memeorandum: How to Leave Afghanistan — ONLY if our troop levels hit 100,000 … (Leslie H. Gelb/New York Times)

1:55 PM ET, March 13, 2009

Top Items:

Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer: The Extended Daily Show Interview — Jim Cramer and Jon Stewart went toe-to-toe last night. It was just like Ali-Foreman, only with more head trauma. But you didn't see everything. Much of the interview had to be cut for time. But this is the internet, where all we have is time.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Portfolio, Show Tracker, BuzzFlash.org, MyDD, The Big Picture, MoJo Blog Posts, New York Magazine, Tower Ticker and Entertainment Weekly's …

James Fallows:

It's true: Jon Stewart has become Edward R. Murrow — Through karmic guidance, I sprang awake at the exact moment Jon Stewart was beginning his [merciless demolition of] interview with Jim Cramer of CNBC's “Mad Money.” — Yes, it is cliched to praise Stewart as the “true” voice of news …

Discussion: Salon, Business Week, Law Blog, Guardian, Globe and Mail, Reuters, Taylor Marsh, Balkinization, The Note, BAGnewsNotes, The Caucus, Taegan Goddard's …, Buck Naked Politics, City Room, Runnin' Scared and NewsBusters.org

Alessandra Stanley / New York Times:

Economic Meltdown Not a Laughing Matter — It wasn't a “Brawl Street,” or a thrilla in vanilla. It wasn't a “Daily Show” friendly feud or even much of a discussion. Mostly, the much-hyped Thursday night showdown between Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer, the mercurial host of “Mad Money” on CNBC, felt like a Senate subcommittee hearing.

Discussion: The New Republic, The Moderate Voice, Greg's Opinion and TVNewser

The Huffington Post:

Jim Cramer On “Daily Show”: Jon Stewart Hits Hard (VIDEO) — HuffingtonPost/AP — SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO EXCERPT — NEW YORK — Jon Stewart hammered Jim Cramer and his network, CNBC, in their anticipated face-off on “The Daily Show,” repeatedly chastising the “Mad Money” host for putting entertainment above journalism.

Discussion: Think Progress, Majikthise, Salon, Washington Monthly, Michael Calderone's Blog, Firedoglake and Connecting.the.Dots

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

To Catch A Predator — I watched the Daily Show with growing shock last night. Did you expect that? I expected a jolly and ultimately congenial discussion, after some banter. What Cramer walked into was an ambush of anger. He crumbled from the beginning.

Eric Etheridge / The Opinionator:

Fight Night: Cramer vs. Stewart — CNBC Mad Money host Jim Cramer appearance on the Daily Show last night, the much-anticipated showdown in the feud between the financial network and the fake news show. The reviews now pouring onto the net are virtually unanimous: Stewart won.

Discussion: The Assimilated Negro, Daily Finance, The Reaction, AMERICAblog News and Balloon Juice

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Jon Stewart creams Jim Cramer on the Daily Show

Discussion: Clusterstock, Firedoglake, Daily Finance, Hullabaloo and Boing Boing

Wall Street Journal:

Obama's Poll Numbers Are Falling to Earth — It is simply wrong for commentators to continue to focus on President Barack Obama's high levels of popularity, and to conclude that these are indicative of high levels of public confidence in the work of his administration.

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

Beck: People ‘Pushed To The Wall’ By ‘Political Correctness’ Launch Spree Killings — There was a remarkable segment on Glen Beck's show yesterday, thankfully captured by Matt Corley in which Beck was basically outlining his view that the reason you see spree killings like the one in Alabama …

Matt Corley / Think Progress:
Beck: People ‘Pushed To The Wall’ …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, BuzzFlash.org, Shakesville, The Impolitic and USA Today

Leslie H. Gelb / New York Times:

How to Leave Afghanistan — ONLY if our troop levels hit 100,000 and fighting floods over into Taliban havens in Pakistan will Washington be likely to look hard at the alternative policy for Afghanistan — withdrawing most American forces and refocusing our power on containing …

Discussion: MyDD, New York Times, ATTACKERMAN, The Nation, The Washington Independent, Swampland and Defense Tech

Joe McDonald / Associated Press:

China “worried” about US Treasury holdings — BEIJING (AP) - China's premier expressed concern Friday about its massive holdings of Treasuries and other U.S. debt, appealing to Washington to safeguard their value, and said Beijing is ready to expand its stimulus if the economy worsens.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Donklephant and Associated Press

