memeorandum: Exclusive: Only Three Have Been Waterboarded by CIA (The Blotter)

11:50 PM ET, November 2, 2007

Top Items:

Schumer, Feinstein Announce Support for Mukasey — Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced this afternoon that they will vote in favor of confirming Michael B. Mukasey as attorney general, effectively ending a growing revolt by fellow Democrats that had threatened Mukasey's confirmation.

Discussion: At-Largely, Middle Earth Journal, Wake up America, Sister Toldjah, The American Street, bustardblog, The Reaction, The Volokh Conspiracy, Macsmind, DownWithTyranny!, Greatscat! and Election Central

CNN:

Two Dems revive AG nominee's chances — WASHINGTON (CNN) — The confirmation of Michael Mukasey as attorney general was all but assured Friday when two key Democratic senators said they will vote in favor of the nominee despite questions about his views on "waterboarding" and the president's power to order electronic surveillance.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Atlantic Online, The American Street and Redstate

New York Times:

Senator Schumer's Statement — Following is the statement issued today by Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, announcing that he will vote in favor of President Bush's nominee for attorney general, Michael B. Mukasey. — I will support Judge Michael Mukasey for attorney general.

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Washington Note and On Deadline

New York Times:

Schumer and Feinstein Back Mukasey — The confirmation of Michael B. Mukasey as attorney general seemed all but assured late this afternoon when Senators Charles E. Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, two Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that they would vote in favor of the nominee.

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Los Angeles Times, The Heretik, The Swamp, Left in the West, SteveAudio, The Carpetbagger Report, Harry's Place, Prairie Weather, CNN Political Ticker and Oliver Willis

Amanda / Think Progress:
Breaking: Leahy to oppose Mukasey.

Discussion: The Next Hurrah and Brian Beutler

Scott Horton / Harper's:
The Torture Litmus Test

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Corrente, The Belgravia Dispatch, Balloon Juice, Democrats.com, Balkinization and The Next Hurrah

Jacob Sullum / Reason Magazine:
Torture vs. Warrantless Surveillance: Why Choose?

Discussion: New York Times, MoJoBlog and The Volokh Conspiracy

Ben Smith / The Politico:

HRC White House papers will go public in 08 — The Clinton library is readying a trove of detail about Hillary Rodham Clinton's eight years as first lady in the White House for release in late January, government lawyers said in a court filing. — But Bill Clinton's lawyer will have the final …

Jessica Mintz / Associated Press:

Clinton presses for White House papers — REDMOND, Wash. - Former President Clinton said Friday that a letter he wrote to the National Archives was to expedite release of his papers, not slow the process or hide anything as rivals are suggesting in criticism of his wife.

Stephen Spruiell / The Corner: Misleading? — Bill Clinton says that one of the questions …

kucinich.house.gov:

Kucinich Will Introduce Privileged Resolution To Force Up Or Down Vote On Cheney Impeachment — Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) announced today that he will be offering a privileged resolution on the House floor next week that will bring articles of impeachment against the Vice President, Richard B. Cheney.

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Influence Peddler, The Sleuth, Jules Crittenden, Weasel Zippers and Big Head DC

Kate Phillips / The Caucus:

Clinton's 'Pile-On Politics' — Nearly three days after the Democratic debate Tuesday night, Senator Hillary Clinton's post-forum tactics — complete with her video titled "The Politics of Pile On" and her remarks about the all-men's club of politics — have reverberated with more buzz …

Discussion: Slate, The Huffington Post, The Trail, Washington Post, About.com Liberal Politics and Hot Air

Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times: Clinton and Obama Clash Over 'Piling On' Remarks

Ron Fournier / Associated Press:
ON DEADLINE: Hillary hides behind skirt?

Discussion: Reuters

Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:

Goodbye to All That — T he logic behind the candidacy of Barack Obama is not, in the end, about Barack Obama. It has little to do with his policy proposals, which are very close to his Democratic rivals' and which, with a few exceptions, exist firmly within the conventions of our politics.

Discussion: The Anonymous Liberal and The Swamp

The Blotter:

Exclusive: Only Three Have Been Waterboarded by CIA — Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report: — For all the debate over waterboarding, it has been used on only three al Qaeda figures, according to current and former U.S. intelligence officials. — As ABC News first reported in September …

Discussion: Don Surber, A Second Hand Conjecture, Hot Air and Shakespeare's Sister

Matt Apuzzo / Associated Press:

Rice to face subpoena in espionage case — WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and some of President Bush's top foreign policy advisers must testify about their conversations with pro-Israel lobbyists, a federal judge ruled Friday in a trial over the misuse of classified information.

Discussion: Buck Naked Politics and Firedoglake

Jerusalem Post:

US Air Force struck Syrian nuclear site — The September 6 raid over Syria was carried out by the US Air Force, the Al-Jazeera Web site reported Friday. The Web site quoted Israeli and Arab sources as saying that two strategic US jets armed with tactical nuclear weapons carried out an attack on a nuclear site under construction.

Discussion: The Gun Toting Liberal™, TigerHawk, Jules Crittenden, Dr. Sanity, The Sundries Shack, Death, Confederate Yankee, alphabet city, Hot Air, The Jawa Report, One Hand Clapping, Media Blog, Gates of Vienna, Yourish.com and A Blog For All

Arizona Republic:

Authorities: Suspicious item at Palo Verde a pipe bomb — A suspicious item seized Friday morning from the truck of a contract worker at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station was an apparent pipe bomb, plant operator Arizona Public Service Co. said. — The worker has been detained and questioned.

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Right Wing Nut House, On Deadline, Death, Patterico's Pontifications and Secular Blasphemy

James Traub / New York Times:

Is (His) Biography (Our) Destiny? — "If I am the face of American foreign policy and American power," Barack Obama mused not long ago aboard his campaign plane, "as long as we are also making prudent strategic decisions, handling emergencies, crises and opportunities in the world in an intelligent and sober way. . . ." He stopped.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, democracyarsenal.org, The Belmont Club, Open Left, FP Passport, Ezra Klein and Eunomia

Extreme Mortman:

The Obama Domino Theory — Barack Obama poses this fascinating moral question to a five-year-old: … The easy answer, of course, is: Not with all this childhood obesity and diabetes going around she shouldn't. Maybe an apple or a pear or a carrot, but pizza? No way.