memeorandum: Countrywide to cut up to 12,000 jobs (Jonathan Stempel/Reuters)

7:25 AM ET, September 8, 2007

Top Items:

New OBL Tape: Iraq, Democratic Control — ABC News' Jonathan Karl, Pierre Thomas, Luis Martinez and Theresa Cook Report: ABC News has obtained a transcript of the latest taped message from the United States' most wanted terrorist, and a senior U.S. intelligence official has confirmed to ABC News that …

Discussion: IMAO, Jihad Watch, Doug Ross, Media Research Center, baldilocks, Right Wing Nut House, Red Alerts, All Spin Zone, Power Line, bRight & Early, TBogg, The Detroit Times, The Atlantic Online, The Gun Toting Liberal™, Fausta's blog, Captain's Quarters, NYT, protein wisdom, skippy the bush kangaroo, Sister Toldjah, small dead animals, Comments From Left Field, The Impolitic, Liberal Values, Cold Fury, Right Voices, NewsBusters.org, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Wake up America, Classical Values, Dr. Sanity, CNN, John Edwards for President, Associated Press, Atlas Shrugs, Wizbang, Stop The ACLU, The Strata-Sphere, Hot Air, GINA COBB, The Moderate Voice, RADAMISTO, Sweetness & Light, The Jawa Report, theneweditor.com, Little Green Footballs, Weasel Zippers, Daimnation!, Redstate, The Carpetbagger Report, Gay Patriot, Counterterrorism Blog, Roger L. Simon, QandO, The American Pundit, Ezra Klein, Take Our Country Back, Don Surber, Kiko's House and CBS News

Jennifer Parker / Political Radar:

Thompson Calls bin Laden "Symbolic"; Draws GOP Fire — ABC News' Bret Hovell and Jennifer Parker report: Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., has only been an official Republican presidential candidate for a day. But his comments are already drawing fire from his GOP rivals.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh and Patterico's Pontifications

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

OBL — As I skimmed the transcript of the new bin Laden tape with its discussion of global warming, subprime credit woes, Noam Chomsky, Richard Perle, the low tax nirvana of Islam and a bunch of other stuff, I could not help feeling sad again about how we gave this joker a new lease on life by invading Iraq.

Discussion: Townhall.com, the talking dog and Jules Crittenden

Mike Glover / Associated Press:
"(AP) Thompson campaign bus rumbles through rural Iowa"

Discussion: Brave New Films blog, Think Progress, MyDD, Democratic National Committee, Brilliant at Breakfast, The Carpetbagger Report, TBogg, Talking Points Memo and MSNBC

Andrew Roth / Club for Growth:
Osama bin Laden's Record on Economic Issues

Discussion: Macsmind, Liberty Pundit, Classical Values and The Belmont Club

CBS News:
Where Is Osama Bin Laden?

Discussion: Gawker, Gateway Pundit, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Hot Air and Daimnation!

Agence France Presse:
Al-Qaeda planning fresh attacks on US: CIA chief

Discussion: ePluribus Media Community

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
OSAMA BIN LADEN: TERRORIST AND POLITICAL PUNDIT

Discussion: Jihad Watch

The Corner:

Madeleine L'Engle at Home — You know her as the author of A Wrinkle in Time — possibly the best and most memorable young person's novel written in the United States since World War II. If you're lucky, you read or sampled a dozen or more of the 60-odd books she wrote for children and adults …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

Douglas Martin / New York Times:
Madeleine L'Engle, Children's Writer, Is Dead

Discussion: The Democratic Daily, Liberal Values, The Detroit Times, Liberty Street, Hecate, Shakespeare's Sister and If I Ran the Zoo

Cara Rubinsky / Associated Press:
'A Wrinkle in Time' author L'Engle dies

Discussion: Gawker, GINA COBB and First Draft

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:

OVER THE TOP, EVEN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE — Maybe there is a limit as to how far the White House will—or can—go to spin the situation on the ground in Iraq as positive. — On his way to the APEC conference in Australia this week, President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq.

