The Commentariat -- Jan, 14, 2014

Internal links removed.

Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: " House and Senate negotiators reached accord on a trillion-dollar spending plan that will finance the government through September, reversing some cuts to military veterans' pensions that were included in a broader budget agreement last month and defeating efforts to rein in President Obama's health care law. The hefty bill, filed in the House on Monday night, neutralized almost all of the 134 policy provisions that House Republicans had hoped to include...."

Lisa Mascaro of the Los Angeles Times: "Votes are set for Tuesday in the Senate on the jobless aid package as a small group of key Republican senators emerged as a potential voting block that could form a coalition for compromise with Democrats. The nine senators, who made a new proposal late Monday, have publicly split with those hard-line conservatives in their party who see jobless aid as a handout that provides a disincentive to work.... But Democrats were cool to the proposal because they want to guarantee benefits for a longer duration, perhaps a year. Moreover, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been reluctant to open the debate to a freewheeling amendment process out of concern that Republicans will offer partisan proposals on Obamacare or other topics...."

Bad News for the GOP Christie Defense. Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "F.B.I. investigators do not believe Internal Revenue Service officials committed crimes in the unusually heavy scrutiny of conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status, a law enforcement official said Monday.... I.R.S. documents show the agency gave the same scrutiny to some liberal groups, using the key words 'Progressive' and 'Occupy.' The news that criminal charges are unlikely is not expected to stop the debate over whether politics had motivated the I.R.S. scrutiny." CW: Because Darrell Issa has never let facts get in the way of a righteous witch hunt.

Bad News for Presidential Power. Lyle Denniston of ScotusBlog: "Seeming a bit troubled about allowing the Senate to have an on-off switch on the president's power to temporarily fill vacant government posts, the Supreme Court on Monday indicated that it may yet allow just that. Even some of the Justices whose votes the government almost certainly needs to salvage an important presidential power were more than skeptical."

Michael Shear & Robert Pear of the New York Times: "People signing up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's federal and state marketplaces tend to be older and potentially less healthy, officials said Monday, a demographic mix that could threaten the law's economic underpinnings and cause premiums to rise in the future if the pattern persists." ...

... Alex Wayne & Mike Dorning or Bloomberg News: "The U.S. government said it would ramp up Obamacare outreach in 25 cities to lure younger people to the program after a report showed about 70 percent of the initial customers are 35 years of age or older."

Ana Marie Cox of the Guardian: The West Virginia chemical spill is "likely a bigger scandal than Bridgegate.... Both are environmental policy stories. And they both speak to the costs of letting shortsighted, local economy goals trump more global concerns. The traffic on the George Washington Bridge is, in part, as bad as it is because of the antiquated rail service between New York and New Jersey. The system needs the exact sort of overhaul that Christie scuttled as one of his first acts in office.... One sure way to foil traffic vigilantes of the future, after all, would be to deny them a hostage." ...

... Erica Martinson of Politico: "The coal-processing chemical that cut off the water supply to 300,000 West Virginians is one of tens of thousands of potentially hazardous substances that have fallen through a decades-old loophole in federal regulations, leaving authorities with little information on what dangers it poses.... The problem is that there is 'no publicly available health and safety information for the vast majority of chemicals on the market,' said Andy Igrejas, director of advocacy group Safer Chemicals Healthy Families. 'And that's clearly the case with this spill.'”

Mark Landler & Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "With the United States and Iran about to embark on a critical phase of nuclear talks, President Obama is waging an intense rear-guard action to prevent Senate Democrats from supporting strict new sanctions that could upend his diplomatic efforts. Sponsors of the bill, which would aim to drive Iran's oil exports down to zero, have secured the backing of 59 senators, putting them within striking distance of a two-thirds majority that could override Mr. Obama's threatened veto. Republicans overwhelmingly support the bill. So far 16 Democrats have broken with the president, and the bill's sponsors hope to get more." ...

... USA Today Editors: The "Iran sanctions bill makes no sense. Passing it virtually guarantees ... a quick path to war.... It expresses 'the sense of Congress' that if Israel decides to attack Iran, the United States should provide military support. The provision doesn't quite outsource American war decisions to Israel; Congress would still need a second vote to turn its dubious 'sense' into action. But the implication is hard to miss."

