memeorandum: Pace out as head of Joint Chiefs (Joel Havemann/Los Angeles Times)

9:20 PM ET, June 8, 2007

Top Items:

Pace retires as head of Joint Chiefs — WASHINGTON - Bitter divisions over the Iraq war, particularly on Capitol Hill, led the Bush administration to change course and replace Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a grim Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.

Discussion: The Impolitic, CBS News and NewsBusters.org

Cernig / The Newshoggers:

"New Broom" To Head Chiefs Of Staff — Pace is out as Chief of Staff, in an unexpected move. … Mullen is obviously intended to repair bridges with America's European defense partners so damaged by Rummie's "Old Europe" policies. In his bio, his experience in working with NATO and European officers is the big stand-out point.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Think Progress and The Moderate Voice

CNN:

Pace to be replaced at Joint Chiefs … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Anticipation of a "contentious" confirmation process on Capitol Hill prompted the decision to replace Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when his term ends in September, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.

Discussion: NO QUARTER, The Talent Show, QandO and State of the Day

MSNBC:

Top Joint Chiefs of Staff leaders being replaced — Citing war and Congress, Gates to change chairman and vice chairman — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, is being replaced after six years as chairman and vice chairman of the top military command. — MSNBC video

Discussion: Michelle Malkin

David Stout / New York Times:

General Peter Pace to Retire as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — Gen. Peter Pace is being replaced as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a move that reflects a feeling among top civilian officials at the Pentagon and in the White House that the American military needs new leadership …

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots and The Democratic Daily

Nico / Think Progress:
New Joint Chiefs Nominee: 'This War Is Going To Go On For A Long Time.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Pam's House Blend, The BRAD BLOG and Comments From Left Field

Josh White / Washington Post: Pace to Step Down as Chairman of Joint Chiefs

Joel Havemann / Los Angeles Times:
Pace out as head of Joint Chiefs

Discussion: The Belmont Club and Pajamas Media

Matthew Mosk / Washington Post:

Defections to Fred Thompson Pose a Major Threat to McCain — John Dowd represented Sen. John McCain in his darkest hour, the "Keating Five" scandal. He supported McCain the first time he ran for president in 2000 and signed up to be a major fundraiser for him in this year's presidential race.

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Thompson Considering Ames? — Campaign officials for former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson (R) are set to meet with Republican Party of Iowa executive director Chuck Laudner today in Washington, according to several informed sources. — The meeting was set up by a third party unaffiliated …

Discussion: The Caucus, The Atlantic Online and Confederate Yankee

John Distaso / New Hampshire Union Leader:

Fred Thompson plans late-June trip to NH — MANCHESTER - Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson will make his first visit to New Hampshire as a potential presidential candidate later this month, a high-ranking Republican says. — State Senate Minority Leader Ted Gatsas, R-Manchester …

Chuck Todd / MSNBC:

Taking New Hampshire for granite — Relevance of the first-in-the-nation primary never more in doubt — Have you captured a candidate on camera? We want to see it. Click here to send us your pictures and videos, and we'll post the best on MSNBC.com. — Political Director

Discussion: National Review

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Fred Thompson to pay first visit S.C.

Discussion: Wizbang and The Palmetto Scoop

Philip Klein / American Spectator:
Newt Says He May Be Able To Do More on Sidelines - Friday …

Discussion: Power Line

TMZ.com:

Hilton Ordered Back to Jail! — Paris Hilton was just ordered back to jail in Lynwood to serve out the remainder of her sentence! She'll get credit for at least 5 days already served. — Hilton left the courtroom in tears, screaming, "Mom, Mom, Mom." Hilton was also heard saying "It's not right."

Discussion: Washington Post, TalkLeft, Comments From Left Field, All Spin Zone, The Impolitic, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Washington Times

Maria Newman / New York Times:
Paris Hilton Is Ordered Back to Jail

Discussion: Balkinization and Hot Air

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Breaking: Paris going back to jail; Update: Shep Smith snark video added!

Discussion: TalkLeft, Scared Monkeys, Gateway Pundit and Michelle Malkin

TMZ.com:
Paris Will Spend Weekend in Med Jail

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Balloon Juice, The Superficial and TalkLeft

ACSBlog:

Leading Conservative Activist Seeks Punitive Damages — Judge Robert Bork, one of the fathers of the modern judicial conservative movement whose nomination to the Supreme Court was rejected by the Senate, is seeking $1,000,000 in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages, after he slipped and fell at the Yale Club of New York City.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Booman Tribune, The Volokh Conspiracy, The Moderate Voice, Blue Mass. Group and Think Progress

Ted Frank / Overlawyered:
BORK SUES THE YALE CLUB

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and Reason Magazine

Emptywheel / The Next Hurrah:

Shorter Reggie: I Will Remember Your Interest in Public Service the Next Time Someone Really Needs It — As I was reading the Amicus Brief from Robert Bork and friends today, I was thinking to myself, "Jeebus! They sure pulled this together quickly, with 12 fancy lawyers agreeing on a brief within 72 hours.

Josh Gerstein / New York Sun:
Professors Back Libby on Appeal

Discussion: The Next Hurrah and JustOneMinute

CNN Political Ticker:

White House: Bush wants immigration bill back — WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush considers it premature to declare the immigration reform bill dead in the Senate, White House adviser Dan Bartlett said Friday. — A motion to cut off debate on the measure failed Thursday night, stopping the proposal from coming up for a vote.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, The American Mind, Hot Air and Macsmind

New York Times:
Immigration Bill Sponsors Vow to Press On

Discussion: TalkLeft and JammieWearingFool

Robert Schmidt / Bloomberg:

Justice Official May Revise Voter-Fraud Testimony, People Say — A Justice Department lawyer under fire for bringing criminal voter-fraud charges on the eve of the 2006 election may revise his Senate testimony about the case, which angered other U.S. prosecutors, officials familiar with the matter said.

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, Election Law, Think Progress and The BRAD BLOG

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

[TS] Op-Ed Columnist: Lies, Sighs and Politics — If early campaign reporting is any guide, the bad media habits that helped install the worst president ever in the White House haven't changed a bit.