memeorandum: Eric Cantor, Jon Kyl challenge White House (Mike Allen/The Politico)

12:50 PM ET, May 4, 2011

Top Items:

For Obama, Big Rise in Poll Numbers After Bin Laden Raid — Support for President Obama has risen sharply following the killing of Osama bin Laden by American military forces in Pakistan, with a majority now approving of his overall job performance, as well as his handling of foreign policy …

New York Times:

Bin Laden Raid Revives Debate on Value of Torture — WASHINGTON — Did brutal interrogations produce the crucial intelligence that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden? — As intelligence officials disclosed the trail of evidence that led to the compound in Pakistan where Bin Laden was hiding …

Mushtaq Yusufzai / Alarabiya.net English:

Bin Laden's daughter confirms her father shot dead by US Special Forces in Pakistan — Senior Pakistani security officials said Osama bin Laden's daughter had confirmed her father was captured alive and shot dead by the US Special Forces during the first few minutes of the operation carried …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Weasel Zippers, Libertarian Republican, Guardian, Runnin' Scared, The Gateway Pundit, msnbc.com and Don Surber

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:

Gates, Clinton Advising President to Not Release OBL Photograph; Obama Increasingly Concerned No Good Would Come from It — President Obama is increasingly doubtful that there's a compelling reason to release a photograph of Osama bin Laden's corpse, ABC News has learned.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Wall Street Journal, George's Bottom Line, Weasel Zippers, Big Peace, Riehl World View, JammieWearingFool, Althouse and Pundit Press

Jonathan Allen / The Politico:

Osama Bin Laden had cash, was ready to flee — Osama bin Laden had cash totaling 500 Euros and two telephone numbers sewn into his clothing when he was killed — sure signs that he was prepared to flee his compound at a moment's notice — top U.S. intelligence officials told members of Congress …

Discussion: newsfeed.time.com, CNN, New York Times, FrumForum, Online NewsHour, Mediaite, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, The Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, Jihad Watch, Gawker, USA Today, News Desk, Wonkette and Balkinization

Glenn Thrush / The Politico:

Bush declines NYC invite — Former President George W. Bush has declined to visit Ground Zero on Thursday. — AP Photo — Former President George W. Bush has turned down President Barack Obama's invitation to join him at ground zero on Thursday, citing his desire to avoid the media glare.

Discussion: CNN, This Just In, Scared Monkeys, Pajamas Media, msnbc.com, Weasel Zippers, POWIP, Simply Left BehindThe …, Michelle Malkin, Fox News, Left Coast Rebel, sisu, Washington Post, GayPatriot, The AfPak Channel and JammieWearingFool

Jamelle Bouie / American Prospect:

The Mystery of Osama bin Laden — Apparently, America's Twitter-using teenagers aren't sure why this Osama bin Laden guy is a big deal: — These results were drawn from Yahoo search (which, apparently, still exists), and the good folks at Yahoo offer a little context: … - Is Osama bin Laden dead?

Discussion: This Just In, Guardian and The Agitator

Daily Mail:

Obama took SIXTEEN HOURS to make up his mind about Bin Laden mission — Outpouring of emotion on streets down to ‘the same sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11’ Obama told members of Congress — Barack Obama kept military commanders hanging by declaring he would ‘sleep on it’ before taking 16 hours …

Discussion: msnbc.com, New York Times, Pajamas Media, No More Mister Nice Blog, Don Surber, NewsBusters.org, The Daily Caller, Atlas Shrugs, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Scared Monkeys, Left Coast Rebel, Little Green Footballs, Fox Nation and theblogprof

Issues / Socyberty:
White House Insider: Obama Hesitated - Panetta Issued Order to Kill Osama Bin Laden

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Pajamas Media, Left Coast Rebel, Sense of Events, Atlas Shrugs, The Last Tradition, Bookworm Room, Vox Popoli, Pat Dollard, Pundit Press, iOwnTheWorld.com, Comments from Left Field, Instapundit, Taylor Marsh, The Lonely Conservative and The Huffington Post

Palestinian Media Watch:
Fatah military wing calls Bin Laden killing “catastrophe”

Discussion: YID With LID, New York Times, Pajamas Media, Israel Matzav, NewsReal Blog, Power Line, Harry's Place and FrumForum

The Atlantic Online:
The Situation Room Meme: The Shortest Route From Bin Laden to Lulz

Discussion: Wizbang, TechCrunch and Proof Positive, more at Techmeme »

Mitchell Landsberg / Los Angeles Times:
Dalai Lama suggests Osama bin Laden's death was justified

Discussion: Babylon & Beyond, The Raw Story and CFR.org

BBC:
World ‘failed to track’ Bin Laden

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, TalkLeft, Politics, mofa.gov.pk and Outside the Beltway

New York Times:
Bush Declines Obama's Invitation to Ground Zero

Discussion: The Politico, The Impolitic, Washington Monthly, Gothamist, Online NewsHour, City Room, Capital Tonight, Associated Press, The Hill, Booman Tribune, Outside the Beltway, msnbc.com and Politics

Ynetnews:
Iranian MP: Bin Laden was Zionist puppet

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
After, not during — Amid some inconsistencies in early Administration …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, New York Magazine and Washington Post

Matt Schneider / Mediaite:
Lawrence O'Donnell: Time For ‘Bush/Cheney Fanatics’ To Learn From Obama ‘How To Fight Terrorists’

Discussion: The Other McCain, Datechguy's Blog and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Matthew Yglesias / Yglesias: Who Is Osama Bin Laden?

