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

11:45 PM ET, December 13, 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, Talking Points Memo, Blogs of War, Dick Polman's American Debate, WuzzaDem, Truthdig, Decision '08, The Democratic Daily, Booman Tribune and Blue Crab Boulevard

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: The Carpetbagger Report, Reuters, TAPPED, Hot Air, CNN Political Ticker, 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, Political Animal, 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

CNN:

Staff: Senator hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, was hospitalized Wednesday after he suffered stroke-like symptoms in his Washington office, his staff said. — Johnson, who turns 60 on December 28, was taken …

Discussion: The Agonist and Blue Mass. Group

Argus Leader:
Sen. Tim Johnson hospitalized after possible stroke

Discussion: HorsesAss.Org

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Sen. Tim Johnson Suffers Possible Stroke

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

USA Today:

Immigration raid linked to ID theft, Chertoff says — WASHINGTON — More than 1,200 people were arrested for alleged immigration violations in Tuesday's six-state raid on meat processing plants and about 65 of them face criminal charges, including identity theft, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said today.

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

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

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

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

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, The Moderate Voice, New Sisyphus - PDX and American Footprints

Mark Murray / MSNBC: U.S. confidence at new low on Iraq war

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

Discussion: Sirotablog and All Spin Zone

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, New York Times, Wake up America, 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, Oliver Willis, TIME 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

Greg Giroux / New York Times:

Rodriguez's Upset Win in Texas 23 Yields Another Seat for Dems — Democratic former Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez upset Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla in a House runoff election Tuesday in southwestern Texas' 23rd District, pushing the Democrats' net gain to 30 House seats and concluding Campaign 2006 …

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

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

Jeff Greenfield / CNN:

Point of personal privilege — (CNN) — "Humor is the nitroglycerin of politics," a political analyst wrote long ago. "Very powerful, but if it's not handled carefully, it can explode in your face." — Actually, I wrote those words in a widely un-read book.

Discussion: unfutz, Hullabaloo, The Carpetbagger Report, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, skippy the bush kangaroo and The Agonist

Mark Bauerlein / Chronicle of Higher Education:

How Academe Shortchanges Conservative Thinking — Notwithstanding the outcome of the recent election, in one respect, the last few decades mark a breakthrough era for conservative intellectuals. Their visibility has soared. Thirty years ago, the only place to find conservatives on television …

Discussion: JunkYardBlog, The Corner, alicublog and Redstate

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