memeorandum: How Karl Rove lost a generation of Republicans (James Carville/Financial Times)

10:40 AM ET, August 15, 2007

Top Items:

Iranian Unit to Be Labeled 'Terrorist' — U.S. Moving Against Revolutionary Guard — The United States has decided to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a "specially designated global terrorist," according to U.S. officials …

Helene Cooper / New York Times:

U.S. Weighing Terrorist Label for Iran Guards — The Bush administration is preparing to declare that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is a foreign terrorist organization, senior administration officials said Tuesday. — If imposed, the declaration would signal a more confrontational turn …

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, democracyarsenal.org, MSNBC, Empire Burlesque, TIME: Swampland, On Deadline, WorkingForChange, The Swamp, LiberalOasis, Air America Radio, The Heretik and Hoffmania!

Reuters:
U.S. weighs labeling Iran Guard "terrorist": report

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister

Los Angeles Times:

Top general may propose pullbacks — Petraeus is expected to tell Congress that Iraqis can assume duties in some areas, freeing U.S. troops for other uses. — WASHINGTON — Intent on demonstrating progress in Iraq, the top U.S. general there is expected by Bush administration officials …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Jules Crittenden, The Next Hurrah, Greatscat!, Daily Kos and MSNBC

James Carville / Financial Times:

How Karl Rove lost a generation of Republicans — There is an old joke that campaign veterans toss around war rooms, bars and BS sessions. We say there are people who have worked in campaigns who say that they have lost some - and we call those folks operatives, managers, strategists …

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Washington Post, Open Left, ZenPundit, The Blue State, Riehl World View and Daily Pundit

New York Times:
With Rove's Departure, a New Era

Discussion: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and USA Today

Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:
Beyond Rove — He offered the president advice, not magic.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Carpetbagger Report, Pacific Views, Opinion Journal, ABCNEWS, The Corner, Guardian and Decision '08

Lou Dubose / Salon:
The collapse of Karl Rove

Discussion: Stop Cornyn, Firedoglake, Prairie Weather, South Texas Chisme, Off the Kuff and Right Wing Watch

Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
BARNES STORMING: — I don't know how I let myself get almost through …

Discussion: The Reaction, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Talking Points Memo

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Obama Says He Can Unite U.S. 'More Effectively' Than Clinton — Drawing a sharp contrast with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his main rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama said in an interview that he has the capacity she may lack to unify the country and move it out of what he called "ideological gridlock."

Discussion: The Huffington Post, MSNBC, New York Times, TIME: Swampland, Extreme Mortman, CNN Political Ticker and The RBC

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

Walking a fine line — Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) risk alienating veterans or anti-war Democrats when they address the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) national convention next week. — Obama and Clinton will be joined at the convention in Kansas City …

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker, Air America Radio and Associated Press

Susan Saulny / New York Times:
A Campaign Undeclared, Not Invisible

Discussion: The Politico and TIME

Leila Fadel / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Political impasse key to Iraq security — BAGHDAD — Despite U.S. claims that violence is down in the Iraqi capital, U.S. military officers are offering a bleak picture of Iraq's future, saying they've yet to see any signs of reconciliation between Sunni and Shiite Muslims despite the drop in violence.

Discussion: Informed Comment, Prairie Weather and Bluedaze

Damien Cave / New York Times:
4 Truck Bombs Kill 190 in Kurdish Area of Iraq

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns and Money

Associated Press:
Suicide truck bombers strike members of ancient religious sect …

Discussion: Harry's Place

Fox News:

South Carolina Inmate Hits Michael Vick With '$63,000,000,000 Billion Dollar' Lawsuit Alleging Al Qaeda Ties — Embattled NFL quarterback Michael Vick, facing federal charges related to his alleged participation in dogfighting, has been hit with a "$63,000,000,000 billion dollar" …

Discussion: Argghhh!

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Vick attorneys negotiating plea

Discussion: Off the Kuff and The Daily Whim

ABCNEWS:

Don Imus Sued by Rutgers Basketball Player — Star Center Kia Vaughn Names Imus, NBC, CBS in Civil Suit — Don Imus is facing his first lawsuit from a player on the Rutgers Women's Basketball team for derogatory comments that cost him his job as a radio host in April, ABC News has learned.

Discussion: Right Wing News, Hot Air, TMZ.com, Ian Schwartz, PoliPundit.com, Sister Toldjah and Wizbang

The Blotter:

Exclusive: U.S. Studying Two Dozen 'Clusters' of Possible Homegrown Terrorists — Brian Ross, Richard Esposito & Maddy Sauer Report: — U.S. law enforcement officials say they have identified more than two dozen "clusters" of young Muslim men in the northeast United States who are on a path …

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, Captain's Quarters and Hot Air

Eunice Moscoso / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Gingrich 'sickened' with Bush, Congress — Gingrich, who is considering a run for the White House, was referring to a recent crime in Newark, N.J., where three college students were murdered execution style in a school playground. — One of the suspects — Jose Lachira Carranza …

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots

Simon Romero / New York Times:

Chávez to Propose Removing His Term Limits — President Hugo Chávez will unveil a project to change the Constitution on Wednesday that is expected to allow him to be re-elected indefinitely, a move that would enhance his authority to accelerate a socialist-inspired transformation of Venezuelan society.

Discussion: QandO, Daniel W. Drezner and JammieWearingFool

Chris / TVNewser:

Half Hour News Hour Shelved — First on TVNewser: In a memo to senior producers this afternoon, FNC's SVP of programming, Bill Shine announced the network "will not continue the Half Hour News Hour beyond its current 15 episode run." Shine did leave the door open, however …

Discussion: Hog On Ice, The Democratic Daily, Hot Air and Hullabaloo

Satyam / Think Progress:
Fox's Right-Wing Alternative To Daily Show Fails

Discussion: State of the Day

Democrats.senate.gov:

Reid: Senate Will Explore Long-Term Fixes To FISA In September — Washington, D.C.—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent the following letter today to Senators Jay Rockefeller and Pat Leahy, encouraging them to develop long-term modernizations to FISA that better serve our national security interests …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Kaitlin Dirrig / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

New airport agents check for danger in fliers' facial expressions — WASHINGTON — Next time you go to the airport, there may be more eyes on you than you notice. — Specially trained security personnel are watching body language and facial cues of passengers for signs of bad intentions.

Discussion: Cliff Schecter