memeorandum: Secret peace talks between US and Taliban collapse over leaks (Telegraph)

10:05 AM ET, August 11, 2011

Top Items:

Mark Halperin / The Page:

He Speaks — Video highlight: Perry says he has decided he wants to be president. — Video highlight: Perry on 43's advice to him. Transcript of Mark Halperin's Interview with Rick Perry — Halperin: Tell me what being a Texan means to you. — Perry: (Laughs.)

Discussion: CNN, The Note, The Hill, GOP 12 and ABCNEWS

A.Killough / CNN:

New CNN Poll: Perry near top of pack in GOP nomination battle — Washington (CNN) - As Rick Perry moves closer and closer to a run for the White House, a new national survey indicates that the longtime Texas governor is close to the top of the pack in the hunt for the Republican presidential nomination.

Discussion: GOP 12 and Outside the Beltway

A.Killough / CNN:

Palin bus tour to roll into Iowa — (CNN) - After a more than two-month hiatus, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is planning to crash the presidential party once again with a heartland-themed re-launch of her “One Nation” bus tour this week in Iowa, according to a Palin fundraising email obtained by CNN.

Molly Ball / The Politico:

Sarah Palin headed to Iowa — Sarah Palin is making a surprise trip to Iowa this weekend, just in time to catch the political spotlight trained on the Ames straw poll. — In an email to supporters Wednesday, Palin said she's accepted an invitation “to meet folks at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines this week.”

Discussion: nation.foxnews.com, Hot Air, Washington Times, New York Magazine, Connecting.the.Dots, Wonkette, SFGate, Freedom's Lighthouse, Michelle Malkin, The Note, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Rumproast

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Taxes key to Mitt Romney's '04 pitch to Standard & Poor's — Gov. Mitt Romney lobbied the credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's in 2004 to raise his state's credit rating in part because Massachusetts had raised taxes during an economic downturn two years earlier.

Discussion: msnbc.com, Weasel Zippers, Washington Post and New York Magazine

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Wire:

Romney's Pitch to S&P Boasted of Revenue Raisers — Former Gov. Mitt Romney boasted this week that when he led Massachusetts, he presided over an increase in the state's bond rating, a contrast to President Barack Obama, who saw Standard & Poor's downgrade U.S. debt.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Taegan Goddard's …, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Page

Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:

FLASHBACK: In 1990 Campaign Ad, McConnell Said ‘I Think Everyone Should Pay Their Fair Share, Including The Rich’ — Today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) named three Republicans to the fiscal super committee that was created by the debt ceiling deal.

Discussion: TPMDC, The Hill, The Political Carnival and U.S. Senate Republican …

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Boehner, McConnell announce debt super committee picks

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Simpson blasts Baucus, Murray

Discussion: Chicago Boyz, Firedoglake and PERRspectives

Susan Davis / NationalJournal.com:
Boehner, McConnell Name Super Committee Members

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Jon Cohen / Washington Post:

Poll: Spreading gloom about government; most dissatisfied with political system — In the aftermath of the tumultuous debate over raising the debt ceiling, Americans give Washington a strong vote of no confidence, with barely a quarter saying the federal government can fix the nation's economic problems …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Page and The Raw Story

Jon Cohen / Washington Post:
Poll: Majority of public has lost faith in government ability to fix economy

Discussion: Campaign 2012, Hit & Run, Weasel Zippers, Firedoglake and AMERICAblog News

Max Hastings / Daily Mail:

Years of liberal dogma have spawned a generation of amoral, uneducated, welfare dependent, brutalised youngsters — A few weeks after the U.S. city of Detroit was ravaged by 1967 race riots in which 43 people died, I was shown around the wrecked areas by a black reporter named Joe Strickland.

Discussion: Guardian, Right Wing News, Betsy's Page, The Independent, Wizbang, Washington Post and BizzyBlog

Telegraph:

Secret peace talks between US and Taliban collapse over leaks — Secret exploratory peace talks between the United States and the Taliban leadership have broken down after details of the negotiations were leaked, Western diplomats have told The Daily Telegraph.

Discussion: Hot Air, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Jihad Watch

David Harsanyi / Real Clear Politics:

Sorry, Guys, There Are No More Kings — The romance is gone. But don't worry. It's not him; it's you. — It turns out we are the ones who failed Him. We weren't prepared for a mega-dosage of awesomeness. We were too dimwitted to grasp the decency of central planning.

Discussion: Maggie's Farm

Ruth Padawer / New York Times:

The Two-Minus-One Pregnancy — As Jenny lay on the obstetrician's examination table, she was grateful that the ultrasound tech had turned off the overhead screen. She didn't want to see the two shadows floating inside her. Since making her decision, she had tried hard not to think about them …

Discussion: Sister Toldjah and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

New York Times:

Europe Considers Ban on Short Selling — BRUSSELS — A European market regulator is considering recommending a temporary ban on negative bets against stocks across the continent, in an effort to stop the tailspin in the markets, according to two people with knowledge of government discussions.

