memeorandum: Civilian Risks Curbing Strikes in Afghan War (Thom Shanker/New York Times)

8:25 AM ET, July 23, 2008

Top Items:

Joe Klein / Swampland:

McCain Meltdown — John McCain said this today in Rochester, New Hampshire: … This is the ninth presidential campaign I've covered. I can't remember a more scurrilous statement by a major party candidate. It smacks of desperation. It renews questions about whether McCain has the right temperament for the presidency.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Anonymous Liberal, Blue Girl, Red State, Soccer Dad, Ben Smith's Blogs, Rising Hegemon, The New Republic, Liberal Values, AMERICAblog News, Hullabaloo, Balloon Juice and Liberty Street

CBS News:

Obama: Surge Doesn't Meet Long-Term Goals — In An Exclusive Interview With Katie Couric, Illinois Senator Defends Position On Troop Buildup … Katie Couric: Sen. Obama, first of all, you have not been to Iraq since 2006. What did you learn on your recent visit that surprised you? Or what was new?

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, QandO, Hot Air, Marc Ambinder, Political Punch, NewsBusters.org, American Spectator, Fox News, TIME.com, Commentary, Confederate Yankee and RADAMISTO

Spencer Ackerman / ATTACKERMAN:

History Rears Up To Spit In Your Face — diggs — digg it — Dear press corps, — Please recognize that this is completely f**king wrong. … The colonel in question is now a one-star general, and his name is Sean MacFarland. He was commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Carpetbagger Report, The Jed Report, A Newt One, The Political Carnival, Hullabaloo, Think Progress, The RBC, D-Day, Taylor Marsh, RADAMISTO and DownWithTyranny!

Ilan Goldenberg / democracyarsenal.org:

Not a Gaffe: A Fundamental Misunderstanding of Iraq — John McCain made a mistake this evening, which as far as I'm concerned disqualifies him from being President. It is so appalling and so factually wrong that I'm actually sitting here wondering who McCain's advisers are.

Discussion: Foreign Affairs, Buck Naked Politics, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly and The Jed Report

The Huffington Post:

McCain Gets History Of The Surge Wrong, CBS Doesn't Air Footage — During a CBS interview on Tuesday, John McCain made a stone cold error on a subject about which he claims expert knowledge: the “surge” strategy in Iraq. In an interview with anchor Katie Couric, the Arizona Republican said …

Discussion: The Jed Report

Marc Ambinder:
Obama , Couric Spar Over Surge

Discussion: Washington Post, Gateway Pundit, American Spectator, Doug Ross, marbury, Commentary and Wonkette

Matthew Yglesias: McCain's Mixed-Up Timeline

Gateway Pundit:
Unreal!... Obama Tells Katie Couric the Surge Was a Bad Strategy …

Discussion: TBogg, Stop The ACLU, Macsmind, protein wisdom, JammieWearingFool, Liberal Values, Commentary, Riehl World View, IRAQ THE MODEL, Political Punch, Sister Toldjah and Soccer Dad

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
When Is A Withdrawal Not A Withdrawal? — Obama has always talked …

Discussion: The Campaign Spot and Major Garrett's Bourbon Room

Jed / The Jed Report: John McCain's Neverending War

Marc Ambinder:
McCain Disputes Obama Account Of The Surge

Discussion: The Swamp, SquareState.net, The Washington Independent, TIME.com and TPM Election Central

Matthew Yglesias:
McCain's Surge of Time Travel

Discussion: Spin Cycle, Marc Ambinder and Comments from Left Field

Marc Ambinder:
McCain's New Line On Obama

Discussion: ATTACKERMAN and The Political Carnival

National Enquirer:

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS CAUGHT WITH MISTRESS AND LOVE CHILD! — Vice Presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards was caught visiting his mistress and secret love child at 2:40 this morning in a Los Angeles hotel by the NATIONAL ENQUIRER. — The married ex-senator from North Carolina …

Byron York / The Corner:

