memeorandum: Obama alters U.S. policy, tells Israel to start with '67 borders (Josh Rogin/Foreign Policy)

10:00 PM ET, May 19, 2011

Top Items:

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Obama ‘disrespected’ Israel, threw it ‘under the bus,’ says Romney — President Obama “disrespected” Israel and threw it “under the bus” in a wide-ranging speech on the Middle East on Thursday, GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney charged. — Romney strongly criticized Obama, who …

Discussion: American Prospect, Firedoglake, The Note, Haaretz, ABCNEWS, Freedom's Lighthouse, Ben Smith's Blog, Fox Nation, GOP 12, Daily Pundit, Pajamas Media and FrumForum

New York Times:

Obama Sees '67 Borders as Starting Point for Peace Deal — WASHINGTON — Seeking to harness the seismic political change still unfolding in the Arab world, President Obama on Thursday publicly called for the borders prevailing before the 1967 Israeli-Arab war to be the starting point for talks …

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Haaretz, The Daily Caller, Guardian, Gothamist, Booman Tribune, Sky Dancing, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, Indecision Forever and The Mahablog

The Atlantic Online:

Nothing New in the Idea That '67 Borders Should Guide Peace Talks (UPDATED) — I'm amazed at the amount of insta-commentary out there suggesting that the President has proposed something radical and new by declaring that Israel's 1967 borders should define — with land-swaps — the borders of a Palestinian state.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Dish, Eunomia and Little Green Footballs

New York Times:

Obama's Mideast Speech — Following is a text of President Obama's prepared speech on the Middle East, delivered on Thursday in Washington, as released by the White House: — I want to thank Hillary Clinton, who has traveled so much these last six months that she is approaching a new landmark - one million frequent flyer miles.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Pajamas Media, The Caucus, Guardian, The Moderate Voice, Atlas Shrugs, Newshoggers.com, The Nation, Jihad Watch, Philly.com and White House.gov Blog

Facebook:

PMO Announcement following President Obama's speech — Israel appreciates President Obama's commitment to peace. Israel believes that for peace to endure between Israelis and Palestinians, the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the viability of the one and only Jewish state.

Discussion: Arutz Sheva, Wizbang, Weasel Zippers, Freedom's Lighthouse and Pajamas Media

Ethan Bronner / New York Times:

Netanyahu Responds Icily to Obama Remarks — JERUSALEM — President Obama's endorsement on Thursday of using the 1967 boundaries as the baseline for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute — the first by an American president — prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel …

Discussion: Yglesias, The Lede and The Daily Dish

The White House:

Remarks by the President on the Middle East and North Africa State Department, Washington, DC — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you. Please, have a seat. Thank you very much. I want to begin by thanking Hillary Clinton …

Discussion: Political Punch, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, The Gateway Pundit, PoliPundit.com, Israel Matzav and National Review

Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:

Obama alters U.S. policy, tells Israel to start with '67 borders — In his 45-minute speech on the Middle East Thursday, President Obama spoke of his admiration for the wave of protests movements rocking the region, attempting to square U.S. interests with the democratic aspirations of an increasingly restive Arab street.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller, FrumForum, The Daily Beast, The Foundry, Firedoglake and Moe Lane

Simon Wiesenthal Center:

SWC: Israel Should Reject a Return to 1967 ‘Auschwitz’ Borders — The Simon Wiesenthal Center commended President Obama's call for further democratization in the Arab world but expressed deep disappointment that he called for Israel's return to the pre-June 1967 borders.

Fox News:

Netanyahu Rejects Obama Call for Palestinian State Based on 1967 Borders — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly rejected President Obama's call Thursday for Israel to pull back to the borders that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War, calling those lines militarily “indefensible.”

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Jawa Report, RedState, POWIP, Daled Amos, Freedom's Lighthouse, Pajamas Media and Wall Street Journal

Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:
Jewish Donors Warn Obama on Israel

Discussion: Washington Wire, The Daily Dish, National Review, Pajamas Media, Salon, Washington Post, neo-neocon, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Pundit and Mondoweiss

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
After Obama speech, Israel rejects return to 1967 borders

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Weasel Zippers and Ben Smith's Blog

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Obama's Cairo II speech: Cheering democratization ... in general; Update: No, Obama didn't …

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Associated Press, Commentary Magazine, Questions and Observations, Mediaite, Pirate's Cove, The Other McCain, The Daily Dish, Jihad Watch and Pajamas Media

Walter Russell Mead / Via Meadia:
Obama Embraces His Inner Bush

Discussion: The Huffington Post, TigerHawk, Neptunus Lex, The Atlantic Online and The Daily Dish

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Pawlenty: Obama's Israel proposal a ‘disaster waiting to happen’

Discussion: The Hill

Alexander Marquardt / ABCNEWS:
Obama Mideast Speech Faces Disappointed and Disillusioned Arab World

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, Washington Post, The Politico, Guardian, CNN, Political Punch and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

The Atlantic Online:

Gingrich: I Wasn't Talking About Ryan's Plan on ‘Meet the Press’ — Newt Gingrich said today that he wasn't referring to Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) Medicare plan when he uttered the words “right-wing social engineering” last Sunday — a comment that has earned the former House speaker …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Post, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, TPMDC, Weasel Zippers, Left Coast Rebel, Fox News and The Daily Caller

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:
Gingrich Tells Limbaugh That His Phrase ‘Right-Wing Social Engineering’ Was Not A Reference To Ryan Plan

