politico: What happened in NH [ polling ]

[N]o evidence of "latent racism" benefiting Clinton. Fair enough, but they do report evidence of a "social desirability effect" that led respondents reported "significantly greater" support for Obama "when when the interviewer is black than when he or she is white" (although Obama still led by smaller margins among when interviewers were white — see pp 55-59 of the pdf report).

politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0309/What_happened_in_New_Hampshire.html

politico: [ Hillary 2 minute ovation ]

Despite the night's star power—and although additional awards were presented to women leaders from Afghanistan, Nigeria, Cambodia and the Democratic Republic of Congo—it in every way belonged to Clinton, beginning with a touching video tribute and capped with a standing ovation that lasted nearly two minutes when she appeared on stage. 

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20272.html

LAT: EASY POST -Weeks of Obama's budget sales pitch and support still slips

The result, according to Gallup: People who feel positively about his budget fell from 44% in late February to 39% this week. People who feel negatively about the budget increased one point to 27% in the same time frame. And after all that budget talk, people who claim to not know enough to have an opinion increased 10% from 30% to 33%. [....]

But imagine what could have happened to U.S. public opinion on the president's budget if he hadn't invested all that salesmanship. Can he keep it up? And is some public caution creeping in?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/obama-gallup-po.html

EASY POST no login.

NYT [ Gillibrand and tobacco ]

I don't have a link on this yet, but do have some very good ammunition.

Gillibrand has a 100% anti-tobacco voting record in Congress and the Senate, and as Bill Corr, executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said “What’s important to us is how she votes.” [Albany Times Union, 10/16/08]

Much more detail on Gillibrand's anti-tobacco record is in a Comment to this post.

Brian Keeler is the author of the above comments in an article entitled; Guillbrand Hit Piece By Times: A Classic Study.

Fox/Ratner: EASY POST - You Go, Hillary — The Secretary of State Tells the Truth In Mexico

Wow, an American foreign policy based on honesty! Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to Mexico and actually speaks the truth. She speaks the truth not just behind closed doors but in front of the world. On conservative talk radio they have been going after the secretary for daring to say what everyone who knows anything has been saying: The United States contributes to the Mexican drug cartel problem by its demand for drugs. 

[ The following is Ratner's opinion.]

 By making drugs illegal instead of decriminalizing them (not legalizing, but decriminalizing) we have made the cartels in Mexico almost as powerful as those in Columbia. 

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/26/ratner_mexico_hillary/comment-page-3/#comment-1165739

EASY POST. No login. Post goes up quickly.

Fox/Greta: EASY POST - [ hatred of Hillary and Palin ]

This is your chance!! Some of you can teach the haters a lesson!

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2009/03/26/this-is-your-chance-some-of-you-can-teach-the-haters-a-lesson/comment-page-7/#comment-4454465

EASY POST. No login, goes up pretty soon.

Write your senator ... no forced "service" for seniors, youth

This bill's title is called "Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education" (GIVE). It forms what some are calling "Obama's Youth Brigade." Obama's plan is require anyone receiving school loans and others to serve at least three months as part of the brigade.

[ The project may eventually require Seniors to "volunteer" in various institutions to get their Senior benefits. ]

Contact number for ALL Congressmen and Senators:
 1-877-762-8762

Send email directly to your Representative:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

pollitical ticker: Planned Parenthood to honor Hillary

Planned Parenthood to honor Hillary!!!!!!!!!!

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/25/planned-parenthood-to-honor-hillary-clinton/

LAT: Barack Obama's delivery of no news is quite smooth EASY POST

Every new president gets a couple of these gimme news conferences, even if this one did bump something as sacred as "American Idol."  But another one of these newsless news conferences, and the broadcast networks may well leave it to cable and C-SPAN in order to stimulate their own economies. Such emptiness causes the newness of a new administration to start appearing old. 

BTW, the full text of the Obama news session [ is linked ].

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/barack-obama-ne.html

EASY POST, no login. Delay for moderation.

LAT: DNC's Kaine picks panel to reform Democrats' entire nominating process EASY POST

 chop the number of superdelegates, reform the caucus system and change "the window of time" for caucuses and primaries. 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/obama-kaine-dnc.html

EASY POST. No login. Delay for moderation.