Local News

Kate Zernicke of the New York Times: "... the day [Jersey City Mayor Steven] Fulop, a Democrat, relayed word that he could not endorse the governor..., Mr. Christie's commissioners themselves called to cancel [meetings with Mayor Fulop] -- most within the space of an hour -- leaving Jersey City needing to fill its budget without money from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, its requests for help with Hurricane Sandy recovery, transportation and other issues falling on deaf ears. Meanwhile, the Democratic mayor of Harrison, who endorsed Mr. Christie, got $250 million in Port Authority money for a new transit station. The mayor of Union City, another Democratic endorser, got an increase in state aid when bigger cities were being cut off, and $3 million in Port Authority money even though the authority does not operate there. The Democratic county executive in Essex County, who brought along other mayors and black pastors with his endorsement of Mr. Christie, got $7 million in Port Authority money for a park, $4 million in state aid for a vocational school, and personal assistance from Mr. Christie...." ...

... Shawn Boburg of the Bergen Record: "The prosecutor in Mercer County [incl. Trenton, N.J.] said Monday he is weighing whether to level a misdemeanor charge against a former Port Authority executive [David Wildstein] who clammed up at a legislative hearing in Trenton last week." ...

... Darryl Isherwood of NJ.com: "A new theory emerged this weekend on a possible target of the lane diversions at the George Washington Bridge that have spiraled into a full blown scandal. The theory, first postulated by MSNBC host Steve Kornacki, involves a massive development project in the heart of Fort Lee that sits quite literally in the shadow of the George Washington Bridge.... By diverting - or threatening to divert- those lanes, the value of the property and the burgeoning development would plummet.... The theory is bolstered by Christie himself who during a Dec. 2 press conference railed against the existence of the three dedicated local lanes in Fort Lee...." Both Chris Hayes & Rachel Maddow devoted segments of their shows last night to Kornacki's theory. ...

... George Packer of the New Yorker: "Christie ... is reminiscent of the President [Nixon] whose petty hatefulness destroyed him -- which is why, as NBC's newscaster said when signing off on an early report on that long-ago burglary, I don't think we've heard the last of this."

... Star-Ledger Editors: "Somehow, the right's response to Chris Christie's still-breaking Bridgegate scandal has devolved into this: Why are you writing about New Jersey traffic jams, because Benghazi!" The editors explain why one of these things -- Bridgegate -- is not like the others.

Mitt Romney is a better dancer than Karl Rove:

News Ledes

Los Angeles Times: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, "the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has written a rambling, deeply religious manifesto that suggests Muslims should not use violence to spread Islam -- a sharp departure from his earlier boasts of waging violent jihad against the U.S. and other non-Muslim nations."

Reuters: "A 12-year-old boy armed with a shotgun opened fire at a middle school in New Mexico on Tuesday, seriously wounding two students before a staff member persuaded him to put down the firearm, authorities said. The shooting at Berrendo Middle School in Roswell took place in a gym where students had gathered to stay warm from the frigid weather outside before the start of class, Governor Susana Martinez told reporters."

New York Times: "A State Department spokeswoman expressed outrage on Tuesday over a news report in which Israel's defense minister was said to have dismissed Secretary of State John Kerry's Middle East peace push as naïve and messianic."

New York Times: "Egyptians trundled to the polls on Tuesday for the third referendum in three years to approve a new constitution, this time to validate the military ouster of their first fairly elected president, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood."

The Commentariat -- Jan, 13, 2014

Internal links removed.

Rubio & Ryan Are No Robin Hoods. Paul Krugman: "It's not much of an exaggeration to say that right now Republicans are doing all they can to hurt the poor, and they would have inflicted vast additional harm if they had won the 2012 election. Moreover, G.O.P. harshness toward the less fortunate isn't just a matter of spite (although that's part of it); it's deeply rooted in the party's ideology, which is why recent speeches by leading Republicans declaring that they do too care about the poor have been almost completely devoid of policy specifics."

