memeorandum: Iraqi leadership's failures raise pressure on U.S. (Paul Richter/Los Angeles Times)

12:10 PM ET, May 21, 2007

Top Items:

Don't Run for the Border — America needs comprehensive immigration reform, but not a law enacted in haste. — It's understandable that the White House and its Senate negotiating partners want to rush through the compromise immigration bill they agreed to Thursday.

Discussion: The Truth Laid Bear, Heritage Foundation, American Spectator, Betsy's Page, QandO and Macsmind

Washington Times:

Few senators support the illegals bill — Fewer than 20 senators are publicly committed to supporting the immigration deal that hits the Senate floor today while nearly 40 are already opposed or have serious concerns, underscoring how difficult it will be for President Bush and his allies to craft a coalition that can pass the bill.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, National Review, Hot Air and Don Surber

Robert Pear / New York Times:
AFTER AIDING BILL ON IMMIGRATION, EMPLOYERS BALK

Discussion: Right Wing News, Iowa Voice, ParaPundit, TalkLeft, PoliPundit.com, Michelle Malkin, The RBC and The Atlantic Online

Chitra Ragavan / US News:

Getting in Deeper... Another week reveals more lapses in judgment by the Bush team — For months, congressional Democrats have tried to force embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales out of his job by using what one congressional source called "conventional weapons"-incriminating E-mails …

Discussion: The Next Hurrah and Talking Points Memo

The New / New York Times:
G.O.P. Senator Says Gonzales Might Quit

Discussion: Firedoglake, All Spin Zone, Crooks and Liars and Air America Radio

ABCNEWS:
Key GOP Senator: Gonzales May Resign to Avoid Vote

Discussion: NION and TalkLeft

Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:

Gingrich gives salute to Falwell — Ex-speaker knocks 'radical secularism' in speech at Liberty U. — LYNCHBURG, Va. — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich decried a "growing culture of radical secularism" Saturday as he lionized the life of Liberty University's late founder, Jerry Falwell …

Discussion: Reason Magazine, Shakesville, The Reaction, TAPPED, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Talking Points Memo, TPMCafe blogs and The Carpetbagger Report

Newt Gingrich / Winning the Future:
Liberty University Commencement Address

Discussion: Firedoglake

Nico / Think Progress: Gingrich Cites 'Opportunity' To 'Convert All Of America' To Fundamentalism

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Interviews, Going the Way of the Linotype? — The humble interview, the linchpin of journalism for centuries, is under assault. — It is a transaction that clearly favors the person asking the questions. A print reporter writes down someone's answers, then picks and chooses how much …

Discussion: BuzzMachine and mediabistro.com

Jay Rosen / PressThink: Howard Kurtz Sez: "The humble interview, the linchpin of journalism …

Jose Antonio Vargas / Washington Post:

Online, GOP Is Playing Catch-Up — When David All, a former Republican congressional aide, launched a blog recently that he hopes will spur his fellow Republicans to bridge the digital divide, he did his best to sound upbeat. "Today our Revolution begins," he wrote. "Tomorrow we fight."

Discussion: Townhall.com, Chicago Tribune, Norwegianity, TIME, The Atlantic Online, Oliver Willis, Liberal Values, Prairie Weather and the david all group

Raleigh News & Observer:
Edwards blazes trail on Internet

Discussion: John Edwards '08 Blog

New York Times:

Editorial: Why This Scandal Matters — As Monica Goodling, a key player in the United States attorney scandal, prepares to testify before Congress on Wednesday, the administration's strategy is clear. It has offered up implausible excuses, hidden the most damaging evidence and feigned memory lapses …

Discussion: AMERICAblog, Norwegianity, Middle Earth Journal and Law Blog

Sean Cockerham / The Olympian:
McKay suggests cover-up in prosecutor case

Discussion: Election Law

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Romney Making Gains in Iowa — Mitt Romney is winning over Republicans in the Hawkeye State. — Two polls released in the last week show Romney climbing into a statistical dead heat (or even a lead) over his two better-known rivals for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

Discussion: Power Line

Des Moines Register:
Mitt Romney leads Republicans

Discussion: TIME: Swampland, The Politico, The American Mind and GOPProgress.com

Jonathan Spyer / Jerusalem Post:

Analysis: Why might Syria wish to sow chaos in Lebanon now? — Thirty eight people lost their lives on Sunday in fierce fighting between the Lebanese military and Sunni jihadist operatives near the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, close to the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

Discussion: Across the Bay, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, Associated Press, From Beirut to the Beltway and Gateway Pundit

Sarah Lyall / New York Times:

Gay Britons Serve in Military With Little Fuss, as Predicted Discord Does Not Occur — The officer, a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force, felt he had no choice. So he stood up in front of his squad of 30 to 40 people. — "I said, 'Right, I've got something to tell you,' " he said.

Discussion: The Sideshow, Shakesville and Think Progress

New York Times:

Emphasis Shifts for New Breed of Evangelicals — The evangelical Christian movement, which has been pivotal in reshaping the country's political landscape since the 1980s, has shifted in potentially momentous ways in recent years, broadening its agenda and exposing new fissures.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Hot Air and Chicago Tribune

Paul Richter / Los Angeles Times:

Iraqi leadership's failures raise pressure on U.S. — Congress may push for the premier's ouster in the coming months if no progress is made toward its 'benchmarks.' — WASHINGTON — As Iraq's government compiles a record of failure, the Bush administration is under growing pressure …

Discussion: Scotsman

Darryl Fears / Washington Post:

Discord on the Immigration Accord — Groups on Both Sides Plan to Challenge Senate Compromise — There is little doubt about how grass-roots organizations feel about a bipartisan immigration compromise reached in the Senate: They don't like it. — The New York Immigration Coalition issued …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Majikthise, bRight & Early and Cato Institute

Ze'ev Schiff / Haaretz:

U.S. policy turnabout may enable Israel to enter talks with Syria — Washington has given Israel the green light to accept Syrian President Bashar Assad's call for peace talks, in a change of position accompanied by several preconditions. — The Bush administration has given Israel permission …

Discussion: The Belgravia Dispatch and The Atlantic Online

Joe Garofoli / San Francisco Chronicle:

Chronicle to cut 25% of jobs in newsroom — To cut costs and try to adapt to a changing media marketplace, The Chronicle will trim 25 percent of its newsroom staff by the end of the summer. — "This is one of the biggest one-time hits we've heard about anywhere in the country," …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Attytood and Calitics

Brian Skoloff / Associated Press:

Florida presidential primary moved up — WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill Monday moving Florida's 2008 presidential primary to Jan. 29 and shaking up the race by bypassing a dozen other states set for Feb. 5. — The move puts Florida's primary, which had been scheduled for March …

Discussion: PoliBlog (TM)

Gene Sperling / Bloomberg:

Rangel Passes Up Payback to Get Trade Deal Done: Gene Sperling — Charles Rangel never got the memo. — Such a memo might have said: Now that you are chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee following the Democratic sweep of Congress last year, it's time for partisanship and payback.

Discussion: WorkingForChange and Sirotablog

Krissah Williams / Washington Post:

An Advocate Rallies to Unify GOP — Immigration policy is one of the few issues that split conservatives and the business lobby. It's the "shut the borders" pack vs. the "we need workers" crowd. — Conservative activist Tamar Jacoby has dedicated herself to bringing the two together.