Top Items:
Washington Post:
Bush Told War Is Harming The GOP — House Republican moderates, in a remarkably blunt White House meeting, warned President Bush this week that his pursuit of the war in Iraq is risking the future of the Republican Party and that he cannot count on GOP support for many more months.
RELATED:
New York Times:
G.O.P. Moderates Warn Bush Iraq Must Show Gains — Moderate Republicans gave President Bush a blunt warning on his Iraq policy at a private White House meeting this week, telling the president that conditions needed to improve markedly by fall or more Republicans would desert him on the war.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, QandO, DownWithTyranny!, Hullabaloo, KnoxViews, FP Passport, The Carpetbagger Report, Balloon Juice, Macsmind, CQPolitics.com, TalkLeft, CorrenteWire, Wonkette, The Heretik, rubber hose, Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, NO QUARTER, Booman Tribune, Wizbang, The Gun Toting Liberal™ and Washington Post
Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
War Support Starting To Crumble — The lack of energy from the Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki has added what might be a final straw to Republican discontent about the progress of the war. A delegation of Congressional Republicans met with President Bush last night at the White House …
Discussion:
The Strata-Sphere
Washington Post:
House moves new Iraq funding bill — Measure starts cuts to war spending in July — May 10. — ouse Democrats declared yesterday that they will vote on an Iraq spending bill that could cut funding for the war as early as July, defying a threat from President Bush that he would veto the proposal.
Politico.com:
Bush meets with wavering Republicans — President Bush made a personal appeal to a small group of wavering Republicans Tuesday at the White House as Democrats ready a two-step spending package to fund the war. — Bush reached out to moderate Republicans to hear their frustrations …
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog:
BREAKING: Conservative Dems expected to vote with GOP to give Bush unfettered blank check on Iraq tomorrow — It's time to replace some conservative Democrats in Washington, DC. I just heard from an impeccable source that there is serious concern on the Hill that conservative Democrats …
Guardian:
Blair quits as prime minister — Matthew Tempest and agencies — Tony Blair today announced he was stepping down after 10 years as prime minister and 13 as Labour leader. — The prime minister told a crowd of supporters in Trimdon Labour club he would stand down as PM on June 27.
RELATED:
Yahoo! News: World:
Britain's Blair says he is resigning — TRIMDON, England - Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that he will step down as prime minister on June 27, after a decade in office in which he brokered peace in Northern Ireland and followed the United States to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Alan Cowell / NYT > International:
Blair Says He Will Leave Office in June
Blair Says He Will Leave Office in June
Discussion:
Booman Tribune
New York Times:
Gonzales Seems Confident He Will Stay, Officials Say — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales appears increasingly confident that he will survive the crisis over the dismissal of federal prosecutors, as White House aides who view him as a liability see little point in trying to persuade President Bush …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Number of Fired Prosecutors Grows — Dismissals Began Earlier Than Justice Dept. Has Said — The former U.S. attorney in Kansas City, Mo., Todd P. Graves, said yesterday that he was asked to step down from his job by a senior Justice Department official in January 2006 …
Discussion:
New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Shakesville, CorrenteWire, Think Progress, Norwegianity, On Deadline, TalkLeft, TPMmuckraker and www.kansascity.com
Bill Roggio / The Fourth Rail:
The Diyala Salvation Front — Tribal leaders in the troubled province organize against al Qaeda — Map of southern Diyala. Click map to view. — In March, we noted the successful model of the Anbar Salvation Council will very likely be replicated elsewhere in regions where al Qaeda has established bases of operation.
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Earth Times Online …, The Strata-Sphere, Confederate Yankee, Weekly Standard and QandO
RELATED:
Mohammed Fadhil / NY Daily News:
A Baghdad plea: U.S. should stay and fight — Be Our Guest — I wasn't surprised when I saw Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, appear on Al Jazeera to announce America's defeat last week, not long after U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did.
NYT > National:
Giuliani Plans to Publicly Embrace Abortion Rights — After months of conflicting signals on abortion, Rudolph W. Giuliani is planning to offer a forthright affirmation of his support for abortion rights in public forums, television appearances and interviews in the coming days …
RELATED:
Faiz / Think Progress:
LaHood: Bush 'Surprised,' 'Sobered' Over GOP Frustration About Iraq — This morning on CNN, Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) — one of 11 Republican members to have recently visited the White House and plead with President Bush to change course in Iraq — described the meeting as "unvarnished …
Discussion:
CNN
RELATED:
CNN:
Romney: Sharpton remark bigoted … NEW YORK (CNN) — Civil rights activist Al Sharpton, who led the charge to have radio host Don Imus fired for making racially insensitive remarks, is now under fire for a comment about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Mormon faith.
RELATED:
The Smoking Gun:
Uncle Sam Probes Michael Moore — Treasury Department investigating director's unauthorized Cuba trip — Director Michael Moore is being investigated by the Treasury Department for traveling to Cuba in violation of a U.S. trade embargo. In a May 2 letter, the Office …