** Profs. Jason Stanley & Vesla Weaver in a New York Times op-ed: "... the practical reality of the criminal justice system in the United States is far from colorblind. The evidence suggests that the criminal justice system applies in a radically unbalanced way, placing disproportionate attention on our fellow black citizens. The United States has a legacy of enslavement followed by forced servitude of its black population. The threat that the political ideals of our country veil an underlying reality of racial democracy is therefore particularly disturbing. Starting in the 1970s, the United States has witnessed a drastic increase in the rate of black imprisonment, both absolutely and relative to whites."

Mark Sherman of the AP: The Supreme Court "is hearing arguments Monday in a politically charged dispute that also is the first in the nation's history to explore the meaning of a provision of the Constitution known as the recess appointments clause. Under the provision, the president may make temporary appointments to positions that otherwise require confirmation by the Senate, but only when the Senate is in recess. The court battle is an outgrowth of the increasing partisanship and political stalemate that have been hallmarks of Washington over the past 20 years, and especially since Obama took office in 2009." For context, see also the piece by Peter Shane linked in yesterday's Commentariat. ...

... David Hockings of Roll Call: "The stakes for Senate Republicans are so high that the court gave them 15 minutes of argument time. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will be on hand as their case is presented by Miguel Estrada. (His nomination by President George W. Bush to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals failed to advance during seven cloture votes in 2003...) ... Legal scholars are salivating over the outcome of what they say is the most important separation of powers case in at least two decades. That's because it not only reflects the most basic argument about constitutional law (whether strict constructionist originalism is most important, or applying precedent and common sense to real world situations) but also could have the effect of theoretically invalidating thousands of decisions by dozens of recess appointees dating back more than 200 years. But for senators expecting to be around next year, it's a clear-cut case of power politics."

Greg Miller & Adam Goldman of the Washington Post: "As general counsel to the director of national intelligence, [Robert] Litt has assumed an unusually high-profile role in the aftermath of the Snowden leaks, serving as the point person in defending the massive surveillance programs to Congress and the public. He has defended spy agencies aggressively in dozens of congressional hearings and other settings. He has battled news organizations to keep some Snowden material out of news reports and fired off a steady stream of ­e-mails accusing reporters of sloppy or sensationalized work. He has also alienated some key lawmakers, including Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who for the past six months has effectively banned Litt from appearing before the panel, even behind closed doors." ...

... Margaret Talbot of the New Yorker compares the break-in of & theft of documents from the Media, Pennsylvania, FBI field office in 1971 & Edward Snowden's theft of NSA documents.

Michael Gordon & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: "Iran and a group of six world powers completed a deal on Sunday that will temporarily freeze much of Tehran's nuclear program starting next Monday in exchange for limited relief from Western economic sanctions. The main elements of the deal, which is to last for six months, were announced in November. But its implementation was delayed as negotiators worked out technical details. The agreement faced opposition from Iranian hard-liners and Israeli leaders, as well as heavy criticism from some American lawmakers, who have threatened to approve further sanctions despite President Obama's promise of a veto."

Andrew Bacevich in the Los Angeles Times: "The truth is something few people in the national security establishment are willing to confront: Confusing capability with utility, the United States knows how to start wars but has seemingly forgotten how to conclude them.... As a consequence, instead of promoting stability -- perhaps the paramount U.S. interest not only in the Islamic world but also globally -- Washington's penchant for armed intervention since the end of the Cold War, and especially since 9/11, has tended to encourage just the opposite.... Fundamentally, a pronounced infatuation with armed might has led senior civilian officials, regardless of party, and senior military leaders, regardless of service, to misunderstand and misapply the military instrument." ...

... Robert Gates talks to CBS "News"'s Rita Braver about his new memoir:

... Gates tells NBC's Matt Lauer that he's disappointed reporters & pundits are accurately quoting the digs he made about top government officials. CW: Really, people, limit your reviews to citing the parts of the book where I depict myself, Bob Gates, as a genuine hero, especially as compared to the lowlifes & know-nothings I had to work with. ...

... Steve Inskeep of NPR interviewed Gates at some length. The transcript is here. The audio is here.

