The Commentariat -- Feb. 12, 2015

Internal links removed.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Obama formally asked Congress on Wednesday to authorize a three-year military campaign against the Islamic State that would avoid a large-scale invasion and occupation. The offensive could include limited ground operations to hunt down enemy leaders or rescue American personnel from the Sunni militants. A proposal sent by the White House to Capitol Hill on Wednesday would formally give the president the power to continue the airstrikes he has been conducting since last fall against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, as well as 'associated persons or forces.' The measure would set limits that were never imposed during the wars of the last decade in Afghanistan and Iraq by expiring in three years and withholding permission for 'enduring offensive ground combat operations'":

... Justin Sink & Kristina Wong of the Hill: "President Obama's request that Congress authorize military action against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) met with skepticism from both parties on Wednesday, raising questions about Capitol Hill's ability to pass a war measure. The divide is largely centered on language prohibiting the use of 'enduring offensive ground combat operations' against ISIS. Democrat say this does too little to limit the White House from committing ground troops to the fight, while Republicans say the restrictions could handcuff the military." ...

... John Cassidy of the New Yorker: "For months now, it has been clear that the United States and its allies are gearing up for an all-out military assault on the jihadi fighters who have occupied large swaths of Syria and Iraq, including Mosul.... On the basis of the Constitution and the subsequent laws governing the declaration of war, it's clear that, before the executive branch can launch any large-scale military action, Congress must grant its approval.... Despite the Administration's use of the word 'limited,' the resolution [Obama proposed the Congress] is a broad one.... If this resolution doesn't amount to granting the President a free hand, it comes close." ...

... Bruce Ackerman, in a New York Times op-ed: "On the surface, this looks like a welcome recognition of Congress's ultimate authority in matters of war and peace. But unless the resolution put forward by the White House is amended, it will have the opposite effect. Congressional support will amount to the ringing endorsement of unlimited presidential war making.... For political cover, Mr. Obama now wants Congress to grant him new authority, and yet he opposes repeal of the 2001 authorization in exchange for that new authority.... [Congress] ... should insist on the repeal of the 2001 resolution and an explicit repudiation of the 'associated forces' doctrine." ...

... ISIS Is Hillary's Fault. Ben Kamisar of the Hill: "Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday accused former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of helping to spur unrest in the Middle East that led to the current battle against militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. 'One of the people I blame for a lot of this, frankly, is Hillary Clinton,' he said on Fox News...." CW: Really? Explain that, Randy. Okay, here goes: "'The disaster that is Libya is now a breeding ground for terrorists and also a breeding ground for armament. I really do blame Hillary Clinton's war in Libya for creating a lot of the chaos that is now spreading throughout the Middle East." CW: "All roads lead to Benghaaazi."

Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "The House on Wednesday passed a bill approving construction of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, setting up a clash with President Obama, who has vowed to veto the measure. The bill, which passed the Senate last month, headed to Mr. Obama's desk Wednesday night.... The Keystone bill passed the House on a vote of 270-152. Twenty-nine Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of the bill. While the measure drew bipartisan support, it is not expected to draw the two-thirds majority necessary to override a veto." ...

... As Victoria D. noted in yesterday's Comments, Speaker Boehner has a sad on: "Instead of listening to the people, the president is standing with a bunch of left-fringe extremists and anarchists. The president needs to listen to the American people and say 'yes, let's build the Keystone pipeline.'"

... CW: Actually. No, Orange Man. Ben Geman of the National Journal, Jan. 20, 2015: "An NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey released Tuesday shows that 41 percent favor construction of the pipeline to bring crude oil from Canadian oil sands to Gulf Coast refineries, while 20 percent oppose it and 37 percent did not know enough to weigh in. An ABC News/Washington Post poll unveiled Monday, meanwhile, asked whether Congress should pass legislation approving the project or wait until the Obama administration completes its review. Sixty-one percent favored completing the review before deciding, while 34 percent backed authorizing construction now. The question was not a gauge of support for the project itself. Instead, it was about process, asking whether Keystone should be approved right now or whether the administration's review to determine if it's in the 'national interest' should proceed."

Scott Wong of the Hill: "Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) offered a blunt message for Senate Democrats in the standoff over Homeland Security funding, urging them to 'get off their ass' and pass a bill. The Speaker's rare flash of anger came Wednesday, as he blamed Democrats for repeatedly blocking a House-passed bill that would both stave off a Department of Homeland Security shutdown at the end of the month and gut President Obama's executive actions on immigration. Democrats are unified in their efforts to preserve Obama's immigration actions, which shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation":

... Sean Sullivan & Ed O'Keefe of the Washington Post: "The Republican honeymoon is over on Capitol Hill. Just a month into their taking full control of Congress, Republican leaders in the House and Senate are at odds over how to avoid shutting down the Department of Homeland Security as part of an immigration fight with the Obama administration.... Senate Republican leaders argue that, after three failed attempts, they cannot win approval of a House-passed DHS funding bill that challenges President Obama's executive actions on immigration, because of Democratic resistance. The House Republican position is that the Senate GOP should keep trying.... Boehner's ['get off their ass'] comments seemed to be a direct response to McConnell's statement Tuesday that it was 'clear we can't go forward in the Senate' with the current DHS bill." ...

... Sahil Kapur of TPM: "Republican Sen. Mark Kirk said Wednesday that his party made a mistake by picking a fight over President Barack Obama's immigration actions, and said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) should bring up a 'clean' bill to keep the Department of Homeland Security funded. 'I generally agree with the Democratic position here. I think we should have never fought this battle on DHS funding,' the Illinois senator said in the Capitol. 'I think it's the wrong battle for us at the wrong time.'" ...

... Rebecca Shabad of the Hill: Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) "said Wednesday that a 'clean' bill funding the Department of Homeland Security [-- that is, one that doesn't contain amendments, like the one to defund immigration reform --] would be better politically than passing a short-term continuing resolution (CR) funding the agency.... Both chambers are slated to leave Washington on Friday for a five-day recess next week. When they return the following week, they'll only have five days to resolve the issue before the Feb. 27 deadline." Shabad describes Dent as "a centrist" who is "close to GOP leadership." What had Boehner so exercised Wednesday was probably his recognition -- thanks to Dent & others -- that McConnell is going to win this round & the House will have to pass a DHS funding bill with Democratic support. Wouldn't that be awful?

Zeke Miller of Time: "President Barack Obama maintained in a new interview that he 'evolved' on gay marriage, despite a top aide's assertion in a new book that he was 'bullshitting' in 2008 when he opposed the unions. Obama told BuzzFeed that longtime political guru David Axelrod didn't accurately characterize his position when Axelrod wrote in his new book that Obama shifted on the issue for political gains. But the President proved unable to explain why he moved away from supporting the unions despite supporting them as a state Senate candidate in 1996." ...

... Ben Smith of BuzzFeed covers various remarks President Obama made during the interview in this story, which includes video clips. The transcript of the full interview is here. ...

