memeorandum: U.S. Is 'Really in Trouble,' Says Bloomberg, Sounding Like a Candidate (Diane Cardwell/New York Times)

9:50 PM ET, June 19, 2007

Top Items:

Sewell Chan / City Room:

Bloomberg Leaving Republican Party — Michael R. Bloomberg, a longtime Democrat who switched to the Republican Party to run for mayor of New York City in 2001, announced this evening that he is changing his party status and registering as an independent. — Mr. Bloomberg maintained that …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Reaction, MyDD, Gothamist, The Agonist, ImmigrationProf Blog, Comments From Left Field and The Rachel Maddow Show

Marcia Kramer / WCBS-TV:

Bloomberg Leaves GOP — Now Independent, Will He Run For President? — Reporting — (CBS) NEW YORK New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leaving the Republican party and will remain unaffiliated with any political party, CBS 2 HD learned Tuesday night.

Discussion: Don Surber, MyDD and Sister Toldjah

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Mike Bloomberg: Registered Independent

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Swamp

Diane Cardwell / New York Times:
U.S. Is 'Really in Trouble,' Says Bloomberg, Sounding Like a Candidate

Discussion: New York Sun, Google Public Policy Blog, David E's Fablog, Gothamist, The Carpetbagger Report, PoliticalSports, Donklephant and MSNBC

Associated Press:

Carter: Stop favoring Fatah over Hamas — The United States, Israel and the European Union must end their policy of favoring Fatah over Hamas, or they will doom the Palestinian people to deepening conflict between the rival movements, former US President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday.

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, The Belmont Club, Don Surber, Washington Post, QandO, Israel Matzav, bustardblog, Macsmind, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Israpundit

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Might Makes Right? — What kind of world leader would instruct the international community to engage with Hamas, even though it just committed an armed insurrection against the Palestinian Authority? Who among the world's experts would argue that the coup d'etat legitimized their claim to speak for the Palestinian people?

Discussion: GINA COBB

Hindrocket / Power Line:

CARTER ATTACKS U.S., STICKS UP FOR HAMAS — Jimmy Carter was in Ireland today to speak to the ninth annual NGO Forum on Human Rights. Along the way, he picked up a check for $1.2 million from the Irish government to the Carter Center. The former President, loyal as always to his financial backers …

Discussion: ireland.com, Israpundit and Instapundit.com

Michelle Malkin: Jimmy Carter said what? Part 999

Fred Thompson / Townhall.com:

Fred Thompson's Remarks to Policy Exchange in London — Thank you very much. Charles Moore, Anthony Browne, Dean Godson, distinguished guests: I appreciate the cordial welcome to London. I always look forward to visiting the United Kingdom, and this time around I couldn't ask for a better host than the Policy Exchange.

Discussion: Redstate, Outside The Beltway, Flopping Aces, Examining Presidential …, The Newshoggers, TIME, Reuters, Say Anything, MSNBC and The Politico

Tim Montgomerie / Britain and America:
Fred Thompson in London

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Roger L. Simon, Redstate, Hot Air, Pam's House Blend and Pajamas Media

Katherine Baldwin / Reuters: Republican Thompson highlights serious Iran threat

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

The new Hillary Clinton video is a take on the last scene of "The Sopranos." — It's clever, the way the video uses the jukebox business from the last "Sopranos" episode to remind us of Hillary's theme song contest. In case you care, I'll just tell you that the winner is "You and I," …

Discussion: INSTAPUTZ, Sadly, No!, Majikthise, Lawyers, Guns and Money, The Huffington Post, PrezVid, TalkLeft and alicublog

Kate Phillips / The Caucus:

Clinton Sings Soprano, Sort of — For a few seconds there, as the opening piano riff jolted our senses, we were getting very excited about Senator Hillary Clinton's theme-song pick, as she began thumbing through a jukebox at a diner: … Whoa! We were on a Journey back as it played softly …

Discussion: Done With Mirrors, The Washington Note, MSNBC, National Review, The Swamp and Truthdig

The State:

State treasurer indicted on drug charges — State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to possess with the intent distribute cocaine, federal and state authorities said at a news conference at SLED headquarters this afternoon.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Palmetto Scoop, Cliff Schecter and AMERICAblog

Brian Hicks / Post & Courier:
Governor suspends state treasurer after cocaine indictment

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and National Review

Craig Gordon / Newsday:

Rudy missing in action for Iraq panel — Giuliani's campaign fundraising kept him from commitment to panel studying Iraq. — WASHINGTON — Rudolph Giuliani's membership on an elite Iraq study panel came to an abrupt end last spring after he failed to show up for a single official meeting of the group …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Carpetbagger Report, National Review, Think Progress, Power Line, bustardblog, Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, State of the Day, Democratic National Committee and The Atlantic Online

National Review:
Rudy & The ISG — The Giuliani campaign forwarded me the following statement:

Discussion: Election Central, Talking Points Memo, Angry Bear and MyDD

David Weigel / Reason Magazine:

The Awful Truth About 9/11 — The guerrilla reporters of Infowars—last seen being broken up and hauled out of the spin room at CNN's Republican debate—nailed Michael Moore at a screening of Sicko and got him to discuss 9/11 conspiracy theories. (Sorry, other theories of the events of 9/11.)

Discussion: Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, protein wisdom, Liberal Values, Neptunus Lex and Little Green Footballs

Kyle Smith / Movies:
Kyle Smith on Michael Moore's 'Sicko'

Discussion: Say Anything

ZOA / Zionist Organization of America:

Mahmoud Abbas Is No Moderate & Deserves No Support — The Zionist Organization of America is opposing any Israeli and American support for Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah terrorist group. ( Jerusalem Post, June 17, 2007). — Mahmoud Abbas in his own words:

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs and Israpundit

William Branigin / Washington Post:
Bush, Olmert Praise Palestinian Leader

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and TIME

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:

Romney just "smells great!" — So says Alina Cho of CNN from Monday's "American Morning" show. John Roberts was wrapping up an interview segment with Mitt Romney when Alina chimed in with this astute observation... Download (657) | Play (692) Download (391) | Play (423)

Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:

Ezra Klein And Liberal Hawks — Many bloggers are crying foul at Ezra Klein's recent screed against liberal interventionists. Kevin Sullivan tees off: … Sullivan's point is well taken. The policy decisions before us - how to redeploy, regroup or withdraw from Iraq …

Discussion: Ezra Klein, Liberal Values, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Kevin Sullivan

Rick Perlstein / commonsense.ourfuture.org:

Mike Gravel at Take Back America — Senator Gravel's introducer, Raph Nader, was introduced to scattered boos, and spoke for 18 of Gravel's allotted 30 minutes. Then Gravel spoke for about six minutes. — First things first. Gravel is a man to whom all patriots owe a debt.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, DownWithTyranny! and The Carpetbagger Report

Justin Rood Reports / The Blotter:

Report: Iraq Violence Leading to Abortions, Drug Abuse Among Civilians — Justin Rood Reports: — Pregnant Iraqi women who have been forced from their homes by worsening violence are obtaining illegal abortions because they are unable to get medical care for themselves and their unborn …

Discussion: Think Progress