memeorandum: The shame of New York — The real story of the Ground Zero mosque … (New York Post)

10:45 AM ET, August 19, 2010

Top Items:

Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim — Religion, Politics and the President — OVERVIEW — A substantial and growing number of Americans say that Barack Obama is a Muslim, while the proportion saying he is a Christian has declined. More than a year and a half into his presidency …

Discussion: Politics Daily, Time, The Fix, Taegan Goddard's …, The Politico, Weigel, Guardian, TPMDC, neo-neocon, Swampland, Hotline On Call, Power Line, Washington Wire and Gawker

Washington Post:

Poll: 1 in 5 Americans thinks Obama is a Muslim — The number of Americans who believe — wrongly — that President Obama is a Muslim has increased significantly since his inauguration and now account for nearly 20 percent of the nation's population. — Those results, from a new Pew …

Discussion: Achenblog, DISSENTING JUSTICE, The League of Ordinary …, NewsBusters.org, Brendan Nyhan, Macsmind, MyDD, Hullabaloo, Althouse, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Page and New York Magazine

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

In Defining Obama, Misperceptions Stick — WASHINGTON — Americans need only stand in line at the grocery checkout counter to glimpse the conspiracy theories percolating about President Obama. “Birthplace Cover-Up,” screams the current issue of the racy tabloid Globe. “Obama's Secret Life Exposed!”

Discussion: Hit & Run, Sweetness & Light, Balloon Juice, msnbc.com, Prairie Weather and Marbury

Pew Research Center:
Survey Reports — Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim

Discussion: Top of the Ticket

Alan Fram / Associated Press:
Poll: Growing number incorrectly call Obama Muslim

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Sweetness & Light and msnbc.com

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Howard Dean: “Mosque” should move — (updated below - Update II - Update III) — Certain things are disappointing and surprising even for the most hardened cynics. Hearing Howard Dean — the former liberal standard-bearer — join Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin by saying the following is definitely one of them:

Discussion: The Confluence, Think Progress, Daily Kos, News Desk, Firedoglake, Journal Times, AMERICAblog News, Truthdig, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Wonk Room, The Daily Beast, Sister Toldjah, Comments from Left Field, DISSENTING JUSTICE, The Politico, Liberal Values and Commentary

Michelle Boorstein / Washington Post:

In flap over mosque near Ground Zero, conservative writers gaining influence — Long before President Obama waded into the vociferous debate over a proposal to build a mosque near Ground Zero, a group of conservative writers and bloggers critical of Islam had seized on the issue and helped transform …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Jihad Watch, The Other McCain, The Atlantic Online, GayPatriot, Atlas Shrugs, American Power, Gateway Pundit, Whiskey Fire and The Daily Beast

The Huffington Post:

Dean Stands By Mosque Remarks, Charges Liberal Critics With Being Inflexible — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — In an interview late Wednesday, former DNC Chair Howard Dean reiterated his belief that the controversial “Ground Zero” mosque should be re-located, arguing that critics of his position were …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, JustOneMinute, Think Progress, Hot Air and Washington Post

Margaret Carlson / Bloomberg:
Smart President Fails Test at Ground Zero: Margaret Carlson

Discussion: Commentary and Betsy's Page

New York Post:
Iran cash might fund mosque at Ground Zero

Discussion: New York Magazine, NY Daily News and JammieWearingFool

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Howard Dean: Mosque ‘an affront’

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, TPMDC, American Power, Raw Story, Gateway Pundit, Corrente and The Page

Christina Bellantoni / TPMDC:
Anti-'Mosque' Geller: 'Strip Clubs Didn't Bring Down The Towers'

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Atlantic Online, New York Magazine and Atlas Shrugs

Washington Post:
Where are the Republicans who will reject pandering and prejudice?

Discussion: The Nation, Soccer Dad, PostPartisan and Atlas Shrugs

Jonah Goldberg / National Review:
America, the Decent — My views on the mosque are pretty well aired out now.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, KATHLEENMCKINLEY.COM and alicublog

CNBC:

Weekly Jobless Claims Post Surprise Jump, Hit 500,000 — New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly climbed to a nine-month high last week, yet another setback to the frail economic recovery. — Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 500,000 …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Firedoglake, Hot Air, Scared Monkeys, The Powers That Be and TalkLeft

The U.S. Department of Labor:

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis — EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION — Program Contact: — TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL — (202) 693-4676 — UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT — SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

Discussion: Free exchange and The Washington Independent

Ernesto Londoño / Washington Post:

Operation Iraqi Freedom ends as last combat soldiers leave Baghdad — Lt. Col. Mark Bieger huddled his infantrymen in a darkened parking lot minutes before they were to depart Baghdad for the last time. — “This is a historic mission!” he bellowed, struggling to be heard over the zoom …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Sister Toldjah, The Foundry, ATTACKERMAN, Ò", BLACKFIVE and DISSENTING JUSTICE

CNN:

Last U.S. combat convoy has left Iraq — Mosul, Iraq (CNN) — The last U.S. brigade combat team in Iraq has left the country, a move that helps U.S. President Barack Obama reach his goal of 50,000 troops in the country by September 1. — Their departure leaves about 56,000 U.S. troops in the country, according to the U.S. military.

