memeorandum: Big Gifts, Tax Breaks and a Debate on Charity (Stephanie Strom/New York Times)

12:20 PM ET, September 6, 2007

Top Items:

Experts Doubt Drop In Violence in Iraq — Military Statistics Called Into Question — The U.S. military's claim that violence has decreased sharply in Iraq in recent months has come under scrutiny from many experts within and outside the government, who contend that some of the underlying statistics …

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

Democrats Newly Willing to Compromise on Iraq — With a mixed picture emerging about progress in Iraq, Senate Democratic leaders are showing a new openness to compromise as they try to attract Republican support for forcing at least modest troop withdrawals in the coming months.

Faiz / Think Progress: Report: Massive U.S. 'Footprint' In Iraq Conveys 'Permanence …

Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
Jones Report: Iraqi Security Forces Not Ready

Discussion: Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Outside The Beltway, The Carpetbagger Report, PoliBlog (TM), TIME: Swampland, The Reaction, The Next Hurrah and Hot Air

The Politico:
Democrats retreat on war end

Discussion: The Huffington Post

New York Times:

Transcript of the Fox News Republican Presidential Candidates Debate — The Fox News Republican Presidential Candidates Debate in Durham, N.H. with candidates: Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas); the former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani; the former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Washington Post, The Fix, The Carpetbagger Report, Fausta's blog, Happy Furry Puppy Story …, PSoTD, State of the Day and michellemalkin.com

Susan Saulny / New York Times:

Thompson Declares His Candidacy for President — After months of false starts, staff shake-ups, and questions about the seriousness of his intention to run for president, Fred Thompson rolled out his presidential candidacy this evening with a two-pronged, guerrilla-style entry into the race …

Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:

McCain Helps Himself — And Romney appears vulnerable on Iraq. — NO PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION or election has ever been won on the basis of a performance in a debate. But candidates can help or hurt themselves. Last night in New Hampshire, John McCain helped himself and Mitt Romney hurt himself.

Discussion: Burkean Reflections, Central Sanity and Ezra Klein

Fox News:
Two Republican Presidential Candidacies Offered New, Revived Life

Discussion: The Swamp

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Open thread: Fred announces on Leno; Update: Web announcement video …

Discussion: National Review, Wake up America, Corrente, Reason Magazine, Althouse, Roger L. Simon, The Politico, Biased BBC, Infidels Are Cool, Washington Times, IMAO, Riehl World View, Instapundit.com and Stop The ACLU

L. Paul Bremer III / New York Times:

How I Didn't Dismantle Iraq's Army — "The Iraqi Army of the future cannot be an extension of the present army, which has been made into a tool of dictatorship." — Report by the Department of State's Future of Iraq Project, May 2002 — IT has become conventional wisdom that the decision …

Discussion: Norwegianity, Outside The Beltway and WorkingForChange

David S. Cloud / New York Times:
Panel Sees More Than a Year Before Iraq Can Handle Security

Discussion: Sweetness & Light

S.A. Miller / Washington Times:

Dems already dismissing Iraq war report — Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, talked with reporters yesterday in Washington. "We know what is going to be in it," he said of the Iraq war report next week. "I expect the Bush report to say, 'The surge is working.

Discussion: Heading Right, Captain's Quarters, Argghhh!, The Jawa Report, Confederate Yankee, JammieWearingFool and Liberty Pundit

David S. Broder / Washington Post:

The Making of the Front-Runner — As the serious stage of the presidential campaign begins this fall, Hillary Rodham Clinton has clearly established herself in the lead of the race for the Democratic nomination. That makes her the most worthy subject for examination among all the White House prospects.

Discussion: Horses Mouth, New York Post, The Peking Duck, Stubborn Facts, NYT, MSNBC and The Politico

Sidney Blumenthal / Salon:

Bush knew Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction — Salon exclusive: Two former CIA officers say the president squelched top-secret intelligence, and a briefing by George Tenet, months before invading Iraq. — (Clockwise from top left) Naji Sabri, George W. Bush, Colin Powell and George Tenet.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Three Wise Men, Lean Left, Pandagon, RADAMISTO, Shakespeare's Sister, Brilliant at Breakfast, Liberal Values, State of the Day and The Raw Story

New York Sun:

Petraeus for President? — "Senators and distinguished guests, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to testify in respect of progress in the Battle of Iraq. Before I do however, there are a few things I'd like to get off of my chest. Although your house of Congress confirmed …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Reason Magazine

Michael Medved / Townhall.com:

Larry Craig and "Don't Tap, Don't Tell" — The ignominious fall of Senator Larry Craig casts new light on the importance of the nation's "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning open homosexuals from military service. — If preventing public sex in airport men's rooms is important enough …

Discussion: Sadly, No! and Pandagon

Andrew Malcolm / Los Angeles Times:

Shocking truth about Fred Thompson revealed! — Before we get too far into the brand-new presidential campaign of Fred Thompson, which began in the wee hours of this morning in a webcast at Fred08.com, we need to straighten one thing out for the official record.

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
It's already too late for Fred, many say

Discussion: New York Times, Des Moines Register and Hot Air

CNN:

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti dead at 71 — (CNN) — Famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who appeared on stage with singers as varied as opera star Dame Joan Sutherland, U2's Bono and Liza Minnelli, died Thursday in Italy after suffering from pancreatic cancer, manager Terri Robson said in a statement.

Discussion: BBC, Central Sanity, Comments From Left Field and skippy the bush kangaroo

Bernard Holland / New York Times:
Luciano Pavarotti, Italian Tenor, Is Dead at 71

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Glittering Eye, Gothamist and Althouse

Bryan / Hot Air:

German authorities continue hunting for 10 more bomb plotters — Before I get to the German terror plot broken up this week, a little history from William F. Buckley: … And a word from one of the presidential candidates: … Right, John. Sleep tight. Meanwhile, in the real world:

Discussion: Washington Post and JammieWearingFool

Melissa Eddy / Associated Press:
Germany searching for 10 terror suspects

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs

Quinnipiac University News and Events:

September 6, 2007 - Clinton Opens Lead Over Giuliani As Dems Surge In Ohio, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Little Unity Among Republicans — Ohio, the key state in the 2004 presidential election, is turning blue in the 2008 campaign, with Democratic candidates winning 11 of 12 matchups …

Discussion: Pollster.com and TPM Election Central

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com:

SO I'M READING JACK GOLDSMITH'S NEW BOOK, The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration, and so far it's quite good. Excerpt: … As I've said before, this war has been overlawyered, which is not to say it has been well-lawyered. Goldsmith notes that the Defense …

Discussion: INSTAPUTZ

WNBC:

FBI Makes 11 Corruption Arrests In N.J. — NEW YORK — Eleven public officials were charged Thursday in a widespread FBI corruption investigation in New Jersey, officials said. — Among those charged were Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera and Orange Mayor Mims Hackett, investigators said.

Discussion: Macsmind