memeorandum: I Just Don't Get It (Matt Stoller/MyDD)

6:35 PM ET, January 7, 2007

Top Items:

Pelosi: Congress Will Not Fund Escalation If Bush Does Not Justify It — This morning on CBS's Face the Nation, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced that Congress may refuse to authorize funding for an escalation of U.S. forces to Iraq if President Bush cannot justify the strategy.

Discussion: Wake up America, CorrenteWire, The Agonist, Firedoglake, The Carpetbagger Report, Tennessee Guerilla Women and The Impolitic

CBS News:

WHAT DO YOU THINK? — (CBS/AP) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said newly empowered Democrats will not give President George W. Bush a blank check to wage war in Iraq, hinting they could deny funding if he seeks additional troops. — "If the president chooses to escalate the war …

Taylor Marsh:

Speaker Pelosi Lays Bush Out on Iraq — updated below— In her first Sunday morning interview, Speaker Nancy Pelosi laid it out plainly on Iraq. … It's nice to be home and have all my tech toys so that I could catch the Speaker's performance. Let's make sure this YouTube gets around.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and AMERICAblog

New York Times:

The Imperial Presidency 2.0 — Observing President Bush in action lately, we have to wonder if he actually watched the election returns in November, or if he was just rerunning the 2002 vote on his TiVo. — That year, the White House used the fear of terrorism to scare American voters …

Discussion: The Heretik, Middle Earth Journal and The Impolitic

Hope Yen / Associated Press:

Pelosi Hints at Denying Bush Iraq Funds — Democrats now running Congress will not give President Bush a blank check to wage war in Iraq, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday, suggesting they could deny him the money should he call for additional troops. — Yet Pelosi's second-in-command …

Discussion: Firedoglake

Bob Geiger: Pelosi: Bush Must Justify Future Iraq Actions

Taylor Marsh / The Huffington Post:
Speaker Pelosi Lays Bush Out on Iraq

Discussion: Media Matters for America

John Amato / Crooks and Liars: Nancy Pelosi will not fund the McCain doctrine without justification

Miami Herald:

Suspicious truck stopped at the Port of Miami-Dade — Federal and county authorities have arrested as many as three Middle Eastern men at the Port of Miami-Dade after they tried to enter the facility Sunday morning without proper paperwork, officials said. — An FBI spokeswoman in Miami …

Discussion: Power Line and PrairiePundit

Fox News:

PORT OF MIAMI ON HEIGHTENED ALERT — MIAMI — The Port of Miami on Sunday was in a heightened state of security after police discovered two men hiding in a cargo truck and a bomb squad was summoned to the scene, FOX News has learned. — The container truck was stopped near the cargo-area entrance …

Discussion: SevenStripes.com

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Something up at the Port of Miami? — Florida Cracker has details. Fox's correspondent at the scene says the bomb squad is on the way. According to the Miami Herald, the driver is Iraqi and one of the men found hiding in the truck is Lebanese. — The Herald also says the Center …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and Riehl World View

Gateway Pundit:
FBI Arrests 3 Middle Eastern Men Trying to Enter Miami Ports!

Discussion: Wizbang

Florida Cracker:
PORT OF MIAMI ARRESTS

Discussion: Blogs of War and Ace of Spades HQ

Washington Post:

A 'Surge' in Iraq? — A troop increase that few in the Pentagon, Congress or the Iraqi government really want — PRESIDENT BUSH is widely expected to unveil a new strategy for Iraq this week that will include a substantial increase in U.S. troops. If he does, he will face a formidable task …

Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:

Fred Hiatt hails McCain's courage and seriousness — Fred Hiatt's Washington Post Editorial today examines the plan for a "surge" in Iraq and ultimately takes no real position on it. He can bring himself only to say that "several questions give us pause."

Discussion: The Impolitic

Joshua Partlow / Washington Post:
Iraqi Leader Plans Security Push

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The News Blog and Brilliant at Breakfast

Washington Post:
Critics Say 'Surge' Is More of The Same

Discussion: Reason Magazine, PrairiePundit and The Democratic Daily

Associated Press:

Israel Denies Planning Iran Nuke Attack — LONDON (AP) — A British newspaper reported Sunday that Israel has drafted plans to strike as many as three targets in Iran with low-yield nuclear weapons, aiming to halt Tehran's uranium enrichment program. The Israeli Foreign Ministry denied the report.

Discussion: The Glittering Eye, NewsHog, Macsmind, It Shines For All, Blogs of War and Don Surber

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Will Israel Nuke Iranian Nukes?

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Huffington Post, StephenBainbridge.com, Outside The Beltway and Wizbang

Robert Novak / Chicago Sun Times:

McCain backers fear they could lose new Florida governor's support — Publication of Rudy Giuliani's secret campaign plan has so embarrassed Florida's new Gov. Charles Crist that supporters of Sen. John McCain fear it might backfire against their campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

Matt Stoller / MyDD:

I Just Don't Get It — This is discouraging. … There are several serious problems here. — Allowing Bush to escalate the war is unwise. (Note that Biden told Bush last month, after the election, that there was nothing the Democrats would do to stop him on the war.

Matt Stoller / MyDD: No Escalation — Pelosi is standing firmly with the public …

Ryan Lizza / New York Times:

The Invasion of the Alpha Male Democrat — NANCY PELOSI'S carefully crafted introduction to the American people last week seemed to reinforce some stereotypes of the so-called mommy party. On the day she made history as the first woman to be elected speaker, she appeared on the House floor …

Discussion: TalkLeft, Unfogged, Ezra Klein, Prairie Weather and Sister Toldjah

Independent:

Future of Iraq: The spoils of war — How the West will make a killing on Iraqi oil riches — Iraq's massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days.

Discussion: The Agonist, The Impolitic, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Seeing the Forest, Angry Bear, AMERICAblog and Brilliant at Breakfast

Brad DeLong / Grasping Reality with Both Hands:

Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps? (Yet Another New York Times Edition) — MattF on Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps? (Yet Another New York Times Edition) — Powered by TypePad — Your email address: — Powered by FeedBlitz — January 07, 2007

Discussion: The Sideshow and Oliver Willis