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Republicans, Let's Play Grown-Up — Sotomayor's hearings are an opportunity for serious debate. — Printer — Friendly — “Let's play grown-up.” When I was a child, that's what we said when we ran out of things to do like playing potsie or throwing rocks in the vacant lot.
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Top Republican calls Limbaugh, Gingrich comments ‘terrible’ — (CNN) — A top Senate Republican is taking aim at recent statements from conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich suggesting Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a “racist.”


G. Gordon Liddy On Sotomayor: 'Let's Hope That The Key Conferences Aren't When She's Menstruating' — Yesterday on his radio show, conservative host G. Gordon Liddy continued the right wing's all-out assault on Judge Sonia Sotomayor. First, just like Tom Tancredo, Liddy slammed Sotomayor's affiliation …
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, TPMDC, Salon, Washington Monthly, Raw Story, .. … and DownWithTyranny!

Steele: GOP Needs To Stop “Slammin' And Rammin'” On Sotomayor — RNC chair Michael Steele, guest-hosting on Bill Bennett's radio show early this morning, repeatedly distanced himself from Republicans and conservatives who have been harshly attacking Sonia Sotomayor, saying the assault risked damaging the party.
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The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, Think Progress, Wonkette, Blue Gal, Ben Smith's Blog, TPMDC and CNN

The Empathy Issue — The American legal system is based on a useful falsehood. It's based on the falsehood that this is a nation of laws, not men; that in rendering decisions, disembodied, objective judges are able to put aside emotion and unruly passion and issue opinions on the basis of pure reason.

A Republican Response to Sonia Sotomayor: Criticize, Then Confirm — Sonia Sotomayor has a classic American story. So does Frank Ricci. — Ricci is a New Haven firefighter stationed seven blocks from where Sotomayor went to law school (Yale). Raised in blue-collar Wallingford, Conn. …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, American Prospect, Commentary, The Plank, The Daily Dish, New York Post, Bench Memos and Law Blog

Political Insiders Poll — Q: Would it be politically smart for Republicans to try to block the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor? — Democrats (92 votes) — Yes 8% No 89% Depends 3% — Yes — “It's their only way to appear relevant.

On the NRSC Endorsement — Thanks very much to Sen. Cornyn for his willingness to reach out to us on this issue. — Erick — Two and a half years ago, the Republican Party suffered a major blow in the 2006 midterm elections as the Democrats regained control of Congress and began laying …


Sotomayor's Sharp Tongue Raises Issue of Temperament
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Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, Think Progress, Washington Times, Feministe, USA Today, PERRspectives, The Politico, CNN, The Stimulist, The Caucus, PoliGazette, Althouse, ALIPAC Fighting …, ImmigrationProf Blog, Los Angeles Times, Shakesville, Christy Hardin Smith, Bench Memos, Talking Points Memo, Sisyphus Shrugged, Commentary, Connecting.the.Dots, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Election Law, Taylor Marsh, TPMDC and Macsmind

Sotomayors' Critics Could Use a Little Self-Analysis Too
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The Debate Link

Impartiality and Empathy — Michael Gerson unwittingly reveals …
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The American Scene

False excuses for anonymity and irrationality on affirmative action
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TalkLeft


Did Erich ‘Mancow’ Muller Fake His Waterboarding for Publicity? — Yesterday we showed you video of Erich “Mancow” Muller, a Chicago-based right-wing shockjock, appearing as a guest on Keith Olbermann's show to discuss his being waterboarded. He claimed it led to an ideological conversion!
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, Don Surber, Wizbang, Right Wing News, Raw Story, PoliGazette and Wonkette

Netanyahu: “What the hell do they want from me?” — Last night, shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told journalists that the Obama administration “wants to see a stop to settlements — not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a confidante.


Cheney's lying about what's in CIA memos, Levin says — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says former Vice President Dick Cheney is lying when he claims that classified CIA memos show that enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding worked.
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Levin: CIA Torture Documents Cheney Wants Don't Prove Squat
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.. …

EXCLUSIVE: Career lawyers overruled on voting case — Black Panthers had wielded weapons, blocked polls — Justice Department political appointees overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint accusing three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense of wielding …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, The Jawa Report, QandO, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, theblogprof and RedState


HOT — Lady Gaga and Small Wars Journal. Both hot. But don't take my word for it. Rolling Stone: … Yeah, well, anyone with a Y chromosome can see the chick with the Phyllis Diller fright wig and the bubble bikini is hot. * Glad to see RS is getting hip to how hot Small Wars can be.
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Obama Approval Compares Favorably to Prior Presidents — Only three presidents since Eisenhower have had higher May ratings — PRINCETON, NJ — So far in May, Barack Obama has averaged 65% job approval. Since World War II, only three of the previous eight presidents elected to their first terms …
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Obama Outpaces Clinton, Both Bushes In Approval
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Real Clear Politics

The Big Inflation Scare — Suddenly it seems as if everyone is talking about inflation. Stern opinion pieces warn that hyperinflation is just around the corner. And markets may be heeding these warnings: Interest rates on long-term government bonds are up, with fear of future inflation …
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Clusterstock, naked capitalism, LewRockwell.com Blog, Ezra Klein, Economist's View and Grasping Reality …


Bush: ‘The information we got saved lives’ — BENTON HARBOR, Michigan (CNN) - Former President George W. Bush on Thursday repeated Dick Cheney's assertion that their enhanced interrogation program was legal and garnered valuable information that prevented future terrorist attacks.
Discussion:
MLive.com, The Daily Dish, JustOneMinute, Macsmind, Pam's House Blend, Raw Story, Think Progress and Sister Toldjah

Wikipedia bans Church of Scientology — Wikioperating Thetan Level Zero — Hitachi IT Operations Analyzer - 30-day free trial — Exclusive In an unprecedented effort to crack down on self-serving edits, the Wikipedia supreme court has banned contributions from all IP addresses owned …

Inside Cover — Muslim Group Shuts Down Conservative Conference — The manager of a prominent Nashville hotel cancelled a contract with a conservative foundation to hold a conference this weekend on radical Islam, apparently after learning that the group would feature a keynote address …

Administration blocks helicopters for Israel due to civilian casualties in Gaza — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has blocked Israel's request for advanced U.S.-origin attack helicopters. — Government sources said the administration has held up Israel's request for the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter.


Garrett Withdraws Nomination for Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy — Tax Prof Elizabeth Garrett (USC) has withdrawn as President Obama's nominee to be Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy. From Bloomberg (Garrett Withdraws as Top Tax Official in Blow to Obama Agenda):
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TigerHawk

The Bogus Torture Coverup — Blogs and Stories — The Pentagon is denying the facts: photographs of Abu Ghraib torture are even more sexually explicit than first reported, including rape and sodomy, writes The Daily Beast's Scott Horton, who has obtained specific and detailed corroboration of the photos.
Discussion:
Democracy in America, Hullabaloo, TPMMuckraker, Salon, Taylor Marsh, Raw Story and Swampland


The White House reality show? — When President Barack Obama is in town, the door that leads to the corridor of the Oval Office is closed and comings and goings are closely monitored by watchful eyes. — But Friday, the West Wing door was held open by a matching door stop and camera crews …