memeorandum: The Surgin' General (Fred Barnes/Weekly Standard)

12:50 PM ET, September 15, 2007

Top Items:

Ayn Rand's Literature of Capitalism — One of the most influential business books ever written is a 1,200-page novel published 50 years ago, on Oct. 12, 1957. It is still drawing readers; it ranks 388th on Amazon.com's best-seller list. ("Winning," by John F. Welch Jr., at a breezy 384 pages, is No. 1,431.)

Discussion: Power Line, ::BROADCATCHING, The Volokh Conspiracy and UrbanGrounds

Wall Street Journal:

Greenspan Book Criticizes Bush And Republicans — 'They Deserved to Lose'; — Former Fed Chief Defends — Pre-Bubble Rate Cuts — In a withering critique of his fellow Republicans, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan says in his memoir that the party to which he has belonged …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Bloomberg, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, Macsmind, Daily Pundit, PoliPundit.com and Economist's View

Bob Woodward / Washington Post:

Greenspan Is Critical Of Bush in Memoir — Former Fed Chairman Has Praise for Clinton — Alan Greenspan, who served as Federal Reserve chairman for 18 years and was the leading Republican economist for the past three decades, levels unusually harsh criticism at President Bush …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

New York Times:

Fed's Ex-Chief Attacks Bush on Fiscal Role — Alan Greenspan, who was chairman of the Federal Reserve for nearly two decades, in a long-awaited memoir, is harshly critical of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the Republican-controlled Congress, as abandoning their party's principles on spending and deficits.

Discussion: Norwegianity, Brave New Films blog, TIME: Swampland and The Satirical Political Report

Los Angeles Times:

UCI reportedly working on a deal to rehire Chemerinsky — Days after the legal scholar was rejected as law school dean, talks are in progress. He is noncommittal. — UC Irvine officials on Friday were attempting to broker a deal to once again hire liberal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky as dean …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Brian Leiter's Law …

Gillian Flaccus / Associated Press:

GOP politician sent email asking how to stop naming of dean — A conservative Los Angeles County politician asked about two dozen people in an e-mail last month how to prevent the University of California, Irvine from hiring renowned liberal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky as its founding law school dean …

Discussion: Law Blog

Erwin Chemerinsky / Los Angeles Times:
Dumped over an Op-Ed — Erwin Chemerinsky, unhired …

Discussion: Law Blog, LA Observed and Daily Pundit

Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:

The Surgin' General — And the reeling Democrats. — When congressional leaders met with President Bush last week at the White House, the Republicans were upbeat, the Democrats far less buoyant. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a more imposing figure than her Senate colleague …

Discussion: Townhall.com and Sister Toldjah

David Gelernter / Weekly Standard:

Defeat at Any Price — Why Petraeus's testimony was a nightmare for the Democrats. — To prepare for General David Petraeus's long-awaited testimony on Iraq to Congress last week, the liberal pressure group MoveOn.org wrote itself into the history books with an anti-Petraeus ad so repulsive …

Discussion: Power Line and SWJ Blog

Steve Holland / Reuters:
Gingrich: Republicans need "clean break" from Bush

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Massimo Calabresi / Time:
A Bush Speech That Could Backfire

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Daily Kos

Sharon Stello / Davis Enterprise:

UC yanks speaker's invitation: Controversial ex-Harvard president was scheduled to address regents Wednesday — After a group of UC Davis women faculty began circulating a petition, UC regents rescinded an invitation to Larry Summers, the controversial former president of Harvard University …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

The Corner: Summers Disinvited — After protests, the University of California …

Alpha Doggs / Network World:

Researchers flash personal aircraft, future jetpack — This one is straight out of a James Bond movie or Batman script. — German researchers this week showed off their Gryphon personal strap-on jet wing that lets the pilot scream through the air at about 135MPH.

Amy Gardner / Washington Post:

Moran Upsets Jewish Groups Again — U.S. House Democrat Said Pro-Israel Lobby Promoted War — Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) has again come under fire from local Jewish organizations for remarking in a magazine interview that the "extraordinarily powerful" pro-Israel lobby played a strong role promoting the war in Iraq.

Discussion: Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, JammieWearingFool and Extreme Mortman

Mary Jordan / Washington Post:

In Europe and U.S., Nonbelievers Are Increasingly Vocal — BURGESS HILL, England — Every morning on his walk to work, high school teacher Graham Wright recited a favorite Anglican prayer and asked God for strength in the day ahead. Then two years ago, he just stopped.

Discussion: Solomonia, Prairie Weather and The Carpetbagger Report

CTV.ca:

Liberals face major challenges in Quebec: poll — The Liberals appear to be in big trouble in the Montreal riding of Outremont, where a byelection is to be held Monday, a poll suggests. — The Unimarket-La Presse poll published Friday suggests that NDP candidate Thomas Mulcair …

Discussion: Daimnation! and Jay Currie

Ana Marie Cox / TIME: Swampland:

McCain Calls for MoveOn.org to be "Thrown Out of the Country" — At a crowded rally at a VFW hall in Hudson, NH last night, McCain — again — used the MoveOn "Betray Us" ad as a emotional crowd-pleaser. It was a boisterous event, so when I thought I heard McCain call for MoveOn to be …

Discussion: The American Street, THE CUNNING REALIST and Daily Kos

AdAge:

Giuliani Also Gets Liberal Discount From Times — Marketers, Take Note: 61% Price Chop for Ad in Grey Lady if You Buy Standby — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Rudy Giuliani got a lot of attention yesterday when he attacked The New York Times for giving MoveOn.org what he called sweetheart pricing on the group's …