memeorandum: Former President Nelson Mandela discharged from hospital (The Presidency)

8:25 AM ET, September 1, 2013

Top Items:

Obama Seeks Approval by Congress for Strike in Syria — Obama Seeks Support on Syria: American presidents generally want support from three places: Congress, the American people and allies abroad. In the case of a possible military strike in Syria, support may be in short supply.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, his vorpal sword, Taylor Marsh, The Other McCain, No More Mister Nice Blog, Guardian, The Boston Globe, Lawfare, Gawker, Booman Tribune, NPR, Althouse, The Democratic Daily, Taegan Goddard's … and The Moderate Voice

Rose Garden / The White House:

Statement by the President on Syria — THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. Ten days ago, the world watched in horror as men, women and children were massacred in Syria in the worst chemical weapons attack of the 21st century. Yesterday the United States presented a powerful case …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, News Desk, The Huffington Post, Reuters, Associated Press, msnbc.com, Wall Street Journal, American Spectator, New Atlanticist, Washington Wire, Guardian, White House.gov Blog, Outside the Beltway and Telegraph

Mark Landler / New York Times:

President Pulls Lawmakers Into Box He Made — WASHINGTON — More than once, President Obama has confided to aides that he regards Syria as one of those hellish problems every president faces, where the risks are endless, the choices are all bad, and the pressure to do something is unrelenting.

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Ian Swanson / The Hill:

Rep. Peter King: Obama ‘abdicating responsibility as commander in chief’ — President Obama is abdicating his responsibility as commander in chief by seeking authorization from Congress to attack Syria, Rep. Peter King said Saturday. — In a scathing statement that differed sharply …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, PoliticusUSA, The Raw Story, Liberal Values and Sense of Events

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:

President Obama's Big Syria Power Giveaway — But now Congress is the “dog that caught the car,” Axelrod gloats. — President Obama speaks at the Rose Garden of the White House Saturday. — Mike Theiler / Reuters — President Barack Obama's abrupt decision to hand over the choice …

Discussion: WorldViews and Business Insider

Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:

‘AMATEUR HOUR’: Krauthammer slams Obama's sudden decision to delay Syria strike [VIDEO] — Immediately following his statement from the Rose Garden on Saturday, which President Barack Obama said he would delay a strike on Syria until seeking authorization from Congress …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, American Power, Scared Monkeys and blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Ruby Cramer / BuzzFeed: Hillary Clinton Stays Quiet On Syria

John Bresnahan / Politico:
Obama sends Syria resolution to Hill

Discussion: Business Insider, Balloon Juice and Washington Monthly

NBCNews:
Obama will seek congressional approval before any military action against Syria

Discussion: NPR, Associated Press, AL.com and msnbc.com

Alexandra Jaffe / The Hill:
Kerry to appear on all five Sunday shows

Discussion: Gawker and Politico

Ernesto Londoño / Washington Post:
Obama says U.S. will take military action against Syria, pending Congress's approval

Discussion: The Fix, Wonkblog, WorldViews, Scared Monkeys, Connecting.the.Dots, Corrente and Daily Kos

Fox News:
President Obama turns to Congress to OK strike against Syria

Discussion: JustOneMinute and Vox Popoli

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Breaking: Obama says he will seek Congressional authorization for strikes

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Fox News, The Jawa Report, Scared Monkeys and Patterico's Pontifications

CNN:
Obama asks Congress to vote to authorize strike on Syria

Discussion: State of the Union and Global Public Square

Elad Benari / Arutz Sheva:
Erdogan: Syrian Strike Should Topple Assad

Discussion: Israel Matzav, Business Insider, Jihad Watch, New York Times and Israpundit

Ben Geman / The Hill:
Obama to seek congressional approval for Syrian military strike (Video)

Discussion: Business Insider, Israel Matzav and American Power

Wall Street Journal:
Obama Seeks A Vote on Syria Strike

Discussion: Washington Wire

The Presidency:

Former President Nelson Mandela discharged from hospital — Former President Nelson Mandela has this morning, 1 September 2013, been discharged from the Pretoria hospital where he has been receiving treatment. We would like to wish him all the best as he continues his recovery at his Johannesburg home.

Discussion: BBC, Guardian, NBCNews and NPR

Spiegel Online:

NSA Spied On Al Jazeera Communications — Arab news broadcaster Al Jazeera was spied on by the National Security Agency, according to documents seen by SPIEGEL. The US intelligence agency hacked into protected communication, a feat that was considered a particular success.

Discussion: The Verge, ABC News and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

Kevin Collier / Salon:
The parody shirt the NSA doesn't want you to wear

Discussion: National Review and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

BBC:

Sir David Frost, broadcaster and writer, dies at 74 — Veteran broadcaster Sir David Frost has died at the age of 74 after a suspected heart attack while on board a cruise ship. — A family statement said he had been giving a speech aboard the Queen Elizabeth on Saturday night.

Discussion: Guardian and NPR, more at Mediagazer »

Reid J. Epstein / Politico:

After Syria statement, Obama golfs — Right after shipping responsibility for authorizing an attack on Syria, President Barack Obama returned to his comfort zone: The golf course. — Obama's motorcade left the White House at 2:30 p.m., about 30 minutes after completing his statement.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Israel Matzav

David E. Sanger / New York Times:

Tripping on His Own Red Line? — WASHINGTON — IT started with just 20 words, intended to keep Barack Obama out of a war. The tens of thousands dying in Syria was a global tragedy, he told reporters a year ago, when the worst horrors were still months away, but as commander in chief …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Outside the Beltway and The Atlantic Wire

New York Times:
Experts Fear That U.S. Plan to Strike Syria Overlooks Risks

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Post, JustOneMinute, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post, Prairie Weather and Sense of Events, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Martin / The Caucus:

Mary Cheney Criticizes Her Sister on Same-Sex Marriage — Mary Cheney, the younger sister of Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Senate candidate, sharply criticized her sister's stance on same-sex marriage and urged her own Facebook friends to share the message. — Posting on Facebook on Friday evening …

Discussion: msnbc.com, Mediaite, Hot Air, Joe. My. God., Taegan Goddard's …, Talking Points Memo, Ballot Box, LGBTQ Nation and The Raw Story

Jonathan Strong / National Review:

Will the House Authorize a Syria Strike? — President Obama's surprise decision to seek congressional approval for a Syria strike puts the plan in the hands of the Republican-controlled House, but it's far from clear the House will comply. — GOP sources say it is highly unlikely leadership …

Discussion: Power Line