memeorandum: Taliban Rockets Hit Afghan Capital (Wall Street Journal)

9:30 AM ET, August 4, 2009

Top Items:

Obama ‘Joker’ Poster Causing a Stir in L.A. — Obama “Joker” Poster — What do you think? — When you're taking flak... ÃÂyou know you're over the target,and the person who made this poster is shining the light of truth on the Obama administration.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, The Corner, field negro, Jules Crittenden, No More Mister Nice Blog, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, L.A. Now and RedState

Steven Mikulan / LA Daily:

New Anti-Obama ‘Joker’ Poster — A new poster depicting President Obama as a version of Heath Ledger's Joker character in The Dark Knight has appeared in Los Angeles, according to rightwing sources. Blog posters to such online sites as American Thinker and Tammy Bruce are predictably in the throes of political orgasm.

Discussion: Big Hollywood, RedState, Bookworm Room, Daily Dose, The Anchoress, The Confluence, rightofcourse.com, Conventional Folly, Confederate Yankee, The washington times Blogs and American Thinker

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
LA Weekly wets itself over Obama/Joker poster: “The only thing missing is a noose”

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Pajamas Media, Cranky T-Rex's Blog, NewsBusters.org, Pundit & Pundette, The Corner and Macsmind

Evan Perez / Wall Street Journal:

White House Counsel's Job Is at Stake — WASHINGTON — Obama administration officials are holding discussions that could result in White House counsel Gregory Craig leaving his post, following a rocky tenure, people familiar with the matter said. — Mr. Craig, the top lawyer at the White House …

Discussion: Washington Post, msnbc.com, Los Angeles Times, The BLT, Law Blog, Above the Law, Emptywheel and New York Magazine

Siobhan Gorman / Wall Street Journal:

White House Cybersecurity Chief Quits — WASHINGTON — The White House's acting cybersecurity czar announced her resignation Monday, in a setback to the Obama administration's efforts to better protect the computer networks critical to national security and the global economy.

Discussion: Emptywheel and On Deadline

Mike Allen / The Politico:
Obama vs. Drudge

Discussion: Washington Post, The Page and Breitbart.tv

Michael Tanji / Danger Room: White House ‘Cyber Czar’ Resigns; Let's Not Replace Her.

New York Times:

Bill Clinton in North Korea to Seek Release of U.S. Reporters — WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton went to North Korea on Monday to negotiate the release of two American television journalists who were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegally entering North Korean territory …

Discussion: Politics Daily, Mediaite, The Caucus, THE WEEK News & Opinion, Bloomberg, USA Today, Connecting.the.Dots, Gawker, The Page and Michael Calderone's Blog

Los Angeles Times:
Bill Clinton visits North Korea in bid to free journalists

Discussion: The Swamp, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and Taylor Marsh

Reuters: Bill Clinton Reported Heading to North Korea

David Weigel / The Washington Independent:

Is This the Source of the Forged ‘Kenyan Birth Certificate?’ — [Update: Credit where it's due—my source tipped me off to this in the Politijab web forums, which have become a good site for “birther” debunking.] — One of my friends in the small community of Obama “birther” …

Discussion: Below The Beltway, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Townhall.com and Dr. Orly Taitz Esquire

Koyaan / PolitiJab.com:

Kenyan Birth Certificate: PWNED! — After having spent (wasted?) nearly a year in the trenches of Birthistan, I decided several months ago to “retire” and move on, save for dropping by here once in a while to keep in touch with some of the friends I'd made here.

Wall Street Journal:

Geithner Vents as Overhaul Stumbles — WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner blasted top U.S. financial regulators in an expletive-laced critique last Friday as frustration grows over the Obama administration's faltering plan to overhaul U.S. financial regulation, according to people familiar with the meeting.

Discussion: Right Wing News, DailyFinance, Zandar Versus The Stupid, naked capitalism, Clusterstock, Real Time Economics and zero hedge

Lee Fang / Think Progress:

Durbin Responds To Lobbyist-Run Efforts To Harass Town Halls: We 'Won't Fall For A Sucker-Punch Like This' — ThinkProgress reported today on the growing number of angry right-wing activists viciously harassing Democratic, as well as moderate Republican, members of Congress on health care reform.

