Today’s edition of quick hits:
* As the crisis in Syria intensifies, msnbc ran this report this afternoon:
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* A deal for a new bailout in Greece is not yet complete, but Prime Ninister Lucas Papademos is reportedly close to finishing an agreement.
* Congressional Republicans are so committed to pretending to be outraged about contraception coverage they’re pushing legislative remedies.
* There is some irony to the conservative push: we learned today that teen-pregnancy rates have reached a 30-year low, thanks in large part to access to contraceptives.
* In a 254-173 vote, the House passed a Republican plan for a line-item veto today, 13 years after the Supreme Court struck down a similar measure as unconstitutional. The bill’s future in the Senate is unclear.
* Good piece from Tim Noah on the effort to end the longstanding practice of indexing the baseline for discretionary spending to inflation.
* Only congressional Republicans can make Ben Bernanke look like a liberal.
* Remember Monty Python’s “every sperm is sacred”? It’s funny to think about how the principle can resonate in legislation. * There’s really no need to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” * I know the right apparently considers teleprompters to be awful, but it sure sounds as if Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) could use one. * And so long as complaints continue about Clint Eastwood’s Super Bowl ad, go ahead and read E.J. Dionne’s worthwhile column on the subject. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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