memeorandum: Talking Versus Doing (David Brooks/New York Times)

3:25 PM ET, May 20, 2008

Top Items:

Sen. Kennedy has malignant brain tumor — BOSTON - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. — Doctors for the Massachusetts Democrat say tests conducted after Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend show a tumor in his left parietal lobe. Preliminary results from a biopsy …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Skeptical Brotha, TVNewser, American Street, The Carpetbagger Report and Hullabaloo

Martin Kady II / The Crypt's Blogs:

Kennedy has malignant brain tumor — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's seizure this weekend was caused by a brain tumor, his doctor said this afternoon, but it's not yet clear if he will undergo radiation treatment and chemotherapy to treat the tumor. — The tumor, on Kennedy's left parietal lobe …

Discussion: The Swamp, A NEWT ONE, Taylor Marsh and The Campaign Spot

Glen Johnson / ABCNEWS:

Sen Ted Kennedy Diagnosed With Brain Tumor — Sen. Edward Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. — Doctors for the Massachusetts Democrat said Tuesday that preliminary biopsy results showed a malignant glioma in the left parietal-lobe. It was detected after Kennedy, 76 …

Discussion: UNCoRRELATED

CNN:

Doctors: Ted Kennedy has brain tumor — BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) — U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor, doctors treating him at Massachusetts General Hospital said Tuesday. — Kennedy, 76, was hospitalized Saturday morning after suffering a seizure at his family's compound at Hyannisport, Massachusetts.

Discussion: Capitol Briefing, Scared Monkeys, JammieWearingFool and Swampland

The Huffington Post:

McCain Confronted With New Iran Gaffe, Gets Facts Wrong Again (VIDEO) — Yesterday, Time's Joe Klein noted that he could find no evidence that Sen. Barack Obama had ever specifically said he would negotiate with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: … Later in the day, Klein confronted McCain with this question at a press conference.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, JustOneMinute, Think Progress, Gateway Pundit, Newshoggers.com, Macsmind, The Carpetbagger Report, LiberalOasis, Wonk Room, SteveAudio and Cliff Schecter

Matthew Yglesias:

Straight Talk Means Lying Constantly — It's increasingly clear that John McCain intends to use his special relationship with the press to run a campaign based on relentlessly lying about his opponent: … But of course it's not. McCain and McCain's allies in the world of neoconservative punditry …

Discussion: Firedoglake and Wonk Room

Joe Klein / Swampland:
McCain's Savannah Press Conference

Discussion: Wonk Room, democracyarsenal.org, The Huffington Post, Attackerman and Power Line

Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard Blog:
Here's the Video of Obama Saying He'd Meet With A'Jad

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs

Jerusalem Post:

‘Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term’ — US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran in the upcoming months, before the end of his term, Army Radio quoted a senior official in Jerusalem as saying Tuesday. — The official claimed that a senior member of the president's entourage …

Discussion: CNN, Buck Naked Politics, Think Progress, Corrente, Commentary, Jules Crittenden, Firedoglake, QandO, Confederate Yankee, Donklephant, Wonkette, The Raw Story, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Political Byline, Israel Matzav, Blogs of War and God-o-Meter

Faiz / Think Progress:
White House On Jerusalem Post's Iran Story: 'It's Not Worth …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and Commentary

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

McKinnon To Step Aside From McCain Effort — Mark McKinnon, the lead media consultant for Sen. John McCain's (Ariz.) presidential bid, is stepping down from that role — making good on a pledge he made last year not to work against Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) in the fall campaign.

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, The New Republic, TownHall Blog, TIME.com and The Trail

Salon:
Karl Rove's sly deal with Fox

Discussion: Think Progress, The Other McCain, TVNewser, Newshoggers.com and Political Punch

David Brooks / New York Times:

Talking Versus Doing — In 1965, Mancur Olson wrote a classic book called “The Logic of Collective Action,” which pointed out that large, amorphous groups are often less powerful politically than small, organized ones. He followed it up with “The Rise and Decline of Nations.”

Discussion: The Corner, Political Perceptions, UNCoRRELATED, Digital Rules, American Spectator, Cato-at-liberty and New Yorker

Matthew Yglesias:
Jobs I'd be Willing to Take — According to George Packer …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, GregsOpinion.com, Outside The Beltway, Whiskey Fire, Comments from Left Field, American Spectator and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

Lois Romano / Washington Post:

Clinton Puts Up A New Fight — The Candidate Confronts Sexism On the Trail and Vows to Battle On — Women of all ages and nationalities push against the rope line carrying books and T-shirts, posters and stuffed animals — anything for her to autograph. They tote huge signs that shout …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs, Washington Wire, The Swamp, TalkLeft, protein wisdom, No More Mister Nice Blog, Sister Toldjah, Spin Cycle, Taylor Marsh, The New Republic, Top of the Ticket, MSNBC, TIME.com and Jules Crittenden

Dana Goldstein / American Prospect:

KY DISTRICT SAYS ADVANCED MATH IS ONLY FOR GIRLS. — Remember those experimental sex-segregated K-12 programs the New York Times Magazine profiled in March? You know, the ones that rely upon gender stereotypes to educate young public school students? Yesterday the ACLU filed a lawsuit …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Valerie Strauss / Washington Post:
No Crisis For Boys In Schools, Study Says

Discussion: The New Republic, Matthew Yglesias and Secular Blasphemy

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Key Clinton Constituencies Moving Toward Obama — Obama now competitive among women, whites, and the less educated — PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Poll Daily tracking has documented a surge in Democratic voters' support for Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton in recent days …

Discussion: The Swamp, TPM Election Central and Donklephant

New York Times:

Iraqi Troops Make Push to Regain Control of Sadr City — BAGHDAD — Iraqi troops pushed deep into Sadr City Tuesday as the Iraqi government sought to establish control over the densely populated Shia enclave in the Iraqi capital. — The long-awaited military operation …

Discussion: Commentary and The Long War Journal

New York Post:
SUCCESS IN IRAQ: A MEDIA BLACKOUT

Discussion: TownHall Blog and Neptunus Lex

Wall Street Journal:

Clinton Keeps Up Fight As Staff Tensions Rise — By MONICA LANGLEY in Bowling Green, Ky., and AMY CHOZICK in Crow Agency, Mont. — Heading into twin Democratic primaries Tuesday in Kentucky and Oregon — which the two candidates are expected to split — Sen. Hillary Clinton is vowing …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, TIME.com and Balloon Juice

New York Times:

Report Details Complaints Over Interrogations — WASHINGTON — F.B.I. agents complained repeatedly, beginning in 2002, about the harsh interrogation tactics that military and C.I.A. interrogators were using in questioning terrorism suspects, like making them do dog tricks and parade in the nude …

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Swamp and Balloon Juice