memeorandum: Bring A Long Ladder For That Last Helicopter (Ed Morrissey/Captain's Quarters)

2:05 PM ET, June 4, 2007

Top Items:

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, Booman Tribune, QandO, THE CUNNING REALIST, ImmigrationProf Blog, Washington Post and Liberal Values

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: MaxSpeak, TalkLeft, Shakesville, State of the Day and The Sideshow

CNN:

CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL — New Hamposhire Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. — SCOTT SPRADLING, WMUR: Senator Obama, you get the first question of the night. — It has been nearly six years since 9/11.

Discussion: Dick Polman's American Debate, Lonewacko, Air America Radio and Sister Toldjah

Washington Post:
Democrats Focus on Iraq In Contentious Second Debate

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

The Palmetto Scoop:

Scarborough has an "Imus moment" — Presidential candidate Fred Thompson's second-and-current wife Jeri, who is considered by some to be a "trophy wife," was the topic of an interesting conversation on Friday's Morning Joe radio talk show, which aired live on MSNBC.

Discussion: The Radio Equalizer

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Scarborough Attacks Fred's Wife

Discussion: The Impolitic and The Newshoggers

Michelle Malkin:
Still dissing women at MSNBC

Discussion: Hot Air

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: Power Line, Captain's Quarters and The Strata-Sphere

New York Times:
Romney Is Central Target of McCain Counterattack

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, TIME: Swampland and AMERICAblog

Washington Post:

Indictment Sought Against Rep. Jefferson — FBI Probes Allegations Lawmaker Took Bribes to Promote Business Ventures — Federal prosecutors are seeking an indictment today against Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) in a longstanding FBI corruption probe centering on allegations that he took bribes …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Salon and Alternate Brain

CBS News:

Indictment Sought Against Rep. Jefferson — CBS News: Sources Say Corruption Charges To Be Brought Against Democratic Congressman — (CBS) Sources tell CBS News that authorities are seeking an indictment against Congressman William Jefferson, D-La., on more than a dozen counts involving public corruption.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

The Blotter:

Iraqi Insurgents Claim to Have Killed Missing Soldiers — Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz Report: — An Iraqi insurgent group says it has killed two missing American soldiers who they said had been captured alive. According to a full translation of a ten-minute video released by the group earlier today …

Discussion: Think Progress, The Jawa Report, Pajamas Media, Hot Air and Jules Crittenden

CNN:
Missing soldiers' IDs shown on insurgent Web site

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

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: Captain's Quarters, Hot Air and Blue Crab Boulevard

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

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Daily Kos, The Heretik and Alarming News

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, DownWithTyranny!, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Political Radar

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

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Next Hurrah and Brian Beutler

National Review:

Breaking with Bush — I take from Mark Steyn and Jonah Goldberg's comments that conservatives have been tolerant of President Bush for a long time, given his embrace of big-government from the start. And they have. But I don't think the issue is that conservatives are generally surprised …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The American Mind and Balloon Juice

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The great right-wing fraud to repudiate George W. Bush

Discussion: Norwegianity and Comments From Left Field

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 …

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Bring A Long Ladder For That Last Helicopter — Iraqis who have worked with the US to help bring peace and stability to their country now want some guarantees about their future if the troops start withdrawing in the face of terrorists. They want assurances that they will not become the second Montagnards:

Discussion: Washington Times and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

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, Maggie's Farm and QandO

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, Tammy Bruce and Power Line

Fred Hiatt / Washington Post:

Stay-the-Course Plus — Obama, Romney and Foreign Engagement on Steroids — You might expect the candidates in this presidential election to want to lead the nation in radically new foreign policy directions. The incumbent, after all, is widely perceived to have driven the country off a cliff.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Eschaton and TalkLeft

WCBS-TV:

Drug Dealer Becomes Hero For Exposing Terror Plot — (CBS/AP) NEW YORK The question was simple: "Would you like to die as a martyr?" The putative terrorist unhesitatingly replied yes—there was no greater way to die in Islam. — The right answer put the man in the midst of a terrorist plot conceived …

Discussion: Newsday, CANNONFIRE and TPMmuckraker

Dan Newling / Daily Mail:

Smokers told to quit or surgery will be refused — Smokers are to be denied operations on the Health Service unless they give up cigarettes for at least four weeks beforehand. — Doctors will police the rule by ordering patients to take a blood test to prove they have not been smoking.

Discussion: Moonbattery and Pajamas Media