memeorandum: Defense Secretary Gates: Progress in Afghan war has ‘exceeded my expectations’ (Craig Whitlock/Washington Post)

11:25 PM ET, December 8, 2010

Top Items:

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Collins Hands Reid A Final Offer On Don't Ask, Don't Tell — Here's what Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that she needs to support a full Senate debate on the defense authorization bill (the vehicle for Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal): 15 guaranteed votes on amendments …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Sky Dancing, The Daily Dish, Zandar Versus The Stupid, National Review and Arkansas Blog

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Lisa Murkowski supports repeal of DADT — GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski has decided to support repeal of don't ask don't tell, her spokesman tells me, potentially adding another crucial GOP vote to the Yes column and putting 60 votes within reach. — “Her vote will depend on how free and open …

Discussion: Wonk Room, TPMDC, Prop 8 Trial Tracker, Raw Story and AMERICAblog Gay

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

In blow to DADT repeal, talks with Senator Collins hit wall — Senior Senate Democratic aides are in a panic this morning about the prospects for repeal of don't ask don't tell, because talks with Senator Susan Collins over her procedural demands have hit a wall, with the Democratic leadership dismissing …

Discussion: Wonk Room, Towleroad News #gay, Ben Smith's Blog, AMERICAblog Gay, U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, Hot Air, Wonkette, Open Congress, Outside the Beltway, The Politico, msnbc.com and The Daily Dish

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Lieberman To Reid On DADT: Back Off, I Got This — Senate Democrats are on the precipice of getting a Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal past a key procedural hurdle tonight. But key negotiators have grown frustrated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his staff for upping the pressure at a fragile moment …

Discussion: msnbc.com, AMERICAblog Gay, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, South Capitol Street and Taylor Marsh

Jen DiMascio / The Politico:
Jon Kyl: No time left for START

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Hill, Eunomia, The Caucus and Wonk Room

The Politico:
'Don't ask' repeal gains steam

Discussion: AMERICAblog Gay

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
White House says Democrats partly to blame for tax-cut deal with GOP

Discussion: The Politico, Daily Kos, CNN and Weasel Zippers

Jonathan Capehart / PostPartisan:
Susan Collins: Let's make a deal on don't ask, don't tell [Updated]

Discussion: AMERICAblog Gay, Wonk Room, Talking Points Memo, TPMDC and Towleroad News #gay

Ed O'Keefe / Federal Eye:
Senate procedural vote on 'don't ask, don't tell' postponed

Discussion: RHRealityCheck.org and The Daily Dish

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
COLLINS POSITIONED TO KILL DADT REPEAL.... We talked earlier …

Discussion: TPMDC, NationalJournal.com, Balloon Juice and Daily Kos

Karoun Demirjian / Las Vegas Sun Blogs:
Reid's office: Legalizing online poker still on lame-duck agenda

Discussion: Washington Wire, Hot Air, South Capitol Street and The Politico

Political Punch:

Exclusive: Sarah Palin Under Cyber-Attack from Wikileaks Supporters in 'Operation Payback'* — The website and personal credit card information of former Gov. Sarah Palin were cyber-attacked today by Wikileaks supporters, the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate tells ABC News in an email.

Cubachi:

WikiLeaks and their supporters: We were for free speech, before we were against it — WikiLeaks was painted among many in the media, some libertarians, and the liberal establishment as the poor souls who are fighting against CIA and American intelligensia. — WikiLeaks claims …

Discussion: Liberty Pundits Blog, Washington Post and Raw Story

New York Times:

Hackers Attack Those Seen as WikiLeaks Enemies — LONDON — In a campaign that had some declaring the start of a “cyber war,” hundreds of Internet activists mounted retaliatory attacks on Wednesday on the Web sites of multinational companies and other organizations they deemed hostile …

Discussion: Guardian, Clusterstock, The Lede, Crikey, Raw Story, Online NewsHour, GigaOM, The Firewall, Gizmodo, BBC and Gawker, more at Techmeme »

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
U.S. Prosecutors Study WikiLeaks Prosecution

Discussion: Firedoglake, Clusterstock, BBC, The Independent, Gawker, TechCrunch, CNET News, Commentary, Salon, The Nation, Opinionator and Guardian

Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:

Dominoes — There was something strange to me about the GOP reaction yesterday to the tax cut news. Or at least something unexpected. I hadn't made clear sense of it until I got this news late last night, but all day yesterday I couldn't shake the feeling that the whole didn't add up.

Discussion: TPMDC, Crooks and Liars and Guardian

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Americans Support Two Major Elements of Tax Compromise — Liberal vs. Moderate/Conservative Democrats disagree on extending tax cuts for all — PRINCETON, NJ — Two major elements included in the tax agreement reached Monday between President Barack Obama and Republican leaders in Congress meet with broad public support.

