memeorandum: CONDOLEEZZA RICE BACKS OUT OF RUTGERS COMMENCEMENT (Associated Press)

5:40 PM ET, May 3, 2014

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CONDOLEEZZA RICE BACKS OUT OF RUTGERS COMMENCEMENT — You are here — Home » United States government » Condoleezza Rice backs out of Rutgers commencement — NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has backed out of delivering the commencement address …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, The Moderate Voice, Hinterland Gazette, The Gateway Pundit, Gothamist, Patterico's Pontifications, The Week and Booman Tribune

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:

“College campuses essentially operate on mob rule at this point” — That's the observation of Sonny Bunch to the news that Condoleeza Rice is withdrawing as a Commencement Speaker at Rutgers after protests against her and threats to disrupt the festivities if she spoke:

Discussion: National Review

Trevor Eischen / Politico:

Condoleezza Rice backs out of Rutgers ceremony — Condoleezza Rice on Saturday declined an invitation to speak at Rutgers University's commencement ceremony after some students and faculty protested against the former secretary of state's role in the Iraq war.

Discussion: news.rutgers.edu, CNN and Commencement …

National Review:

EXCLUSIVE: Rice Withdraws from Rutgers Commencement — Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is withdrawing from the Rutgers commencement ceremony. — Her invitation by the school's board of governors had sparked protests from faculty and students, and now Rice has decided not to speak to avoid creating a distraction.

Discussion: Twitchy and The College Fix

Nina Teicholz / Wall Street Journal:

Are butter, cheese and steak really bad for you? The dubious science behind the anti-fat crusade — “Saturated fat does not cause heart disease”—or so concluded a big study published in March in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. How could this be?

Discussion: neo-neocon and Power Line

Laura Barron-Lopez / The Hill:

Heritage urges ‘no’ vote on energy efficiency bill — The conservative group Heritage Action is urging lawmakers to vote “no” on the energy efficiency bill set to hit the Senate floor next week. — Heritage charges that the bill, which promotes energy saving in industrial and commercial buildings …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Bertrand M. Gutierrez / Winston-Salem Journal:

GOP candidate was once a female impersonator — Steve Wiles, a Republican state Senate candidate who supports North Carolina's constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage, once worked as a female impersonator at a gay nightclub in Winston-Salem and was gay at the time …

Discussion: Business Insider

Patterico's Pontifications:

Visitor Logs: Obama Had “Debate Prep” Meeting on September 11, 2012, the Day of the Benghazi Attack — Where was President Obama during the Benghazi crisis? Some GOP senators want to know: … Here is an interesting tidbit from the White House Visitor Logs for 9/11/12: Obama met with three people …

Discussion: National Review, The Gateway Pundit and Fox News

Scott Kaufman / The Raw Story:

Alabama's chief justice: Buddha didn't create us so First Amendment only protects Christians — Speaking at the Pastor for Life Luncheon, which was sponsored by Pro-Life Mississippi, Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court declared that the First Amendment only applies to Christians because …

Discussion: Firedoglake and CAIR

Matt Simon / Wired:

Absurd Creature of the Week: This Marsupial Has Marathon Sex Until It Goes Blind and Drops Dead — In the forests of Australia, every year just before spring, there erupts a sexual frenzy unlike any other on Earth. It's bigger than an ultra-romantic Neil Diamond concert, bigger even than spring break in Cancun.

Discussion: The Dish

Sen. Tim Kaine / Politico:

I'm Ready for Hillary — Why I'm endorsing Clinton in 2016. — In 2006, nearly two years before the 2008 presidential election, I told my friend, then-Senator Barack Obama, that I would support him if he ran for the presidency. I was and am proud that I was one of his first supporters.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh