memeorandum: Bush Denies Reaching Out to Dad (Dan Froomkin/Washington Post)

3:50 PM ET, December 6, 2006

Top Items:

Iraq Panel Calls Conditions 'Grave and Deteriorating' — Conditions in Iraq are "grave and deteriorating," with the prospect that a "slide toward chaos" could topple the U.S.-backed government and trigger a regional war unless the United States changes course and seeks a broader diplomatic …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Associated Press, The Sundries Shack, Townhall.com Blog's …, Riehl World View, The Strata-Sphere, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Glittering Eye, The Carpetbagger Report, Blue Crab Boulevard, liberal catnip, The Democratic Daily and Daimnation!

United States Institute of Peace:

Iraq Study Group Report Released — Download the official report just released by the Iraq Study Group titled The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward - A New Approach. USIP is the facilitating organization for the Iraq Study Group (ISG), co-chaired by James A. Baker, III, and Lee H. Hamilton.

Discussion: FP Passport, David Corn, UN Dispatch, worldpublicopinion.org, Suitably Flip, Security Watchtower, KnoxViews, jules crittenden, rubber hose and The Lede

David S. Broder / Washington Post:

A Study In Comity — Whatever the final impact of the Iraq Study Group report being issued today, for the 10 commission members this was an exhilarating experience, a demonstration of genuine bipartisanship that they hope will serve as an example to the broader political world.

Discussion: Sirotablog

New York Times:

Panel Backs Overhaul of Iraq Policy — Saying that "the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating," a bipartisan commission today urged stepped-up diplomatic and political efforts to stabilize that country, coupled with a shift in the mission of the American military to allow the United States to …

Discussion: The American Street, AMERICAblog, Gun Toting Liberal, I think ^(link) …, JustOneMinute and First Draft

White House:

President Bush Receives Report from the Iraq Study Group — THE PRESIDENT: I just received the Iraq Study Group report, prepared by a distinguished panel of our fellow citizens. I want to thank James Baker and Lee Hamilton and the panel members for spending a lot of time on this really difficult issue.

Discussion: Dick Polman's American Debate, Outside The Beltway, Don Surber and Brendan Nyhan

Ed Henry / CNN:

Iraq Study Group: Pull most troops from combat by '08 … WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Iraq Study Group will urge President Bush to move most U.S. troops out of combat roles by early 2008, according to two sources who have seen the executive summary of the group's report.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, New York Times, neo-neocon, Shakespeare's Sister, On Deadline, The American Street, The News Blog, QandO, The Reaction and Think Progress

Associated Press:

Excerpts of Iraq Study Group Report — Here are excerpts from portions of the Iraq Study Group report, which was being released Wednesday: — ''The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved.''

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Matthew Yglesias and The Carpetbagger Report

David Ignatius / Washington Post:

The Price of Iran's Help — DUBAI — On the eve of the Baker-Hamilton commission's report, a top Iranian official set a tough condition for his country's help in stabilizing Iraq, saying that Tehran isn't interested in such cooperation unless the Bush administration sets a timetable for withdrawing its troops.

Discussion: Back Talk, TalkLeft, Ezra Klein and PrairiePundit

Washington Post:
Panel To Urge Pressure On Iraq

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Firedoglake, On Deadline and FP Passport

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Iraq Study Group report released; Update: "Rough waters" video added!

Discussion: Time, ABCNEWS, Reuters, Redstate, Outside The Beltway and Right Wing Nut House

The Allen Report:
Exclusive: What the Baker Commission Report Recommends

Discussion: Hot Air

Kevin Drum / Political Animal:
PRO FORMA REMARKS ON THE BAKER COMMISSION REPORT.. …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Total Information Awareness and The Belgravia Dispatch

Editor and Publisher:
As New Talk of Sending More Troops to Iraq Builds, Poll Shows …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report

Rick Moran / Right Wing Nut House:
ASKING MEN TO DIE TO "MITIGATE DEFEAT"

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, The Political Pit Bull, The Carpetbagger Report, jules crittenden, Macsmind, CNN Political Ticker, Today in Iraq, Confederate Yankee, A Blog For All, Shakespeare's Sister, The American Street and Captain's Quarters

Ace / Ace of Spades HQ:
Baker Group: We Must Give More To Iran In Return For Its Complete Defeat Of US

Discussion: Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler

Lyndsey Layton / Washington Post:

Culture Shock on Capitol Hill: House to Work 5 Days a Week — Forget the minimum wage. Or outsourcing jobs overseas. The labor issue most on the minds of members of Congress yesterday was their own: They will have to work five days a week starting in January. — The horror.

Discussion: USA Today, Firedoglake, Sunlight Foundation blogs, NewDonkey.com, Captain's Quarters, The Carpetbagger Report, DownWithTyranny!, TPMCafe blogs, The Corner, The Moderate Voice, Gun Toting Liberal, The Caucus, TPMmuckraker, Shakespeare's Sister, Talking Points Memo, The Democratic Daily, Joust The Facts and Attytood

Debra Burlingame / Opinion Journal:

On a Wing and a Prayer — Grievance theater at Minneapolis International Airport. … Those are the words that started it all. Six bearded imams are said to have shouted them out while offering evening prayers as they and 141 other passengers waited at the gate for their flight out of Minneapolis International Airport.

Discussion: Investor's Business Daily, NY Daily News, Power Line, QandO, Washington Times, Riehl World View, The Heretik, Hot Air, Blue Crab Boulevard, Captain's Quarters and JunkYardBlog

The Big Trunk / Power Line:

ERRORS, OMISSIONS, INVENTIONS AND FALSEHOODS — A reader writes that he received the email message below sent by Professor Kenneth Stein of Emory University and the Carter Center. Professor Stein's expertise lies in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Discussion: Dean's World, Soccer Dad, BLACKFIVE, Blogs for Bush, Riehl World View, Blue Crab Boulevard, BizzyBlog, The Corner, Althouse and protein wisdom

Daily Mail:

Does water STILL flow on Mars? — Dramatic new photographs of Mars have revealed the possible existence of water on its surface. — The images - released for the first time on Wednesday by the US space agency NASA - were taken earlier this year in an attempt to unlock the secrets of the Red Planet.

Discussion: nasa.gov, Reason Magazine and A Blog For All

Darshak M. Sanghavi, M.D. / New York Times:

Wanting Babies Like Themselves, Some Parents Choose Genetic Defects — Wanting to have children who follow in one's footsteps is an understandable desire. But a coming article in the journal Fertility and Sterility offers a fascinating glimpse into how far some parents may go to ensure …

Discussion: Dean's World, Unfogged and Patterico's Pontifications

MSNBC:

NBC: 10 U.S. service members killed in Iraq — Meanwhile, mortar attack kills 8 Iraqis, wounds 40 in Sadr City district — Residents look at a minibus destroyed in a suicide bomb attack in Baghdad's Sadr City on Wednesday. — BAGHDAD, Iraq - Ten American service members were killed …

Discussion: Daily Kos