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Drudge Report
Drudge banners: "IOU" and links to this LA Times story on the budget crisis in California. And the U.S. says North Korea does not appear to be readying a missile launch in this Bloomberg story is also highlighed on Drudge. ... READ MORE

Huffington Post
The Huffington Post banners: "Obama's first major military operation underway in Afghanistan" and links to this AP story. Unemployment to hit a 9.6 percent, a 26 year high, according to this AP report, highlighted on the HuffPo. And Jesse Berney ... READ MORE

HotAir
The Obama administration doesn't see the contradiction between calling for free elections in Honduras and staying out of the election in Iran, writes Allahpundit. And veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas went "nuclear" on the White House for controlling the ... READ MORE

DailyKos
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) wants to president but "she couldn't even get her own campaign's scheduling staff to give her enough time to run," writes Jed Lewison. And South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) recent confessions have set off ... READ MORE

Townhall
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) Republican enemies hope he stays in office, writes Matt Lewis. And, drawing on examples from other countries, Carol Platt Liebau writes what ObamaCare "really means." READ MORE

OpenLeft
Advancing the debate over torture is always going to be difficult, writes Daniel de Groot. And Mike Lux takes a look at the fight over a new Pecora commission. READ MORE

RedState
The press is "finally" calling out the Obama administration for controlling the press, writes Paint it Red. And Moe Lane takes a detailed look at the 2010 election and the ages of several Democratic committee chair people. READ MORE

MyDD
Mitt Romney appears to be urging Republicans to stand up to President Obama, writes Charles Lemos. And Lemos also writes that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) must think the Associated Press is a "licensed therapist." READ MORE

Powerline
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) appeared to open the door to the Obama administration making more demands Israel in the peace process while in the country, writes Paul. And new polling shows that support for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is ... READ MORE

Matthew Yglesias
The entire committee system in Congress "leaves a lot to be desired," writes Matthew Yglesias. And Yglesias also points out a general thought among the punditry right now: Congress is asserting its dominance in setting and controlling the agenda, not ... READ MORE

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December 4, 2008

MIDDAY ROUNDUP

@ 12:07 pm by Michael O'Brien

Rumors that MSNBC host Chris Matthews will challenge Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) are met with skepticism by liberal bloggers today, while conservatives urge their Senate leadership to tread carefully on a bailout for automakers. Also, President-elect Barack Obama is accused of pulling back on some campaign promises.

Matthews is mistaken if he thinks the power of his celebrity will propel him to a win in the Keystone State, and his commentary in the past could come back to haunt him, Washington Monthly’s Steve Benen writes. Electing Matthews would be an insult to Pennsylvania voters, who should be able to vote for a real progressive instead of a Beltway establishment-type who parachutes into their state to fulfill his ambition, Open Left’s David Sirota complains. But a new poll Thursday may just be the beginning of a successful campaign to knock Specter out in 2010, TPMElectionCentral’s Eric Kleefeld blogs.

If Senate Republicans feel that they must go along with an automaker bailout in order to avoid the economic impact of the companies’ bankruptcies, they should at least bargain to include tax restructuring for Michigan and Ohio, Townhall’s Hugh Hewitt argues. But the plans being put forth by General Motors are hardly serious, and are only an elegant smokescreen meant to provide political cover to lawmakers voting to bail them out, The Corner’s Jim Manzi says.

Also, Obama is backtracking on campaign promises about bailouts and withdrawing from Iraq and that undercuts his core supports, Robert Stacy McCain asserts. The decision to not directly adhere to plans on Iraq is the right decision, but must prompt questions as to whether Obama meant anything he said on the campaign trail, Gateway Pundit declares. Obama is shifting into Saturday Night Live parody mode as he is signaling “never mind” to supporters on windfall taxes for oil companies and other issues, Michelle Malkin writes.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Majority Rule: The New CoupMatthew Yglesias
Health Care Reform We Believe In – Conn Carroll, The Foundry
The Kids Are (Comparatively) Pro-LifeRoss Douthat
Should the GOP Bargain on the Bailout? – Hugh Hewitt, Townhall
Just What the Doctor Ordered – Steve Benen, Political Animal
How Long Will the Recession Last?Kevin Drum
Dressing Michelle Obama – Kate Phillips, The Caucus
Can Rangel Survive?Political Wire
Bail Out Foreign Automakers? – Jane Hamsher, Huffington Post
GM’s Magical Thinking – Jim Manzi, The Corner

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
GM Needs Help By New Year's - The Hill
Auto Execs Find Skeptics on Capitol Hill - New York Times
Levin: Automaker Collapse Could Undo Bailout - Detroit Free Press

Archived under: Midday Blog Roundup





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