Marine General John Allen told President Obama on Tuesday he would rather retire from the U.S. military than become Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, one of the top posts in the U.S. military.
“I always say to people, before you begin to drool at the mouth and go crazy and scratch our eyeballs out, read the damn report.”
— Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY) to his critics who ridiculed the 2010 deficit reduction plan he co-sponsored with Democrat Erskine Bowles, according to TPM. Bowles and Simpson unveiled a new plan today.
Mississippi Finally Ratifies the Amendment to Ban Slavery — 148 Years Later
Here’s an outcome the producers of the movie Lincoln probably never expected: it indirectly led to the official ratification of the 13th amendment to ban slavery in Mississippi.
The Sequester: Wasting a Crisis
Both sides have found silver linings in letting the cuts kick in: Democrats can blame the Republicans for their intransigence, and Republicans can say they slashed government spending.
Another Voice Against A Secret Drone Court
Those who endorse giving secret, unelected courts the authority to oversee summary war time executions of American citizens, should explain why Congressional oversight isn’t better.
Pentagon Budgetary Hat Trickery
The sky-is-falling game is now fully underway when it comes to the more than $500 billion in Pentagon budget cuts slated to begin March 1.
Morning Must Reads: February 19
In the news: Obama bullies the press, Reagonomics gets a facelift, Simpson-Bowles Round II, and Dave Chappelle, political visionary.
What Andrew Cuomo’s Abortion Proposal Says About Access in 2013
Cuomo’s plan is being cheered by abortion rights activists and panned by anti-abortion groups, including the Catholic Church. But the truth is, Cuomo’s plan is more about symbolism than changing much of anything for women’s …
If Immigration Reform Stalls, Federal Courts Could Have a Say
Democrats might tweak immigration reform to make Republican opposition inevitable and hit them in 2014 for being obstructionist. This could hurt Dreamers by giving courts enough time to void Obama’s Executive Order
Beach Force One
As the White House Press Corps expresses extreme frustration on being barred from the President’s golf outing with Tiger, maybe we should rethink why the President goes on vacation in the first place.
Presidents’ Day with TIME’s Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy
Check out TIME’s Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs today on Morning Joe.
Thin Ice on Blood and Treasure
Some members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have warned that the sequester will cause troops and civilians to die. Mixing – confusing — this blood and treasure leads to a slippery slope.
$100,000
— How much money Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's PAC has made from selling branded water bottles, according to BuzzFeed. The Senator is capitalizing on his awkward dry mouth moment during last week's Republican Address to the Nation.