ShortFormBlogApril 8, 2011

Here’s what the National Journal says is happening: It looks like the latest numbers on Obama’s desk are a lot closer and show actual compromise. WIll it be enough to prevent a government shutdown? Well, we’ll see. The deal the National Journal has suggests a temporary extension to get through the weekend while details are hashed out at the beginning of the week. “While leadership staff insist there is no deal yet,” they write, “that caution belies significant progress in narrowing long-standing differences and the widening assumption in both parties that a shutdown will be averted and all that remains unknown is the precise procedural steps that will walk everyone back from the abyss.” Here are some quick hard numbers from their report:

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And this, friends, is why Chartwell is awesome and just earned our $40. We were able to make this graphic in less than 20 minutes. And fortunately, our timing couldn’t be better. See, our boy Harry Reid says that the budget crisis is basically down to Planned Parenthood’s federal funding at this point. Here’s a poll from last week explaining how most people feel about the funding issue. When you break it down to likely voters, though, it starts to get messier — with 39 percent supporting the cuts, 29 percent opposed and a whopping 32 percent uncertain. source

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You know, bad journalism is bad journalism. But occasionally, someone manages to open up a new tier of bad journalism, one that not even Jayson Blair or Stephen Glass could even imagine. Such is the case of News of the World, Rupert Murdoch’s downmarket British tabloid, best-known in the States for revealing that Michael Phelps likes doing bong hits at college parties. The paper just admitted, after days of denials, that it is responsible for a scheme wher a bunch of its reporters hacked the mobile phones of many potential sources — including members of the Royal Family, actresses, politicians and sports stars. The scandal has already cost a member of David Cameron’s staff his job, and now News of the World is finally admitting their reporters screwed up. Stephen Glass looks professional in comparison. source

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This is a very unfortunate incident. I strongly regret the loss of life. I can assure you that we do our utmost to avoid civilian casualties.
NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen • Expressing regret over an airstrike that likely killed Libyan rebels. That’s not an apology, by the way, but a statement of regret. See, it’s things like this that get those in need of assistance frustrated with NATO. Dudes! They’re on your side! Stop talking about them like they’re an anonymous neutral party. It just pisses them off. source

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08 Apr 2011 20:28