Re: Edwards — On the John Edwards story, I do wonder how much, if any, coverage this report will receive. Edwards is, after all, in the pool for the Democratic vice presidential nomination; after first seeming to take himself out of the running, he put himself back in the race two weeks ago …

Discussion: DBKP and Wizbang

Roger L Simon / Pajamas Media:

John Edwards in a Feydeau Farce at the Beverly Hilton — I want to start by bragging to you about how discreet Pajamas Media is. Over six months ago, we had wind of the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter love affair and love child and did not run with it. Most of this information was hearsay …

Discussion: DBKP and Gawker

Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:

Obama Meets Israeli and Palestinian Leaders — JERUSALEM — Senator Barack Obama opened a day of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday, sharing breakfast with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak before traveling to the West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Discussion: TIME.com

Katie Fretland / The Swamp:
Obama: Israel's a friend of Israel

Discussion: The Sundries Shack

Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:
VIDEO BUMBLING OBAMA: “RECOGNIZING THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE”

Discussion: Israpundit

Kelly Moeller / Political Punch:
Obama Wants To Be Absolutely Clear on Who Is Israel's Friend

Discussion: Israel Matzav

Washington Post:

Mr. Obama in Iraq — THE INITIAL MEDIA coverage of Barack Obama's visit to Iraq suggested that the Democratic candidate found agreement with his plan to withdraw all U.S. combat forces on a 16-month timetable. So it seems worthwhile to point out that, by Mr. Obama's own account …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Commentary, Firedoglake and Rising Hegemon

Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Rep. Wilson calls Obama ‘frighteningly inexperienced’

Discussion: Whiskey Fire and Balloon Juice

Deacon / Power Line:
Heavy mush — The day after Barack Obama said that the troop surge …

Discussion: The Other McCain, Taylor Marsh and ABCNEWS

Greg Mitchell / The Huffington Post:

“Wall Street Got Drunk”: ‘Banned’ Bush Video Surfaces — An ABC-TV outlet in Houston, and now the Houston Chronicle, have posted a video taken at a political fundraiser for Pete Olson, featuring George W. Bush last week — capturing some embarrassing/revealing moments after, he noted, he had asked cameras to be turned off.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Buck Naked Politics and The Political Carnival

Andy Barr / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:

Bush on Economy: ‘Wall Street Got Drunk’ — Explaining the current economic downturn to a closed-door fundraiser last week, President Bush said, “Wall Street got drunk.” — “There's no question about it,” Bush said. “Wall Street got drunk, that's one of the reasons I asked you to turn off the TV cameras.

Discussion: The LA Times President …

Patrick Ruffini / The Next Right:

Obama Campaign Prints German-language Flyers for Berlin Rally — This is pretty extraordinary. A candidate for the American Presidency is using flyers printed in German to turn people out for his campaign rally in Berlin on Thursday. This flyer can be found on a bilingual page on BarackObama.com advertising the event:

Discussion: Dr. Melissa Clouthier, The Huffington Post, protein wisdom and Gateway Pundit

Major Garrett / Major Garrett's Bourbon Room:
Obama Advisers Squirm About Berlin Speech

Discussion: The Campaign Spot, QandO and www.redstate.com

Paul A. Gigot / Wall Street Journal:

The Fannie Mae Gang — Angelo Mozilo was in one of his Napoleonic moods. It was October 2003, and the CEO of Countrywide Financial was berating me for The Wall Street Journal's editorials raising doubts about the accounting of Fannie Mae. I had just been introduced to him by Franklin Raines …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Don Surber, The Volokh Conspiracy and PrestoPundit

Vikas Bajaj / New York Times:
Woes Afflicting Mortgage Giants Raise Loan Rates

Discussion: Calculated Risk

KenInNy / DownWithTyranny!:

Stop the presses! It's official: Young Johnny McCranky has his head wedged so far up his butt, we can barely see his lying lips flapping — A friend reports that Young Johnny, speaking live on MSNBC, just said, “The oil executives say that we could see the benefit of offshore drilling in just a couple years.”

Discussion: D-Day, Buck Naked Politics and Crooks and Liars