Michael Wines / New York Times:
China ‘Worried’ About Safety of U.S. Treasuries

Discussion: BBC, Brilliant at Breakfast, democracyarsenal.org, The Agonist and Daniel W. Drezner

Tim Reid / Times of London:
US warships head for South China Sea after standoff

Discussion: LewRockwell.com Blog

Glenn Thrush / The Politico:

Waters fights back — Rep. Maxine Waters, under fire for a potential conflict of interest involving a bank in which she has a financial interest, is pushing back hard on the allegations with a long, unapologetic statement justifying her advocacy for minority owned banks.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Washington Independent, The Atlantic Business Channel and JammieWearingFool

TBlumer / BizzyBlog:
So Why DID H. Rodgin Cohen Withdraw as Treasury's No. 2?

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Portfolio and Pajamas Media

David Cho / Washington Post:
Fourth Nominee Withdraws From Treasury's Roster

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, MSNBC, Law Blog and Wall Street Journal

Washington Wire:

McCain Threatens to Oppose Interior Nominee Over Reagan Remark — Stephen Power reports on politics. — Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain today denounced as “highly offensive” remarks about Ronald Reagan made by President Barack Obama's nominee for the number two spot at the Department of the Interior.

Discussion: Think Progress, Washington Monthly, Matthew Yglesias, Brian Beutler, The Huffington Post and Democracy in America

Philly.com:
Memo to McCain: There are no saints in America, not even St. Ronnie

Discussion: Associated Press

Mike Allen / The Politico:

White House: Greed will help — The nation's economy used to have too much greed and not enough fear of the future, but now has too much fear and could use a little more “greed” - spending. — Lawrence H. Summers, the White House economic adviser, calls it “the paradox at the heart of the financial crisis. ”

Discussion: The Swamp, Associated Press, The Sundries Shack and Reuters

Associated Press:
Summers: ‘Excess of fear’ must be broken

Discussion: Gateway Pundit

Scott / Power Line:

Report from Malmo — Swedish journalist Paula Neuding provides a sobering report on events surrounding the riots that greeted Israel's Davis Cup team in Malmo last week. Neuding reports: … The reference to frustration and anger with “Israel's occupation” is of course to Israel's occupation of Israel.

Paulina Neuding / Weekly Standard: Welcome to Ramallmö — How a tennis match sparked riots in Sweden.

Maury Thompson / News/local from www.poststar.com:

Tedisco seeks change as Murphy gains — Republican and Conservative congressional candidate James Tedisco is shaking up his campaign as his Democratic, Independence and Working Families opponent Scott Murphy gains ground in polling. — Tedisco said Thursday he is taking over control …

Discussion: The Plum Line, The Daily Politics and The Washington Independent

Maury Thompson / PostStar.com:
Tedisco shakes up campaign after drop in Siena poll

Discussion: The Fix, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Campaign Spot and Swing State Project

Wall Street Journal:

There's No Pill for This Kind of Depression — Six months after the collapse, a “pandemic of fear.” — It is six months since Lehman fell and the crash (or the great recession, or the collapse—it's time it got its name) began. An aspect of the story given less attention than it is due …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Crunchy Con

Ali Frick / Think Progress:

SC student Ty'Sheoma Bethea's hopes dashed by Sanford's decision to reject $500m in education funds. — Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported that Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) decision to reject $700 million of stimulus funds could result in the firing of up to 7,500 teachers across the state …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN and AMERICAblog News

David Rogers / The Politico:

Ya can't make it up: House praises pi — With the world swirling about it, the House took a moment Thursday to honor pi, the Greek letter symbolizing that great constant in mathematics representing the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Discussion: QandO and Betsy's Page

Charles Krauthammer / Real Clear Politics:

Morally Unserious in the Extreme — WASHINGTON — Last week, the White House invited me to a signing ceremony overturning the Bush (43) executive order on stem cell research. I assume this was because I have long argued in these columns and during my five years on the President's Council on Bioethics that …

Discussion: Crunchy Con, Political Machine, Power Line and Betsy's Page

Manu Raju / The Politico:

Coleman v. Franken — The Senate's top Republican Friday urged Norm Coleman to take his fight against Al Franken all the way to the Supreme Court “until we know who won.” — Franken holds a 225-vote lead after a hand recount of ballots cast in November. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Politico, Capital J | JTA and Reuters