memeorandum: Florida primary will not count, Dean warns (Adam C. Smith/St. Petersburg Times)

3:30 PM ET, June 13, 2007

Top Items:

Blasts Destroy Remnants of Samarra Shiite Shrine — Early morning blasts Wednesday destroyed two minarets at the same Shiite shrine in Samarra where an attack last year demolished the mosque's gilded dome and plunged the country into a wave of deadly sectarian violence.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Newsweek, The Fourth Rail, The Carpetbagger Report, Reuters, Agence France Presse, AMERICAblog, TIME: Swampland, Shakesville and The Heretik

New York Times:

Minarets on Shiite Shrine in Iraq Destroyed in Attack — Left, a file photo from Dec. 2003 shows intact the two minarets and the Golden Dome of the al-Askari mosque in Samarra. At right, the mosque today after the attack on the minarets. The dome was destroyed in the 2006 attack. More Photos >

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, The Fourth Rail, ShrinkWrapped and Hot Air

CNN:
U.S. official: Mosque attack may have been inside job

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, BitsBlog, The Carpetbagger Report and Taylor Marsh

Abu Aardvark:
Samarra — Some very quick thoughts on the Samarra bombing, before a 10:00 meeting...

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Kiko's House and Outside The Beltway

Mark Silva / swamppolitics.com:
White House eyes renewed mosque bombings

Discussion: Watching Those We Chose and Think Progress

Think Progress:

BREAKING: Top White House Officials Subpoenaed Over Attorney Scandal

Discussion: The Newshoggers, New York Times, Firedoglake, The Next Hurrah, Daily Kos, ACSBlog, Real Cities, The Carpetbagger Report, Balloon Juice, The Mahablog, Democratic National Committee, Corrente, WorkingForChange, Shakesville, Left in the West and Comments From Left Field

CNN:

Two subpoenaed in attorneys firings probe … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Subpoenas are being issued to two former White House officials, the first to be subpoenaed in the fired U.S. attorneys investigation. — The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday issued a subpoena to Sara Taylor, former White House political director.

Discussion: TPMmuckraker

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker: Committees Subpoena Former Rove Aide, Miers

Nouri Al-Maliki / Opinion Journal:

Our Common Struggle — America had its civil war. Why expect freedom to come easy to Iraq? — BAGHDAD, Iraq—Americans keen to understand the ongoing struggle for a new Iraq can be guided by the example of their own history. In the 1860s, your country fought a great struggle of its own …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, PSoTD, Macsmind and Silflay Hraka

Damien Cave / New York Times:
Iraqis Are Failing to Meet U.S. Benchmarks

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Ezra Klein, Democrats.com, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, The Swamp, On Deadline, Truthdig and Think Progress

Avi Issacharoff / Reuters:

14 Palestinians killed as Hamas nears complete Gaza conquest — At least 14 Palestinians were killed by Hamas fire Wednesday, including 13 members of Fatah, as Hamas was on the verge of completing its conquest of the Gaza Strip. — Hamas is now in control of southern, central …

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, American Footprints, Telegraph, Neptunus Lex, New York Times, Mere Rhetoric, Blue Crab Boulevard and The Belmont Club

Guardian:
Secret UN report condemns US for Middle East failures

Discussion: Blogs 4 Brownback, Dr. Sanity, Big Lizards and Israel Matzav

Janet Hook / Los Angeles Times:

Large majority supports path to citizenship — A poll finds 63% of all respondents, and 65% of Republicans, back the controversial measure. — WASHINGTON — A strong majority of Americans — including nearly two-thirds of Republicans — favor allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens …

Discussion: Think Progress, Lonewacko, MyDD, DownWithTyranny! and The Strata-Sphere

Heidi Przybyla / Bloomberg:
Most Americans Back Stalled Senate Immigration Bill, Poll Shows

Discussion: First Draft

Scott Wyman / Sun-Sentinel:

Broward may cancel deal with radio station because it airs Rush Limbaugh — Rush Limbaugh has long been a thorn in the side of liberals, but now, because of him, some Democratic politicians don't even want to join with a local radio station to broadcast hurricane information.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Moonbattery, Wizbang, The American Mind, Iowa Voice and JammieWearingFool

Robert F. Bauer / The Huffington Post:

The Progressive Case for a Libby Pardon — All the views expressed in this post are those of the author and not of any client of his firm. — Until a very short while ago, few had heard of Scooter Libby. Today, still not a celebrity with the larger public, he carries on his shoulders …

Discussion: Firedoglake, TalkLeft, Hullabaloo, Taylor Marsh, The Atlantic Online and TIME: Swampland

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:

Rivals try to deflate F. Thompson campaign — Fred Thompson has had a relatively easy ride as he has flirted with a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. His strategists have found traction promoting him as the heir to Ronald Reagan — and a conservative alternative to the top tier of the GOP field.

Discussion: Washington Times, Heading Right, The Caucus, Captain's Quarters, Central Sanity, Right Wing Nut House, NO QUARTER, Inside Long Island Politics, Comments From Left Field, QandO, The Moderate Voice and Carry on America

Adam C. Smith / St. Petersburg Times:

Florida primary will not count, Dean warns — Sure, Florida is America's biggest political swing state. But don't expect the national Democratic Party to back off punishing Sunshine State Democrats for scheduling an early presidential primary. — "Their primary essentially won't count …

Discussion: MSNBC and PoliBlog (TM)

Tom Shales / Washington Post:

Dan Rather Takes On Network News With His Tart Remark — "It may not have been the wisest thing I've done this week," Dan Rather joked yesterday by phone from his office in New York. — Wise or not, the former CBS anchor's comments about the network's evening newscast have created a firestorm …

Discussion: Chicago Tribune, NewsBusters.org and Neptunus Lex

CNN:

Lebanese lawmaker killed in blast … BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — A member of the Lebanese parliament was killed in an explosion Wednesday outside a Beirut military sports club in what hospital sources said was an assassination. — Lawmaker Walid Eido, known as a foe of Syrian involvement in Lebanon …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Gateway Pundit, Mere Rhetoric and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

Elizabeth Williamson / Washington Post:

Earmark Dispute Bogs Down Homeland Security Bill — House Committee Chairman Wants Lawmakers' Pet Projects Excluded Until Later in Appropriations Process — The congressional spending season began with a blowup over earmarks in the House yesterday, as the first bill to reach a vote prompted …

Discussion: Tapscott's Copy Desk, Obsidian Wings and Instapundit.com

home.ourfuture.org:

The Progressive Majority: Why a Conservative America is a Myth — For anyone interested in where the American public really stands on the big issues that distinguish progressives from conservatives — including the issues at the forefront of today's political debates — "The Progressive Majority …

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Comments From Left Field

Aaron Blake / The Hill:

Coleman faces challenge from his former adviser — An Iraq war veteran and former adviser to Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) yesterday said he is considering a primary challenge against the lawmaker in 2008. — Retired Lt. Col. Joe Repya (R) lost a race for the state Republican Party chairmanship last week …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Captain's Quarters, MyDD, TIME and Daily Kos

Ernesto Londoño / Washington Post:

Database Is Tool in Deporting Fugitives — Police Officers Find Illegal Immigrants In Warrant Searches — Hugo Vinicio Hernandez knew that immigration agents could detain him at any time for having disregarded a deportation order in 2001. But the Guatemalan man didn't think he would wind …

Discussion: National Review and Air America Radio

The Hill:

Clinton can boast wealth of earmarks — Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has secured more earmarks in the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill than any other Democrat except for panel Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.). — The bill contains about $5.4 billion in earmarks …

Discussion: Inside Long Island Politics and The Atlantic Online