memeorandum: Bambi Meets Godzilla In The Middle East (Walter Russell Mead/Via Meadia)

1:45 PM ET, August 19, 2013

Top Items:

Canada-born Ted Cruz became a citizen of that country as well as U.S. — Sen. Ted Cruz's birth certificate shows he was born in Canada in 1970. It was released exclusively to The Dallas Morning News.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Mediaite, NBC Politics, Scared Monkeys, National Review, The Daily Banter, Red Alert Politics, The Hinterland Gazette, CNN, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air and Independent Journal Review

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Ted Cruz Releases Birth Certificate — In an effort to repudiate suggestions that he is ineligible to be president of the United States, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) released his birth certificate Sunday to The Dallas Morning News. — The birth certificate confirmed that the Texas Republican was born Dec. 22, 1970 in Calgary, Alberta.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Patricia Murphy / The Daily Beast:
Ted Cruz at Princeton: Creepy, Sometimes Well Liked, and Exactly the Same

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Booman Tribune

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Ted Cruz releases birth certificate

Discussion: Wonkette

Tal Kopan / Politico:
Ted Cruz releases birth certificate

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Sean Sullivan / Post Politics:
Ted Cruz releases birth certificate

Discussion: Wonkblog, Taegan Goddard's … and The Fix

Avik Roy / Forbes:

Unpublished CRS Memo: Obama Administration Has Missed Half Of Obamacare's Legally Imposed Implementation Deadlines — In recent months, President Obama and his subordinates have waived or delayed a number of Obamacare's notable features, such as the law's employer mandate …

Discussion: Hot Air, Independent Journal Review, National Republican …, Hit & Run, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers and Washington Free Beacon

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

New Obamacare Enrollment Campaign Unveiled By Kathleen Sebelius — WASHINGTON — With precious time remaining before the health care exchanges established by the president's health care law are up and running, the Obama administration is rolling out new initiatives to encourage enrollment.

Discussion: Wonkblog, Weasel Zippers, Independent Journal Review and usofarn.com

Chicago Tribune:
How President Obama is flouting Obamacare

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Jammie Wearing Fools

Paul Krugman / New York Times:
One Reform, Indivisible — Recent political reporting suggests …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Monthly and Salon

Katie Glueck / Politico:

Abbott thanks ‘retard Barbie’ tweet writer — Texas gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott on Sunday drew a rebuke from a Democratic Governors Association representative after appearing to thank a supporter who called Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis “retard Barbie.”

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Brains and Eggs and Post Politics

Christy Hoppe / Trail Blazers Blog:
Greg Abbott causes on-line stir by thanking name-calling tweeter

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, The PJ Tatler, PoliticusUSA and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Texas AG Backtracks Thanks For Supporter Who Called Wendy Davis ‘Retard Barbie’

Discussion: Shakesville

Wall Street Journal:

Confident Biden Team Sows Seeds For 2016 — Backers Consider Steps for White House—Even If Hillary Clinton Enters Race — Political allies of Vice President Joe Biden have concluded that he can win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination—even if Hillary Clinton enters the contest …

Discussion: NBC Politics, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Right Turn, The Hill, Hot Air, The Moderate Voice, Washington Wire, Weasel Zippers, The Huffington Post, The Daily Caller, First Read, Booman Tribune and msnbc.com

Angela Delli Santi / Associated Press:

Chris Christie To Sign Gay Conversion Therapy Ban — TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Chris Christie plans to sign a bill Monday barring licensed therapists from trying to turn gay teenagers straight, making New Jersey the second state to ban so-called conversion therapy, along with California.

Discussion: Post Politics, BuzzFeed, CNN and Washington Blade

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
Christie to give former rival in-person endorsement

Discussion: Ballot Box and New Jersey Online

John Fund / National Review:

Time for Answers from the NSA — It's time to ask tough questions about the National Security Agency's surveillance activities — even for conservatives who have given the NSA the benefit of every doubt up until now. — The Washington Post opened a can of worms last Friday when it reported that …

Discussion: Hot Air and Right Turn

USA Today:
Revelations hint at NSA ducking oversight: Our view

Discussion: The New Republic, American Prospect, Yahoo! News and National Review

Benjamin Bell / ABC News:

Bill Kristol: Sarah Palin Could Possibly ‘Rehabilitate’ Herself With 2014 Senate Win — During an exclusive to web interview with “This Week,” Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol said Sarah Palin — after having hastily stepped down as Alaska's governor in 2009 - might be able to rehabilitate …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos and The Daily Caller

Hadas Gold / Politico:
Bill Kristol: Sarah Palin can fix political career with 2014 run

Discussion: The Right Scoop

Gideon Resnick / Politicker:

Susan Sarandon on the Mayor's Race: 'You Can't Just Vote Your Vagina' — Cynthia Nixon, Susan Sarandon and the entire de Blasio clan. — At first, actress Susan Sarandon expected to back Council Speaker Christine Quinn in her bid to become the city's first female mayor.

Discussion: Reuters, Taylor Marsh and Taegan Goddard's …

Claire Atkinson / New York Post:

Al Jazeera America launches without significant advertiser base — When Al Jazeera America hits the air tomorrow, it will come with a big budget, a global network of 1,000 journalists and a mission to compete with entrenched rivals like CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. — What it won't have? Advertisers.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters and Jammie Wearing Fools

Brian Stelter / New York Times:
Al Jazeera America Promises a More Sober Look at the News

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Week and TheBlaze.com, more at Mediagazer »

Paul Waldman / American Prospect:

Seven Reasons You Will Click on This Article about 2016 — When you see an article about the 2016 presidential race, your first reaction is probably, “Oh c'mon. It's three years away! Do we have to start talking about this already?” The first votes in Iowa and New Hampshire won't be cast …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Yahoo! News, New York Times and First Read

Molly Ball / Associated Press:

America's Libertarian Moment — A longtime libertarian policy wonk talks about whether the philosophy can save the GOP — and why he still doesn't think Rand Paul can win the presidency. — Libertarianism is on the march. From the rapid rise to prominence of first-term Senator Rand Paul …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Prairie Weather and Althouse

Tina Brown / The Daily Beast:

No, Conspiracy Theorists, Princess Diana Was Not Murdered — The Diana conspiracy theorists have struck again, and this time Scotland Yard is investigating. Despite mountains of evidence to prove her death was an accident, Tina Brown says some fantasists just can't let it go. — Here we go again.

Andrew Sullivan / The Dish:

Cameron Proves Greenwald Right — Readers know I have been grappling for a while with the vexing question of the balance between the surveillance state and the threat of Jihadist terrorism. When the NSA leaks burst onto the scene, I was skeptical of many of the large claims made by civil libertarians …

Ken Auletta / New Yorker:

What kind of city is the Mayor leaving to his successor? — Michael Bloomberg, whose third and final term as mayor of New York expires at midnight on December 31st, keeps a digital clock running in reverse in his City Hall office, counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds left in his term.

Discussion: Politico, New York Magazine, New York Times, Taegan Goddard's … and Politicker

Walter Russell Mead / Via Meadia:

Bambi Meets Godzilla In The Middle East — President Obama has had a rude awakening in the Middle East. The region he thought existed was an illusion built on American progressive assumptions about the way the world works. In the dream Middle East, democracy at least of a sort was just around the corner.

Discussion: Michael J. Totten's blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, Israpundit and Washington Post