... Capitalism Is Awesome, Ctd. Sarah Ferris of the Hill: "Staples is firing back at President Obama after he accused the company of trying to shirk certain responsibilities of his signature healthcare law. Obama blasted the office supply giant in an interview with BuzzFeed after the news outlet reported that Staples had threatened to fire workers who clocked more than 25 hours a week. The restrictions on hours, according to BuzzFeed, were an attempt to avoid fees under the Affordable Care Act." But a Staples spokesperson said BuzzFeed & Obama got it wrong; in fact, Staples has been short-shifting employees for a decade. CW: "We've been shafting ou employees for a decade" is not all that great a defense AND, as BuzzFeed reported, "Staples CEO Ronald Sargent brought home $10.8 million in total compensation in the year that ended last Feb. 1. The company reported $707 million in profits."

Greg Stohr of Bloomberg Business: "Americans are prepared to accept a U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, pointing to what she described as a sweeping change in attitudes toward gays. In an interview Wednesday in the court's oak-paneled east conference room, Ginsburg also said President Barack Obama's health-care law, which is under attack in a case before the Supreme Court next month, will be a central part of his legacy."

Sarah Ferris: "Signups for ObamaCare are surging in southern states, with increases of nearly 100 percent in some states compared to last year, federal health officials said Wednesday. Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina and Mississippi have each seen 80 percent more signups compared to last year, Deputy Administrator Andy Slavitt said." CW: The new enrollees get no benefits from the Medicaid expansion because none of these states has accepted it.

Brian Beutler writes an entertaining piece on various cranks & Hacks associated with King v. Burwell: "The Supreme Court case ... is nested in a fictional history of Congressional intent.... But its credibility sustained a further hit this week, when reports in the Wall Street Journal and Mother Jones revealed damaging information about at least three, and possibly all four, of the King vs. Burwell petitioners. First, that they joined the case out of ideological resentment, antipathy to Obama, or basic misinformation, rather than legitimate injury; and second, more troublingly, that they aren't actually eligible for supposedly unlawful subsidies, and thus lack standing to challenge them in court. These aren't people conservatives can present as sympathetic heroes.... They're zealots and eccentrics who signed on despite the fact that the law hasn't harmed them in any tangible way." The lawyers who cooked up the case are worse. ...

... ** Even more entertaining: Gail Collins writes a short introduction to the lovely plaintiffs & otherwise gets us up-to-date on the Big Case in one short column. She concludes, "Obamacare is terrific. You can tell by looking at the people who are against it."

Keith Laing of the Hill: "The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for a nationwide audit of public transit systems that operate trains in tunnels after a recent fatal smoke incident on the Washington, D.C. Metrorail system. NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said the D.C. Metro incident, which involved passengers being trapped on a smoke-filled train, shows problems may exist with similar transit systems across the country."

Megan Wilson of the Hill: "A rare open Federal Election Commission meeting on Wednesday attempted to placate the competing concerns of campaign finance activists. But at the end of the day-long hearing and comments from 30 witnesses, the commission was likely as deadlocked as ever on how to increase disclosure rules around so-called 'dark money' and whether funding behind Internet advertisements should be reported." ...

... Nice reporting, Megan. But Dana Milbank lets us know how the hearing really went.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Frank Rich & his interlocutor devote this week's entire Q&A to the Brian Williams/NBC News fiasco. ...

... Emily Steel of the New York Times has the tick-tock of Brian's Bad Week. ...

... Manuel Roig-Franzia, et al., of the Washington Post: "Senior NBC officials seriously considered firing anchor Brian Williams because he lied to his viewers about riding in a military helicopter hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during the Iraq war, according to a top network official. The ultimate decision to suspend Williams for six months was made after an internal investigation unearthed other 'instances of exaggeration.'... During those talks, Williams failed to secure a promise that he can return to the anchor chair...." The reporters do a good job of reconstructing how & why Williams was suspended. ...

     ... CW: One thing you can figure out from reading the WashPo piece is that NBC News didn't outright fire Williams because if they had, they would have lost control over him. With the suspension, "Williams is not allowed to make appearances without the approval of people at the network." For Williams, then, the suspension is kinda worse than being fired. ...

... Ken Auletta of the New Yorker blames it on Brokaw. ...

... David Carr of the New York Times: "[Jon] Stewart will leave his desk as arguably the most trusted man in news. And Mr. Williams will find his way back to his desk only if he figures out a way to regain the trust he has squandered. Mr. Williams is now all but locked in his own home -- he might as well have an ankle monitor on."

Presidential Race

Chris Hepp, et al., of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Philadelphia has been selected to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention, DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced this morning.The city beat out Columbus, Ohio, and Brooklyn, for the event, which will take place the week of July 25, 2016."

Steve Peoples of the AP: "A potential candidate no more, Mitt Romney is charting an aggressive course to help shape the Republican presidential field in 2016.... Aides suggest he is in a unique position to shape the 2016 debate, maintaining a regular presence on the speaking circuit and in national media, speaking on issues such as foreign policy, immigration and the minimum wage."

Ignorance Abroad. David Ferguson of the Raw Story: "In an appearance at Chatham House, the British international affairs think tank in London, Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker (R) declined to answer whether or not he believes in the scientific theory of evolution. According to Talking Points Memo, the Tea Party favorite and Koch Brothers beneficiary replied, 'I'm going to punt on that one.'" CW: Maybe a prominent think tank is not the best place to admit you can't think. ...

... Jason Stein & Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "In a speech short on policy and long on restraint, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker addressed Great Britain's most prominent think tank Wednesday, avoiding questions on foreign affairs and evolution.... The Republican governor sought to bolster his foreign policy credentials ahead of his likely presidential run even as he evaded question after question on international affairs. In his last response, Walker ducked a question and follow-up from his interviewer about whether he believed in evolution.... The event's moderator, Justin Webb of BBC Radio 4, responded by saying he believed any British politician would answer by readily accepting evolution." CW: ALSO too, maybe an international affairs think tank is not the best place to demonstrate you knowing nothing about international affairs. Such a performance might not "bolster his foreign policy credentials." ...

... David Knowles of Bloomberg Politics: "While 99.85% of American earth and life scientists believe the theory of evolution to be bedrock fact, 42% of the general public surveyed in a 2014 Gallup poll said they believed that human beings arrived on the earth in their present form.... A 2014 Pew Research Center poll found that the number of Republicans who believe in evolution has gone down over the past five years, with 43 percent now saying that human beings have evolved, down from 54 percent when the same poll was given in 2009." Knowles runs down the views expressed by some other GOP candidates.

Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times: "Baton Rouge, La., is about to lose one of its crucial hospital emergency rooms, and the reason is clear: The administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal has refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and won't put up any other money to keep the facility open. Because of the scheduled closure of the ER of Baton Rouge General Medical Center-Mid City, patients needing emergency treatment will have to travel as much as 30 minutes longer to reach the nearest ERs."

Beyond the Beltway

Sarah Kaplan of the Washington Post: "Craig Stephen Hicks was feared by his neighbors. He obsessed over parking spaces and always appeared angry. He used to watch a movie ["Falling Down"] about a man who goes on a shooting rampage over and over again. His ex-wife said he found the film hilarious. And just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, Hicks went to his neighbors' apartment and shot the three people inside, authorities say." ...