[ This story has much good info: members of the commission, etc. ]

Good HHS email link to protect contraception:

WOMEN'S CONTRACEPTION ALERT  (

Just 17 days to speak up about that last minute Bush regulation which adds more barriers to reproductive health care. This rule, in the name of "conscience" would allow health care providers not just to deny access to care of which they disapprove -such as emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault - but also refuse to give patients referrals or information on how they could get such care.

The Obama administration has proposed to repeal this anti-science, anti-women, anti-family rule, and now they want to hear what we think. Until April 9, they are asking for comments, including: "Information, including specific examples where feasible, supporting or refuting allegations that the December 19, 2008 final rule reduces access to information and health care services, particularly by low-income women; and comment on whether the objectives of the December 19, 2008 final rule might also be accomplished through non-regulatory means, such as outreach and education."

If you want to add your comment, click here  to e-mail directly to HHS.

http://links.mkt1647.com/ctt?kn=3&m=1491848&r=OTY3NDczNTU4NAS2&b=0&j=MTQ5NjE5OTg5S0&mt=1&rt=0

[ We had an alert here but it was through an anti-choice site so perhaps not reliable. ]

swamppolitics: Obama’s Day: Workout, briefs, ‘anything’

"You know, I typically work out in the morning," he said. "Michelle's often there with me. We do our little workout, and then…after the workout, have breakfast, read the papers, read my morning security briefing. And then I come down here and talk to our National Security team. Then we talk to the economic team. 

"After that, who knows? Anything goes," he said. "But typically, between Seven and Ten, I sort of know what I'm doing." 

swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/03/obamas_day_workout_briefs_anyt.html

We've had alerts here before.

LAT: Sarah Palin's Special Olympics video message, pre-Obama slip

[ Palin's ] video below has nothing to do with politics or bowling. But it does provide a brief window into a non-policy, non-political side of someone we may well see back in the national political arena in coming years.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/sarah-palin-3.html?cid=151493015#comments

EASY POST. No login. Delay for moderation.

politico: Kroft to Obama: Are you punch-drunk?

"You're sitting here. And you're— you are laughing. You are laughing about some of these problems. Are people going to look at this and say, 'I mean, he's sitting there just making jokes about money—' How do you deal with— I mean: explain. . ." Kroft asks at one point.

"Are you punch-drunk?" Kroft says. 

"No, no. There's gotta be a little gallows humor to get you through the day," Obama says, with a laugh.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20339.html

Obama thinks $75,000/yr is common

"In the CBS interview, the president also says corporate executives need to better understand the public's outrage over bonuses. He says executives should get out of New York and spend time in Iowa or Arkansas where people are thrilled to be making $75,000 a year with no bonuses."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8618-100_162-4873938.html?assetTypeId=30&messageId=7715615

Comment form here, wants login.

Other places to comment:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_en-USUS299US303&q="Arkansas+where+people+are+thrilled+to+be+making+$75,000+a+year+with+no+bonuses"++"a+comment"&btnG=Search

Examiner - EASY POST - Hillary Clinton grassroots campaign launched to support Secretary of State

a small group has emerged supporting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Hillary Clinton Grassroots Campaign, run by an unidentified Texas blogger, features news and updates for the person who just can't get enough Hillary.  hillaryclintonnews.blogspot.com/

examiner.com/x-5697-Grassroots-Politics-Examiner~y2009m3d21-Hillary-Clinton-grassroots-campaign-launched-to-support-Secretary-of-State

EASY POST, no login, went right up. Short string. Box is at the bottom of this page.

LAT: A "shocked" Sarah Palin joins critics of Obama's Special Olympics comment

Palin said: "I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics. This was a degrading remark about our world's most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world.

"These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will. By the way, these athletes can outperform many of us and we should be proud of them. I hope President Obama's comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/sarah-palin-oba.html

EASY POST. No login, but delay for moderation.

politico: Hillary honored as ‘Global Trailblazer’

Clinton was there to accept the organization's "Global Trailblazer" award for "her passionate commitment to promoting women's rights and securing justice for all people around the world." The award was presented to her by a former political opponent during Clinton's time in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.).

politico.com/news/stories/0309/20272.html

LAT: EASY POST -Every word of the Obama-Leno summit, including the Special Olympics 'joke' [transcript]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/obama-leno-nbc.html?cid=151399691#comments

EASY POST, no login, delay for moderation.

