama's Unscreened Town Hall Audience Is Clean Break From Bush's Supporters-Only Public Events  —  Today, President Obama hosted a town hall meeting in Elkhart, IN — which faces the nation's fastest-rising unemployment rate — to promote his recovery and reinvestment plan.
RELATED:
CNN:
Florida gov. to join Obama at stimulus town hall
Discussion: Washington Monthly and Salon
The Huffington Post:
Leahy: Investigate Bush Now  —  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy insisted on Monday in firm and passionate terms that a comprehensive investigation be launched into the conduct of the Bush administration, saying anything less would prevent the country from moving forward.
RELATED:
Washington Wire:
Sen. Leahy Proposes ‘Truth Commission’ for Justice Department
Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:
Newsweek Plans Makeover to Fit a Smaller Audience  —  When US Airways Flight 1549 glided safely onto the Hudson River last month, Newsweek did what news organizations have done for more than a century — it sent reporters and photographers to the scene.  Considerable effort yielded …
Daily Mail:
High-ranking Foreign Office diplomat arrested over anti-Semitic gym tirade … A high-ranking diplomat at the Foreign Office has been arrested after allegations that he launched a foul-mouthed anti-Semitic tirade.  —  Middle East expert Rowan Laxton, 47, was watching TV reports of the Israeli attack …
New York Post:
IT'S A RECESSION NOT A ‘CATASTROPHE’  —  PRESIDENT Obama, writing in The Washington Post, said, “By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression.”  But how would we know if and when this crisis is really more “deep and dire” than others?
Discussion: The New Republic
RELATED:
New York Post:
IT'S A RECESSION NOT A ‘CATASTROPHE’
Discussion: Matthew Yglesias and Commentary
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Stumps for Stimulus in a City Hit Hard by Downturn  —  ELKHART, Ind. — President Obama took his case for an $800 billion economic recovery package to one of the most distressed places in America on Monday as he opened a series of campaign-style events intended to press Congress to approve the plan by week's end.
John B. Taylor / Wall Street Journal:
How Government Created the Financial Crisis  —  Research shows the failure to rescue Lehman did not trigger the fall panic.  —  Many are calling for a 9/11-type commission to investigate the financial crisis.  Any such investigation should not rule out government itself as a major culprit.
Discussion: JustOneMinute
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
People Hate Republicans  —  It seems that conservative legislators are really excited about their efforts to block efforts at an economic recovery package: … The public is less entranced by this behavior:  —  I'm not surprised to see most Republican legislators acting this way.
Discussion: Washington Post and Indecision
Wall Street Journal:
Amazon Raises an E-Book Specter  —  Amazon.com Inc. is announcing a new version of its Kindle e-book reader on Monday.  And, in a sign that the electronic book is gaining clout in the publishing world, Amazon is also expected to say it has acquired a new work by best-selling novelist Stephen King …
Eric Ostermeier / Smart Politics:
Coleman Says ‘God Wants Me to Serve’  —  While Al Franken remains fairly elusive, Norm Coleman is keeping a high profile these days as his court challenge of the Minnesota U.S. Senate recount plods along.  —  Coleman is adept, somewhat too adept, his critics might say …
John Feehery / The Politico:
A letter to Rush Limbaugh  —  Congratulations!  You have been selected by the Obama administration, the mainstream media and 20 million of your most passionate followers to be the new head of the Republican Party.  —  As such, you are given all the rights and responsibilities that come with being a true political leader.
Discussion: The Huffington Post and Cold Fury
Jon Ward / Washington Times:
EXCLUSIVE: Partisan dirt-digger joins WH office  —  Resume lacks legal training  —  Amid the furor over controversies regarding Cabinet-nominee tax problems and the seismic battle over a nearly trillion-dollar economic rescue bill, President Obama made a little-noticed appointment that is now generating intrigue.
Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Steele calls for 'bling'-free stimulus  —  Just ran into new RNC Chairman Michael Steele who watched President Obama's town hall in Indiana and wasn't impressed.  —  The Obama-backed stimulus, he said, “is just a wish list from a lot of people who have been on the sidelines for years.. to get a little bling, bling.”
Ben Armbruster / Think Progress:
Gitmo Detainee's ‘Genitals Were Sliced With A Scalpel,’ Waterboarding ‘Far Down The List Of Things They Did’  —  Last week, two British High Court judges ruled against releasing documents describing the treatment of Binyam Mohamed, a British resident who is currently being held at Guantanamo Bay.
Eric Boehlert / Media Matters:
Does CNN's John King think construction work is done pro bono?  —  Apparently.  Because asking questions about the stimulus bill, King, perfectly echoing GOP talking points, wonders if a construction project one mayor is proposing (a community wave pool) will actually create jobs.
Max Blumenthal / Blogs and Stories:
Porn Star for Senate  —  An Interview with the Porn Star Running Against Sen. David Vitter by Max Blumenthal  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Sen. David Vitter's phone number was found in the records of the notorious D.C. madam.  Now he faces re-election (and massive karmic payback) against a sultry adult entertainer named Stormy.
Discussion: The Raw Story
David M. Halbfinger / City Room:
Gillibrand Talks to Students About Guns  —  In an emotional meeting on Monday morning with classmates of a Brooklyn high school student killed by gunfire, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand vowed to go after illegal gun trafficking.  Ms. Gillibrand had been invited to the school …
Mickey Kaus / Kausfiles:
kf Goes In the Tank  —  I saw my friend and Slate contributor Tom Geoghegan speak in L.A. at a fundraiser for his Congressional run.  ** He wasn't as good as I expected.  He was much better.  The joy of Geoghegan is that he usually has a big interesting new theory, often a (dare I say it) contrarian one.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
Obama in campaign mode on stimulus
Discussion: MyDD
Justin Fox / The Curious Capitalist:
Comparing this recession to the last five
Discussion: The Big Picture and Swampland
John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Petraeus Outlines Afghanistan Strategy
Discussion: Danger Room
Ann Althouse / Althouse:
Obama's insipid emails are annoying Leon Wieseltier.
Discussion: Cold Fury and Commentary
Jim Manzi / The Corner:
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Discussion: Fausta's Blog
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Schumer: ‘Why quibble over $200M?’
Discussion: The Sundries Shack
Shane Goldmacher / Sacramento Bee:
Whitman boots up campaign for governor
Discussion: Los Angeles Times
 Earlier Items: 
Michael Barone:
Republican Good News Bad for Obama, Dems in New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois
Discussion: Hot Air and GayPatriot
Chicago Tribune:
Roland Burris received about $1.2 million in loans from businessman …
Megan McArdle:
Starbucks tries to scoot downmarket
Ann Althouse / Althouse:
“When the novelty of the first African American president wears off …
Mary Katharine Ham / Weekly Standard:
Activists Left Hoping for Change at Obama's Stimulus Parties
Discussion: Mercury News
Robert O'Harrow Jr / Washington Post:
If Spending Is Swift, Oversight May Suffer
Discussion: The Swamp, Hot Air and QandO