memeorandum: But Don't Ask Him on YouTube... Four days after the Democratic debate … (Jose Antonio Vargas/Washington Post)

9:05 AM ET, July 27, 2007

Top Items:

Jose Antonio Vargas / Washington Post:

But Don't Ask Him on YouTube... Four days after the Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C,. more than 400 questions directed to the GOP presidential field have been uploaded on YouTube — targeted at Republicans scheduled to get their turn at videopopulism on Sept. 17.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Moderate Voice, Riehl World View, Don Surber, Open Left, Bark Bark Woof Woof and techPresident

Patrick Ruffini / Townhall.com:

GOPers Bail on YouTube Debate? — Over the last few hours, I'd been hearing buzz that GOP candidates were going wobbly on the CNN/YouTube debate. I was dismissive. Given the huge earned media hit the Democrats got this week, the fact that even the highly partisan questioners acquitted themselves better …

Discussion: TIME: Swampland, Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog, race42008.com, Comments From Left Field, skippy the bush kangaroo and The Democratic Daily

Hugh Hewitt / Townhall.com:

Thumbs Down On The GOP YouTube Debate — The YouTube debate was a silly, and at times absurd exercise in giving air time to many idiots separated by an occasional responsible speaker, and the question selection by CNN demonstrated a huge left-wing bias which will inevitably appear …

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House and Reason Magazine

The Atlantic Online:

Update: Rudy Likely To Opt Out Of YouTube Debate — A Giuliani campaign source says that the ex-NYC mayor will most likely opt out of the 9/17 CNN/YouTube Debate in Florida. The reason: unspecified scheduling conflicts.

John Distaso / New Hampshire Union Leader:
Granite Status: Romney no fan of CNN/YouTube debate antics

Discussion: Beltway Blogroll, The Atlantic Online and New York Times

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
It's looking like... GOP: YOUTUBE TOO SCARY FOR US

Discussion: Townhall.com

Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:
The GOP and YouTube — Rudy won't bite, apparently.

Discussion: Townhall.com, Talking Points Memo and Balloon Juice

Martha Mendoza / Associated Press:

AP: New Details on Tillman's Death — SAN FRANCISCO - — Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, ABCNEWS, Brilliant at Breakfast, Rising Hegemon, The Gun Toting Liberal™, The Democratic Daily, The Mahablog, Truthdig, Obsidian Wings and Attytood

TRex / Firedoglake:

BREAKING: A Whole New Level of Horror — "This war is so f**king illegal." (Patrick Tillman) — From the AP: … In other words, Pat Tillman was most likely murdered in the field. In cold blood. By other US soldiers. — This must be what the Bush Administration was trying …

Discussion: Discourse.net and Crooks and Liars

New York Times:

F.B.I. Chief Gives Account at Odds With Gonzales's — The director of the F.B.I. offered testimony Thursday that sharply conflicted with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's sworn statements about a 2004 confrontation in which top Justice Department officials threatened to resign over a secret intelligence operation.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Crooks and Liars, Brilliant at Breakfast and Roger Ailes

David Stout / New York Times:
F.B.I. Chief Challenges Gonzales's Testimony

Discussion: Washington Post, DownWithTyranny!, Big Lizards, Wonkette and On Deadline

TPMmuckraker:
Analysis: Gonzales Testimony Part of Broader Effort to Conceal Surveillance Program

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, TalkLeft, The Sideshow and Balkinization

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
It's been pretty... TPM TO MSM: COME ON IN! THE WATER FEELS FINE!

Discussion: Associated Press

CNN:

Court throws out illegal immigrant ordinances — ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (CNN) — A federal court Thursday struck down ordinances passed by Hazleton, Pennsylvania, that were intended to limit where illegal immigrants could live and work. — Last year, Hazleton passed the Illegal Immigration …

Julia Preston / Press Association:

Judge Voids Ordinance on Illegal Immigrants — A federal judge in Pennsylvania yesterday struck down ordinances adopted by the City of Hazleton to bar illegal immigrants from working or renting homes there, the most resounding legal blow so far to local efforts across the country to crack down on illegal immigration.

Discussion: ACLU and TalkLeft

Fred File:
Hazleton Immigration Decision

Discussion: Wake up America and Pawatercooler.com

Helene Cooper / New York Times:

U.S. Officials Voice Frustrations With Saudis' Role in Iraq — During a high-level meeting in Riyadh in January, Saudi officials confronted a top American envoy with documents that seemed to suggest that Iraq's prime minister could not be trusted. — One purported to be an early alert …

Discussion: The American Street and TalkLeft

Glenn R. Simpson / Wall Street Journal: U.S. Tracks Saudi Bank Favored by Extremists

Los Angeles Times:

U.S. drops Baghdad electricity reports — The daily length of time that residents have power has dropped. The figure is considered a key indicator of quality of life. — WASHINGTON — washington — As the Bush administration struggles to convince lawmakers that its Iraq war strategy is working …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Informed Comment and Daily Kos

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:

O'Reilly cuts Hall's mic to get the last word about BilloReilly.com's HATE comments — As O'Reilly smeared Kos and YKos yet again, Jane Hall told Bill that his own website had hate comments on it. BillO called her a liar and then they cut her mic off so he was sure to get the last word in …

Discussion: News Bloggers, Comments From Left Field, News For The Left and Daily Kos

Matthew Rothschild / The New Press:

You Have No Rights — Stories of America in an Age of Repression — Paperback — PAPERBACK ORIGINAL CHILLING STORIES OF ORDINARY AMERICANS WHOSE EVERYDAY LIBERTIES HAVE BEEN VIOLATED SINCE SEPTEMBER 11 — I'm very liberal and sometimes my friends say I'm giving them some kind of paranoid …

CNN Political Ticker:

Clinton calls Bush-Cheney comparison 'silly' — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton sharply dismissed Thursday a recent suggestion from chief rival Barack Obama that she is "Bush-Cheney light," telling CNN the comparison is "silly."

Discussion: San Francisco Chronicle, The Atlantic Online, The Politico, New York Times, Liberal Values, Lynn Sweet, The Democratic Daily, The Carpetbagger Report and Taylor Marsh

Rick Klein / Political Radar:
Obama: Clinton Would Continue "Bush Doctrine"

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, The Huffington Post and The Hill

Jim Abrams / Associated Press:

FCC Chair: Fairness Doctrine Not Needed — WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission has no intention of reinstating the Fairness Doctrine imposing a requirement of balanced coverage of issues on public airwaves, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said. — Martin, in a letter written …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

Guardian:

Violence won't work: how author of 'jihadists' bible' stirred up a storm — Revisionist message from prison cell shakes al-Qaida colleagues — Ian Black Cairo — The assassination of the Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in 1981 by Islamic militants, a key moment in the development of jihadist groups.

Discussion: Jihad Watch