memeorandum: Web Site Hunts Pedophiles, and TV Goes Along (Allen Salkin/New York Times)

1:35 AM ET, December 14, 2006

Top Items:

S. Dakota's Sen. Johnson has possible stroke — Takes ill in Capitol Hill office, hospitalized for evaluation — NEW YORK - Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S. D., has been hospitalized with symptoms described as stroke-like. The seriousness of his illness has not been disclosed.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Blogs of War, Dick Polman's American Debate, Talking Points Memo, WuzzaDem, Truthdig, The Democratic Daily, Decision '08, Booman Tribune, Blue Crab Boulevard and Hang Right Politics

The Raw Story:

Senator Tim Johnson reportedly suffers stroke; Senate power seen in the balance — Print page sponsored by Velvet Revolution. — MSNBC is currently reporting that Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) has suffered a stroke. — There is no word, currently, on the Senator's condition.

Discussion: Reuters, TAPPED, Hot Air, GINA COBB, Wizbang, Wonkette and The Moderate Voice

Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press:

Sen. Johnson suffers possible stroke — WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson (news, bio, voting record) of South Dakota suffered a possible stroke Wednesday and was taken to a Washington hospital, his office said. If he should be unable to continue to serve, it could halt the scheduled Democratic takeover of the Senate.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Democratic Underground, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, Shakespeare's Sister, The Political Pit Bull and Wampum

Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press:

South Dakota senator hospitalized — WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson (news, bio, voting record) of South Dakota was hospitalized after becoming disoriented Wednesday, weeks before his party is to take control of the Senate by a one-vote margin. — Johnson, who turns 60 on Dec. 28 …

Discussion: Donklephant and MyDD

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:

Sen. Tim Johnson Suffers Possible Stroke — Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) suffered a "possible stroke" today, and the prognosis for his recovery remains unknown, according to his office. — Johnson was taken to George Washington Hospital this afternoon after feeling ill this morning, according to a statement from his office.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

CNN:
Staff: Senator hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms

Discussion: The Agonist and Blue Mass. Group

Argus Leader:
Sen. Tim Johnson hospitalized after possible stroke

Discussion: HorsesAss.Org

Barry R. McCaffrey / Washington Post:

Beyond Baker-Hamilton — One Approach to a Last Try at Stability in Iraq — A collapse of the Iraqi state would be catastrophic — for the people of Iraq, for the Middle East and for America's strategic interests. We need a new political and military approach to head off this impending disaster …

Discussion: Redstate, New Sisyphus - PDX, The Moderate Voice and American Footprints

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

U.S. confidence at new low on Iraq war — NBC/WSJ poll: 53 percent say no obligation to killed troops to stay in Iraq — WASHINGTON - As the White House searches for a way to move forward in Iraq after the midterm elections and the Iraq Study Group's recent recommendations …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Jennifer Loven / Associated Press:
Bush decides direction of Iraq policy

Discussion: Sirotablog and All Spin Zone

Julian E. Barnes / Los Angeles Times:
Pentagon's plan: More U.S. troops in Iraq

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, The Reaction, The Carpetbagger Report and Political Animal

Salt Lake Tribune:

Federal raid puts families in limbo — Immigration agents looking for stolen IDs detain scores in Hyrum — HYRUM - If only for a few minutes, Maria felt like an ''illegal alien'' in her homeland - the United States of America. — She thought she was going on break from her job …

Discussion: TPMmuckraker and The Debate Link

USA Today:
Immigration raid linked to ID theft, Chertoff says

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog and Scared Monkeys

Julia Preston / New York Times:
U.S. Raids 6 Meat Plants in ID Case

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Captain's Quarters, Shakespeare's Sister, Iowa Voice and Riehl World View

Guardian:

Move to bring genocide case against Ahmadinejad as Iran president repeats call to wipe out Israel — Robert Tait in Tehran, Ed Pilkington in New York — The outgoing US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, is backing a call for the president of Iran to be charged with inciting genocide …

Discussion: Slate, Los Angeles Times, Gates of Vienna, Captain's Quarters, Wake up America, New York Times, Democracy Project and Pajamas Media

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: David Duke calls Wolf Blitzer a Jewish extremist

Discussion: Haaretz and Ynetnews

Washington Post:

Clinton and Giuliani Have Early Edge in '08 Race, Poll Shows — New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani (R), who briefly competed against each other in a Senate race in 2000, hold early leads over potential rivals for their parties' 2008 …

Discussion: The Corner, TIME, Oliver Willis and Decision '08

Adam Nagourney / The Caucus:
Giuliani Picks Key G.O.P Figure for 2008

Discussion: Hotline On Call

Greg Mitchell / Editor and Publisher:

Former CNN News Chief To Launch 'IraqSlogger' Site — NEW YORK For the past four years there has been no shortage of news and views on Iraq and the long-running war there. What's been missing: a one-stop-shopping clearinghouse for nonpartisan information, including material coming …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Wizbang and Don Surber

Hotline On Call:

Did The Latino Vote Sink Bonilla? — Rep. Henry Bonilla's (R-TX 23) loss last night confirms one of the Bush administration's greatest fears: that a hard-line position on illegal immigration could cause Republicans long-term damage among the growing Latino vote.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Political Animal and AMERICAblog

Greg Giroux / New York Times:
Rodriguez's Upset Win in Texas 23 Yields Another Seat for Dems

Discussion: Prairie Weather, The Fix, DownWithTyranny!, DonkeyRising, The Reaction, Decision '08 and The Democratic Daily

Allen Salkin / New York Times:

Web Site Hunts Pedophiles, and TV Goes Along — Last month, the Web site Perverted-Justice.com posted news of the conviction of Sean Young, a Wisconsin man sentenced to 10 years in state prison for soliciting sex online from a 14-year-old girl. According to a transcript of an online chat posted …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Concurring Opinions and The News Blog

Matt Apuzzo / Associated Press:

Judge upholds detainee rights terror law — WASHINGTON - A federal judge upheld the Bush administration's new terrorism law Wednesday, agreeing that Guantanamo Bay detainees do not have the right to challenge their imprisonment in U.S. courts. — The ruling by U.S. District Judge James Robertson …

Discussion: BLACKFIVE, Obsidian Wings and Bill's Bites

Peter R. Kann / Opinion Journal:

The Power of the Press — The media is in need of some mending. — Thomas Jefferson, a better president than we've had in a very long time, penned a line back in 1787: "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Daily Pundit, Blue Crab Boulevard, Media Blog and Ed Driscoll.com

Will Dunham / Reuters:

Male circumcision greatly reduces HIV risk: studies — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Circumcising men cuts their risk of being infected with the AIDS virus in half, and could prevent hundreds of thousands or even millions of new infections, researchers said on Wednesday.

Discussion: GINA COBB

Pauline Jelinek / Associated Press:

Military Meets, Exceeds Recruiting Goals — WASHINGTON (AP) - Though Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the war in Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday it is having success enlisting new troops. The Navy and Air Force met their recruiting goals last month while the Army …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and Bill's Bites