Presidential Election 2008

Politico Magazine publishes an excerpt of Johnathan Allen & Amie Parnes' forthcoming book on Hillary Clinton. Here they dish on Bill & Hillary Clinton's "hit list" of those who didn't but should have helped Hillary in 2008. Aides assigned each lawmaker on the list a number, based on the perceived notion of how much they helped or didn't help the Clintons.

Local News

Steven Yaccino of the New York Times: "While Republican-majority legislatures across the country are easing restrictions on gun owners, few states are putting more pressure on municipalities right now than Kansas. The new law has forced some local leaders to weigh policy conviction against fiscal pragmatism in a choice that critics say was flawed from the start: Open vulnerable locations to concealed side arms or stretch meager budgets to cover the extra security measures." Thanks to contributor Whyte O. for the link.

Coral Davenport & Ashley Southall of the New York Times: "Last week's major chemical spill into West Virginia's Elk River, which cut off water to more than 300,000 people, came in a state with a long and troubled history of regulating the coal and chemical companies that form the heart of its economy.... Critics say the problems are widespread in a state where the coal and chemical industries, which drive much of West Virginia's economy and are powerful forces in the state's politics, have long pushed back against tight federal health, safety and environmental controls."

Chris Frates of CNN: "CNN has learned that federal officials are investigating whether Christie improperly used [Hurricane Sandy] relief funds to produce tourism ads that starred him and his family. The news couldn't come at a worse time for the scandal-plagued Republican.... As bad as the bridge scandal is for Christie, if investigators find he improperly spent Sandy funds, it could get far worse, tarnishing the signature achievement that has made him a serious contender for the White House." ...

... N. R. Kleinfield of the New York Times writes a useful overview narrative of the George Washington Bridge lane closings scandalette. ...

... Shawn Boburg of the Bergen Record: New Jersey "Assemblyman John Wisniewski said he plans to issue subpoenas demanding documents from the governor's former deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly and spokesman Michael Drewniak, along with other aides whose names surfaced last week in documents related to the lane closures...." ...

... Margaret Hartmann of New York: More New Jersey Democratic mayors suspect that Christie's endorsement "requests" came with strings & threats. ...

... Dylan Stableford of Yahoo! News: "Prominent Republicans hit the Sunday morning talk show circuit to defend New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, comparing the possible 2016 presidential hopeful's handling of the burgeoning bridge scandal to President Barack Obama's response to the Benghazi terror attack and the IRS' targeting of conservative groups. 'Chris Christie has been totally open here,' Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said on NBC's 'Meet The Press' Sunday." CW: Sorry, Reince, we ain't buying that bridge. ...

... David Edwards of the Raw Story: "Republican strategist Karl Rove asserted on Sunday that New Jersey's Gov. Chris Christie's (R) handling of the George Washington Bridge Scandal showed he had the right qualities to be president of the United States." ...

... How did President Obama not know about the IRS targeting right wing groups? ... This is what happens in political operations. I mean, people get wrong messages. It happens all the time. It happened, again, I go back to the IRS scandal. The people in the IRS though President Obama wanted them to do this. President Obama didn't want them to do this. But they got the sense because of that culture that they were supposed to target right wing groups. It was totally wrong. -- Rudy 9/11 Giuliani on ABC News's "This Week"

Of course, crack host Martha Raddatz let Giuliani get away with mischaracterizing the IRS probes, which were directed at both left- and right-leaning fake "social welfare" groups, not to mention that President Obama doesn't work out of the Cincinnati IRS office. -- Constant Weader

As you can see, the word has gone forth that the best way to deal with the Christie scandal is to whine and blubber about the bogus IRS scandal and Benghazi! -- digby

... Charles Pierce has a rundown of Sunday morning shows, where the deal is that congenial hosts welcome lying politicians & pundits with the apparent understanding that prevarication & inapt analogies will ever go unchallenged. ...

... AND David Brooks defended Christie on Friday: "If they're going to vote for Christie, they don't want a charmer. They want a big bully. And this will not hurt him, I think.... people get -- pick the rough guy when they're really fed up":

... Driftglass: "Should Christie somehow survive thanks to extraordinary political life-support measures taken by Mr. Brooks, Mark Halperin, David Gregory, Joe Scarborough and the rest of the Beltway Both Sider monkey-house, Mr. Brooks will no doubt very modestly and humbly call back to this moment as evidence of his boldly contrarian political sagacity." ...

