memeorandum: Iran Cracks Down on Dissent, Parading Examples in Streets (Neil MacFarquhar/New York Times)

'A Different Understanding With the President' … Just past the Oval Office, in the private dining room overlooking the South Lawn, Vice President Cheney joined President Bush at a round parquet table they shared once a week. Cheney brought a four-page text, written in strict secrecy by his lawyer.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Think Progress and Corrente

Atrios / Eschaton:

Indeed — Via email:

Discussion: The Gun Toting Liberal™, The American Street, Ezra Klein, The Huffington Post and Angry Bear

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Rule Of Law? — I haven't followed the kerfuffle over Dick Cheney's handling of classified material very closely, mostly because it looked like one of the mountains that Cheney's critics like to make out of molehills. However, this issue does hold a political if not legal vulnerability …

Discussion: Middle Earth Journal, The Newshoggers and Dependable Renegade

The Raw Story:

Dems plan to cut Cheney from executive funding bill — Following Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that his office is not a part of the executive branch of the US government, Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) plans to introduce an amendment to the the Financial Services …

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG, Crooks and Liars and The Newshoggers

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com:

DICK CHENEY AS A LEGISLATIVE OFFICIAL: Ed Morrissey is not impressed with this gem of a legal argument. He's right not to be, and he's right that this is a political and legal embarrassment for the Administration, but it's not because of the constitutional language he quotes.

Discussion: Silent Running

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly: FUN WITH DICK AND DICK....Last night at dinner my mother …

Peter Baker / Washington Post:
White House Defends Cheney's Refusal of Oversight

Discussion: Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard, The Politico, Liberal Values, The Impolitic, TalkLeft, Scholars and Rogues, The American Street, War and Piece, Talking Points Memo and Think Progress

Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
Democrats Will Try To Cut Cheney Out Of Executive Funding (UPDATED)

Discussion: Reuters and Threat Level

Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online: Cheneying Cheney — The Democrats grow some balls:

Michael Duffy / Time:
The Cheney Branch of Government

Discussion: Left in the West, The Rachel Maddow Show and TPMCafe blogs

Howie / The Jawa Report:

The Only Way — A little Instapundit post like this one can cause such a reaction from my little blog bitch Olliver Willis and Kevin Drum at Washington Monthly......is......there must be some truth to it. Stuff just doesn't get that kind of reaction unless you feel guilty about err something …

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:

STAB IN THE BACK WATCH....Here's the latest from Instapundit, in its entirety: … Oh yes indeedy, I too expect we'll be hearing more of this in the future, especially if things go badly in Iraq. Lots more. — You can almost smell the stink of desperation from the pro-war crowd.

Discussion: INSTAPUTZ

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com:

IN THE MAIL: Col. Buzz Patterson's War Crimes: The Left's Campaign to Destroy Our Military and Lose the War on Terror. — I don't think that the left wants to lose the war on terror, exactly — they just want Bush to lose the war on terror. I suspect, however, that Patterson's theme …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Oliver Willis and The Newshoggers

Neil MacFarquhar / New York Times:

Iran Cracks Down on Dissent, Parading Examples in Streets — Iran is in the throes of one of its most ferocious crackdowns on dissent in years, with the government focusing on labor leaders, universities, the press, women's rights advocates, a former nuclear negotiator and Iranian-Americans …

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, JammieWearingFool and Hot Air

Tanta / Calculated Risk:

A Tale of Two Hedge Funds — We begin to get some backstory on the Great Bear Hedge Fund Meltdown of 2007, courtesy of the New York Times. The leitmotif, which I prophesy will become the Unshakable Story That Everyone Will Stick To, is that this is all directly and apparently unproblematically related to subprime mortgage loans:

New York Times:
$3.2 Billion Move by Bear Stearns to Rescue Fund

Discussion: The Agonist and Obsidian Wings

David Barboza / New York Times:

My Time as a Hostage, and I'm a Business Reporter — AS an American journalist based in China, I knew there was a good chance that at some point I'd be detained for pursuing a story. I just never thought I'd be held hostage by a toy factory. — That's what happened last Monday …

Discussion: The Glittering Eye

Thomas B. Edsall / Huffington Post:

HuffPost Exclusive: More Lobbyists On McCain Staff Than Any Other 08 Candidate — John McCain, who made his name attacking special interests, has more lobbyists working on his staff or as advisers than any of his competitors, Republican or Democrat. — A Huffington Post examination …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Talking Points Memo

Michael J. Sniffen / Associated Press:

Judge criticizes warrantless wiretaps — WASHINGTON - A federal judge who used to authorize wiretaps in terrorist and espionage cases criticized President Bush's decision to order warrantless surveillance after the Sept. 11 attacks. — Royce Lamberth, a district court judge in Washington …

Discussion: Macsmind

Stephen Singer / Associated Press:

Obama says some have 'hijacked' faith — HARTFORD, Conn. - Sen. Barack Obama told a church convention Saturday that some right-wing evangelical leaders have exploited and politicized religious beliefs in an effort to sow division. — "Somehow, somewhere along the way …

Discussion: Corrente, Macsmind and TalkLeft

Brock Vergakis / Associated Press:

Romney objects to campaign attacks — SALT LAKE CITY - Mitt Romney said Saturday that criticism of his Mormon religion by rival GOP presidential campaigns is happening too frequently. — "Clearly, any derogatory comments about anyone's faith — those comments are troubling.

Washington Post:
Fundraising Gap Likely to Persist For Campaigns

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

Tim Rutten / Los Angeles Times:

Where is the West's outcry? — FOR a writer, Salman Rushdie has had a rather turbulent career. — Even by his standards, however, this has been quite a week for the Indian-born, British-educated Booker Prize-winning novelist, now a resident of New York: — Queen Elizabeth II knighted …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Instapundit.com