memeorandum: The Republican Mystery — The truly astonishing thing … (Harold Meyerson/Washington Post)

10:20 AM ET, March 28, 2007

Top Items:

Blair steps up pressure on Iran as US moves in — Tony Blair warned Iran yesterday that the dispute over the 15 British servicemen seized in Gulf waters last week could move into a "different phase" if diplomacy failed to secure their release. — His words, immediately condemned by Iran as …

Discussion: Riehl World View

Sky News:

Brits To Be Paraded On TV — The British sailors and marines being held in Iran are to be paraded on television - but the female sailor who was captured could be released "today or tomorrow." — Turkish TV has quoted the Iranian foreign minister as saying Faye Turney could be freed within hours.

Discussion: Hot Air and Samizdata.net

Meir Javedanfar / Pajamas Media:

"CARTERIZING" TONY BLAIR - IRAN'S HOSTAGE PLOY — The timing of the capture of the 15 British soldiers by Iran for allegedly crossing illegally into its territory has left many analysts and politicians in the West baffled. Why would the Iranian regime now be interested in renewed hostility between Iran and the West?

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns and Money and The Moderate Voice

Terri Judd / The Independent:

In her own words: the female sailor held captive in Iran — An exclusive interview with Faye Turney, hours before she was seized — The woman who was captured by Iran's Revolutionary Guards while serving with the Royal Navy in Iraq spoke of her devotion to both her family and her job just hours before she was seized.

Discussion: EU Referendum and Verum Serum

Arthur Herman / New York Post:

HOSTAGE SAILORS — BRITAIN'S IMPOTENCE — IT'S been a tough month for the British Navy. On March 7, it learned that Tony Blair's Labor government was going ahead with drastic cuts in its budget and number of ships. By this time next year, the once-vaunted Royal Navy will be about the size …

Discussion: The Sundries Shack

Alan Cowell / New York Times:
Britain Steps Up Pressure on Iran, Freezing Business Ties

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister and Matthew Yglesias

Melanie Phillips's Articles:
The appeasement of Iran — Daily Mail, 28 March 2007

Discussion: The Corner

Patrick Wintour / Guardian:
Maps and photos to be released showing captured marines were inside Iraqi waters

Discussion: QandO and AMERICAblog

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters: Tony Blair: Carter Or Thatcher?

Carrie Budoff / The Politico:

Spring Break May Delay War Funds — Spring break checklist for Congress: A plane ticket back home, chocolate (or matzo) for the family and a war spending bill for the president. — The last item might need to wait. — Senate Democrats beat back Republican efforts Tuesday to strip …

Discussion: QandO and Don Surber

New York Times:

Senate Supports a Pullout Date in Iraq War Bill — The Senate went on record for the first time on Tuesday in favor of a withdrawal date from Iraq, with Democrats marshaling the votes they needed to deliver a forceful rebuke to President Bush's war policy. — By a vote of 50 to 48 …

Discussion: Firedoglake

William Branigin / Washington Post:

Senate Signals Support for Iraq Timeline — The Senate today narrowly endorsed a Democratic-led effort to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq a year from now, voting down a Republican amendment that would have stripped the provision from a $122 emergency spending bill.

New York Times:

Sweeps in Iraq Cram Two Jails With Detainees — Hundreds of Iraqis detained in the Baghdad security crackdown have been crammed into two detention centers run by the Defense Ministry that were designed to hold only dozens of people, a government monitoring group said Tuesday.

Discussion: Times of London, The Moderate Voice and Captain's Quarters

Sinan Salaheddin / Associated Press:

Shiite cops reportedly rampage vs. Sunnis — BAGHDAD - Shiite militants and police enraged by massive truck bombings in the northwestern town of Tal Afar went on a revenge spree against Sunni residents there Wednesday, killing as many as 60 people, officials said.

Discussion: Brilliant at Breakfast and No More Mister Nice Blog

Matt Stearns / Real Cities:

FBI didn't mean to break the law, Mueller says — WASHINGTON - The FBI didn't deliberately break the law by improperly obtaining thousands of Americans' phone, e-mail and financial records, Bureau Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. — That was the good news.

Discussion: TPMmuckraker

R. Jeffrey Smith / Washington Post:
Failures at FBI Acknowledged

Discussion: War and Piece

Mahmud Hams / NEWS.com.au:

Sewage 'tsunami' kills five, scores missing — AT least five Palestinians drowned in a "sewage tsunami" when a water treatment reservoir burst, flooding a village in the northern Gaza Strip. — The deluge, triggered by the collapse of a septic system aid organisations had long warned …

Discussion: The Belmont Club and Dr. Sanity

Shabtai Gold / Jerusalem Post:
At least six dead in flooding from Gaza sewage breach

Discussion: Little Green Footballs

SilentPatriot / Crooks and Liars:

Michael Ware: "I dont know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about..." — During an interview on "The Situation Room" this afternoon, John McCain told Wolf that he needs to "get up to speed" and stop reporting three-month-old news from Iraq. According to McCain …

Discussion: CNN, The Daily Background, DownWithTyranny!, NO QUARTER, Democrats.com, Eschaton, CorrenteWire, digg, Tennessee Guerilla Women and Hullabaloo

Audrey Hudson / Washington Times:

House GOP: Protect 'John Does' on flights — House Republicans today surprised Democrats with a procedural vote to protect public-transportation passengers from being sued if they report suspicious activity — the first step by lawmakers to protect "John Doe" airline travelers already targeted …

Discussion: Don Surber

Dr. Rusty Shackleford / The Jawa Report:
Flying Imams Shield Law Introduced in Congress [Update: PASSED!!!]

Discussion: Washington Times, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air and protein wisdom

Sridhar Pappu / Washington Post:

On the Firing Line — D. Kyle Sampson was a team player. Tomorrow, Alberto Gonzales's former chief of staff will tell a Senate panel who called the shots. — W alking into the FBI gym for a basketball game in 2003 or 2004 to play against John Ashcroft and his boys …

Discussion: Law Blog and TPMmuckraker

Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:

New Drive Afoot to Pass Equal Rights Amendment — Federal and state lawmakers have launched a new drive to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, reviving a feminist goal that faltered a quarter-century ago when the measure did not gain the approval of three-quarters of the state legislatures.

Discussion: Betsy's Page, Rook's Rant, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and On Deadline

Michael Luo / New York Times:

The Entourage Is Gone. The Jet Is Gone. But for the Ex-Speaker, the Work Goes On. — Former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert usually trundles through the Capitol's hallways alone these days, his head down, chin buried in his chest, without the coterie of aides who trailed him just a few months ago …

Discussion: The Swamp and NewsBusters.org

Tony Blankley / Real Clear Politics:

Hillary on Track for Nomination — With every passing week it becomes more likely that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party nominee for president. This thought, alone, should provide the strongest possible motivation to the Bush administration and the Washington Republicans …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Power Line