memeorandum: Hurricane Bertha gains strength (CNN)

7:45 PM ET, July 7, 2008

Top Items:

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

WEBB DOESN'T WANT TO BE VP — From NBC's Mark Murray — Virginia Sen. Jim Webb just issued a statement from his Senate office saying that — “[u]nder no circumstances” — does he want to be considered as Obama's veep. “Last week I communicated to Sen. Obama and his presidential campaign …

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight.com, Taylor Marsh, Eunomia, Open Left and Neptunus Lex

Marc Ambinder:

Obama's Search Team Begins To Vet — Barack Obama's vice presidential selection team has begun to ask potential candidates for information and documents, a signal that the formal vetting phase of the search process has begun. — Last week, members of the team gave Sen. James Webb of VA …

Discussion: MSNBC

Krooney / TIME.com:
Cross Webb Off Obama Veep List

Discussion: The Swamp, The Crypt's Blogs and Slog

Ben Pershing / Capitol Briefing: Webb Takes Himself Out of VP Race

Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:
Webb: “Under No Circumstances Will I Be A Candidate For Vice President”

Discussion: Democratic Strategist

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT — I think we may have come to that moment, that quick turn of events, that encapsulates the fact that there is apparently no limit to the howlers and nonsense that John McCain can throw out and still not generate collective guffaws or even scrutiny from the national political press.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, MSNBC, Political Machine, The Carpetbagger Report, Balloon Juice, Cogitamus, TPM Election Central and Outside The Beltway

Progress Now Action:

Contact: Michael Huttner 303-931-4547 cell — DENVER, Colo.-On orders from Senator John McCain's security detail, Denver police escorted a 61-year-old woman away who was waiting in line to attend a so-called town hall meeting with McCain that was billed as open to the public.

Discussion: TalkLeft and Think Progress

Marc Ambinder:
How Will McCain Balance The Budget?

Discussion: The Caucus, Obsidian Wings, Think Progress, Political Machine, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo

David S. Broder / Washington Post:

Jesse Helms, White Racist — This column appeared in The Post Aug. 29, 2001 — one week after Jesse Helms, who died Friday, announced his retirement from the Senate. — (Have an idea for RePosted? Send it to reposted@washingtonpost.com.) — Those who believe that the “liberal press” …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, NewsBusters.org, The Daily Dish, michellemalkin.com, The Reaction, Jezebel and Confederate Yankee

Ross Douthat:

The Case of Jesse Helms — The liberal blogosphere wants to know: Why have conservatives lined up to say kind things about the late Jesse Helms? Partially because nobody wants to speak ill of the dead, but largely because Helms was an sometimes-effective, always-steadfast champion …

Discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Runnin' Scared, The Carpetbagger Report, The RBC, Grasping Reality …, The Corner, The New Republic and Times of London

Marc Thiessen / Washington Post:

The Jesse Helms You Should Remember — With the passing of Sen. Jesse Helms, the media have demonstrated one final time that they never fully understood the power or impact of this great man. Consider, for example, The Post's obituary of Helms; here are some things you would not learn about his life and legacy by reading it:

Discussion: Commentary, Swampland, Outside The Beltway, American Power, Fact-esque, The Next Right and democracyarsenal.org

Gateway Pundit:

DEM SHOCKER!!... Speaker Pelosi Was Sending Messages to FARC Terrorists While Undermining Colombian Government! — New information reveals that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was indirectly sending messages to the FARC. The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is designated as a terrorist group by the US government.

Discussion: protein wisdom, Babalu Blog, Atlas Shrugs, Don Surber and JammieWearingFool

Mary Anastasia O'Grady / Wall Street Journal:
FARC's ‘Human Rights’ Friends

Discussion: EU Referendum, Stop The ACLU and The American Mind

Rick Maze / Military Times HOME:

Obama: I need to earn troops' trust — Candidate lays out defense policies, touts his judgment over McCain's, holds civilians accountable for missteps in Iraq — COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama knows that to win the vote of current and former military members …

Discussion: Spin Cycle, Taylor Marsh and Political Punch

Military Times HOME:

Military Times editorial board meeting with Sen. Barack Obama — Q: WHAT QUALIFIES YOU TO BE COMMANDER IN CHIEF? — A: Well, I think that the most important quality that a commander in chief needs at this juncture in history in particular is judgment, an ability to see what America's challenges are …

Discussion: The Caucus and The Campaign Spot

Jonathan Martin / Jonathan Martin's Blogs:
The true test of Obama's Iraq shift

Discussion: The New Republic, Babalu Blog, TIME.com and The Campaign Spot

Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:

Washington Post Names Outsider as Top Editor — The Washington Post has named Marcus W. Brauchli, a former top editor of The Wall Street Journal, as its executive editor, the paper announced Monday. The appointment comes as a new publisher, Katharine Weymouth, puts her stamp on one of the nation's great newspapers.

Discussion: On Deadline and Romenesko

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Washington Post Names Marcus Brauchli Executive Editor

Discussion: Achenblog, A Tiny Revolution and Romenesko

Rosa Prince / Telegraph:

Toddlers who dislike spicy food ‘racist’ — Toddlers who turn their noses up at spicy food from overseas could be branded racists by a Government-sponsored agency. — The National Children's Bureau, which receives £12 million a year, mainly from Government funded organisations …

Discussion: Moonbattery, Debbie Schlussel, The Corner, Daimnation!, Pajamas Media, Outside The Beltway, Sister Toldjah, The Sundries Shack and QandO

CBN.com:

Christian Group Launches “Abortion President” Campaign against Barack Obama — Oh my. The fight against Barack Obama on abortion has officially begun. The Christian Defense Coalition, who are known to shock folks from time to time, have come up with a new campaign called: “Barack Obama: The Abortion President”.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, All Spin Zone, Newsweek Blogs, Don Surber, Wake up America, pandagon.net, Political Punch, TIME.com, Ben Smith's Blogs, Wonkette, MSNBC, The Jed Report and Gateway Pundit

Robert D. Kaplan / The Current:

Will Israel Attack Iran? — As the most pro-Israel administration in Washington since Harry Truman enters its last six months in office, Israel faces a strategic choice. Will it use the possible indulgence of the Bush Administration to attack Iran's nuclear facilities …

Discussion: Israel Matzav, Haaretz, Eunomia and TPMCafe

Ben / Think Progress:
Lieberman: After Iran wipes out Israel and 'Arab countries …

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, DownWithTyranny! and Eschaton

Dean Yates / Reuters:

Iraq says may agree timetable for U.S. withdrawal — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki raised the prospect on Monday of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington.

Discussion: Agence France Presse, QandO, Don Surber, The Crypt's Blogs, Rising Hegemon, Washington Monthly, Democrats.com, FP Passport and Connecting.the.Dots

Sudarsan Raghavan / Washington Post:
Iraq's Maliki Suggests Setting Timetable for U.S. Withdrawal

Discussion: BBC and Think Progress

Kelly Kennedy / Army Times:

Medic in famous photo dies after PTSD struggle — During the first week of the war in Iraq, a Military Times photographer captured the arresting image of Army Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer as he raced through a battle zone clutching a tiny Iraqi boy named Ali. — The photo was hailed as a portrait …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Balloon Juice, American Power and Crooks and Liars