memeorandum: US accuses China of vast industrial spying (Richard Spencer/Telegraph)

10:50 AM ET, November 16, 2007

Top Items:

The Democratic Debate — The following is a transcript of the Democratic Presidential debate in Las Vegas, as provided by the Federal News Service. — PARTICIPANTS: — FORMER SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC) — SENATOR BARACK OBAMA (D-IL) — MODERATORS: — WOLF BLITZER, CNN — CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN

Discussion: A Tiny Revolution, The Carpetbagger Report, Shakespeare's Sister, Dick Polman's American Debate, Brendan Nyhan and LiberalOasis

Chuck Todd / MSNBC:

QUICK POST-DEBATE IMPRESSIONS — From NBC's Chuck Todd — If the last debate was the moment where Democrats realized that the Clinton coronation was, at least, postponed, this one will be known as the debate that seemed to sharpen the contrast between Clinton and Obama and create a gap between the big two and everyone else.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, American Prospect, HillaryClinton.com, National Review, Outside The Beltway, The New Republic, Brilliant at Breakfast, TalkLeft, Examiner, The Huffington Post, The American Street, Macsmind, Open Left, Liberal Values, Political Radar, Taylor Marsh and Stop Her Now

New York Times:

Clinton Takes Aggressive Tack at Debate — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton shifted to a much more assertive tone in a debate Thursday night by going directly after her opponents, issuing a stern warning that Democrats should stop "throwing mud" and adopting tactics "right out of the Republican playbook"

Discussion: CNN, ABCNEWS, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Wonkette, Comments from Left Field, Gothamist, Bark Bark Woof Woof, The Swamp, Washington Wire, Flopping Aces, New York Sun and Spin Cycle

Michael Scherer / Salon:
What you missed while watching the "Project Runway" premiere

Discussion: The Fix, Reason Magazine, Pirate's Cove and Prairie Weather

David Yepsen / Des Moines Register:
Yepsen's analysis: That's why the lady is a champ

Discussion: Las Vegas Review-Journal, JustOneMinute, The Atlantic Online, The Caucus and MyDD

Washington Post:
Democratic Contenders Step Up Attacks in Debate

Discussion: The Caucus, Commentary, David Corn, Talking Points Memo, MoJoBlog, Hotline On Call, TIME and The Hill

Carla Marinucci / San Francisco Chronicle:
Clinton shows she can take a punch in Vegas debate

Discussion: Guardian, CBS News, Boston Globe and The World Wide Rant

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Democratic Debate: Winners and Losers

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and RealClearPolitics

Michael Cooper / New York Times:
It Was Clinton vs. Obama on Health Care

Discussion: TIME: Swampland

James Risen / New York Times:

Panel Drops Immunity From Eavesdropping Bill — Reflecting the deep divisions within Congress over granting legal immunity to telephone companies for cooperating with the Bush administration's program of wiretapping without warrants, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a new domestic surveillance law …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Newshoggers, Captain's Quarters, The Swamp, Election Central, Washington Post, Wonkette, Left in the West, Obsidian Wings, The Carpetbagger Report, At-Largely, TigerHawk, Lean Left, Chris Dodd National Blog, Brilliant at Breakfast and Macsmind

New York Times:

In Contempt — White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and Harriet Miers, the former White House counsel, showed their utter disregard for Congress, the Constitution and the American people when they defied Congressional subpoenas in the United States attorneys scandal.

Elizabeth Williamson / Washington Post:
House Falls Short in Vote to Override Veto

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Fact-esque

Irenep / Michael Yon:

Come Home … The Dome Under the Cross: Local Muslim and Christian leaders had prepared the church for his arrival. — A Bishop came to St John's Church in Baghdad today, 15 November, where a crowd of locals welcomed him home. They were joined at the service by soldiers from the 2-12 infantry battalion …

Discussion: TownHall Blog, Captain's Quarters, JammieWearingFool, QandO, Hot Air and Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler

White House:

President Bush Delivers Remarks at Federalist Society's 25th Annual Gala — Washington, D.C. — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) So much for the dress code. (Laughter.) I'm honored to be with you. Thanks. I appreciate being with an organization that understands the value …

Discussion: The Corner, Los Angeles Times, The American Street and First Draft

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
Federalists Relish Well-Placed Friends

Discussion: Law Blog

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Played for a Sucker — Lately, Barack Obama has been saying that major action is needed to avert what he keeps calling a "crisis" in Social Security — most recently in an interview with The National Journal. Progressives who fought hard and successfully against the Bush administration's attempt …

Discussion: Eschaton, Cafe Hayek, Open Left, Viking Pundit, NewsBusters.org and Prairie Weather

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:

Gonzales Defense Fund Set Up — Supporters of former attorney general Alberto R. Gonzales have created a trust fund to help pay for his legal expenses, which are mounting in the face of an ongoing Justice Department investigation into whether Gonzales committed perjury or improperly tampered with a congressional witness.

Discussion: Political Machine, DownWithTyranny!, The Carpetbagger Report, Salon, The Next Hurrah, The Board, The Raw Story, ePluribus Media Community, Bark Bark Woof Woof and Shakespeare's Sister

Steven R. Weisman / New York Times:

China Stand on Imports Upsets U.S. — Few American industries have had more success in selling goods to China than makers of medical devices like X-rays, pacemakers and patient monitors. Which is why a recent Chinese decree was so troubling. — The directive, issued in June …

Discussion: The Glittering Eye

Richard Spencer / Telegraph:
US accuses China of vast industrial spying

Discussion: ThreatsWatch

Joseph Curl / Washington Times:

Hollywood stars mum on donations to GOP — Republican presidential candidates have been drawing support — and cash — from Hollywood celebrities, but few of the stars in super-liberal Tinseltown want to be publicly linked with the Grand Old Party. — One high-profile celebrity …

Discussion: Don Surber

Washington Post:

Calif. Court Rejects SUV Mileage Rules — A federal court in California yesterday rejected the Bush administration's new fuel economy standards for light trucks including SUVs, ruling that the government failed to take into account the effects of carbon emissions and their possible link to global warming.

New York Times:
Court Rejects Fuel Standards on Trucks

Discussion: The Swamp

Fredric U. Dicker / New York Post:

SPITZ VOWS TO PUSH FOR GAY MARRIAGES — Gov. Spitzer said at a private fund-raiser that he wants a Democratic-controlled state Senate to legalize gay marriage - a highly divisive and controversial issue - as one of its first priorities in 2009, a witness to the remarks told The Post.

Discussion: JammieWearingFool, A Blog For All, Macsmind and Daily. Gay. News.

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:

Alliances In Ruins? — When the Democratic presidential candidates pause from beating Hillary with a stick, they join in unison to pronounce the Democratic pieties, chief among which is that George Bush has left our alliances in ruins. As Clinton puts it, we have "alienated our friends," …

Discussion: BitsBlog and Blue Crab Boulevard

Confederate Yankee:

Getting it Wrong... Again — You've got to love our intrepid media covering the war in Iraq. Even eye-to-eye with their subjects they can still drastically misunderstand the situation. — Such was the case last Saturday, Nov. 11, when Ghaith Abdul-Ahad wrote about a commander of former Sunni insurgents …