memeorandum: In Theater of War, It's Iraq Study Group's Turn to Take the Stage (Dana Milbank/Washington Post)

2:00 AM ET, December 8, 2006

Top Items:

In Theater of War, It's Iraq Study Group's Turn to Take the Stage — Minutes after the Iraq Study Group placed an improvised explosive device beneath the Bush administration's Iraq policy yesterday, panel member Lawrence Eagleburger was asked how President Bush reacted to the recommendations.

Discussion: Slate, WorldNetDaily, New York Times, The Democratic Daily, 7.62mm Justice, The Reaction, The Carpetbagger Report, jules crittenden, Think Progress and Shakespeare's Sister

Thomas E. Ricks / Washington Post:

Senators Challenge Feasibility of Iraq Plans — Study Group Concedes Some Risks But Calls Its Proposal 'Worth a Try' — Members of Congress yesterday questioned the practicability of recommendations from the Iraq Study Group about how to reverse the chaos in Iraq, but they praised the panel's stark assessment of conditions there.

Discussion: Informed Comment, LiberalOasis and Badgers Forward

New York Times:

Bush Expresses Caution on Key Points in Iraq Panel's Report — President Bush moved quickly on Thursday to distance himself from the central recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group: pulling back all combat brigades over the next 15 months and direct talks with Iran and Syria.

Discussion: Political Animal, Marc Cooper and Prairie Weather

Media Matters for America:

Meet the new boss... Now that the Baker-Hamilton Commission is ending this country's long national acid trip, I am struck by the fact that, save possibly Donald Rumsfeld and Christopher Hitchens, no one's intellect, analysis, and honesty have been more profoundly undermined by the results …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, New York Times and NewsHog

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Will It Work in the White House? — In 142 stark pages, the Iraq Study Group report makes an impassioned plea for bipartisan consensus on the most divisive foreign policy issue of this generation. Without President Bush, that cannot happen. — The commissioners gave a nod to Mr. Bush …

Discussion: Balkinization, The Horse's Mouth, CBS News, Washington Post, CNN and Kiko's House

William M. Arkin / Early Warning:

Not What the American or Iraqi People Want — For all the hype, the Iraq Study Group offers two fundamental recommendations that the President might and might even be able to implement: The Group calls for the United States to engage Iraq's neighbors, specifically Iran and Syria.

Discussion: Eschaton and Political Animal

Frederick W. Kagan / NY Daily News:
Asking for chaos — Iraq Study Group fails the big test: how to quell the violence

Discussion: Andrew Sullivan

New York Post:
THE COUNSEL OF COWARDS — After nine laborious months …

Discussion: Wake up America and Ace of Spades HQ

Niles Lathem / New York Post:
IRAQ 'APPEASE' SQUEEZE ON W.

Discussion: The Raw Story, Hot Air, alicublog, One Hand Clapping, INDCJournal, Don Surber, Wizbang, A Blog For All, Wake up America, Gateway Pundit and New York Sun

Fox News:

NEW MEXICO GOV. BILL RICHARDSON: 'I AM RUNNING' IN 2008 — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is expected to formally file papers to form a presidential exploratory committee in January. But today he told FOX News "I am running," as he described the professional and personal experiences that he believes have prepared him for the job.

Discussion: Donklephant, Macsmind, The Democratic Daily, JustOneMinute, Decision '08 and PrestoPundit

Jennifer Talhelm / Associated Press:

Richardson Speaks Against Border Fence — WASHINGTON — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson says a fence at the Mexican border authorized by Congress this fall "gets in the way" of U.S.-Mexico relations, and he wants the new Democratic Congress to reverse the legislation.

Discussion: Hot Air, Bill's Bites, Blue Crab Boulevard and The Caucus

Jennifer Talhelm / Associated Press:
New Mexico governor decries border fence

Discussion: First Draft and The American Street

David Crary / Associated Press:

Groups Mixed on Mary Cheney's Pregnancy — Conservative leaders voiced dismay Wednesday at news that Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Dick Cheney, is pregnant, while a gay-rights group said the vice president faces "a lifetime of sleepless nights" for serving in an administration that has opposed recognition of same-sex couples.