Here are transcripts of several recent Obama events, with a comment link for each.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/

Pharmacists refuse to sell birth control pills?

Can a pharmacist refuse to fill a prescription for birth control pills because of his 'conscience'? Or refuse to sell condoms?

A change in the law is pending. Comments are being taken here:

http://www.sba-list.org/HHS

Presumably these comments will be relayed to the official agency. But sba-list.org is an anti-choice site, so better comment elsewhere as well.

WP/Parker: Bring the Boys Along

There's little profit in criticizing a move to make life better for the fairer sex. Still, one does have to suppress a chortle as we pretend that the First Father's rescue of damsels in distress is not an act of paternalistic magnanimity. Chivalrous, even.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/17/AR2009031702941.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Login link near the top. We've had alerts at WP before.

WP: Tauscher to State [ Hillary loyalist ]

Word is that Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), chair of the House Armed
Services Committee's subcommittee on strategic forces and a staunch
superdelegate for presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, is in
line for a top post at the State Department, most likely for the
undersecretary for arms control and nonproliferation slot.

voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/03/17/tauscher_to_state.html?wprss=44

LAT - FUNNY! Today's Obama pep rally for small business and lenders -- gloom or hope?

How bad is the U.S. economy really?

The U.S. economy is so bad now that Nigerians are getting financial
scam e-mails from Americans. [....]

If you've got the courage, click on this fascinating stock market
chart/timeline of the market and the first half of Obama's first 100
days from the must-read fivethirtyeight.com blog. Not good news for anyone's mutual funds, even the few Barack andMichelle Obama owned

before the election.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/obama-economy.html
Comment box at the bottom. My name was in it, we've had several alerts here.

JuneauEmpire: Photo: Cookie seller [ Palin ]

Gov. Sarah Palin meets with Juneau Girl Scouts to help sell cookies at Fred Meyer on Saturday. Last Sunday, two Girl Scouts were robbed by a masked assailant as they were leaving Fred Meyer with proceeds from their cookie sales. [ So Sarah helped them raise more money. ]

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/031509/loc_409861487.shtml

Link at the bottom of the page for login.

UK paper: Obama fails to halt AIG's $165m bonus payments

[ Obama's administration admits]  that it could not stop the nationalised insurance giant AIG from paying $165m (£118m) in bonuses.

AIG has received $170bn in government money since being saved from bankruptcy in September. The bulk of the bonuses will go to employees in the very business division that wrecked the company's finances.

independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-fails-to-halt-aigs-165m-bonus-payments-1645749.html

At the bottom of this page is a comment box saying "powered by Livejournal" and asking only for subject. After I entered a comment, up came a page wanting me to create an account. I tried entering my Livejournal user name and it told me that name was already in use. Funniest thing. I blew it off.

politico: [ Obama $126,000 jet to Hawaii ]

The Obama transition team spent $44,000 vetting donors, $5,000 shredding documents, $10 on a sewing kit and $126,000 on the charter jet that flew the soon-to-be first family to Hawaii for a pre-Inauguration vacation.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19988.html

wsj: Obama’s Poll Numbers Are Falling to Earth

It is simply wrong for commentators to continue to focus on President Barack Obama's high levels of popularity, and to conclude that these are indicative of high levels of public confidence in the work of his administration. Indeed, a detailed look at recent survey data shows that the opposite is most likely true.

http://forums.wsj.com/viewtopic.php?t=5448

Wants 'user name'.

Boston Globe: Many Boston teens surveyed say Rihanna is at fault for assault

The Boston Globe published a horrifying article today titled "Many Boston teens surveyed say Rihanna is at fault for assault". The article reports the results of a survey conducted by the Boston Public Health Commission.
Here are a few quotes:

" Nearly half of the 200 Boston teenagers interviewed for an informal poll said pop star Rihanna was responsible for the beating she allegedly took at the hands of her boyfriend, fellow music star Chris Brown, in February."

"Health counselors are specifically concerned with teenagers' views of the controversy. Of the teens questioned, more than half said both Brown, 19, and Rihanna, 21, were equally responsible for the assault. More than half said the media were treating Brown unfairly, and 46 percent said Rihanna was responsible for the incident."