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos and Yglesias

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senator McConnell leaves House Republican budget twisting in the wind

Discussion: The Politico, The Maddow Blog, Crooks and Liars, TPMDC, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, msnbc.com and ThinkProgress

The Politico:
Leaders reach Patriot Act deal

Discussion: CNN

Meredith Shiner / The Politico:

Senate GOP filibusters Goodwin Liu — Senate Republicans staged the first successful filibuster of a judicial nominee since 2005 on Thursday, dealing a blow to the Obama administration on the long-stalled nomination of Goodwin Liu to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Discussion: The BLT, The Hill, Balkinization, Weasel Zippers, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, iOwnTheWorld.com and Erick's blog

Sen. Mitch McConnell / Judicial:
Why the Senate should reject Goodwin Liu

Discussion: The Note, Balkinization and Moe Lane

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Sen. Grassley Accuses Asian-American Judicial Nominee Of Holding ‘Communist’ Chinese Worldview

Discussion: Yglesias, Washington Monthly, The Politico and Daily Kos

Wall Street Journal:

Stephen Colbert's Free Speech Problem — The comedian runs up against campaign-finance law in an attempt to lampoon the Supreme Court. — Comedy Central funnyman Stephen Colbert, like most of his friends and allies on the left, thinks that last year's Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC is, literally, ridiculous.

Discussion: Don Surber, Patterico's Pontifications, Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, Human Events, Ben Smith's Blog, Cold Fury and Election Law

People.com:

Sarah Palin's Son Track Gets Married! — Duane and Elizabeth Hanson, Britta Hanson, Track Palin, Sarah and Todd Palin — The Palin family is growing! — Sarah Palin's eldest son, Track, 22, recently married his high school sweetheart, Britta Hanson, 21, in a small ceremony in Hatcher Pass, Alaska.

Discussion: The Note, Conservatives4Palin and The Blaze

Michael A. Memoli / Los Angeles Times:
Sarah Palin: Newt Gingrich fell into ‘lamestream media’ trap

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Opinion L.A.

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Nancy Pelosi: 'We have a plan. It's called Medicare.' — “It is a flag we've planted that we will protect and defend. We have a plan. It's called Medicare.” — That's from Nancy Pelosi, who called me from Wisconsin, where she's holding events today defending Medicare in Paul Ryan's back yard.

Discussion: National Review, The Confluence, Speaker, Hot Air, Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality …, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, Eschaton and Taylor Marsh

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Palin: Pelosi telling ‘tight-faced lie’ on healthcare reform law waivers

Discussion: The Politico, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Media Matters for America and Speaker

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Mitch Daniels Not Only Took ObamaCare Funds, He Pushed Similar Reforms … Mitch Daniels , Health Care Reform , Medicaid , Daniels Affordable Care Act , Daniels Obama Policy , Daniesl Obamacare , Health Care Indiana , Indiana Health Care , Mitch Daniels Health Care , Mitch Daniels Mandate , Politics News

Discussion: Ballot Box, Crooks and Liars, The Hill, Liberal Values, Comments on, Hot Air, CNN, National Review, msnbc.com, RedState, Washington Monthly, Swampland and The Daily Caller

Gail Collins / New York Times:
The Year of Living Adulterously

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, The Note, Prairie Weather, Washington Monthly and Balloon Juice

Steve / Teapot Party Blog:

Willie Nelson Changes His Tune — The Teapot Party began two days after Willie Nelson was arrested for marijuana possession in Texas on Nov. 28. He sent me an email suggesting the need for an alternative to the Tea Party - the “Teapot” Party. I started the Facebook page and and within 48 hours …

Discussion: Weigel, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Left Coast Rebel, Ben Smith's Blog, Hit & Run, TPMDC and Hotline On Call

Derek Wallbank / MinnPost:

What Bachmann is thinking about as she considers a run for president — Michele Bachmann at the 2011 Time 100 Gala ceremony in April. — WASHINGTON — As she mulls over a run for the White House, Rep. Michele Bachmann says she is spending time reading books about presidential campaigns …

Discussion: The Blotter, Derek Wallbank, GOP 12, A plain blog about politics, National Review and Gawker

Laura Myers / Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Judge overturns Miller decision on open special election … CARSON CITY — A District Court judge on Thursday overruled a decision by Secretary of State Ross Miller to allow any qualified candidate to run in a Sept. 13 special election to fill a U.S. House vacancy in Nevada.

Discussion: Ballot Box and Hotline On Call

Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:

Bowen concedes in Calif., Republican to face Hahn in general — California Democrat Debra Bowen conceded Thursday and congratulated Republican Craig Huey on his moving into the July runoff of the House special election. — Bowen, the California secretary of State, trailed Huey by 206 votes …

Discussion: The Politico

Harold Hongju Koh / Opinio Juris:

The Lawfulness of the U.S. Operation Against Osama bin Laden — [Harold Hongju Koh is the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State.] — I write in response to those who have raised questions regarding the lawfulness of the recent United States operation against Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Discussion: SWJ Blog, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Volokh Conspiracy, The Hill and Lawfare

Dan Sabbagh / Guardian:

Al Gore hits out at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp — Former US vice-president says media giant is forcing his liberal Current TV service off air in Italy for hiring Keith Olbermann — Former US vice-president Al Gore has hit out at Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, accusing it of …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Mediaite and The Raw Story