memeorandum: Two U.S. networks pass on Paris Hilton interview (Steve Gorman/Reuters)

5:55 PM ET, June 23, 2007

Top Items:

Atrios / Eschaton:

Indeed — Via email:

Discussion: The Huffington Post and The American Street

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: The Politico, The Atlantic Online, TalkLeft, Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard and Scholars and Rogues

Faiz / Think Progress:

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, Liberal Values, The Impolitic, The Next Hurrah, War and Piece, The American Street, Talking Points Memo and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

The Raw Story:

Dems plan to cut Cheney out of 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 Newshoggers, The Moderate Voice, The BRAD BLOG and Pam's House Blend

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: JURIST, Threat Level and First Draft

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Rule Of Law? — I haven't followed the kerfuffle over Dick …

Discussion: Instapundit.com, Outside The Beltway, The Newshoggers and Dependable Renegade

Michael Duffy / Time:
The Cheney Branch of Government

Discussion: The Rachel Maddow Show and TPMCafe blogs

Digby / Hullabaloo:
Now They Notice

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

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: The Newshoggers and Oliver Willis

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: Atlas Shrugs, The Strata-Sphere, Confederate Yankee, NO QUARTER, Captain's Quarters, Associated Press, The Impolitic, A Blog For All, Middle Earth Journal, Macsmind, TBogg and Corrente

John Ward Anderson / Washington Post:
17 Insurgents Killed Near Baqubah

Discussion: CNN

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
TPM Reader SM writes in ... I don't know if SM's claim is accurate in the particular.

Discussion: News Hounds, Big Brass Blog, The Mahablog, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Lawyers, Guns and Money

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

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: All Spin Zone, Hot Air, TalkLeft, The Heretik and Prairie Weather

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: PoliBlog (TM) and The Moderate Voice

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

Neil MacFarquhar / New York Times:

Crackdown on Dissent Is Under Way in Iran — 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, three of whom have been in prison for more than six weeks.

Discussion: Hot Air

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