memeorandum: Bush 'surprised' by conservative anger (Washington Times)

1:40 AM ET, June 7, 2007

Top Items:

Document: Iran Caught Red-Handed Shipping Arms to Taliban — Brian Ross and Christopher Isham Report: — NATO officials say they have caught Iran red-handed, shipping heavy arms, C4 explosives and advanced roadside bombs to the Taliban for use against NATO forces, in what the officials …

Discussion: Comments From Left Field, Captain's Quarters, The Reaction, TigerHawk, Redstate, Confederate Yankee, Riehl World View, Lamplighter, The Agonist, Blue Crab Boulevard, Macsmind and small dead animals

Cernig / The Newshoggers:
Cheney's Office Recycling The War Hype

Discussion: The Gun Toting Liberal™

Hindrocket / Power Line: Bedfellows — We wrote here about the capture, in Afghanistan …

Justin Rood Reports / The Blotter:

GOP Lawmakers Demand Probe of ABC News Story — Justin Rood Reports: — A group of House Republicans are calling for an investigation into "the release of sensitive information" in a recent ABC News report on CIA covert activities against Iran. — In a carefully worded request …

Discussion: Don Surber and Wizbang

Nico / Think Progress:

Goodling In Private Email: 'Send Directly Up To Me, Outside The System' — New Justice Department communications released tonight include an email from Monica Goodling, former counsel to Alberto Gonzales, directing another official to draw up a directive giving her unprecedented authority to hire and fire political staffers.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Rook's Rant

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:

Official: Cheney Urged Wiretaps — Stand-In for Ashcroft Alleges Interference — Vice President Cheney told Justice Department officials that he disagreed with their objections to a secret surveillance program during a high-level White House meeting in March 2004, a former senior Justice official told senators yesterday.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Balkinization and The Reaction

Washington Times:

Bush 'surprised' by conservative anger — President Bush did not intend to single out his conservative supporters for criticism in a speech on immigration reform last week and was "surprised" that his remarks angered Republicans, White House spokesman Tony Snow said today.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, The Jawa Report, The Hill, DownWithTyranny!, Hot Air and JammieWearingFool

Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:

Cheney blocked official's promotion — WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney blocked the promotion of a Justice Department official involved in a bedside standoff over President Bush's eavesdropping program, a Senate committee learned Wednesday. — In a written account …

Discussion: The Daily Background and Comments From Left Field

Joe Klein / Time:

Beware the Bloggers' Bile — A strange thing happened to me the day the House of Representatives voted to pass the Iraq-war-funding bill. Congresswoman Jane Harman of California called as the debate was taking place. "Look, I would love to have cast a vote against Bush on this," she told me.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Shakesville and The Moderate Voice

Des Moines Register:

Giuliani will skip August straw poll — New Yorker plans "non-traditional" caucus run — Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani plans to skip the Ames straw poll in August, but compete to win the leadoff Iowa caucuses, a gamble by the former New York Mayor on a "non-traditional" caucus campaign and a first for Iowa.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Iowa Voice, The Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, TIME: Swampland, Roger L. Simon, The American Mind, eyeon08.com and MSNBC

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Giuliani, McCain Skipping Ames Straw Poll

Discussion: Decision '08

Associated Press: Officials: Giuliani to skip Iowa straw poll

Michael Calderone / New York Observer:

Murdoch, Ailes, Weymouth Pump Bloomberg At Breindel Awards — "I'm sworn to secrecy," Rupert Murdoch told The Observer as he was leaving the New-York Historical Society's auditorium last night. But: "We're making progress," the News Corp. chief added. — Mr. Murdoch hosted …

Discussion: Think Progress, The Carpetbagger Report, Liberal Values, Taylor Marsh, Talking Points Memo, Crooks and Liars, Donklephant, bustardblog and Daily Kos

Selcan Hacaoglu / Associated Press:

Turkish officials say troops enter Iraq — ANKARA, Turkey - Hundreds of Turkish soldiers crossed into northern Iraq on Wednesday pursuing Kurdish guerrillas who stage attacks on Turkey from hideouts there, Turkish security officials and an Iraqi Kurd official said.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Balloon Juice, Aljazeera, DEBKAfile, The Newshoggers, Lamplighter, The Carpetbagger Report, Confederate Yankee, TPMmuckraker and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

Associated Press:
Sources: Thousands of Turkish troops enter Iraq

Discussion: MSNBC, The Huffington Post, TPMmuckraker, The Reaction, Captain's Quarters, Talking Points Memo, AMERICAblog, Arms and influence, The Glittering Eye, Reuters, The American Mind and Outside The Beltway

Jon Henke / QandO:

I'M WITH FRED — AND NEW MEDIA STRATEGIES — It's been six months since I last posted here at QandO to announce that I'd taken a position as New Media Advisor to the Senate Republicans. I believe we accomplished a great deal over the past six months and gave the Senate Republicans …

Discussion: Hotline On Call, Redstate, Sister Toldjah, Wonkette, Ron's Musings, Captain's Quarters and Tim Worstall

Bob Geiger:

Latest Intelligence Report Yet Another Smoking Gun On Bush — When Army Chief of Staff, General Eric Shinseki appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 25, 2003 to discuss preparations for a possible invasion of Iraq, he was asked by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, The Reaction, The Impolitic, Big Brass Blog and Democratic National Committee

M.E. Sprengelmeyer / Rocky Mountain News:

Tancredo to change direction of his campaign — Rep. Tom Tancredo plans to change direction in his long-shot presidential campaign so he can pressure fellow Republicans into rejecting an immigration reform plan he considers "amnesty." — Before a debate tonight on CNN, Tancredo, R-Littleton …

Discussion: Examining Presidential …

Digby / Hullabaloo:

Crushes — I honestly don't know what to make of all these men in the political establishment who insist on using their mancrushes as some sort of guideline for who is and is not "presidential." Honestly, even Kathryn Jean Lopez's famous drooling over Mitt Romney isn't as embarrassing.

Discussion: MyDD, Obsidian Wings, Crooks and Liars, protein wisdom, TBogg, Media Matters for America and The Politico

Patrick Ruffini / Townhall.com:

Thompson Raises $220K Online in 18 Hours — Sources close to the Thompson campaign have passed along the following first-day results for ImWithFred.com: … We'll see what traffic measuring services like Alexa say in a day or so, but this has to be considered a powerful shot across the bow.

Discussion: Hot Air, Eunomia and IMAO