Republicans had it their way for eight years; Obama's had his for 10 months...I just thought that needed to be repeated...

LOOKING BACK AT TODAY.
In a wholehearted defense of his administration's actions to right the economy in the first months of his presidency, President Obama outlined his plans going forward to try and create more jobs and spur economic growth. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/08/2145808.aspx

If someone ever wanted to look back, historically, and understand how Barack Obama views government's role in spurring an economy, they can look to his jobs speech today. Republicans would argue, you can't spend your way out of a recession.

Obama's team would say, yes you can, and you must in dire and rare economic situations -- and that Republicans had it their way for eight years; Obama's had his for 10 months. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/08/2145946.aspx

The group of 10 progressive and moderate Democratic senators negotiating a deal on the public option may be close to a deal, NBC's Ken Strickland reporst. The group is meeting this morning and will be throughout the day, according to senators in the group. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/08/2145561.aspx

A lawyer for the party-crashing couple, the Salahis, the party-crashing couple that got into that state dinner, has written to Chairman Bennie Thompson of the House Homeland Security, indicating the Salahis' intention to invoke the Fifth Amendment (right against self-incrimination) in order not to testify IF the committee subpoenas them, NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/08/2145960.aspx

Pro-government militiamen assaulted university students demonstrating for a second straight day, and hard-liners on motorcycles harassed the top opposition leader at his office Tuesday -- signs of a possible intensified crackdown, NBC's Ali Arouzi reports. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/08/2145762.aspx

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued her first opinion for the court today, a 9-0 ruling on a technical issue of legal appeals procedure, NBC's Pete Williams reports. The court handed down three other minor decisions today, getting a late start on issuing rulings in argued cases. It did NOT issue a decision in that Citizen United vs. Federal Election Commission. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/08/2145675.aspx