memeorandum: Peace Doesn't Keep Itself (Wall Street Journal)

1:15 AM ET, October 5, 2010

Top Items:

O'Donnell said China plotting to take over US — WASHINGTON — Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell of Delaware said in a 2006 debate that China was plotting to take over America and claimed to have classified information about the country that she couldn't divulge.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, TBogg, Raw Story, The Atlantic Online, Politics Daily, Washington Monthly, CNN, New York Magazine, Little Green Footballs, The Reaction, Outside the Beltway and msnbc.com

The Note:

Christine O'Donnell Ad: 'I'm Not A Witch' — ABC's Michael Falcone reports: — “I'm not a witch,” Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell assures voters, who may be concerned that she once “dabbled” in the dark arts, in a new ad released by her campaign on Monday.

Discussion: The Other McCain, The Politico, Weigel, Left Coast Rebel, Right Pundits and AmSpecBlog

Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:

It Has Come To This: O'Donnell Family Straightens Out Father's Bozo The Clown Career — Christine O'Donnell's campaign is facing yet another set of questions about her background, and this time it's on a really weird line of discussion — whether her father was Philadelphia's local Bozo the Clown.

Discussion: The Political Carnival and Mock, Paper, Scissors

Fhardingj / CNN:

Trending: O'Donnell: ‘I am not a witch’ — Washington (CNN) - Playing off of her admission that she dabbled in witchcraft in high school, Delaware Senate Republican nominee Christine O'Donnell will launch her first television ad of the general election on Tuesday, in which she looks straight …

Discussion: American Power and Outside the Beltway

Mark Leibovich / The Caucus:
Send In the Clowns — and the Truth Squad

Discussion: Rough Sketch

Ashley Parker / The Caucus:
O'Donnell Ad Confronts Reports on Her Past

Discussion: Firedoglake, Philly.com, Wonkette and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Zaid Jilani / Think Progress:

Tennessee County's Subscription-Based Firefighters Watch As Family Home Burns Down — As ThinkProgress has noted, there are currently two competing visions of governance in the United States. One, the conservative vision, believes in the on-your-own society, and informs a policy agenda …

Discussion: National Review, The KRMG Morning News Blog, The Moderate Voice, The Huffington Post, Climate Progress, The Sundries Shack, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Daily Kos and The Poor Man Institute

Daniel Foster / National Review:

Pay-to-Spray Firefighters Watch as Home Burns — Oy, this is bad for the libertarians: … That bolded paragraph is what really gets to me. I have no problem with this kind of opt-in government in principle — especially in rural areas where individual need for government services and available infrastructure vary so widely.

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy, Hot Air, ECHIDNE of the snakes, Salon, JustOneMinute and Matthew Yglesias

Zaid Jilani / Think Progress:

National Review Writers Defend County Whose Subscription-Only Firefighters Watched Home Burn Down — As ThinkProgress reported earlier this morning, South Fulton firefighters from Obion, Tennessee, last week stood by and watched as a family's home burned down because their services …

Discussion: Blogcritics and National Review

Lynn Sweet:

Rahm Emanuel: Experts say not a legal resident of Chicago, cannot run for mayor — BY ABDON M. PALLASCH — CHICAGO—The first question isn't: Can Rahm win? It's: Can Rahm run? — Sunday, Rahm Emanuel announced in a video posted on a website that he is preparing to run for mayor of Chicago.

Discussion: The Politico, New York Magazine, Hot Air, The Atlantic Wire, Right Wing News, Wonkette and Politics Daily

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Emanuel's ‘Glad to be home’ video filmed in Washington — Rahm Emanuel kicked off his campaign for mayor of Chicago with a homecoming video, filmed in front of a bookshelf with a vase and a family photograph. — “I was born here, and my wife Amy and I raised our three children here,” he says.

Discussion: The Politico, Israel Matzav, Pajamas Media, Sister Toldjah, Betsy's Page, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, MyFox DC, WLS-AM 890, Politics Daily and MyDD

Ron Grossman / Chicago Tribune:
Jewish voters don't reflexively back Rahm Emanuel for Chicago mayor

Discussion: Clout St, Chicago Breaking News, HillBuzz, The Capitol Fax Blog and Commentary

Gallup:

GOP Well Positioned Among Likely Midterm Voters — Voting preferences remain close among registered voters — PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's generic ballot for Congress among registered voters currently shows Republicans with 46% of the vote and Democrats with 43%, similar to the 46% to 46% tie reported a week ago.

