memeorandum: Defense bill fight spills to border (Scott Wong/The Politico)

9:30 AM ET, September 23, 2010

Top Items:

“Pledge to America” Unveiled by Republicans (Full Text) — CBS News has obtained a final draft of House Republicans' legislative agenda for the next Congress, a 21-page “Pledge to America” that they will formally unveil Thursday morning at a Virginia hardware store.

Erick Erickson / RedState:

Perhaps the Most Ridiculous Thing to Come Out of Washington Since George McClellan — The House Republicans' “Pledge to America” is out. A thrill will run up the leg of a few Chris Matthews' types on the right. As Dan noted on Twitter, the Contract with America was 869 words and this is 21 pages.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Hill, National Review, The Caucus, Hot Air, FrumForum, Liberal Values, Liberty Pundits Blog, Erick's blog, CNN and Left Coast Rebel

National Review:

We'll Take the Pledge — All year long, conservatives have been pressuring Republicans to release a Contract with America for 2010 — an updated version of the campaign platform that the party unveiled before its 1994 sweep of Congress. Thursday morning, Republican congressmen are responding …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Riehl World View, Hit & Run, Outside the Beltway, Ben Smith's Blog and Politics Daily

Jake Sherman / The Politico:

White House quickly attacks GOP ‘Pledge’ — The White House immediately attacked the House Republicans' election agenda rollout Wednesday evening, claiming the 21-page “Pledge to America” plan will “take America back to the same failed economic policies that caused this recession.”

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

The Huffington Post:

GOP ‘Pledge For America’ Director Lobbied For AIG, Exxon, Pfizer, Chamber — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — The Republican Party's 21-page blueprint, “Pledge to America,” was put together with oversight by a House staffer who, up till April 2010, served as a lobbyist for some of the nation's most powerful oil …

Discussion: Politerati, The Daily Caller and Oliver Willis

Directorblue / Doug Ross:

A Critique of the GOP's New ‘Pledge to America’: Dudes. It's, Like, 20 Pages Too Long. I've Got the One-Page Version Right Here. — I won't be quite as harsh on the GOP's magnum opus as RedState's Erick Erickson, who calls it “the worst thing to come out of Washington since George McClellan.”

Discussion: Human Events, Michelle Malkin, No More Mister Nice Blog and iOwnTheWorld.com

Ezra Klein:

The GOP's bad idea — “America is more than a country,” begins the GOP's ‘Pledge to America.’ America, it turns out, is an “idea,” an “inspiration,” and a “belief.” And the GOP wants to govern it. — Their policy agenda is detailed and specific — a decision they will almost certainly come to regret.

Discussion: Economist's View

The Politico:
Republican ‘Pledge to America’: Spending caps, tax cuts

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Wire, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Political Punch, The Note, The Atlantic Online, Daily Kos, ABCNEWS and FrumForum

David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
G.O.P. Cites Tax Cuts and Health Care as Main Focus

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Dan Pfeiffer / White House.gov Blog Feed:
The Congressional Republican Pledge to Special Interests

Discussion: The Fix, The Hill, Sweetness & Light and Firedoglake

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
The Pledge to America — The full text of the House Republicans' …

Discussion: Swampland, Balloon Juice, FrumForum and Weigel

Jonathan Allen / The Politico:
GOP agenda to include social issues

Discussion: ABCNEWS, CNN, Liberal Values, Daily Kos and FrumForum

Wcbsmark / CBS New York:

Cuomo Caught Lying About Voting For Bloomberg? — NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — There has been a dramatic development in the race for New York governor. — A new poll has Republican Carl Paladino within striking distance of Democrat Andrew Cuomo as voters say they want to elect someone who will stop the circus in Albany.

Discussion: Moe Lane, Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters.org and Babalú Blog

Athan Kompos / WGRZ-TV:

Poll Shows NY Governors Race Tighter Between Cuomo And Paladino — BUFFALO, N.Y. - Republican candidate for Governor, Carl Paladino is nine percentage points behind Democrat Andrew Cuomo, according a new scientific poll commissioned by Two On Your Side, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and the White Plains Journal News.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, No More Mister Nice Blog, Capitol Confidential, Ruby Slippers, National Review, RedState, USA Today, Salon, ABCNEWS, Washington Wire, FiveThirtyEight and Real Clear Politics

Fhardingj / CNN:

CNN/Time poll: Coons up 16 over O'Donnell — (CNN) - A new poll suggests that Delaware Republicans might have blown their chance to win back a Senate seat long held the by the Democrats. — According to a CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday …

Discussion: Democrat And Chronicle, Time, TBogg, iOwnTheWorld.com, Hot Air, Firedoglake, Dialogue Delaware, TPMDC, The Politico, The Other McCain, National Review, Quinnipiac University, Ballot Box, Liberal Values, Outside the Beltway and The Hill

William Bender / Philly.com:
In Bucks County, a bitter poll for Murphy to swallow