Discussion: The Confluence, The Political Carnival, AmSpecBlog, Gateway Pundit, Macsmind, Gawker, Wonk Room, the talking dog, My Left Nutmeg, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Lean Left, Philly.com, American Power, TPMDC, Wonkette, D-Day, Hot Air and Zandar Versus The Stupid

The Politico:
Dems' break looking like a bad trip

Discussion: The Note, New York Times and WSJ.com

Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:

Are Democrats In For An August Slaughter? — Democrats know the rulebook. The tactics being used against them by Republican and conservative groups were perfected by the party when it set out to defeat President Bush's Social Security privatization proposals.

Discussion: Betsy's Page, Wizbang and D-Day

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo: Ambinder — Marc Ambinder seems to think the tea-bagger effort …

Weekly Standard:

And That's the Way It Wasn't — From the Scrapbook. — It seems somehow oddly appropriate that the passing of TV news giant Walter Cronkite should have produced in turn a gigantic correction in the New York Times, which we reproduce here for your delectation:

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Obama Renews Vow of No Middle-Class Tax Increase — WASHINGTON — The White House tried Monday to douse speculation that it might raise taxes on the middle class in violation of President Obama's campaign promise, just a day after two of his top economic advisers left the door open to such a move to rein in spiraling deficits.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Commentary

The Hill: Tax trial balloon pops

Kevin Helliker / Wall Street Journal:

Killer App for Clunkers Spurs Market — Rebate Program Prescribes Chemical to Stop Car Engines — for Good; Mechanics 'Can't Wait' — Robert Mueller deals in chemicals for a living — things that can unstick glue, thin paint, make plastic — but he'd never seen an order like the one he got for sodium silicate.

Discussion: Clusterstock

Michael Barone / Real Clear Politics:
Beware the High Cost of Unintended Consequences

Discussion: Sense of Events, Fausta's Blog, Betsy's Page and Wall Street Journal

Jon Ralston / Las Vegas Sun Blogs:

Emails between Ensign NRSC lieutenants, Hamptons show affair was known inside organization more than a year ago — The emails, between Mike Slanker and Doug Hampton and Lindsey Slanker and Cindy Hampton, show the Slankers knew of the affair between John Ensign and Cindy Hampton while they were working …

Discussion: Las Vegas Sun, The Political Carnival and The Huffington Post

Dion Lefler / Kansas City Star:
Kansas casino partner linked to son's sex scandal

Discussion: The Caucus, Glenn Thrush's Blog and TPMMuckraker

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

And for the Blue Team? — We spent most of Monday reporting on these tea-bagging crowds going to Democratic health care town hall meetings to shout down the hosts and shut the events down. It's classic agitprop, very akin to the ‘Brooks Brothers riot’ down in Florida during the recount.

Discussion: The Plum Line and Zandar Versus The Stupid

Gwen Ottinger / Washington Post:

When ‘Clunkers’ Are Greener — Want to be green? Consider keeping your “clunker.” — The wildly popular “Cash for Clunkers” program is one of a number of policies funded by this year's stimulus package that encourage consumers to make major purchases in the name of the environment.

Discussion: Environmental Capital and Postcards

Laura A. Munson / New York Times:

Those Aren't Fighting Words, Dear — LET'S say you have what you believe to be a healthy marriage. You're still friends and lovers after spending more than half of your lives together. The dreams you set out to achieve in your 20s — gazing into each other's eyes in candlelit city bistros …

Discussion: Vox Popoli

Bill Hennessy / St. Louis Tea Party:

ACTION: McMahon Ford on Gravois, Tuesday 10:00 a.m. *scroll for updates* — URGENT: Retirees, Home schoolers, Work from home, and self-employed: WE NEED YOU TOMORROW MORNING!!! — Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) will hold a press conference at McMahon Ford on Gravois tomorrrow (Tuesday) …

Discussion: CatherineFavazza.com, Eye on 2010, RedState and Gateway Pundit

Derrick Z. Jackson / Boston Globe:

Who will stand strong in heat of healthcare fight? — HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi flashed some mighty sharp fangs last week at the insurance industry. The industry, along with drug companies, hospitals, and medical associations, is trying to torpedo government insurance options to insure all Americans.

Discussion: Firedoglake

Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:

Long Island Tea Party! — Great American and Atlas reader Karen videoed the speech and escaped the stalker camera man :) Thanks, Karen! — UPDATE: Here's Pamela Hall's post, after she scolded the video fool ........... (see below) — Lady Liberty - check out her torch!

Discussion: American Power