memeorandum: Cunningham Prosecutor Forced Out (Justin Rood/TPMmuckraker)

1:25 PM ET, January 12, 2007

Top Items:

GOP hits Pelosi's 'hypocrisy' on wage bill — House Republicans yesterday declared "something fishy" about the major tuna company in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district being exempted from the minimum-wage increase that Democrats approved this week.

Discussion: Iowa Voice, Don Surber, Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, Gun Toting Liberal ™, Right Wing News, A Blog For All, Blogs for Bush, The Jawa Report and PoliPundit.com

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:

Democrats in Senate Fail to Block Bill on Ethics — After campaigning for months on a promise to tighten ethics rules, Senate Democratic leaders tried unsuccessfully Thursday to block a measure that would shine a light on the shadowy practice of earmarking federal money for lawmakers' pet projects.

Discussion: Sunlight Foundation blogs, Club for Growth, TPMmuckraker, Citizens Blogging …, My Left Nutmeg and JustOneMinute

David Ignatius / Washington Post:

An Opening for the Democrats — Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the architect of the Democratic victory in November's congressional elections, watched President Bush's Iraq speech Wednesday night like the coach of an opposing debate team: "Tired," he said. "Too wooden." "Doesn't fill the screen."

Discussion: Redstate and Balkinization

Jim Abrams / Associated Press:

Democrats fumble earmarks legislation — Senators jump ship, vote with GOP on tougher rules for pet projects in bills — WASHINGTON - The Senate's new Democratic leaders, the fragility of their thin majority on display for the first time, were set back Thursday when nine Democrats joined …

Geoff Earle / New York Post: RANGEL RANKLED BY FELLOW DEM PELOSI

Nancy Benac / Associated Press: Bush's approval rating hits new low

New York Post:

BOXER'S LOW BLOW — Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, an appalling scold from California, wasted no time yesterday in dragging the debate over Iraq about as low as it can go - attacking Secre tary of State Condoleezza Rice for being a childless woman. — Boxer was wholly in character for her party …

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, Taylor Marsh, Olbermann Watch, Daily Pundit, Fausta's blog and Little Green Footballs

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Rice, a Uniter of the Divided — Within minutes of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's arrival on Capitol Hill yesterday, it became apparent that the Bush administration had, after four divisive years, finally succeeded in uniting Congress on the war in Iraq.

Discussion: The Caucus, Wonkette and The Heretik

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Video: Boxer gets personal with Condi at Senate hearing — I don't recall the lack of fruit from Janet Reno's womb figuring heavily into scrutiny of Waco or l'affaire Elian, but that was a different time. A time of magic and wonder, when America knew peace while Osama studied flight schedules.

Discussion: Silent Running, NewsBusters.org and Althouse

Mark Finkelstein / NewsBusters.org:
GMA Highlights Boxer's Jab at Condi's Personal Life

Discussion: Wizbang and Ed Driscoll.com

Newsweek:

Bush's Best Democratic Buddy — Joe Lieberman gives the president a pass on Katrina. — Sen. Joe Lieberman, the only Democrat to endorse President Bush's new plan for Iraq, has quietly backed away from his pre-election demands that the White House turn over potentially embarrassing documents relating …

Discussion: The Oshkosh Northwestern …, Washington Post, TPMmuckraker, Happy Furry Puppy Story …, Booman Tribune, The Carpetbagger Report, Facing South, Brilliant at Breakfast, Matthew Yglesias, The Impolitic, Think Progress, The Mahablog, The Democratic Daily and Seeing the Forest

Peter Baker / Washington Post:

At Fort Benning, a Quiet Response to a Presidential Visit — The pictures were just what the White House wanted: A teary-eyed President Bush presenting the Medal of Honor posthumously to a slain war hero in the East Room, then flying here to join the chow line with camouflage-clad soldiers as some of them prepare to return to Iraq.

Discussion: Nitpicker and The Democratic Daily

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Bush Speaks and Base Is Subdued

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Carpetbagger Report, Washington Wire and TPMmuckraker

Nicholas Paphitis / Associated Press:

Blast at U.S. embassy called 'terrorism' — ATHENS, Greece - An anti-tank shell was fired at the U.S. Embassy early Friday, striking the front of the building but causing no injuries. A senior police official said the blast was an act of terrorism, raising fears of a resurgence of far-left Greek militant groups.

Discussion: Tammy Bruce, Outside The Beltway, rubber hose, Shakespeare's Sister, No More Mister Nice Blog and Secular Blasphemy

Sky News:
Leftist Group Claims Attack

Discussion: The Jawa Report, RightWinged.com and snapped shot

Karolos Grohmann / Reuters:
Attackers fire rocket at U.S. embassy in Athens

Discussion: PoliBlog (TM), Captain's Quarters, The Jawa Report, Blue Crab Boulevard, Daily Pundit and Florida Cracker

San Diego Union-Tribune:

Lam is asked to step down — Job performance said to be behind White House firing — The Bush administration has quietly asked San Diego U.S. Attorney Carol Lam, best known for her high-profile prosecutions of politicians and corporate executives, to resign her post, a law enforcement official said.

Discussion: War and Piece

Justin Rood / TPMmuckraker:
Cunningham Prosecutor Forced Out

Discussion: CANNONFIRE

Donald Lambro / Washington Times:

Hillary's status as front-runner slipping in key states — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's popularity in Democratic presidential-preference polls has fallen in the nation's first caucus and primary states in the face of increasing support for her chief rivals for the 2008 nomination.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Liberal Values

Kenneth R. Bazinet / NY Daily News:
Edwards plans MLK speech - on Hillary's turf

Discussion: MediaPost Publications and The Caucus

Opinion Journal:

Getting Iraq to Work — New York City's successes have lessons for Baghdad. — The American mission in Iraq must succeed. Our goal—promoting a stable, accountable democracy in the heart of the Middle East—cannot be achieved by purely military means. — Iraqis need to establish a civil society.

Discussion: alicublog, Jay Reding.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, Blue Crab Boulevard, Chronicle of the Conspiracy, Swampland and Patrick Ruffini

Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal:

The Two Vacuums — Neither Iraqis nor Democrats seem ready to do what's required of them. — I had the odd and wholly unexpected experience of feeling supportive of a troop increase until I saw the president's speech arguing for it. What a jarring, furtive-seeming thing it was.

Discussion: Unclaimed Territory, The Impolitic, The Carpetbagger Report and Booman Tribune

Associated Press:

Duke LAX Accuser Changes Story - Again — Motions filed to drop charges against Seligmann — (01/11/07 — DURHAM) - The accuser in the Duke lacrosse sexual assault case told prosecutors in December that one of the three players charged did not commit any sex act on her during the alleged attack …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Durham-in-Wonderland, A Blog For All, Outside The Beltway, JustOneMinute and Raleigh News & Observer

New York Times:

In Baghdad, Bush Policy Is Met With Resentment — Iraq's Shiite-led government offered only a grudging endorsement on Thursday of President Bush's proposal to deploy more than 20,000 additional troops in an effort to curb sectarian violence and regain control of Baghdad.

Discussion: Dick Polman's American Debate, The RBC, Swampland, Norwegianity, The Corner, TIME and The Reaction

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Video: Olbermann's special comment — the condensed version — He's doing these at a clip of about two a week now so we've given up posting them all. Iraqslogger found this latest one particularly dreamy, though, so I thought I'd do something nice for our lefty readers for a change and edit the clip down to its barest essentials.

Discussion: Olbermann Watch