Day's End Round-Up

FROM THE BLOGS:

What education reform should look like
James Pethokoukis argues in AEIdeas that the government doesn't do a good job of promoting innovative ideas for education reform.



Carney unable to defend OFA arrangement, hurries away from podium
The Weekly Standard's Daniel Halper writes that those who donate $500,000 or more to Organizing for Action will receive special perks, including meetings with President Obama and a seat on OFA's national advisory board.

Don't cry for Karl Rove
Karl Rove went out of his way to thumb his nose at his party's base, writes Michelle Cottle at The Daily Beast.

Jack Lew's golden parachute
The Wall Street Journal calls out President Obama's pick for Treasury secretary for a plum Citigroup deal with an incentive to land a Cabinet job.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

The Hill Poll: Pentagon should bear the brunt of deficit cuts
The Hill's Lara Seligman reports on a poll showing more Americans prefer cuts to the Defense Department than to programs such as Social Security and Medicare.



Navy warns sequester cuts will put off repairs to a dozen warships
The Hill's Carlo Muñoz reports on how the sequester could delay maintenance work on vessels and an aircraft carrier stationed in Virginia.

FROM THE BLOGS:

On Washington's birthday, a lesson in self-government
The Foundry's Matt Grinney makes a plea for less government in the name of President George Washington.



Just how much gas are we actually sitting on?
Policy Shop's Mijin Cha argues that actually obtaining shale gas is very complicated and time-consuming even if a large supply of it is available.



If you like your plan, you can keep your plan, unless you can't, in which case we'll see
John Hayward discusses in Human Events Rep. Eliot Engel's (D-N.Y.) response when he heard a Congressional Budget Office report that projected millions of Americans would lose their healthcare plans under the Affordable Care Act.

Why Black voters are critical for the GOP
The American Prospect's Jamelle Bouie argues that it may be strategically smarter for Republicans to focus their short-term outreach efforts on African-Americans rather than Hispanics.



OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

White House warns sequester will produce chaos at nation's airports.
The Hill's Keith Laing reports that sequester cuts could lead to major flight delays.



GOP lawmakers call on Obama, Holder to enforce gun laws
The Hill's Jordy Yager reports on a letter both President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder received calling for stricter enforcement of current gun laws amidst talk of increased gun control.

FROM THE BLOGS

Why Barack Obama and Joe Biden are gambling on social media
Howard Kurtz of The Daily Beast discusses potential pitfalls when politicians play too heavily into social media.

10 complaints about Karl Rove
Right Turn's Jennifer Rubin pokes holes into recent critiques at Karl Rove from members of the Tea Party.

Mark Sanford: If I can't have your forgiveness, can I at least have your vote?
Ramesh Ponnuru & Margaret Carlson of Bloomberg View break down their opposing views on Mark Sanford's return to the political sphere.

The conservative media needs to self-police itself for its own sake
The Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf believes that for right-wing media, the first step toward legitimacy is keeping in line with journalistic standards.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES

GOP Sen. Shelby says he will vote to confirm Hagel for Defense
The Alabama senator is the third Republican to publicly back President Obama's Cabinet pick, The Hill's Daniel Strauss reports.

Sanford loses key endorsements in SC
Times are tough for the former governor as two House members throw their support behind a rival primary candidate, The Hill's Cameron Joseph reports.

Obama's obedient lap dog
The New York Post's Michael Goodwin writes that it's the media's fault for not getting access to President Obama when he played golf with Tiger Woods.

Rubio doesn't think he needs to 'move beyond' the Bush era
The American Conservative's Daniel Larison questions Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) foreign policy stances.

Obama rolls out new infrastructure, jobs plan
At the Daily Kos, Joan McCarter discusses President Obama's plan to invest in America's crumbling infrastructure.

Game on in Oregon!
FireDogLake's Laurel Ramseyer writes about the growth in support for same-sex marriage in Oregon.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Pentagon informs Congress of plans to furlough 800K civilians
The Hill's Jeremy Herb reports on the Defense Department's latest move in light of the coming sequester cuts.

Former senator reveals secret son
Former Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) revealed that he fathered a child years ago with the daughter of former Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.), according to The Hill's Judy Kurtz.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Homophobia in the GOP makes it hard for party to compete nationally
The Daily Beast's Peter Beinart says that despite the GOP's attempts to become more racially diverse, their eventual downfall lies in their refusal to accept LGBT citizens.

The marketing genius of Marco Rubio
Emily Zanotti of Daily Caller shows that Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) power (and ability to connect with more voters) lies in his ability to make great entertainment out of politics.

Republicans go from daddy party to baby party
Cato's Doug Bandow worries that Republicans are spending too much time arguing over issues that don't matter.

GOP governor to Karl Rove: Take a hike
Mother Jones's Andy Kroll details the growing backlash again Karl Rove's new super-PAC.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES

Scott Brown blames phone for unusual "Bqhatevwr" tweet
The former senator claims he wasn't drinking when he accidentally sent out the strange tweets, The Hill's Justin Sink reports.

