memeorandum: Watch the Senate debate marriage equality (Senate Blogger/nysenate.gov/blog)

4:24 PM ET, December 2, 2009

Top Items:

McCain challenges Obama in private meeting — Washington (CNN) - Hours before he was set to address the nation on his new Afghanistan strategy, President Obama and members of his war council spent about an hour briefing senior members of Congress at a White House meeting that multiple sources described as businesslike and sobering.

Discussion: Riehl World View, Wonk Room, The Hill and MyDD

Washington Post:

Obama's Afghan policy speech at West Point — Following is the transcript of President Obama's speech Tuesday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. (The Post's report on the president's address is here.) — Thank you. Please be seated. — Good evening.

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

This I Believe — Let me start with the bottom line and then tell you how I got there: I can't agree with President Obama's decision to escalate in Afghanistan. I'd prefer a minimalist approach, working with tribal leaders the way we did to overthrow the Taliban regime in the first place.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Gabor Steingart / Spiegel Online:

Searching in Vain for the Obama Magic — Never before has a speech by President Barack Obama felt as false as his Tuesday address announcing America's new strategy for Afghanistan. It seemed like a campaign speech combined with Bush rhetoric — and left both dreamers and realists feeling distraught.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Slate, The Corner on National …, Power Line, Left Coast Rebel, The New Republic, Outside The Beltway, Fausta's Blog, The Greenroom, The Atlanticist, Financial Times, Indecision Forever, Gateway Pundit and Guardian

Fred Kaplan / Slate:

But where does it end? — The war that President Barack Obama laid out at West Point Tuesday night—its rationale, strategy, tactics, and resources—is different, in ways large and small, from the war that George W. Bush fought (and didn't fight) in Afghanistan.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, PoliBlog and marbury

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

Obama's revealing Afghanistan war speech: 4,582 words and not one of them was ‘victory’ — President Obama spoke 4,582 words in his primetime Afghanistan war speech at West Point last night. — He said “al Qaeda” 22 times. — He mentioned the “Taliban” 12 times.

Discussion: Indecision Forever, Christian Science Monitor, Erick's blog, Philly.com, Outside The Beltway, Democratic Strategist, No More Mister Nice Blog, RedState and Betsy's Page

Jeffrey Young / The Hill: Senate Dems prep for hardball tactics in health debate after floor strategizing

Peter Wehner / Commentary:
A Fighting Chance — The decision President Obama made was better …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Ross Douthat, Power Line, Washington Wire and PostPartisan

The Hill:
Reid set to unveil new public option, breaking Senate impasse on healthcare

Discussion: Washington Post, Weekly Standard, BuzzFlash.org, TalkLeft, Reuters, USA Today, The Confluence, Washington Monthly, The Hill and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

New York Post:
Setting up our military to fail

Discussion: Maggie's Farm

Tristero / Hullabaloo: The Afghan War Gets The Speech It Deserves

David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Surge in Afghanistan, then leave

Discussion: PostPartisan, Gothamist, New York Times, The Huffington Post, Guardian, Think Progress, Commentary, American Prospect, The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Corner on National … and The Fix

New York Times:
Two Messages for Two Sides — WASHINGTON — President Obama went …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, NY Daily News, Boston Globe, Lynn Sweet, The Moderate Voice, The Note, NPR Blogs, Firedoglake, Prairie Weather, Politics Daily, Washington Monthly, The Huffington Post and Neptunus Lex

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

New York State Senate Votes Down Gay Marriage Bill — ALBANY — The State Senate defeated a bill on Wednesday that would legalize same-sex marriage, after an emotional debate that touched on civil rights, family and history. The vote means that the bill, pushed by Gov. David A. Paterson …

Discussion: CNN, NY Daily News, Think Progress, Gothamist, Washington Monthly, Syracuse Post-Standard, The Daily Dish, Gawker, Indecision Forever, The Page, Redhot, The Awl, The Moderate Voice and TPM LiveWire

Rick Karlin / Capitol Confidential:

This just in: Gay marriage on tap in Senate — Senate Democrats have just put out a notice: yes they do plan to debate the same-sex marriage bill — passed again by the Assembly last night — today. — They will vote on the DRP, Tier V pension plan, public authority reform and marriage equality.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Christian Science Monitor and New York Times

Elizabeth Benjamin / The Daily Politics:
Gay Marriage Fails, 24-38

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog

Senate Blogger / nysenate.gov/blog:
Watch the Senate debate marriage equality

Discussion: the albany project, Open Left and Box Turtle Bulletin

Tiger Woods:

Tiger comments on current events — I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family.

