Must Reads

Jim Tankersley: The Truth About Romney's Tax Plan: It's a Pipe Dream

Jason Easley: 63% of Americans Demand That Mitt Romney Release His Tax Returns

Tommy Christopher: Fox’s Liz Trotta: ‘Ladies Of The Press’ Envy Ann Romney For Marrying Rich Guy

Imani Gandy (ABL): Missouri Rep. Todd Akin Wants to Ban the Morning After Pill Because He is Stupid

Josh Rogin: Romney's Japan Remark Raises Eyebrows

Booman: Kevin Drum Is Flailing

Steve Benen: The standards for 'embarrassment'

Michael Kinsley: Obama's Ruthless Politics vs. Romney's Ruthless Management

David Frum: Why Ryan?

Paul Begala: With Ryan, Romney Has the Plutocrat Ticket

Michael Tomasky: Romney’s Stunning, Terrible Choice of Ryan for VP

Must Reads

Benjamin Wittes: NDAA FAQ: A Guide for the Perplexed

Chris Chase: Braylon Edwards Gave 79 Students $10,000 for College

The Rude Pundit: Politifact and The Lie of The Lie

Justin Rosario: A Very Merry Fox Christmas: Obama’s Christmas Card Just Isn’t American Enough

Tom McMahon: Merry Christmas, Middle Class! House Republicans Just Voted To Raise Your Taxes By $1,000

Dana Milbank: Braveheart Republicans? Or false-hearted?

Eugene Robinson: Which Candidate Should Answer That 3 a.m. Phone Call?

BooMan: Wanker of the Day: Charles Krauthammer

Dino Grandoni: Perry's Latest Oops Moment: 'Kim Jong the Second'

Jonathan Chait: When Did Liberals Become So Unreasonable? - If every Democratic president disappoints, maybe there’s something wrong with our expectations. Tough love from a fellow traveler.

Must Reads

Chez Pazienza: A Debt if Attitude

Joshua Holland: The Utterly Wrong Beltway Myth Driving the Debt Ceiling Insanity

Robert Brockway: 5 Amazing Abandoned Wastelands ... Within Walking Distance

Eric Boehlert: Peggy Noonan Loses It

Deaniac83: John Conyers Owes the President an Apology

Steven D at BooMan Tribune: Juan Williams: Hannity Dishonest on Debt Ceiling

Alec Baldwin: It's Time To Suck It Up And Pay Our Bill

The Rude Pundit: We Lose Because We Don't Just Lie Like The Right Does

ADDED: Paul Begala: How Republicans Screwed the Pooch

Must Reads

Michelle Goldberg: Marcus Bachmann’s Gay ‘Cure’

Dennis G., Balloon Juice: How The Game Is Played

Post Tenebras Lux: Where At Least I Know I'm Free

Extreme Liberal: Frank Rich Crosses The Line Into Fantasyland – Let’s Play The Blame Game!

Leisa Simone: Confessions of An ‘Obamabot’

BooMan: I'm Almost Sad for the Tea Partiers

Russell Simmons: Stop Cryin' and Pay More Taxes!

Adam Serwer: Laughably Bogus Poll Tries to `Prove’ Obama is Losing Jewish Support

TiMT: Say It Loud: "Current GOP Leaders Voted 19 Times To Increase Debt Limit By $4 Trillion"

Ian Boudreau: Just One MFer's View

Monte Bute: Dayton's Critics Should Remember That Politics is The Art of the Possible

Paul Krugman: Getting To Crazy

Rick Ungar: Fake Democrats Lose In Wisconsin Primaries While Exposing Fake Financial Concerns Of Scott Walker

Must Reads

Forgive the late edition of Must Reads, usually a Saturday staple. I was away for the weekend.