... Kevin Sullivan, et al., of the Washington Post: "A sudden, shocking spasm of violence near campus of the University of North Carolina here was followed quickly by alarm and debate about why three Muslims were allegedly gunned down by a neighbor and what role, if any, religion may have played. Police on Wednesday said that initial indications suggested the shooting stemmed from 'an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking,' an assertion that was echoed by the suspected shooter's wife. But relatives of the victims insisted that the incident should be viewed as a hate crime, while the fact that three Muslims were killed in a single shooting drew international attention to a relatively quiet college town." ...

... Steve M.: "Right-wingers are cherry-picking [American terrorist Craig] Hicks's now-blocked Facebook page in order to depict him as a lefty.... But the Daily Dot paints a somewhat different picture of Hicks: 'Under "political views," Hicks expressed libertarian leanings, writing, "I don't care about parties, just each individual and the rights of such in the Constitution! Some call me a gun toting Liberal, others call me an open-minded Conservative."'... Whether or not this was a hate crime, it almost certainly a crime that arose out of an American man's sense that he has the absolute right to resolve any and all disputes by pointing a gun at people."

Laura Gunderson of the Oregonian: "Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber [D] decided to resign Tuesday but then changed his mind, insisting Wednesday afternoon that he's staying.... The governor decided to pull back from resigning - set for Thursday or Friday -- after meeting with his attorney, Portland lawyer Jim McDermott, and his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes. Hayes' role in his administration has been the source of much of his troubles."

Bothered by Bodies. AP: "A Montana lawmaker is seeking to strengthen the state's indecent exposure law, stopping just short of his wish to outlaw yoga pants. Rep. David Moore on Tuesday introduced House Bill 365 in the House Judiciary Committee in response to a group of naked bicyclists who rolled through Missoula in August. The proposal would expand indecent exposure law to include any nipple exposure, including men's, and any garment that 'gives the appearance or simulates' a person's buttocks, genitals, pelvic area or female nipple. The Republican from Missoula said tight-fitting beige clothing could be considered indecent exposure under his proposal. ;Yoga pants should be illegal in public anyway,' Moore said after the hearing."

News Ledes

New York Times: "David Carr, who wrote about media as it intersects with business, culture and government in his Media Equation column for The New York Times, died at the office on Thursday. He was 58." ...

... Politico publishes Times executive editor Dean Baquet's memo to staff on Carr's death.

Los Angeles Times: "Two former models on Thursday became the latest to accuse comedian Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct. Flanked by their attorney Gloria Allred, Lise-Lotte Lublin and Linda Brown told reporters that they were young models at the time Cosby is accused of drugging them in hotel rooms. Brown said Cosby sexually assaulted her."

New York Times: "An Egyptian court on Thursday ordered the release of two journalists jailed here for more than a year on charges of broadcasting false news in a conspiracy with the Muslim Brotherhood, evidently moving to try to end international criticism over the case.... Both journalists, Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, were working for the English-language channel of the Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera when they were arrested at the end of 2013.... The courtroom was packed with journalists and erupted in applause. A third journalist arrested with them, Peter Greste, an Australian, was released about two weeks ago under a presidential decree allowing the deportation of foreigners convicted of crimes here."

AP: "The Islamic State group published what it described as an interview with the widow of the French gunman who attacked a kosher supermarket and a police officer in Paris last month, claiming for the first time that she was among extremist fighters. The text interviews in French and English, published Wednesday and Thursday, did not directly name Hayat Boumeddiene or show images of her, instead identifying her only as the wife of Amedy Coulibaly, or Umm Basur al-Muhajirah. She is considered key to the investigation into the attacks in Paris, which left 20 people dead including the gunmen, although she left France just beforehand."

New York Times: A new cease-fire and an overall compact to end the war in eastern Ukraine was announced [in Minsk] on Thursday by the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine after marathon overnight bargaining that threatened to derail the attempt. Even as the agreement was announced, it appeared fragile, with officials on all sides saying that there was more work to be done."

WABC has more on the crash that killed CBS newsman Bob Simon. See also yesterday's Ledes.

The Commentariat -- Feb. 11, 2015

Internal links & defunct video removed.

Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "The Obama administration has informed lawmakers that the president will seek a formal authorization to fight the Islamic State that would prohibit the use of 'enduring offensive ground forces' and limit engagement to three years. The approach offers what the White House hopes is a middle way on Capitol Hill for those on the right and left who remain deeply skeptical of its plans to thwart extremist groups. The request, which could come in writing as early as Wednesday morning, would open what is expected to be a monthslong debate over presidential war powers and the wisdom of committing to another unpredictable mission in the Middle East while the nation is still struggling to cope with the consequences of two prolonged wars."

Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "The Obama administration is considering slowing its planned withdrawal from Afghanistan for the second time, according to U.S. officials, a sign of the significant security challenges that remain despite an end to the U.S. and NATO combat mission there. Under the still-evolving plans, Army Gen. John F. Campbell, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, could be given greater latitude to determine the pace of the drawdown in 2015 as foreign forces scramble to ensure Afghan troops are capable of battling Taliban insurgents on their own, the officials said."

David Herszenhorn of the New York Times: "Negotiators meeting in Minsk, Belarus, reached a tentative deal for a cease-fire in Ukraine on Tuesday night, setting the stage for a meeting of the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France to sign the agreement on Wednesday, according to media reports. The initial reports came from Tass, a Russian government-connected news service, and BelTa, a Belorussian news agency. However, in a report on its website, a Ukrainian weekly newspaper, Zerkalo Nedeli, disputed the report of a deal."

Julie Davis of the New York Times: "President Obama will announce Wednesday that he is withdrawing almost all the American troops who were sent to West Africa to help contain the spread of the Ebola virus, administration officials said Tuesday. He will also outline new steps aimed at eradicating the disease now that the crisis has eased, said the officials...."

Ben Smith of BuzzFeed: "President Barack Obama said Tuesday he is heartbroken by the death of American hostage Kayla Jane Mueller, who had been held by ISIS for more than a year. Obama, who said telling hostages' families that the U.S. won't pay ransom is 'as tough as anything I do,' also said that Mueller was one of the hostages the United States sought -- and failed -- to rescue in a raid in Syria last summer." Includes video of the interview. ...

... Lindsey Bever of the Washington Post on the failed efforts to rescue Mueller. ...

... In a statement purported to be for the purposes of extending "condolences to President Obama, the American people and the family of Kayla Mueller," Israel PM Bejamin Netanyahu writes,

Disagreements over Israel's security have occurred between prime ministers in Israel from the left and from the right and American presidents from both parties.... We do have today a profound disagreement with the United States administration and the rest of the P5+1 over the offer that has been made to Iran.... This is not a personal disagreement between President Obama and me. I deeply appreciate all that he has done for Israel in many fields. Equally, I know that the President appreciates my responsibility, my foremost responsibility, to protect and defend the security of Israel. I am going to the United States not because I seek a confrontation with the President, but because I must fulfil my obligation to speak up on a matter that affects the very survival of my country. I intend to speak about this issue before the March 24th deadline and I intend to speak in the US Congress because Congress might have an important role on a nuclear deal with Iran.

... CW: IMHO, Bibi just can't stop doing the wrong thing. He's a diplomatic catastrophe. Using the death of Kayla Mueller is a mighty cheap way to lead into a long-winded excuse for a foolish political ploy & unprecedented antics. I hope more Democrats will find other things to do while Republicans are feting him. ...