Discussion: Silicon Alley Insider, The Market Ticker, Mashable!, The Moderate Voice, QandO, The Huffington Post and AmSpecBlog

Robin Givhan / Washington Post:

Rogers's unwanted new guest: Scrutiny — Social secretary's managerial style faces criticism in wake of her first state dinner — On the night of the Obamas' first state dinner, White House social secretary Desirée Rogers glided past the rope line of press and photographers at 6:53 p.m. …

Discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Swamp, The New Republic and The Caucus

Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
E-MAILS: Read Salahis' Exchange Over White House ‘Invitation’

Discussion: Politics Daily, TPM LiveWire and American Power

Chris Good / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
The Cantor Jobs Offensive

Discussion: The Hill, The Note, Hotline On Call and The Washington Independent

Brad / Think Progress:

Lou Dobbs Explodes: ‘Who The Hell Does This President Think He Is!?!’ — Birther Lou Dobbs and climate denier Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) are concerned that President Barack Obama is trying to turn America into a monarchy. Appearing on Dobbs' radio show on Tuesday, Inhofe argued President Obama …

Discussion: Media Decoder, TPM LiveWire, Wonk Room and The Atlantic Politics Channel

Scott McLemee / Inside Higher Ed:

Decline of the West — Ten years ago, in the final pages of a collection of his selected writings, Cornel West gave readers a look at the work he had in progress, or at least in mind, for the years ahead. One would be “a major treatment of African-American literature and modern Greek literature.”

Discussion: Ezra Klein and First Thoughts

Jason / The Tolbert Report:

HuckPAC Resignation — As I mentioned this morning, I resigned my position as Arkansas coordinator for HuckPAC today where I served in a volunteer capacity. My departure was with a heavy heart but was done after serious prayer and consideration. Some have asked about the timing.

Discussion: Human Events, Ben Smith's Blog and Washington Post

Peter Hamby / CNN:
HuckPAC coordinator steps down, citing clemency decision

Discussion: Gateway Pundit and Hot Air

Heather / Crooks and Liars:

Matthews on Obama's Speech at West Point: He ‘Went to Maybe the Enemy Camp Tonight’ — Chris Matthews with possibly the stupidest comment of the night after Obama's speech at West Point. A military installation is “the enemy camp” Chris? Unbelievable. … Matthews was already back tracking a bit later in the evening.

Jeff Poor / NewsBusters.org:
Matthews Calls West Point, Site of Obama Speech ‘The Enemy Camp,’ ‘Strange Venue’

Discussion: DaTechguy's Blog, Stop The ACLU, The Foundry, Outside The Beltway, Scared Monkeys, Left Coast Rebel, JammieWearingFool and NO QUARTER

Vidya Rao / msnbc.com:

‘Family Ties’ mom: ‘I am a lesbian’ — Meredith Baxter says she has been dating women for the past seven years — For seven years, actress Meredith Baxter has been hiding a secret. — Now Baxter, who played the devoted hippie mom constantly butting heads with her conservative kids on “Family Ties,” is making a public admission.

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay

John Koblin / New York Observer:

Watch Out, Times! Murdoch Plans $15 M. N.Y.C. Edition — “Good journalism is an expensive commodity,” said Rupert Murdoch at a Federal Trade Commission conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Dec. 1. — We'll say! — Mr. Murdoch is ready to roll out a budget of $15 million …

Discussion: City Room, Media Decoder, Gawker, Michael Calderone's Blog and Mediaite

ESPN:

Woods: ‘I have let my family down’ … Tiger Woods, charged with careless driving and fined $164 by Florida authorities on Tuesday and squarely in the crosshairs of the celebrity and tabloid media, issued a statement Wednesday apologizing for actions he did not specify.

Discussion: TalkLeft

Us Weekly:
VIDEO: Hear Tiger Panic to Mistress: “My Wife May Be Calling You”

Discussion: Associated Press, The Daily Beast and Times of London

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

THERE ARE 39 OTHER GOP SENATORS.... NBC News announced the line-up for this week's “Meet the Press.” Take a wild guess who'll be on. … I especially loved the “Exclusive!” with the exclamation point, as if this were a rare, special occurrence. — For those keeping score at home …

Discussion: msnbc.com

Ezra Klein:

If you give away the public option, what do you get? — Most of the energy in the Senate right now is being directed into a mad rush for compromise proposals on the public option. This reflects the sense that the right compromise on the public option is a compromised public option.

Discussion: TalkLeft and Hullabaloo

Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook Blog:

An Open Letter from Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg — It has been a great year for making the world more open and connected. Thanks to your help, more than 350 million people around the world are using Facebook to share their lives online. — To make this possible …

Discussion: Telegraph, Gawker, TechCrunch and The Palmetto Scoop

Mohamed Ahmed / Reuters:

Somali sea gangs lure investors at pirate lair — HARADHEERE, Somalia (Reuters) - In Somalia's main pirate lair of Haradheere, the sea gangs have set up a cooperative to fund their hijackings offshore, a sort of stock exchange meets criminal syndicate. — Heavily armed pirates …

Discussion: FP Passport and Winds of Change.NET

Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:

Despite His Promise To ‘Applaud’ If Obama Deployed 30K More Troops, Rove Bashes Him For Being ‘Weak’ — Yesterday morning, former Bush adviser Karl Rove went on NBC's Today Show and said that if President Obama decides to send 30,000-35,000 troops to Afghanistan, he would be “among the first to stand up and applaud.”