memeorandum: ‘No Picnic for Me Either’ — In his education speech this week … (David Brooks/New York Times)

9:55 PM ET, March 13, 2009

Top Items:

SteveK / TVNewser:

MSNBC Producers Asked Not To Highlight Cramer/Stewart — A TVNewser tipster tells us MSNBC producers were asked not to incorporate the Jim Cramer/Jon Stewart interview into their shows today. In fact, the only time it came up on MSNBC was during the White House briefing …

Discussion: Salon, Balloon Juice, Firedoglake, New York Magazine, FishBowlDC and Riehl World View

Capital Commerce:

Why Jon Stewart Really Attacked Jim Cramer — There was a lively exchange last night on The Daily Show between Jon Stewart and CNBC's Jim Cramer, in which Stewart hammered Cramer and the network for being subservient to Wall Street and not alerting viewers to the coming meltdown.

Discussion: Eunomia, The Sundries Shack, Balloon Juice and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Megan McArdle:

Cramer v. Stewart — The buzz today is Cramer's appearance on Jon Stewart's show. I've been of two minds about this whole fooforaw, which is why I haven't blogged about it. On the one hand, I am not a fan of financial cable news (Bloomberg usually excepted). I think Jim Cramer should be illegal.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Big Picture, MoJo Blog Posts, Brian Beutler, The League of Ordinary …, Majikthise and Wonkette

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: Matthew Yglesias, DealBook, Whiskey Fire, New York Magazine, The New Republic, TVNewser, The Moderate Voice and Balloon Juice

Ryan Powers / Think Progress:

MSNBC producers told ‘not to incorporate’ Cramer's Daily Show interview into their programming. — TVNewser reports that “MSNBC producers were asked not to incorporate the Jim Cramer/Jon Stewart interview into their shows today.” By TVNewser's count, Cramer's Daily Show interview …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Los Angeles Times, The Swamp and Hullabaloo

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
To Catch A Predator — I watched the Daily Show with growing shock last night.

Discussion: TheZoo

Eric March / Indecision Forever:
Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer: The Extended Daily Show Interview

Discussion: Firedoglake, Portfolio, Econ4U.org, The Huffington Post, Lynn Sweet, Show Tracker, BuzzFlash.org, MyDD, Tower Ticker, MoJo Blog Posts and Buck Naked Politics

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
There's nothing unique about Jim Cramer

Discussion: Will Wilkinson, Newshoggers.com, Swords Crossed, Firedoglake, TalkLeft, Greg's Opinion and The Opinionator

Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
After Being Eviscerated By Jon Stewart, Cramer Skips Morning Show Appearance

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Politico, The Huffington Post, The Raw Story, Majikthise and NewsBusters.org

James Fallows:
It's true: Jon Stewart has become Edward R. Murrow (updated)

Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:

Obama admin. to end use of term ‘enemy combatant’ — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - The Obama administration said Friday that it is abandoning one of President George W. Bush's key phrases in the war on terrorism: enemy combatant.

Discussion: Donklephant and Don Surber

Washington Post:

Obama Administration Abandons Use of Term ‘Enemy Combatant’ — The Obama Administration today dropped the term “enemy combatant” to describe those held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and increased the legal threshold needed to detain them.

Discussion: the talking dog and TIME.com

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:

U.S. defines its claim to detention power — The Obama Administration disclosed on Friday that it will no longer claim the power to detain terrorism suspects under the label “enemy combatant,” even while claiming broad authority to detain those who are a part of terrorist networks or who supplied “substantial support” to such forces.

Discussion: Salon and ACSBlog

Adam Serwer / American Prospect:
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ASSERTS BROAD DETENTION AUTHORITY.

