memeorandum: Times editor Blankley leaving for PR firm (Washington Times)

4:55 PM ET, September 18, 2007

Top Items:

Student tasered at John Kerry forum Update: A University of Florida student/eyewitness shares what he saw; 12:15 pm Eastern 9/18 update: Another UF student speaks; Update: UF president schedules 2pm press conference...plus: Andrew Meyer, professional taunter — Update 3:10pm Eastern 9/18.

Nick Antosca / The Huffington Post:

Kerry Should be Ashamed, and the Cop Who Tased Andrew Meyer Should be Jailed — By now I'm sure you've seen the videos of University of Florida student Andrew Meyer being attacked and tasered by university police at a John Kerry speaking event. If not, here's one, here's another, and here's another.

Discussion: GainesvilleSun.com, Preemptive Karma, Galley Slaves and Hot Air

Rick Klein / Political Radar:

Kerry Condemns Heckler Arrest — ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Sen. John Kerry on Tuesday comdemned the arrest of a University of Florida student at one of his speeches, saying that he was engaged in a "good healthy discussion" with 21-year-old Andrew Meyer when he was Tasered and taken into custody.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Liberal Values, The Carpetbagger Report, Pandagon, Daily Pundit, The Raw Story and Taylor Marsh

Associated Press:

Student Zapped With Taser Caught On Tape — Florida Student Who Questioned John Kerry To Be In Court — GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A University of Florida student was Tasered and arrested after trying to ask U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., about the 2004 election and other subjects during a campus forum.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Democratic Daily, Attytood, Neptunus Lex and Truthdig

Mike Carney / On Deadline:
Cops Taser student who questioned John Kerry

Discussion: Washington Wire, The Huffington Post, Shakespeare's Sister, Los Angeles Times, Blast Off!, FRAMESHOP, The Sideshow, Wake up America, The Democratic Daily, Wizbang and Little Green Footballs

Frank James / The Swamp:
Kerry: Didn't know cops were Tasering student

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker

Gallup Poll:

Giuliani still leads GOP race; Thompson in second place — PRINCETON, NJ — Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani continues to lead the national race for the Republican presidential nomination, although his support has faded to one of its lowest readings of the year.

Discussion: Hot Air, Pollster.com and National Review

Jim Davenport / Associated Press: Elder Bush backs McCain's pro-war stance

Kathy Barks Hoffman / Associated Press:
AP NewsBreak: Attorney general to quit as McCain's campaign chair

Discussion: TPM Election Central and D-Day

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:

The Constitution Needs Your Help Today — Let's hit the phones this morning, people. The Habeas Restoration Act is being put forth again — by Sens. Leahy and Dodd, among others — and they are asking for our help. Please call your Senators this morning and tell them to support Amendment S. 2202 …

Discussion: Washington Post, Crooks and Liars, TalkLeft, Macsmind, Taylor Marsh, SWJ Blog, D-Day and Chris Dodd National Blog

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
Please Continue Making Calls To Restore Habeas

Discussion: the albany project, Open Left, Cliff Schecter, techPresident, Chris Dodd National Blog, My Left Nutmeg, SamSederShow.com and Lean Left

CREW:

CREW releases "Beyond DeLay: The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and two to watch)" — Today, CREW released its third annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress entitled Beyond DeLay: The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and two to watch).

Discussion: The Swamp, MoJoBlog, Keystone Politics and AMERICAblog

Noah Shachtman / Danger Room:

Iraq Diary: Jammers Beat Bombers (Which May Be Bad News) — Radio-controlled bombs used to be the biggest killer of American troops in Iraq. Now, they've been rendered all-but-useless. Good news, right? Like so much else in Iraq, it's not quite that simple.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Washington Monthly, The Atlantic Online and Total Information Awareness

Bryan / Hot Air:

Hot Air TV: Rep. Jack Murtha confronted about Haditha accusations — We've just obtained video of Rep. Jack Murtha being directly confronted over repeatedly accusing the Haditha Marines of murdering Iraqis "in cold blood." I'm editing and processing it now, so we should have it online before too long.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, protein wisdom, The Hill and Gateway Pundit

Nicholas Wade / New York Times:

Is 'Do Unto Others' Written Into Our Genes? — Many people will say it is morally acceptable to pull a switch that diverts a train, killing just one person instead of the five on the other track. But if asked to save the same five lives by throwing a person in the train's path, people will say the action is wrong.

Discussion: Liberal Values, Petulant Rumblings, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Reason Magazine, normblog, Hot Air and Althouse

Mary Beth Sheridan / Washington Post:

D.C. Vote Bill Dies in Senate — Republican lawmakers today blocked the Senate from taking up the D.C. voting rights bill, dealing a major blow to the District's most promising effort in years to get a full member of Congress. — The vote was merely on whether to begin action on the bill.

Discussion: MoJoBlog, The Gate, Wake up America and Wonkette

Dominic Gates / Seattle Times:

Fired engineer calls 787's plastic fuselage unsafe — A former senior aerospace engineer at Boeing's Phantom Works research unit, fired last year under disputed circumstances, is going public with concerns that the new 787 Dreamliner is unsafe. — Forty-six-year veteran Vince Weldon contends …

Discussion: Wizbang, Hang Right Politics and NewsBusters.org

Jason Trahan / Dallas Morning News:

Muslim Brotherhood's papers detail plan to seize U.S. — Group's takeover plot emerges in Holy Land case — jtrahan@dallasnews.com — Amid the mountain of evidence released in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial, the most provocative has turned out to be a handful …

Discussion: Hot Air, Right Wing Nut House, Captain's Quarters, American Thinker, Flopping Aces, Stop The ACLU, Neptunus Lex, Sweetness & Light, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Jihad Watch, Riehl World View, Little Green Footballs and Wake up America

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

Waxman: State Dept. Official Thwarted Probes — Howard J. Krongard, the State Department's inspector general, has repeatedly thwarted investigations and censored reports that might prove politically embarrassing to the Bush administration, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight …

Discussion: Firedoglake, unbossed.com and The Gavel

Redstate:

Don't Write Off NH Senate Yet (UPDATED) — Early ARG polling showing Sununu down by 20 points to Jeanne Shaheen may be off the mark. The latest Rasmussen shows him down 5 points, with similar favorables/unfavorables to the former Gov. Rasmussen is one of the two or three most accurate polling outfits …

Discussion: Rasmussen Reports, American Research Group, Inc., MyDD and TPM Election Central

Michael J. Totten:

Anbar Awakens Part II: Hell is Over — This is the second in a two-part series. Read Part One, The Battle of Ramadi, here. — RAMADI, IRAQ - In early 2007 Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar Province, was one of the most violent war-torn cities on Earth. By late spring it was the safest major city in Iraq outside Kurdistan.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, Dean's World, neo-neocon, Mudville Gazette, The Sundries Shack, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Infidels Are Cool, Licari of Arabia and Sister Toldjah

KETV Omaha's Channel 7:

State Senator Ernie Chambers Sues God — Chambers says its to prove a point about frivolous lawsuits. — OMAHA, Neb — State Senator Ernie Chambers is suing God. He says it to prove a point about frivolous lawsuits. — Chambers says senators periodically have offered bills prohibiting the filing of certain types of suits.