John Yoo / Wall Street Journal:
From Guantanamo to Abbottabad — The bin Laden mission benefited …

Discussion: Right Wing News, Swampland and Althouse

Matthew Daly / Associated Press:
Senate official: Wrong to link bin Laden, Geronimo

Discussion: TigerHawk and protein wisdom

Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
To get bin Laden, Obama relied on policies he decried

Discussion: RealClearWorld

Francisco Liriano / Washington Post:
With bin Laden's death, U.S. sees a chance to hasten the end of the Afghan war

Discussion: This Just In, Maggie's Farm, Global Public Square, CNN, The Nation and Battleland

Andrew Cohen / The Atlantic Online:
The Unwelcome Return Of the Torture Debate

Discussion: Guardian, Crooks and Liars, Althouse and FOK News Channel

Ace / Ace of Spades HQ:
7 Minutes Vs. 16 Hours: How The Media Reports Delay

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Other McCain, theblogprof, Datechguy's Blog, Hot Air, Five Feet of Fury, Conservatives4Palin and Pajamas Media

Spiegel Online:
Was Bin Laden's Killing Legal?

Discussion: The Atlantic Wire, Opinio Juris, The Volokh Conspiracy, Lawyers, Guns & Money, CFR.org, TalkLeft, Guardian, Outside the Beltway, ProfessorBainbridge.com, CNN and Reuters

The Note:
Codename: ‘Geronimo’ for Osama Bin Laden Mission Angers Some Native Americans

Discussion: American Thinker, Online NewsHour, Indian Country Today …, Pirate's Cove, Proof Positive and Taylor Marsh

James Ball / Guardian:
US troops were yards from Osama bin Laden house in 2008 - WikiLeaks files

Discussion: St. Petersburg Times, At War, Politics, CNN, New York Magazine, AMERICAblog News, Mediaite, Gawker, Hot Air and JustOneMinute

Andy Kroll / MoJo Articles:

Ex-Romney Campaign Chair: I'm Done With Mitt — A key Romney '08 campaigner jumps ship, saying he can't handle the candidate's ever-changing persona. — Post Comment — In the 2012 presidential race, New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary is make-or-break for Mitt Romney …

Discussion: CNN, The New Republic, TPMDC, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and GOP 12

Lbentzterp / CNN:

Carter likes the idea of candidate Huntsman — Washington (CNN) - Former President Jimmy Carter called former U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman an “attractive” candidate for president in 2012. — Although the one-term president said President Obama will be his choice in the next election …

Discussion: GOP 12 and The Hill

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Jimmy Carter: Huntsman would be ‘very attractive’ GOP nominee

Discussion: msnbc.com, MyDD and AMERICAblog Elections

John Sexton / Hot Air:

Harry Reid: “Marco Rubio has to understand who he is...” — About two weeks ago, Harry Reid was interviewed for a Hispanic-oriented political show called Mariowire. The interviewer asks Reid for his opinion of Marco Rubio whom, he notes, talks like a member of the GOP despite the fact that he is “Latino.”

Discussion: Breitbart.tv, Babalú Blog and Weasel Zippers

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Harry Reid suffers minor injuries in fall

Discussion: The Note

Quinnipiac University:

Ok For Romney, Huckabee But No Way For Palin, Trump, U.S. Voters Tell Quinnipiac University National Poll; No Clear Leader In Gop Presidential Pack — By healthy margins, American voters say they would consider or be enthusiastic about backing former governors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee for president …

Discussion: Washington Wire, GOP 12, No More Mister Nice Blog, USA Today, Taegan Goddard's … and National Review

Spencer Ackerman / Danger Room:

Blackwater's New Ethics Chief: John Ashcroft — The consortium in charge of restructuring the world's most infamous private security firm just added a new chief in charge of keeping the company on the straight and narrow. Yes, John Ashcroft, the former attorney general, is now an …

Discussion: The Raw Story, Emptywheel and JammieWearingFool

Simon Lazarus / Slate Magazine:

Paul Ryan's “Individual Mandate” — The Ryan proposal compels Americans to buy insurance—just like Obamacare does. — Even before President Obama's new health reform law was enacted, Republicans insisted that its “individual mandate” was an “unprecedented” assault on individual freedom.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, National Review, Washington Post, FrumForum, Simply Left BehindThe … and ACS Blog

WITI:

Democrat wins Wisconsin District 94 Assembly seat previously held by Republican — MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democrat Steve Doyle defeated Republican John Lautz for the Wisconsin District 94 Assembly, flipping a seat held by Republicans for 16 years in a race that focused attention on Republican …

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Crooks and Liars