memeorandum: Does America Have a Muslim Problem? (Bobby Ghosh/Time)

5:20 PM 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 …

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: Associated Press, The Agonist, Washington Monthly, Hit & Run, The Daily Caller, Balloon Juice, National Review, Sweetness & Light, Prairie Weather, msnbc.com and Marbury

CNN:

TRENDING: White House strikes back at ‘Muslim’ tag — The White House on Thursday responded to new polls which indicate Americans do not know what religion President Obama practices. — Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts (CNN) - The White House is responding to new polls Thursday that show …

Discussion: The Politico and Nice Deb

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 …

Alex Altman / Time:
TIME Poll: 61% of Americans Oppose ‘Ground Zero Mosque’

Discussion: The Caucus, The League of Ordinary …, TPMDC, Guardian, JOSHUAPUNDIT, CBS News, Gateway Pundit, Don Surber, The Page, Swampland and Fox News

Adam Serwer / American Prospect:
Tribalism And Constitutional Rights, Ctd.

Discussion: DISSENTING JUSTICE and Ben Smith's Blog

Democracy in America:
Mosque-building and its discontents — From this week's Economist/YouGov poll:

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and The Awl

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Muslim view spreads

Discussion: American Prospect, Media Matters for America, Washington Wire and Gawker

ap.org:

AP Standards Center issues staff advisory on covering New York City mosque — Associated Press Deputy Managing Editor for Standards and Production Tom Kent sent the following note to the staff about covering the New York City mosque story: — Colleagues,

Discussion: The Jawa Report, RedState, NewsBusters.org, Gateway Pundit, Outside the Beltway and Pajamas Media

Michael Calderone / Yahoo! News:

AP advises staff on location of Islamic center and mosque — The Associated Press, one of world's most powerful news organizations, issued a memo today advising staff to avoid the phrase “Ground Zero mosque.” — The Upshot reported Tuesday that the AP started using the phrase “Ground Zero mosque” in some headlines in late May.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Washington Monthly, Weasel Zippers, Little Green Footballs, Gawker, Gateway Pundit and mediabistro.com, more at Mediagazer »

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Russell Simmons on Ground Zero mosque: We didn't blame all Christians for the first WTC bombing, did we? — Via Hengler, the GZM kerfuffle suddenly takes an ... interesting turn. The debate's raging on Twitter: Does this guy actually think the first World Trade Center bombing was the work of Christian fundamentalists?

Discussion: Big Hollywood

Greg Hengler / Townhall.com:
Hip-Hop Mogul: If You Blame Muslims For 9-11, Blame Christians For 1st WTC Bombing!

Discussion: Knowledge is Power

Matthew Balan / NewsBusters.org:
Russell Simmons on CNN: Christians Bombed the WTC in 1993?

Discussion: Michelle Malkin and Pajamas Media

Raymond Ibrahim / Pajamas Media:
Top Muslims Condemn Ground Zero Mosque as a ‘Zionist Conspiracy’

Discussion: Hot Air, Dean's World, Cold Fury, Sister Toldjah, Israel Matzav, Tablet Magazine, Right Wing News and Washington Post

Bobby Ghosh / Time:
Does America Have a Muslim Problem?

Discussion: Mediaite, Hot Air, Washington Wire and The Huffington Post

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: Bloomberg, The Hill, Hot Air, The Moderate Voice, The Confluence, Gateway Pundit, Firedoglake, Matthew Yglesias, Scared Monkeys, The Powers That Be, The Greenroom, protein wisdom, Michelle Malkin, MyDD, Questions and Observations and Conservatives4Palin.com

Ezra Klein:

If only Obama had ... See if this structure seems familiar to you: Over the past two years, Barack Obama has done X. Now, his poll numbers have slipped to 44 percent. His party is slated to lose a lot of seats in the 2010 midterms. Obama's decision to do X is to blame. — “X” can be a lot of things.

