memeorandum: Bush policy to bequeath Iraq to successor (Paul Richter/Los Angeles Times)

1:50 PM ET, September 11, 2007

Top Items:

By Bush's Own Standard, Surge Has Failed — Before Gen. David Petraeus' report, and to give it a context of optimism, the president visited Iraq's Anbar province to underscore the success of the surge in making some hitherto anarchic areas less so. More significant, however, was the fact that the president did not visit Baghdad.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Outside The Beltway, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, New York Post, DownWithTyranny!, michellemalkin.com, QandO, Washington Post, Newsweek, The Huffington Post, race42008.com, Jon Swift, Balloon Juice, The Galloping Beaver, Democratic Strategist, CFR.org, RADAMISTO and Atlantic Free Press

McClatchy Washington Bureau:

What Crocker and Petraeus didn't say — WASHINGTON — The Bush administration's top two officials in Iraq answered questions from Congress for more than six hours on Monday, but their testimony may have been as important for what they didn't say as for what they did.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Shakespeare's Sister, Prairie Weather, Washington Post, The Gavel and unbossed.com

Washington Post:

Petraeus, Crocker Face Skepticism on Drawdown — Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker went before Congress for a second day today to deliver a progress report on the war in Iraq and explain a new military plan to withdraw the 30,000 reinforcements sent there earlier this year to improve security.

Discussion: Think Progress, Taylor Marsh, Wonkette and Democrats.com

Paul Richter / Los Angeles Times:

Bush policy to bequeath Iraq to successor — The president plans to end his term with a strong U.S. military in the country and leave the issue of exiting to his successor. — WASHINGTON — The talk in Washington on Monday was all about troop reductions, yet it also brought …

Discussion: Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Cato-at-liberty, The BRAD BLOG, The Carpetbagger Report, Liberty Street, Middle Earth Journal and Prairie Weather

New York Times:

Empty Calories — For months, President Bush has been promising an honest accounting of the situation in Iraq, a fresh look at the war strategy and a new plan for how to extricate the United States from the death spiral of the Iraqi civil war. The nation got none of that yesterday …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Talking Points Memo, New York Post, Real Clear Politics, Washington Post, The Peking Duck, Prairie Weather, SWJ Blog, Left in the West and Hoystory

Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The House Tosses Softballs to Gen. Petraeus

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, New York Times, Taylor Marsh, Macsmind, Crooks and Liars, Washington Post, The Xsociate Files, Obsidian Wings, Think Progress and Hot Air

Fox News:
Crocker: Victory in Iraq Will Be Determined in the Future

Discussion: Gateway Pundit

Jackie Kucinich / The Hill:

Republicans introduce measure condemning MoveOn ad — House Republican leaders introduced a resolution Monday condemning a full-page newspaper ad from MoveOn.org that criticizes the character of Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding general of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Discussion: TPM Election Central, The Carpetbagger Report, Balloon Juice, Dick Polman's American Debate and Gateway Pundit

Hoystory:

MoveOn's money — You can see a full size PDF of today's MoveOn.org ad in today's New York Times by clicking on the accompanying image. I've got to say that this is probably the most disgusting piece of political hackery since Grover Cleveland had to endure taunts of "Ma, Ma, where's my pa?

Discussion: Say Anything, INSTAPUTZ, TBogg and Townhall.com

Opinion Journal:
Trashing Petraeus — MoveOn.org, and the new standards of Democratic debate.

Discussion: Wake up America, Boston Globe, Betsy's Page, Blue Crab Boulevard, National Review Online and BobKrumm.com

AlaskaReport.com:
Petraeus report aka 'Bush Report'

Discussion: Pen and Sword

Norman Podhoretz / Opinion Journal:

'America the Ugly' — Six years after 9/11, it's notable how little the politics of the left have changed. — In the immediate aftermath of the attacks on us that took place on this very day six years ago, several younger commentators proclaimed the birth of an entirely new era in American history.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Commentary, Solomonia, alicublog, Townhall.com and Daily Kos

Roger L. Simon / Pajamas Media:

WORLD WAR IV WITH THE WRONG ROSIE — Pajamas Media CEO Roger L. Simon reviews Norman Podhoretz's World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism, published on the sixth anniversary of 9/11. — Support Pajamas Media; Visit Our Advertisers — "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you."

Discussion: Power Line, Townhall.com, Fausta's blog, Classical Values and Roger L. Simon

Michael Luo / The Caucus:

Romney Campaign Tied to Anti-Thompson Site — At least two top members of Mitt Romney's South Carolina operation appear to be connected to an anti-Fred Thompson Web site that was taken down today after reporters began to make inquiries about it. — The Web site, PhoneyFred.org …

Discussion: Rasmussen Reports, Wonkette, The Right's Field, The Politico and The Carpetbagger Report

Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:
Romney Adviser Linked to Anti-Thompson Internet Site

Discussion: The State, Associated Press, Arizona Republic, TIME: Swampland, Daily Pundit, MSNBC, Althouse, La Shawn Barber's Corner, TIME, The Democratic Daily, The Politico, DownWithTyranny! and eyeon08.com

Michelle Malkin:

9/11: Remembrance and resistance — What do you remember? When I think back to September 11, 2001, the crisp morning before jihadists struck on American soil, I remember transluscent blue skies. Green-gold leaves. And the blush pink cheeks of my then-one-year-old daughter …

Discussion: GINA COBB, The Moderate Voice, Captain's Quarters, Pajamas Media, Washington Times, The Mahablog, Wizbang, Blue Star Chronicles, The Anchoress, The Strata-Sphere, Hot Air, La Shawn Barber's Corner, Riehl World View, Israel Matzav, Balloon Juice, The Peking Duck and Outside The Beltway

Johnny Dollar / Olbermann Watch:

Keith Olbermann Admits He Is Un-American! — And reprehensible too. Don't blame us...it's his words:

Discussion: protein wisdom, The Radio Equalizer and Hot Air

John Bresnahan / The Politico:

Miers, Bolten contempt filings delayed — House Democratic leaders have decided to postpone a vote on a criminal contempt resolution against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers for several weeks, and possibly longer, according to top lawmakers and aides.

Discussion: TPMmuckraker and Democrats.com

Peter Garnham / Financial Times:

Dollar hits fresh 15-year low — The dollar fell to a fresh 15-year low against a basket of currencies on Tuesday as the greenback continued to suffer from the prospect of a cut in US interest rates. — Expectations that the Federal Reserve would move to lower interest rates at its meeting …

Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:

THE FIGHT TO FILL JUDICIAL VACANCIES GROWS EVER WEIRDER. — Last week, President Bush nominated two candidates for seats on the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which now is operating with five vacancies on its 15-member bench. The president opted to casually insult Virginia's …