memeorandum: Peoria traffic checkpoint stirs inquiry, ire (Arizona Republic)

12:00 PM ET, February 13, 2013

Top Items:

Katie Glueck / Politico:

Marco Rubio's drinking problem — Twitter exploded during Sen. Marco Rubio's Republican response to the State of the Union, as the Florida senator appeared a little sweaty and dry-mouthed at mid-speech, taking an awkward swig from a bottle of water that had been placed off-camera.

Discussion: First Read, Associated Press, CBS News, NBC Latino, The Raw Story, NewsHounds blog and Hot Air

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

Everyone On Twitter Made The Exact Same Joke About Marco Rubio's Water Break — The fall of western civilization is complete.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Kevin Cirilli / Politico:

Marco Rubio: ‘I needed water’ — Even the Republican savior gets thirsty. — Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) joked Wednesday about his abrupt, awkward water-break during his delivery of the GOP rebuttal to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday — by doing the same thing again, and then again.

Discussion: Althouse

Jonathan Martin / Politico:

Marco Rubio as the anti-Mitt Romney — His desperate need for a drink of water created the immediate headline, but Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) much-anticipated speech Tuesday night had a very serious intent: it was as much an exercise in erasing Mitt Romney's legacy on the Republican Party …

Discussion: Washington Post, Bloomberg, The Maddow Blog, Hot Air, The Week and Reuters

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Rubio jokes: ‘I needed water’ while delivering Republican response

Discussion: Politico

ABCNEWS:
Transcript: Marco Rubio's Republican Response

Discussion: The Shark Tank, Crooks and Liars, Politico, BuzzFeed, Twitchy and The PJ Tatler

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Roy Blunt says Republicans have votes to delay Chuck Hagel nomination — Sen. Roy Blunt signaled Wednesday that there may be enough votes in the Senate to delay debate on the nomination of Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon. — Blunt (R-Mo.) said he believed there were 40 votes in the Senate that indicated …

Discussion: Israel Matzav and Weekly Standard

Ginger Gibson / Politico:

John McCain might delay Chuck Hagel vote — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is backing away from his no-filibuster stance on the nomination of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary. — After saying just days ago that Senate Republicans shouldn't filibuster Hagel's nod, McCain now says he hasn't made up his mind …

Discussion: National Review

Politico:
John Boehner's Senate-first strategy

Discussion: Daily Kos and CNN

First Read / NBCNews.com:
Obama punctuates laundry list with plea on gun violence

Discussion: NBCNews.com, New York Times and First Read

Politico:

President Barack Obama State of the Union 2013 speech (full text) — President Barack Obama's speech for the 2013 State of the Union address, as prepared for delivery and provided by the White House. — Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Sunlight Foundation Blog, blogs.edweek.org, Firedoglake, Washington Post, New York Times, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, americanthinker.com, Connecting.the.Dots, Right Wing News, CNN and The Reaction

Washington Post:

State of the Union 2013: President Obama's address to Congress (Transcript) — Here is a full transcript of President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address as delivered. — PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. Please, everybody, have a seat. — Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress …

Discussion: Hot Air, The Fix, News Desk and The Daily Caller

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:

CNN Poll: 53% who watched speech give president thumbs up — Washington (CNN) - A majority of Americans who watched President Barack Obama's State of the Union address said they had a very positive reaction to his speech, according to a survey of people across the country who viewed Tuesday night's address.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Hill, USA Today, Taegan Goddard's …, ABCNEWS and The Week

CNN:

First on CNN: NRA charges Obama's efforts will lead to gun confiscation — Washington (CNN) - The National Rifle Association will assert that President Barack Obama's attempt to enact new gun control laws will result in the “confiscation” of people's firearms in a new web video scheduled …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The PJ Tatler, The Hill, Reuters and alan.com

Richard W. Stevenson / New York Times:
News Analysis: Obama Makes Case for Government in State of Union Address

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, National Review, No More Mister Nice Blog and Naked Politics

Jamelle Bouie / American Prospect:

The President's Dream State — President Obama at last night's State of the Union address — By any measure, President Obama's first term was consequential. In four years, he signed an $800 billion stimulus program into law, laid the foundation for universal health insurance …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Wonkblog, New York Times, The Plum Line, Booman Tribune, The Fix, Democratic Strategist, Politico and naked capitalism

Steve Kornacki / Salon:
The gun control president

Discussion: The Plum Line

Glenn Thrush / Politico:
President Obama goes old-time Democrat in State of the Union

Discussion: News Desk, Slate and NewsBusters blogs

rubio.senate.gov:

Statement on my Vote Against the Violence Against Women Act — I believe we should have re-authorized the existing Violence Against Women Act that has helped reduce the annual incidence of domestic violence by more than 50 percent, among other successes. I also continue supporting the work …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ACS Blog, msnbc.com, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, his vorpal sword, Post on Politics, Politico and The Buzz Florida Politics Feed

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Marco Rubio opposes Violence Against Women Act

Discussion: Mediaite and Twitchy

Lauren / CBS Los Angeles:

Officials: Christopher Dorner May Be Dead Following Deadly Standoff — SEVEN OAKS (CBSLA.com) — LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith says that despite earlier reports, Christopher Dorner's body has not been recovered from a burned out cabin where he was reportedly holed up during a deadly shootout with authorities earlier today.

Discussion: Infowars, KTLA 5, Gawker, CNN, Twitchy, Associated Press, This Just In, Scared Monkeys, L.A. NOW, CBS News, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, The Right Scoop, Michelle Malkin and LAist

NBC Southern California:
Charred Human Remains Found in Rubble of Burned-Out Cabin

Discussion: The Other McCain, Associated Press, Fox News, NBCNews.com, L.A. NOW, CANNONFIRE, Crime and Consequences Blog, Crooks and Liars, Da Tech Guy's Blog, The Lonely Conservative, The Moderate Voice, Infowars and TMZ.com

New York Times:

Challenged for His Seat at 89, a Senator Does Not Go Gentle — WASHINGTON — As he approached his 89th birthday this year, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey was finally considering retirement, an option he had tried a decade earlier and hated so much that he jumped at the chance to return to political life.

Discussion: Ballot Box, Althouse, First Read, Taegan Goddard's … and Roll Call

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

The Rap on Rubio — Not long ago, scrolling for a movie, I saw that “Notorious” was on. — How can you resist Cary Grant as an American spy in Rio recruiting Ingrid Bergman to seduce and betray a Nazi played by Claude Rains? — But it turned out to be a very different “Notorious,” …

Discussion: msnbc.com

Sally Goldenberg / New York Post:

Gropez even ‘ogled’ a child: Accusation he made creepy comments on 14-year-old intern — There's a creepy new accusation in the sexual-harassment probe of Assemblyman Vito Lopez — that he even leered at a 14-year-old intern and made comments about her sexy attire, sources told the The Post.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Jammie Wearing Fools and Politicker