memeorandum @ 9:25 AM ET, December 3, 2006

Rumsfeld Memo Proposed 'Major Adjustment' in Iraq — Two days before he resigned as defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld submitted a classified memo to the White House that acknowledged that the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq was not working and called for a major course correction.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, Informed Comment, Don Surber, The Sideshow, PrairiePundit, Angry Bear, Suitably Flip, Macsmind, Firedoglake, PoliBlog (TM), The World Wide Rant, Jihad Watch, Wot Is It Good 4 and Prairie Weather

New York Times:

Rumsfeld's Memo of Options for Iraq War — Following is the text of a classified Nov. 6 memorandum that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld sent to the White House suggesting new options in Iraq. The memorandum was sent one day before the midterm Congressional elections and two days before Mr. Rumsfeld resigned.

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Wampum, jules crittenden, PoliPundit.com, War and Piece and Decision '08

Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post:

Rumsfeld Called for Change in War Plan — Before Resignation, He Privately Sought 'Major Adjustment' — Two days before he resigned from the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld sent to the White House a classified memo recommending "a major adjustment" in Iraq strategy and acknowledging slow progress there.

Discussion: AMERICAN FUTURE

Digby / Hullabaloo:
Corruption, Cronyism and Incompetence

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

Kevin Drum / Political Animal: RUMSFELD ON IRAQ....A couple of days before he got fired …

Hindrocket / Power Line: RUMSFELD'S PARTING ADVICE

The Daily Dish: The Rumsfeld Memo — The Bush administration is leaking like a spigot right now.

Spocko / First Draft:

Re: This could kill New Orleans (Score: 1) — I have multiple ideas. I'm thinking about official leverage, unofficial leverage. Public PR and underground PR. — Also Counterintuitive across the crazysphere reaching — Official Public PR Leverage. Someone who is a press darling needs to say something strong.

Discussion: Majikthise and Rising Hegemon

Rebecca Mowbray / New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Commercial insurer to pull out of area — Businesses fear Travelers' move will put the brakes on recovery — St. Paul Travelers Cos. Inc., Louisiana's largest commercial insurance provider, plans to cancel all its commercial property policies in the New Orleans area next year …

Discussion: Don Surber, Talking Points Memo and First Draft

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Poloniumania: British cops eye shadowy group of former Russian agents; Update: Killer ID'd? — Loose cannons or Putin puppets with just enough independence to give him plausible deniability? … That article's five days old but the Telegraph has new info on Dignity and Honor in today's issue …

Discussion: Telegraph, Guardian, BBC and News of the World

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:

Lame-Duck Congress May Run Out the Clock — Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) wants legislation on President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program. Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) is sure the time has come for Congress to declare that aborted fetuses feel pain.

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, The Corner and Daily Kos

Khaled Abu Toameh / Jerusalem Post:

Gaza women warned of immodesty — A hitherto unknown group calling itself the Just Swords of Islam issued a warning to Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip over the weekend that they must wear the hijab or face being targeted by the group's members. — In pamphlets distributed in various parts …

Discussion: Alabama Liberation Front, PrairiePundit and Little Green Footballs

Douglas Brinkley / Washington Post:

Move Over, Hoover — Shortly after Thanksgiving I had dinner in California with Ronald Reagan's best biographer, Lou Cannon. Like many historians these days, we discussed whether George W. Bush is, conceivably, the worst U.S. president ever. Cannon bristled at the idea.

Discussion: TPMCafe blogs, Middle Earth Journal, Prairie Weather, Rising Hegemon and The Reaction

Times of London:

Saudis lead Israel peace bid — THE Saudi Arabian government is emerging as a key player in talks to broker a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement. — According to senior Israeli sources, Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, will soon meet high-ranking Saudi officials to explore …

Discussion: PrairiePundit and Israel Matzav

Matthew Yglesias:

Sears, Valentino, and "Symbolic Racism" — Dave Noon writes more about race and southern politics following up on the discussion launched by Rick Perlstein's article on the subject: … I read the Valentino and Sears paper yesterday, and I think it's plausibly true that the authors are biased against Republicans.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns and Money, Alabama Liberation Front and The American Scene

Jim Yardley / New York Times:

Living Memories of Bound Feet, War and Chaos in China — WANG ZAIBAN, CENTER, WITH WU XIUZHEN, LEFT — AT ages 84 and 83, Wang Zaiban and Wu Xiuzhen are old women, and their feet are historical artifacts. They are among the dwindling number of women in China from the era when bound feet …

Discussion: The Peking Duck

Michael Finnegan / Los Angeles Times:

AIDS fight needs churches, Obama says — Senator disagrees on condom issue, but tells evangelicals that moral guidance is needed. — U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois told more than 2,000 evangelical leaders in Orange County on Friday that he "respectfully but unequivocally" …

Discussion: Sirotablog

Observer:

The House of Death — When 12 bodies were found buried in the garden of a Mexican house, it seemed like a case of drug-linked killings. But the trail led to Washington and a cover-up that went right to the top. David Rose reports from El Paso — Janet Padilla's first inkling …

Graeme Wilson / Telegraph:

Jowell hints at tax rises as Olympics bill soars — Tessa Jowell raised the prospect of tax rises to fund the Olympics yesterday as a senior insider gave a warning that the final bill would be £12 billion, more than four times the original estimate. — The Culture Secretary …

Lindsay Hamilton / ABCNEWS:

Rice Not Ready to Discuss U.S. 'Mistakes' in Iraq — Secretary of State Suggests Reflections on Likely U.S. 'Mistakes' in Iraq Will Have to Wait Until She's Out of Office — Although she is not yet ready to explain herself, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is admitting that the United States has made mistakes in Iraq.