Discussion: msnbc.com and MarketBeat

Guardian:

MPs hold emergency debate over riots — • David Cameron rejects calls to halt police budget cuts — • PM promises review of instant messaging services — • English cities were quiet overnight as calm descended — • Vigil in Birmingham for three killed in alleged hit-and-run

Discussion: Europe, msnbc.com and Boing Boing

Emily Allen / Daily Mail:
We will use water cannons on them: At last Cameron orders police to come down hard on the looters …

Discussion: Doug Ross, Pundit & Pundette and Europe

Seumas Milne / Guardian:

These riots reflect a society run on greed and looting — David Cameron has to maintain that the unrest has no cause except criminality - or he and his friends might be held responsible — It is essential for those in power in Britain that the riots now sweeping the country can have no cause beyond feral wickedness.

Discussion: New York Times, Marbury, normblog, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, American Thinker, The Huffington Post, Opinion L.A. and Reuters

Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:

Financial Turmoil Evokes Comparison to 2008 Crisis — It feels eerily familiar: Stocks are plummeting. The economy is slowing. Politicians are scrambling to find solutions but are mired in disagreement. — Many Americans are wondering whether they are in for a repeat of the financial crisis of 2008.

Discussion: FP Passport, The Caucus and Prairie Weather

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Wisc. Results Suggest Recall of Governor Would Be Close — Close doesn't count in elections — just ask Al Gore or Norm Coleman. — It appeared as late as midnight on Tuesday that Democrats had a chance to win the three seats necessary to give them control of Wisconsin's State Senate in an unusual and expensive recall election.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Politico, Hot Air, Brookings Institute, Washington Post, JSOnline, The Democratic Daily, New York Times, Rebuild the Dream and GOP.com

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:

The Obama Administration's Weird Home Rental Plan — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — now owned by you, the taxpayer! — have foreclosed on lots of homes. Those foreclosed homes act as a drag on the housing market, but Fannie and Freddie are reluctant to just get rid of them once …

Discussion: emptywheel, Jared Bernstein, Calculated Risk, Eschaton, ThinkProgress and Wall Street Journal

Derek Kravitz / Associated Press:
Gov't considers turning foreclosures into rentals

Discussion: Clusterstock and Pajamas Media

Geneva Sands-Sadowitz / The Hill:

VIDEO: Colbert launches first super PAC ad — Comedian Stephen Colbert's super PAC released its first ad, “Episode IV: A New Hope” paid for by Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow. — The video takes aim at the money being spend to promote candiates before the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa.

Discussion: CNN, ThinkProgress and Ballot Box

Garth Stapley / modbee.com:

Cardoza doesn't deny reports he may retire — Dennis Cardoza, who has represented the Northern San Joaquin Valley in Congress for more than eight years, is not denying reports he may retire rather than seek re-election next year. — His 18th Congressional District is expected to splinter Monday …

Discussion: Ballot Box and Capitol Alert

Greg Turner / Boston Herald:

Hear me now? Union picketers ‘ridiculous’ — A Quincy mom has disconnected her support for striking Verizon workers yesterday after a group of mouthy picketers surrounded non-union repairmen and turned a phone-line fix at her home into what she is calling a “ridiculous” protest scene.

Discussion: RedState

Associated Press:

Official: Woman killed in clash in northeastern Nigeria over radical Muslim sect arrests — MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Authorities say a clash between soldiers and youths in northeastern Nigeria over the arrest of suspected members of a radical Muslim sect has killed one person and wounded two.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Bruce Bartlett / Capital Gains and Games blogs:

23 Polls Say People Support Higher Taxes to Reduce the Deficit — Can/Should the Budget Deficit Be Reduced with Spending Cuts Alone or Should There Be Some Increase in Taxes? — Poll — Date — Some/All Taxes — No Taxes/All Spending — Gallup — 8-10 — 66 — 33 — CNN

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, xpostfactoid, A plain blog about politics, Gallup, Washington Monthly and The Daily Dish

Daniel Bice / JSOnline:

Winners and losers in Tuesday's election — By Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel — The political candidates weren't the only winners and losers in the six Senate recall contests. — Here is a quick take on how some of the important players fared as a result of Tuesday's election:

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The New Republic, Wonkette and Towleroad News #gay

Charlie Butts / OneNewsNow.com:

Coulter — ‘queen of fabulous’ for gay conservatives — A pro-homosexual faction within the Republican Party is touting the appointment of an outspoken conservative writer to its panel of advisors. — Columnist Ann Coulter — GOProud says conservative columnist Ann Coulter will carry the title of …

Discussion: Holy Bullies …

James K. Galbraith / The New Republic:

Stop Panicking About Our Long-Term Deficit Problem. We Don't Have One. — Standard & Poor's did not downgrade the U.S. political system. It did not downgrade the stock market. It downgraded United States Treasury bonds and bills—and did so after Congress had removed whatever tiny chance existed of even a small delay in payments.

Discussion: EconLog and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Adrian Chen / Gawker:

Hacker Plot to ‘Kill Facebook’ Is All a Terrible Misunderstanding — The internet is quaking with the news that the hacktivist collective Anonymous plans to “destroy” Facebook on November 5th. We spoke to the Anonymous member who was there at the start of “Operation Facebook,” …

Discussion: This Just In, Runnin' Scared and Towleroad News #gay