Discussion: Politics Daily, Hot Air, Beltway Confidential, RedState, Weekly Standard, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Politico, USA Today, The Sundries Shack, Ruby Slippers, National Review, Conservatives4Palin.com, Real Clear Politics and AmSpecBlog

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
GOP holds wide lead among likely voters in latest Gallup poll

Discussion: Beltway Confidential

Brian Alexander / msnbc.com:

Pretzel nation: Americans have sex in 41 combinations — We aren't as bland as we might think, new study shows — Americans are often portrayed as being bland sexual mopes, compared to say, the French. But according to a new study, we actually routinely choose from more spicy combinations …

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, The Daily Weekly and The Awl

aolnews.com:
Survey on America's Sexual Habits: We're Getting Friskier

Discussion: New York Times, Rough Sketch, The Daily Dish, culturekitchen and Unfogged

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

McMahon hammers Blumenthal over Vietnam statements — Connecticut GOP Senate nominee Linda McMahon is hammering Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal for his misstatements about his service record in Vietnam. — In a new ad, which McMahon's campaign says will air statewide …

Discussion: The Politico, The Fix, Gateway Pundit, msnbc.com, Real Clear Politics, CNN and Hotline On Call

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Blumenthal up 12 — The race may be closer than it was six months ago …

Discussion: Daily Kos, POLISING and Weigel

Raymond Hernandez / New York Times:
Integrity at Issue in Connecticut Senate Debate

Discussion: Politics Daily, Hot Air, OpenSecrets.org, Indecision Forever, FoxNews.com, A plain blog about politics and The Note

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Mondale to Obama: Ditch the ‘idiot boards’ — Former Vice President Walter Mondale suggested in an interview today President Obama stop relying on “idiot boards” — teleprompters, that is — to deliver his message to the American people. — “He uses these idiot boards to read speeches in television …

Discussion: Hot Air, Pajamas Media, MyFox DC, CNN and Moe Lane

Project Veritas:

Statement regarding CNN — Now that I've had a chance to watch CNN's “Right on the Edge” documentary, I'm happy to comment. I apologize for not saying anything sooner, but don't want to comment until I have all the facts at my disposal. — As you can imagine in our line of work …

Discussion: CNN, The Politico, Gateway Pundit, Right Pundits, Salon, Mediaite, TPMMuckraker, Wonkette and Weigel

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

With Tagline, MSNBC Embraces a Political Identity — MSNBC, once the also-ran but now the No. 2 cable news channel, has a new tagline that embraces its progressive political identity. — The tagline, “Lean Forward,” will be publicly announced Tuesday, opening a planned …

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Did The Wave Crest? — We've got another new congressional generic just out today. This one from Rasmussen and it shows a 3 point spread for the GOP — GOP 45%, Dems 42%. But the context is important. Last week Rasmussen had a 6 point margin. And for most of the summer their number …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Bruno Waterfield / Telegraph:

Geert Wilders trial suspended after he attacks judge — Geert Wilders, the anti-Islam politician, told a Dutch court that he stood by his opinions that the Koran is a “fascist book” and Islam is as dangerous as Nazism, as he went on trial for inciting racial hatred.

Discussion: Guardian, ParaPundit, Jihad Watch, Right Pundits and Weasel Zippers

DownWithTyranny!:

Could Congressional Progressives Come Out Of The Midterms In A Stronger Position? — There's the roll-up-your-sleaves-and-get-to- work way to win elections and then there's the Inside-the-Beltway conventional wisdom about what candidates are supposed to do. Inside the Beltway it's …

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, Open Left, TalkLeft and Left Coast Rebel

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

Gibbs won't rule out DNC appointment — White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday he loves his job, but he would not rule out a transition to chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). — Reports over the weekend indicated Gibbs was being considered for the DNC post …

Discussion: CNN and HotAirPundit

Kerry Eleveld / Advocate:
Gibbs Vague on Path to End DADT

Discussion: The Huffington Post, AMERICAblog Gay and Pam's House Blend

Susan Page / USA Today:

Elections are likely to trim number of women in Congress — GLENWOOD, Ark. — Blanche Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1992, a time when women gained so much ground in the House and Senate that it was dubbed the “Year of the Woman.” — Now, the Arkansas senator, who faces Republican John Boozman …

Discussion: Hot Air, ECHIDNE of the snakes and Jezebel

Tom Benning / Dallas Morning News:

Longtime U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards admits he's trailing in U.S. House District 17 re-election bid — tbenning@dallasnews.com — U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards admitted today that he trails in his bid for an 11th term - only a month out from Election Day. — “I'm the underdog,” …

Discussion: The Hill, Weasel Zippers and National Review

Simmi Aujla / The Politico:

Nancy Pelosi: GOP attacks a ‘compliment’ — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday evening that she considers Republican attacks on her a “compliment” — evidence that she's done her job well. — Pelosi (D-Calif.) told a friendly audience at a banquet at Fortune magazine's …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Kevin Grandia / The Huffington Post:

Filmmaker Goes Undercover to Expose the Corporate Links to the Tea Party [video] — What's Your Reaction: — In his recently released documentary, [astro] Turf Wars, Australian filmmaker Taki Oldham goes undercover to try and answer the question: “Just how real are the roots of the tea party's supposed grassroots uprising.”

Discussion: Wonk Room