... E. J. Dionne: "Even assuming that Christie's disavowal of complicity holds up, he faces a long-term challenge in laying this story to rest. History suggests that beating back a scandal requires one or more of these assets: (1) a strong partisan or ideological base; (2) overreach by your adversaries; or (3) a charge that doesn't fit people’s perceptions of you. Christie has trouble on all three fronts."

Lawless Lawmakers. Jordan Shapiro of the AP: "Having failed in an earlier effort to bar federal agents from enforcing gun regulations in Missouri, conservative lawmakers are trying a new tack this year: banding together with other like-minded states to defy certain federal laws at the same time. Supporters believe it will be more difficult for the federal government to shrug off such statutes if more states act together. Missouri's latest proposal, introduced this past week, would attempt to nullify certain federal gun control regulations from being enforced in the state and subject law enforcement officers to criminal and civil penalties for carrying out such policies. The state's Republican-led Legislature came one vote shy of overriding Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of such a measure last year. This year's bill adds a new twist, delaying the effective date for several years to allow time for other states to join the cause."

Thomas Kaplan of the New York Times: "A state assemblyman from western New York, Dennis H. Gabryszak, said on Sunday that he would step down amid mounting accusations that he sexually harassed women who worked in his office." The Buffalo News story is here. ...

... Margaret Hartmann: "Gabryszak didn't apologize in his statement.... Previous ethics investigations were dropped after the Assembly member stepped down, and the Daily News notes that after 32 years of government service, Gabryszak can collect a pension estimated to be worth $53,000 a year or more."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "On Monday, a court-martial is scheduled to begin for a Navy supervisor in connection with the deaths of [two Navy scuba divers] ... on Feb. 26 in the man-made pond at the Army's test center, in Aberdeen, Md."

New York Times: "Ariel Sharon, Israel's 11th prime minister, was eulogized on Monday as a fighter and pragmatic politician whose life was intertwined with the land of Israel whose security he defended relentlessly."

Washington Post: "After years of failing to heed U.S. advice to broaden his outreach to Iraq’s Sunni minority and to accept more U.S. counterterrorism assistance, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki now appears ready to listen, according to senior Obama administration officials."

Reuters: "Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Moscow on Tuesday, the Kremlin said on Monday, and a diplomatic source said they were likely to sign a nuclear cooperation deal."

The Commentariat -- Jan, 12, 2014

Paul Krugman: "... the social troubles of urban blacks emerged, not because there was something inherently wrong with their culture, but because job opportunities in inner cities dried up. Sure enough, when the God-fearing (and definitely white) people of Appalachia face a loss of employment opportunity, their region turns into what [conservative Kevin] Williamson [in the National Review] calls the Great White Ghetto. And this in turn says that the problem isn't that we're becoming a nation of takers; it's the fact that we're becoming a nation that doesn't offer enough economic opportunity to the bottom half, or maybe even the bottom 80 percent, of its citizens." ...

... As Digby documents, Williamson retorts.

... Michael Isikoff of NBC News: "The chairman of a New Jersey legislative panel investigating the George Washington Bridge lane closures said Gov. Chris Christie's top aides had engaged in a 'cover-up' and the governor could be impeached if it is determined he was aware of efforts to use the bridge for political purposes. 'Using the George Washington Bridge, a public resource, to exact a political vendetta, is a crime,' New Jersey Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who is spearheading the bridge probe, told NBC News on Saturday." ...

The Nationalization of State & Local Politics. Nicholas Confessore of the New York Times: "... the strategic deployment of campaign cash has helped consultants and donors accelerate or arrest states' natural drift toward one party or the other.... Not unlike a political version of Cayman Islands banks, the networks allow political strategists to sidestep regulations and obscure the source of funds. Campaign contributions that would be banned or restricted in one state can be sent to a state where the rules allow money to flow more freely, often scrubbed of the identity of the original donor."

