memeorandum: Pa. seat is latest Democratic worry (Josh Kraushaar/The Politico)

10:10 AM ET, February 9, 2010

Top Items:

Gibbs Responds to Boehner, Cantor — White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs just responded to a letter sent today from House Republican Leader John Boehner and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor regarding the proposed bipartisan health care summit: — The President is adamant that we seize …

Discussion: NPR, QandO, The Huffington Post, AMERICAblog News, The Hill, Taylor Marsh, Townhall.com, The Page, The Political Carnival and Washington Post

Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:

Top House Republicans throw cold water on health-care summit — 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.

Discussion: The Fix, Washington Times, The Strata-Sphere, Wonk Room, Ta-Nehisi Coates, GayPatriot, PERRspectives, Prairie Weather, Ezra Klein, Cup o' Joel, Progressive Fix, AmSpecBlog and Wonkette

Republican Leader John Boehner:

Boehner, Cantor Question White House on Proposed Health Care Summit — GOP Leaders: “Assuming the President is sincere about moving forward on health care in a bipartisan way, does that mean he will agree to start over so that we can develop a bill that is truly worthy of the support and confidence of the American people?”

Discussion: Ezra Klein, PostPartisan, New York Magazine, Firedoglake, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Real Clear Politics, Hotline On Call, Hot Air, Althouse, Gateway Pundit and Michelle Malkin

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

WILLING TO TALK — WITH PRECONDITIONS.... When President Obama announced on Sunday that he would host bipartisan talks on health care reform in two weeks, he offered congressional Republicans something of an opportunity. If the GOP wanted a chance to make a substantive contribution to the debate …

Discussion: The Mahablog and Democracy in America

New York Times:

On Health Bill, G.O.P.'s Road Is a New Map — WASHINGTON — When Republicans take President Obama up on his invitation to hash out their differences over health care this month, they will carry with them a fairly well-developed set of ideas intended to make health insurance more widely available …

Discussion: The Note, The Politico, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Reality-Based Community, Prescriptions, Kaiser Health News and Ezra Klein

John Brennan / USA Today:

Opposing view: ‘We need no lectures’ — Administration disrupts terrorists' plots, takes fight to them abroad. — 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.

Discussion: Power Line, Political Punch, Hot Air, Don Surber, Taylor Marsh, The Washington Independent, Emptywheel and New York Times

Wall Street Journal:

Bush Was Right, Says Obama — 'We're not handling any of these cases any different from the Bush administration.' — This weekend, Americans were treated to something new: Barack Obama defending his war policies by suggesting they merely continue his predecessor's practices.

Discussion: Commentary and Betsy's Page

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
White House: People who criticize us are helping al Qaeda

Discussion: National Review, Real Clear Politics and POWIP

Washington Wire:

Fight Shapes Up for Murtha's Seat — Democrats are mourning the personal loss of their colleague Rep. John Murtha, but his death today at age 77 is doubly troubling for the party that will have to defend his seat in an upcoming special election. — Immediately following the news of his death …

Discussion: The Other McCain

Washington Post:
Rep. John Murtha dies at 77

Josh Kraushaar / The Politico:
Pa. seat is latest Democratic worry

Discussion: Politics Daily, New York Times and The Caucus

David Stout / New York Times:
Representative John P. Murtha Dies at 77; Ex-Marine Was Iraq War Critic

Discussion: The Hill and News Desk

Philip Klein / AmSpecBlog:
How Murtha's Death Could Make It Harder to Pass a Health Care Bill

Discussion: The Cook Political Report, iOwnTheWorld.com, RedState, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, MyDD, American Power and The Corner on National …

Mark Memmott / NPR Blogs:

‘Miss Me Yet?’ Billboard With Photo Of Bush Is Real; Not An Internet Trick — Internet chatter had led to speculation that it might be an urban myth — nothing more than clever digital trickery spreading via the Web. — But our friend Bob Collins at Minnesota Public Radio assures us he's seen it with his own eyes:

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Another Black Conservative, Ruby Slippers, Power Line, The Lonely Conservative, Scared Monkeys, The American Conservative, Confederate Yankee, No Sheeples Here, Joe. My. God., THE BIG FEED and Left Coast Rebel

Bob Collins / Minnesota Public Radio:
The mystery billboard — It was late at night and I wasn't sure …

