Top Items:
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform:
Vice President Exempts His Office from the Requirements for Protecting Classified Information — The Oversight Committee has learned that over the objections of the National Archives, Vice President Cheney exempted his office from the presidential order that establishes government-wide procedures …
Discussion:
Threat Level, Blast Off!, The Moderate Voice, Secrecy News, Salon, Macsmind, Obsidian Wings, All Spin Zone, Hullabaloo, The Mahablog and The American Street
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Jesse Lee / The Gavel:
Oversight Committee on the Vice President and Classified Information — From the Oversight and Government Reform Committee: … * Letter from National Archives to the Attorney General (pdf) — * Second Letter from National Archives to the Vice President's Office (pdf)
Justin Rood Reports / The Blotter:
Cheney Power Grab: Says White House Rules Don't Apply to Him — Justin Rood Reports: — Vice President Dick Cheney has asserted his office is not a part of the executive branch of the U.S. government, and therefore not bound by a presidential order governing the protection of classified information …
Marcus Mabry / Newsweek:
Poll: Bush hits lowest approval rating of presidency — President Bush registers the lowest approval rating of his presidency—making him the least popular president since Nixon—in the new NEWSWEEK Poll. — Iraq isn't the only issue dragging Bush's approval ratings down
Roger Simon / The Politico:
Nader ponders run, calls Clinton 'coward' — Ralph Nader says he is seriously considering running for president in 2008 because he foresees another Tweedledum-Tweedledee election that offers little real choice to voters. — "You know the two parties are still converging …
Discussion:
Reason Magazine, Obsidian Wings, Newsday, PrezVid, Washington Post, Captain's Quarters, Outside The Beltway, The Gun Toting Liberal™, The Carpetbagger Report, The Reaction, The Mahablog, US News, MSNBC, Liberal Values, culturekitchen, The Moderate Voice, Air America Radio, Democratic Underground …, WTF Is It Now??, Townhall.com and Connecting.the.Dots
Elizabeth Sprague Reports / The Blotter:
New Photos Show Secret Pakistan Plutonium Plant; Fear of More Weapons Being Made — Elizabeth Sprague Reports: — A satellite photograph obtained by ABC News reveals Pakistan is nearing completion of a third, previously unknown plutonium production reactor, suggesting Pakistan may be planning to expand its nuclear weapons arsenal.
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Joe Klein / Time:
Turning on al-Qaeda in Baquba — I helicoptered today into Baquba, the centerpiece of the current U.S. offensive in Iraq, with Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno —and then drove via Stryker brigade into the center of the fight for a briefing. It was midday, and the sun was so hot that both sides in the battle seemed to be taking a siesta.
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Richard Beeston / Times of London:
Transcript of The Times interview with General Petraeus
Transcript of The Times interview with General Petraeus
Discussion:
Think Progress, The Atlantic Online, AMERICAblog, TPMmuckraker, Prairie Weather and Middle Earth Journal
Kate O'Beirne / National Review:
Immigration Vote Count — Opponents of the immigration bill recognize that the vote on cloture (maybe tomorrow, but probably early next week) will be key. Outside groups are scoring a vote for cloture as a vote for the bill. Cloture will succeed with 60 votes.
Discussion:
Day In, Day Out
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Manu Raju / The Hill:
Senate Dems fight for energy bill amid intra-party, GOP concerns — Senate Democrats yesterday were scrambling to prevent the sweeping energy overhaul bill, a top domestic priority, from crumbling amid growing regional divisions within their party and Republican concerns.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
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Bill Dedman / MSNBC:
List of journalists taking sides — And their explanations, from 'Yikes!' to 'They're all in somebody's pocket' — 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.
Center for Democracy & Technology:
Most Wanted Surveillance Documents — Memorandum prepared by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey which, according to Comey, was sent to the White House shortly after March 10, 2004. The memorandum followed a review of the classified surveillance program (to which Comey referred in his May 15 …
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Carl Levin / Washington Post:
Lincoln's Example for Iraq — In his only term in Congress, Abraham Lincoln was an ardent opponent of the Mexican War. He introduced a series of resolutions that challenged President James Polk to show the "spot" of American soil on which Mexicans had spilled American blood …
Discussion:
The Caucus, The Huffington Post, Strategist, TalkLeft, Redstate, D-Day, Booman Tribune, Daily Kos, Taylor Marsh and TPMCafe blogs
CNN Political Ticker:
Romney to call for 'new course' in war on terror — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will call for a "new course" in the war on terror by proposing "a new type of Marshall plan" in a speech Thursday night. — According to the prepared text of of the speech …
Deacon / Power Line:
WHERE BIAS AND CLUELESSNESS INTERSECT — MSNBC features a report on the campaign contributions by MSM journalists. The report is based on the public records of the Federal Election Commission. I doubt anyone will be surprised to learn that of the 144 journalists who made political contributions …
Eric Black / Minnesota Monitor:
Putdown for Paulose: Colleagues Clap for Her Critics at Retirement Party — Rachel Paulose, the embattled U.S. attorney for Minnesota, suffered through an awkward moment Tuesday when a retirement party for a long-serving prosecutor in her office turned into a thunderous ovation for several of Paulose's severest critics.
obama.senate.gov:
Obama Announces FY08 Federal Funding Requests — Discloses earmarks to improve government transparency — WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today announced that he had requested federal funding for the following projects, in the amounts designated by his constituents …
Jonathan Singer / MyDD:
MyDD Interview with Nancy Pelosi — Yesterday morning, Wednesday June 20, I had the opportunity to sit down for a few minutes with the Speaker of the United States House, Nancy Pelosi. — During the interview, which immediately followed Speaker Pelosi's speech at the Take Back America conference …
Maria Recio / SunHerald.com:
Lott: 'I've already offended everybody' — Fence? Goats? What is Lott talking about? — WASHINGTON —What does a fence on the United State-Mexico border have to do with goats? — Sen. Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., was talking to reporters Wednesday about the immigration bill …
Michael Yon:
Operation Arrowhead Ripper: Day One — The first day of operation Arrowhead Ripper was intense. The Army is giving full access to the battlefield, and while on base full access to the TOC (HQ) which means I see the raw truth on the ground, and as it feeds through the TOC. They are hiding nothing.
Discussion:
The Fourth Rail, FOB Tacoma, Confederate Yankee, Mudville Gazette, Power Line, Gay Patriot, Macsmind, Captain's Quarters, Maggie's Farm and QandO
Scott Helman / Boston Globe:
Rival camps take aim at Romney's religion — Gathering for their April meeting at the county courthouse, Republican activists from Warren County, Iowa, planned for this summer's county fair and vented about illegal immigration. — And then the county chairman for Senator John McCain's …
Discussion:
The Newshoggers, The Atlantic Online, The Caucus, Associated Press, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and MSNBC