Prediction: This whole write stuff on your hand thing will not jump the shark until it appears in an episode of the Simpsons.
Gibbs, of course, was poking fun at Sarah Palin's use of her hand over the weekend at the Tea Party Convention, which Sarah Palin proceeded to poke fun at on Monday, as did Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC.
Stumped for what to send on the Most Romantic Day of the Year? The Republican National Committee is offering this selection of e-cards, none of which seem to feature any pictures of ... Republicans.
UPDATE: From Commenter bobcn1:
The gop has been trying to prevent gay marriage. Now they're trying to ruin the other kind, too.
The president made a surprise visit to the daily press briefing Tuesday, only the third time he has made such an appearance to date. He reported back on today's talks with congressional leaders from both parties, and took wide-ranging questions from the press.
Obama said he asked Republican leadership this morning to end the practice of putting holds on nominees in the Senate, and that he is considering sidestepping the confirmation process by making appointments during the upcoming recess.
That modern marvel, the Internet, has been buzzing for days about the secret plan by the House of Luce, aka Time Magazine, to license everyone who logs into a browser to search the web. Really. You can read about our dastardly plan--"Time Magazine Pushes Draconian Internet Licensing Plan"--at websites like Prisonplanet.com, Infowars.com and PropagandaMatrix.com. The story is not true, of course, but who wants to get in the way of such fun conspiracies?
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This photo was taken Sunday by NASA's Terra Satellite. With the federal government shuttered for the second day in a row, Washington D.C. is now expecting another 10 or 20 inches to fall on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The meeting has begun, between Republicans Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, Democrats Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, and the senior White House staff, including President Obama.
This is the first of what Obama has promised to be monthly gatherings between Republicans and Democrats, and basically nobody has much hope that they will amount to much. (To get a sense of just how far apart these two sides are, consider that last week Boehner called on Obama to repeal unspent stimulus spending just as Democrats announced yet another stimulus effort, called a "Jobs Agenda.")
But at least everyone is at the same table. Christy Parsons, of the Los Angeles Times, files this pool report from inside the room:
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It's been a good couple weeks for Rep. Paul Ryan, the rising Republican star from Wisconsin, as his name is increasingly becoming synonymous with actual Republican policy. Obama called Ryan's budget plan a "serious proposal," while Ezra Klein calls it a "radical document." (As Joe notes below, Ryan's rising star has been targeted by House Democrats.) You can read the thing here. Or watch Obama discuss it here:
But Ryan's star has some rough edges, according to some conservatives. On a few key votes, they argue, he has not been conservative enough. Matt Lewis, in the Daily Caller, lays out the case.
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Hey Swamplanders. As Karen mentioned, I'm going to be chipping in around here. One of the things I plan on doing is a daily "Morning Must Reads" post to share a few things that we're currently following. Here is its maiden voyage:
--Consistent with the tenor of past health reform negotiations, Republican leadership and the White House have managed to reach an impasse a full two weeks before the televised super summit is scheduled to happen.
--New York Governor David Paterson is denying allegations of misconduct and chastising the media for "callous and sleazy" character attacks as rumors of a New York Times "bombshell" swirl. His pleas do not appear to have moved the Post or Daily News.
We've got a new member of the team here in Swampland.
Starting today, Adam Sorensen will be joining us. Adam has been distinguishing himself over at The Page, where he has been working since 2008 as a producer, and he will continue to pull his usual shift over there with Mark Halperin and the gang. He was born some time during the second Reagan Administration, which means he completely missed disco and will be lowering our average age here considerably. So please give him your usual, um, warm embrace, Swampland commenters.
Michael, per this post, I'd again like to make this argument: The filibuster is not the problem. The filibuster is the solution. If only they made Senators like they used to.
UPDATE: For those of you Swamplanders who want to delve into the geeky details of what it takes to actually conduct a filibuster, here's a link to a 2003 report from the Congressional Research Service. It's not an easy thing to pull off--or to force the other side to pull off--but it's entirely possible, even under the modern rules, if you've got the will. Here's a key passage:
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