What Happens When a Politician Tries to Do the Right Thing. Shaila Dewan of the New York Times: "Gayle McLaughlin, the mayor of Richmond, Calif..., has a plan to help the many Richmond residents who owe more money on their houses than their houses are worth, but it's one that banks like Wells Fargo, large asset managers like Pimco and BlackRock, real estate interests and even Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance giants, have tried to quash. Her idea involves a novel use of the power of eminent domain to bail out homeowners by buying up and then forgiving mortgage debt."

Pete Kasperowicz of the Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he is now open to considering Republican amendments to a bill extending emergency unemployment benefits through most of 2014."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Democratic senators are pleading with President Obama to abandon his proposal to trim Social Security benefits before it becomes a liability for them in the midterm elections. The president proposed a new formula for calculating benefits in his budget last year, in hopes that the olive branch to Republicans would persuade them to back tax increases in a broader fiscal deal."

Alleged Arsonist & Car Thief Determined to Remain a Worthless Scumbag. Molly Hooper of the Hill: "Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) in 2014 will pursue the IRS scandal, the deadly Benghazi attack and the botched Fast and Furious operation in what will likely be his last year as the House GOP's chief investigator."

Washington & his first Cabinet.Peter Shane, in the Atlantic, debunks the conservative "myth of the anti-government Constitution." The gist of the myth: "It is not merely that the Framers wanted to avoid re-creating a monarchy. They actually sought to make it difficult for government to function. If the Senate can't come to terms with the president, then liberty demands that the government be paralyzed." But Shane points out, "The Framers, in John Marshall's words, 'had experienced the embarrassments' of government under the Articles of Confederation, They wanted a government that worked." Thanks to contributor safari for the link.

Shadee Ashtari of the Huffington Post: " The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday said it will hear a challenge to an Ohio law that forbids candidates and issue groups from making false campaign statements. The case, involving an anti-abortion group's claim that Ohio's False Statement Law violates free speech, will likely be argued in April, with a ruling announced during the last months of the Supreme Court's term in May or June." ...

... Digby: "I guess some members of the court are concerned that the anti-abortion zealots are being obstructed from lying. You can't blame them. Blatant dishonesty is a big part of the forced childbirth movement strategy.... I expect they will rule that lying in political ads is perfectly acceptable under the First Amendment. And maybe it is.... Politicians of all partisan stripes lie, but there is one group that makes a particular fetish of it. And they have an endless supply of money."

Katie McDonough of Salon: "According to a comprehensive new study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, the overwhelming majority of women who seek abortion care do not change their minds after receiving and viewing a sonogram.... Laws forcing women to undergo an ultrasound at least one day in advance of the procedure (and that the ultrasound be performed by the same physician who performs the abortion) contradicts medical best practice. Ultrasounds are generally provided by technicians, not physicians. Having a physician present for two days can drive up the cost of an abortion, putting the procedure out of reach for many low-income women. (This is all the more significant now that restricting insurance coverage for abortion is a major agenda item for anti-choice lawmakers across the country.)" CW: Another cruel, misogynistic law designed to remind poor women not to have sex.

Gospel

Ashley Alman of the Huffington Post: "Christopher Schaeffer, a Pastafarian minister, was sworn into the Pomfret, N.Y. Town Council last week wearing a colander, the Observer reported on Friday. Schaeffer is a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a group founded by an atheist in 2005 that has adopted the spaghetti strainer as its symbol. 'It's just a statement about religious freedom,' Schaeffer told the Observer. 'It's a religion without any dogma.'" Via Steve Benen.

Local News

Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post: "Former New Jersey governor Thomas H. Kean, one of the state's most revered figures and a mentor to current Republican Gov. Chris Christie, contends that the leadership qualities Christie has shown while in office should give pause to voters nationally, as they begin to size up Christie as a potential president.... Kean's own breach with his onetime protege occurred last year, when Christie attempted to unseat Kean's son, Thomas H. Kean Jr. (R), as state Senate minority leader. Christie's power play failed -- in one of the few times he has not gotten his way with his party in the legislature. Kean said the aggressiveness that Christie had shown toward his son, who was feuding with a Christie ally, was typical: 'If you come at him, he&'s going to come back at you harder.'" ...

