memeorandum: GOP says Joe the Plumber may challenge Kaptur in '12 (Tony Cook/Toledo Blade)

11:15 AM ET, August 25, 2011

Top Items:

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Cheney Says He Urged Bush to Bomb Syria in '07 — WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Dick Cheney says in a new memoir that he urged President George W. Bush to bomb a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor site in June 2007. But, he wrote, Mr. Bush opted for a diplomatic approach after other advisers …

Discussion: Drudge Report, ThinkProgress, The Politico, The Awl, Hot Air, Politics, News Desk, New York Magazine, Hotline On Call, Wonkette, Hullabaloo, Taegan Goddard's …, Mother Jones and Balloon Juice

First Read / msnbc.com:

First Thoughts: Calendar chaos? — Primary calendar chaos?... Although it's still fluid, chances are that the primary season will start in January (or earlier)... And how long will it last?... A final calendar point to chew on: The post-IA/NH/SC line-up could benefit Perry …

Scott Stump / msnbc.com:
Cheney: My book will have ‘heads exploding’ in D.C.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Man Are We Screwed, Washington Post, emptywheel and Juanita Jean's

Nick Schulz / National Review:

Steve Jobs: America's Greatest Failure — Steve Jobs's announcement that he is stepping down as CEO of Apple is not surprising. He's a very sick man; and running the world's largest market-cap technology firm can't be easy for someone with pancreatic cancer and who-knows-what other ailments.

Discussion: Capital Gains and Games blogs

Chadwick Matlin / New York Magazine:

American Businessman — As the news of Steve Jobs's resignation made the rounds Wednesday night, the world lit its votive candles. Jobs's biography was quickly turned into hagiography. His irascible perfectionism, his company's obsessive protectionism, and his devotion to secrecy were forgotten.

Discussion: Digits and Simply Left BehindThe …, more at Techmeme »

Poornima Gupta / Reuters:
Steve Jobs resigns from Apple, Cook becomes CEO

Discussion: Washington Post, Apple, Man Are We Screwed, Outside the Beltway and Moe Lane, more at Techmeme »

msnbc.com:
Apple's Jobs, beset by health issues, resigns

Discussion: PhotoBlog and Reuters

David R Arnott / PhotoBlog:

In the ruins of Gadhafi's lair, rebels find album filled with photos of his ‘darling’ Condoleezza Rice — The ransacking of Moammar Gadhafi's compound is turning up some bizarre loot. Following on from the Libyan leader's eccentric fashion accessories and his daughter's golden mermaid couch …

Discussion: The Politico, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, Ricochet Conversation Feed, New York Magazine and The Daily Dish

Penny Simon / Crown Publishing:
imprints

Discussion: The Politico and Taegan Goddard's …

Jason Ukman / Washington Post:
When Gaddafi's compound was a quieter place

Discussion: PhotoBlog and The Daily What

Laura MacInnis / Reuters:

Contours of Obama jobs package coming into focus — (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is finalizing a jobs package that could include a program to refurbish school buildings nationwide and tax breaks to encourage firms to hire workers. — The package, to be unveiled in early September …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Shakesville

Jason McLure / Reuters:
Humans may not be main climate change source: Romney

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, ThinkProgress, msnbc.com, The Politico, The Caucus and TPMDC

Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
Norman Rockwell painting sends rare White House message on race

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative, Hullabaloo, Salon, CNN, Weasel Zippers, The Greenroom, Booman Tribune and Gallup

Dan Berman / The Politico:
Romney tweaks climate stance

Discussion: Hot Air, Pajamas Media, ThinkProgress, nation.foxnews.com, Weasel Zippers, The Hill, TPMDC and CNN

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Perry Surges in Polls, Testing Romney's Strategy — Primary polls can be erratic, so the rule is not to get too worked up about any one set of numbers. But now there have been five surveys conducted since Rick Perry announced his presidential campaign — one each from Gallup …

Discussion: The Note, Washington Monthly, GOP 12, Taegan Goddard's …, TPMDC, Booman Tribune, The Huffington Post, Washington Post, Rasmussen Reports, Daily Kos, The Hill, Weasel Zippers, Balloon Juice and nation.foxnews.com

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Perry Zooms to Front of Pack for 2012 GOP Nomination — Leads Romney by 29% to 17% — PRINCETON, NJ — Shortly after announcing his official candidacy, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has emerged as rank-and-file Republicans' current favorite for their party's 2012 presidential nomination.

James Hohmann / The Politico:
2012ers to attend Sept. 7 debate

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, The Other McCain and GOP 12

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:

Rick Perry/Barack Obama comparison in Twitter picture — David Limbaugh, the conservative author and brother of Rush, tweets an image you're likely to see again. — A spokesman for Rick Perry didn't respond to a request for comment on the photo, the origin of which is unknown.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Mahablog, Rumproast, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Outside the Beltway, National Review, Hullabaloo and The Wire

Telegraph:

Libya: SAS leads hunt for Gaddafi — British special forces are on the ground in Libya helping to spearhead the hunt for Col Muammar Gaddafi, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. — Jomana Karadsheh and Matthew Chance from CNN are evacuated by the International Red Cross from the Rixos hotel in Tripoli

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Guardian, Washington Post, americanthinker.com and msnbc.com

Sky News:
Tripoli Fighting: Rebels ‘Corner Gaddafi’

Discussion: New York Times, FP Passport and The Jawa Report

New York Times:

U.S. May Back Refinance Plan for Mortgages — The Obama administration is considering further actions to strengthen the housing market, but the bar is high: plans must help a broad swath of homeowners, stimulate the economy and cost next to nothing. — One proposal would allow millions …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Newshoggers.com, Balloon Juice and Political Punch

Argus Leader:

Ex-Senate leader: Law is here to stay — Repeal unlikely, Frist tells Avera crowd — The health care reform law will survive even if the Supreme Court declares the individual mandate unconstitutional, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Wednesday in Sioux Falls. — “It's going to survive.

