Day's End Round-Up

FROM THE BLOGS:

The battle over "the right side of history"
Daniel Larison at The American Conservative writes on the trend of using the "right side of history" cliche as justification for misguided ideological positions.

Gun laws and the suicide epidemic
Stephanie Mencimer and Dana Liebelson of Mother Jones wonder why gun laws don't focus on the growing problem of hand gun suicides.

'Sin taxes' aren't the answer
Hot Air's Erika Johnsen says proposed "sin taxes" unfairly punish law-abiding gun citizens.

We tried austerity and it didn't work
Jamelle Bouie of American Prospect tells conservatives calling for smaller government and more cuts that we already tried it and it didn't work.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Senate Democrats vow to run against Ryan budget in 2014 cycle
The Hill's Cameron Joseph reports that Democratic senators running for reelection will make Rep. Ryan's budget a focus of their campaigns.

Senator tweets about 'very uncomfortable' TSA screening
Sen. McCaskill told her follows about the "aggressive" pat-down she received in-route to her flight, The Hill's Keith Laing reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Senate race 2014
Right Turn's Jennifer Rubin sees an opportunity for Republican Senate candidates to claim the seats of retiring Senate Democrats.

Republicans plan 'historical, monumental' effort to defeat gun bills
Greg Campbell of The Daily Caller reviews Colorado's intense legislative debate over new gun laws.

Why we celebrate International Women's Day
Melinda Gates on CNN argues that this is a day to recognize the vital role of women in society and the economy around the world.

US drops the ball on women's rights
Elsewhere on CNN, Lisa Baldez writes that in order to remain a worldwide leader in women's rights, the U.S. must pass the U.N. treaty eliminating gender discrimination.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama sets end-of-July goal for bipartisan agreement on deficit
President Obama wants to complete a grand bargain to reduce the deficit by the end of July, an aggressive timeline coinciding with the expiration of the nation’s debt limit, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports.

Obama faces turning point on administration drone policy
The Hill's Jeremy Herb and Justin Sink report that President Obama is looking to be more transparent about his counter-terrorism policies.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Coulter: Maybe Republicans should try being popular
Ann Coulter for Human Events suggest that Republicans should tighten up legislation on the mentally ill in an effort to beat Democrats at the gun control game.

Rand Paul's mixed civil liberties track record
In light of Wednesday's filibuster, Salon's Jillian Rayfield takes a look at his stances on issues other than drones.

Death of the Campaign Book
Slate's John Dickerson takes a look into the history of the campaign book, through Jeb Bush's latest release on immigration.

Shoplifters hiding behind plastic bag ban?
Alyssa Badolato of The Foundry wonders about the unintended effects of Seattle's plastic bag ban.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES

Sens. McCain, Graham lambast 'ridiculous' drone filibuster by Paul
The Hill's Ramsey Cox and Jeremy Herb report that the two senior GOP members felt Paul "cheapened" the drone discussion.

Carney: Obama heartened by talks with congressional GOP
The president extended an olive branch on Wednesday by meeting with a dozen Republican senators to discuss negotiations, The Hill's Justin Sink reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

U.S. wasted billions rebuilding Iraq
Hayes Brown at Think Progress breaks down a report released by the Special Inspector-General for Iraq Reconstruction.

The administration's thin complaints about the sequester
The Daily Beast's Megan McArdle says that the Obama administration is exaggerating the consequences of the sequester.

The sins of Secretary Clinton are falling on John Kerry
Richard Grenell of Fox News claims the press corps was too soft on Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State.

Boehner says 'it's just sick' that the White House cancelled tours instead of laying off workers
Jed Lewison writes in the Daily Kos that Speaker of the House John Boehner is upset about the White House canceling tours because Members of Congress will receive backlash from constituents.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Lee joins Paul in talking filibuster against CIA nominee Brennan
The Hill's Ramsey Cox reports on the latest roadblock to John Brennan's Senate confirmation.

Graham on dining with Obama: 'How do you say no to the president'
The Hill's Daniel Strauss reports on the President's latest outreach to Senate Republicans.


 

FROM THE BLOGS:

Coin-operated government
RedState.com's John Hayward ruminates on the deficit and why more Americans aren't questioning the nation's growth in spending.

Caltrans relents: memorial to include American flag, 'United States'
Jeffrey Anderson of The Weekly Standard sees the fight for a private memorial as indicative of larger, national problems.

The Republicans and Medicare
Mark Halperin of Time's The Page blog argues that Republicans continue to have an "inconsistent" message on Medicare.

The Powerless Presidency
The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza examines the scope of President Obama's power, and the inevitable truth that a productive Congress is one dominated by a single party.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

White House cancels tours due to sequester
The White House has canceled tours citing sequester cuts, according to The Hill's Amie Parnes.

