The Filter: Limbaugh and Barbie and Matters of Race

(March 10) -- With so many news aggregators out there, who can keep up? AOL News filters the filters to steer you to the headlines that really matter.

Skip Those, Read This: The Slatest leads with an Associated Press story indicating some U.S. troops could leave Afghanistan before President Barack Obama's announced July 2011 deadline to begin withdrawal. But "could" is not definitive, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates made no promises. "It would have to be conditions-based," Gates said Wednesday during his trip to Afghanistan. For a more detailed look at the situation in Afghanistan, check out Rory Stewart's take in a recent issue of the New York Review of Books.

Roberts vs. Obama: Both The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast lead with an AP report on U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts' speech Tuesday in which he criticized President Obama's State of the Union address. Speaking at the University of Alabama, Roberts said Obama's address, in which he criticized a recent Supreme Court decision on campaign finance reform, was nothing more than a "political pep rally." He continued, "The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court -- according the requirements of protocol -- has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling." Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs defended Obama's remarks, saying the Supreme Court decision in question had "opened the floodgates for corporations and special interests to pour money into elections."

Inhospitable Israel: At the outset of Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, he was outspoken about the U.S. commitment to its ally and lauding the countries' "unshakable bond." But the very next day, Tuesday, Israel announced plans to build 1,600 new homes in disputed east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied during the 1967 war,the AP reported in a story picked up by all the aggregators. The U.S., which is planning to begin Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in a few weeks, has called for a cessation to Israeli settlement building, and Biden criticized the Israeli announcement. "The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now," Biden said. Within Israel, the move was also criticized. "Israel's opposition Kadima party said it is planning a no-confidence vote in the prime minister in Parliament for 'destroying' the Biden visit," the AP reported.

Catch of the Day: The Huffington Post (via Media Matters) calls out Rush Limbaugh for being a racist, offering as evidence his "pun" on former New York Congressman Eric Massa's last name. Massa, who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment of male staff members, could be replaced by someone of Gov. David Paterson's choosing. Paterson is African-American, which prompted the following statement harking back to the days of slave plantations from Limbaugh on his radio show: "So, David Paterson will become the massa ... who gets to appoint whoever gets to take Massa's place. So, for the first time in his life, Paterson's gonna be a massa. Interesting, interesting." Limbaugh has been accused of being a racist before.

Black Barbie: Speaking of race, Wal-Mart has gotten heat for a black doll it's offering for sale, according to ABC news (via The Daily Beast). There's a photo showing two dolls side-by-side, identical except for skin color, but the black doll is on sale for half the price as the white one. Wal-Mart said it was just trying to clear its inventory, and the black doll wasn't selling as well. But critics said the company should have been more sensitive. For some, the display recalls the tests of Dr. Kenneth Clark in the 1940s, in which he studied the psychological effects of segregation. Presented with a black and white doll and asked which one was better, black children overwhelmingly picked the white one.