DEZINFORMATSIAA look at the future?: “And I still haven’t heard, if people can afford it and they don’t buy the insurance, will their wages be garnished under your plan? Will they have to pay fines?” — ABC’s George Stephanopoulos to Hillary Clinton **For the record, the former First Lady didn’t rule out the possibility.
From the Sycophant Files: “It is going to be a transformational primary here on the Democratic side of things. Do you get a sense that people are recognizing this idea of the grandeur of history involved here?” — CNN’s John Roberts Break Belly Laugh of the Week: “The choice for Democrats just got a whole lot harder. [Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton] are of such high quality that the party and the country can’t lose.” — Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift
‘Bout time you noticed: “As a new year begins, overall violence [in Iraq] is falling and hope seems to be rising.” — CBS’s Harry Smith Break “The downturn in violence [in Iraq] is being reflected in an upturn in the country’s economy. Since the U.S. troop surge took hold, everything from Iraq’s street markets to its stock market has been enjoying better days.” — ABC’s David Muir
Not-so-intelligent analysis: “The eavesdropping provisions of FISA have obviously had no impact on counterterrorism, and there is no current or perceived terrorist threat, the thwarting of which could hinge on an e-mail or a phone call that’s going through room 641A at AT&T in San Francisco next week or next month.” — MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann
Yada, yada, yada: “Bush is going out with a whimper, and leaving a stash of unfinished business. ... As he heads into the sunset, it can be said the president has been consistent, never wavering in his self-righteous defense of his unprovoked attack on Iraq; tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the country...” — Helen Thomas
Newspulper Headlines: We Blame Global Warming: “Bush Budget Would Nearly Freeze Domestic Spending” — Reuters
The Audacity of Dope: “Obama: Decriminalize Pot” — The Washington Times
Isn’t That Torture?: “Dems Needle Mukasey on Waterboarding” — Associated Press
Be Careful What You Wish For: “Neighbors of Sewage Plant Sue to Block It” — Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch
News You Can Use: “Manure Drastically Reduces Development of Lung Cancer” — Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Bottom Stories of the Day: “Police: Crack Found in Man’s Buttocks” — WTTG-TV Web site (Washington) (Thanks to The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto)
THE DEMO-GOGUESFrom the “Village Matriarch” Files: “I think you can automatically enroll people, and you will then say you’ve got to be part of this... But if you don’t start with universal healthcare, if you don’t say everybody’s going to be in the system, we’ll never get there...[G]oing after people’s wages, automatic enrollment... whatever the mechanism is, is not as important as... the fundamental commitment to universal healthcare.” — Hillary Clinton
Getting it right while not living up to it: “Poll-tested positions, calculated answers might be how Washington confronts challenges, but it’s not how you overcome those challenges; it’s not how you inspire our nation to come together behind a common purpose, and it’s not what America needs right now. You need a candidate who will tell you the truth.” — Barack Obama
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