... Michael Linhorst of the Bergen Record: "The incoming [New Jersey] Assembly speaker says he'll call a special session next week to renew the subpoena power of the panel investigating the George Washington Bridge lane closures." ...

... Martin Longman makes the case in the Washington Monthly that Chris Christie was a corrupt U.S. attorney who politicized his office to the satisfaction of the corrupt Bush "Justice" Department, so we should not be surprised he's still politicizing supposedly non-political institutions like the Port Authority. ...

... Olivia Nuzzi of Politico runs down a list of other "controversies" that have dotted Christie's career. CW: Still waiting to see Mitt's oppo file on Christie -- the one that made him decide Paulie would be a better veep candidate. ...

... David Simon: "He knew. We can say this now with certainty if we ask ourselves one basic question about human nature: What good does it do a political operative to screw over the opposition if you can't then tell your boss about it? Where is the joy for any lickspittle hack in the office hierarchy if he or she can't pull off a dirty trick against a political adversary, then walk down the hall and tell the boss just how well you did on his behalf? What would be the point? ... Anger and argument lose all charm when they are employed for stakes so small, stupid and selfish. He knew. And he's lying about it now." Via Annie Laurie in Balloon Juice. ...

... Maureen Dowd: "The Christie saga is still unraveling. Maybe he was a dupe in the dark.... Let's just say, I'm not yet permitting him in my circle of trust. ...

... Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times: "A Mr. Richard Feder from Fort Lee, N.J., has a question. Thanks to Nisky Guy for the link.

James Hohmann of Politico: "Terry McAuliffe, the legendary Democratic fundraiser and political fixer, had a message for Republicans during his rain-drenched inauguration Saturday as Virginia's governor: Let's make a deal. With a Republican-controlled General Assembly and control of the state Senate up for grabs in two contested special elections, McAuliffe struck a conciliatory tone following a bitter campaign, praising outgoing Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, and even quoting Thomas Jefferson in calling for compromise on subjects such as Medicaid expansion. 'The impediments to consensus are well known: ideology, personal political ambition, partisanship or score-settling,' the 56-year-old said as longtime allies Bill and Hillary Clinton looked on. 'No one who has served as an elected official has looked back and wished they had been more rigid, more ideological or more partisan.'" The Richmond Times-Dispatch story, by Jim Nolan & Olympia Meola, is here. The Washington Post story, by Laura Vozella & others, is here. ...

... Laura Vozella of the Washington Post: "In the nine weeks since Election Day, political observers say, Terry McAuliffe (D) has been shockingly gubernatorial. With moderate Cabinet picks and an ardent courtship of Republicans, the colorful former Democratic National Committee chairman and political fundraiser has projected an image of seriousness, caution and bipartisanship that critics had doubted he could muster."

AP: "A Wisconsin judge quashed subpoenas and ordered the return of property to the targets of a secret campaign-finance investigation involving Governor Scott Walker. Judge Gregory A. Peterson ruled Friday some of those subpoenas were improper. He's overseeing the so-called John Doe investigation into Walker's campaign and more than two dozen conservative groups. Peterson wrote they 'do not show probable cause that the moving parties committed any violations of the campaign finance laws.'"

News Ledes

Reuters: "Restaurants and shops were reopening on Sunday in parts of West Virginia where the water supply was poisoned by a chemical spill, although up to 300,000 people spent a fourth day unable to use tap water for anything besides flushing toilets.... It could still be several days before people in nine counties and Charleston, the state capital and largest city, can once again use the water from their faucets...."

New York Times: "Pope Francis continued reshaping the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday by appointing his first group of cardinals with an emphasis on Asia, Africa and Latin America, even as he also made omissions that signal his distaste for the traditional clerical career ladder." None of the new cardinals are from the U.S.

Washington Post/Bloomberg News: "The richest people on the planet got even richer in 2013, adding $524 billion to their collective net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world's 300 wealthiest individuals. Bill Gates ... was the year's biggest gainer.... Sheldon Adelson ... was the second-biggest gainer in 2013...."