Discussion: Althouse, NewsReal Blog, RedState and The TrogloPundit

Martina Stewart / CNN:

McCain's daughter questions Tea Party movement — (CNN) - Sen. John McCain's daughter called into question the political stature of the Tea Party movement Monday and sharply criticized a former congressman for his controversial comments at a recent major gathering of these conservative activists.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
McCain, Facing G.O.P. Foe in Primary, Tilts to the Right

Discussion: The Caucus

Andy Barr / The Politico:
S.C. GOP unites with tea party

Discussion: Associated Press, The Washington Independent, Right Wing Watch and Ben Smith's Blog

Jacob Gershman / Wall Street Journal:

Paterson to Announce Campaign for Governor — Amid churning doubts over his political future, New York Gov. David Paterson has told one of his closest advisers that he will officially announce his campaign for governor next week. — William Lynch, a Harlem lobbyist and political aide …

Discussion: msnbc.com, The washington times Blogs and NPR Blogs

New York Post:
Furious gov: I've been sexploited — Blasts tales of affairs & drugs

Discussion: Gothamist, Gawker, msnbc.com and JammieWearingFool

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:
Times Paterson ‘Exposé’ Will Be ‘PG-13, Not XXX’

Discussion: Michael Calderone's Blog, Mediaite, Gawker, New York Post, Gothamist, Runnin' Scared, The Daily Politics, Another Black Conservative, Associated Press, The Lonely Conservative, Examiner, Wonkette, The washington times Blogs, Capitol Confidential, Ben Smith's Blog and Riehl World View

The Huffington Post:

Ben Nelson To Filibuster Key Obama Labor Nominee — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — In a move that will further irritate his Democratic critics, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) announced on Monday evening that he would not just oppose but also help filibuster President Barack Obama's nominee to a key labor relations agency

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Ben Nelson …, Firedoglake and The BLT

Tony Romm / The Hill:
Nelson to oppose Becker for NLRB spot

Discussion: The Politico, Associated Press, Commentary, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Michelle Malkin, Townhall.com and Daily Kos

John Tierney / New York Times:

Will You Be E-Mailing This Column? It's Awesome — Sociologists have developed elaborate theories of who spreads gossip and news — who tells whom, who matters most in social networks — but they've had less success measuring what kind of information travels fastest. Do people prefer to spread good news or bad news?

Discussion: Gawker, Romenesko and E&P In Exile

Louise Radnofsky / Washington Wire:

NOAA: Blizzard Rearranges Climate Change Announcement — As D.C. continued to dig out from Snowmageddon and is keeping an eye on another storm system, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was busy making a climate change announcement. — NOAA, part of the Department of Commerce …

Discussion: Don Surber, Fausta's Blog, Betsy's Page, The Lonely Conservative and THE BIG FEED

The Note:

Palin Favorite Paul Ryan Rules Out 2012 Run for President — ABC News' Teddy Davis reports: — Rep. Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who has recently been under attack by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and lavished with praise by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), is ruling out a 2012 run for president.

Discussion: Real Clear Politics

Shailagh Murray / Washington Post:

Shelby releases holds on Obama nominees — Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) has released his controversial “holds” on more than 70 pending presidential nominations, his office said Monday night. — Senators, usually from the minority party, often use the legislative tactic …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Think Progress, The Caucus, Emptywheel, The Political Carnival, MyDD and Left In Alabama

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

Pamela Geller Destroys Ron Reagan Jr. on Joy Behar Show (Video) — The great Pamela Geller from Atlas Shrugs destroyed Ron Reagan Jr., Joy Behar and her other hateful liberal guest on the Behar Show last night. Geller gave Ron Jr. the spanking he never had, but needed.

Discussion: JammieWearingFool, Examiner, theblogprof and Atlas Shrugs

St. Petersburg Times:

Secret contract, lavish spending push Republican Party of Florida to crisis — 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 …

Discussion: Riehl World View

Jim Treacher / The DC Trawler:

Your 2/9/10 Treacher update — Right after I posted that yesterday, a couple of nice medical students came in and changed the dressing on my leg. I finally got to see the aftermath, and at this point I think I'm too freaked out to really be upset by it. The knee is pretty swollen …

Discussion: Jules Crittenden