memeorandum: How low will he go? … (Andrew Malcolm/Top of the Ticket)

4:05 PM ET, November 14, 2009

Top Items:

How low will he go? Obama gives Japan's Emperor Akihito a wow bow (Updated with video) — (UPDATE: 12:22 p.m. A brief news video has been added below, showing the greeting in this photograph. Contrary to some claims, the video shows no reciprocal bow or nod by the emperor, who bows to no one.)

Discussion: Hot Air, The Swamp, Donklephant, Gateway Pundit, Scared Monkeys, Left Coast Rebel, Rumproast, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Riehl World View, HillBuzz, Sister Toldjah, Confederate Yankee and Commentary

Scott / Power Line:

Why is this man bowing? — We criticized Barack Obama when he bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia. Americans do not bow to royalty. When the royal is the ruling tyrant of a despotic regime, the wrong is compounded. Obama's bowing to the King was deeply offensive.

Discussion: American Power, Macsmind, Infidels Are Cool, Althouse, Newshoggers.com, Maggie's Farm and Viking Pundit

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Flashback: NYT blasts Clinton for ... almost bowing to Akihito — Both Allahpundit and I referenced this blast from the past at the time Barack Obama bowed to Abdullah earlier this year. It's worth posting again, not just because Obama pulled another boneheaded protocol violation and bowed to an emperor …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and Weasel Zippers

Danielle Demetriou / Telegraph:

Barack Obama bows and talks of green tea icecream as he pushes US ties in Asia — President Barack Obama has bowed to the Emperor of Japan and revealed his childhood affection for green tea icecream as he pushes stronger US ties with Asia. — There was talk of green tea ice cream …

Discussion: Weekly Standard and protein wisdom

Meredith Jessup / Townhall.com: This Is Getting Embarrassing...

Mike Allen / The Politico:
'America's first Pacific president'

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, The Swamp and American Power

New York Times:

A Return to American Justice — Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. took a bold and principled step on Friday toward repairing the damage wrought by former President George W. Bush with his decision to discard the nation's well-established systems of civilian and military justice in the treatment …

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House, Washington Monthly, QandO, Room for Debate, NewsBusters.org, DailyFinance, Infidels Are Cool, ProPublica, The Moderate Voice and The Opinionator

Wall Street Journal:

KSM Hits Manhattan—Again — Eric Holder's decision to move a trial on war crimes to American soil is morally confused, dangerous and political to a fault. — Printer — Friendly — Coming soon to a civilian courtroom blocks from Ground Zero: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the four other al Qaeda planners of 9/11.

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor, At-Largely, Stop The ACLU and RedState

Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:
For Holder, much wrestling over decision

Discussion: Politics Daily, Stop The ACLU and Betsy's Page

Philip Klein / AmSpecBlog:
Mukasey Blasts Pre-9/11 Mentality in KSM Decision

Discussion: Stop The ACLU, Power Line and Hot Air

New York Times:
9/11 Trial Poses Unparalleled Legal Obstacles for Both Sides

Discussion: The Caucus, POWIP and the talking dog

Andy Barr / The Politico:

Palin's five book tour goals — Sarah Palin's new book isn't even on shelves, but it's already a phenomenon. — “Going Rogue” is Amazon's best-selling pre-order and the mere whiff of its contents, which have trickled out despite a tight embargo, has stirred up a media frenzy.

Peter Hamby / CNN:

McCain received signed copy of ‘Going Rogue’ — (CNN) - Sen. John McCain has already received a signed copy of Sarah Palin's new memoir “Going Rogue,” but the former Republican presidential nominee hasn't read it yet. — “I've just received a signed copy from her yesterday …

Discussion: The Hill

The Huffington Post:

Sarah Palin “Going Rogue”: Takes Aim At McCain Campaign, Steve Schmidt — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Last month at a conference in Washington D.C., former McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt was asked how he expected to be portrayed in Sarah Palin's upcoming book. — Not well, he replied.

Discussion: Politics Daily and GOP 12

Andy Barr / The Politico:
McCain camp: Book ‘petty and pathetic’

Discussion: The Corner on National …, Sister Toldjah, Riehl World View, Power Line, Conservatives4Palin.com, Liberal Values, The Page, msnbc.com and Hot Air

Associated Press: FACT CHECK: Palin's Book Goes Rogue on Some Facts

Peter Wallsten / Wall Street Journal:
Palin Book Tour Builds on Web Strategy

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Huffington Post and Silicon Alley Insider

Wall Street Journal:

Obama Is Losing Independent Voters — A number of recent polls show the president would be wise to shift right. — Printer — Friendly — The announcement a week ago of 10.2% unemployment is a significant political event for President Barack Obama.

Discussion: Commentary, The Confluence, Shot in the Dark and RedState

Paul Krugman:

It's the stupidity economy — OK, maybe a more polite way to say it is this: bad ideas are acting as serious constraints on policy. — We're in a liquidity trap, with interest rates up against the zero bound. This means that conventional monetary policy isn't sufficient. What should we do?

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Jacob Heilbrunn / New York Times:

The Lies They Told — When Sept. 11, 2001, dawned, the Northeast Air Defense Sector in Rome, N.Y., went on full alert — to prepare for a training exercise that envisioned a sneak attack by Russian planes flying over the North Pole to bomb the United States, a prospect that Defense Secretary Robert McNamara …

Discussion: The Impolitic and Emptywheel

Chicago Breaking News:

Illinois next Gitmo? House Republicans say ‘no’ — A near-empty prison in rural Illinois has emerged as “a leading option” to house suspected terrorists from Guatanamo Bay — an idea welcomed by people in the tiny river town of Thomson but sharply criticized by Republicans in Congress. PHOTOS

Discussion: The Hill, Clout St, democracyarsenal.org and The Hill

Dionne Searcey / Wall Street Journal:

Jefferson Sentenced to 13 Years — Former Louisiana congressman William Jefferson was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison following his conviction in a corruption case that featured a freezer full of suspected bribe money stuffed into boxes of veggie burgers.

David Stout / New York Times: Sentence of 13 Years for Ex-Louisiana Congressman