Discussion: National Review, Matthew Yglesias, Don Surber, The New Republic, Right Wing News, Washington Monthly, MyDD and New York Times

The U.S. Department of Labor:
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis

Discussion: Free exchange, Politics Daily and The Washington Independent

Christine Hauser / New York Times:
Worries About Jobs Send Shares Lower

Discussion: Washington Monthly, PostPartisan, Prairie Weather, FT Alphaville, Truthdig and AMERICAblog News

Associated Press:
New Unemployment Claims SURGE, Hit Highest Level Since November 2009

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Andy Barr / The Politico:

Shot fired at Al Franken's condo — Minneapolis and Capitol Hill police are investigating a shot that was fired at the condo of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.). — Nobody was home at the time of the incident, which was not reported until after the senator and his wife returned home to Minneapolis …

Discussion: Politics Daily and TPMDC

CNN:
Police looking into damage to senator's home

Discussion: Wonkette

Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic Online:

‘Ground Zero’ Imam: ‘I Am a Jew, I Have Always Been One’ — The right-wing campaign against the so-called “Ground Zero mosque” includes vicious personal attacks on the Muslim cleric who leads the Cordoba Initiative, the organization behind the plan. I know Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Little Green Footballs and Harry's Place

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: Washington Wire, Ballot Box, Swing State Project, MyDD, RedState, The Hill, Post on Politics, TPMDC, HotAirPundit, Riehl World View and The Eye

National Review:

You'll Get Served — The West Wing is on notice. — If Republicans win the House this fall, Rep. Darrell Issa will wield the majority's sharpest investigative tool: the subpoena pen. — “Cabinet officers, assistant secretaries, directors — I will be able to take on everybody …

Discussion: Federal Eye and Weigel

Darren Goode / The Hill:
NOAA official: Roughly three-quarters of spilled oil still in Gulf

Discussion: The Washington Independent and HotAirPundit

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

GOP Senate candidate yanks video showing smoldering 9/11 site — This one is ugly. — GOP Senate candidate Roy Blunt's campaign has pulled down a Web video displaying the smoldering remains of the 9/11 attacks alongside audio of his Democratic opponent saying the location of the Islamic center should be up to New Yorkers to decide.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Politics Daily, Washington Monthly, Show Me Progress …, Wonkette, Weigel and Gawker

Randy / The Turner Report:
Blunt employing throw everything at Robin and hope something sticks strategy

Discussion: Fired Up! Missouri, Think Progress, The Washington Independent, MyDD and Hullabaloo

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

Clemens to Be Indicted for Perjury in Doping Testimony — Federal authorities have decided to indict Roger Clemens on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, according to two people briefed on the matter. — An announcement is expected later today.

Discussion: The Politico, Outside the Beltway, Wall Street Journal, Gawker, Don Surber, Talking Points Memo, Law Blog, Truthdig, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Agonist

Hotline On Call:

How To Lose A Guy In 75 Days — Two years after his coattails helped sweep two dozen Democrats into office, President Obama is proving more a boon to Republicans than to Democrats during the midterm elections. His poll numbers are so morose that Democrats are planning ways to avoid his shadow …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Pundit & Pundette, Hot Air and Beltway Confidential

Congress Blog:

A milestone for freedom in Iraq, but more challenges ahead (Rep. John Boehner) — House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued the following statement on the withdrawal of the last U.S. combat brigade from Iraq: — Today's withdrawal of the last U.S. combat brigade from Iraq marks …

Discussion: The Politico

CNN:
Last U.S. combat convoy has left Iraq

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Reaction, This Just In, newsfeed.time.com, Think Progress, Media Decoder, Washington Post, New York Magazine and Shakesville, more at Mediagazer »

Jessica Grose / doublex.com:

The Battle for the Term “Feminist”: Sarah Palin Wins This Round — Yesterday, the pro-choice group Emily's List released a video with a bunch of women in “mama grizzly” suits telling Sarah Palin that she doesn't speak for them. Well, Palin's seen the video, and she's responded with an epic …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Gawker, Politics Daily, TPM LiveWire, Wonkette, The Atlantic Wire and The Shark Tank

Glynnis MacNicol / Mediaite:
Sarah Palin Supports Dr. Laura In N-Word Controversy, Wants Her To ‘Reload’

Discussion: Salon, The Huffington Post, Top of the Ticket and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Obama on the Trail — Illinois voters say they would be negatively influenced if a candidate was endorsed by Barack Obama. And if his support isn't an asset in his home state it's hard to imagine where it is. — 40% of voters in the state say they'd be less likely to support …

Discussion: Hot Air, National Review and Beltway Confidential

George F. Will / Washington Post:

Skip the lecture on Israel's ‘risks for peace’ — In the intifada that began in 2000, Palestinian terrorism killed more than 1,000 Israelis. As a portion of U.S. population, that would be 42,000, approaching the toll of America's eight years in Vietnam. During the onslaught …