... Kendall Breitman of Politico: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking his plight from the House floor to social media. On Tuesday, Netanyahu tweeted, 'I'm determined to speak before Congress to stop Iran. RETWEET if I have your support.' Unlike many of the prime minister's tweets, which are written in Hebrew, the tweets were timed for the East Coast's morning news cycle and written in English." Later, he sent more tweets in English. ...

... Burgess Everett of Politico: "The partisan divide over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's March address to Congress deepened further on Tuesday, with the Senate's most-senior lawmaker announcing that he will not attend the speech. In a highly critical statement on Tuesday morning, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont called the speech arranged by House Speaker John Boehner 'a tawdry and highhanded stunt that has embarrassed not only Israel but the Congress itself.' Leahy joins Vermont's other senator, independent Bernie Sanders, in skipping the speech, as well as a number of House Democrats...." ...

... Edward-Isaac Dovere & Lauren French of Politico: "The audience for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress on March 3 is shaping up to be largely Republican -- and almost completely white. Many members of the Congressional Black Caucus say they're planning to skip the speech, calling it a slight to President Barack Obama that they can't and won't support."

Over to You, Orange Man. Rebecca Shabbad of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that the House has to make the next move on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).... 'It's clearly stuck in the Senate,'" McConnell said. ...

... Ya Shoulda Listened to Ted, Mitch. Sahil Kapur of TPM: "Sen. Ted Cruz blamed Republican leaders Tuesday for his party's failing strategy to overturn President Barack Obama's immigration actions, arguing that if they had listened to him and more forcefully confronted Obama they would be succeeding." CW: Never mind that under the Cruz Plan, Congress would have had to shut down the government again.

Jeremy Herb of Politico: "Ash Carter's nomination to be the next defense secretary was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Senate Armed Services Committee and sent to the full Senate for final consideration. Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the Senate was still on track to confirm Carter this week to succeed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, with a final vote as early as Wednesday."

Dylan Scott of TPM: "Rising income inequality has damaged Social Security's fiscal health, and progressives believe that addressing it could go a long way toward improving the program's long-term outlook. That's the primary finding in a new report from the liberal Center for American Progress [Hillary Clinton's friends!], which was provided exclusively to TPM on Tuesday. The report lands as a renewed fight over Social Security is bubbling up in the new Congress. Last month, House Republicans passed a rule that blocks a revenue transfer between the retirement and disability funds, the latter of which is projected to be unable to pay full benefits starting late 2016, unless the program's overall solvency is improved." ...

... Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, lays out in detail (pdf) what Republicans are up to here. Via Paul Waldman. CW: We've mentioned this here in the past; it will come up again.

Francis Wilkinson of Bloomberg View: "Obamacare and its precursors (Kennedycare, Hillarycare, Romneycare) were rooted in a liberal moral vision -- that no one in so wealthy a nation should be denied health care because they lack the means to buy it. Many Americans accept that premise. Republicans have all but ceded the argument; they just don't like the redistributive consequences of it. Rather than combat the morality of Obamacare head-on, conservative opponents typically divert their attacks to adjacent playing fields: Obamacare is government overreach. It's bureaucratic. It threatens American exceptionalism. It will destroy jobs and the economy. Such arguments, ranging from practical to philosophical to foolish, have helped to raise public doubts about the efficacy of Obamacare.... Five years of sustained Republican outrage over Obamacare has yielded no replacement because it would require conservatives to either publicly capitulate to the moral logic of Obamacare, or renounce it."

Paul Lewis of the Guardian: "Barack Obama's nominee for attorney general, Loretta Lynch, has warned that HSBC could be prosecuted over tax evasion connected to its Swiss subsidiary, despite the controversial agreement she negotiated with the bank two years ago. In her first remarks since the Guardian and other media obtained a huge cache of leaked data from HSBC Switzerland, Lynch said the Department of Justice would not be constrained from bringing tax evasion charges against the bank if there were sufficient evidence."

Julian Hattem of the Hill: "A district court in California has issued a ruling in favor of the National Security Agency in a long-running case over the spy agency's collection of Internet records. The challenge against the controversial Upstream program was tossed out because additional defense from the government would have required 'impermissible disclosure of state secret information,' Judge Jeffrey White wrote in his decision."

Ben Smith: "President Obama Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's signals that marriage equality is on the verge of becoming the law of the land, adding that he expected local Alabama officials resisting the shift to be swept aside by federal courts." With video. ...

... Obama "Evolved" Long Ago. Zeke Miller of Time: "Barack Obama misled Americans for his own political benefit when he claimed in the 2008 election to oppose same sex marriage for religious reasons, his former political strategist David Axelrod writes in a new book, Believer: My Forty Years in Politics. 'I'm just not very good at bullshitting,' Obama told Axelrod, after an event where he stated his opposition to same-sex marriage, according to the book. Axelrod writes that he knew Obama was in favor of same-sex marriages during the first presidential campaign, even as Obama publicly said he only supported civil unions, not full marriages. Axelrod also admits to counseling Obama to conceal that position for political reasons." ...

... David Graham of the Atlantic: "By cloaking his own views, the president didn't polarize the issue ... until the die was cast. Once he did announce his stand, it seems to have helped bring new supporters with him, particularly black Americans. By fall of 2012, what might have been a fatal liability in the 2008 campaign was one of Obama's top talking points during the 2012 campaign -- which successfully won him another four years. It's unthinkable that any future Democratic nominee would oppose gay marriage, and even Republicans are said to be 'evolving' on it, realizing the utility of that slick term." ...

... Jonathan Chait: "... this process of industrialized spin is a bad thing. When a candidate contributes to public misinformation, regardless of his good intentions, he has done something morally questionable." ...

... Paul Waldman: "... it isn't that he was secretly plotting all along to create marriage equality for every American (the Supreme Court is the one that will do that). The policy steps his administration has taken on gay rights issues -- ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' opposing DOMA -- were things he said in 2008 he was going to do, and he ultimately did them. All of which could reasonably lead us to the conclusion that although it was certainly wrong for Obama to hide his true feelings on this issue, it may not be among the worst sins presidential candidates have committed." ...

... CW: Because the rights of Americans were at issue, in a just world, Obama should have done more to lead on gay marriage. On the other hand, a candidate can personally favor a policy that s/he realizes would cause acute societal stress. When one is talking about a right that has been almost universally denied since the beginning of civilization, I'm not sure four more years is so awful, particularly if those years are used -- as they were -- to incrementally advance rights for gay Americans. Sometimes a lie in service of a higher purpose is justified, & this appears to be one of those times: had McCain been elected because voters were appalled by Obama's support for gay marriage, we would have had a president who would have left DODT intact (as he said during Senate hearings), his Justice Department most likely would have continued to defend DOMA, & perhaps he would not have extended benefits to the families of gay federal employees. Given the alternative, then, Obama's lie can be morally justified.

ALSO TOO, the President doesn't like Maureen Dowd, for some reason. And he doesn't invite her to the White House, as he does Brooks & Friedman.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.

