memeorandum: Press Briefing by Tony Snow (White House)

9:55 PM ET, January 29, 2007

Top Items:

Libby Live: Ari Fleischer One — Hey, look at the exploding pig in the poke cartoon graphic I found! Or perhaps "pig in the poke to stay out of the pokey"? — If you don't know the reference, Patrick Fitzgerald described the process of offering Ari Fleischer immunity "buying a pig in a poke."

Discussion: Angry Bear and Needlenose

Washington Post:

Fleischer Tells Jury That Libby Told Him About Plame — Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer told a jury today that Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff was the first person to disclose the identity of an undercover CIA officer to him in July 2003.

Discussion: Firedoglake and DownWithTyranny!

Kevin Drum / Political Animal:

"PLAME" vs. "WILSON"....I'm not going to blog obsessively about the Scooter Libby trial since so many other people are doing it far better than me, but here's a snippet from Marcy Wheeler's rough transcript of the prosecution's questioning of Ari Fleischer today: … This was on July 7, 2003.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Taylor Marsh, Outside The Beltway, Don Surber and Eschaton

Emptywheel / Firedoglake:

Libby Live: Ari Fleischer Two — Standard housekeeping warnings. emptywheel? Not a court reporter (in fact, she's the author of Anatomy of Deceit)-consider this a decent paraphrase, but not a transcript. And updates? Please consider the servers before you update every minute.

Discussion: Booman Tribune and Needlenose

Matt Apuzzo / Associated Press:
Fleischer: Plame came up over lunch

Discussion: Mia Culpa

Washington Post:

Iraqis Raid Insurgents Near Shiite Holy City — More Than 300 Reported Dead in Ongoing Battle in Najaf — Iraqi soldiers, backed by U.S. helicopters, stormed an encampment of hundreds of insurgents hiding among date palm orchards in southern Iraq in an operation Sunday that set off fierce …

Discussion: In the Bullpen and Talking Points Memo

Los Angeles Times:

Hundreds die in clash near Shiite holy city — U.S. and Iraqi forces thwart 500 fighters apparently targeting a Najaf shrine. A helicopter goes down, killing two American troops. — BAGHDAD — Iraqi and American forces killed several hundred gunmen apparently planning to attack …

Discussion: toohotfortnr, The Belmont Club and Healing Iraq

Stephen J. Hadley / Washington Post:
Baghdad Is Key — The Baker-Hamilton report explained …

Discussion: Think Progress, The Carpetbagger Report, Daily Kos, Larisa Alexandrovna's …, Wake up America and AMERICAblog

CNN:
Najaf battle foiled attack on Shiite clerics, Iraqis say

Discussion: IRAQ THE MODEL, Captain's Quarters, Jules Crittenden, Riehl World View, The Impolitic, Washington Post, New York Times, Unqualified Offerings and Informed Comment

Los Angeles Times:

Was 9/11 really that bad? — The attacks were a horrible act of mass murder, but history says we're overreacting. — IMAGINE THAT on 9/11, six hours after the assault on the twin towers and the Pentagon, terrorists had carried out a second wave of attacks on the United States, taking an additional 3,000 lives.

Jeff Goldstein / protein wisdom:
The Cowardice of Capitulation or the Bravery of Clear Sightedness?

Discussion: Daily Mail, Jerusalem Post and Riehl World View

Dr. Rusty Shackleford / The Jawa Report:
9/11? No. Big. Deal.

Discussion: The Political Pit Bull and Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler

John / Argghhh!: WAS 9/11 REALLY THAT BAD? … That's the title of an OpEd …

Huffington Post:

EXCLUSIVE: AIR AMERICA RESCUED — Air America Radio, in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings since October, will be rescued at the 11th hour by Manhattan real estate developer Stephen L. Green. — Al Franken, the best-known host of the liberal network, will announce his expected departure …

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG, The Carpetbagger Report, NewsBusters.org, Sister Toldjah, The Corner and Middle Earth Journal

Brian Maloney / The Radio Equalizer: Air America Radio Buyout, Stephen L Green

David S. Broder / Washington Post:

Clinton's Presidential Posturing — When Lt. Gen. David Petraeus went before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week in open session, its members understandably had many questions for the new commander of American forces in Iraq. — They knew of his reputation as a battlefield leader …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, The Sideshow, Swampland, Booman Tribune and Democracy Project

Ian Bishop / New York Post:

HILL'S 'EVIL' JOKE ON HUBBY BUBBA — DAVENPORT, Iowa - Hillary Rodham Clinton left caucus-goers here yesterday believing that Bubba had given her a baptism by fire in how to deal with "evil and bad men." — Clinton's quip, made during a morning rally with about 500 Iowans …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Huffington Post, Outside The Beltway, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post, The Caucus, QandO, IMAO, Washington Times, The Moderate Voice, Eschaton, Scared Monkeys, CNN Political Ticker, Tennessee Guerilla Women and Hot Air

Eli Lake / New York Sun:

Iran's Role in Iraq Will Be Exposed — WASHINGTON — New evidence of Iran's role in Iraq will be made in Baghdad by the chief spokesman for the multinational forces in Iraq, Major General William Caldwell. The Directorate of National Intelligence worked over the weekend to clear new intelligence …

Discussion: Hot Air, Wake up America, Blue Crab Boulevard, Captain's Quarters, Don Surber and TPMmuckraker

Noam Cohen / New York Times:

Courts Turn to Wikipedia, but Selectively — When a court-appointed special master last year rejected the claim of an Alabama couple that their daughter had suffered seizures after a vaccination, she explained her decision in part by referring to material from articles in Wikipedia, the collaborative online encyclopedia.

Discussion: Pajamas Media

Jon Keller / CBS4Boston:

Exclusive Survey Shows Tight Race In N.H. — (CBS4) With the field of candidates growing every week, the New Hampshire primary is shaping up to be a political free-for-all. And exclusive new WBZ-TV Fast Track survey results show tight races in both parties.

Discussion: The Corner

Ben Smith / The Politico:

What She Meant — Hillary's odd, non-verbal joke that's getting all the attention today was a revealing moment. — But it wasn't revealing because she was suggesting her husband is "evil and bad." — It was revealing because — asked about dealing with evil men like Osama bin Laden …

Discussion: TAPPED, Penguins on the Equator and Tennessee Guerilla Women

Reuters:

Survey shows 13 pct of Americans never heard of global warming — OSLO (Reuters) - Thirteen percent of Americans have never heard of global warming even though their country is the world's top source of greenhouse gases, a 46-country survey showed on Monday.

Discussion: The Reaction and On Deadline