Discussion: Needlenose

White House:
President Bush Attends APEC Business Summit

Discussion: The Rude Pundit and First Draft

Bill Richardson / Washington Post:

Why We Should Exit Iraq Now — Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards have suggested that there is little difference among us on Iraq. This is not true: I am the only leading Democratic candidate committed to getting all our troops out and doing so quickly.

Discussion: Eschaton

Kos / Daily Kos:
Where are Obama and Clinton? — So where are the two "front runner" candidates on Iraq?

Discussion: TPM Election Central, The Trail, The Talent Show, Black Shards … and My Left Wing

Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:

Countrywide to cut up to 12,000 jobs — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Countrywide Financial Corp, the largest U.S. mortgage lender, said on Friday it plans to cut 10,000 to 12,000 jobs to cope with weak housing demand, rising foreclosures and tightening credit markets.

Julia Koch / Spiegel Online:

Behavioral Science Turns to Dogs for Answers — For a long time, domesticated dogs were seen as just the slobbering, dumbed-down ancestor of the wild wolf. Dogs, though, have learned a few tricks of their own through the millennia — and can teach us a lot about ourselves.

Discussion: Wizbang and Betsy's Page

Libby Quaid / Associated Press:

Rudy: Illegal immigration not a crime — WASHINGTON - Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said illegal immigration is not a crime, prompting rival Mitt Romney to accuse him of not taking the problem seriously. — The two have clashed for weeks over illegal immigration …

Discussion: Say Anything, The Reaction, The Glenn Beck Program, MyDD and Riehl World View

Richard Simon / Los Angeles Times:

Senate's vote revives overseas abortion issue — Despite a veto threat, 53 senators back overturning a ban on aid to groups that offer support for the procedure. — WASHINGTON — Defying a White House veto threat, the Democratic-controlled Senate voted Thursday to overturn a long-standing ban …

Discussion: Bush v. Choice and The Sideshow

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:

ADVICE AND CONSENT: THE BUSH WAY — Yesterday, the White House announced it would nominate E. Duncan Getchell, Jr., to a seat on the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. But as the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports today, Getchell was not on a list of five possible nominees submitted …

Discussion: Law Blog and Open Left

Peter Hardin / Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Bush federal judge pick criticized

Discussion: White House, Think Progress and Washington Post

Ryan Sager / Latest Politics:

Thompson's First Campaign Event: Unimpressive — I just attended Fred Thompson's first campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa. The quick take: This is a whimper of a start. — I'm writing from the filing center that the Thompson campaign has set up in the Polk County Convention Complex …

Discussion: Hotline On Call, Washington Post, Daily Kos and Riehl World View

David Whitney / Sacramento Bee:

Doolittle: 'I am running again. Period.' — WASHINGTON - Rep. John Doolittle defiantly declared Friday that he will not retire from Congress despite increasing Republican concern that if he runs for a 10th term next year, the seat could fall to Democratic challenger Charlie Brown.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, The Fix and Calitics

Susan Cornwell / Reuters:

No more Iraq funds without limits: key Democrat — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. Senate said on Friday he could no longer vote for funding the war in Iraq unless restrictions were attached that would begin winding down American involvement there. — "This Congress can't give President (George W.)

Discussion: Three Wise Men

Kos / Daily Kos:

Hillary wants withdrawal bill with teeth — Hillary is finally showing leadership on the pre-emptive capitulation efforts in Congress. This statement was sent to me via email, so no link yet: … I have to say I'm shocked at the silence from the Obama campaign.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Taylor Marsh, The Agonist and Riehl World View

Peter Lattman / Law Blog:

The Curious Case Of Skilling's Really Long Appellate Brief — When we received Mr. Skilling's 239-page appellate brief this morning, we raised our eyebrows at its length. Coming in at roughly 60,000 words, we wondered whether the court placed limitations on the length of briefs. Indeed, it does.

Discussion: TalkLeft and How Appealing