BooMan: Civics for Suckers

John Branch: Film Shows Babe Ruth, at Leisure and Up Close

Melanie Mason and Maeve Reston: Records Contradict Mississippi Governor on Lobbying Work for Mexico

Eugene Robinson: Newt Gingrich on Libya Policy: Firing in Every Direction

Must Reads

Thaddeus Russell: Why I Got Fired From Teaching American History

The Rude Pundit: Regarding Tea Party Senate Candidates, the Best Explanations Are Always the Simplest

Hamilton Nolan: You're Making a Bad Mistake, Juan Williams

Wolfe Tone: The Curious Case of Joe Miller

Jurassic Pork: Looks Like We Do Body Counts, After All

Mudflats: Lisa, Liar, Pants on Fire! Murkowski Makes False Claims About Endorsements

Boo Man: Washington Post Sends Racially-Charged Gift to GOP

Gail Collins: Elections - Oshkosh Shrugged

Mark Warren: The Questions We Have Refused to Ask of the Tea Party

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/sharron-angle-nevada-senate-race-102210#ixzz13HanoL4Z

Must Reads

Alissa Torres: 9/11 Widow: The Media Duped Us

BooMan: Why We Need Tax Cuts for the Wealthy

Jason Linkins: Quran Burning Story: This Is How The Media Embarrass Themselves

Ted Koppel: Nine Years After 9/11, Let's Stop Playing Into Bin Laden's Hands

Raina Wallens: My Husband Didn't Stand for Hate

Chris Kelly: The Secret Relevance of Glenn Beck's 9/11 Show REVEALED

Must Reads

David A. Graham: America The Ignorant

BooMan: Loonies Win The Night

Bob Cesca: The Summer of Republican Race-Baiting

Timothy Egan: Building a Nation of Know-Nothings

Joan Walsh: Beck Has a Scheme

driftglass: The Persistence of Mediocrity

Jason Linkins: Congressional Budget Office: Sometimes Wonks Have To Explain Their Work To Morons

Linda Greenhouse: Nine Justices and Ten Commandments

Must Reads

Bob Cesca: Ground Zero Mosque Opponents Have a Lot of Work to Do

Eugene Robinson: Republicans pander over 'Ground Zero mosque'

Todd Purdum: Washington, We Have a Problem

David Weigel: Today In Journalism

BooMan: Your Daily Dose of Right Wing Stupid

Rude Pundit: You Hate America If You Are Against Park 51

Dick Cavett: Real Americans, Please Stand Up

Maureen Dowd: No Love From the Lefties

Gladstone: 3 Reasons the “Ground Zero Mosque” Debate Makes No Sense

The Ecomonist: What the Arab papers say

And so may other good editorial cartoons today...
John Sherffius, Stuart Carlson, and Mike Luckovich.

Must Reads

Joan Walsh: The Shame of Right-Wing "Journalism"

Bob Cesca: Fooled Again by Breitbart and the Wingnut Right

BooMan: Why Palin Won't Run for President

Political Party Pooper: How Corporatist-Conservative Policy Destroyed The American Economy

Chez Pazienza: Right and Wrong

Batocchio: The Five Circles of Conservative Hell

Elvis Dingeldein: I LOVE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY... or, No Real Public Person Should Follow Me On Twitter

Bob Herbert: Thrown to the Wolves

Armadillo Joe recommends...

driftglass: The Negrological Constant REDUX and Who's Next?

Timothy B. Lee: Freeways and the Decline of St. Louis

Matt Johnson: Parking Takes Up Space

Joan Walsh: The Civil Rights Heroism of Charles Sherrod

Must Reads

Gin and Tacos: The Bomber Will Always Get Through

Chez Pazienza: The Year of Living Painfully

Bob Cesca: Republican Hypocrisy on Terrorism Reaches New Levels of Awful

Dan Pfeiffer: The Same Old Washington Blame Game

Eugene Robinson: Dick Cheney's lies about President Obama

Heather Hurlburt: In Fact, We do Have A Counter-Terrorism Strategy -- And Experts Say It's Producing Results

Kimberly Kindy: Ex-Homeland Security chief head said to abuse public trust by touting body scanners

Will Wright: New Year's Wish: Getting My Country Back

BooMan: Why Support The Democrats?

