memeorandum: Iraqi Official Offers Terms From Militia to Avoid Fight (Sabrina Tavernise/New York Times)

2:50 AM ET, January 26, 2007

Top Items:

Congress's Iraq Quagmire — ON TUESDAY nearly every member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warmly endorsed Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the new U.S. commander in Iraq, and a number wished him success or "Godspeed" in his mission. Yesterday some of the same senators voted …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Jules Crittenden and The Moderate Voice

CNN:

McCain says he'll propose benchmarks for Iraq … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. John McCain, a leading advocate of sending more U.S. troops to Iraq, said Thursday he'll try to blunt the impact of proposed Senate resolutions opposing a buildup with a new resolution of his own.

Discussion: Firedoglake, DownWithTyranny!, The Democratic Daily, Demagogue and The Political Pit Bull

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post: GOP Senators Wrestle With Iraq War Resolution

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Schumer Believes Ordinary People, Not War, Will Become '08 Focus — Sen. Charles Schumer, architect of the new Democratic Senate majority, argues that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the 2008 elections will not center on Iraq. — "I think Iraq will not be as strong an issue in the 2008 elections …

Discussion: MyDD

Tony Karon / Time:

2008: Hillary vs McCain? — Hillary Clinton is the clear front-runner to win the Democratic party's nomination for President in 2008, but the Republican race will be a close contest between Senator John McCain and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani — with McCain edging Giuliani by a three- to four-point margin.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Caucus, Captain's Quarters, Preemptive Karma, No More Mister Nice Blog and ABCNEWS

Kos / Daily Kos:
The Hillary netroots spin

Discussion: Blog P.I., Power Line, The Agonist, Taylor Marsh, Liberal Values, Blogometer and Oliver Willis

Nibras Kazimi / New York Sun:

Turnaround in Baghdad — There has been a flurry of press reports recently about insurgents battling American and Iraqi security forces on Haifa Street in Baghdad, and around the rural town of Buhruz in Diyala Province. These same insurgents also claimed to have shot down a Black Hawk helicopter near Buhruz.

Discussion: Redstate, Blue Crab Boulevard and Donklephant

Pundit Review Radio / BLACKFIVE:
Does Anyone Else Detect a Trend?

Discussion: Gateway Pundit

Jeff Goldstein / protein wisdom:
Chimpy McHitlerburton's smirky rodeo ride through history, 23 …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Marc Santora / New York Times:

Angry Dispute Erupts Among Iraqi Lawmakers — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's presentation of a new Baghdad security plan to the Iraqi Parliament on Thursday broke down in bitter sectarian recriminations, with Mr. Maliki threatening a Sunni Arab lawmaker with arrest and, in response …

Discussion: Obsidian Wings, Booman Tribune and Middle Earth Journal

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: Iraqi Shiite soldiers put the boots to Sunni insurgents

Discussion: BLACKFIVE

Pajamas Media:
BAGHDAD TODAY. QUIET. TOO QUIET.

Discussion: The Jawa Report

Dafna Linzer / Washington Post:

Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq — Administration Strategy Stirs Concern Among Some Officials — The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across …

Discussion: Larisa Alexandrovna's …, The Agonist, Gun Toting Liberal ™, Hot Air and First Draft

MediaChannel:

Helping Lara Logan — Sometimes it's hard to swim in the mainstream. — There has been much heated debate over the past few years over media coverage of the Iraq War. The Bush administration has repeatedly attacked the 'liberal bias' of the mainstream news industry …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Making Light, NO QUARTER, Seeing the Forest, Pottersville, Jesus' General, Taylor Marsh and Rising Hegemon

Bob Geiger:

Senate GOP Leadership Tries To Eliminate Federal Minimum Wage — Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO), evidently convinced that he was beating a dead horse by continuing his quest to ban flag-burning and discriminate against gay people, announced this month that he would not seek reelection in 2008 …

Discussion: AFL-CIO Weblog, The Carpetbagger Report, MyDD and Think Progress

CBS News:

Pelosi Says She Wasn't Consulted On Iraq — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that President George W. Bush did not consult her before announcing his new strategy for the war in Iraq — a sign that, despite the cozy rhetoric, the relationship between Washington's two powerhouses has already had its share of friction.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Riehl World View, AMERICAblog and The Reaction

Jonathan S. Landay / Real Cities:

Rockefeller: Cheney applied 'constant' pressure to stall investigation on flawed Iraq intelligence — WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney exerted "constant" pressure on the Republican former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee to stall an investigation into the Bush administration's use …

Discussion: Larisa Alexandrovna's …, The Moderate Voice, DownWithTyranny!, Macsmind and Democratic Underground

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

In Ex-Aide's Testimony, A Spin Through VP's PR — Memo to Tim Russert: Dick Cheney thinks he controls you. — This delicious morsel about the "Meet the Press" host and the vice president was part of the extensive dish Cathie Martin served up yesterday when the former Cheney communications director took …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Grasping Reality …, War and Piece, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Liberal Values

Emptywheel / Firedoglake:

Libby Liveblog: Cathie Martin One — Now up, Cathie Martin. — Cathie will testify to several things. First, she was involved in some of the early discussions of a response to Wilson. She learned of Plame's identity from Harlow and passed that on to Libby.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
Libby Trial: A Big Day Today

Discussion: Firedoglake

Emptywheel / Firedoglake:
Libby Live: Cathie Martin, Three

Discussion: Outside The Beltway and Crooks and Liars

Ryan Grim / The Politico:

Federal Agency Cleans Up Its Own Wikipedia Entry — Wikipedia has come of age. The online user-created encyclopedia is now influential enough that the federal government feels the need to doctor it up. — In late August, someone with an IP address that originated from the National Institutes …

Discussion: Wonkette and Reason Magazine

The Smoking Gun:

Outrage Over Texas College MLK Day Party — Event featured Aunt Jemima, gang apparel, fried chicken, malt liquor — Students at a Texas college threw a Martin Luther King Jr. Day party that featured attendees wearing gang apparel and Afro wigs, carrying malt liquor, handguns, and fried chicken …

Discussion: Associated Press and Jesus' General

Aaron Klein / WorldNetDaily:

Jimmy Carter: Too many Jews on Holocaust council — Former president also rejected Christian historian because name sounded 'too Jewish' — TEL AVIV - Former President Jimmy Carter once complained there were "too many Jews" on the government's Holocaust Memorial Council, Monroe Freedman …

Discussion: Kesher Talk, Hot Air and Tammy Bruce