Discussion: Political Punch, Pottersville, Shakespeare's Sister, The Sundries Shack, No More Mister Nice Blog and Andrew Sullivan

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Cheney Pregnancy Stirs Debate on Gay Rights

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and The Corner

Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Cheney's Grandchild Will Have Two Mommies

Discussion: The Political Pit Bull, The Carpetbagger Report, Andrew Sullivan, Captain's Quarters and Political Punch

PR Newswire:

Report: Ex-Spy Contact Falls Into Coma — A key figure in the poisoning case of former spy Alexander Litvinenko fell into a coma after being questioned by Russian and British investigators, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday. — Dmitry Kovtun, a businessman and former Russian agent …

Discussion: The Belmont Club and Pajamas Media

Times of London:
Ex-KGB spy 'was poisoned in hotel'

Discussion: BBC, The Strata-Sphere and Reuters

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Spymania: Everything you think you know is might be wrong

Discussion: Times of London and Independent

White House:

President Bush Meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair — Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building — PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you all. Please be seated. I just had a good visit with Prime Minister Tony Blair. I appreciate you coming back, Mr. Prime Minister.

Discussion: Think Progress, Firedoglake, Townhall.com Blog's …, Taylor Marsh, First Draft, Obsidian Wings, Wonkette and The Carpetbagger Report

CNN:
Bush tells Iran, Syria how they can join Iraq talks

Discussion: Cox & Forkum, The Democratic Daily, New York Times and Decision '08

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Video: Steyn slams the AP and Iraq Study Group on O'Reilly — Our subject is bias: anti-Bush in the case of the American press and anti-American in the case of too many Iraqi stringers. No mention of Jamilgate specifically, alas, but he does refer to Bilal Hussein, whose scandal is sexier anyway.

Discussion: Ed Driscoll.com, The Jawa Report, Wizbang, Atlas Shrugs and Confederate Yankee

Cillizzac / The Fix:

McCain Continues to Win Over Bush Insiders — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) continues to recruit top GOP political operatives in expectation of a presidential run. According to a source close to the McCain operation, the candidate has lined up Terry Nelson to serve as campaign manager …

Discussion: MyDD, Taylor Marsh, Dick Polman's American Debate, Outside The Beltway and Ankle Biting Pundits

Hotline On Call:
Here's Your 2008 McCain Presidential Team

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, MyDD, The Agonist and Political Punch

St. Petersburg Times:

Dean: Dems should keep out Buchanan — WASHINGTON - Republican Vern Buchanan might be the official winner in a messy Sarasota-area congressional race, but Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean says the Democratic-controlled Congress should not seat Buchanan without another election.

Discussion: MyDD, The Reaction and Gateway Pundit

Salah Nasrawi / Associated Press:

Saudis reportedly funding Iraqi Sunnis — CAIRO, Egypt - Private Saudi citizens are giving millions of dollars to Sunni insurgents in Iraq and much of the money is used to buy weapons, including shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles, according to key Iraqi officials and others familiar with the flow of cash.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Reaction and Middle Earth Journal

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:

Democratic Wave in Congress Further Erodes Moderation in GOP — Iowa Rep. Jim Leach (R) seemed a natural to weather voters' antiwar sentiment this fall. His independent streak and moderate views had engendered the allegiance of his Democratic-leaning district for the past 30 years …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, The Carpetbagger Report, AMERICAblog, The Caucus and PrairiePundit

Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:

Specter gets the chance to set things right — When the Military Commissions Act, which among other things suspended habeas corpus for suspected terrorists, went to the Senate floor in September, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) voiced some relatively passive concerns.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Real Cities and TPMmuckraker

Austan Goolsbee / New York Times:

Lean Left? Lean Right? News Media May Take Their Cues From Customers — When Matt Lauer declared on the "Today" show last week that NBC would start referring to the conflict in Iraq as a "civil war," he inadvertently started his own civil war within the news media.