Finally someone is being held to account for misleading America about the Iraq War. -- Jon Stewart, Monday

Dylan Byers of Politico: "NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams has been suspended for six months without pay following his false claims about an experience he had during the Iraq war, NBC News president Deborah Turness announced Tuesday night.... Turness wrote in a memo to staff, 'We let Brian know of our decision earlier today. Lester Holt will continue to substitute Anchor the NBC Nightly News.' In addition to Williams' false claims about Iraq, Turness said she the Comcast/NBCUniversal brass had 'concerns about comments that occurred outside NBC News while Brian was talking about his experiences in the field.'" Byers reproduces Turness's full memo.

Tom Brokaw must be pleased. Lloyd Grove of the Daily Beast: Brokaw really dislikes Brian Williams because on election night 2012, "Williams made no secret of his wish to exclude Brokaw from the live coverage. [Said an NBC News veteran,] 'Brian did not want to be in the same studio as Tom. He thought Tom talked too much and was hard of hearing. He showed Tom tremendous disrespect and Tom knew this and knows this... When Tom wants to get something on Nightly, Brian fights that every step of the way.'" CW: Okay, that ups my respect for Williams. ...

     ... CW: What's more dangerous for the health of the country? (a) multimillionaire egotist Brian Williams' making himself the center of stories he was supposed to be reporting; or (b) multimillionaire egotist Tom Brokaw' repeatedly telling viewers the federal government must cut entitlements & rein in spending? Both presented their stories as facts, & employed graphics masquerading as supporting data. Viewers were likely to believe both of them. AND with Brokaw still exerting influence over the news division, according to multiple reports, you can bet that screw-the-needy meme is baked into NBC News's DNA. You think Chuck Todd is going to cross Brokaw? Look what happened to Brian Williams when he displeased Brokaw.

Gabriel Sherman of New York: "Earlier this morning, Williams and his agent met with NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke, and were presented with a dossier of Williams' apparent lies, according to sources.... This likely won't be the end of Williams's troubles. The network announced today that Richard Esposito, the senior producer conducting the fact-checking investigation of Williams's statements, will continue his inquiry. The fact that NBC lawyers are said to be reviewing the list of Williams's fictions is an ominous sign. Another source told me today that NBC has widened their probe to include Williams's expense accounts." ...

... CW: I'm guessing Williams will take over Jon Stewart's spot. He always wanted to do late-nite comedy. A fake news show is perfect for him. ...

     ... Update. Terrence McCoy of the Washington Post makes the case that Williams & Stewart should switch jobs.

Steve M: "What Fox has done to America is the great untold news story of our generation. Jon Stewart got that, and mainstream-media figures admired him, but the mainstream press never followed up on his stories. The MSM figured he had it covered (or, more likely, figured that he never had to worry about suddenly needing a job in an industry where only Murdoch seemed to be expanding). So Stewart, along with the comics he'd mentored, were alone on the media equivalent of Tora Bora. And Murdoch and Ailes got away. We got Saddam Williams, but the liars who really committed terrorist assaults on the truth escaped."

2016 Races

Jindal Promises Not to Evolve. Jeremy Diamond of CNN: "Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal won't join the ranks of politicians who have 'so called evolved' on same-sex marriage, he said Tuesday. Jindal, a Republican who is considering a presidential run, suggested that politicians like President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton changed their views on gay marriage because of polling indicating more Americans in support of gay marriage. 'I'm not one of those politicians,' Jindal said on CNN's 'New Day.' 'My faith teaches me that marriage is between a man and a woman. I don't believe in discrimination against anybody. I'm not for changing the definition of marriage.' A CNN/ORC poll in December found that 57% of Americans support gay couples' right to marry, including 36% of Republicans."

Transparent to a Fault. T. C. Sottek of the Verge: "Jeb Bush ... just decided to publish hundreds of thousands of emails sent to him during his time as governor of Florida.... Neither Bush nor those who facilitated the publication of the records ... decided to redact potentially sensitive personal information from them.... Some ... contain the email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers of Florida residents. The emails are available in Outlook format, and can be searched on the web at Bush's website.... Florida's freedom of information laws are very broad.... However..., as Florida private attorney Richard A. Harrison tells The Verge, social security numbers are 'both confidential and exempt' from public disclosure under state law.... Jeb Bush's camp was quick to shift blame to the state.... While a Florida bureaucrat may ultimately be to blame, it's not a good look for Jeb Bush -- someone who called himself the first 'eGovernor.'..." ...

... Caroline Bankoff of New York: "And here we thought the nascent campaign's biggest technology problem was its CTO's old tweets about gays and 'sluts.'" ...

... That Didn't Last Long. Adam Lerner of Politico: "The newly hired chief technology officer of Jeb Bush's Right to Rise PAC resigned Tuesday amid controversy over inflammatory comments he had written on Twitter and a blog for a college radio show. 'The Right to Rise PAC accepted Ethan Czahor's resignation today,' a Bush spokesperson said in a statement. 'While Ethan has apologized for regrettable and insensitive comments, they do not reflect the views of Governor Bush or his organization and it is appropriate for him to step aside.'" ...

... P.S. Czahor is a racist, too. ...

... So Much for the Small Stuff. Ben White of Politico: "Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will raise money on Wall Street on Wednesday at an eye-popping $100,000 per-ticket Park Avenue event hosted by private equity mogul Henry Kravis and his wife. The price of admission to the event, which will raise funds for Bush's 'Right to Rise' super PAC, surprised even Wall Street veterans used to high-dollar fundraisers.... Bush is moving quickly to consolidate financial support in the wealthy enclaves of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, in many cases squeezing out New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie." ...

... MEANWHILE.... Ken Vogel of Politico: "The main super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton is struggling in its early efforts to line up cash toward a fundraising goal of as much as $500 million, according to sources with knowledge of its fundraising. The group, Priorities USA Action, is trying to secure 30 or more pledges of at least $1 million apiece to be unveiled publicly when the former secretary of state officially enters the race, sources say. But, so far, it has received only about 10 firm commitments...." ...

... BECAUSE Déjà vu All Over Again. Nick Confessore & Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "Lingering tensions between Hillary Rodham Clinton's loyalists and the strategists who helped President Obama defeat her in 2008 have erupted into an intense public struggle over who will wield money and clout in her emerging 2016 presidential campaign. At issue is controlling access to the deep-pocketed donors whose support is critical to sustain the outside organizations that are paving the way for Mrs. Clinton's campaign. It is a competition that has been exacerbated, many Clinton supporters said, by Mrs. Clinton's reluctance to formally enter the race and establish a campaign organization with clear lines of authority."

Ninety-two million Americans aren't working. -- Sen. Ted Cruz [RTP-Texas], Sunday, on CNN's "State of the Union"

Louis Jacobson of PolitiFact: "Once you strip out senior citizens and school-age Americans, the number is less than half that.... Another point worth noting: Just because someone in the prime working-age range (25 to 64) isn't working doesn't mean that they are unemployed. They may be disabled, taking care of children full-time or have gone back to school. The actual number of officially unemployed Americans in January was a little under 9 million -- just one-tenth of the figure Cruz cited as 'not working.'" CW: Get to work, you lazy kids & old slackers!

