memeorandum: Fiscally Flawed? — A Rebuttal to the Club for Growth (Joe Carter/the evangelical outpost)

5:00 AM ET, October 31, 2007

Top Items:

Adam Nagourney / The Caucus:

Debate Preview: All Eyes on Obama — It seems hard to believe that after SO many debates this year, that another one could provoke more than just a yawn. But it seems fair to say that the Democratic debate taking place in Philadelphia tonight, televised on MSNBC starting at 9 p.m. Eastern …

Discussion: Agence France Presse, Taylor Marsh, MyDD, Slog, michellemalkin.com, Hot Air and The Fix

Alex Johnson / MSNBC:

Democrats target Clinton's vote on Iran — Candidates in NBC debate say resolution paves the way for new war — Sen. Hillary Clinton's vote to authorize the U.S. war in Iraq again came under attack, but her major rivals indicated at Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate …

Discussion: Riehl World View, TalkLeft, The Politico, Comments from Left Field, Suitably Flip and The Caucus

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Live Debate Blogging — Diplomacy, diplomacy and also diplomacy. Did I mention diplomacy? — 9:25 PM ... Hillary "I will do everything I can" to prevent from Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Good answer. — 9:26 PM ... Obama: We cannot act as if we are the weakest nation in the world when we are the strongest.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:
Live-Blogging the Democratic Debate

Discussion: Washington Monthly

CNN Political Ticker:
Edwards, Obama step up criticisms of Clinton

Discussion: The Politico, Associated Press and The Swamp

NationalJournal.com: White House 2008 Rankings: The Democrats

Associated Press:

Kucinich questions Bush's mental health — PHILADELPHIA - Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich questioned President Bush's mental health in light of comments he made about a nuclear Iran precipitating World War III. — "I seriously believe we have to start asking questions …

Discussion: Death, The Democratic Daily, Flopping Aces, BitsBlog and The Jawa Report

Rasmussen Reports:
Stephen Colbert Tops Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich in Presidential Poll

Discussion: The Raw Story and Rasmussen Reports

philly.com:
Kucinich: Time to question Bush's mental health

Discussion: Attytood, The Swamp, Washington Wire and Big Head DC

Rasmussen Reports:
Virginia Senate — In the 2008 race for Virginia's open U.S …

Discussion: MyDD and Rasmussen Reports

Rob Kauder / KXLY-TV:

Cross-dressing state lawmaker blackmailed following late night tryst — SPOKANE — State Representative Richard Curtis says he's not gay, but police reports and court records indicate the Republican lawmaker from southwestern Washington dressed up in women's lingerie and met a Medical Lake man …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Slog, Pam's House Blend, Pandagon, HorsesAss.Org, Cliff Schecter, Big Head DC, AMERICAblog, The Democratic Daily, Middle Earth Journal and TBogg

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:

Mukasey Losing Democrats' Backing — Nominee Unsure If Waterboarding Breaks Torture Law — Attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey told Senate Democrats yesterday that a kind of simulated drowning known as waterboarding is "repugnant to me," but he said he does not know whether …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Chuck Adkins, BLACKFIVE, Macsmind, Obama HQ, State of the Day, The RBC, Prairie Weather and The New Republic

Scott Shane / New York Times:

Mukasey Calls Harsh Interrogation 'Repugnant' — In an effort to quell growing doubts in the Senate about his nomination as attorney general, Michael B. Mukasey declared Tuesday that waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques "seem over the line or, on a personal basis …

Discussion: Obsidian Wings and On Deadline

FIRE:

University of Delaware Requires Students to Undergo Ideological Reeducation — The University of Delaware subjects students in its residence halls to a shocking program of ideological reeducation that is referred to in the university's own materials as a "treatment" for students' incorrect attitudes and beliefs.

Discussion: davidthompson, Hot Air, The Colossus of Rhodey, Blue Crab Boulevard, Macsmind, Joanne Jacobs, Liberal Values, Sister Toldjah, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Flopping Aces, SCSUScholars, The Mahablog, Right Voices and Weasel Zippers

New York Times:

U.S. Military Will Oversee Contractors — All State Department security convoys in Iraq will now fall under military control, the latest step taken by government officials to bring Blackwater Worldwide and other armed contractors under tighter supervision. — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice …

Discussion: Buck Naked Politics, The Next Hurrah and Three Wise Men

ABCNEWS:
Exclusive: ABC News Obtains Text of Blackwater Immunity Deal

Discussion: SteveAudio, The Huffington Post, Comments from Left Field, The Newshoggers, Corrente, The Next Hurrah, CNN, CBS News, Firedoglake, Middle Earth Journal and Washington Post

DownWithTyranny!:

CLEAR CHANNEL, REPUBLICAN PROPAGANDA NETWORK, OUT TO KILL SPRINGSTEEN'S MAGIC? — If you look for Springsteen in Google News, you get one rave review of his live sold out tour after another. Last Thursday and Friday he wowed 'em at the Oakland Coliseum. Last night he was in L.A.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Democratic Daily, Los Angeles Times, Cliff Schecter, Fox News and TalkLeft

Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:

Supreme Court Stays Execution in a Sign of a Broader Halt — Moments before a Mississippi prisoner was scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday evening, the Supreme Court granted him a stay of execution and thus gave a nearly indisputable indication that a majority intends to block …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, SCOTUSblog, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Patterico's Pontifications, Lawyers, Guns and Money and TalkLeft

Eugene Volokh / The Volokh Conspiracy:

ODD CONNECTION TO THE DEATH PENALTY: Lawprof and legal journalist Jeff Rosen had a very interesting New York Times article about Justice Stevens a week ago. The whole thing is much worth reading; but here I wanted to comment just on one part: … I recognize that much can get lost in such pieces …

Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ, alicublog and Redstate

James Taranto / Opinion Journal:

Best of the Web — Boo! — This column is taking a brief leave of absence for Halloween. (We're not sure what our costume will be yet, but we're thinking of going as a blog.) We'll be back Monday, after we've finished our candy. — From Here to Eternity

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

A Real Fishing Expedition — The FBI has shifted its investigation into Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), looking at legislative activity sponsored by the Alaskan that may have benefitted his son. They have focused on a number of earmarks that Stevens requested that served Alaska's fishing industry …

Discussion: Sunlight Foundation blogs

Matt Apuzzo / Associated Press:
FBI investigating Stevens' fishing bills

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Bill / StoutDemBlog:

River Don't You Weep — I've isolated out a couple of other bloggers' postings for a roundup about the voting on the Trinity River that Dallas is doing now, just to lump them together in this post. — North Texas Liberal seems to be trying to be fair to both sides, though referring …

Discussion: Three Wise Men, Off the Kuff, Capitol Annex, The Texas Blue and The Texas Cloverleaf

Arthur Silber / Once Upon a Time:

Break the Goddamned Rules — Forgive me for quoting myself, but these passages are the quickest way to an issue of critical importance. In Part II of "A Nation on the Edge of the Final Descent," I wrote: … Toward the end of that essay, I turned again to the Andrew Meyer incident …

Discussion: Who Is IOZ?, The Independent Florida …, Empire Burlesque, The Lede and UrbanGrounds