Must Reads - UPDATED

David Weigel: Why I Don’t Write About Sarah Palin’s Facebook Posts

The Rude Pundit: A Few Random Thoughts Regarding the Tone of Debate in the Senate

Maureen Dowd: Is There a Real McCain?

Paul Krugman: Tidings of Comfort

Timothy Egan: Profiles in Cowardice

Adding...

BooMan: The Anti-Corporatist Movement

Chez Pazienza: The Unfriendly Skies

Wendell Potter: Why I'm Not Joining the Call to "Kill the Bill"

Must Reads

Adam Blickstein: Conservatives Terrified of Bringing Terrorists to Justice

Robert Reich: Harry Reid, and What Happened to the Public Option

The Rude Pundit: Photos That Make Some Kind of Awful Sense (Palin Version) and Fact-Checking Sarah Palin Is a Waste of Everyone's Time, But Fuck It

Bob Cesca: Famous for Being Famous: The Sarah Palin Show Is On the Air

David Vines: If It Were Me, I'd Be Embarrassed

Bob Saget: Why I Love Thanksgiving

Armadillo Joe recommends...

Andrew Sullivan: Deconstructing Sarah, Ctd

Kevin Drum: Quote of the Day

Booman: Questions for Nate Silver

TRex: “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things!” She Shrieked, then Went Back to Cleaning Her Guns.

Matthew Cole & Brian Ross: EXCLUSIVE: CIA Secret 'Torture' Prison Found at Fancy Horseback Riding Academy

Matt Taibbi: Sarah Palin, WWE Star

driftglass: Going Vague

DistributorCap: The Ownership Society

This Is Perfect

Booman (Via Cesca): "Yesterday was probably the most embarrassing day yet for the progressive blogosphere during the short reign of the Obama administration. So, now is probably a good time to just let loose and register my disgust with the movement I've been a part of for the last five years.

If you supported Obama during the primaries, you know who you are and this does not necessarily apply to you. For the rest of you, you spent the primaries either shilling for Clinton and telling us our guy was all talk and no show, or you spent them bitching that David Plouffe wouldn't respond to and obey your emailed wisdom. As soon as he won the presidency, you started bitching about his appointments. As soon as he became president, you started bitching about his messaging, his framing, his agenda, and his lack of deference to your opinion. I want to know where the point was in this process when Obama was supposed to conclude that you were his allies and that you were responsible for his victory. When was he supposed to conclude that he owed you something, or that you had any respect for him, or that you credited his good intentions, or that you understood the myriad responsibilities of the job might mean that your pet issues might have to wait six months, a year, or two years to get to the top of his agenda.

You call him a warmonger, but he gets the Nobel Peace Prize. He ends torture and allows his Attorney General to investigate it, and you call him a torturer. He tries to enact health care reform with a robust public option and you accuse him of seeking every opportunity to sell-out to the insurance industry. He bails out the cratering financial services industry and prevents a second Great Depression, and you accuse him of selling his soul to corporate CEO's. I'm not saying that all of these criticisms lack validity. I'm not saying that people shouldn't advocate for the things they care about passionately. I just want to know where you get the fucking idea that an anonymous White House staffer who gets asked about all this criticism would feel obligated to show you deference and respect."

I've increasingly felt this way for the last few months now, very early on with DADT and DOMA, and now with the health care reform debate. It seems to me that everyone has their billy clubs out ready to pounce on any perceived slight by the White House, whether on the right (which is expected) or the left (which is surprising and depressing).

We're 9½ months into a new administration that started in the deepest of ditches on January 20th. Think about it: you really couldn't get handed something much worse. And despite some of the accomplishments that President Obama and his administration have succeeded on in just 9 months, there's been nothing but the feeling of "it's not good enough, or fast enough" when it comes to a specific issue that any one person can have.

