memeorandum: STATE SECRETS — Is the D.C. Madam attempting to raise the graymail defense? (David Kurtz/Talking Points Memo)

1:15 AM ET, September 5, 2007

Top Items:

AP: Craig reconsiders decision to resign — BOISE, Idaho - Sen. Larry Craig is reconsidering his decision to resign after his arrest in a Minnesota airport sex sting and may still fight for his Senate seat, his spokesman said Tuesday evening. — "It's not such a foregone conclusion anymore …

Discussion: Think Progress, ABCNEWS, Hot Air, Idaho Statesman, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Riehl World View, All Spin Zone, D-Day, DownWithTyranny!, The American Mind, Green Mountain Daily, michellemalkin.com and Sister Toldjah

Idaho Statesman:

UPDATED 7:25 p.m. — Craig may not quit after all if he's cleared of charges, spokesman says — Sen. Larry Craig says he may fight to keep his job in the U.S. Senate after all. — "Basically, as he stated on Saturday, Senator Craig intends to resign on Sept. 30th," said his spokesman Dan Whiting via e-mail Tuesday night.

Discussion: TalkLeft, On Deadline, Reason Magazine, BeldarBlog and The Garlic

Associated Press:

FALLOUT — Political support for Craig continues to erode. — Nevada Senator John Ensign, GOP leader, implying he should quit. — Senator John McCain among Republicans urging Craig to resign. — Senator Norm Coleman, R-Minn, returned $2500 Craig donation.

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Sex scandal senator reconsiders quitting

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Blog P.I.

New York Times:
Craig Said to Consider Not Resigning

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Obsidian Wings

Mcjoan / Daily Kos:
ID-Sen: Tough it out, Larry!

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake and MyDD

Frederick W. Kagan / Weekly Standard:

What's Wrong with the GAO Report — Measuring failure—or the failures of measuring. — At first glance—as those who leaked it last week saw—the Government Accountability Office's report on Iraq, released today, paints a dark view of progress and prospects in Iraq.

Discussion: On Deadline, Macsmind, Booman Tribune, Flopping Aces, Wake up America, Comments From Left Field, Burkean Reflections, Balloon Juice, Gateway Pundit, The Democratic Daily, The Newshoggers, Democratic National Committee and Sister Toldjah

Brian Knowlton / New York Times:

Independent Audit Finds Progress Lacking in Iraq — A report by Congressional auditors issued todayconcludes that "violence remains high" in Iraq amid mixed progress on security and that political reconciliation efforts remain far from sufficient, eight months after President Bush began his troop-increase plan.

Discussion: The Politico, CNN Political Ticker, AMERICAblog, The Swamp and The Gun Toting Liberal™

Faiz / Think Progress:

GAO Chief Suggests Administration Is Cooking The Books On Levels Of Sectarian Violence In Iraq — Gen. David Petraeus has claimed that there has been a 75 percent reduction in sectarian violence. In testimony today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, GAO Comptroller General David Walker …

Discussion: democracyarsenal.org, The Next Hurrah and Take Our Country Back

Faiz / Think Progress:
GAO Report: Daily Attacks Against Iraqis 'Have Remained Unchanged'

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and Eschaton

Logan Murphy / Crooks and Liars:

Countdown Special Comment: You have no remaining credibility about Iraq, sir. — Keith Olbermann's Special Comment tonight is without a doubt, one of his hardest hitting and most emotional to date. Keith absolutely lays waste to President Bush's lies and rhetoric about the surge.

Discussion: The Galloping Beaver

Dan Froomkin / Washington Post:

Kabuki at Camp Cupcake — What exactly was President Bush up to yesterday, making a "surprise visit" to a huge American air base in Iraq, praising the ostensible progress there and hinting at a troop reduction if things keep going so well? — One answer lies in the remarkably forthright …

Discussion: New York Times, Left In Alabama, The Newshoggers, Connecting.the.Dots and AMERICAblog

Atrios / Eschaton: Camp Cupcake — Froomkin's back from vacation. Must be a Spaniard:

Washington Post:

Fighting for Our Handgun Ban — As mayor and attorney general of the District of Columbia, we were deeply disappointed this year when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declared that the District's longstanding handgun ban violates the Second Amendment.

Discussion: michael linn jones, DCist and SCOTUSblog

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Second Amendment case reaches Court; cross-appeal coming

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and The Impolitic

David Freddoso / The Corner: Fenty of Lies From The Mayor

Evgenia Peretz / Vanity Fair:

Going After Gore — Al Gore couldn't believe his eyes: as the 2000 election heated up, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other top news outlets kept going after him, with misquotes ("I invented the Internet"), distortions (that he lied about being the inspiration for Love Story) …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, NewsBusters.org, Liberal Values, ePluribus Media Community, Lean Left, Connecting.the.Dots, Comments From Left Field, rochesterturning.com, Taylor Marsh and MSNBC

ABCNEWS:

Time to Head to Congress — Gen. Petraeus Preps for Much-Anticipated Iraq Progress Report — The top military general in Iraq hinted to ABC's Martha Raddatz that next week's much-anticipated report on the status of the troop surge in Iraq would include a recommendation for troop reduction in March …

Discussion: Hot Air, Stop The ACLU, Instapundit.com, Don Surber and The American Pundit

Nitya / Political Radar:

High School Student to McCain: You're No Leader — ABC News' Bret Hovell and Matt Stuart Report: Senator John McCain had a testy exchange with a high school student in Concord, NH, Tuesday, but one that McCain himself characterized as "what America is supposed to be about."

Discussion: Think Progress, Blue Girl, Red State and Shakespeare's Sister

U.S. Federal Election Commission:

FEC Resolved Two Matters Involving Internet Activity; Applies Media Exemption to Political Blogs — WASHINGTON - The Federal Election Commission announced today that it has unanimously resolved two complaints alleging that Internet blog activity is subject to Commission regulation …

Discussion: Daily Kos, TalkLeft, ArchPundit and The Washington Note