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:
White House: Failure to Pass Tax Cut Compromise Bill Would …

Discussion: Firedoglake

Tim Fernholz / American Prospect:
Four Ways To Make The Tax Deal Better.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The New Republic

David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Answering the Charge of “What's Plan B” for Tax Cut Deal

Discussion: Washington Monthly, White House.gov Blog Feed, The Hill, Daily Kos, ThinkProgress, Washington Post and Suburban Guerrilla

Megan Carpentier / TPMDC:
Maddow And Olbermann Slam Obama's Tax Cut Compromise (VIDEO)

Discussion: The Other McCain, The Powers That Be, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Indecision Forever, The Gateway Pundit, msnbc.com and The Hill

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
How Do You Compromise With Stalin? — Brian Beutler explains the Republicans' dilemma:

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Eunomia, Washington Monthly, Clusterstock and Zandar Versus The Stupid

Nimda / The Nader Page:
Letter to President Obama On Extending Bush Tax Cuts

Discussion: The Hill, The Nation and Weasel Zippers

Aaron Sorkin / The Huffington Post:

In Her Defense, I'm Sure the Moose Had it Coming — What's Your Reaction: — “Unless you've never worn leather shoes, sat upon a leather chair or eaten meat, save your condemnation.” — You're right, Sarah, we'll all just go f**k ourselves now. — The snotty quote was posted by Sarah Palin on …

Discussion: Big Hollywood, Crikey, WSJ Blogs - WSJ, Guardian, Moonbattery, Confederate Yankee, NewsBusters.org, The Note, Philly.com, Outside the Beltway, Riehl World View, The Moderate Voice, National Review, iOwnTheWorld.com, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Palin's Republican Problem — It's well documented that Sarah Palin has problems with Democrats and independents, but the first seven states where we've looked at the 2012 Presidential election make it clear that she has a Republican problem as well. — It's not that Republicans …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, South Capitol Street and National Review

Cubachi:
Ridiculous: ADN asks whether Palin actually knows how to use a gun

Discussion: Liberty Pundits Blog

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Pass the Caribou Stew

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Right Turn, Confederate Yankee, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Althouse

Michael Barbaro / New York Times:

On Economy, Bloomberg Says Washington Is Failing — Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unleashed a withering critique on Wednesday of how Congress and the White House have managed the economic recovery, saying Democrats and Republicans had abdicated responsibility in favor of partisan bickering …

Discussion: American Prospect, Hot Air, Politics Daily, Althouse and South Capitol Street

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:

Michael Bloomberg: I'm Not Running for President. Period. — New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg - who is often discussed as a potential third party candidate for the presidency in 2012 - told CBS News' Katie Couric Wednesday there is “nothing” that would compel him to enter the coming presidential race.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Bloomberg, in major speech, offers ‘a middle way’

Discussion: Firedoglake, Salon, South Capitol Street, msnbc.com and NYC.gov

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
N.Y. Mayor Bloomberg attacks Washington, stokes the center

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

Carlos Lozano / L.A. NOW:

House of Representatives narrowly approves DREAM Act; Senate must now vote on immigration bill — In a last-ditch showdown on immigration relief for illegal migrants, the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly approved the so-called DREAM Act that would offer …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Janet Murguía / Congress Blog:
The DREAM Act: A watershed vote Latinos will not forget

Discussion: Yglesias, The Politico, Off the Kuff and Daily Kos

Michael Muskal / Los Angeles Times:
Congress takes up DREAM Act

Discussion: msnbc.com, Michelle Malkin, Swampland and Pirate's Cove

Roberto G. Gonzales / The Huffington Post:
We Can Not Afford Not to Pass the DREAM Act: A Plea from Immigration Scholars

Discussion: ImmigrationProf Blog

Discovery Channel:

MythBusters: Visit to the White House — President Barack Obama records an episode of the Discovery Channel's television show MythBusters with co-hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage in the Library of the White House, July 27, 2010. — The president will be featured in the Dec. 8 episode …

Discussion: Balloon Juice and The Moderate Voice

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:
Loose Change — Inside a shaken White House.

Discussion: The Angle, National Review and The Daily Dish

David Brown / Yahoo! Sports:

Answer Man: Luke Scott talks Nugent, hunting and Obama origin — stopped by baseball's winter meetings Tuesday and, after some harmless chatter about his team's offseason dealings, stated with conviction that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. — Oh, yes, he did.

Discussion: Top of the Ticket and iOwnTheWorld.com

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

The crux of the WikiLeaks debate — (updated below - Update II - Update III) — WNYC's Brian Lehrer has spent the last week hosting one WikiLeaks critic after the next on his program, and it seems rather clear that he, too, is a fairly emphatic critic of the group and its founder, Julian Assange.

Discussion: War in Context, Scripting News, Yahoo! News, The Politico and Crikey

Ezra Klein:

Mark Zandi on the tax cut deal — I called Moody's chief economist Mark Zandi this morning to see what he thought of the tax cut deal. When it comes to stimulus, Zandi's figures are probably the most influential in the country, and I've cited them several times before on this blog. So what does he think?

Discussion: Firedoglake