memeorandum: Bush Expected to Name Judge as Gonzales's Successor (Philip Shenon/New York Times)

9:40 PM ET, September 16, 2007

Top Items:

Chafee quietly quits the GOP … PROVIDENCE — Lincoln D. Chafee, who lost his Senate seat in the wave of anti-Republican sentiment in last November's election, said yesterday that he has left the party. — Chafee said he disaffiliated with the party he had helped lead …

Discussion: Middle Earth Journal, DownWithTyranny!, SteveAudio, Comments From Left Field, Blogs for Bush, Macsmind, unbossed.com, The Politico, Donklephant, The American Street, The Newshoggers, Liberal Values, The Next Hurrah, JammieWearingFool, Flopping Aces and The Sideshow

Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
Moderate Lincoln Chafee Has Left The GOP Building

Discussion: The Van Der Galiën Gazette and Greatscat!

Philip Shenon / New York Times:

Bush Expected to Name Judge as Gonzales's Successor — President Bush appeared to back away from a possible confirmation battle with the Senate and is close to announcing the nomination of a retired federal judge from New York who is widely respected by Democrats to replace Alberto R. Gonzales …

Discussion: Abovethelaw.com and CNN

David Johnston / New York Times:

Bush May Name Ex-Judge to Succeed Gonzales — A former federal judge from New York has emerged as a contender to succeed Alberto R. Gonzales as attorney general, as the White House moved closer to announcing President Bush's choice to lead the Justice Department, according to associates of several prospective candidates.

Discussion: The Swamp, The Politico, Donklephant, Weekly Standard, PoliBlog (TM), The Moderate Voice, DownWithTyranny!, Prairie Weather and Lawyers, Guns and Money

SilentPatriot / Crooks and Liars:
Sen. Hagel on Real Time: Petraeus Dog and Pony Show "Dishonest …

Discussion: Macsmind

Washington Post:
Mukasey Cited as Leading Candidate for Attorney General

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Captain's Quarters and Telegraph

Tahman Bradley / Political Radar:

Bush vs. Greenspan: White House Fires Back — ABC News' John Cochran Reports: Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan's memoirs, 'The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World' doesn't go on sale officially until Monday, but already the White House has fired back at two charges he levels.

Discussion: Washington Wire, Cliff Schecter and The Blue State

Ian Welsh / Firedoglake:

No, Greenspan Doesn't Get To Rehabilitate His Reputation — So Alan Greenspan has a new book coming out on Monday. And it says nasty things about the Bush administration. Welcome to the club Alan - the club of Bush enablers who write books once they aren't in power …

Discussion: The Agonist, Crooks and Liars, bustardblog and The Impolitic

Damien Cave / New York Times:

U.S. Seizes Suspect in Killing of Sunni Sheik — American military officials said Sunday that they captured a suspected militant linked to last week's assassination of a Sunni Arab tribal leader in Anbar Province, in western Iraq, who had collaborated with the American military to fight insurgents.

Gary Langer / New York Times: What They're Saying in Anbar Province

Associated Press:
Officials: Shiites Interested in Alliance With American Troops

Discussion: Multi-National Force and The Long War Journal

CNN:

O.J. Simpson faces robbery, assault charges — LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) — O.J. Simpson will be charged with a total of six counts of robbery, assault, burglary and conspiracy, Las Vegas police announced Sunday. — Simpson was arrested at his hotel room at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas …

Discussion: the talking dog, The Moderate Voice and Scared Monkeys

Bruce Smith / Associated Press:

McCain: I'm a Baptist — HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who has long identified himself as an Episcopalian, said this weekend that he is a Baptist and has been for years. — Campaigning in this conservative, predominantly Baptist state …

Brian Knowlton / New York Times:

Gates Sees a 'Protracted' Stay for Troops — Two days after saying he hoped American forces in Iraq might be reduced to 100,000 by the end of next year, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today that American troops were likely to remain in that country for a "protracted period."

Discussion: The Swamp, DownWithTyranny! and SteveAudio

Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:

The Economics Of Bling — It's a real phenomenon: … Sorry but can't resist:

Discussion: JustOneMinute and Althouse

Richard Klass / The Huffington Post:

The Selling of the President's War — The presentation to Congress by general David H. Petraeus was not an analytical military situation report it was a sales pitch for the president's policy. I trust Gen. Petraeus when he insists that his opening statement was not vetted by the White House.

TigerHawk:

Osirak redux, and the idiom of military action — The Times of London reported this morning that the Israeli "incursion" into Syrian airspace a few days back destroyed, or was intended to destroy, nuclear material probably supplied by the North Koreans. Iran is probably involved as well …

Discussion: Haaretz, The Tank, The Influence Peddler and Daily Pundit

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
The Axis Threw A Spoke

Discussion: Wake up America, Corrente, Newsweek, American Footprints, Taylor Marsh, Israel Matzav, The Van Der Galiën Gazette and The Newshoggers

Allison Kaplan Sommer / Pajamas Media:
WHAT DID ISRAEL REALLY ATTACK IN SYRIA?

Discussion: Haaretz, Times of London, The Strata-Sphere, Neptunus Lex, Israel Matzav and JammieWearingFool

Telegraph:

Bush setting America up for war with Iran — By Philip Sherwell in New York and Tim Shipman in Washington — Senior American intelligence and defence officials believe that President George W Bush and his inner circle are taking steps to place America on the path to war with Iran, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

Discussion: protein wisdom, Pacific Views, Booman Tribune and New York Times

Matthew Barakat / Associated Press:

More Than 190 Arrested at D.C. Protest — WASHINGTON (AP) - Several thousand anti-war demonstrators marched through downtown Washington on Saturday, clashing with police at the foot of the Capitol steps where more than 190 protesters were arrested. — The group marched from the White House …

Discussion: Roger L. Simon and Redstate

Washington Post:
Antiwar Protest Held in Washington

Discussion: unfutz, ¡No Pasarán!, Associated Press and JammieWearingFool

MSNBC:
War demonstrators converge in D.C.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Wake up America and Corrente

David S. Broder / Washington Post:

Lindsey Graham's Realism — Now that the president has endorsed the Petraeus-Crocker plan for Iraq, it is worth noting one exchange from their Senate hearings. — Some senators, such as Barbara Boxer of California, were so self-absorbed they could not manage to ask a single question …

Discussion: Daily Kos and SWJ Blog

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

US Gets Sattar Assassin — The US has captured the al-Qaeda terrorist who masterminded the assassination of the leader of Anbar Awakening. Intelligence following the murder pinned it on Fallah Khalifa Hiyas Fayyas al-Jumayli, who got captured outide of a town north of Baghdad:

Discussion: BBC and Gateway Pundit