memeorandum: We Need Free Trade in Health Care (Wall Street Journal)

9:05 AM ET, May 28, 2008

Top Items:

Exclusive: McClellan whacks Bush, White House — Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan writes in a surprisingly scathing memoir to be published next week that President Bush “veered terribly off course,” was not “open and forthright on Iraq,” and took a “permanent campaign approach” …

Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:

Ex-Press Aide Writes That Bush Misled U.S. on Iraq — Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan writes in a new memoir that the Iraq war was sold to the American people with a sophisticated “political propaganda campaign” led by President Bush and aimed at “manipulating sources of public opinion” …

Discussion: Firedoglake, TownHall Blog, CNN, The Corner, TIME.com, The Aristocrats, Associated Press and Swampland

Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:

In Ex-Spokesman's Book, Harsh Words for Bush — PHOENIX — President Bush “convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment,” and has engaged in “self-deception” to justify his political ends, Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary, writes in a critical new memoir about his years in the West Wing.

Discussion: American Street, The Carpetbagger Report, BAGnewsNotes, Wonkette and AMERICAblog

Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard Blog:
The Coming Resurrection of Scott McClellan

Discussion: TBogg and StephenBainbridge.com

David Dayen / Washington Monthly:
RELEASE THE MEMOIRS!... There was a hint last November …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Roger Simon / The Politico:

Dems seek to avoid meltdown — Those people who believe all problems have solutions may be unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Democratic Party. — On Saturday, the party's Rules and Bylaws Committee will try to solve a big problem, in order to avoid a huge problem in order to prevent a train wreck.

Discussion: Washington Wire and Political Perceptions

Marc Ambinder:

The RBC Meeting: A Preview — On Saturday, amid intense press coverage and protests generated by Clinton allies, the Democratic National Committee's rules and bylaws committee will meet to decide the status of several challenges to the RBC's earlier decision to penalize Florida and Michigan for their calendar violations.

Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:

Dem lawyers: Fla., Mich. can't be fully restored — WASHINGTON - A Democratic Party rules committee has the authority to seat some delegates from Michigan and Florida but not fully restore the two states as Hillary Rodham Clinton wants, according to party lawyers.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Moue Magazine and AMERICAblog

David Boaz / Wall Street Journal:

Our Collectivist Candidates — On Sunday Barack Obama urged graduates of Connecticut's Wesleyan University to devote themselves to “collective service.” This is not an unusual theme for a commencement address. But it was interesting how long he went on discussing various kinds …

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and EconLog

StrategyPage:

Al Qaeda Discusses Losing Iraq — Al Qaeda web sites are making a lot of noise about “why we lost in Iraq.” Western intelligence agencies are fascinated by the statistics being posted in several of these Arab language sites. Not the kind of stuff you read about in the Western media.

Discussion: TigerHawk, The Strata-Sphere, Pat Dollard and The Jawa Report

Scott W. Johnson / Weekly Standard:

The Kennedy-Khrushchev Conference for Dummies — Remedial history for Barack Obama. — BARACK OBAMA FIRST VOWED to meet unconditionally with the leaders of America's foremost enemies in the YouTube Democratic candidates' debate on July 23, 2007. Since then he has reaffirmed and expanded …

Discussion: Power Line and Pat Dollard

Boston Globe:

Dunkin' Donuts yanks Rachael Ray ad — Does Dunkin' Donuts really think its customers could mistake Rachael Ray for a terrorist sympathizer? The Canton-based company has abruptly canceled an ad in which the domestic diva wears a scarf that looks like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men.

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, American Street, The Huffington Post and Jules Crittenden

CNN:

RNC hits Obama over Auschwitz claim, Obama camp responds — (CNN) — The Republican National Committee accused Barack Obama Tuesday of a lack of judgment after the Illinois senator mistakenly said that his uncle helped liberate the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz while serving in the American military during World War II.

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Fox News, Wonkette and TIME.com

Byron York / The Corner:
Obama's (Great) Uncle

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Ben Smith's Blogs, Fact Checker, Transterrestrial Musings, Riehl World View, The Agitator, Roger L. Simon, QandO, Flopping Aces and Hot Air

Susan Crabtree / The Hill:

FBI interviews Arizona staffers — Federal agents interviewed staffers for likely Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) as part of their corruption case against Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.). — U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Diane J. Humetewa and fellow prosecutors disclosed …

ABCNEWS:

Al Qaeda Supporters' Tape to Call for Use of WMDs — Authorities: New Tape to Urge Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction on Civilians — Intelligence and law enforcement sources tell ABC News they are expecting al Qaeda supporters will post a new video on the Internet in the next 24 hours …

Discussion: Counterterrorism Blog, The Jawa Report, Shakesville, Jules Crittenden, Fausta's blog and Gateway Pundit

Wisam Mohammed / Reuters:

Iraq's main Sunni bloc suspends government talks — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's main Sunni Arab political bloc said on Wednesday it had suspended talks to rejoin the Shi'ite-led government after a disagreement with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki over a cabinet post.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com and Political Byline

Alan Fram / Associated Press:

Obama competitive against McCain with key voters — WASHINGTON - Barack Obama has done poorly in the Democratic primaries with women, Catholics and others who will be pivotal in this fall's presidential election. Yet early polling shows that with several of these groups, he's competitive when matched against Republican John McCain.

Discussion: The Political Carnival