Discussion: Ballot Box, Capitol Ideas … and CNN

The Politico:
Castle won't write off write-in bid

Discussion: The Caucus, Hot Air, National Review, The Greenroom and TPMDC

Aharding / CNN:
CNN/Time Poll: Could be split decision in Colorado

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Spot

Bruce Horovitz / USA Today:

KFC pays college women for ad space on buns — KFC wants folks to watch its backside. — Or, more precisely, the backsides of female college students it's recruiting to promote its hot new bunless Double Down sandwiches. — Women on college campuses are being paid $500 each to hand …

Discussion: Telegraph, Grim's Hall, culturekitchen, Weasel Zippers, iOwnTheWorld.com, The Wire, Left Coast Rebel, The Confluence and JammieWearingFool

Doug Powers / Michelle Malkin: KFC Buys Ad Space on College Girls Rumps; NOW Offended — Of Course

Liz Cheney / Keep America Safe:

Liz Cheney Responds To President's “We Can Absorb A Terrorist Attack” Comment — Liz Cheney, the chairman of Keep America Safe, released the following statement in response to reports that President Obama said, “We can absorb a terrorist attack,” in an interview with Bob Woodward.

Discussion: Big Hollywood, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Pajamas Media, Think Progress, Wonk Room, New York Magazine, Weekly Standard, NO QUARTER and Washington Monthly

Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Republicans seize on comments by Obama in new Woodward book

Discussion: The Politico, The Moderate Voice, American Power, Doug Ross and CNN

Jonathan Strong / The Daily Caller:

TheDC exclusive: Stephen Colbert to testify before House immigration subcommittee Friday — Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert is slated to testify at a congressional hearing Friday on immigration titled “Protecting America's Harvest,” two sources have told The Daily Caller.

Discussion: CNN, Hot Air, All American Blogger, Pajamas Media, Betsy's Page, TPMDC, NewsBusters.org and Beltway Confidential

Telegraph:

Israel used ‘incredible violence’ against Gaza aid flotilla, says UN Human Rights Council — Israeli troops broke international law by storming an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, according to a UN inquiry, which found that the killings of activists on-board were comparable to “summary executions”.

Discussion: Guardian and normblog

Frank Jordans / Associated Press:
UN experts: Israel flotilla raid broke int'l law

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch

Washington Post:

Two of Obama's closest advisers among those likely to leave in White House shuffle — In his nearly two years in office, President Obama has relied on a very small clique of advisers that serves as his most trusted sounding board on politics and policy. — Members of his staff describe Obama …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Politerati, Prairie Weather and The Page

Slate:

Decoding Christine O'Donnell … Like This Story

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and Power Line

Larry O'Connor / Breitbart.tv:

Race-Baiting Dem Congresswoman Pits Latinos Against Asians on Spanish-Language TV — Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez appeared on Spanish-Language Univision to tell Latino voters that their Congressional seat was being taken by the Vietnamese. — Rep. Sanchez is in a hotly contested race …

Discussion: Maggie's Farm, Left Coast Rebel, Big Government, American Power, Gateway Pundit, Bookworm Room, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Pajamas Media and The Right Scoop

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Poll surprise of the day: Barney Frank in trouble? — The Sean Bielat campaign has declared themselves within reach of unseating Barney Frank in Massachusetts' 4th CD, one of the presumed safest districts for Democrats in the nation. The poll, conducted for the campaign by OnMessage …

Discussion: GayPatriot, sisu and The American Pundit

Jason Zengerle / GQ:

Did Somebody Say “Fringe”? — Not so long ago, Rand Paul—son of Ron, “modern-day revolutionary,” and practicing ophthalmologist—would have been written off as a harmless political extremist. For believing that the Federal Reserve should be gutted. Or that the Civil Rights Act was unconstitutional.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Classical Values, TPMDC, The Atlantic Online, Salon, Washington Monthly, The Hill, Barefoot and Progressive, Angry Bear and FrumForum

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Rand Paul kisses neocons' ring, but some neocons remain wary

Discussion: TPMDC and Hullabaloo

Kevin Sack / New York Times:

For Many, Health Care Relief Begins Today — Sometimes lost in the partisan clamor about the new health care law is the profound relief it is expected to bring to hundreds of thousands of Americans who have been stricken first by disease and then by a Darwinian insurance system.

Discussion: Daily Kos and TalkLeft

Bob Keefe / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Chambliss' office says it was source of homosexual slur — WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss' office has determined it was indeed the source of a highly publicized homosexual-bashing slur on an Internet site. — But in a statement, Chambliss' office said it has not discovered exactly …

Discussion: Think Progress, Daily Kos and Gawker

James C. McKinley Jr / New York Times:

A Claim of Pro-Islam Bias in Textbooks — HOUSTON — Some conservative members of the Texas Board of Education assert that the history books used in this state have a pro-Islamic bias, and they are upset about it. — Never shy about wading into the culture wars, they are planning …

Discussion: Jihad Watch and Ò"

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

Obama to ask UN for support in Middle East peace process — President Obama, addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, will ask for international and regional help in securing a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. — But according to excerpts of the speech released …

Discussion: The Politico