memeorandum: Sources: Son of former governor mulling U.S. Senate bid (Ken Whitehouse/Nashville Post)

2:15 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: Outside The Beltway, The Next Hurrah, 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 and JURIST

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 Ward Anderson / Washington Post: 17 Insurgents Killed Near Baqubah

John F. Burns / New York Times:
Militants Said to Flee Before U.S. Offensive

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

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

Associated Press:

Texas Democrat chastises Bush on vets' health care … WASHINGTON (AP) — The Texas congressman who represents President Bush's home district said Saturday that the administration and Republicans put a higher priority on tax cuts than on veterans' health care.

Discussion: bustardblog

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

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

Washington Post:

Fundraising Gap Likely to Persist For Campaigns — McCain, Edwards Expect To Lag Behind Leaders — Twelve weeks ago, after raising less money than two other Republican candidates in the first three months of 2007, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the early favorite for his party's presidential nomination …

Discussion: The Caucus, GregsOpinion.com and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

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

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

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