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House votes to impeach Blagojevich — Posted by Ray Long and Rick Pearson a 10:25 a.m.; last updated at 10:40 a.m.; (for the live blog, scroll down) — SPRINGFIELD—In a historic vote, the Illinois House has impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, directing the Senate to put the state's 40th chief executive …
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Change in Burris' story? — SPRINGFIELD — A potentially troublesome new detail emerged about Roland Burris' controversial U.S. Senate appointment Thursday after a state House panel voted unanimously to recommend Gov. Blagojevich be impeached. — For the first time, Burris indicated …

House impeaches Blagojevich — SPRINGFIELD—In a historic vote, the Illinois House has impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, directing the Senate to put the state's 40th chief executive on trial with the goal of removing him from office. — The vote by the House was 114-1 with one member voting “present.”

Illinois House impeaches Gov. Rod Blagojevich
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway

The Obama Gap — “I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible. If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years.” — So declared President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday, explaining why the nation needs …
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O-bummer — Congressional Democrats are firing a surprising number of unexpectedly sharp brush-back pitches at President-elect Obama and his staff over policy plans and personnel picks, making him look embattled during what was to be a triumphant debut week in Washington.

It's Time To Play Oddsmaker — CHANCES Sen. Barack Obama's stimulus package is sent to the Whte House by February 16, the day Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set as a goal for Congressional passage. 60% All the posturing headlines today notwithstanding, momentum, the politics, the urgency and public opinion are on Obama's side.


Pelosi Urges Obama to Raise Taxes on Wealthy This Year — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is urging the incoming Obama administration to stick to its campaign pledge and immediately increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans, a position that President-elect Barack Obama has wavered on since winning election.


Unemployment Hits 7.2%, a 16-Year High — With the recession in full swing, the nation's employers shed 524,000 jobs in December, the government reported Friday, and a rapidly deteriorating economy promised more big losses in the months ahead. December's job losses brought the total for 2008 …
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Jobless Rate Surges to 7.2% in December
Discussion:
Real Time Economics, USA Today, Think Progress, Comments from Left Field and European Tribune

Not Doing Enough — Why I worry that Obama doesn't realize just how bad things are. — Does Barack Obama understand the seriousness of the economic crisis? Yesterday, he laid out his economic agenda, and it was filled with all sorts of important exhortations and proscriptions.
Discussion:
Kevin Drum, Sadly, No!, Obsidian Wings, Talking Points Memo, The Washington Independent and AMERICAblog News
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POLL: Coleman should concede — An exclusive Survey USA poll shows nearly half of Minnesotans surveyed say its time for Republican Norm Coleman to concede the U.S. Senate race to Democrat Al Franken. — But the survey does not hold good news for Franken either.


Who's afraid of Joe the Journalist? — My syndicated column today looks at the MSM sneering over Joe Wurzelbacher's trip to Israel sponsored by PJTV, recounts how The Fraternal Order of the Professional Journalist has squandered its own credibility, and exposes how liberal media elites …
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit
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Blackburn says foreclosure notice on Brentwood home bank's mistake — A foreclosure notice published Thursday on 7th District Congressman Marsha Blackburn's Murray Lane home in Brentwood was the result of her bank's failure to make automatic payments to Countrywide Home Loans, according to her staff.
Discussion:
Anne Schroeder's Blogs

Endgame in Gaza — Israel's leaders have purposely obscured their war aims in Gaza. But there are only two possible endgames: (A) a Lebanon-like cessation of hostilities to be supervised by international observers, or (B) the disintegration of Hamas rule in Gaza.


Mere Presidents — American leaders are mortal, not magical. — He didn't seem distracted, like he was thinking about lunch, and he didn't seem to be deflecting responsibility, but taking it. This was a relief, and rather unusual in a Washington politician, or pretty much any politician.
Discussion:
The Debatable Land

The Confidence Surplus — Christina Romer is Barack Obama's choice to lead his Council of Economic Advisers. In 1994, Romer and her husband, David, wrote an essay entitled “What Ends Recessions?” In the first paragraph, the Romers noted that “economists seem strangely unsure …


Online, Sarah Palin Has Unkind Words for the Press — Sarah Palin, still smarting over coverage of her vice presidential run, calls the media's reporting on her family “very scary” and says there may be “a class issue” that explains the more sympathetic treatment of Caroline Kennedy.

Mitch McConnell Lost His Testicles and Now Infects the Senate GOP With a Cancer — Allow me to be blunt: — There are some of you who have fallen under McConnell's spell in the same way the lefties have fallen under Obama's spell. McConnell can do no wrong.

Jan. 1 Attack By CIA Killed Two Leaders Of Al-Qaeda — A New Year's Day CIA strike in northern Pakistan killed two top al-Qaeda members long sought by the United States, including the man believed to be behind September's deadly suicide bombing at a Marriott hotel in the Pakistani capital …
Discussion:
The New Republic, Weekly Standard, New York Times, Townhall.com, The Corner, The Long War Journal and The Atlanticist


A Difficult Road Awaits Panetta at the C.I.A. — WASHINGTON — As every previous director could attest, succeeding at the helm at the Central Intelligence Agency requires an uneasy balance: being firm enough to impose a White House agenda without inciting a revolt, while winning allegiance …
Discussion:
The Washington Independent, USA Today, American Spectator, ATTACKERMAN, Taylor Marsh, TIME.com and SpyTalk