memeorandum: School Choice: What Would Bartlet Do? (David Boaz/Cato-at-liberty)

2:50 PM ET, June 19, 2008

Top Items:

Lawmakers Reach Deal To Expand Surveillance — WASHINGTON — After more than a year of partisan acrimony over government surveillance powers, Democratic and Republican leaders have agreed to a bipartisan deal that would be the most sweeping rewrite of spy powers in three decades.

Discussion: ProPublica, Obsidian Wings, War and Piece, Redstate, TPMMuckraker, TIME.com, Emptywheel, The Carpetbagger Report and ACSBlog

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:

THAT'S SOME COMPROMISE — Who really thinks that the White House and the telecoms would go along with this so-called “conditional immunity” that congressional Democrats have agreed to if they didn't think they could satisfy the condition? — All they must do is provide a federal district court judge with …

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and Lean Left

ACLU:

ACLU Condemns FISA Deal, Declares Surveillance Bill Unconstitutional — Contact: (202) 675-2312 or media@dcaclu.org — Washington, DC - With news that a surveillance bill may be voted on in the House of Representatives as early as tomorrow, the American Civil Liberties Union sternly warned members against voting for the legislation.

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Obama, telecoms and the Beltway system — (updated below - Update II) — As noted yesterday, Blue Dog Rep. John Barrow of Georgia has been one of the most enthusiastic enablers of the radical and lawless policies of the Bush administration. When running for re-election …

Discussion: TalkLeft, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, TPM Election Central, Emptywheel, Swing State Project, Ben Smith's Blogs, Redstate, Open Left, Booman Tribune, SquareState.net and DownWithTyranny!

Office of the House Democratic Majority …:

Bipartisan FISA Compromise Reached — WASHINGTON - Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman John “Jay” Rockefeller (WV), Senate Intelligence Committee Vice-Chair Kit Bond (MO), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD), and House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (MO) announced today that a bipartisan compromise …

Discussion: MoJoBlog and Shakesville

Jackie Kucinich / The Hill:
House to vote on FISA reform Friday

Discussion: AMERICAblog News

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
George Bush's latest powers, courtesy of the Democratic Congress

Discussion: Firedoglake, Reuters, Open Left and Daily Kos

Daniel W. Reilly / The Crypt's Blogs:
FISA Deal completed, House vote likely tomorrow

Discussion: Wake up America

Mcjoan / Daily Kos:
FISA Fight: Capitulation Reached

Discussion: CQ.com, Emptywheel, The Seminal, unbossed.com, ACLU Blog and Salon

Laura / War and Piece:
Here's a question for Pelosi at her press conference today:

Discussion: CNN, The Reaction, First Draft and CQ Politics

Ed OKeefe / Political Punch:

Obama to Break Promise, Opt Out of Public Financing for General Election — In a web video to supporters — “the people who built this movement from the bottom up” — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, announced this morning that he will not enter into the public financing system, despite a previous pledge to do so.

Discussion: Redstate, The Swamp, The Moderate Voice, The Corner, Firedoglake, Hot Air, Democratic Strategist, NO QUARTER, John McCain Report blog, Salon, Sister Toldjah, Don Surber, Wake up America, Sweetness & Light, Riehl World View, PoliBlog (TM), Real Clear Politics and alicublog

New York Times:

Obama Opts Out of Public Financing for Campaign — WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama announced on Thursday that he would not participate in the public financing system for presidential campaigns. He argued that the system had collapsed, and would put him at a disadvantage running …

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, TalkLeft, Daily Kos, Reason Magazine, Below The Beltway and Democracy in America

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Obama aide blames McCain on public-financing — Obama spokesman Bill Burton is blaming Senator John McCain's campaign for failing, he says, to negotiate in good faith on a course to public financing. — “In the past couple of weeks, our campaign counsels met and it was immediately clear …

Discussion: MSNBC, Political Punch, TPM Election Central, Donklephant, TIME.com, Macsmind, Salon and Outside The Beltway

Sam Graham-Felsen / Barack Obama:

Video: Important Announcement from Barack — The campaign sent out this email this morning... Friend — Barack Obama recorded a video message with an important announcement that he wanted you to hear first: — We have made a crucial decision that will impact how we compete in the general election …

Discussion: The Fix, Taylor Marsh, Donklephant, Progress Illinois and Jack and Jill Politics

Kelly Moeller / Political Punch:

McCain Campaign Counsel Denies Obama Campaign Account — In explaining its decision to not enter into the public financing system for the general election, Obama campaign counsel Bob Bauer met with McCain campaign counsel Trevor Potter and, according to Obama spox Bill Burton, Potter …

Discussion: The Trail, The Huffington Post, Ben Smith's Blogs, TIME.com, Swampland and Spin Cycle

Lynn Sweet:

Obama told Tim Russert at Feb. 27 debate he would “sit down with John McCain” to discuss public financing. Obama never did before opting out of system. — WASHINGTON-The legacy of the sharp questioning of Tim Russert, who died Friday, is clear in this exchange he had in a Feb. 27 Democratic primary debate …

Discussion: The Opinionator and Salon

Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:

Deals With Iraq Are Set to Bring Oil Giants Back — BAGHDAD — Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Daniel Altman / Managing Globalization:
High Energy Thursday: A peculiar deal for some of Iraq's oil

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Associated Press, Democracy in America and Pat Dollard

Matthew Yglesias:
Blood for Oil — Someone's gonna get paid:

Discussion: Eschaton and A Tiny Revolution

Stephen Spruiell / The Corner:

Senate Poised to Pass Mortgage Bailout — The U.S. Senate has taken up the Dodd-Shelby Countrywide Financial Bailout Act of 2008. Sen. Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican, is speaking against the bill right now on the Senate floor: … As the Editors wrote yesterday, “The U.S. Senate …

Discussion: PrestoPundit

Wall Street Journal:
Angelo's Angel — Give Senator Christopher Dodd credit for nerve.

Discussion: TownHall Blog and Commentary

Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:

Obama and McCain Spout Economic Nonsense — Barack Obama and John McCain are busy demonstrating that in close elections during tough economic times, candidates for president can be economically illiterate and irresponsibly populist. — In Raleigh, N.C., last week, Sen. Obama promised …

Discussion: The Swamp

Thomas W. Evans / New York Times:

Sue OPEC — THE president of the United States has the power to attack, and perhaps destroy, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the illegal cartel that has driven the price of oil over $130 per barrel. This can be accomplished without invasion or bombing. No special legislation is needed.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The New Republic and The Volokh Conspiracy

Roxana Tiron / The Hill:

Rumsfeld repays McCain; declines to back candidate — Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld recently declined to answer whether he will support Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president. — McCain, the GOP presidential standard-bearer, has been one of Rumsfeld's harshest critics.

Discussion: The Swamp, Shakesville, Real Clear Politics and MyDD