memeorandum: Buildup in Iraq Needed Into '08, U.S. General Says (New York Times)

9:55 AM ET, March 8, 2007

Top Items:

Bush Deflects Pressure To Give Libby a Pardon — Clemency Before 2008 Election Could Be Politically Risky — President Bush said yesterday that he is "pretty much going to stay out of" the case of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby until the legal process has run its course, deflecting pressure …

Discussion: The Mahablog, Captain's Quarters, The Heretik, CorrenteWire, Althouse, First Read, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and The BLT

MSNBC:

Juror calls on Bush to pardon Libby — Ex-Cheney aide was 'really nice guy' who was 'caught in the initial lie' — WASHINGTON - Saying "I don't want him to go to jail," a member of the jury that convicted I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of perjury and obstruction of justice in the CIA leak case called Wednesday …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Hot Air, NO QUARTER, PoliBlog (TM), The Moderate Voice, Ezra Klein, Donklephant, State of the Day, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Jules Crittenden, TalkLeft and Macsmind

Newsweek:

The Problem With Pardoning Libby — President Bush may well pardon Scooter Libby. But he'd have to flout Justice Department guidelines in order to do it. — The pardon campaign began almost immediately. No sooner had word come down in federal court that I. Lewis (Scooter) …

Discussion: The Rachel Maddow Show and Brilliant at Breakfast

Digby / Hullabaloo:
Pardon My Outrage — I just heard a juror on Hardball …

Discussion: Middle Earth Journal

Robert D. Novak / Washington Post:
A Verdict on the Wilson Affair

Discussion: Villainous Company and Blue Crab Boulevard

Drudge Report:
LIBBY JUROR: PARDON HIM

Discussion: Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Say Anything, The Strata-Sphere, Save The GOP and Wizbang

Scott Shane / New York Times:
Debate Over a Pardon Follows the Libby Verdict

Discussion: The Hill, The Huffington Post and Liberal Values

John Podhoretz / New York Post:
A PARDON IS CERTAIN

Discussion: The Raw Story, Patterico's Pontifications, On Deadline, Firedoglake and DownWithTyranny!

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters: Libby Juror: Please Reverse Us

John Amato / Crooks and Liars: Pardon Me? — The NRO wankers want Scooter free so it's …

New York Times:

Buildup in Iraq Needed Into '08, U.S. General Says — The day-to-day commander of American forces in Iraq has recommended that the heightened American troop levels there be maintained through February 2008, military officials said Wednesday. — The White House has never said exactly …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, TPMmuckraker, Air America Radio, The Impolitic, Hot Air, Jules Crittenden, Think Progress, Prairie Weather, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Decision '08

Washington Post:

As Iraq Exit Plan Arrives, Democrats' Rift Remains — Even in her conservative Kansas district, calls and letters to freshman House Democrat Nancy Boyda show a constituency overwhelmingly ready for U.S. troops to come home from Iraq. — Yet as the House nears a legislative showdown on the war …

Discussion: MyDD, Redstate, TalkLeft, Daily Kos, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Donklephant

David Espo / Associated Press: Democrats to propose troop withdrawal from Iraq by fall of 2008

David Espo / Associated Press:
House Democrats to unveil Iraq war plan

Discussion: TigerHawk

Dafna Linzer / Washington Post:

Former Iranian Defense Official Talks to Western Intelligence — A former Iranian deputy defense minister who once commanded the Revolutionary Guard has left his country and is cooperating with Western intelligence agencies, providing information on Hezbollah and Iran's ties to the organization, according to a senior U.S. official.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Right Wing Nut House, The Belmont Club, Blue Crab Boulevard, Israel Matzav, Outside The Beltway, Say Anything, Power Line, The Political Pit Bull and Riehl World View

Kenneth R. Timmerman / NewsMax.com:
Iranian General Reportedly Defects

Discussion: The Washington Note and Telegraph

Allahpundit / Hot Air: Confirmed: Senior U.S. official says Iranian general is in custody

Cpl. Matt Sanchez / Cpl Matt Sanchez:

Salon.com — Was I totally clueless? When I stepped forward to talk about an anti-military bias at Columbia of course I knew my life would come under some scrutiny. We hear it everyday, with the universality of the internet, it's impossible to have privacy.

Discussion: Villainous Company, seejanemom and Fausta's blog

Matt Sanchez / Salon:

Porn free — Left-wing blogs gleefully outed my gay porn past after I criticized antiwar zealots. But the truth has set me free. — Was I totally clueless? When I stepped forward in late 2005 to talk about anti-military attitudes at New York's Columbia University, I knew my past might be put under the microscope.

Discussion: Brilliant at Breakfast

Bryan / Hot Air:
The past of Cpl Sanchez — If you haven't heard the story, here's the gist.

Discussion: JunkYardBlog, Gay Patriot, Michelle Malkin, Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, Reality Mugged Me, Daily. Gay. News. Towleroad, Riehl World View and Gateway Pundit

New York Times:

The Gonzales Eight — Americans often suspect that their political leaders are arrogant and out of touch. But even then it is nearly impossible to fathom what self-delusion could have convinced Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico that he had a right to call a federal prosecutor at home …

Discussion: Don Surber, NO QUARTER and Seattle Times

Matt Apuzzo / Associated Press:

Former sailor arrested on terror charge — WASHINGTON - A former Navy sailor was arrested Wednesday for allegedly releasing classified information that ended up in the hands of a suspected terrorism financier. — Hassan Abujihaad, 31, of Phoenix, is accused in a case that began in Connecticut …

Discussion: GINA COBB and A Blog For All

Jerusalem Post:

Report: Assad flips out at Ahmadinejad on phone — Syrian President Bashar Assad exchanged harsh words with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a phone conversation, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Siyassah reported on Wednesday. — Sources close to the Syrian leader told the newspaper …

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, The Moderate Voice and Hot Air

Robert Tait / Guardian: Ahmadinejad challenged for control of Iran's economy

Bill Carter / New York Times:

Producer for Katie Couric Out at CBS News — The shake-ups at the evening newscasts continued last night. — In the latest disruption, CBS News replaced Rome Hartman, the executive producer of the "Evening News with Katie Couric," with the long-time TV news executive and producer Rick Kaplan …

Discussion: Wizbang, Romenesko and TVNewser

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

New York Label May Not Fit All in Giuliani Run — When Republicans say they are skeptical that Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, can survive their party's presidential nominating process, they usually point to his record of support for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control.

Discussion: The Right's Field and First Read

Kevin Allison / Financial Times:

Gates warns on US immigration curbs — Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, on Wednesday warned that restrictions on the number of skilled workers allowed to enter the US put the country's competitiveness at risk. — The comments marked the latest attack on restrictive US immigration policies …

Discussion: Roger L. Simon and ScrappleFace

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Jailed Man Is A Videographer And a Blogger but Is He a Journalist? — He is being cast by some journalists as a young champion of the First Amendment, jailed for taking a lonely stand against heavy-handed federal prosecutors. — Josh Wolf, a 24-year-old blogger, has spent …

Discussion: The Gun Toting Liberal ™

The Blotter:

Under VA Chief, Effort to Aid Wounded Vets Stalled, Ex-Employee Charges — Brian Ross and Justin Rood Report: — A proposal to keep seriously wounded vets from falling through the cracks of the bureaucracy was shelved in 2005 when Jim Nicholson took over as the secretary …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Pacific Views, No More Mister Nice Blog and The American Street