Discussion: The Politico, ThinkProgress, msnbc.com and Taegan Goddard's …

Wall Street Journal:

Expect a Third-Party Candidate in 2012 — Ross Perot in 1992 and John Anderson in 1980 garnered exceptionally high levels of support. — The United States is in the midst of what we would both call a prerevolutionary moment, and there is widespread support for fundamental change in the system.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Patterico's Pontifications and Hot Air

Tom Raum / Associated Press:

AP-GfK poll: Views on economy, Obama role sour — WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' views on the economy have dimmed this summer. But so far, the growing pessimism doesn't seem to be taking a toll on President Barack Obama's re-election prospects. — More people now believe the country …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Politico and Taegan Goddard's …

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard / Telegraph:

Germany fires cannon shot across Europe's bows — German President Christian Wulff has accused the European Central Bank of violating its treaty mandate with the mass purchase of southern European bonds. — There is widespread concerns in Germany that ECB intervention in the Italian …

Discussion: Vox Popoli, americanthinker.com and Biased BBC

Steve Jobs / The Daily Beast:

Kinky for Perry — Kinky Friedman once ran against Rick Perry for the Texas governorship. So would the singer and writer vote for him for president? Hell, yes! The world's most famous Jewish cowboy on why he wants to live in Rick Perry's America.

Discussion: Don Surber and americanthinker.com

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Majority of NJ voters say Obama doesn't deserve reelection — The majority of voters in New Jersey say President Obama does not deserve a second term, according to a new Rutgers poll. — Only 43 percent of New Jersey voters in the poll said Obama deserves to be reelected, while 47 percent said he deserves to be voted out of office.

Donovan Slack / Boston Globe:

On the Vineyard, Obama fever is no longer raging — Islanders point to stalled economy, partisan deadlock for disaffection — VINEYARD HAVEN - When President Obama took his first trip to Martha's Vineyard after taking office, the excitement among locals here was palpable …

Discussion: JammieWearingFool

Mortimer Zuckerman / Wall Street Journal:

Obama and the ‘Competency Crisis’ — Like many Americans who supported him, I long for a triple-A president to run a triple-A country. — The rising impatience with the leadership of President Obama was epitomized on Aug. 8 in the middle of one of the now-habitual Wall Street roller coasters.

Discussion: National Review, Betsy's Page and GraniteGrok

Bill Keller / New York Times:

Asking Candidates Tougher Questions About Faith — If a candidate for president said he believed that space aliens dwell among us, would that affect your willingness to vote for him? Personally, I might not disqualify him out of hand; one out of three Americans believe we have had Visitors and, hey, who knows?

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Ricochet Conversation Feed and The Observation Deck

Keach Hagey / The Politico:

Slate lays off four, including Jack Shafer — In the occasionally prickly world of media reporting, it's hard to find anyone who does not love, respect and, yes, slightly fear Jack Shafer. — So widespread is the love that American Journalism Review published a valentine to him earlier today …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Adweek, New York Magazine, M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD'S … and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Fars News Agency:

Iranian Armed Forces: Grounds Ready for Victory over Quds Occupiers — TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Armed Forces' Headquarters in a statement said that ongoing revolutions and popular uprisings in the region have prepared the grounds for the creation of a comprehensive Muslim front to clinch …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Jihad Watch and The Gateway Pundit

BBC:

France introduces new tax on high incomes — Liliane Bettencourt was among those offering up some of her wealth — The French government is to impose an extra tax of 3% on annual income above 500,000 euros (£440,000; $721,000). — It is part of a package of measures to try to cut …

Discussion: Newshoggers.com and AMERICAblog News

Max Abelson / Bloomberg:

Junior Bankers Feel Disappointment With Pay — Junior investment bankers to Wall Street: Take this job and shove it. — While young bankers said they enjoy their jobs, most are dissatisfied with pay and hope to leave the field, with almost 60 percent saying they want to work in private equity …

Discussion: DealBook and Deal Journal, more at Techmeme »

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:

What Happened to Howard Dean, Anti-War Champion? — Now that his party is in power, the former DNC chair is praising a war that transgresses against values he once touted — Although he spent 12 years as governor of Vermont, Howard Dean gained national attention during George W. Bush's …

Discussion: Oliver Willis

Jon Ralston / Las Vegas Sun Blogs:

Kate Marshall expresses support for Israel, says “useful” to do so because “timely topic” — You don't see this too often: A campaign puts out a statement by a candidate on an issue she has never talked about and then helpfully explains the political strategy at play at the end.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Politico, Moe Lane and The Daily Caller