At Ground Zero, a Sham Memorial

Michael Burke, New York Daily News
The con job at Ground Zero is not some lame memorabilia company selling fake coins. By focusing on easy targets like the National Collector's Mint, the media have missed the real fakery: the billion-dollar, 8-acre National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center. It is no more authentic than those infamous commemorative coins, but a lot more harmful to the memory of those who died there.The fact is that the memorial will include nothing of the 9/11 attacks or the World Trade Center. Remember the steel remnants of the destroyed towers? Visit the "9/11 Memorial...

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2011/02/07/at_ground_zero_a_sham_memorial_250039.html

Joe Scarborough Victor Davis Hanson Erick Erickson Chris Ruddy

A Crowded (But Empty) 2012 GOP Field

Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
The Iowa caucuses are 364 days away. (But who's counting?) And yet there is only one candidate - pizza magnate Herman Cain - who has gone so far as to even form an exploratory committee to begin raising money for the Republican primary race.What gives?While there is considerable agreement among the Republican professional class that the 2012 race is late-starting, there's little consensus on why things are slow to form or who the first candidate to break the silence will be.

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2011/02/07/a_crowded_but_empty_2012_gop_field_250074.html

Ben Rhodes Cedric Richmond Marco Rubio Stephanie Herseth Sandlin

New Approach: Obama Woos Chamber Of Commerce

The chamber actively campaigned against key parts of the Obama agenda, including the health care law and new rules for financial services. But in recent weeks, the administration has been talking more about ways to work together with businesses to put people back to work.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/07/133551752/new-approach-obama-woos-chamber-of-commerce?ft=1&f=1003

Michelle Bachmann Lou Dobbs Meg Whitman Joe Wilson

Why Keeping Little Girls Squeaky Clean Could Make Them Sick

How girls are socialized may account for some disparities in the illnesses that affect them compared with boys. Young boys are more likely to be allowed to get dirty, which may expose them to more germs that help temper their immune systems.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/02/04/133371076/how-keeping-little-girls-squeaky-clean-could-make-them-sick?ft=1&f=1007

Lou Dobbs Meg Whitman Joe Wilson Jeb Bush

Tribal Land Helps Payday Lenders Skirt State Laws

Nearly 20 states have either banned payday lenders or imposed interest rate caps that discourage them from setting up shop. But a report shows that some payday lenders have tried to find a way around the limits by partnering with Native American tribes and setting up shop online.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/07/133557321/Tribal-Land-Helps-Payday-Lenders-Skirt-State-Laws?ft=1&f=1003

Tom Perriello Hannah Pingree Jared Polis Ben Rhodes

A Modest Proposal to Cut $500 Billion in Spending

Sen. Rand Paul, WSJ
After Republicans swept into office in 1994, Bill Clinton famously said in his State of the Union address that the era of big government was over. Nearly $10 trillion of federal debt later, the era of big government is at its zenith.According to the Congressional Budget Office, this will be the third consecutive year in which the federal government is running a deficit near or greater than $1 trillion. The solution to the government's fiscal crisis must begin by cutting spending in all areas, particularly in those that can be better run at the state or local level.

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2011/02/07/a_modest_proposal_to_cut_500_billion_in_spending_250079.html

Adam Kinzinger Rachel Kleinfeld Mike Lee Patrick McHenry

Is Haley Barbour's Southern Handicap Overstated?

Scott Conroy, RCP
As Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour steps up his efforts to explore a possible presidential run, he faces one question that none of the other prospective candidates will have to address: can a back-slapping, Ole Miss Rebels fan with a molasses-rich drawl connect on a human level with caucus-goers and primary voters whose cultural roots are far from Yazoo City?Though his Deep South persona and good ol' boy reputation are often cited as significant drawbacks for Barbour in the first voting states, Republican operatives and officials in Iowa and New Hampshire point to a bevy of historical and...

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/02/07/is_barbours_southern_handicap_overstated_108790.html

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin Stephanie Schriock Bakari Sellers Kyrsten Sinema

Plumbing The Depths Of Aquarium Science

What happens if you mix fat puffers with sponges? Do clownfish do better alone or in pairs? What's the best way to prune staghorn coral? Joseph Yaiullo, co-founder of Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, N.Y., and the curator of the aquarium's 20,000-gallon tank, shares tank tips.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/04/133498140/plumbing-the-depths-of-aquarium-science?ft=1&f=1007

George P. Bush Julián Castro Nathan Daschle Jennifer O\'Malley Dillon

Local Reporter Covers Cairo's Neighborhoods

Host Liane Hansen talks with Egyptian journalist Mohamed El-Meshad. He's been covering the protests in Cairo for the opposition newspaper Al-Masry Al-Yom and has been visiting neighborhoods in Cairo to see the effect of the protests.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/06/133538926/Local-Reporter-Covers-Cairos-Neighborhoods?ft=1&f=1004

CHARLIE CRIST CLIFFORD MAY PEGGY NOONAN TONY PERKINS