memeorandum: Thompson Hits Bump on the Stump (Washington Wire)

4:10 PM ET, October 4, 2007

Top Items:

White House Denies Torture Assertion — Bush administration officials acknowledged today that the Justice Department issued a secret legal opinion in early 2005 allowing specific interrogation techniques to be used on CIA terrorism suspects, but denied that the tactics violated earlier government decrees against torture.

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, TalkLeft, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo and Corrente

Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:

War Criminal — After reading the full investigative piece in the NYT today on how this administration decided on breaking America's historic ban on torture and then pursued a long, corrupting policy of ensuring that the interpretation of the law was politicized to keep torture alive, it is hard to disagree with Marty Lederman:

Discussion: Preemptive Karma, Balkinization and Taylor Marsh

Adam Zagorin / Time:

Selective Justice in Alabama? — On may 8, 2002, Clayton Lamar (Lanny) Young Jr., a lobbyist and landfill developer described by acquaintances as a hard-drinking "good ole boy," was in an expansive mood. In the downtown offices of the U.S. Attorney in Montgomery, Ala., Young settled into his chair …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, TPMmuckraker and MoJoBlog

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Leahy Set to Schedule Hearings on Mukasey

Discussion: Corrente, RealClearPolitics, The Carpetbagger Report, Captain's Quarters, The Gate, Crooks and Liars, Shakespeare's Sister, Hullabaloo and The American Street

Philip Shenon / New York Times:
Democrats Won't Block Hearing for Gonzales Successor

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, Booman Tribune, Salon, cab drollery and Balkinization

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Perino: We Don't Torture Because We Say We Don't Torture

Discussion: The Swamp, Firedoglake, The Lede, The Politico, Think Progress and The Carpetbagger Report

Rasmussen Reports:

27% of Republicans Would Vote for Pro-Life Third Party Instead of Giuliani — If Rudy Giuliani wins the Republican nomination and a third party campaign is backed by Christian conservative leaders, 27% of Republican voters say they'd vote for the third party option rather than Giuliani.

Discussion: The Corner, Election Central, Taegan Goddard's …, Blue Jersey, Blue Crab Boulevard, RIGHTWINGSPARKLE, Vox Popoli, TIME: Swampland, Liberal Values, MyDD, Democratic Strategist and Real Clear Politics

James C. Dobson / New York Times:

The Values Test — REPORTS have surfaced in the press about a meeting that occurred last Saturday in Salt Lake City involving more than 50 pro-family leaders. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss our response if both the Democratic and Republican Parties nominate standard-bearers who are supportive of abortion.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Right Wing Nut House, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Taylor Marsh, Right Wing Watch, MSNBC, The Carpetbagger Report, Democratic Strategist, The Atlantic Online, Middle Earth Journal, Macsmind, The Right's Field and The Hill

CNN Political Ticker:
Dobson to social conservatives: No pro-choice candidate

Discussion: The Hill

Jonathan Turley / USA Today:

A liberal's lament: The NRA might be right after all — This term, the Supreme Court may finally take up the Voldemort Amendment, the part of the Bill of Rights that shall not be named by liberals. For more than 200 years, progressives and polite people have avoided acknowledging that following …

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, RIGHTWINGSPARKLE, Blue Crab Boulevard and Of Arms and the Law

John Harwood / Wall Street Journal:

Republicans Grow Skeptical On Free Trade — WASHINGTON — By a nearly two-to-one margin, Republican voters believe free trade is bad for the U.S. economy, a shift in opinion that mirrors Democratic views and suggests trade deals could face high hurdles under a new president.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Huffington Post, SCSUScholars, The Hill, The Atlantic Online, Jezebel, Middle Earth Journal, Wonkette, CBS News, Fraters Libertas, MSNBC, Beliefnet, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Pollster.com and Cliff Schecter

Garance Franke-Ruta / American Prospect:

COULTER COMES OUT AGAINST WOMEN VOTING. — Most of the time I ignore aging would-be pin-up Ann Coulter, but this week she came out with a whopper that could be as much of a gift to the Democratic Party as MoveOn.org's advertisement on Gen. Petraeus was for the G.O.P. More of a gift, even.

Discussion: IMAO, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Jezebel

Roger Cohen / New York Times:

The New L-Word: Neocon — A few years back, at the height of the jingoistic post-9/11 wave, the dirtiest word in the American political lexicon was "liberal." Everyone from President Bush to Ann Coulter was using it to denote wimplike, Volvo-driving softies too spineless for dangerous times and too given to speaking French.

Discussion: Ezra Klein, RealClearPolitics, Booman Tribune, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daniel W. Drezner and The Atlantic Online

Tristero / Hullabaloo:
Dear Roger Cohen

Discussion: Corrente, Eschaton and The Sideshow

CNN:

Judge rejects Craig's bid to withdraw guilty plea — (CNN) — A Minnesota judge has denied Sen. Larry Craig's request to withdraw his guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from his arrest in a sex sting at an airport men's room. — Hennepin County District Judge Charles Porter found Craig …

Discussion: PoliBlog (TM)

CNN Political Ticker:
Judge won't let Craig withdraw guilty plea

Discussion: New York Times, The Swamp, The Carpetbagger Report and Blue Girl, Red State

Mike Dorning / The Swamp:

McCain trails in fundraising — Republican presidential candidate John McCain is again trailing top-tier competitors in quarterly fundraising results. — McCain's campaign announced a few minutes ago that the Arizona senator had raised $6 million in contributions during the past three months.

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker

Jim Davenport / Associated Press:
McCain Says Money Not All That Important

Discussion: PoliPundit.com

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:

Obama, Others Nix Deal on Voter Fraud Guru … Obama earlier called von Spakovsky an "unacceptable nominee." For a rundown for why Dems would find von Spakovsky so objectionable, see here and here. — Rick Hasen has more on where things might go from here over at the Election Law Blog.

Rick Hasen / Election Law:
OBAMA DERAILS VOTE ON VON SPAKOSVKY; WHAT'S NEXT FOR FEC NOMINEES?

Discussion: The Hill, The Carpetbagger Report, The BRAD BLOG and Daily Kos

Edward T. Pound / National Journal:

Questionable Contracts — In April last year, Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson traveled to Dallas to deliver a speech to a group of minority real estate executives. The event should have been pretty routine stuff. But Jackson — and these are his words — shot off his mouth by describing …

Discussion: Open Left

George F. Will / Washington Post:

The Democratic Economist — CHICAGO — In his curriculum vitae, Austan Goolsbee lists as his "other interests" — other than teaching at the University of Chicago — two activities: triathlons and improv comedy. Evidently he is a masochist with a sense of humor, so he is suited to participate …

Discussion: EconLog, The Corner, The Atlantic Online and Marginal Revolution

Multi-National Force:

Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain al-Qaeda financier, one other — Multi-National Corps - Iraq — Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory — APO AE 09342 — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — RELEASE No. 20071004-02 — Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain al-Qaeda financier, one other