memeorandum: Commanders Say Push in Baghdad Is Short of Goal (New York Times)

10:55 AM ET, June 4, 2007

Top Items:

Democrats Focus on Iraq In Contentious Second Debate — Democratic presidential candidates clashed sharply over Iraq in the second debate of the campaign Sunday night, with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) rejecting criticism from former senator John Edwards …

Discussion: New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Times, CNN, TIME, Don Surber, Associated Press and DownWithTyranny!

Digby / Hullabaloo:

Debate — I think the question I enjoyed the most in the Democratic debate was the one where Wolf asked them all what they would do if they were tied to a bed naked with a ticking time bomb and a bunch of terrorists rushed into the room and started kibitzing among themselves about where to get the best Botox in Miami.

Discussion: Shakesville, State of the Day and The Sideshow

New York Times:

The Democrats' Second 2008 Presidential Debate — The following is a transcript of the 2008 Democratic primary presidential debate hosted by CNN. The participants were Senator Joesph Biden, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Rep. Dennis Kucinich …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and THE CUNNING REALIST

David Yepsen / Associated Press:

Top three emerge as winners in debate — The three frontrunners in the Democratic race for president - John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - emerged as the winners of Sunday night's debate in New Hampshire. — Edwards probably did himself the most good. — He looked tanned and confident during the session.

Discussion: The Politico, Hotline On Call, The Reaction, State of the Day and Central Sanity

Scarecrow / Firedoglake:
Defining Democrats And Herself

Discussion: Eschaton

CNN: CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

CNN:
Democrats clash on Iraq

Discussion: QandO, The Anonymous Liberal, The Caucus, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Liberal Values and Washington Post

Mvdg / Michael P.F. van der Galiën:
The Democratic Debate

Discussion: The Washington Note and The Moderate Voice

Aman Ali / The Hill:

Gingrich hints again of White House run — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) fueled further speculation Sunday about entering the Republican race for president by taking shots at the Bush administration. — "The government is not functioning," Gingrich said on Fox News.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Political Radar and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

Robert D. Novak / Washington Post:
Hatch Act Hatchet Job

Discussion: Firedoglake

Noam N. Levey / Los Angeles Times:
Democrats plan a Capitol barrage over Iraq

Discussion: Norwegianity and Think Progress

New York Times:

Commanders Say Push in Baghdad Is Short of Goal — Three months after the start of the Baghdad security plan that has added thousands of American and Iraqi troops to the capital, they control fewer than one-third of the city's neighborhoods, far short of the initial goal for the operation …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, The Strata-Sphere, The Carpetbagger Report, The Moderate Voice, KnoxViews, Salon, Eunomia, The Road to Surfdom, Brian Beutler, Prairie Weather, State of the Day, On Deadline, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Jules Crittenden, Crunchy Con, Rising Hegemon and AMERICAblog

Christopher Cooper / Wall Street Journal:

Thompson's First Test: Raising Funds Fast — After a Late Start, — Campaign Targets — Web, Fence-Sitters — As a late entry into the crowded, expensive, presidential campaign, Fred Thompson's first big test of viability will be his ability to raise money quickly.

Discussion: Hot Air, New York Times and Blue Crab Boulevard

Holly Bailey / Newsweek:
Thompson and the 'Laziness' Issue

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and Alarming News

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Politico Playbook: The 'A' word — Good Monday morning. As Iraq dominated last night's Democratic debate, expect CNN's Wolf Blitzer to burrow in hard on immigration when he gets the Republicans on his set on Tuesday night. Sen. John McCain make a preemptive strike this morning at a hotel in Coral Gables …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Backers of Immigration Bill More Optimistic

Discussion: National Review, Hot Air, Macsmind, TIME and The Strata-Sphere

Tom Incantalupo / Newsday:

JFK TERROR PLOT: three under arrest — Feds: Anger fueled airport bomb plot — The alleged plot to blow up Kennedy Airport's fuel system, intended to be more destructive and deadly than the Sept. 11 attacks, was driven by a deep-seated hatred of the United States and the West and now spotlights …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and Brilliant at Breakfast

New York Times:
Papers Portray Plot as More Talk Than Action

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report

Toby Harnden / Telegraph:
Plot to blow up JFK is 'tip of the iceberg'

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs and JammieWearingFool

Josh Gerstein / New York Sun:

Islamic Groups Named in Hamas Funding Case — Federal prosecutors have named three prominent Islamic organizations in America as participants in an alleged criminal conspiracy to support a Palestinian Arab terrorist group, Hamas. — Prosecutors applied the label of "unindicted co-conspirator" …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Jihad Watch and Power Line

CNN Political Ticker:

Columnist/Author released after being arrested in Spin Room — MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN ) - Columnist and author Eric Alterman has been released after being arrested Sunday night inside the debate spin room. He was charged with criminal trespass after police say he refused repeated orders to leave.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Althouse, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, Instapundit.com, SteveAudio, Taylor Marsh, Lonewacko, Gawker, Sister Toldjah, Booman Tribune, Macsmind and Talking Points Memo

Gateway Pundit:

Remembering the Massacre at Tiananmen Square- 18 Yrs Ago Today — On June 4, 1989, hundreds of innocent civilians were shot dead by the Chinese army during a bloody military operation to crush a democratic uprising in Peking's (Beijing) Tiananmen Square. — Tanks rumbled through …

Discussion: BBC and QandO

Real Clear Politics:

Sandy Berger and the Clinton Cover-Up - Why It Matters — On May 17th, Sandy Berger, President Bill Clinton's National Security Adviser, voluntarily gave up his law license and with it the right to practice law. That is a stunning move for an accomplished lawyer, one of the nation's most influential public officials.

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, Betsy's Page, Carry on America and Power Line

Laura Blumenfeld / Washington Post:

The Tortured Lives of Interrogators — Veterans of Iraq, N. Ireland and Mideast Share Stark Memories — CHICAGO — The American interrogator was afraid. Of what and why, he couldn't say. He was riding the L train in Chicago, and his throat was closing.

Discussion: CorrenteWire, TPMCafe blogs, Discourse.net, TalkLeft and Majikthise

CNN:

Missing soldiers' IDs shown on insurgent Web site … (CNN) — A Sunni insurgent group on Monday posted video of the military identification cards of two missing American soldiers in Iraq. — CNN cannot independently verify the video, which was intercepted by terrorism expert Laura Mansfield.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice