memeorandum: Expanding... Expanding... The WaPo reports that U.S. President … (Michael van der Galien/The Moderate Voice)

10:20 AM ET, December 20, 2006

Top Items:

U.S. Not Winning War in Iraq, Bush Says for 1st Time — President Plans to Expand Army, Marine Corps to Cope With Strain of Multiple Deployments — President Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and said he plans to expand …

Discussion: Blogs of War, AMERICAblog, Crooks and Liars and Decision '08

Washington Post:

President Bush on Iraq, Elections and Immigration — This 25-minute interview was conducted yesterday in the Oval Office by Washington Post staff writers Peter Baker, Michael A. Fletcher and Michael Abramowitz. — President Bush: Listen, a couple of things before we get going.

Discussion: The Road to Surfdom, Shakespeare's Sister, NewsBusters.org, Blue Crab Boulevard and Crooks and Liars

Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post:

Bush Sees 'Opportunities' on Social Security, Immigration — President Bush said yesterday that he intends to work with the new Democratic majority in Congress on a broad range of domestic issues, declaring that despite the impending power shift there are "some wonderful opportunities" …

Discussion: Angry Bear and Beat the Press

Peter Baker / Washington Post:

Bush to Expand Size of Military — President Bush said today that he plans to expand the size of the U.S. military to meet the challenges of a long-term global war against terrorists, a response to warnings that sustained deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the armed forces to near the breaking point.

New York Times:

President Wants to Increase Size of Armed Forces — President Bush said Tuesday that the United States should expand the size of its armed forces, acknowledging that the military had been strained by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and would need to grow to cope with what he suggested would be a long battle against Islamic extremism.

Discussion: LiberalOasis

jules crittenden: Thank God — I'm guessing it was a gaggle of idiot editors …

Michael van der Galien / The Moderate Voice:
Expanding... Expanding... The WaPo reports that U.S. President …

Discussion: Bark Bark Woof Woof

Associated Press:
Bush plans to increase size of military

Discussion: konagod

Joseph Rago / Opinion Journal:

The Blog Mob — "Written by fools to be read by imbeciles." — Blogs are very important these days. Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has one. The invention of the Web log, we are told, is as transformative as Gutenberg's press, and has shoved journalism into a reformation, perhaps a revolution.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Captain's Quarters, Joe's Dartblog, The Moderate Voice, PoliBlog (TM), QandO, EU Referendum, Decision '08, Polimom Says, Daily Pundit, Blue Crab Boulevard, BizzyBlog, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and JunkYardBlog

Dan Froomkin / Washington Post:

The Robert Gates Riddle — Will Defense Secretary Robert Gates be a voice of realism within the Bush administration? Or will he bend his knee to the ideologues? — Gates offered hints to support both possibilities yesterday at his swearing-in ceremony. But his true allegiance will soon be put to a very public test.

Discussion: ParaPundit, Donklephant, The Raw Story and Press Association

Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press:
U.S. defense secretary arrives in Iraq

Discussion: On Deadline and Democrats.com

Salamander Davoudi / Financial Times:

UK report says robots will have rights — The next time you beat your keyboard in frustration, think of a day where it may be able to sue you for assault. Within 50 years we might even find ourselves standing next to the next generation of vacuum cleaners in the voting booth.

Discussion: Right Wing News and State of the Day

Sen. Harry Reid / The Huffington Post:

The Clock is Ticking, Mr. President — Frankly, I don't believe that more troops is the answer for Iraq. It's a civil war and America should not be policing a Sunni-Shia conflict. In addition, we don't have the additional forces to put in there. We obviously want to support what commanders …

Discussion: The Reaction, Gateway Pundit, CorrenteWire, Riehl World View and Liberal Values

Chris Bowers / MyDD:
Reid on the Surge — I assume there will be endless spleen about this post online:

Discussion: Eschaton

Adam Zagorin / Time:

Syria in Bush's Crosshairs — Exclusive: A classified document suggests the Administration is considering a plan to fund political opposition to the Damascus government. Some critics say it would be an unwarranted covert action — The Bush Administration has been quietly nurturing individuals …

Discussion: Right Wing News and Think Progress

Adam Nagourney / The Caucus:

Gilmore, Courting Conservatives, Explores 2008 Bid — James S. Gilmore III, a former Virginia governor and chairman of the Republican National Committee, announced today that he would form a committee to explore a presidential bid in 2008, saying the Republican field lacked a "committed conservative" …

Discussion: SOTUblog, Outside The Beltway and PoliBlog (TM)

baldilocks:

A Warning To The Right — I'm tired of it all. — I'm tired of the insinuations about Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) because his dead father was a Muslim. I'm tired of the insinuations about his middle name—Hussein—and the racist/bigoted insinuations that I've seen on the Right that flow from there.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Right Wing Nut House, The Political Pit Bull, Debbie Schlussel, The Reaction, Blogs of War, Amygdala, Liberal Values, Sister Toldjah, SOTUblog, Donklephant and Blue Crab Boulevard

Katherine Baldwin / Reuters:

Blair to urge Middle East states to rein in Iran — DUBAI (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair will call on Wednesday for Middle East states to rein in what he calls the threat from Iran and to help advance peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians.