memeorandum: Sugar Industry Expands Influence (Dan Morgan/Washington Post)

3:35 AM ET, November 3, 2007

Top Items:

Democratic Defections Clear Path For Mukasey — 2 Senators Say Nominee Is Best Bush Would Offer — The nomination fight over attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey effectively came to an end yesterday, as two key Senate Democrats parted from their colleagues and announced their support …

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

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: The Washington Note, Daily Kos and On Deadline

New York Times:
Schumer and Feinstein Back Mukasey

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

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo: Dean on Mukasey — Friend of TPM and former Nixon White House …

Scott Horton / Harper's:
The Torture Litmus Test

Discussion: Reason Magazine, New York Times, Corrente, The Belgravia Dispatch, Democrats.com, Balloon Juice, Washington Post, Balkinization and Fact-esque

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

Discussion: The Next Hurrah and Brian Beutler

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 Tim Russert asked Hillary at Tuesday night's debate was "breathtakingly misleading." Let's take a look at the question: … And the follow-up: … Clinton says the question was misleading because, "She was incidental to the letter …

Discussion: Riehl World View

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

Discussion: Reuters

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 Trail, Slog, The Huffington Post, About.com Liberal Politics, Washington Post, Hot Air and A Chequer-Board of Nights …

Mark Murray / MSNBC:
First Read: Obama campaign responds to Giuliani

Discussion: TalkLeft and The Democratic Daily

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

Rasmussen Reports:
Debate Fallout Has No Immediate Impact on Clinton Poll Position

Discussion: Daily Kos, Power Line, Hot Air and Middle Earth Journal

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, The Sleuth, The Influence Peddler, Blue Crab Boulevard, Jules Crittenden, Weasel Zippers, Say Anything and Big Head DC

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

Dan Morgan / Washington Post:

Sugar Industry Expands Influence — When U.S. sugar farmers needed help this summer defending a $1 billion, 10-year subsidy plan in a new House farm bill, they found it in some surprising places. — Among the 282 lawmakers siding with Midwest and Gulf Coast growers on a key vote …

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

Glenn Somerville / Reuters:

Hiring strong despite housing woes — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Job growth surged in October at twice the rate expected and factory orders edged up, suggesting the world's largest economy was strong enough to handle a deep housing slump without falling into recession.

Discussion: Redstate and Blogs for Bush

Arthur Silber / Once Upon a Time:

One Hundred Routes to War, One Hundred Ways to Hell — Almost two years ago, in writing about the effects of any foreign intervention that is not a demonstrably necessary act of self-defense, I identified what I considered to be the most important principle regarding interventions of this kind.

Discussion: Empire Burlesque and Winds of Change.NET

Joshua Keating / FP Passport:

It's official: Putin has just stopped pretending — It's safe to say that no one really expects this December's Russian elections to be a fair contest. All the same, the Kremlin's decision to cut the number of international observers invited by two thirds is a particularly brazen demonstration …

Discussion: Redstate

Michael Powell / New York Times:

Loyal to Kerik, Giuliani Missed Warning Signs — If the rise of Bernard B. Kerik under the mentorship of Rudolph W. Giuliani was meteoric, the speed of his fall was breathtaking. — In December 2004, President Bush nominated Mr. Kerik, a former New York police commissioner, to head the federal Department of Homeland Security.

Discussion: TalkLeft