memeorandum: The Myth of Fingerprints — One false claim making the rounds … (Ramesh Ponnuru/National Review)

8:55 PM ET, December 22, 2012

Top Items:

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

News Analysis: Still Bitter About Election, Republican Opposition Unwilling to Compromise with President — WASHINGTON — If Friday's memorial service for one of this country's long-serving senators was a somber recollection of a bipartisan era that once was, the rest of the day was a frenetic reminder …

Discussion: Angry Bear, The Moderate Voice, Balkinization, The PJ Tatler, No More Mister Nice Blog and Washington Post

Matthew Boyle / BREITBART.COM:

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CIRCULATE PLAN TO OUST BOEHNER FROM SPEAKERSHIP — Several conservative House Republican members are contemplating a plan to unseat Speaker John Boehner from his position on January 3, Breitbart News has exclusively learned. Staffers have compiled a detailed action plan that, if executed, could make this a reality.

Discussion: Slate, BuzzFeed, The Political Carnival, protein wisdom, Doug Ross, Conservatives4Palin, The Gateway Pundit and The Hill

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Enough! — Between the humiliating and chaotic collapse of Speaker Boehner's already ludicrously extreme Plan B and Wayne La Pierre's deranged proposal to put government agents in schools with guns, the Republican slide into total epistemic closure and political marginalization has now become a free-fall.

Discussion: Liberal Values and Mario Piperni dot Com

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:

Tax fight sends GOP into chaos — Video: Speaker of the House John Boehner says a tax bill did not advance to a vote in the House because it lacked votes. But he says Republicans still want to negotiate a deal avoiding a big tax hike in 2013 and wants President Obama to get serious.

Discussion: Prairie Weather, American Power, First Read, Hullabaloo, The Daily Dish and Right Wing News

Suzy Khimm / Wonkblog:
The incredible shrinking stimulus

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Politico

Rasmussen Reports:
Boehner Is Now Less Popular Than Pelosi

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes' and Mediaite

Politico:
Hill GOP cool to Obama overtures

Discussion: CNN

Wall Street Journal:

How ‘Cliff’ Talks Hit the Wall — Behind Scenes, Boehner Failed to Sell Republicans on Taxes, While Obama's Spending Plans Rankled — WASHINGTON—Congressional leaders and President Barack Obama called Friday for a return to negotiations to avert the so-called fiscal cliff …

Discussion: The Political Carnival, Paul Krugman, Weasel Zippers, Business Insider, Wonkblog, Addicting Info, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Examiner, Power Line and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Lee Enterprises / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Talk radio host Dana Loesch files suit in St. Louis against Breitbart.com — • By Robert Patrick rpatrick@post-dispatch.com 314-621-5154 — ST. LOUIS • Conservative talk radio host and commentator Dana Loesch sued the owner of the conservative website Breitbart.com Friday …

Discussion: Mediaite, Little Green Footballs, The Raw Story, The Other McCain, Roger Ailes, The Hinterland Gazette, 24Ahead, Politico and American Power

BuzzFeed:
Breitbart.com Star Dana Loesch Sues Site

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative and The Other McCain

David Martosko / The Daily Caller:
Former ‘BigJournalism.com’ star sues Breitbart empire for $75k, demands release from contract

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

Obama Uses Funeral Service to Talk About Himself — President Barack Obama used the funeral for Hawaii senator Daniel Inouye to talk about himself. In the short 1,600 word speech, Obama used the word “my” 21 times, “me” 12 times, and “I” 30 times. — Obama's speech discussed how Inouye had gotten him interested in politics.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, protein wisdom and The Lonely Conservative

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Obama to attend Inouye funeral in Hawaii

Discussion: CNN

Ramesh Ponnuru / National Review:

The Myth of Fingerprints — One false claim making the rounds about the House Republicans who defeated John Boehner's “Plan B” last night is that they don't understand that higher taxes are inevitable. A lot of them understand that point perfectly well. Some of them have been privately advising …

Discussion: The Impolitic, Questions and Observations and Booman Tribune

New York Times:

The N.R.A. Crawls From Its Hidey Hole — Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, would have been better advised to remain wherever he had been hiding after the Newtown, Conn., massacre, rather than appear at a news conference on Friday.

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette, JustOneMinute, Daily Kos, Guardian, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, The Agonist, The BRAD BLOG, IHT Rendezvous, The Plum Line, Mashable! and Outside the Beltway

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Michael Steele: NRA Press Conference ‘Very Haunting And Very Disturbing’ (VIDEO) — Former Republican National Committee chairman and MSNBC commentator Michael Steele on Friday said he found the press conference led by National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre “very haunting and very disturbing.”

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Annys Shin / Washington Post:

D.C. house inspires 168 bids in red-hot real estate market — It didn't look like a house anyone would pay $400,000 extra for. — Several walls inside the gray townhouse with blue trim were streaked with water stains. The first floor was noticeably uneven. And termites had dined in front.

Discussion: AEIdeas and Weekly Standard

Agoldberg / The Smoking Gun:

Formal Reprimand Issued To Flatulent Federal Worker — Man's gas blamed for creating “intolerable” workplace — A federal employee was formally reprimanded this month for excessive workplace flatulence, a sanction that was delivered to him in a five-page letter that actually included a log …

Discussion: NO QUARTER USA NET