memeorandum: Pakistan arrests 'Taleban aides' (Charles Haviland/BBC)

10:20 AM ET, July 8, 2007

Top Items:

The Road Home — It is time for the United States to leave Iraq, without any more delay than the Pentagon needs to organize an orderly exit. — Like many Americans, we have put off that conclusion, waiting for a sign that President Bush was seriously trying to dig the United States …

Discussion: Hot Air, Don Surber, Jules Crittenden, Daily Kos, Bark Bark Woof Woof, The Democratic Daily, Firedoglake, Brilliant at Breakfast, TalkLeft, Middle Earth Journal and Ezra Klein

Clark Hoyt / New York Times:

Seeing Al Qaeda Around Every Corner — AS domestic support for the war in Iraq continues to melt away, President Bush and the United States military in Baghdad are increasingly pointing to a single villain on the battlefield: Al Qaeda. — Bush mentioned the terrorist group 27 times …

Greg Mitchell / Editor and Publisher:
'N.Y. Times' Editorial: Leave Iraq Now

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Getting Closer To Omar — Pakistan announced the capture of senior Taliban figures, including two close aides to Mullah Omar, just a few hours ago. Security forces captured four high-value targets in two raids in the city of Quetta: … Pervez Musharraf survived another assassination attempt …

Discussion: Big Lizards

Charles Haviland / BBC:

Pakistan arrests 'Taleban aides' — Several key aides to the leader of Afghanistan's Taleban rebels, Mullah Omar, are reported to have been arrested in Pakistan. — An Afghan intelligence source told the BBC four senior associates of Mullah Omar were being held after operations by Pakistani security forces.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere

Faisal Aziz / Reuters: Musharraf tells mosque militants "surrender or die"

David Leppard / Times of London:

Car bombs are linked with Iraq's Al-Qaeda — AT least one of the suspects being quizzed over the alleged plot to set off car bombs in Britain was in recent contact with Al-Qaeda in Iraq, senior security officials said yesterday. — Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command SO15 is understood …

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere and Outside The Beltway

Telegraph: Terror suspect told family 'time had come'

Mark Steyn / The Corner: Jihadists against climate change

Mirror.co.uk: PRAYER PLEA OF 'BOMBER'

Robert Sandall / Times of London:

Live Earth fails to pack large-scale punch — It did what it said on the poster - but no more. The British leg of Live Earth started at 1.30 pm sharp with a thunderous five-minute drum fanfare by a 20-odd troupe of flailing percussionists, battering a miscellany of ethnic skinned instruments.

Discussion: Blogs for Bush, Blue Crab Boulevard and Gateway Pundit

Telegraph:

Madonna criticised over links to polluters — She provided the finale to yesterday's Live Earth concerts, even writing a special song to mark the worldwide musical event. — But instead of being lionised, Madonna found herself accused of hypocrisy last night after allegations …

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard and Tim Worstall

Alasdair Palmer / Telegraph:

Not in their name? — Muslims were as much outraged by last weekend's failed car bomb attacks as the rest of the country. Does that mean they will now help the authorities to root out Islamist terrorists? Alasdair Palmer investigates — The statement from Muhammed Abdul Bari …

Michael Hirsh / Newsweek:
Exploring Islam's 'Death Cult'

Discussion: USS Neverdock and Blue Crab Boulevard

Brendan Farrington / Associated Press:

Thompson energizes young Republicans — HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Not yet a 2008 candidate, Fred Thompson energized young Republicans with a speech Saturday that was heavy on rhetoric and short on policy pronouncements. He branded Democrats as "the party of despair."

Discussion: The RBC

Redstate:
The Romney Advantage: Who Needs Grassroots When You Can Afford Astroturf

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

Sarah Baxter / Times of London:

Powell tried to talk Bush out of war — THE former American secretary of state Colin Powell has revealed that he spent 2½ hours vainly trying to persuade President George W Bush not to invade Iraq and believes today's conflict cannot be resolved by US forces.

Discussion: PSoTD

The Raw Story:

WHITE HOUSE PLANS TO BLOCK TESTIMONY FROM TOP ROVE AIDE IN US ATTORNEY INQUIRY; HARRIET MIERS ... Enjoy this story? Get headlines instantly with RSS. The White House appeared set for an expanded showdown with congressional investigators in the probe of the firing of eight US Attorneys over the weekend.

Discussion: Norwegianity, Daily Kos and Crooks and Liars

Think Progress:
BREAKING: White House To Block Testimony Of Former Rove Aide

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and The Democratic Daily

Patrick Hennessy / Telegraph:

Fight against terror could take 15 years — Britain faces a 15-year battle to end the threat posed by Islamist terrorists, the Government's new security supremo has admitted. — Admiral Sir Alan West, the former First Sea Lord, said the overall danger facing the country …

Discussion: Progressive Gold, Theo Spark and Tim Worstall

Pakistan Daily Times:

Kazakhstan to pay $486.3m for US N-reactor — TOKYO: Kazakhstan is to pay $486.3 million to buy a stake in US nuclear reactor firm Westinghouse from its majority owner Toshiba, news reports said Saturday. — The Japanese giant will sign an agreement this month to sell a 10-percent stake …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

George F. Will / Washington Post:

Declaration of Dependence — Some mornings during the autumn of 1933, when the unemployment rate was 22 percent, the president, before getting into his wheelchair, sat in bed, surrounded by economic advisers, setting the price of gold. One morning he said he might raise it 21 cents …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

Shankar Vedantam / Washington Post:

Research Links Lead Exposure, Criminal Activity — Rudy Giuliani never misses an opportunity to remind people about his track record in fighting crime as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. — "I began with the city that was the crime capital of America," Giuliani …

Discussion: Riehl World View, Prairie Weather and Economist's View

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:

U.S. Aborted Raid on Qaeda Chiefs in Pakistan in '05 — A secret military operation in early 2005 to capture senior members of Al Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal areas was aborted at the last minute after top Bush administration officials decided it was too risky and could jeopardize relations with Pakistan …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Brilliant at Breakfast, Outside The Beltway, Kiko's House, State of the Day, Macsmind, AMERICAblog, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Prairie Weather, Captain's Quarters, Cliff Schecter, Riehl World View, At-Largely and Taylor Marsh

Timothy Gardner / Reuters:

New Jersey governor signs toughest U.S. carbon law — EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) - New Jersey became on Friday the first U.S. state to mandate sharp greenhouse gas reductions by 2050 to help fight climate change. — The law, signed by Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat …

Discussion: Riehl World View and Fausta's blog