memeorandum: A conversation in Bagram, Afghanistan (Austin Bay Blog)

4:55 AM ET, November 11, 2007

Top Items:

Spanish King Tells Venezuelan President Chavez to 'Shut Up' — SANTIAGO, Chile — The Ibero-American summit ended on an unusually heated note Saturday, when an angry verbal spat culminated with the king of Spain telling Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to "shut up."

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Venezuela News And Views, A NEWT ONE, Say Anything, Hot Air and Blue Crab Boulevard

Moises Naim / Los Angeles Times:

Hugo Chavez's criminal paradise — Under the anti-globalization president, Venezuela has become a haven for global crime. — While President Hugo Chavez has been molding Venezuela into his personal socialist vision, other transformations — less visible but equally profound — have taken hold in the country.

Discussion: Power Line, JammieWearingFool, Redstate and Blue Crab Boulevard

H.B. / typicallyspanish.com:

King Juan Carlos tells Hugo Chávez to shut up during the closure of the Latin American summit — ALSO SEE : • Hugo Chávez calls Aznar a fascist at the Latin American Summit, while Zapatero starts two new humanitarian initiatives - — Spain's Prime Minister spoke …

JMG / Barcepundit:
I'M NOT PRO-MONARCHY in the sense that I don't believe that any office …

Discussion: Time, typicallyspanish.com and Atlas Shrugs

Major Garrett / Fox News:

Clinton Campaign Accused for the Second Time of Planting a Question at a Public Appearance — SIOUX CITY, Iowa — For the second time in as many days, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has had to deal with accusations of planting questions during public appearances, FOX News has learned.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Stump, Flopping Aces, The Swamp, Wake up America, Blue Crab Boulevard, Spin Cycle, Riehl World View, Redstate, Stop The ACLU and Macsmind

Eloise Harper / ABCNEWS:

Another Question Planted by Clinton Campaign — Illinois Minister Tells ABC News That Clinton Staffer Asked Him to Pose a War Question — One day after Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign confirmed that a staffer planted a question for the presidential candidate at a recent campaign stop …

Discussion: Middle Earth Journal, The Belmont Club, JammieWearingFool, Don Surber and Majikthise

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute: After The Fall — The latest Hillarity about planted questions …

John McCormick / The Swamp:
Edwards hits Clinton, Dodd says general to be close

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker, The Politico and ePluribus Media Community

Andrew Malcolm / Los Angeles Times:
Clinton admits planting questions in public forum

Discussion: Cameron's Corner, NewsBusters.org, ePluribus Media Community, Booman Tribune, Fox News, Liberal Values, Associated Press, Political Machine, The Carpetbagger Report, MSNBC, CNN Political Ticker and Jules Crittenden

Frank Rich / New York Times:

The Coup at Home — AS Gen. Pervez Musharraf arrested judges, lawyers and human-rights activists in Pakistan last week, our Senate was busy demonstrating its own civic mettle. Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, liberal Democrats from America's two most highly populated blue states …

Discussion: Balkinization, Time, Prairie Weather, The Moderate Voice and The Heretik

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Rice's Management at Issue

Discussion: Daniel W. Drezner, The Carpetbagger Report, Think Progress and Prairie Weather

White House:

President Bush and Chancellor Merkel of Germany Participate in a Joint Press Availability — PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you for coming. The Chancellor and I had a series of discussions on important subjects, starting with a dinner we had last night. And then we got up this morning …

Discussion: Whatever It Is … and unbossed.com

Jamiecnn / CNN Political Ticker:
Bush: Musharraf assurances are 'positive steps'

Discussion: Gulf News, The Moderate Voice and The Swamp

Bob Herbert / New York Times:

Recession? What Recession? — If it looks like a recession and feels like a recession ... "Quite frankly," said Senator Charles Schumer, peering over his glasses at the Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, "I think we are at a moment of economic crisis, stemming from four key areas …

Discussion: Norwegianity, Angry Bear, Death, QandO, The American Street and Chronicle of the Conspiracy

Brad DeLong / Grasping Reality with Both Hands: Can We Retire Bob Herbert?

Atrios / Eschaton: CPI — Herbert: … This isn't true. The CPI does include food …

Pajamas Media:

Norman Mailer, a dissenting view — The news that the novelist Norman Mailer died earlier today at the age of 84 has already elicited little hagiographical murmurs. That hushed choir will doubtless turn into a deafening chorus of praise in the coming days and weeks—how much space …

Discussion: Six Meat Buffet, Althouse, Ed Driscoll.com, The Mahatma X Files, Power Line, The Cabal, Roger L. Simon, TBogg and Transterrestrial Musings

Bart Barnes / Washington Post:
Pulitzer Prize-Winner Norman Mailer Dies at 84

Discussion: GregsOpinion.com

Austin Bay Blog:

A conversation in Bagram, Afghanistan — DATELINE: Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan November 9, 2007 — Yesterday in Afghanistan an Air Force lieutenant colonel and I started one of those "well I don't know anybody and I've got to waste some time" chats.

Discussion: TBogg

New York Times:

Broken Supply Channel Sent Weapons for Iraq Astray — As the insurgency in Iraq escalated in the spring of 2004, American officials entrusted an Iraqi businessman with issuing weapons to Iraqi police cadets training to help quell the violence. — By all accounts, the businessman …

Discussion: Prairie Weather and Cliff Schecter

Danny Hakim / New York Times:

Spitzer Showing Signs of Shift on License Plan — Reeling from relentless criticism of his plan to issue New York driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Gov. Eliot Spitzer indicated on Friday that he had not ruled out shelving the idea. — The governor's aides have grown increasingly concerned …

Discussion: GINA COBB, QandO and JustOneMinute

Matthew Hickley / Daily Mail:

The uninvited guest: Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs red-faced — When the U.S. Navy deploys a battle fleet on exercises, it takes the security of its aircraft carriers very seriously indeed. — At least a dozen warships provide a physical guard …

Discussion: Riehl World View, A NEWT ONE, The Liberal Avenger, Blue Crab Boulevard and Hot Air

New York Times:

The Web Finds Ron Paul, and Takes Him for a Ride — From posting video on YouTube to enlisting friends through Facebook, all of the presidential candidates are looking for ways to harness the Internet. In the case of Ron Paul, the Internet has harnessed him.

Discussion: The American Mind and USA Today

Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:

Republicans blame the wrong president for overstretched military — Of all of Bush's misstatements from the 2000 presidential election, one of the most obviously-false attacks was on military readiness. Indeed, then-Gov. Bush blamed Clinton and Gore directly for "hollowing out" the military.

Discussion: Prairie Weather and Angry Bear