If Rand Paul were the Republican nominee & Sherrod Brown the Democratic nominee, it would be a swell contest. And every day would be Bad Hair Day:

Manu Raju of Politico: "Sen. Harry Reid summoned dozens of staffers to the Senate's Mansfield Room Tuesday and delivered a clear message: He's running for reelection next year. The comments are in part aimed at putting to rest growing speculation inside the Senate that the 75-year-old Nevada Democrat -- badly hurt from a painful injury to his right eye -- would call it quits after nearly three decades in the chamber."

Beyond the Beltway

Kalyn Wolfe, et al., of the New York Times: "A federal judge will hear arguments Thursday on whether to order local officials here to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, as some Alabama counties granted the licenses for a second day, but most continued to refuse. Late Monday, gay rights advocates asked Judge Callie V.S. Granade of Federal District Court in Mobile to direct the probate judge here, Don Davis, to issue the licenses. The state's second-most populous county, Mobile was by far the largest where officials refused to issue licenses to anyone on Monday. The state attorney general, Luther Strange, filed a response Tuesday morning, opposing the request."

Tammy Grubb of the Raleigh, North Carolina, News & Observer: "Police charged a Chapel Hill man Wednesday with first-degree murder in the deaths of three Muslim students.... Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, is being held in the Durham County Jail on three counts of first-degree murder. Hicks is accused of shooting his Finley Forest neighbors, Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, and his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Abu-Salha’s sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh. Barakat was a doctoral student in UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Dentistry. The sisters were N.C. State University students. Chapel Hill police found all three victims dead at the scene, after responding to a report of gunshots ... at 5:11 p.m. Tuesday."

Al Baker & David Goodman of the New York Times: "A New York City police officer was indicted Tuesday in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in a Brooklyn public housing complex stairwell in November, several people familiar with the grand jury's decision said."

Ya Can't Trust Anybody. Chicago Sun-Times: "The Jackie Robinson West Little League All-Stars [of Chicago] are no longer the 2014 Little League National Champions. Little League International confirmed Wednesday it has vacated their title due to residency violations. Jackie Robinson West manager Darold Butler has been suspended from Little League activity. Illinois District 4 Administrator Michael Kelly has been removed from his position."

News Ledes

CBS News: "Bob Simon, the longtime 60 Minutes correspondent and legendary CBS News foreign reporter died suddenly tonight in a car accident in New York City. The award-winning newsman was 73."

New York Times: "Rose E. Frisch, a scientist whose work showed that women without enough body fat would have trouble becoming pregnant but also had a lower risk of breast cancer, died on Jan. 30 at an assisted-living facility in Cambridge, Mass. She was 96."

Guardian: "The US, Britain and France have closed their embassies in Yemen over security concerns in the Arab world's poorest country, where Shia rebels finalised their power-grab last week."

Washington Post: The Navy announced Tuesday that it has censured three admirals for ethics violations as part of a historic corruption scandal that has already tarred several other high-ranking officers and is threatening to spread further through the ranks. Navy officials said the three admirals improperly accepted 'extravagant dinners' and other gifts from Leonard Glenn Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor who made a fortune by supplying Navy vessels at Asian ports until his arrest in 2013." ...

... Stars & Stripes: "The commander of naval forces in Japan and two other admirals are retiring following letters of censure issued by the secretary of the Navy in connection with a wide-ranging bribery scandal in the Asia-Pacific region. Naval Forces Japan commander Rear Adm. Terry Kraft, along with rear admirals Michael Miller and David Pimpo, were censured by Secretary Ray Mabus to 'document their failure of leadership' related to dealings with Glenn Defense Marine Asia between 2006 and 2007, according to a Navy statement."

The Commentariat -- Feb. 10, 2015

Internal links removed.

Deb Reichmann of the AP: "President Barack Obama is expected -- as early as Tuesday -- to ask Congress for new war powers, sending Capitol Hill his blueprint for an updated authorization for the use of military force to fight the Islamic State group."

Michael Shear & Andrew Higgins of the New York Times: "President Obama said Monday that he would wait for the outcome of peace talks before deciding whether to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine. Such assistance would represent a striking break with European allies who say that arming the country against Russian aggression would make the conflict worse. In a joint White House news conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Mr. Obama said he was hopeful that economic sanctions would persuade President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to seize a diplomatic solution. But he said the United States would consider sending defensive weapons to Ukraine if European-led talks scheduled for this week did not produce peace."

Julie Davis & Isabel Kershner of the New York Times: "The latest conflict between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel erupted into public view on Monday, as the two leaders clashed from afar over Mr. Netanyahu's plans to visit Washington next month and the direction of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. At a White House news conference, Mr. Obama signaled his displeasure with the speech Mr. Netanyahu is scheduled to give in March.... But in Jerusalem, Mr. Netanyahu vowed that he would go forward with the speech, despite increasing pressure in Israel and the United States to cancel or alter his plans to use it to appeal directly to American lawmakers for a harder line against Iran." ...

... Mike Lillis of the Hill has put together a whip list of Democrats who have said they will & will not attend Netanyahu's speech.

Stephanie Mencimer of Mother Jones tracks down the four plaintiffs in the case of King v. Burwell. They're all nincompoops, but I guess my favorite is "Brenda Levy ... [who] will qualify for Medicare in June, around the same time the Supreme Court is likely to issue a decision in this case.... She didn't recall exactly how she had been selected as a plaintiff in the case.... [She's a substitute teacher & an anti-gay activist.] Levy said that she had never met the lawyers handling the case in person.... When I asked her if she realized that her lawsuit could potentially wipe out health coverage for millions, she looked befuddled. 'I don't want things to be more difficult for people,' she said. 'I don't like the idea of throwing people off their health insurance.'" ...

.. Greg Sargent reports that the Wall Street Journal is raising questions about the standing of the four plaintiffs in King v. Burwell in this story, by Louise Radnofsky & Brent Kendall, and in this one (Feb. 6), by Radnofsky, Kendall & Jess Bravin. However, as Sargent notes, "... the standing questions almost certainly won't be enough to disable the lawsuit. All it needs is one plaintiff with standing. And there are other people out there -- on other lawsuits, and beyond -- who can legitimately claim injury. This legal challenge will go forward one way or another." ...

... Be Careful What You Wish For. Brian Beutler on the consequences for Republicans, who are hoping the Supremes will rule for King, et al.: "The case ... is an unexploded ordnance lying in the middle of the 2016 presidential campaign field. An adverse King ruling wouldn't just introduce familiar, crisis-driven legislative politics. It would likely become the defining issue of the Republican primary and general election. It would leave Republicans strategically and substantively divided over how to contain the fallout. And it would transform Obamacare as an issue from a modest liability for the Democratic candidate, into a factor that unifies the entire party against Republicans and the Supreme Court." ...

... ** Robert Kirsch of the Roosevelt Institute, in the Hill: Under the GOP's latest "plan" to "replace" the ACA, "middle-class, seniors and low-income -- would pay more to get lousy insurance and many more working Americans would go without health coverage." ...

