memeorandum: Cloture Vote In Process (Ed Morrissey/Captain's Quarters)

3:00 PM ET, February 17, 2007

Top Items:

Not the 'Real Vote' — REP. JOHN MURTHA (D-Pa.) has a message for anyone who spent the week following the House of Representatives' marathon debate on Iraq: You've been distracted by a sideshow. "We have to be careful that people don't think this is the vote," the 74-year-old congressman …

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House, Redstate, Blue Crab Boulevard, Riehl World View, "7.62mm Justice" ™, PrairiePundit, INSTAPUTZ and Washington Times

New York Times:

On to the Hard Part on Iraq — President Bush lost touch long ago with Iraq's political reality — not to mention Americans' anguish and disbelief at his mismanagement of the war. So we welcome the House of Representatives' long-overdue attempt to shake some sense into Mr. Bush …

Discussion: Decision '08 and Donklephant

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Washington Post Spanks Murtha

Discussion: Argghhh!, GINA COBB and Blue Crab Boulevard

Bill Frist, M.D. / Senator Bill Frist:

Expose Democrats' Hypocrisy — As many of you, I have watched with interest the new Democrat Majority. — Throughout the 2006 campaign, Democrats spoke at great length about the fair mindednesss of Democrat rule. If Democrats were in the Majority the American people would see a difference.

Discussion: Oliver Willis

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Next Stop — The Senate

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard

CNN:
House rebukes the president on Iraq

Discussion: protein wisdom, Washington Post and PoliPundit.com

Anne Flaherty / Associated Press:
Senate to vote on Iraq troop buildup

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, State of the Day, The Democratic Daily, Blue Crab Boulevard and Washington Post

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

Antiwar Anger at '02 Vote on Iraq Follows Clinton — One of the most important decisions that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton made about her bid for the presidency came late last year when she ended a debate in her camp over whether she should repudiate her 2002 vote authorizing military action in Iraq.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Riehl World View, Daily Pundit, Liberty Street and San Francisco Chronicle

Media Matters for America:

"Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser — (Double) standard operating procedure: why "America's Mayor" isn't "America's ex-husband" — Two weeks ago, we noted that ABC News' Charlie Gibson asked Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton if she would be in a position to be a "credible" candidate for president were it not for her husband.

Discussion: Mercury Rising

Tina Daunt / Los Angeles Times: 'Can I talk to you about Hillary?'

Greyhawk / Mudville Gazette:

WHILE CONGESS WAS VOTING... ...this happened in Iraq: — Iraqi Government and 1st Iraqi Army Division assumes control … IA Captures Al Qaeda In Iraq Cell Leader, Recovers Weapons Cache … BOMB-MAKING FACILITY DESTROYED … IA, CF target terrorist cells in Muqdadiya

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, Cheat Seeking Missiles, Riehl World View and PrairiePundit

Russell Roberts / Los Angeles Times:

Workers are fine with fewer unions — Wealth and productivity have soared while union membership has declined. — LABOR UNIONS' importance in the workplace has fallen steadily since 1950, when roughly a third of American workers were unionized. Today, that number is well below 10% in the private sector.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Kevin Drum / Political Animal: HACK OF THE DAY....Today's anti-union harangue in the LA Times …

Jeff Bailey / New York Times:

Long Delays Hurt Image of JetBlue — Can one very bad week for JetBlue Airways wipe out years of industry-leading customer satisfaction ratings? — That was the question hanging over the airline yesterday, as it tried to return its operations to normal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Roger Ailes

Simon Romero / New York Times:

Chávez Threatens to Jail Price Control Violators — Faced with an accelerating inflation rate and shortages of basic foods like beef, chicken and milk, President Hugo Chávez has threatened to jail grocery store owners and nationalize their businesses if they violate the country's expanding price controls.

Discussion: Daniel W. Drezner and PrairiePundit

Joe / AMERICAblog:

Forget Iraq. McCain wants to be the anti-sex candidate. He's preaching abstinence now. — fark it! Oh, this is rich. John McCain can't make the votes on Iraq — the dominant issue of these times. No, McCain has more pressing matters on his plate. He's too busy working on his no-sex agenda.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Peter Baker / Washington Post:

Democrats Signal a Wider Battle Lasting the Rest of President's Term — After enjoying great deference in the conduct of national security for his first six years in office, President Bush now faces an assertive opposition Congress that has left him on the defensive.

Discussion: The American Street and Let Freedom Ring

Washington Post:

Rice Visits Baghdad to Support Joint U.S. and Iraqi Security Effort — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced visit to Baghdad Saturday and hailed early signs of success in a U.S.-Iraqi operation to quell sectarian violence in the embattled capital.

Discussion: Daily Kos and PrairiePundit

Marc Santora / New York Times:

Baghdad Plan Is a 'Success,' Iraq Prime Minister Tells Bush — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki told President Bush on Friday that the increased effort to provide security in Baghdad had gone exceedingly well so far, Mr. Maliki's office said in a statement.

Discussion: PrairiePundit

Peter Berkowitz / Weekly Standard:

Excommunication for Thee . . . Alan Wolfe's self-incriminating attack on Dinesh D'Souza. — Alan Wolfe is a distinguished public intellectual. He is professor of political science and director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College.

Discussion: Power Line and The Daily Dish