(White House/Pete Souza)
–After the weekend, a deal extending all the Bush tax cuts temporarily (1-3 years) in exchange for Recovery Act tax credits and a year or so of unemployment benefits still appears to be the only way forward in the Senate. The timing of the expiration, of course, has implications for Obama’s re-election effort.
–David Leonhardt makes a list of things that would cost the equivalent amount per year as extending all the breaks.
–Nate Silver games out why Democrats’ negotiating position was weak to begin with.
–Mike Huckabee talks to Jonathan Martin and Ben smith; he wants to be taken seriously.
–It’s only 14 or so months away so here’s a nice 40-year retrospective on the Iowa caucuses and a list of 50 local players to watch.
–Reince Priebus, chair of the Wisconsin Republican Party and, until yesterday, RNC general counsel, looks likely to announce a national chairmanship bid.
–Despite what you will hear a lot, convention host cities have zero discernible political effect.
–Talking with “60 Minutes,” Ben Bernanke not only gave a defense of QE2, but 1) said there may be more to come 2) gave an incredibly pessimistic take on the speed and vitality of the recovery 3) said he’s “100 percent” certain inflation hand-wringing is baseless and 4) advocated for Wyden-esque tax reform.
–The U.S. and its allies pessimistically head into a new round of P5+1 nuclear talks with Iran.
—New York Magazine amusingly revises history to envision the last decade if Gore had been president.
–And Congress: an insult to humble sausage makers everywhere.
What did I miss?