memeorandum: From Back of G.O.P. Pack, Huckabee Is Stirring (Michael Luo/New York Times)

10:15 AM ET, November 9, 2007

Top Items:

Dan Eggen Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Senate Confirms Mukasey By 53-40 — Historically Low Tally for New Attorney General — A divided Senate narrowly confirmed former federal judge Michael B. Mukasey last night as the 81st attorney general, giving the nominee the lowest level of congressional support of any Justice Department leader in the past half-century.

Discussion: Power Line, UrbanGrounds, Los Angeles Times, Outside The Beltway, Donklephant, Law Blog, Washington Monthly, Prairie Weather, MSNBC and ScrappleFace

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

Mukasey Wins Vote in Senate, Despite Democrats' Doubts — The Senate confirmed Michael B. Mukasey as attorney general Thursday night, approving him despite Democratic criticism that he had failed to take an unequivocal stance against the torture of terrorism detainees.

Discussion: PoliBlog (TM), At-Largely, Liberty Pundit, Unqualified Offerings, DownWithTyranny!, Buck Naked Politics and The Agonist

Salon:

Greenwald: What happened to the Senate's "60-vote requirement"? — What happened to the Senate's "60-vote requirement"? — Every time Congressional Democrats failed this year to stop the Bush administration (i.e., every time they "tried"), the excuse they gave was that they …

Discussion: The Glittering Eye, Capitol Briefing, The American Street, Daily Kos, Balkinization and Cliff Schecter

Karl Rove / Opinion Journal:

A Failure to Lead — The Democratic Congress is more interested in acting out than in taking positive action. — This week is the one-year anniversary of Democrats winning Congress. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid probably aren't in a celebrating mood.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Blue Crab Boulevard and Don't Go Into The Light

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Clinton tops 2008 rivals, gets $530M in earmarks — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) has won tens of millions of dollars more in federal earmarks this year than her rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, even though two of them have significantly more Senate seniority.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Taegan Goddard's … and QandO

CNN Political Ticker:

Bill Clinton takes blame for health care plan failure — GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) - Former President Clinton said Thursday that he is to blame for his administration's failed health care plan, not his wife, who spearheaded the effort. — Clinton was asked about the plan during a campaign event …

Discussion: Cafe Hayek

Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:
'President Clinton's Not on the Ballot'

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal:
Things Are Tough All Over — But Mrs. Clinton is no Iron Lady.

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, Don Surber and Betsy's Page

Washington Post:
On Campaign Bus, Obama Opens Up About Challengers

Discussion: TIME, The Caucus, Los Angeles Times and ImmigrationProf Blog

Richard Esposito / ABCNEWS:

Bernard Kerik: America's Cop Indicted — Federal Grand Jury Indicts Kerik on Various Corruption Charges — A federal grand jury has voted to indict former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on charges stemming from the acceptance of free rent and apartment renovations …

New York Times:

Kerik's Corruption Case Dogs Giuliani — The scene outside the old Victorian-style courthouse in Dubuque on Thursday morning showed that the indictment of Bernard B. Kerik is at the very least a big distraction for Rudolph W. Giuliani's presidential campaign.

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, Brilliant at Breakfast and Donklephant

NY Daily News:

Rudy Giuliani won't say if he'd pardon Kerik as President — BY MARY RAE BRAGG in Dubuque, Iowa, and DAVID SALTONSTALL in New York — Rudy Giuliani refused to say if he'd consider pardoning his old friend Bernie Kerik - who was indicted Thursday on federal corruption charges - if elected President.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Daily Kos and New York Times

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Cash-N-Kerik — So Bernie Kerik is finally getting indicted.

Discussion: All Spin Zone

New York Times:

Police Block Bhutto From Attending Rally — The opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was placed under house arrest this morning, her political party said. Streets were filled with police officers carrying batons and shields, and trucks blocked roads, trying to prevent access to a protest rally …

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Associated Press, Guardian, Soccer Dad, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Outside The Beltway, The Moderate Voice, The Democratic Daily, The American Street, Registan.net and The Pakistan Policy Blog

Agence France Presse:
Pakistan places Bhutto under house arrest

Discussion: Hot Air, BitsBlog and the talking dog

Fisnik Abrashi / Associated Press:

59 schoolchildren died in Afghan blast — KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's deadliest suicide attack since the Taliban regime's ouster killed 59 schoolchildren, while 96 other students were wounded in the blast, the Education Ministry spokesman said Friday.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, TigerHawk and The American Street

Michael Stittle / CTV.ca: Warlords no better than Taliban, says Afghan MP

NPR:

Editor's Note: The Tale of the Tip — · It started as an aside in a longer interview, but it became an Internet sensation within hours. — Anita Esterday, a waitress at the Maid-Rite in Toledo, Iowa, told NPR's David Greene in a report that aired on Morning Edition Thursday that …

Discussion: The Swamp, RealClearPolitics and Blue Crab Boulevard

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Clinton Gets an Instant Chance to Wield a New Weapon

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and The Stump

Joerg Wolf / The Moderate Voice:

Germany's Day of Destiny — While 9/11 has shaped US foreign policy and national identity significantly, German identity and foreign policy has been shaped even more by 9.11. — that's how we write "November 9th." — This is what happened on November 9th in Germany:

Discussion: The Van Der Galiën Gazette

Associated Press: Merkel, Bush to focus on Iran in talks at Texas ranch

JoinRudy2008:

PAT ROBERTSON ENDORSES RUDY GIULIANI FOR PRESIDENT — The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee today announced that Pat Robertson has endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President of the United States. — "It is my pleasure to announce my support for America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

Michael Luo / New York Times:

From Back of G.O.P. Pack, Huckabee Is Stirring — Mike Huckabee's field staff had expected a modest crowd for a campaign event at a tiny rural community college near here on Wednesday. But as people began to cram into the shoe-box-size room, campaign organizers scurried to roll back a dividing wall and set up extra chairs.

Discussion: Political Machine, Los Angeles Times, The Van Der Galiën Gazette and Lonewacko