memeorandum: Wolfowitz interview goes nowhere fast (Ed Henry/CNN)

2:30 PM ET, May 17, 2007

Top Items:

Bush Dodges Comey's Accusations That He Personally Arranged Ashcroft Hospital Visit — During a press conference today, President Bush was confronted about recent accusations made by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey regarding the White House's shocking efforts to seek legal sanction for its warrantless wiretapping program.

Discussion: Digg and The Carpetbagger Report

Washington Post:

The Gonzales Coverup — WHY IS IT only now that the disturbing story of the Bush administration's willingness to override the legal advice of its own Justice Department is emerging? The chief reason is that the administration, in the person of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales …

Discussion: New York Times, CBS News, TPMmuckraker, The Carpetbagger Report and Cliff Schecter

Washington Post:
Justice Weighed Firing 1 in 4

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Law Blog, TPMmuckraker, Real Cities, Dick Polman's American Debate, Associated Press, MyDD, The Carpetbagger Report, Chicago Tribune, JURIST, Prairie Weather, CorrenteWire, PoliBlog (TM), Talking Points Memo, AMERICAblog and Democratic Underground …

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
What will be done about James Comey's revelations?

Discussion: Balkinization, American Footprints, A Tiny Revolution and Daily Kos

New York Times:
Editorial: Mr. Gonzales's Incredible Adventure

Discussion: Washington Post, JustOneMinute, Norwegianity and Think Progress

Opinion Journal:
Wiretap Tales — What you didn't read about Jim Comey's Senate testimony.

Discussion: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Crunchy Con, Booman Tribune and Power Line

Al Gore / Time:

Book Excerpt: The Assault on Reason — Not long before our nation launched the invasion of Iraq, our longest-serving Senator, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, stood on the Senate floor and said: "This chamber is, for the most part, silent—ominously, dreadfully silent.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Gateway Pundit, Shakesville, Mercury Rising, MSNBC, Riehl World View, BuzzMachine, Ankle Biting Pundits, Hullabaloo and uggabugga

Eric Pooley / Time:

The Last Temptation of Al Gore — Let's say you were dreaming up the perfect stealth candidate for 2008, a Democrat who could step into the presidential race when the party confronts its inevitable doubts about the front runners. You would want a candidate with the grass-roots appeal of Barack Obama …

Discussion: EconoPundit

Don Surber:
Al Gore's assault on democracy

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Macsmind

Rick Maze / Army Times:

White House: 3.5 percent pay hike unnecessary — Troops don't need bigger pay raises, White House budget officials said Wednesday in a statement of administration policy laying out objections to the House version of the 2008 defense authorization bill. — The Bush administration had asked …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, The Carpetbagger Report and All Spin Zone

Jesse Lee / The Gavel:

White House States Opposition to Pay Raise for Troops, — Increase in Widows' Benefits — May 17th, 2007 by Jesse Lee — Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel: … White House: 3.5 percent pay hike unnecessary — Rick Maze, Army Times - May 16, 2007

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Taylor Marsh

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

ABC News's Charlie Gibson Calls the Shots, Lands on Top — After word arrived Tuesday afternoon that Jerry Falwell had suffered a fatal heart attack, Charlie Gibson was determined not to lead his newscast with the preacher's death. — "It lends importance to a figure whose legacy contained …

Discussion: New York Times, CBS News and NewsBusters.org

Jacques Steinberg / New York Times: Charles Gibson Enjoys a Second Wind on ABC

Ed Henry / CNN:

Wolfowitz interview goes nowhere fast … In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events. — WASHINGTON (CNN) — I was the only reporter in the world to talk to embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz on Wednesday.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, TBogg and World Bank President

Steven R. Weisman / New York Times:
Wolfowitz Said to Push for Deal to Quit

Discussion: Slate, DownWithTyranny!, The Washington Note, World Bank President and Lawyers, Guns and Money

Bill Roggio / The Fourth Rail:

The search in the Triangle of Death continues — a U.S. Army Blackhawk drops reward leaflets over Owesat Village on May 14 [U.S. Army photo]. Click to view. — U.S. and Iraqi forces continue to scour the farming regions around Yusifiyah and Mahmudiyah in an effort to recover its 3 missing soldiers

Discussion: DefenseLINK, Multi-National Force, BLACKFIVE, The Moderate Voice and Kiko's House

Thomas Wagner / Associated Press:
Search for U.S. troops continue in Iraq

Discussion: CNN, Michelle Malkin and Weekly Standard

Skippy / skippy the bush kangaroo:

don't...stop...thinking about her morals — hillary.com wants us to vote for hillary's theme song. they've provided a list of suggestions to choose from. — we think it's more appropriate to suggest our own nominations. — for example, sammy davis, jr: — or some elton john: — or ace of base:

Discussion: The Sideshow

Crystal Patterson / HillaryClinton.com:
Cast Your Vote for Hillary's Campaign Song

Discussion: News Bloggers Blog, Personal Democracy Forum, The Democratic Daily, National Review, Gateway Pundit, Shakesville, The Impolitic and Washington Wire

Politics Central:

The Glenn and Helen Show: Conn Iggulden on Boys and Danger — Are we turning into a nation of wimps? Do boys need to be boys? Is there something parents and schools should be doing differently? We talk with British author Conn Iggulden, whose new book, The Dangerous Book for Boys …

Discussion: Dr. Helen, Captain's Quarters and Don Surber

Robert D. Novak / Washington Post:

Rove's Worrisome Witness — On the day presidential senior adviser Karl Rove administered a tongue-lashing to a Republican congressman, disturbing news about his former executive assistant was spread on Capitol Hill. GOP House members learned that Susan Ralston is requesting immunity …

Discussion: CNN, The Next Hurrah, The Carpetbagger Report, Cliff Schecter and The Heretik

N.C. Aizenman / Washington Post:

D.C. May Be Losing Status As a Majority-Black City — The District of Columbia's longtime status as a majority-black city appears to be diminishing, even as Maryland and Virginia continue to experience a dramatic rise in their minority populations, according to census estimates released today.

Discussion: New York Times, Riehl World View, The Atlantic Online and POLITOPICS

Jerry Seper / Washington Times:

Clinton aide forfeits law license in Justice probe — Samuel R. Berger, the Clinton White House national security adviser who was caught taking highly classified documents from the National Archives, has agreed to forfeit his license to practice law. — In a written statement issued by Larry Breuer …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Macsmind, Hot Air, Pajamas Media and Instapundit.com

Washington Post:

It's Our Cage, Too — Torture Betrays Us and Breeds New Enemies — Fear can be a strong motivator. It led Franklin Roosevelt to intern tens of thousands of innocent U.S. citizens during World War II; it led to Joseph McCarthy's witch hunt, which ruined the lives of hundreds of Americans.

Discussion: The Belgravia Dispatch, Balkinization, Balloon Juice, Angry Bear, The Heretik and State of the Day

John Solomon / Washington Post:

Scientists Cast Doubt on Kennedy Bullet Analysis — In a collision of 21st-century science and decades-old conspiracy theories, a research team that includes a former top FBI scientist is challenging the bullet analysis used by the government to conclude that Lee Harvey Oswald alone shot …

Discussion: Shakesville, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Confederate Yankee