memeorandum: Bush Says Democrats Are Playing Politics on Iraq (David Stout/New York Times)

11:55 PM ET, July 20, 2007

Top Items:

Hillary Clinton's Tentative Dip Into New Neckline Territory — There was cleavage on display Wednesday afternoon on C-SPAN2. It belonged to Sen. Hillary Clinton. — She was talking on the Senate floor about the burdensome cost of higher education. She was wearing a rose-colored blazer over a black top.

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
This Just In... According to Robin Givhan of the WaPo, Hillary Clinton is a woman.

Discussion: Feministing, Taylor Marsh and Whiskey Fire

CNN Political Ticker:

Cheney to become president...briefly — WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush will undergo a routine colonoscopy Saturday, and will transfer power to Vice President Dick Cheney during the procedure, expected to take about two and a half hours, the chief White House spokesman said.

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Think Progress and Booman Tribune

Deb Riechmann / Associated Press:

Bush to Have Colonoscopy at Camp David — WASHINGTON — President Bush will have a routine colonoscopy Saturday and temporarily hand presidential powers to Vice President Dick Cheney, the White House said. — Press secretary Tony Snow told reporters Friday that Bush will have the procedure …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, The Garlic, Blue Jersey, Liberal Values, TIME: Swampland and The Reaction

Guardian:
Bush colonoscopy leaves Cheney in charge

Discussion: The Newshoggers and Prairie Weather

Franklin Foer / The New Republic:

NOTE TO READERS: — Several conservative blogs have raised questions about the Diarist "Shock Troops," written by a soldier in Iraq using the pseudonym Scott Thomas. Whenever anybody levels serious accusations against a piece published in our magazine, we take those charges seriously.

Discussion: ThreatsWatch, Riehl World View, The Corner, Power Line and QandO

Ray Robison / American Thinker:
Who is TNR's mysterious author 'Scott Thomas'?

Discussion: The Corner, Weekly Standard, Riehl World View, michellemalkin.com and Power Line

Kos / Daily Kos:

JetBlue caved — Okay, so JetBlue, after deciding to resist Bill O'Reilly's pressure last night, just decided to back down. Let them know what you think about that. … As for my part, I'm cancelling my JetBlue American Express card and will be looking at alternative options for my future travel.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Sister Toldjah, Hot Air, TalkLeft, Crooks and Liars, Maine blog, AMERICAblog, NewsBusters.org, Norwegianity, Think Progress, Firedoglake and QandO

Bill O'Reilly / Fox News:

JetBlue changes strategy — Earlier this week we confronted JetBlue CEO Dave Barger about his airline sponsoring a conference held by the hate-filled Web site, the Daily Kos. — That far-left concern routinely posts vile thoughts such as Tony Snow should die from cancer, the pope is a primate, and Israel deserves to be attacked.

Discussion: Preemptive Karma, Don Surber, Cliff Schecter, News Hounds and michellemalkin.com

David Stout / New York Times:

Bush Says Democrats Are Playing Politics on Iraq — President Bush assailed Democrats anew about Iraq today, accusing them of choosing to indulge in a political debate over troop withdrawals rather than giving the troops what they need to carry out their mission.

Discussion: White House, The Politico and Lawyers, Guns and Money

Matt / Think Progress:
Bush Threatened To Veto Same Military Pay Raise That He Now Uses …

Discussion: The Reaction, The Gavel, The Carpetbagger Report and Salon

Michael J. Totten:

Welcome to Baghdad — BAGHDAD — Never again will I complain about the inconvenience and discomfort of airports and civilian airline travel delays. You won't either if make your way from Kuwait to Baghdad in July during a war. — Military planes leave Kuwait every couple of hours …

Discussion: Townhall.com and Norwegianity

Michael Yon:
7 Rules: 1 Oath — D+30 — 19 July 2007 — Today marks …

Discussion: Daily Iraq Report, The Belmont Club, Captain's Quarters and Pajamas Media

Greg Sargent / Election Central:

Exclusive: Hillary's Stinging Letter To SecDef Gates Obtained — In an unusual challenge to a Defense Secretary from a sitting Senator, Hillary Clinton has just written a sharply worded letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, demanding that he personally account for a Pentagon official's assertion yesterday …

Discussion: The Politico, Wake up America, The Next Hurrah, MSNBC and Inside Long Island Politics

Amanda / Think Progress:
Clinton, Kerry To Require Pentagon To Brief Congress On Redeployment Plans

Discussion: Associated Press, Crooks and Liars, Taylor Marsh and Firedoglake

Scott Weinberger / WCBS-TV:

Jersey City Woman Finds Missile Launcher On Lawn — Officials: Launcher, Good For One Use Only, Had Already Been Fired — Featured Slideshows: — Reporting — (CBS) JERSEY CITY A Jersey City woman made what to her and her neighbors was a shocking discovery Friday morning when she noticed …

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, Sadly, No!, The Corner, Jihad Watch, Blogs 4 Brownback, Weasel Zippers, Danger Room and Pajamas Media

John Bresnahan / The Politico:

Shays screams at Capitol Police officer — On Thursday afternoon, Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) got into a loud, angry dispute with a U.S. Capitol Police officer at the security checkpoint inside the entrance of the West Side of the Capitol. On Friday, Shays, a veteran lawmaker …

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Blue Crab Boulevard, Charleston Daily Mail and Redstate

The Corner:

Vitter — It's a crime. It's a bad crime. And someone who purports to believe what he does understands the cultural implications of the existence of that illegal industry. I think he's probably should resign. If he cheated on his wife with his secretary the sinner could probably hold onto his job.

Discussion: Your Right Hand Thief

White House:

Executive Order: Interpretation of the Geneva Conventions Common Article 3 as Applied to a Program of Detention and Interrogation Operated by the Central Intelligence Agency — By the authority vested in me as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces by the Constitution and the laws …

Discussion: New York Times, Balkinization, Wizbang, Think Progress, NION, Jihad Watch and Salon

Guardian:

Harry Potter: the economics — Successful magical worlds depend on basic economic principles, and that's where JK Rowling's Harry Potter falls short. — Why are books about magic so exciting? The lure is almost tautological: magic is compelling because it allows us to imagine doing the things we cannot ordinarily do.

Discussion: Unfogged and Greg Mankiw's Blog

The Corner:

A Busy Saturday — Readers are really into Cheney being president for awhile. Suggestions for Acting President Cheney include — Bomb Iran. — Commute the sentences of those border agents. — Fire Mike Chertoff. — Tell Harry Reid to ... well, you know... Pardon Scooter.

Discussion: Shakesville

Associated Press:

Nancy Pelosi to publish memoir — NEW YORK - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who this year became the first woman to hold the top spot in the House of Representatives, is writing a memoir, to be released in the summer of 2008 by the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group.

Discussion: Oliver Willis and theneweditor.com

Greg Sargent / Talking Points Memo:

Being a New... VIDEO SURFACES OF RUDY SCREAMING, "BULLSH#$T!" — Being a New Yorker, I'd remembered that during a cop union rally in 1992, Rudy had come unhinged and screamed, "Bulls#$t!" — For some time now I've been meaning to track video of this moment down.

Discussion: Riehl World View and Taylor Marsh

Casey Ross / Boston Herald:

Romney aide's bogus badges: Sources detail 'illegal' security tactic — In an apparent violation of the law, a controversial aide to ex-Gov. Mitt Romney created phony law enforcement badges that he and other staffers used on the campaign trail to strong-arm reporters, avoid paying tolls …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, DownWithTyranny!, digg, MSNBC and Angry Bear