"Monday's Mini-Report from Steve Benen"

[Cha]

This is one of those sites that's fair to Pres Obama..

I know babylonsister brings this into GDP all the time and that's where I first got turned onto Steve Benen..I made a remark about how I liked his work and he replied on DU with a link to his blog..

<snip>

MONDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits:

* Transferring control of the prison at Bagram Air Field to Afghan control? A step forward.

* Iran signals interest in a nuclear fuel swap. Hmm.

* Targeting banks: "The budget President Obama submits next month is likely to include fees on banks and other financial institutions as the White House seeks to demonstrate its eagerness to trim the federal deficit, an administration official said."

* Harry Reid is ready to move on from the weekend's race-related unpleasantness.

* The legal proceedings testing California's ban on same-sex marriage get off to a tense start.

* Big week for health care reform.

* Slower U.S. troop deployment to Afghanistan frustrates White House.

* Did Abdulmutallab have a one-way ticket to Detroit on Christmas? Actually, no, but everyone from CNN to Rush Limbaugh to Jon Stewart said he did.

* That "quote" from Bill Clinton to Ted Kennedy about Obama? There's reason for skepticism.

* Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, won all kinds of concessions on the House version of the climate bill. Now he's vowing to reject the legislation, if it passes the Senate, even if the concessions remain.

* Good question from Fareed Zakaria: "eep in mind that the crucial intelligence we received was from the boy's father. If that father had believed that the United States was a rogue superpower that would torture and abuse his child without any sense of decency, would he have turned him in?"

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

[greenbird]

1. I like Steve Benen's work, too.

Voice of reason, IMO.

[Cha]

3. It took me awhile

to know his work..I would really like what he said and look for the reporter..after awhile I just knew it had to be him. It's great site and I hope to bring his articles to the BOG so we can have a daily(more or less) summary of what's up with Pres Obama and the country.:patriot::patriot:

[quiet.american]

2. Very interesting quote from Zakaria.

Thanks for this; great summary.

[Cha]

4. Yes, it was..made

us think, didn't it? And, thanks to Steve Benen for including it bc I don't watch corporates00ze or read any mags like newsweek.

[HughMoran]

6. Zakaria brings insight and common sense to ME politics and policy

I've always enjoyed listening to his perspective - even when I disagree with him (which is rare).

[Cha]

5. "Fact Checking The Sunday Shows" ~ Media Matters~YAY!!

* Since the networks won't do it, Media Matters will: "Every Monday morning, the Media Matters Action Network will publish a memo correcting the conservative misinformation that was left unchallenged the day before. Over time, we hope that our work will help contribute to a culture of accountability that is currently lacking on Sunday morning."

"Every Sunday morning, some of the country's most powerful and influential legislators, government officials, journalists, and newsmakers appear as guests on network talk shows. The programs -- ABC's This Week, CBS' Face the Nation, NBC's Meet the Press, and Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday -- occupy a unique place in our media landscape. As the agenda-setters for the next week's worth of political news, they shape conventional wisdom and determine the terms of debate on crucial issues."

:bounce::bounce: Who doesn't love Media Matters:loveya:

[Cha]

7. "Tuesday's Campaign Roundup"~ Steve Benen~Washington Monthly

January 12, 2010
TUESDAY'S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP.... Today's installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn't generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers.

* How engaged is the GOP's far-right base in the special election in Massachusetts? Senate hopeful Scott Brown (R) raised more than $1.3 million in a single day, all online.

* In the meantime, an internal poll shows Martha Coakley (D) leading Brown by 15 points. (That Dems even felt it necessary to leak the internal numbers suggests they're feeling the heat.)

* Former Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D) noted today that he is "strongly considering running for the United States Senate" in New York. In preparation, the center-right Tennessean hopes to reinvent himself as a center-left New Yorker -- Ford voted in 2006 for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, but now claims to support gay marriage.

* The White House is making it clear that it's opposed to Ford's possible primary campaign against appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D).

* As for Republicans and the Senate race in the Empire State, former Rep. Susan Molinari (R) had expressed interest in a possible campaign, but announced yesterday that she's skipping the race.

* By all appearances, former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman (D) is struggling in his Senate race this year, but his primary campaign may get a boost after endorsements from both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times today.

* In Colorado, the White House has also signaled its favorite in the race to replace retiring Gov. Bill Ritter (D). Word leaked out that President Obama personally called Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) on Friday to "encourage" him to run.

* Things keep getting worse for Gov. Charlie Crist (R) in Florida -- he lost a Senate straw poll in his hometown by a nearly two-to-one margin.

* In Oklahoma, Rep. Ban Boren, one of the most conservative Democrats on the Hill, hopes his party loses seats in the midterm elections, because he believes it will give him more power in 2011.

* And also in Oklahoma, Rep. Mary Fallin (R) appears to be the prohibitive favorite to win the state's open gubernatorial race in November.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

[Cha]

8. Denver Mayor Hickenlooper Will Run For Gov of Colorado~

KUSA - Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will be a Democrat candidate for governor. Sources tell 9NEWS the Mayor's decision comes after pleas from President Barack Obama, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other prominent Colorado Democrats to take the spot vacated when Gov. Bill Ritter (D-Colorado) announced last week he would not run for re-election this fall.

The former geologist-turned brewpub owner had never run for office before being elected Mayor of Denver in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. He has advocated for economic development, sustainability, increased transit, and the arts since taking over at City Hall.

Ritter took Colorado's Democrats by surprise when he said he would not be a candidate and that he needed to focus more on his family. Immediately, focus turned to Salazar, Hickenlooper and Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colorado). Just a day after Ritter's announcement, Salazar said he would not run and endorsed Hickenlooper. Perlmutter later did the same thing.

<Cross Post LBN>
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4221890

Home town brewery boy makes good.:toast:

[Cha]

9. Possibly Good News on Dawn Johnsen!

"NO MORE EXCUSES ON JOHNSEN.... It's hard to believe it's been so long, but 10 months ago, President

Obama nominated Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel. Her nomination has been delayed (and delayed some more) thanks to obstructionist tactics -- conservatives have strongly disapproved of her opposition to Bush-era torture memos, her pro-choice positions, and her support of civil liberties.

While it seemed as if Johnsen's nomination was dead, last week, the White House announced that the president intends to re-nominate her when the Senate returns from its recess.

But the Senate hasn't changed. Can Johnsen's nomination overcome the obstacles this time? It can if Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) is on board.

Rep. Joe Sestak (D), Specter's primary opponent, went after the senator on this today, noting that Specter, when he was the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, helped delay Johnsen's nomination. As Sestak characterized it, a key Obama administration position remains vacant because Specter sided with GOP obstructionism.

It wasn't long before Specter had some good news to announce.

Senator Arlen Specter (D-Penn) announced on Tuesday that he will support the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to the post of Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department, clearing the way for her confirmation.

"After voting 'pass' (which means no position) in the Judiciary Committee, I had a second extensive meeting with Ms. Johnsen and have been prepared to support her nomination when it reaches the Senate floor," Specter said in a statement provided to the Huffington Post

The change of heart by the Pennsylvania Democrat represents a huge boost for Johnsen's supporters."

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

Political Animal, Steve Benen, is a Goldmine, ya'll:bounce:

[Cha]

10. Good ol' Senator Feingold

"Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) had hinted that he might support Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) ouster yesterday. Today, Feingold reversed course and sided with Reid."

Steve Benen http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/