Sanford: 'I failed mightily' in personal life, but always defended the taxpayers
The former South Carolina governor is hoping voters will look past his indiscretions in office as they prepare to elect a replacement for Sen. Tim Scott's open House seat, The Hill's Meghashyam Mali reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Haley vs. health care
South Carolina Gov. Nicki Haley (R) talks about her state's fight against healthcare reform and gun control with RedState's Breanne Howe.

The many Chuck Hagel positions of John McCain
David Weigel of Slate details the many changes of Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) feelings towards the former GOP senator.

GOP civil war
Read The Economist's take on the growing fault lines among Republican legislators.

Yes, Chuck Hagel is being filibustered. Yes, that's unprecedented.
Wonkblog's Dylan Matthews examines the refusal of Senate Republicans to use the word "filibuster," and the procedural definition of the word itself.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Rangel wants women to be drafted
The Hill's Geneva Sands reports on Rep. Charles Rangel's (D-N.Y.) request that women register for the Selective Service.

House committee to hold hearing on asteroid threat
House Science, Space and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is holding a committee hearing on the threat of asteroids hitting Earth, according to The Hill's Jonathan Easley.

FROM THE BLOGS

Obama bores preschoolers
Zeke Miller of Buzzfeed lampoons a Georgia school photo-op where President Obama struggled to hold the attention of a group of pre-schoolers.

On Hagel and hostage-taking
At The Daily Dish, Andrew Sullivan highlights a reader's analysis of former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel's (R) difficulty being confirmed as secretary of Defense.

LBJ's love letters
The Corner's Katherine Connell looks at the loving, recently released courtship letters of Lyndon B. Johnson to his wife.

True love, according to the feds
Think your love is tough? Natasha Lennard of Salon.com delves into the wild world of marriages and green cards.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES

Obama campaigns for universal pre-K
President Obama called again for universal pre-school for four year olds as part of his national tour, The Hill's Justin Sink reports.

Capitol's storied halls make for memorable proposal moments
A few lucky D.C. couples share their Hill proposal stories. The Hill's Emily Goodin has more.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Does subsidized preschool pay off?
The Economist's Will Wilkinson writes on why President Obama's plan for universal preschool may not be entirely effective. 

Rubio's thirst was the best thing that could have happened to him
Talking Points Memo's Brian Beutler thinks Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) gave an unimpressive response to Obama's State of the Union address.

The schizophrenic State of the Union
S.E. Cupp argues in the New York Daily News that Obama's State of the Union address was vague and inconsistent.

Obama issues cybersecurity order, does not seize control of internet
Mother Jones' Dana Liebelson discusses why the President's recent executive order on cybersecurity is more moderate than some had originally thought.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Lew defends Cayman investment
Jack Lew, Obama's nominee for Treasury secretary, on Wednesday defended his $56,000 investment in a Cayman Islands fund, according to The Hill's Peter Schroeder.

Lawmakers say they're 'very close' to deal on post office overhaul
The Hill's Bernie Becker reports on potential legislation that could help the U.S. Postal Service get back on a sound financial footing.

FROM THE BLOGS

Power without politics
The American Conservative's Rod Dreher asks readers to look at new ways to change the political status quo--elections not included.

Rubio's big night: his response to the SOTU
Right Turn's Jennifer Rubin examines Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) attempt to connect Republican policies with an ever changing and expanding group of voters.

State of the Union: the thinking game
Mark Green of EnergyTomorrow creates a thinking man's BINGO for watching the State of the Union address.

Who is Cody Keenan, Obama's SOTU speechwriter?
The Atlantic's Garance Franke-Ruta reports on Cody Keenan, the young speechwriter taking over for Jon Favreau.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Medal of Honor winner turns down invite to State of the Union
Former Army staff sergeant Clint Romesha has decided to spend the evening with friends and family instead of attending the State of the Union, The Hill's Emily Goodin reports.

Obama vows further UN sanctions against North Korea after nuclear test
Obama's administration is looking into actions with the UN to issue a response to North Korea's third nuclear test, The Hill's Julian Pecquet reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

The historic report on recent CIA abuses that you're not allowed to see
The Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf argues argues that at least some, if not all of the Senate Intelligence Committee's 6,000-page report on detention and interrogation techniques used by the CIA should be released to the public.

Poll: Hillary Clinton 'easily the most popular' political figure
Huffinton Post's Ariel Edwards-Levy looks into polls showing Clinton with a handy lead in popularity among politicians on both sides of the aisle.

Hot new conservative rallying cry: 'Support my campaign to thwart Karl Rove?'
Erika Johnsen of Hot Air delves into the ways Karl Rove's Super PAC might backfire in its goal of electing more "establishment" candidates.

Anti-evolution Missouri bill requires college students to learn about destiny
Mother Jones' Dana Liebelson is skeptical of a recently announced bill that would require equal teaching time for intelligent design, destiny, and evolution.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Clinton brings warning to House Democrats about 2014 campaign
The Hill's Russell Berman reports on President Clinton urging House Democrats to implement health care reform correctly in 2014.

Carney defends Obama's decision to overrule Cabinet members on Syria
The Hill's Justin Sink reports on why President Obama decided to not arm rebel forces in Syria.