... If you wonder why the Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam's (R) effort to secure Medicaid expansion funds for Tennesseans failed in the state's legislator, blame it on David Koch. According to Perry Bacon of NBC News, "... the state's chapter of Americans for Prosperity..., whose foundation is chaired by controversial billionaire David Koch, argued Haslam was just trying to trick conservatives into implementing Obamacare in their state by giving it a new name. AFP campaigned aggressively Haslam's plans..., even running radio ads blasting GOP state legislators who said they might vote for it." Via Greg Sargent.

Alec MacGillis of Slate: Last week "... the Obama administration, spurred on by a stunning investigation by the Huffington Post, quietly took an important step in ... [fighting] heroin addiction.... The White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy announced that it would forbid drug courts that receive federal funding ... from barring defendants from going on Suboxone," a drug that "that has been shown to be highly effective in treating addiction to heroin and prescription painkillers" & can be taken at home because it is more difficult to abuse than methadone.

Hmm. Katie Valentine of Think Progress: "Federal agents have been contacting activists who have participated in anti-Keystone XL and anti-tar sands protests, according to the Canadian Press. The visits have been happening to activists in Oregon, Washington state, and Idaho, and a lawyer working with the activists told the Canadian Press that he has advised them not to talk to the agents."

Ben Protess & Jessica Silver-Greenberg of the New York Times: "The Justice Department is pushing some of the biggest banks on Wall Street -- including, for the first time in decades, American institutions -- to plead guilty to criminal charges that they manipulated the prices of foreign currencies. In the final stages of a long-running investigation into corruption in the world's largest financial market, federal prosecutors have recently informed Barclays, JPMorgan Chase, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Citigroup that they must enter guilty pleas to settle the cases, according to lawyers briefed on the matter....Yet ... a development that has not been previously reported -- additional currency misconduct has surfaced in a New York state investigation, confidential documents show."

GOP Jihad. William Saletan of Slate: Republicans & confederate pundits who have chided President Obama for noting historic acts of violence committed in the name of Christianity are making the same arguments today's Islamic jihadists make about the justifications for their violence. ...

... ** Bill Moyers vividly describes Americans gleefully burning another American alive in 1916. "Between 1882 and 1968 -- 1968! -- there were 4,743 recorded lynchings in the US. About a quarter of them were white people, many of whom had been killed for sympathizing with black folks.... Our own barbarians did not have to wait at any gate. They were insiders. Home grown. Godly. Our neighbors, friends, and kin. People like us." ...

... The Conferate Reign of Terror. Campbell Robertson of the New York Times: "On Tuesday..., the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Ala., released a report on the history of lynchings in the United States, the result of five years of research and 160 visits to sites around the South. The authors of the report compiled an inventory of 3,959 victims of 'racial terror lynchings' in 12 Southern states from 1877 to 1950.... The process is intended, [Bryan] Stevenson[, the organization's founder,] said, to force people to reckon with the narrative through-line of the country's vicious racial history, rather than thinking of that history in a short-range, piecemeal way. 'Lynching and the terror era shaped the geography, politics, economics and social characteristics of being black in America during the 20th century,' Mr. Stevenson said, arguing that many participants in the great migration from the South should be thought of as refugees fleeing terrorism rather than people simply seeking work." ...

... The organization provides a map of the sites of lynchings from 1877 to 1950, republished in the Times. The report, "Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror," is here (pdf).

Well, it's too late to ask for a recount. -- President-Elect Barack Obama, Late Fall 2008, upon reviewing the disastrous economic situation

Jonathan Chait reports on an effort -- to be continued, no doubt -- to assert that the Bush administration did not "lie us into" the Iraq War. Of course it is necessary to distort or ignore facts to proclaim this whopper, but the "goal here seems to be to make it impossible for journalists to treat this particular fact as if it were a fact."

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.

Brendan James of TPM: "'Morning Joe' host Joe Scarborough embarked on a rant Monday morning when asked whether House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) made a mistake inviting the Israeli prime minister to address Congress. During his tirade, Scarborough railed against Democrats snubbing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he called 'a spokesperson for Jews worldwide,' and accused President Barack Obama of 'allowing the Iranians to roll over him' in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program." ...

.. CW: Hey, Joe. Who is the spokesperson for Christians worldwide? Pope Francis? Barack Obama?

Jon Stewart does a great job putting the Brian Williams in context.

     ... Update: Verizon has taken down the video, but you can still watch the segment here. ...

... Ouch! Emily Steel & Ravi Samoiya of the New York Times: "Before [Brian] Williams apologized for exaggerating an account of a forced helicopter landing during the Iraq war, he ranked as the 23rd-most-trusted person in the country.... On Monday, he ranked as No. 835." Another guy down there in the 830s?: Willie Robertson of "Duck Dynasty." CW: And I thought the public wasn't paying attention. ...

... Jordan Charitan of USA Today: "On Friday, preliminary ratings for Nightly NewsWith Brian Williams were down 36% in the coveted 25-to-54 demographic compared with the previous week's average as controversy swirled around the anchor.... Williams' competitors also dipped: ABC was down 16% and CBS down 17% compared with the previous week's average." ...

... Hadas Gold of Politico: "The first time Brian Williams heard that his helicopter was an hour behind the Chinook that got hit by an RPG -- and not directly behind it -- was last week, on Feb. 4, during an interview with Stars & Stripes. In that interview, that audio of which was published Monday, Williams acted surprised to hear that soldiers who were with him that day told Stars & Stripes that Williams' Chinook helicopter was not flying with the helicopters that were hit." Transcript & audio of the full interview, by Travis Tritten, is here. ...

... MEANWHILE, in the French Quarter. Jessica Williams of the Times-Picayune: "The former general manager of the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, where embattled 'NBC Nightly News' anchor Brian Williams reportedly roomed during Hurricane Katrina, said Sunday (Feb. 8) that neither mass flooding nor floating human remains were near the hotel after the levees broke. Her statement raises questions about Williams' stated Katrina experiences and could add to a pool of public skepticism regarding his tale."

Jack Shafer in Politico Magazine: Ezra Klein & Matt Yglesias, who interviewed President Obama for Vox (linked here yesterday) are "less interested in interviewing Obama than they are in explaining his policies. Again and again, they serve him softball — no, make that Nerf ball -- questions and then insert infographics and footnotes that help advance White House positions. Vox has lavished such spectacular production values on the video version of the Obama interview -- swirling graphics and illustrations, background music (background music!?), aggressive editing, multiple camera angles that the clips end up looking and sounding like extended commercials for the Obama-in-2016 campaign. I've seen subtler Scientology recruitment films." ...

... ** David Dayen of Salon writes an excellent piece on what Obama didn't say (and what he did say) in the Vox interview about international trade deals. CW: AND yes, Matt Yglesias, who conducted the interview on international policy, let Obama get away with some pretty disingenuous spin, as Dayen illuminates. Still, the interview kind of boxes the President into a promise of transparency & protection of labor on the TPP. We'll see how that goes.

Presidential Race

Dana Milbank: Bobby Jindal came to Washington to tout his presidential creds, only to refuse to answer reporters' questions about his abysmal record as governor. Milbank has specifics of the Q&A, & they're funny. The Louisiana Sidestep turns out to be an awkward dance. "Some of the [Republican] party's most promising candidates are governors or former governors running on their executive experience. But their experience isn't always a good advertisement for the limited-government policies they promote." ...