Discussion: The Washington Independent and Brian Beutler

Michelle Malkin: Obama to re-brand “enemy combatants”

Terry Frieden / CNN:
U.S. reverses policy, drops ‘enemy combatant’ term

Discussion: DISSENTING JUSTICE, The League of Ordinary … and Jihad Watch

US Department of Justice:
Department of Justice Withdraws “Enemy Combatant” …

Discussion: New York Times, The Swamp, FP Passport, Hot Air and Think Progress

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: Brian Beutler, Wonkette, Think Progress, Washington Monthly, PoliGazette, Shakesville, The Impolitic and The Huffington Post

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

Discussion: Associated Press

Ezra Klein / American Prospect:

THE WHITE HOUSE'S FAVORITE COLUMNIST. — This is a bit of an inside baseball observation, but it's becoming clear that the columnist with the best access to the White House is, improbably, David Brooks. A month ago, Brooks got the first word on the banking plan and a rare one-on-one interview with Tim Geithner.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

McConnell: Coleman fight should go to federal court — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Friday that he would urge former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) to take his legal battle with Al Franken to federal court, potentially dragging out the Minnesota Senate race for several more months.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and The Plum Line

Manu Raju / The Politico:
Coleman v. Franken

Discussion: Associated Press and TIME.com

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: JustOneMinute, The Swamp, The Sundries Shack, Associated Press and Gateway Pundit

David Leonhardt / Economix:
Lawrence Summers on the Crisis

Discussion: The Daily Dish

Frank James / The Swamp:
Larry Summers: Economy wouldn't fix itself

Discussion: Hullabaloo and The Politico

Washington Wire:

S.C. Legislature Moves to Override Gov. Sanford on Stimulus Funds — Sara Murray reports on state politics. — Republicans in the South Carolina state Senate are laying the groundwork to accept the stimulus funds Gov. Mark Sanford is likely to reject. — Sanford, a Republican …

Discussion: CBS News, MyDD, DownWithTyranny! and Hullabaloo

Frank J. Fleming / Pajamas Media:

Could Obama Be Just Too Awesome? — While the president's brilliant radiance may fill us with boundless ecstasy, it could actually hurt the eyes of those unused to such light. — It's unfashionable right now to worry about things. The dark ages of being ruled by a thuggish tyrant are now behind America.

Discussion: protein wisdom

David Brooks / New York Times:

‘No Picnic for Me Either’ — In his education speech this week, Barack Obama retold a by-now familiar story. When he was a boy, his mother would wake him up at 4:30 to tutor him for a few hours before he went off to school. When young Barry complained about getting up so early …

Discussion: The New Republic, NewsBusters.org and Brendan Nyhan

Associated Press:

Man accused of beheading wife arraigned — Muzzammil Hassan stands at his arraignment in Erie County Court in Buffalo, N.Y. (David Duprey, Associated Press / March 13, 2009) — BUFFALO - The founder of a Muslim-American television station pleaded not guilty Friday to beheading his estranged wife.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin and Jihad Watch

Portfolio:

Ann Coulter's Book Sales Head South — Though never exactly shy, Ann Coulter has been especially noisy in her self-promotion lately, inventing a beef with NBC News, arguing with Keith Olbermann over the meaning of a Cornell degree and taking her act on the road with Bill Maher as foil.

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, The Raw Story, Salon, The Daily Dish and Democracy in America

WSAZ-TV:

Bottoms Up: W.Va. Senator Drinks Homemade “Coal Waste” on Senate Floor — Email Address: anna.baxter@wsaz.com — CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) — A West Virginia State Senator made a unique statement Thursday by drinking a bottle of what he referred to as coal slurry.

Discussion: It's Getting Hot In Here and Think Progress

Elana Schor / TPMDC:

Eight Dem Senators Defend the Right to Filibuster Climate Change — When President Obama submitted a budget that predicted passage of a revenue-raising climate change bill, hopes rose that Congress could successfully rein in carbon emissions this year. — But a cap-and-trade climate bill …

Discussion: Brian Beutler, MoJo Blog Posts, Hullabaloo, The Impolitic, Talking Points Memo and Time

Joshua Rhett Miller / Fox News:

What's In a Number? That Depends on How You Define ‘Homeless’ — A well publicized report this week that an estimated 1.5 million American children experienced homelessness in 2005-06 did not use the federal definition of homelessness. Instead, it used a different definition that grossly inflated the actual number.

Discussion: JammieWearingFool

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.