memeorandum: Bush claims oversight exemption too (Josh Meyer/Los Angeles Times)

1:40 PM ET, June 23, 2007

Top Items:

Olbermann Fact-Checks White House, Finds No Special Exemption For Cheney — Yesterday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino defended Dick Cheney's claim of existing outside the Executive Order (EO) that governs the preservation of classified data, a directive which applies to all Executive Branch officials.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, The American Street, War and Piece, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and The Gun Toting Liberal™

Josh Meyer / Los Angeles Times:

Bush claims oversight exemption too — The White House says the president's own order on classified data does not apply to his office or the vice president's. — WASHINGTON — The White House said Friday that, like Vice President Dick Cheney's office, President Bush's office is not allowing …

Discussion: The Next Hurrah, Outside The Beltway, The Newshoggers, Dependable Renegade and Booman Tribune

White House:

Press Briefing by Dana Perino — White House Conference Center Briefing Room — MS. PERINO: Happy Friday. One quick announcement. Today the governor of Wyoming appointed John Barrasso to fill the vacancy caused by the unfortunate death of U.S. Senator Craig Thomas.

Discussion: Threat Level, First Draft, JURIST and The Moderate Voice

Peter Baker / Washington Post:

White House Defends Cheney's Refusal of Oversight — The White House defended Vice President Cheney yesterday in a dispute over his office's refusal to comply with an executive order regulating the handling of classified information as Democrats and other critics assailed him for disregarding rules that others follow.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Scholars and Rogues and MSNBC

Digby / Hullabaloo:
Now They Notice

Discussion: Think Progress, US News, The Next Hurrah, Mad Kane's Political Madness, State of the Day and Suburban Guerrilla

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Everyone we fight in Iraq is now "al-Qaida" — Josh Marshall publishes an e-mail from a reader who identifies what is one of the most astonishing instances of mindless, pro-government "reporting" yet: … That the Bush administration, and specifically its military commanders …

Discussion: Middle Earth Journal, TBogg, Corrente and CNN

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

TPM Reader SM writes in ... I don't know if SM's claim is accurate in the particular. But it's very true as a general matter. — I've long been amazed at how freely reporters accept it when this or that Arab or Muslim with a gun is labelled as "al Qaida."

Discussion: News Hounds and Big Brass Blog

John F. Burns / New York Times:

Militants Said to Flee Before U.S. Offensive — The operational commander of troops battling to drive fighters with Al Qaeda from Baquba said Friday that 80 percent of the top Qaeda leaders in the city fled before the American-led offensive began earlier this week.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Impolitic, The Strata-Sphere, Kiko's House, The Moderate Voice, Macsmind, Prairie Weather and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

John Ward Anderson / Washington Post:

17 Insurgents Killed Near Baqubah — Most Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leaders Have Fled Offensive, U.S. General Says — U.S. and Iraqi forces continued a new offensive against the Sunni extremist group al-Qaeda in Iraq in and around the city of Baqubah on Friday, killing 17 insurgents in a helicopter attack …

Pauline Jelinek / Associated Press:
US may reduce forces in Iraq by spring

Discussion: The Reaction, The Mahablog, The Heretik, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Daily Kos, KnoxViews and All Spin Zone

Blackanthem Military News: Operation 'Arrowhead Ripper' continues in Baqouba

Robert Farley / Lawyers, Guns and Money:
Knock Me Over With a Goddamn Feather

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

Thomas E. Ricks / Washington Post:

Iraq Push Revives Criticism of Force Size — Baghdad Offensive May Shift Violence Elsewhere — The major U.S. offensive launched last weekend against insurgents in and around Baghdad has significantly expanded the military's battleground in Iraq — "a surge of operations," …

Discussion: TalkLeft and Prairie Weather

WSMV-TV:

WSMV-TV: Thompson Announcement Set For Nashville — Headquarters To Be Based At Fall School building — Reported By Dennis Ferrier — NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Channel 4 News Nationwide Exclusive — Fred Thompson is set to announce that Nashville will be the home of his national campaign headquarters, WSMV is reporting.

Discussion: Maggie's Farm, A Blog For All, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and MyDD

The Palmetto Scoop:
BREAKING: Fred Thompson to announce next week

Discussion: Redstate

Daily Mail:

British Muslims burn St George's flag at anti-Rushdie rally — Muslims burned the flag of St George and called for the Queen to 'Go to Hell' in a furious rally held in London over Salman Rushdie's knighthood. — Angry Muslim extremists rallying at Regents Park Mosque said that anger …

Discussion: The Jawa Report and sugiero

Little Green Footballs: British Muslims Burn St. George's Flag

Bob Geiger:

The Saturday Cartoons — Today's animation comes from Mark Fiore with "Innovations In Energy" which takes a poke at all who would keep America dependent on foreign oil. It's worth watching just for the part where the narrator describes the big automakers as follows: "As Toyota sells …

Discussion: Firedoglake

Fox News:

Banned by PBS: Muslims Against Jihad — Saturday, June 23 at 9 p.m. ET — Repeats Sunday, June 24 at 3 a.m. ET — Tune in this weekend, as FOX News Channel presents the documentary the Public Broadcasting System didn't want you to see. — It's a film about the difference between moderate Muslims …

Discussion: Hot Air

Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:

Around The Sphere June 23, 2007 — Our famous linkfest taking readers to intriguing reading at weblogs representing various opinions from all over the blogo-you-know-what. Linked posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Moderate Voice or its writers.

Discussion: Reuters and Dr. Helen

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Ed Schultz on Right Wing Talk Radio...Takes a swipe at Hannity...

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, News Hounds and Seeing the Forest

Roland S. Martin / CNN:

Martin: A Bloomberg run would be different to Perot — Editor's note: Roland S. Martin is a CNN contributor and a talk-show host for WVON-AM in Chicago. — (CNN) — Political junkies are excited and electrified over a potential independent presidential bid by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and for good reason.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Don Surber:

The week that was — STORY OF THE WEEK — Hillary Clinton picked this as her campaign theme song. — VULCAN MIND MELD OF THE WEEK — Sir Rupert Murdoch inched closer to taking over the Wall Street Journal. Will we see Page 3 girls in Stipple Portraits? — SATURDAY

Discussion: sugiero

Melissa Kite / Telegraph:

Treaty 'hands swathes of power to Brussels' — Tony Blair emerged from tense negotiations today claiming to have secured a new European treaty which protects Britain's interests but which opponents say hands vast swathes of power to Brussels. — The Prime Minister won a legal exemption …

Discussion: QandO and Vox Popoli