Obama reaching out to Republican lawmakers on budget deal
The president has begun phoning a number of prominent Republican senators, The Hill's Justin Sink reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Reviewing the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline: the more we learn, the worse it looks
At The Huffington Post, Susan Casey-Lefkowitz claims that the State Department's draft environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline underestimated the harmful impact of the pipeline's construction.

Fallout from 'Untouchables' documentary: another Wall Street whistleblower gets reamed
Matt Taibbi, in Rolling Stone, outlines two specific cases in which those responsible for the 2008 financial crisis were never brought to justice.

Brookings glosses over Amtrak's failings
Cato's Randal O'Toole questions the Brookings Institution's claims that Amtrak's passenger trains are "viable."

Vice President Joe Biden at AIPAC
The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin argues that Vice President Biden exaggerated the successes of the Obama administration's policies with respect to Israel.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama nominates McCarthy for EPA, Moniz for Energy chief
The Hill's Justin Sink reports on President Obama's most recent cabinet appointments.

House government funding bill seeks to soften sequester's blow
The Hills Erik Wasson reports on a bill that attempts to diffuse the harsh defense cuts that will be taking place as a result of the sequester.

FROM THE BLOGS:


The quest for the magical Obama
Talking Points Memo's Brian Beutler thinks the concept of President Obama convincing Republicans to compromise on the sequester is easier said than done.



Sequester: the dumbest weight-loss plan ever
The American Spectator's John Tabin argues that the sequester is a drastic and unintelligent way to cut government spending.



Chart of the day: everyone loves foreign trade
Kevin Drum explains in Mother Jones why Americans are overall in favor of foreign trade instead of more protectionist policies.



The corporation-less Democratic convention that wasn't
Hot Air's Erika Johnsen writes about how the DNC doesn't plan to repay Duke Energy for its donations earlier this fall.



OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

President's budget coming in late March
The Hill's Erik Wasson reports that President Obama's budget is being sent to Congress more than a month late.



House to probe 'threats from space' 
The Hill's Pete Kasperowicz reports on a hearing to be held next week in the House on how to prevent asteroids from hitting Earth.

FROM THE BLOGS:

What if it's not really about the sequester?
Hot Air's Ed Morrissey wonders whether or not the so-called sequester spending cuts and tax increases is really just unnecessary hysteria.

The GOP's steep descent into extreme politics and doctrine
The Daily Beast's Peter Beinart writes that the Republican Party has become "a parody of its former self" in the face of issues involving Israel and the confirmation process for now-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

It's time for you to lead, John Boehner
Slate.com's Matthew Yglesias argues that Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and not President Obama, should be doing more to find a compromise on sequestration.

Movement conservatism's misinformation problem
Daniel Larison at The American Conservative contends that movement conservatism won't become successful until it stops relying on bad assumptions of policy.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES

GOP puts a hold on gun bill
Senate Republicans delayed a markup of gun legislation for more bargaining time, according to The Hill's Alexander Bolton.

Women and the sequester
The Hill's Mike Lillis reports that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) and female Democrats are warning about sequestration's effect on issues involving women.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Bob Woodward demands law-ignoring, mind-controlling presidential leadership
Salon.com's Alex Pareene says a Washington Post reporter's comments about President Obama's involvement in the sequester battle are unfounded.

The economic closet: the business case for gay marriage
The New Yorker's Amy Davidson argues that legalizing gay marriage can be good for businesses and the economy.

Christie shrugs off CPAC snub
Ed Krayewski writes at Reason's Hit and Run Blog about CPAC's shunning of the popular New Jersey Governor.

Hagel supporters suddenly singing different tune
Commentary's Seth Mandel thinks that original supporters of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are coming to the realization that his critics were right.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama to meet with leaders on sequester the day cuts take effect
The Hill's Amie Parnes reports on the President's scheduled meeting with lawmakers in order to prevent dramatic cuts from going into effect.

Rubio urges administration to provide aid to Syrian opposition
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is suggesting sending ammunition and body armor to Syrian opposition forces, according to The Hill's Julian Pecquet.

DAY'S END ROUNDUP

The Trayvon Martin killing, one year later
Mark Follman of Mother Jones notes that it's been a year since Trayvon Martin died.

Make the poor a solution not a problem
At CNN, Neil Gosh writes on "inclusive growth" and how tax hikes and spending cuts simply no longer work for a growing economy.

Raiding 401K for college expenses poses financial risks
The Daily Caller's Andrew Sachais explains the problems with using retirement funds to pay for a child's college tuition.

The inevitable sequester
The sequestration budget cuts are likely to happen sooner or later, argues The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn.                         
OTHER NEWS SOURCES

Senate GOP divided on sequester plan
Republicans hope to rally support for a vote later this but still face opposition, Erik Wasson writes at The Hill's On the Money Blog.

Gov. Christie to back Medicaid expansion
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will become the eighth Republican governor to endorse the Medicaid expansion in President Obama's healthcare law, writes The Hill's Sam Baker.