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- A deal was reached on the economic stimulus package, coming out of the Conference Committee at $789 billion -- less than either the original House or Senate versions of the legislation. There's good and bad in the final version but I'd agree with my colleague Tim that overall this is a victory for Barack Obama's 22-day-old administration.
- Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a review of military policy that bans the photography of coffins returning from overseas, keeping in line with the Obama administration's dedication to maintaining openness in government. The policy has been in place since the first Gulf War, and a change was suggested by Gates as recently as a year ago.
- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has put a 180-day hold on offshore oil drilling, effectively freezing an eleventh-hour executive order issued by the Bush administration. The Heritage Foundation, last seen using a 48 year-old quote from Ronald Reagan to argue against the economic stimulus, thinks expanding offshore drilling would create tremendous job growth. Or, in the words of RNC Chair Michael Steele, "Drill, baby drill!"
- It's not just mindless slogans that drive the GOP, but powerful ideas, such as describing the Freedom of Choice Act as "the greatest power grab by the federal government since the war of northern aggression," or claiming Franklin Roosevelt caused the Great Depression, or painting the Obama administration as a natural continuation of the Bush years.
- The conservative movement, on the other hand, can afford to be a bit more bullish, for instance picking Red Dawn as one of the "best conservative movies of the last 25 years" and running a picture of Adolf Hitler next to an unsigned editorial criticizing IT health provisions in the stimulus (a modernization of medical records that began with Bush's blessing). Steve Benen breaks down the viral nature of this piece of conservative misinformation.
- LA Gov. Bobby Jindal will be giving the Republican rebuttal to President Obama's February 24th Congressional address. It will be interesting to see whether Jindal, in probably his first sustained instance of national exposure, will live up to his reputation as a wonk or whether he'll show his true stripes.
- Advice for Politico: when writing a story titled "Scientists urge caution on global warming," you might want to look for sources who aren't Joseph D'Aleo, aides to Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, the director of the Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, or senior fellows at the Cato Institute. It's possible -- just possible -- that they might have a vested interest in keeping "debate" about global warming alive.
- John McCain, maverick of the Senate, is raising funds for reelection in 2010. Good for him. After all, states need representatives. The District of Columbia? Eh, not so much.
--Mori Dinauer