Even now I look into health care debates online where some of the Progressive commenters who support single payer say, "Obama is worse than Bush." Really? Did you just say that George W. Bush could do a better job than President Obama when it comes to health care reform? The guy that cut S-CHIP? That George Bush? The guy who signed Medicare Part D into law without the means to pay for it? Is that the Bush you're talking about? And that's just on the health care front.

All the talk lately was about how Obama had too many balls in the air all at once, but if one of those balls wasn't Medicare for All or repealing DADT immediately, it wasn't good enough.

So yes, I am in agreement with Booman and Bob Cesca. You have every right to voice your opinion and feel passionate about the issues that mean something to you. But if it isn't 100% to your liking or it isn't fast enough for you, just take a deep breath and think about what the alternative might have been.

Meet the new boss, DEFINITELY not the same as the old boss.

Must Reads

Bob Cesca: The Impeachment of President Obama

Naomi Klein: America's Teacher

Laura Flanders: Oops! ACORN Ban could snag Lockheed Martin & Christian Charities

Bill Maher: New Rule: If America Can't Get it Together, We Lose the Bald Eagle

John Amato: Will the media ever report about how low in the polling Republicans have sunk?

Rude Pundit: A Note on an Absence of Hysteria Regarding a Possible Terrorism Plot

Steven D, Booman Tribune: Michelle Malkin - Ace Reporter

Broadway Carl's Blog-O-Mania Recipient of Honest Weblog Award

I stared at my phone waiting for it to ring. I sat on my stoop waiting for the mailman to deliver my trophy or medal or certificate or whatever it is I'm receiving as my Honest Weblog Award. No matter; it is very flattering that those who read my blog (or at least one reader) found my musings, rants, diatribes and random thoughts worthy of such an honor.

Annette, of Just my little piece of the world fame, has seen it fit to bestow upon me the Honest Weblog Award. Her own blog is one I follow and I truly admire her writing and world view. Thanks, Annette, for the kind words and loyal clicks. Now on to the minutia.

Honest Weblog Award Rules:

1. You must brag about the award.

2. You must include the name of the blogger who bestowed the award on you and link back to that blogger.

3. You must choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.

4. Show their names and links and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with the Honest Weblog Award.

5. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself.

Then pass it on with the instructions!

The following of the rules:

1. Woohoo! Honest Weblog Award, bitches! I rock! Suck on it!

2. See second paragraph above.

3. Seven blogs:

Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog! GO! - I don't know how I initially came across Bob's blog, perhaps by reading a Huffington Post article, but I've been hooked from Day One. Bob Cesca's combination of information, snark and loyal commenters make this my most visited blog daily.

The Rude Pundit - I always anticipate a great post and a good laugh and I am never disappointed by The Rude One. If you're faint of heart, you might want to prepare yourself with a stiff drink before heading into NC-17 territory (they don't call Lee Papa "The Rude One" for nothing), but you'll be sure to learn something and be smarter for it. So what if on occasion you'll be blindsided with certain crass images that will curve your spine? It's nothing a few years of therapy won't fix.

Booman Tribune -Booman is an incredibly intelligent and entertaining writer, tells it like it is and has a kick ass frog logo. Or is it a toad?

The Political Carnival - I don't know how GottaLaff and Paddy manage to put as much great content up in such a quick period of time on a daily basis. If you hear about something in real time and expect to write about it as it's happening, Laffy and Paddy have already beaten you to the punch. Simply amazing.

and doctor biobrain's response is... - Funny, witty, and dextrously analytical, Dr. Biobrain is a joy to read. The good doctor breaks it down so that even a six year old can understand. Unless that six year old brain is trapped in the body of a middle-aged neo-conservative of course, in which case the debating in the comments section becomes a laugh riot!

OsborneInk - Matt is a tremendous writer as can be attested by his blog content, short stories, and letters to the editor. After seeing a month's worth of town hall crazy, it's nice to know a former military man can be a liberal.

Zaius Nation - Man, oh man, are you going to enjoy this site! The graphic content itself is justification enough to bookmark this blog and visit daily, let alone the amazing take on who is writing the blog. I won't give it away, just go check it out.