 Comment on the Boston Globe article here. (Need to counter the few idiotic comments posted there).do:http://www.boston.com/news/loc.....r_assault/

We've had alerts here before. 

Ammunition:

Apparently there are even worse videos and evidence here that you can utilize (scroll down their blog to find the post on this): http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/

[ Thanks to ER for all this material. ]

NY Mag: Hillary Clinton Supporters Try to Stay Sharp for 2016

"Hard-core Hillary supporters are fully expecting her to run again in 2016," said one New York official with deep Clinton ties who demanded anonymity so as not to be seen as speaking for Mrs. Clinton. "That is one reality. Kirsten is a more local reality. But for folks in New York, she gives them a focus."

[....]. Clinton is only 61 years old, which means age shouldn't disqualify her from running again. And, in fact, Steve Kornacki notes today that Clinton's time as secretary of State is already paying dividends in the popularity department — a poll released last week put her favorable/unfavorable numbers at 59–22, an "all-time high." 

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/03/hillary_clinton_supporters_try.html#comment-form

Bx is near the bottom of page. "You will be prompted to sign in or register when posting."

NPR sound tape: [ Jarrett on women's 'council' ]

Listen Now [5 min 14 sec] 

Comments so far sound civilized but few are about the 'council' or Jarrett.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101777060#commentBlock

Comment box near the top. Wants registraion. No previous alerts here. 38 comments so far.

Politico: Some women wanted more from W.H.

W.H. Council on Women and Girls: "No Full-Time Staff, No Cabinet-Level Leader And No Set Meeting Schedule"

One group – made up primarily of women who supported Hillary Clinton over Obama in the Democratic primary – said it will go to Congress seeking a presidential commission on women. The group sent out a blast email to rally its members around the idea just hours after Obama spoke. 

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19936.html

[ Maybe we should let the writer know the name and url of what groupS that might have been. :-) ]

NYT: For Bristol Palin, a romance ended - EASY POST

[ In fact Sarah Palin wants contraception taught in schools, so the article's snark is untrue. ]

The teenage pregnancy was an awkward moment for the vice presidential candidate, whose campaign supported sex education in public schools that encourages abstinence.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/for-bristol-palin-a-romance-ended/#comment-1234059

Box at the bottom EASY POST. No login.

USA Today: Clinton loyalists lend Gillibrand a hand

Clinton campaign veterans giving advice in unpaid roles: Howard Wolfson, who was Hillary Clinton's spokesman during her presidential campaign, and Ann Lewis, a veteran of the Clinton White House.

Gillibrand must run in 2010 to serve out the remaining two years of Clinton's term. A recent Marist poll showed half of the New York electorate is unsure about the job Gillibrand is doing while 18% believe she is doing an excellent or good job.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2009/03/clinton-loyalis.html#uslPageReturn

Comment box above the comments. My name was already in it.

WP: Obama Creates White House Women's Council [ Jarrett ]

The Council will be chaired by Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser and personal friend to the president, and the day-to-day operations will be run Tina Tchen, who is currently director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and was a major fundraiser for Obama during the campaign.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/03/obama_creates_white_house_wome.html?wprss=thefix",,0,0,,,,

Comments here: link at the bottom to sign in to make a comment. We've had alerts here before.

Here is some background on Jarrett and some other Obama advisors:

No Quarter had this article about Jarrett, written by Lena Grove

http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/11/15/valerie-jarrett/

Here are other places to comment on this issue:

http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS301US305&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Jarrett+women+"a+comment"

LAT: Stock rise; Obama orders nation eat, dress the same today: Leno

Anyway, according to Leno, the new president really had no explanation for the recent financial changes to be scared of, or for the partial financial recovery of millions of 401(k)'s on Tuesday. 

But looking forward, Leno announced that Obama doesn't want to take any chances today. So he's "asking all Americans to do the same things (Wednesday) as they did (Tuesday) -- eat the same breakfast, wear the same clothes, drive the same. Don't change anything!"

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/obama-stocks.html

We've had alerts here before.

Newsweek: A Turning Tide?

[T]he establishment is beginning to mumble that the president may not have what it takes.

[....]

[I]n ways both large and small, what's left of the American establishment is taking his measure and, with surprising swiftness, they are finding him lacking.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/188565/

Comment box near the bottom. Sneaky -- wants login AFTER you type in your post.

