memeorandum: MN Senate Poll: Coleman 46% Franken 36% (Rasmussen Reports)

9:20 PM ET, March 13, 2007

Top Items:

Gonzales Accepts Resignation of Top Aide — WASHINGTON — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales abruptly canceled travel plans Tuesday amid growing calls for his ouster over the firings of eight federal prosecutors during a White House-directed housecleaning of U.S. attorneys.

Discussion: Think Progress, TPMmuckraker, Is That Legal?, PunditGuy, Wonkette, TBogg, Macsmind, Shakespeare's Sister and Pajamas Media

Crew / Citizens Blogging for Responsibility …:

BREAKING: CREW wants Special Prosecutor to investigate potential criminal violations in U.S. Attorney firings — CREW wants the immediate appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate potential criminal violations related to the recent dismissals of eight U.S. Attorneys.

Discussion: Think Progress, TPMmuckraker, DownWithTyranny!, Flopping Aces, Seeing the Forest, Wonkette, protein wisdom, JustOneMinute and The Carpetbagger Report

CNN:

Gonzales: 'Mistakes were made' in U.S. attorneys' firings … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that "mistakes were made" regarding the firing of eight U.S. attorneys and he accepts responsibility for the ordeal. — "My pledge to the American people is to find out what went wrong here," he said.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Redstate, Booman Tribune, TPMCafe blogs, Wonkette, The Moderate Voice, PoliBlog (TM) and Kiko's House

Bill Brubaker / Washington Post:

Gonzales Accepts Responsibility for 'Mistakes' — Schumer Warns Sampson's Resignation Does Not Absolve Attorney General — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said today he does not regret firing eight federal prosecutors last year, but he accepts responsibility for "mistakes" …

Discussion: Salon, Dick Polman's American Debate, NewsBusters.org, Wonkette, Macsmind, MyDD and Sunlight Foundation blogs

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:

Gonzales: I'm "Dismayed" — We just watched Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' press conference here. The gist: Gonzales said that he accepts responsibility for the "mistakes" made at the Justice Department... but argued that he is not "aware" of "all decisions" at the Justice Department.

Discussion: Sunlight Foundation blogs, The Huffington Post and Attytood

Jay Carney / time-blog.com:

Where Credit Is Due — Twelve days ago, after David Iglesias went public, I said that if there turned out to be a broad conspiracy behind the firing of the U.S. Attorneys, "I will take my hat off to Marshall and others in the blogosphere and congratulate them for having been right …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, The Mahablog, The Carpetbagger Report, D-Day and The Agonist

Lara Jakes Jordan / Associated Press:
Gonzales rejects calls for resignation

Discussion: Firedoglake, Heath Haussamen …, Outside The Beltway and New York Times

TRex / Firedoglake:
That's All, Folks!

Discussion: TalkLeft and Needlenose

Andrew Cohen / CBS News:
Gonzales & The White House: The Plot Thickens

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
DoJ Claimed "No Role" in Rove Aide's Hiring

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Citizens Blogging … and D-Day

MSNBC:
Gonzales acknowledges mistakes in firings

Discussion: AMERICAblog, Bring it On!, War and Piece and Shakespeare's Sister

Russell Berman / New York Sun:
On Libby Pardon, Giuliani Breaks With Conservatives

Discussion: Hot Air and No More Mister Nice Blog

Amanda / Think Progress:
Gonzales Lied Under Oath, Said All Bush-Appointed Attorneys …

Discussion: Donklephant, Outside The Beltway, The Mahablog, TAPPED, The Swamp, Sister Toldjah, TPMmuckraker, At-Largely, DownWithTyranny!, PoliBlog (TM), Captain's Quarters, New York Times and The Heretik

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
What Rove Knew — One point that needs to be made about the flurry …

Discussion: Associated Press and Washington Post

CNN:

Top general: Remarks on gays were 'personal moral views' … WASHINGTON (CNN) — The top U.S. military officer, Gen. Peter Pace, said Tuesday he should have focused more on military policy and less on his own opinion when he told a newspaper homosexual acts are immoral.

Discussion: The Lede, The RBC, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and The Moderate Voice

Aamer Madhani / Chicago Tribune:
Don't drop `don't ask, don't tell,' Pace says

Discussion: At-Largely and Donklephant

Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
Republican Rebukes Pace, but Defense Secretary Defends 'Don't Ask' Policy

Discussion: Reuters, Box Turtle Bulletin, D-Day, The Daily Dish, AMERICAblog and Chicago Tribune

Mark Green / The Politico:

Air America's Invitation — Tweaking the Fox News Channel, the president of liberal Air America Radio this morning sent a letter to the chairmen of four state Republican parties, offering to host and broadcast the state parties' upcoming presidential debates.

Discussion: MyDD, Donklephant, The Carpetbagger Report, Big Lizards, The American Mind, Daily Kos, The Impolitic, Tennessee Guerilla Women and Think Progress

Ian Swanson / The Hill:

Pelosi hears boos at AIPAC — Members of the main pro-Israel lobbying group offered scattered boos to a statement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that the Iraq war has been a failure on several scores. — The boos, mixed with some polite applause, stood in stark contrast …

Discussion: Power Line, The Nation, New York Times, Crooks and Liars, American Prospect, Hot Air, Hang Right Politics, Washington Post, Atlas Shrugs, Neocon Express and Booman Tribune

CNN:
Poll: 58 percent want Iraq withdrawal by 2008 or sooner

Discussion: BobGeiger.com, The Coffee House, Associated Press, Booman Tribune, Pollster, DownWithTyranny!, Sirotablog and The Democratic Daily

Matt Stoller / MyDD:

List of Blue Dog Saboteurs — From a source close to the House Democratic caucus, here's a list of Blue Dogs that don't want to vote for this bill because it has a certain date for withdrawal. — Michael Arcuri (NY-24) — John Barrow (GA-12) — Melissa Bean (IL-08) — Dan Boren (OK-02)

Discussion: Firedoglake, Daily Kos, DownWithTyranny! and TalkLeft

Michael Yon / Fox News:

ERNIE IS DEAD: WEB CORRESPONDENT MICHAEL YON REPORTS FROM IRAQ — Michael Yon is an independent writer, photographer and former Green Beret who was embedded in Iraq for nine months in 2005. He has returned to Iraq for 2007 to continue reporting on the war. Here is a portion of his first dispatch for FOXNews.com.

Discussion: Confederate Yankee and Media Blog

The Blotter:

Exclusive: Curveball, the Defector Whose Lies Led to War — Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz Report: — The Iraqi defector known as Curveball, whose fabricated stories of "mobile biological weapons labs" helped lead the U.S. to war four years ago, is still being protected by the German intelligence service …

Discussion: The American Street, Political Animal, The Daily Dish and Think Progress

Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:

Adviser Regrets Pushing Edwards on Iraq — WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards was skeptical about voting for the Iraq war resolution and was pushed into it by advisers looking out for his political future, according to an upcoming book by one of his former consultants.

Discussion: Hot Air and TigerHawk

Rasmussen Reports:

MN Senate Poll: Coleman 46% Franken 36% — Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman (R) knows he is high on the Democrats' wish list this cycle and the first Rasmussen Reports Senate poll for Election 2008 shows the incumbent starting off below the 50% level of support.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, MyDD, The Carpetbagger Report, Minnesota Campaign Report and Daily Kos

Associated Press:

Lange: May cut social service funds to pass budget — HELENA - The Republican House leader said he is prepared to strip $2 billion in federal money out of the social services budget if that's what it takes to advance the GOP budget bills. — The announcement comes as the House gets ready …

Discussion: Sirotablog and Left in the West