And of course, I have to include my friend Annette for the reasons mentioned above (see second paragraph.)

4. Inform bloggers... Working on it.

5. Ten honest things about myself:

~ I'm a big time procrastinator.

~ I feel like I have a good work ethic, but if I ever won the lottery, my co-workers would never see my face again. And I am amazed at those who continue to toil at a crappy job after they win a big jackpot. Life's too short to waste time not enjoying it.

~ I'm generous to a fault (at least that's what I'm told).

~ I like nice, new shiny things like laptops and cars to the point of getting depressed when wanting to buy a new, shiny thing but knowing I don't need said new, shiny thing.

~ I like really good food and really good wine and don't hesitate in spending a pretty penny for a night out. I have my wife to thank for that.

~ I should call my mom more often.

~ If the White House kills the public option and loses at least 84 progressive votes in the House in exchange for one Republican vote (Olympia Snowe) in the Senate, this blog is going to get real ugly.

~ I'm a bad swimmer.

~ When I was a kid, I wanted to be an archaeologist. I thought finding old stuff in the dirt was cool.

~ I was a music major in college and used to be a performer (musician, actor and singer). I still miss singing and think I still have pretty good chops - like "well above average" good. If I find some old video, I'll YouTube it.

So that's it. My rules task is done. I think I'll be getting my plaque any day now and I've reserved a space for it on the wall.

Quote of the Day

"...the failure of the Republican Party to attract anyone but white (usually male) Christians into their coalition is the primary driver of our divisions today. There's nothing wrong with white men from a Christian background, but there is something wrong with a party that is made up almost exclusively of them. When you add to this insularity a tendency to reject the most basic and important theories in geology, biology, and climatology, you have a party that is incapable of being an honest partner in setting fair and sensible policies for our nation." - BooMan

Must Reads

Bob Cesca: Healthcare Reform Named After Ted Kennedy Must Not Suck

Rude Pundit: A Message on Ted Kennedy to Conservatives Who Hated Him (Mostly Profanity-Free for the Kiddies & Ted Kennedy: There Went a Man

Glenn Greenwald: The Washington Post's Cheney-ite defense of torture

James Wolcott: Even on Days of Mourning, the Jerk Store Remains Open & Even on Days of Mourning, the Jerk Store Remains Open (II)

Armadillo Joe recommends...

Digby: And That's The Way It Is

Bruce Watson: Rain or snow? No problem, but revenue shortfalls cripple the Postal Service

driftglass: Rising Late and Angry

BooMan: The GOP, Not the Senate, is Broken & Reflections on My Senate Diary

Must Reads

Chris Kelly: Sarah Palin Wins

Rude Pundit: Umm, Townhall Protesters? Jefferson Was Actually Talking About Your Blood, Too

Robert Scheer: Letting the Banking Rats Out of the Bag

Linda Bergthold: Town Halls: Don't Confuse Me with the Facts, My Mind Is Made Up

Joshua Holland: 10 Awesome Things That Would Happen If Health Reform Passes

Dan Froomkin: The Truth Will Out

Bob Herbert: Hard To Believe!

Robert Parry: Olbermann-O'Reilly 'Truce' Frays

Armadillo Joe recommends...

BooMan: Diagnosing the Threat from the Right

"Dr. Leo Strauss": Why Democrats, Obama And Liberals Deserve Obliteration?

Rick Perlstein: In America, Crazy Is a Preexisting Condition - Birthers, Town Hall Hecklers and the Return of Right-Wing Rage

Must Reads

Matt Yglesias: Not A Parody

BooMan: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Bill Moyers and Michael Winship: Everyone Should See 'Torturing Democracy'

The Rude Pundit: Sotomayor Drives the GOP Into the Desert

Rachel Maddow: Swing and a Miss

Richard Thompson Ford: Bad Test - Sonia Sotomayor rejected the New Haven firefighters' claim because it threatened to burn down civil rights law.

Charles M. Blow: Rogues, Robes and Racists