memeorandum: Ex-ABC consultant said to fake interview (David Bauder/Associated Press)

9:25 AM ET, September 14, 2007

Top Items:

Text of the President's Address — Following is the prepared text of President Bush's address on Iraq, as provided by the White House: — THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. In the life of all free nations, there come moments that decide the direction of a country and reveal the character of its people.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, At-Largely, Associated Press, PoliBlog (TM), Brilliant at Breakfast, Yahoo! News, The Politico, Truthdig, Flopping Aces, AlterNet.org, The Gavel, About.com U.S. Politics, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, The Moderate Voice, Salon, Right Wing Nut House, Comments From Left Field and Editor and Publisher

New York Times:

No Exit, No Strategy — This was the week in which Americans hoped they would get straight talk and clear thinking on Iraq. What they got was two exhausting days of Congressional testimony by the American military commander, hours of news conferences and interviews, clouds of cut …

Discussion: Pottersville, The Carpetbagger Report, Hullabaloo and The Mahablog

Fred Kaplan / Slate:

BUSH'S APPALLING IRAQ SPEECH. — President Bush's TV address tonight was the worst speech he's ever given on the war in Iraq, and that's saying a lot. Every premise, every proposal, nearly every substantive point was sheer fiction. The only question is whether he was being deceptive or delusional.

Discussion: Truthdig, All Spin Zone, The Caucus and PoliBlog (TM)

Washington Post:

The Least Bad Plan — PRESIDENT BUSH'S explanation of his latest plans for Iraq last night was marred by a couple of important omissions. First, the president failed to acknowledge that, according to the standards he himself established in January, the surge of U.S. troops into Iraq has been a failure …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Oliver Willis and Time

The Politico:

Bush speech to the nation: advance excerpts — Here are excerpts of the prepared text of President Bush's 9 p.m. Iraq address from the Oval Office, as released by the White House for use on dinnertime newscasts: — On keeping us safe here at home: — In Iraq, an ally of the United States is fighting for its survival.

Discussion: CNN, The Corner, Think Progress, Riehl World View, FP Passport, The Reaction, The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh, AMERICAblog, Truthdig and Sister Toldjah

Washington Post:

Bush Tells Nation He Will Begin to Roll Back 'Surge' — Gen. Petraeus Says U.S. Is Projecting 'Sustainable Security' in Iraq in 2009 — President Bush tried to turn a corner in the fractious debate over Iraq last night by ordering the first limited troop withdrawals since voters elected an antiwar Congress last year.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Prairie Weather, MyDD, The Gun Toting Liberal™ and New York Times

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Multiple Messages and Audiences

Discussion: Prairie Weather and Althouse

Think Progress:
Matthews: Bush's claim of '36 countries' in Iraq is 'ludicrous.'

Discussion: Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, The Democratic Daily and Liberal Values

Fox News:
Bush to Order 5,700 Troops Home from Iraq by End of Year

Discussion: Democrats.senate.gov, Hot Air and michellemalkin.com

Doyle McManus / Los Angeles Times:
Bush redefines 'victory'

Discussion: The Politico, Obsidian Wings and SWJ Blog

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Bush: 'Success' means some soldiers come home

Discussion: New York Times

ABCNEWS:
Bush Appeals to Nation on Iraq

Discussion: On Deadline, MSNBC, Guardian and Think Progress

Obama'08:
Obama Responds to President Bush's Address on Iraq

Discussion: Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, MyDD, Taylor Marsh and Gateway Pundit

Matt Cooper / Condé Nast Portfolio Magazine:

CAPITAL — The Liberal Case for Ted Olson — Lots of rumors floating about that the administration is backing off appointing Ted Olson as Attorney General because of Democratic objections. Look, he was my lawyer in the CIA leak case for my Supreme Court appeal.

Discussion: Washington Post, Salon, American Spectator, TalkLeft, The Van Der Galiën Gazette and New York Times

Opinion Journal:
Borking Mr. Olson — President Reid gives AG orders to the White House.

Discussion: Betsy's Page

Ronald A. Cass / Real Clear Politics: Dems Try to Choose Bush's Attorney General

The Prowler / American Spectator:

The New York Times MovesOn — The New York Times in the past has rejected "advocacy" ads from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, as well as from the National Right to Life Committee, despite the fact that both would have qualified for the same "special advocacy, stand by" rates that the radical …

Discussion: New York Post, Don Surber, Betsy's Page and NewsBusters.org

Katharine Q. Seelye / New York Times:
Angered by an Antiwar Ad, Giuliani Seeks Equal Space

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and The Politico

Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal:

Just the Facts — Gen. Petraeus brings some clarity to the Iraq debate. — We are at a new point in the American experience of the Iraq war. It is also a decisive one: We have to decide, now, what to do. Stay. Go. Stay in a certain way, or at a certain size.

Discussion: GINA COBB

RIA Novosti:

U.S. develops 14-ton super bomb, bigger than Russian vacuum bomb — The U.S. has a 14-ton super bomb more destructive than the vacuum bomb just tested by Russia, a U.S. general said Wednesday. — The statement was made by retired Lt. General McInerney, chairman of the Iran Policy Committee …

Discussion: The Newshoggers and Op For

Christopher Lee / Washington Post:

N.J.'s Corzine to Defy New Health-Care Rules — Fight Grows Over Changes in Children's Program — Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine informed President Bush this week that New Jersey will not obey federal rules that would make it harder to enroll middle-income kids for a popular government-subsidized health insurance program.

David Bauder / Associated Press:

Ex-ABC consultant said to fake interview — A former ABC News consultant fired last year because he couldn't authenticate academic credentials is at the center of a new dispute over apparently faked interviews with Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Bill Gates and others.

Discussion: The Corner and NewsBusters.org

Jay / Stop The ACLU:

BBC Backtracks On Correction Of Children's 911 Guide — Wow! This story is wearing me out! The editor of NewsRound, Sinead Rocks, speaks out about the outrage from Americans to her biased 911 guide for children in her Editor Section. You can read the whole non apology there, but I'll summarize for you here.

Discussion: Biased BBC

Sinead Rocks / BBC NEWS:
Appropriate language — There's been much discussion of Newsround …

Discussion: Biased BBC and USS Neverdock

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:

BEST CARE EVERYWHERE....As regular readers may know, Phil Longman thinks the VA model of healthcare is the best around. In the October issue of the Monthly, he takes his admiration to another level, suggesting that the best way to provide healthcare to the 45 million uninsured in America is via — what?

Discussion: Outside The Beltway and Pacific Views