memeorandum: Is a Fred Thompson Campaign Necessary? (George Will/Real Clear Politics)

2:05 PM ET, September 13, 2007

Top Items:

TIMES GIVES LEFTIES A HEFTY DISCOUNT FOR 'BETRAY US' AD — The New York Times dramatically slashed its normal rates for a full-page advertisement for MoveOn.org's ad questioning the integrity of Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. — Headlined "Cooking the Books …

Discussion: Heading Right, Captain's Quarters, Hot Air, Balloon Juice, NewsBusters.org, Weekly Standard, The Democratic Daily, Washington Times, Jules Crittenden, Blue Crab Boulevard, Political Radar, QandO, Outside The Beltway, Sweetness & Light, baldilocks, Sister Toldjah, The Moderate Voice and Kiko's House

New York Post:

SEN. CLINTON'S SLUR — Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday found herself positioned firmly to the left of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi regarding that disgusting New York Times/MoveOn "General Betray Us" attack on Gen. David Petraeus' integrity. — That's not an enviable position for a woman who's trying …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Wake up America, Blue Crab Boulevard, Gateway Pundit and Political Radar

Washington Post:

Petraeus Returns to War That Is Now His Own — He sat absolutely still as members of Congress discussed his credibility and patriotism. His face did not twitch. He did not nod or frown or smile. Not a single muscle moved. He was as impassive as a boot-camp recruit resisting a drill sergeant's provocations.

Discussion: SWJ Blog, Don Surber, Brian Beutler and Outside The Beltway

Zzaki / Political Punch:

Does Ideology Matter in NYT ads? — After I reported earlier in the week on the controversy surrounding the MoveOn.org ad in the New York Times (LINK), some conservative bloggers seized upon my reporting that MoveOn.org claims to have paid about $65,000 for the full-page ad.

Discussion: The Independent, Democrats.com, AMERICAblog, Left in the West, Confederate Yankee, Brilliant at Breakfast, Greatscat! and Talking Points Memo

Ryan Grim / The Politico:
'Betray Us' ad unites GOP, distracts Dems

Discussion: protein wisdom, Weekly Standard, Taylor Marsh, The Mahablog and Reason Magazine

National / Homeland Security National Terror Alert:

Camouflaged Man Armed With A Loaded AK-47 Arrested In Dearborn Park — A 26-year-old Dearborn resident, Houssein Zorkot, was arraigned in 19th District Court Tuesday on several felony charges, including carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent. — Zorkot, a third-year medical student …

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Stop The ACLU, Op For, Wake up America, Gateway Pundit and UrbanGrounds

Dearborn Press and Guide-Heritage …:

Man with AK-47 assault rifle arrested after leaving Dearborn's Hemlock Park — DEARBORN - Houssein Zorkot, a 26-year-old Dearborn resident, was arraigned Tuesday in 19th District Court on multiple felony charges, including carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent — a five-year felony.

Discussion: Debbie Schlussel, Sweetness & Light, The Jawa Report and Jihad Watch

Rusty / The Jawa Report:

Michigan "Sniper" is a Shia Blogger UPDATE: "The Start of My Personal Jihad" — Heh, it looks like the man picked up yesterday in Dearborn Michigan for carrying around an AK-47 in a park is a blogger. And guess what? He's not Amish after all. In fact, his website graces viewers …

Discussion: Hot Air

Little Green Footballs:
Sudden Jihad in Dearborn

Discussion: Sister Toldjah

Abu Aardvark:

Abu Risha murdered — I was in the middle of putting the finishing touches on an short piece about Iraqi Sunni politics due out later today when I got an urgent flash that Abd al-Sattar Abu Risha had been murdered in Anbar. Nothing could have been more predictable than the murder of Abu Risha …

Discussion: American Prospect, Associated Press, TPMmuckraker, New York Times, Washington Monthly, The Long War Journal, The Next Hurrah, American Footprints, Daily Kos and Outside The Beltway

Washington Post:
Sheik Risha Killed in Bomb Attack in Iraq

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Three Wise Men, Taylor Marsh, TPMmuckraker and Middle Earth Journal

ABCNEWS:
Top Sunni Sheik Killed in IED Attack

Discussion: Think Progress

George Will / Real Clear Politics:

Is a Fred Thompson Campaign Necessary? — Fred Thompson's plunge into the presidential pool — more belly-flop than swan dive — was the strangest product launch since that of New Coke in 1985. Then the question was: Is this product necessary? A similar question stumped Thompson the day he plunged.

Discussion: The Corner, PoliBlog (TM), MSNBC, TIME, Daily Kos, Shakespeare's Sister, The Right's Field, Betsy's Page, PoliPundit.com and Daily Pundit

Robert D. Novak / Washington Post:
Help Not Wanted — Almost immediately following the launch …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Wonkette, Althouse and The Carpetbagger Report

Robert Vamosi / CNET News.com:

Researcher: Bin Laden's beard is real, video is not — On the Friday before the sixth anniversary of 9/11, Osama bin Laden appeared in a new video, his first since prior to the U.S. presidential elections in 2004. In analyzing the video, Neal Krawetz of Hactor Factor, an expert on digital image forensics …

Discussion: Donklephant, Secure Computing, Balloon Juice, QandO and Daimnation!

Think Progress:

Boehner: Troop deaths in Iraq are 'a small price.' — In an interview on CNN today, Wolf Blitzer asked House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) about "the Americans who are killed every month" in Iraq and "how much longer" the "military commitment is going to require?"

Discussion: Daily Kos, TIME: Swampland and Outside The Beltway

John Kerry / The Huffington Post:
Boehner's "Small Price"

Discussion: Horses Mouth, Crooks and Liars, TPM Election Central and The Carpetbagger Report

Richard Miniter:

BERGER'S COMEBACK — As many of you know, Clinton's National Security Advisor Sandy Berger and I no longer get along. — Once a cordial and helpful source, Berger turned on me in January 2002 when the first installment of a Sunday Times (U.K.) series that I co-wrote appeared.

Discussion: beldar.blogs.com, Right Wing Nut House, Betsy's Page, Right Wing News, Weekly Standard, Riehl World View, Roger L. Simon and Daily Pundit

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Hsus And Socks — by the company he chooses ... and the pig got …

Discussion: Wizbang

Joby Warrick / Washington Post:

Senate Intelligence Panel Seeks CIA Nominee's Withdrawal — Members of the Senate intelligence committee have requested the withdrawal of the Bush administration's choice for CIA general counsel, acknowledging that John Rizzo's nomination has stalled because of concerns about his views on the treatment of terrorism suspects.

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, Think Progress and MoJoBlog

Miguel Helft / International Herald Tribune:

NASA gives Google founders a coveted parking place for their private jet — SAN FRANCISCO: In the annals of perks enjoyed by American corporate executives, the founders of Google may have set a new standard: an un-crowded, federally-managed runway for their private jet that is as close as can be to being in the company's own backyard.

Discussion: Don Surber, Andrew Bolt and Digg

Brian Ross Reports / The Blotter:

Pelosi, Greenspan, Bloomberg, Gates, Annan Also Say Interviews 'Fakes' — Brian Ross Reports: — Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan …

Discussion: Attytood, War and Piece, Washington Post, TVNewser and Romenesko