memeorandum: REPORT: Petraeus Spent At Least 17 Days In August Flacking For Bush's Escalation (Think Progress)

1:15 AM ET, September 11, 2007

Top Items:

Frank James / The Swamp:

Petraeus 'Betray Us' ad is group's 'shock and awe' — MoveOn.org was looking to get attention and so they have with their full-page New York Times ad in which they slam Gen. David Petraeus, rhyming his name with "betray us." It's the liberal group's version of shock and awe.

Think Progress:

REPORT: Petraeus Spent At Least 17 Days In August Flacking For Bush's Escalation — The Washington Post reported this weekend that the White House political office and Gen. David Petraeus' unit have been "hard-wired" together, working jointly to "map out ways of selling the surge."

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Empire Burlesque

CNN Political Ticker:

Thompson calls on Democrats to return MoveOn.org donations — COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) - Former senator and Republican White House hopeful Fred Thompson called on Democratic presidential candidates Monday to refund all donations received from MoveOn.org after the liberal advocacy group ran …

Discussion: Say Anything, Wake up America, Blue Crab Boulevard and Riehl World View

CNN Political Ticker:

Kerry: MoveOn.org is 'over the top' — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, criticized MoveOn.org Monday for taking an ad out in The New York Times criticizing Gen. David Petraeus. The general is testifying before Congress today about the situation in Iraq.

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard and michellemalkin.com

Deacon / Power Line:
MOVEON.ORG HITS THE BOTTOM

Discussion: CNN, Captain's Quarters, National Review, Comments From Left Field, TPMCafe blogs, WILLisms.com, Weekly Standard, The Mahablog and HazZzMat

Michael Hirsh / Newsweek:
Newsweek: Rating Petraeus' report

Discussion: Hot Air

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
No More Flack for Iraq

Discussion: Eschaton, TalkLeft, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Salon, Open Left and DownWithTyranny!

Michael Yon / National Review Online:
Yon: Dont Ask Me What I Think about the Petraeus Repor...

Discussion: UrbanGrounds

Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
With Enemies Like This, General Petraeus Gets New Friends

Discussion: The Politico and The Hill

Washington Post:

The General's Long View Could Cut Withdrawal Debate Short — If Gen. David H. Petraeus has his way, tens of thousands of U.S. troops will be in Iraq for years to come. — Iraq's armed forces are improving, Petraeus told Congress yesterday. Overall violence is down.

Discussion: Prairie Weather and The Mahablog

Austin Bay Blog:

Initial thoughts on Petraeus-Crocker testimony — After three hours of testimony — at times grueling testimony — I've some initial reactions. (As it is, I have to get ready to give a speech this evening.) — My first thought is MoveOn.org lost this political battle — the chumps went an …

Discussion: Guardian, Gateway Pundit, The Monkey Tennis Centre, michellemalkin.com, Instapundit.com, CNN and Wake up America

Think Progress:

Petraeus Falsely Claims That Six Months Ago, 'No One Would Have Forecast' Anbar's Success — Today in his testimony to the House, Gen. David Petraeus cited the reduced violence in the Anbar province as evidence that President Bush's "surge" is working. He added that it would be "premature" …

Discussion: unbossed.com, Crooks and Liars, The Gavel, democracyarsenal.org, AMERICAblog, Shakespeare's Sister, Talking Points Memo and TPMmuckraker

Ed Kilgore / Democratic Strategist:
Petraeus Made EZ

Discussion: New York Post, The Atlantic Online and Daily Kos

David Stout / New York Times:
Slow Progress Being Made in Iraq, Petraeus Tells Congress

Discussion: Think Progress, ABCNEWS, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, The Swamp, The Moderate Voice, MoJoBlog, Pottersville, DownWithTyranny!, Outside The Beltway, The Politico, Washington Post, The Gavel, CNN Political Ticker, PoliBlog (TM) and Comments From Left Field

Washington Post:
Petraeus Backs Initial Pullout

Discussion: CFR.org, MoJoBlog, RIGHTWINGSPARKLE, The Democratic Daily and PoliBlog (TM)

The Washington Post / The Trail:

Anti-Thompson Site Connects to Romney Camp — A top adviser to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney appears to be behind today's launch of a new Web site attacking GOP presidential rival Fred Thompson. — The site, www.phoneyfred.org, paints an unflattering picture of Thompson …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Talking Points Memo, The Politico, The Caucus, DownWithTyranny!, race42008.com, eyeon08.com and The American Mind

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Thompson wants 'due process' for Bin Laden

Discussion: Associated Press, The Carpetbagger Report, Hot Air, Stop The ACLU, AMERICAblog and Daily Pundit

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:

PETRAEUS'S DRAWDOWN....This slide from Gen. David Paraeus's testimony today is a work of art, isn't it? It looks like some kind of timeline for withdrawal, but all it actually says is that we'll withdraw five brigades by next July, something we already know is driven not by strategic considerations …

Discussion: New York Times, TPMmuckraker, The Newshoggers and alicublog

John Cole / Balloon Juice:
Look At All the Pretty Colors

Discussion: Thought Theater and Washington Monthly

Lara Jakes Jordan / Associated Press:

Clinton to return $850,000 raised by Hsu — WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign said Monday it will return $850,000 in donations raised by Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, who is under federal investigation for allegedly violating election laws.

Discussion: Suitably Flip, Hot Air, Stop The ACLU, JammieWearingFool, Blue Crab Boulevard, Wizbang, Macsmind, Sweetness & Light, Leibowitz's Canticle and Gateway Pundit

Spud / Inside Cable News:

Uh oh... *Sigh* — How can someone so shallow, be so far off the deep end? — *Sigh* — Give Me A Break!!

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Patterico's Pontifications, Captain's Quarters, Olbermann Watch, The Jawa Report and Sister Toldjah

Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:

Clinton Questions Petraeus — After blaming the previous "supine" Congress and Rumsfeld for our current impasse, she repeats that skepticism of Petraeus's report is merited. She seems to have conceded that there's no chance that the Congress can stop the continued escalation.

Discussion: Corrente

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

THAT POLL OF IRAQIS — There's been a lot of attention to that poll that showed that the great majority of Iraqis (70%) believe that the surge has failed and that security conditions have deteriorated. But there's a lot more in that poll that's worth looking at. (Click here for the full results.)

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Eschaton

James Joyner / Outside The Beltway:

New Gig — I'm starting a new chapter in my professional career this morning, having been hired as the managing editor for the Atlantic Council of the United States. Over the next few weeks, I'll be working with CEO Fred Kempe and the senior leadership of the Council in relaunching their Web presence.

Discussion: The Impolitic, Blue Crab Boulevard and The American Mind