RCP: Obama is a Great Pretender

[ Good critique of Obama's spending -- except for the following, imo ]

Is it in the public interest for the well-off elderly (say, a couple with $125,000 of income) to be subsidized, through Social Security and Medicare, by poorer young and middle-aged workers? 

http://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/1/313881/315442.html#msg-315442

Resource: http://pumaforpalin.blogspot.com/

I've started an additional blog, http://pumaforpalin.blogspot.com/ , where we can share information supportive of Palin.

PumaResponders is still the place to post alerts about articles that need, well, response. :-)

LAT: Sarah Palin defies conservative advice, names woman to Supreme Court

Of the two selections offered by the independent citizens' commission, the Alaska Judicial Council, [ Ms ]Christen was deemed the more "activist" judge by at least one state conservative organization. [....]  The 47-year-old Christen, who replaces a justice facing mandatory retirement at age 70, served on the board of Planned Parenthood in the 1990s before the group began performing abortions in 2003. As a career lawyer, Christen was also active for years in the Rotary Club, United Way and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Alaska.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/03/sarah-palin-1.html?cid=151108265#comments

My name was already in the box; we've had alerts here before.

[ For ammunition see http://pumaforpalin.blogspot.com/ ]

UK paper: EASY POST - Barack Obama bets the farm in $4 trillion poker game

Only a candidate possessed with such boldness and self-belief would have challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination two years after leaving the Illinois state senate, promising in his first campaign speech to "transform a nation and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth".

Only a man who frequently compares himself to America's greatest President, Abraham Lincoln, would declare that when he was elected, "the rise of the oceans will begin to slow". Only someone who believes that America is on the crest of a dangerous historic wave - and that he "can help guide it" - would have undertaken a glitzy world tour midway through the campaign.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5854168.ece

Comment box will appear here if you click "Have your say" near the bottom of the page. EASY POST, no login.

USA Today: Clinton’s European debut is full of smiles

With reporters looking on, Clinton met Lavrov and handed him a gift — a green box tied in green ribbon. He unwrapped it to reveal a "reset button" [....]  Clinton assured Lavrov her staff "worked hard" to get it right. Was it right? [....] "You got it wrong," Lavrov responded, also smiling. He said the word the Americans chose — "peregruzka" — meant "overloaded" or "overcharged" rather than "reset." [....] "We reached an agreement on how 'reset' is spelled in both Russian and English — we have no differences between us any more," he said through an interpreter.
http://usatoday.com/news/world/2009-03-07-clinton-europe-trip_N.htm#uslPageReturn
Comment box at the bottom, needs login. We've had alerts here.

RCP: Is President Obama Overexposed? - EASY POST?

[....] Obama's creating what political scientist Theodore Lowi called "a personal presidency," in which one unreasonably exaggerates the power of a president to influence events — especially economic ones. Going down that path, warned Lowi, is a sure road to political failure. [....]
Even so, Obama is all over the place. He seems to think that he's still in the middle of his "rock star" campaign, when the nation was understandably excited about electing its first African-American president. But we've already been there and done that.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/appearing_act.html

topix: Discord likely over ratifying women's rights [treaty]

One of the most contentious [amendments] _ likely to be revived this year _ stipulates that nothing in CEDAW should be interpreted as creating a right to abortion. [....]

'This language is touted as neutral or benign but is not,' she wrote in a recent essay. 'This language can and has been used as an anti-abortion weapon.' [....]

Another New York-based women's rights group, MADRE, has similar concerns and is launching a campaign to get a 'clean' version of the treaty ratified.

http://www.topix.net/content/ap/2009/03/discord-likely-over-ratifying-womens-rights-pact

Comment box here. My name was already in it from previous alerts.

Many other sites for posting on this article:

http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS301US305&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q="Discord+likely+over+ratifying+women's+rights+pact"++"a+comment"

PJM: The Not-So-Special Relationship: Why Obama Snubbed Gordon Brown

[Y]ou'd have thought Obama could have made a bit more of an effort, given that Brown casts himself as a fellow "progressive." And then there's the small matter of Britain being America's staunchest ally in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama will likely have a little more time for Brown after he's told by France and Germany where he can stick his request for more troops.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-not-so-special-relationship-why-obama-snubbed-gordon-brown/

Comment box at the bottom of this page. 

EASY POST. No login.

