memeorandum: Mahoney Must Go — The LA Times reports: (Steve Bainbridge/ProfessorBainbridge …)

6:00 PM ET, March 21, 2007

Top Items:

House panel defies Bush, votes for subpoenas … WASHINGTON (CNN) — House Democrats voted Wednesday to give their leaders the authority to force White House officials to testify on the firings of U.S. attorneys. — The House Judiciary subcommittee vote was to authorize subpoenas.

Discussion: Washington Post, Center for American Progress, Unfogged, Neptunus Lex, State of the Day, ACSBlog, Riehl World View, The Volokh Conspiracy, The Democratic Daily and New York Times

Nico / Think Progress:

VIDEO: Former Reagan U.S. Attorney Blasts Administration Over Purge — As Atrios noted, former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), who served as a U.S. Attorney under President Reagan, appeared today on CNN. — Barr blasted the White House, saying "the integrity of the Department of Justice is being used …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and Shakespeare's Sister

New York Times:

House Panel Authorizes Subpoenas for Top Bush Aides — A House Judiciary subcommittee today authorized subpoenas for Karl Rove, President Bush's political adviser, and other senior White House officials in the investigation into the firing of eight United States attorneys.

Discussion: The Raw Story, Redstate, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Pam's House Blend

Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:

House panel OKs Rove, Miers subpoenas — WASHINGTON - A House panel on Wednesday approved subpoenas for President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove and other top White House aides, setting up a constitutional showdown over the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Gateway Pundit, DownWithTyranny!, 2Millionth Web Log, Stop The ACLU, The Gun Toting Liberal ™, NewsHog, The Carpetbagger Report and All Spin Zone

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:

Snow Job — It's getting deep at the White House. Tony Snow, during today's daily briefing just said that the President has no recollection of ever being asked about the US attorney firings. — And that the White House has made a "generous offer" of having WH staffers and DoJ folks …

Discussion: Editor and Publisher, Taylor Marsh, Think Progress, Grasping Reality … and KnoxViews

MSNBC:

House panel subpoenas White House aides — Move sets up a constitutional showdown over firings of U.S. attorneys — WASHINGTON - A House panel on Wednesday defied the White House and authorized subpoenas for President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove and other top aides …

Discussion: Political Radar and TPMmuckraker

Bob Geiger:

Study: White House Guilty Of "Political Profiling" — In a study cited on the floor of the United States Senate earlier this week, two researchers have found that the Bush administration's Justice Department has persistently engaged in what they call "political profiling" and that there is a …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Agonist and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

New York Times:
What People Really Need — In nasty and bumbling comments …

Discussion: White House, TBogg, Newsweek, The Impolitic, Middle Earth Journal, Balkinization, Political Radar, Firedoglake, The Heretik, Shakespeare's Sister, NewsHog, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Norwegianity and Rising Hegemon

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
An Email in The Gap — As Josh noted and The Politico reported …

Discussion: Think Progress

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
"The Math" — (Electoral college numbers map via The Talent Show.)

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Lean Left

Arizona Republic:
Renzi inquiry at issue in ouster

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Shakespeare's Sister and The Nation

Richard A. Serrano / Los Angeles Times:
Making a list of reasons for firing U.S. attorneys

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, JustOneMinute, The Carpetbagger Report and Wizbang

Newsdesk / The Swamp:

Snow swallows own old words — "What kinds of conversations does executive privilege protect?...What are the limits on privilege?'' a newspaper columnist wrote in the spring of 1998 on a subject strangely familiar today. — "Evidently, Mr. Clinton wants to shield virtually any communications …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Pam's House Blend and digg

Lane Hudson / The Huffington Post:

Tony Snow: WH Asserts Privilege for Conversations That Never Took Place! — In the White House Press briefing that just concluded, press secretary Tony Snow said that he was not aware of the president being briefed on the US Attorney issue. He further said the president did not sign off on the firings.

Discussion: Think Progress and The Carpetbagger Report

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
The White House and Congress Seem Headed Toward a Familiar Collision

Discussion: White House Watch, The Carpetbagger Report and Law Blog

epw.senate.gov:

GORE REFUSES TO TAKE PERSONAL ENERGY ETHICS PLEDGE — WASHINGTON, DC - Former Vice President Al Gore refused to take a "Personal Energy Ethics Pledge" today to consume no more energy than the average American household. The pledge was presented to Gore by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) …

Discussion: Hot Air, Washington Post, Flopping Aces, Ace of Spades HQ, Riehl World View, Sister Toldjah and NewsBusters.org

David Roberts / The Huffington Post:
Al Gore's Legislative Recommendations to the House

Discussion: Gristmill and time-blog.com

David Roberts / Gristmill:
Al Gore's testimony to the Senate

Discussion: TAPPED

Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:

Gore Implores Congress to Save Planet — WASHINGTON (AP) - Al Gore, who has reversed his political fortunes to become a potential contender in the 2008 presidential race, made an emotional return to Congress Wednesday in an appeal for an even more dramatic rescue—saving the planet.

Discussion: QandO, Don Surber and Cafe Hayek

Robert Salladay / Los Angeles Times:

Governor calls Limbaugh 'irrelevant' — Schwarzenegger's repudiation of the conservative talk show host comes as he is accused of betraying his party's values. — SACRAMENTO — After repeatedly being asked about his conservative critics, including talk show host Rush Limbaugh …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and The Democratic Daily

Steve Bainbridge / ProfessorBainbridge.com ®:

Mahoney Must Go — The LA Times reports: … Canon 387 of the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church states that: … Can a Bishop who has lied to his flock on such a key mttner be said to be in compliance with Canon 387? No. Especially given Mahoney's long track record of other misfeasances …

Robert J. Samuelson / Washington Post:

Hollywood's Climate Follies — "My fellow Americans, people all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis. It's not a political issue. It's a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act. That's a renewable resource.

Discussion: Gristmill, Blue Crab Boulevard, ShopFloor.org and Reason Magazine

Mark Mellman / The Hill:

Hounding Fox News coverage — Journalists strive to report the news, not to be the news. So Fox News should have been a bit embarrassed to headline a story that ended with the Nevada Democratic Party canceling Fox's sponsorship of a pre-caucus debate. — Then again, Fox is not a typical news organization.