... Well, gosh, James Hohmann of Politico describes Jindal as an "energized" candidate who "hit back at his critics on the right and left, dismissing them as elitist hacks who can't stand the idea of an Ivy League-educated, unapologetic conservative. He accused GOP bosses in Washington of trying to sanitize the nomination battle and 'get us to stop being so rude.' He blasted right-leaning writers who've criticized him, saying they're just out to curry favor with the editorial page of The New York Times and get booked on the Sunday shows. And the 43-year-old governor argued that some Republicans are fine with crony capitalism, as long as their pockets are being lined."

Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed: "... Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has hired Ethan Czahor, a Santa Monica-based techie who co-founded Hipster.com, to be chief technology officer for his political action committee.... After the story of his hiring broke, tweets on his Twitter account started disappearing.... Several of the deleted tweets refer to women as 'sluts'.... Some are about gay men at the gym.... 'Governor Bush believes the comments were inappropriate,' a Bush spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. 'They have been deleted at our request.'" CW: Kaczynski provides plenty of examples of the deleted tweets. Judging from their content & quality, Czahor must be an obnoxious 14-year-old in need of serious counselling. ...

     ... Update. Jonathan Easley of the Hill: "'Jeb Bush said the country needed "adult conversations" and then promptly hired a digital staffer who proudly shares misogynist views on women, homophobic views about the LGBT community, and mocks everyone from newborns to the McCain family,' said [Democratic National Committee] Deputy National Press Secretary Rebecca Chalif. 'I'm not sure what sort of conversations are going on with the adults Governor Bush knows, but these statements don't belong in a schoolyard screaming match, much less in our political discourse,' Chalif continued."

Gabriel Debenedetti of Politico: "The latest front in Republicans' anti-Clinton effort will launch on Tuesday morning, with the Republican National Committee's 'Hillary's Hiding' campaign designed to highlight the former secretary of state's recent lack of straightforward political activity despite her presumed pre-candidate status." CW: Yeah, because she's not out there making a complete fool of herself a la many GOP candidates, she's in hiding. ...

     ... OR, as Margaret Hartmann of New York puts it, "Republicans Are Pressuring Hillary Clinton to Enter the 2016 Race."

Ken Vogel of Politico: "David Brock on Monday abruptly resigned from the board of the super PAC Priorities USA Action, revealing rifts that threaten the big-money juggernaut being built to support Hillary Clinton's expected presidential campaign. In a resignation letter obtained by Politico, Brock, a close Clinton ally, accused Priorities officials of planting 'an orchestrated political hit job' against his own pro-Clinton groups, American Bridge and Media Matters."

Beyond the Beltway

Nullification, Ctd. Sandhya Somashekhar of the Washington Post: "On the day that same-sex unions became legal in Alabama, local officials in dozens of counties on Monday defied a federal judge's decision and refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, casting the state into judicial chaos.... In the majority of counties, officials said they would refuse to license same-sex marriages or stop providing licenses altogether, confronting couples -- gay and heterosexual -- with locked doors and drawn windows. Many of the state's 68 probate judges mounted their resistance to the federal decision at the urging of the firebrand chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Roy Moore." ...

Today's decision represents yet another example of this Court's increasingly cavalier attitude toward the States.... This acquiescence [to the lower federal court decision] may well be seen as a signal of the court's intended resolution of that question. -- Justice Thomas, dissent in Supreme Court's denial of Alabama's application for a stay; joined by Justice Scalia

... Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The most prominent sign that the Supreme Court is poised to recognize a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry nationwide came Monday from an unlikely source: conservative Justice Clarence Thomas. The court is months away from hearing arguments in a landmark case about whether states are free to ban such unions. But Thomas said a majority of the justices may have already made up their minds, as reflected by the court's 'indecorous' decision Monday morning allowing same-sex marriages to proceed in Alabama." ...

... Thomas's dissent is here (pdf). CW: Looks as if it will be a 7-2 decision (although there is no telling how many Supremes voted not to lift the stay).

Monica Davey & Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "Gov. Bruce Rauner, the newly elected Republican who has often criticized public sector unions, took his first step toward curbing their power on Monday by announcing an executive order that would bar unions from requiring all state workers to pay the equivalent of dues. Mr. Rauner, who faces a Democratic-controlled legislature with strong ties to labor, took the unilateral step saying that he believed those fees violate the United States Constitution." CW: This is a good example of why you vote for the Democratic candidate, even if s/he's a jerk.

News Ledes

Hill: "The State Department is suspending embassy operations in Yemen amid concerns about the volatile security situation there, a significant blow to relations with a one-time key ally in the fight against al Qaeda. Embassy staff have been relocated out of the capital city of Sana'a, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, adding that the political transition underway created a risk of renewed violence that threatened the diplomatic community."

Hill: "Newsweek's Twitter account was apparently hacked by Islamist extremist sympathizers, with a disturbing threat tweeted at first lady Michelle Obama and the first family."

Washington Post: "The FBI has notified the family of Kayla Mueller, the 26-year-old American woman held hostage by the Islamic State in Syria, that she is dead." ...

... New York Times UPDATE: "For one tortured weekend, the parents of Kayla Mueller refused to believe that their daughter was dead. From their home in Prescott, Ariz., they issued an impassioned plea to the Islamic State, which had held her captive since August 2013, and urged the extremist organization to contact them privately with proof of her death. The militants acquiesced and sent at least three photographs of her corpse."

New York: "TMZ is reporting that Bobby Brown and Houston's mother Cissy have agreed to take Bobbi Kristina [Brown] off life support on Wednesday, the three-year anniversary of her mother's death.... Twenty-one-year-old Brown has been in a medically induced coma since being found unresponsive in a bathtub on January 31. The cause is unknown, but police are reportedly investigating Brown's boyfriend Nick Gordon on suspicion of foul play."

AP: "A relentless storm that dumped more than two feet of snow on some parts of New England was finally expected to wind down on Tuesday but not before bringing the Boston-area public transit system to its knees and forcing some communities to consider dumping piles of snow into the ocean to help relieve clogged streets.... Forecasters said more snow was possible on Thursday."

New York Times: "Critical elements of Puerto Rico's plan to avert financial disaster are in jeopardy, after a federal judge struck down a law that allowed the government to restructure certain debts. The law, known as the Recovery Act, was meant to give Puerto Rico's public corporations protections similar to bankruptcy. Unlike American cities like Detroit, which used federal bankruptcy law to sort out its finances, Puerto Rico, a United States commonwealth, is not permitted to declare bankruptcy."

Guardian: "The Syrian government is being continually informed via Iraq and other countries about US-led air strikes against Islamic militants in Syria, Bashar al-Assad has said."

Los Angeles Times: "An upstart anti-corruption party swept to a landslide victory Tuesday in state elections in the Indian capital, dealing the first significant political setback to Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Guardian: "A Cairo appeals judge has issued a damning appraisal of last year's trial of three al-Jazeera English journalists, a month after he quashed their convictions and sent their case to a retrial that will begin on Thursday. The initial trial failed to provide conclusive evidence that the defendants had helped the banned Muslim Brotherhood or promoted the group in the media, wrote Judge Anwar Gabry, the deputy head of the court of cassation, Egypt's highest court of appeal."