memeorandum: Pig Out — WITH some fanfare, the world's largest pork producer … (Nicolette Hahn Niman/New York Times)

9:25 PM ET, March 14, 2007

Top Items:

Bush Defends Gonzales in Firing of Prosecutors — President Bush defended Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today amid the furor over the firing of federal prosecutors, but he said he was troubled over the clumsy handling of the dismissals. — "I do have confidence in Attorney General Al Gonzales …

Discussion: PoliBlog (TM), Right Wing News, TalkLeft and Prairie Weather

CNN:

Bush irked by 'mistakes' in attorney firings … WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush said Wednesday he is "not happy" about mistakes surrounding the decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys, but his faith in his attorney general is unwavering. — "I do have confidence in AG Al Gonzales," …

Discussion: The Anonymous Liberal, The Caucus, The Carpetbagger Report, My Left Wing, DownWithTyranny!, Citizens Blogging …, New York Times, TPMmuckraker and Central Sanity

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:

Bush defends Gonzales: Just some confusion and mismanagement is all.... Update: (second video added) George Bush was questioned about Alberto Gonzales' role in the firing of US Attorneys in Mexico today. He wasn't too happy about it. He used the "pleasure of the President" talking point-called it a problem of "mismanagement."

Discussion: Washington Post, Captain's Quarters, Hullabaloo and The Impolitic

White House:

President Bush and President Calderón Participate in a Joint Press Availability — PRESIDENT CALDERÓN: (As translated.) Good morning, Mr. President, dear friends from the media. I thank you for being here in this press conference. I would like to thank …

Discussion: TPMmuckraker and First Draft

Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:
Republican says Gonzales should be fired

Discussion: Bloomberg, DownWithTyranny!, MyDD, Heath Haussamen …, Midtopia and The Carpetbagger Report

Stuart M. Gerson / Washington Post:
Inside the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorneys Controversy

Discussion: Riehl World View, Talking Points Memo and Patterico's Pontifications

Peter Baker / Washington Post:
Bush Defends Gonzales's Decision

Discussion: CNN, About U.S. Politics, TPMmuckraker, Firedoglake, Law Blog and The Democratic Daily

Los Angeles Times: Bush 'not happy' with handling of fired attorneys

Real Cities:
Current situation is distinct from Clinton firings of U.S. attorneys

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, The Mahablog, The Huffington Post, Opinion Journal, Polimom Says, Macsmind, ABCNEWS, The Carpetbagger Report, The Moderate Voice and Betsy's Page

Amanda / Think Progress:
Bush Falsely Claims His Prosecutor Purge Is 'A Customary Practice By Presidents'

Discussion: The Mahablog and ArchPundit

Andrew Zajac / Chicago Tribune:

Fitzgerald: Rove tried to limit choice — WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.) said Tuesday that White House political adviser Karl Rove told him in the spring of 2001 that he should limit his choice for U.S. attorney in Chicago to someone from Illinois.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Hullabaloo, TalkLeft, AMERICAblog and Washington Post

Nico / Think Progress:
Leahy Says He'll Subpoena Rove, Discusses Potential Crimes Involved …

Discussion: White House

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
The Rule Of Karl Must End

Discussion: Democrats.com, Cliff Schecter, TPMmuckraker and CorrenteWire

Bloomberg:

Giuliani Law Firm Lobbies in Texas for Chavez-Controlled Citgo — Rudolph Giuliani's law firm lobbies for Citgo Petroleum Corp., a unit of the state-owned oil company controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the U.S.'s chief antagonist in the Western Hemisphere.

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Shakespeare's Sister, Liberal Values, Hotline On Call and Daily Kos

NY Daily News: Giuliani firm on payroll of Prez Chavez oil company

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

Clinton and Obama Court Jewish Vote — As Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama compete for Jewish donors and voters, Mrs. Clinton is following a tried-and-true rule of hers from New York — support Israel to the last — while Mr. Obama is trying a more delicate strategy that hit some bumps this week.

Discussion: The American Conservative, Ezra Klein, The Moderate Voice, Rootless Cosmopolitan, The Debate Link, TIME: Swampland, Matthew Yglesias and The Politico

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The president receives "lessons" from his neoconservative tutors

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Council for Secular Humanism, Obsidian Wings, Ezra Klein, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and TAPPED

kuna.net.kw:

MIL-IRAQ-US SOLDIERS — Baghdad security crackdown seriously curbs killings of US soldiers — The rate of killings of US troops in Iraq has been on the decline, down by 60 percent, since the launch of the new security measures in Baghdad, according to statistics revealed …

Discussion: Attytood, protein wisdom, Hang Right Politics, The Jawa Report, Don Surber and Sister Toldjah

Robert F. Moore / NY Daily News:

No deal, Kerik says to plea offer & prison time — Disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik borrowed a line from a popular game show after federal prosecutors made him a plea offer that would have required him to do time: — No deal. — "He rejected the plea deal because he paid …

Discussion: Daily Kos

New York Times:
Kerik Is Said to Refuse a Plea That Calls for Prison Time

Discussion: TalkLeft and No More Mister Nice Blog

Zzaki / Political Punch:

Senator Clinton, unplugged — This morning on Good Morning, America, we ran an interview with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, in which she called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's head. — "The buck should stop somewhere," Clinton said (CLICK HERE FOR MORE) "and the Attorney General …

Discussion: Firedoglake, NewsBusters.org, TIME, The Caucus, Central Sanity, The Swamp, The Daily Dish, Scared Monkeys and Harry's Place

Nicolette Hahn Niman / New York Times:

Pig Out — WITH some fanfare, the world's largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, recently announced that it intended to phase out certain cages for its breeding females. Called gestation crates, the cages virtually immobilize pigs during their pregnancies in metal stalls so narrow they are unable to turn around.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Moderate Voice and Gristmill

Matthew Tostevin / Reuters:

Taste for Guinness wanes in changing Ireland — How about a glass of wine to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day in Dublin? — That might not sit well on the stomach of many residents of Ireland's capital this Saturday as they mark the year's biggest party with copious quantities of Guinness …

Discussion: Angry Bear

Associated Press:

French High Court Rejects Gay Marriage — PARIS (AP) - France's highest court Tuesday rejected as unlawful the first marriage by a gay couple in France, annulling the union of the two men. — Stephane Charpin and Bertrand Charpentier were married in a civil ceremony on June 5, 2004 …

Christopher Cooper / Wall Street Journal:

Legislators Aim At a New Misdeed On the Road: DWT — 'Driving While Texting' — Is Email Junkies' Woe, — Linked to Accidents — OLYMPIA, Wash. — During the morning rush hour on Dec. 5, the 53-year-old driver of a blue Dodge Caravan was traveling north on Interstate 5 outside Seattle …