memeorandum: Socialism and Christian-Bashing Crash at Box Office (John Nolte/Big Hollywood)

1:00 PM ET, October 4, 2009

Top Items:

Peter W. Galbraith / Washington Post:

What I Saw at the Afghan Election — Before firing me last week from my post as his deputy special representative in Afghanistan, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon conveyed one last instruction: Do not talk to the press. In effect, I was being told to remain a team player after being thrown off the team.

Discussion: The Confluence, ATTACKERMAN, Guardian and Outside The Beltway

New York Times:

10 Steps to Victory in Afghanistan — Reform or Go Home — COUNTERINSURGENCY is only as good as the government it supports. NATO could do everything right — it isn't — but will still fail unless Afghans trust their government. Without essential reform, merely making the government …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and SWJ Blog

Joshua Partlow / Washington Post:

Taliban Fighters Attack Outposts, U.S. Troops Killed in Battle — Firing rockets and rifles, Taliban militiamen attacked American and Afghan military outposts in a daylong siege on Saturday that killed eight U.S. soldiers and two Afghan security forces in one of the deadliest battles in months, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.

Discussion: American Power, Michelle Malkin, Jules Crittenden and Weasel Zippers

Sean Rayment / Telegraph:

Army chief warns of ‘terrifying prospect’ of failure in Afghanistan — The head of the British Army, General Sir David Richards, has issued a wake-up call to the public by warning of the “terrifying prospect” of a defeat in Afghanistan. — In an unprecedented intervention …

Discussion: Commentary and Weasel Zippers

New York Times:
Eight U.S. Soldiers Dead in Bold Attack in Afghanistan

Discussion: The Page

New York Times:

Report Says Iran Has Data to Make a Nuclear Bomb — Senior staff members of the United Nations nuclear agency have concluded in a confidential analysis that Iran has acquired “sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable” atom bomb. — The report by experts …

Discussion: Don Surber, Commentary, TPM LiveWire, Guardian, Informed Comment, The Page, Gawker, Wake up America, Jules Crittenden, Atlas Shrugs, Power Line, The Agonist, Telegraph and Associated Press

Uzi Mahanimi / Times of London:
Israel names Russians helping Iran build nuclear bomb

Discussion: Israel Matzav

Frank Rich / New York Times:

The Rabbit Ragu Democrats — IN the annals of American excess, there often arrives a moment when those with too much money, too much clout and too much hubris just can't stop themselves from tempting the fates. They throw an over-the-top party in public, or parade their wealth and power before the press …

Discussion: Prairie Weather, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Matthew Yglesias

John Nolte / Big Hollywood:

Socialism and Christian-Bashing Crash at Box Office — Tough times for leftie Hollywood. Nothing's gone right this week. None of this is their fault, of course. In order to understand that it might not be a good idea to rally around a child rapist, bash religion in a religious country …

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, alicublog, Scared Monkeys, Gateway Pundit, Pundit & Pundette, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Firedoglake and 710 ESPN's “SMOG”

Martina Stewart / CNN:

‘I take exception’ to McCain's remark, Jones says — WASHINGTON (CNN) - A top military adviser to President Barack Obama said Sunday that politics does not play any role in the advice he gives to the president. — Last week, Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, the former Republican presidential hopeful …

Discussion: The Politico and Washington Monthly

Chicago Tribune:

Health care reform: Privately, Barack Obama strongly backs public option — White House discreetly labors to weave coalition on health care — WASHINGTON - — Despite months of seeming ambivalence about creating a government health insurance plan, the Obama White House has launched …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Liberal Values, The Confluence, New York Times and Washington Post

Dennis Hartley / Hullabaloo:

Saturday Night At The Movies — Let fiefdom ring — By Dennis Hartley … -Billy Bragg — So it's not just me. A few months ago, in my review of Public Enemies, I wrote: … For the opening credits of his latest sock-it-to-mentary, Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Moore runs …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Mark Silva / The Swamp:

Obamas' night out: First WH anniversary — Barack and Michelle Obama are, among other things, husband and wife. And tonight, they celebrated their 17th anniversary, their first in the White House. — The president and first lady went out. — At 7:40 pm EDT, the presidential motorcade stopped …

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Althouse

Robert H. Frank / New York Times:

A Smarter (and Cost-Efficient) Way to Fight Crime — LAW enforcement policy in the United States rests implicitly on the “rational actor” model of traditional economics, which holds that people take only those actions whose benefits exceed their costs. — This model says that crime …