Discussion: Think Progress, The Reaction and newsfeed.time.com

Michael R. Gordon / New York Times:
Civilians to Take U.S. Lead After Military Leaves Iraq

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Guardian, Mediaite and Hot Air

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:
As Combat Troops Leave Iraq, News Media Ride Along

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Federal Eye, Mediaite, Aljazeera, Crooks and Liars, Wonkette, New York Magazine and The Agonist, more at Mediagazer »

Ace / Ace of Spades HQ:

Breaking: Blago Holdout Retired State Employee Who Once Handed Out Campaign Literature For Relative Seeking Office; NPR and Liberal Talk Radio Listener — Here's what Fox local news in Chicago reports: … Note that that is not yet confirmed. It is now confirmed by CBS local news Chicago.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, WBBM-TV, Wizbang and JOSHUAPUNDIT

WBBM-TV:
Blagojevich Jury Holdout Remaining Silent

Discussion: Big Government and Patterico's Pontifications

Alana Goodman / NewsBusters.org:

Sheryl Crow Bashes Sarah Palin: 'Someone Unplug Her Microphone! " — Pop-singer Sheryl Crow has always been outspoken about her own political views, but now she's telling former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to zip it. — “I saw you ranting on TV today, I heard you tell me to reload.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and Weasel Zippers

Jim Geraghty / National Review:

NRSC: ‘The Next Time Democrats Call You Extreme, Show Them This Video.’ — You see it here first, folks: the new web video from the NRSC about just whose views are “extreme” around here. — Their closing sequence, showcasing that the so-called extreme candidates are either leading or in dead heats …

Discussion: Macsmind, American Glob, Hot Air and Nice Deb

Quinnipiac University:

Sink Inching Up In Close Florida Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Crist Leads Three-Way Senate Race — Apparently bolstered by the civil war for the Republican nomination for Governor in Florida, State Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the Democrat, is on the plus side …

Discussion: The Hill, Taegan Goddard's …, TPMDC, Post on Politics, Riehl World View and The Eye

New York Post:

The shame of New York — The real story of the Ground Zero mosque is that the project only became feasible because of the appalling and astonishing fecklessness of the officials who were charged with the reconstruction of the site and the neighborhood all the way back in 2001.

The Politico:

Mosque a long shot to be built — When President Barack Obama turned the battle over a planned New York Islamic center into a national debate over religious freedom, he unwittingly allied himself and his party with an ill-planned, long-shot development project described by one of its most prominent allies as “amateur hour.”

Discussion: Guardian and Daily Kos

Wall Street Journal:

Blagojevich 23, Fitzgerald 1 — Chicago's jester politician humiliates the Justice Department. — Rod Blagojevich was charged with everything from shaking down a Chicago children's hospital to attempting to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Obama …

Discussion: Washington Post, Commentary and Don Surber

Michael Tarm / Associated Press:
Blagojevich retrial looms; will it be different?

Discussion: Sweetness & Light and Time

The Politico:

The most powerful Republican in politics — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is the most powerful Republican in American politics — at least for the next three months. — Barbour, who runs the Republican Governors Association, has more money to spend on the 2010 elections - $40 million - than any other GOP leader around.

Discussion: The Caucus

Murray Wardrop / Telegraph:

Young will have to change names to escape ‘cyber past’ warns Google's Eric Schmidt — The private lives of young people are now so well documented on the internet that many will have to change their names on reaching adulthood, Google's CEO has claimed. — Eric Schmidt suggested …

Discussion: Don Surber, Balloon Juice and Hillicon Valley

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

The Coup of 2011 — It occurred to me today that there's at least some chance that in January of 2011 the US Senate will have 49 Democrats, Joe Lieberman, Charlie Crist, and 49 Republicans. Which is to say that Lieberman & Crist could form a two-man caucus, hold the balance of power, and drive organization of the Senate.

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:

The U.S. Department of Education's spokesperson hung up on The Daily Caller Wednesday when seeking clarification regarding the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's planned speech at an Aug. 28 protest march that the Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network (NAN) are holding …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters.org and Balloon Juice