memeorandum: Phony Soldiers and Phony Senators (John E. O'Neill/Human Events)

9:45 PM ET, October 4, 2007

Top Items:

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: The Newshoggers, AMERICAN DIGEST, Comments from Left Field, Macsmind, Atlantic Free Press, Taylor Marsh, The Gate, The Lede, Neptunus Lex, Easter Lemming Liberal News, The American Street, Balkinization, Daily Kos, WorkingForChange, The Daily Background, Chris Dodd National Blog and Jules Crittenden

Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard:

Trivializing Torture — Andrew Sullivan is yet again calling the president a "war criminal." This time in response to today's New York Times article revealing that the Bush administration has subjected terror suspects captured abroad to 'severe' and 'brutal' interrogations.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Firedoglake and bustardblog

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:

Perino: We Don't Torture Because We Say We Don't Torture — For fans of circular reasoning, today's press gaggle was a classic. Here's White House spokeswoman Dana Perino reacting to this morning's New York Times blockbuster that revealed secret Justice Department memos that authorized brutal interrogation techniques:

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Huffington Post, Washington Wire, Cliff Schecter, Last Left Turn …, The Democratic Daily, Comments from Left Field, Political Radar, Balkinization, Obama'08, Salon, Preemptive Karma, The Swamp, Liberty Street, The Carpetbagger Report and The Heretik

Washington Post:
White House Denies Torture Assertion

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, TalkLeft and Wake up America

Terry Frieden / CNN: Debate rages over secret torture memo

Associated Press:

Obama Dropped Flag Pin in War Statement — Obama Stops Wearing Flag Pin, Says He'll Show Patriotism Through Ideas — An eagle-eyed reporter for the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, noticed something missing from Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama's, D-Ill., lapels.

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker, New York Post, The Carpetbagger Report, Sister Toldjah, Pajamas Media, Comments from Left Field, Hot Air, Liberty Street, Atlas Shrugs and Sweetness & Light

WCSH-TV:

National Guard Troops Denied Benefits After Longest Deployment Of Iraq War — Rhonda Erskine, Online Content Producer — MINNEAPOLIS, MN (NBC) — When they came home from Iraq, 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard had been deployed longer than any other ground combat unit.

Discussion: Think Progress, Riehl World View and Alternate Brain

Mike Glover / Associated Press:
Obama stops wearing flag pin

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, michellemalkin.com, Stop The ACLU and MSNBC

U.S. Senator Larry E. Craig:

Craig Reaction to Court Ruling — WASHINGTON, D.C. - Idaho Senator Larry Craig issued the following statement in reaction to today's ruling by the State of Minnesota District Court Fourth Judicial District allowing the guilty plea to stand: — "I am extremely disappointed with the ruling issued today.

Discussion: The Politico, The Swamp, The Caucus, Washington Wire, Outside The Beltway, Los Angeles Times, The Carpetbagger Report, DownWithTyranny!, On Deadline and The Daily Background

CNN:

Sen. Craig not resigning despite judge's ruling — (CNN) — Sen. Larry Craig on Thursday said he was not resigning from the Senate despite a Minnesota judge denying his request to withdraw his guilty plea stemming from his arrest in a sex sting at an airport men's room.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, The Politico, Dick Polman's American Debate, Comments from Left Field and Blue Girl, Red State

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

Discussion: CQPolitics.com, Daily Kos, The Swamp, New York Times and MyDD

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: PrairiePundit, The Atlantic Online, Comments from Left Field, Blue Crab Boulevard, RIGHTWINGSPARKLE and Of Arms and the Law

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

FOX News Poll: Nearly 1 in 5 Democrats Say World Will Be Better Off if U.S. Loses War — NEW YORK — Nearly one out of every five Democrats thinks the world will be better off if America loses the war in Iraq, according to the FOX News Opinion Dynamics Poll released Thursday.

Discussion: The Belmont Club, Power Line, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, PrairiePundit, Confederate Yankee and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

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: The Atlantic Online, Making Light, Pandagon, Shakespeare's Sister, AMERICAN DIGEST, DownWithTyranny!, WIMN's Voices and IMAO

Merv / PrairiePundit:

Name that party—New Orleans corruption — USA Today: … You can read the entire story and not find the party identification of those who have been charged. However, most public official in New Orleans have historically been Democrats. The embedded corruption of cities like New Orleans …

Discussion: USA Today

Warner Todd Huston / NewsBusters.org: AP: No Mention of Party for So. Dakota Democrat Accused of Sexual Misconduct

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: Firedoglake, Daily Kos, TPMmuckraker, Washington Monthly, MoJoBlog and Easter Lemming Liberal News

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: PrairiePundit, Election Central, Three Wise Men, The Atlantic Online, RIGHTWINGSPARKLE, Vox Popoli, Hot Air, Right Voices, Blue Crab Boulevard, Blue Jersey, Donklephant, TIME: Swampland, Liberal Values, The Right's Field, MyDD and Democratic Strategist

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: First Draft and Open Left

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Elizabeth Edwards attacks Rush on draft — An Air America producer just sent over some transcript from an interview their Richard Greene (not our Richard Greene) conducted with Elizabeth Edwards, in which she questioned Rush Limbaugh's Vietnam exemption:

Discussion: Air America Radio, The Corner, The Huffington Post and The Radio Equalizer