Ammunition from a Brit site with no place for comments: 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4953523/Barack-Obama-too-tired-to-give-proper-welcome-to-Gordon-Brown.html

 a State Department official involved in planning the Brown visit [...] reacted with fury when questioned by The Sunday Telegraph about why the event was so low-key.

The official dismissed any notion of the special relationship, saying: "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment." 

NYT: Obama to Brown: We Really, Really Like You - EASY POST

"I'd like to think that our relationship is terrific," Mr. Obama said when asked by a British reporter about the health of the partnership with Mr. Brown. "I'm sure he won't dispute me, in front of me, anyway.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/we-really-really-like-you/

EASY POST. No login. Delay for moderation.

RCP: Deception at Core of Obama Plans

 Forget the "$2 trillion dollars in savings" that "we have already identified," $1.6 trillion of which President Obama's budget director later admits is the "savings" of not continuing the surge in Iraq until 2019 — 11 years after George Bush ended it, and eight years after even Bush would have had us out of Iraq completely. 

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/a_dishonest_gimmicky_budget.html

adn: Palin bucks pressure in Supreme Court appointment [of Christen]

The head of the Alaska Family Council -- a Christian pro-family, anti-abortion group -- on Wednesday sent an e-mail to thousands of people asking them to urge Palin to pick Smith, not Christen. [....]

The family council plea, from group president Jim Minnery, said Smith was "more conservative" and that Christen would be "another activist on the Court."

http://www.adn.com/news/government/story/711378.html

Comment box is below the article, above the comments. Wants login. We had a few alerts here in the fall, iirc.

politico: [ re BO's teleprompter ]

Obama doesn't go anywhere without his TelePrompter. 

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19663.html

USA Today: Gillibrand off to a rocky start

Gov. David Paterson, has been getting hammered in the polls for mishandling the Senate appointment -- particularly his staff's rough treatment of Caroline Kennedy.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2009/03/gillibrand-off.html#uslPageReturn

Comment box between the article and the comments. Wants login.

RCP: Why I miss Bill Clinton

Under Clinton, they demonstrated that his party could exercise fiscal responsibility, contain the role of government, learn from liberal failures (like welfare) and generate broad prosperity. He was convincing evidence that Democrats had changed.

Right now, I miss him. Before long, Democrats may as well.

realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/why_i_miss_bill_clinton.html

WP: Nancy-Ann DeParle and Kathleen Sebelius Announced to Lead Obama Health Effort

 As governor, Sebelius tried twice to dramatically expand access to health care in Kansas, but her efforts were largely thwarted by that state's Republican-led legislature. Still, she was able to lower prescription costs for many people in Kansas and extend coverage to tens of thousands of children from low-income families.

DeParle was previously commissioner of the Department of Human Services in Tennessee, and during the Clinton administration she oversaw Medicare and Medicaid as the administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/03/02/nancy-ann_deparle_announced_as.html

Login link at the bottom of this page.

msnbc:EASY POST -- ENTER KATHLEEN SEBELIUS

 Look for the pro-life community to start test-driving some of its abortion messages on this confirmation hearing as a prelude to the fight over Obama's first SCOTUS nomination.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/03/02/1816572.aspx

EASY POST. No login. Delay for moderation.

This string has comments on several different subjects that were discussed in the article.

USA Today: Choice of Sebelius likely to renew abortion debate

Re Nancy-Ann DeParle

"it is likely that Obama will nominate someone else for a second post Daschle had created for himself: director of a new White House Office of Health Reform. One name mentioned for the job is former Clinton administration adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle, who would take over the effort to conceive, sell and implement a wide-ranging health-care overhaul."

content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/03/63488541/1

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NY Daily: In China, Hillary Clinton plays a weak hand

Clinton herself saw all this coming. Two years ago, in the early stages of her presidential campaign, she warned we were undergoing "a slow erosion of our own economic sovereignty" because of our growing indebtedness to foreigners, who, according to some estimates, hold about half of our government-issued securities.

The day she made that warning, a selloff in the Chinese stock markets led to a plunge on Wall Street. In a letter to then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson andFederal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, then-Sen. Clinton said the dynamic "underscores the exposure of our economy to economic developments in countries like China."

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/02/25/2009-02-25_in_china_hillary_clinton_plays_a_weak_ha.html#community

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