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FRIENDS PUSH AILES FOR PRESIDENT — Friends and associates are encouraging Fox News chief Roger Ailes to jump into the political arena for real by running for president in 2012, top sources tell POLITICO. — “Ailes knows how to frame an issue better than anybody, and that's what we need now …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Politics Channel, Outside The Beltway, The Nation, Mediaite, Indecision Forever, Gawker and Wonkette
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OutFoxed? — Let me be precise here: Fox News peddles a fair amount of hateful crap. Some of it borders on sedition. Much of it is flat out untrue. — But I don't understand why the White House would give such poisonous helium balloons as Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity the opportunity …


Democrat blasts White House for anonymous sniping — WASHINGTON (CNN) - A well-known Democratic strategist in Virginia is blasting the White House for placing anonymous quotes in the Washington Post in a pre-emptive effort to blame Creigh Deeds for what might be a loss in the state's upcoming gubernatorial election.


W.H. attacks worry moderate Dems — A White House effort to undermine conservative critics is generating a backlash on Capitol Hill — and not just from Republicans. — “It's a mistake,” said Rep. Jason Altmire, a moderate Democrat from western Pennsylvania.
Discussion:
Commentary, Firedoglake, NO QUARTER, Erick's blog, RedState, Congress Blog and protein wisdom

Administration Loses Bid to Exclude Fox News From Pay Czar Interview — The Obama administration on Thursday tried to make “pay czar” Kenneth Feinberg available for interviews to every member of the White House pool except Fox News. But the Washington bureau chiefs of the five TV networks decided …

Media Matters coordinates campaign against ‘lethal’ Fox — An official at a Democratic-leaning organization sends on a memo the group Media Matters is circulating today to progressive groups, calling Fox “a lethal 24/7 partisan political operation” and rallying a coalition of groups to join the White House assault on the network.

Behind the War Between White House and Fox
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Mediaite, The Corner on National …, Christian Science Monitor, JustOneMinute, NewsBusters.org, Commentary, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hullabaloo, The Confluence, Clusterstock, MoJo Blog Posts, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Politico, THE WEEK News & Opinion, Scared Monkeys, Balkinization, New York Times, Gateway Pundit, Prairie Weather and TPMMuckraker


Sources: White House Pushing Back Against Senate Public Option Opt Out Compromise — Multiple sources tell TPMDC that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is very close to rounding up 60 members in support of a public option with an opt out clause, and are continuing to push skeptical members.
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Pelosi lacks votes for most sweeping public option — Speaker Nancy Pelosi counted votes Thursday night and determined she could not pass a “robust public option” — the most aggressive of the three forms of a public option House Democrats have been considering as part of a national overhaul of health care.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, TPMDC, Daily Kos, Ezra Klein, American Spectator, CNN, Politics Daily, Washington Post, AMERICAblog News, Pundits Blog, Taylor Marsh, Firedoglake, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, MoJo Blog Posts, Think Progress, The Mahablog, The Hill and TalkLeft

Reid Is Only One Or Two Votes Shy On Opt-Out Public Option — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is just one or two Senate votes shy of having a filibuster-proof majority in favor of a public option for health insurance coverage with a provision allowing states to opt-out …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, TalkLeft, Firedoglake, The Plum Line, Open Left, Daily Kos, Raw Story and TPMDC


White House to Reid: We hope you know what you're doing — Things have gotten real complicated, real quick, on the public option. This roundup of contrasting quotes and statements, for instance, has a Keystone Kops quality to it. — I've spent a fair bit of the day trying to figure …


Senate Leader Takes Risk Pushing Public Insurance Plan
Discussion:
The Politico, The Hill, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Firedoglake, Politics Daily, Wall Street Journal, Gawker, Pollster.com, Open Left, USA Today, Wonk Room, Wake up America and TPMDC


When Asked Where the Constitution Authorizes Congress to Order Americans To Buy Health Insurance, Pelosi Says: ‘Are You Serious?’ — (CNSNews.com) - When CNSNews.com asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday where the Constitution authorized Congress to order Americans to buy health insurance …
Discussion:
DISSENTING JUSTICE, Think Progress, YID With LID, Hot Air, The Hill and The Other McCain
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AHIP Pollster Interrupted By Singing Troupe Of Protesters — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Republican pollster Bill McInturff was the keynote speaker on the final day of the America's Health Insurance Plans's state issues conference on Friday morning. — But his speech on how the health care reform debate …


Pawlenty ‘Concerned’ About NY GOP Candidate; Plans Endorsement Soon — ABC News' Rick Klein reports: — With the Republican Party splintering over a House race in upstate New York, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said on ABCNews.com's “Top Line” today that he has significant concerns …
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CNN Poll: GOP favorable rating lowest in a decade — WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Republican Party's favorable rating among Americans is at lowest level in at least a decade, according to a new national poll. — Thirty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Politics Daily, Raw Story, Scorecard's Blog, Taegan Goddard's … and TPMDC

Top employees leave financial firms ahead of pay cuts — Grass is greener where bonuses are sky-high — NEW YORK — Even before the Obama administration formally tightened executive compensation at bailed-out companies, the prospect of pay cuts had led some top employees to depart.
Discussion:
New York Times, Hot Air, Villainous Company, Clusterstock, QandO, Outside The Beltway, protein wisdom, Hullabaloo, Indecision Forever and Shakesville
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Annie Leibovitz takes first family photo — Friends encourage Roger Ailes to seek GOP nom in 2012 — Geithner: ‘A big week’ — Endgame: Look for a trigger in final health bill — Annie Leibovitz takes first family photo — Friends encourage Roger Ailes to seek GOP nom in 2012 — Geithner …
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Former governor calls for party reform — Jeb Bush argues Republicans need to be more welcoming — Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, unveiled a six-point plan to help strengthen the Republican Party Wednesday night - including shedding the image of being the “old white guy party” and advocating for limited government.

It's His Rubble Now — And the American people want him to fix it. — Printer — Friendly — At a certain point, a president must own a presidency. For George W. Bush that point came eight months in, when 9/11 happened. From that point on, the presidency—all his decisions, all the credit and blame for them—was his.

Former Sen. Hagel: GOP being ‘irresponsible’ on healthcare — Republican senators trying to kill healthcare reform have acted irresponsibly, one of their former colleagues asserted. — Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) chided some of his former colleagues who have suggested …

Americans' Views on Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize — Majority say it is not deserved, although about half are glad Obama received it — PRINCETON, NJ — The majority of Americans do not believe President Barack Obama deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize (61%), but the public is split in its personal reaction to the announcement.

The Chinese Disconnect — Senior monetary officials usually talk in code. So when Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, spoke recently about Asia, international imbalances and the financial crisis, he didn't specifically criticize China's outrageous currency policy.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Bloomberg, Daniel W. Drezner, The Huffington Post, The Glittering Eye and Paul Krugman

Scozzafava Declares Herself Part of Abramoff Wing of GOP: Funnels Campaign Cash to Family — Jack Abramoff, present jailbird, was convicted of all sorts of crooked schemes. One of his favorites was to funnel money through various organizations into the hands of other people.
Discussion:
Townhall.com

Bush: I regret standing in front of the ‘Mission Impossible’ banner. — President Bush was in Canada yesterday to speak at a luncheon of the Montreal Board of Trade. Approximately 300 protesters gathered outside the venue, blowing plastic horns, throwing shoes, and burning the former president in effigy.