Five Best Thursday Columns
Nicholas Kristof on capitalism, E.J. Dionne on the Vatican, and Jonathan Chait on Paul Ryan.
So far the facts of the three scandals facing the Obama administration do not tie President Obama himself to the scandalous acts. Since Republicans can't yet indict President Obama, they're shifting to indicting all of liberalism.
Nicholas Kristof on capitalism, E.J. Dionne on the Vatican, and Jonathan Chait on Paul Ryan.
With their beloved budget hawk out, conservatives turn their lonely eyes to Chris Christie
Speculation erupts that a budget-cutting savior might enter the 2012 race
Even with Rick Perry now in the 2012 hunt, Rove hopes a better candidate will get in
The House Speaker doesn't want a repeat of April's government shutdown drama
Overhauling Medicare is now tied to political defeat
The Senate will bring up his budget plan for a vote today
Four Republican senators now oppose plan to privatize Medicare
On Paul Ryan for president, the G-8's fudged numbers, and the benefits of circumcision
Kathy Hochul won a special election with 47 percent of the vote
Unexcited by the current crop, Republicans are busy holding a fantasy draft
A battle on how to frame today's special election is what counts nationally
Democrats hope to gain a House seat on the issue, while Scott Brown backs away
Mitch McConnell acknowledges that the vote is "the point of maximum leverage"
Republicans in Congress aren't eager to either criticize or vote for the proposal
Gingrich's campaign continues to wobble as staffer sends out bizarre email
And a new trend emerges: Being mean to Gingrich on tape
Gingrich has faced overwhelming criticism since he criticized a GOP Medicare overhaul
NBC's First Read thinks so, and Nikki Haley's comments might support the theory
Bush's Health and Human Services secretary eyes retiring Herb Kohl's seat
Republicans shift talking points as most voters don't want to see benefits cut
The GOP ranks are stuck with a vote to cut Medicare in a budget that won't pass
Considering major changes to Medicare would be delayed until after 2012
Angry voters who don't want Medicare to change--and Dems are egging them on
Tea Partiers are you. They don't want to cut entitlements
A Democratic stunt creates chaos on the House floor
The Internet as a tool for terrorists, Harvard and the Qaddafis, and optimizing the budget
A snapshot of the reactions to Paul Ryan's proposed trillions in budget cuts
The representative's visual aids look strikingly familiar
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