memeorandum @ 4:50 PM ET, April 7, 2006

4:50 PM ET, April 7, 2006

RELATED ITEMS:

DUBYA CAN'T LEAK — IT'S amazing how the common topics and subjects of discussion three years ago should vanish so quickly from memory. — Yesterday, breathless news reports suggested that President Bush had directed the "leak" of classified information in July 2003.

Discussion: Donklephant, TAPPED, Dadmanly, Sister Toldjah, Carol Platt Liebau, Austin Bay Blog, USS Neverdock, Gateway Pundit and QandO

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Hopelessly Compromised (II) — The NY Times editors tackle the latest Fitzgerald filings, and are more disingenuous than their reporters. … Emphasis added throughout. Regarding the "unmasking of... a covert C.I.A. agent", it is clear that Ms. Plame's status was classified …

Discussion: The Anchoress, Instapundit.com, Gay Patriot, Dr. Sanity, Cold Fury, The Left Coaster and Booman Tribune

Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post:

Experts: Tactic Would Be Legal but Unusual — Legal experts say that President Bush had the unquestionable authority to approve the disclosure of secret CIA information to reporters, but they add that the leak was highly unusual and amounted to using sensitive intelligence data for political gain.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Captain's Quarters, The Washington Monthly, Democrat Taylor Marsh …, The Corner on National …, Midtopia, Power Line, Shakespeare's Sister, Preemptive Karma, Decision '08, CNN, The Real Ugly American.com, TBogg and Tennessee Guerilla Women

Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post:

Testimony Adds New Element to Probe of CIA Leak — The allegation that President Bush authorized the dissemination of secret intelligence as part of an effort to buttress his case for war with Iraq introduces a new dimension to the long-running CIA leak investigation, while posing troubling …

Discussion: Editor and Publisher, The Washington Monthly, Comments From Left Field, TPM Muckraker, TAPPED, Air America Radio, Bring it On!, State of the Day, Blogs for Bush and Democrat Taylor Marsh …

New York Times:
Cheney's Aide Says President Approved Leak

Discussion: Boston Globe, JustOneMinute, Firedoglake, The RCP Blog, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Right Wing Nut House, The Rude Pundit and TPM Muckraker

New York Times:
Playing Hardball With Secrets

Discussion: The Left Coaster, The Heretik and Gateway Pundit

Los Angeles Times:
Any Bush OK of Leak Is Probably Legal

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report

John Dickerson / Slate:
We've Found the Leaker in the White House!

Discussion: War and Piece, The Reaction, MSNBC, Outside The Beltway, truthout.org, The Corner on National …, The Washington Monthly, Limbo, Macsmind and The Heretik

Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
A White House defense develops — but it's hardly compelling

Discussion: Balloon Juice, State of the Day, Don Surber, TAPPED and Blogs for Bush

ABCNEWS:
White House: No Presidential Leak

Discussion: Think Progress and The Carpetbagger Report

CNN:

More than 70 killed in Baghdad mosque attack — Shrine has ties to Shiite political party; imam is in parliament — BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Three suicide bombers on Friday struck a Baghdad mosque affiliated with a major Shiite political party, killing at least 74 people, according to the Iraqi Health Ministry.

Discussion: Booman Tribune and Outside The Beltway

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Omar / IRAQ THE MODEL:

The reason why they chose 'Buratha'. — A new massacre has struck Baghdad when three suicide bombers attacked the Buratha mosque in Baghdad this afternoon. "More than 70 people were killed and more than 150 were injured" a doctor from Baghdad's medical city told me in a phone call.

Discussion: The Belmont Club and A Blog For All

Washington Post:
Blasts at Baghdad Shiite Mosque Kill Scores

Discussion: Billmon and Needlenose

Bill Roggio / The Fourth Rail:
al-Qaeda Attacks Shiite Mosques

Discussion: In the Bullpen

New York Times:

Immigration Deal Falls Short in Senate — WASHINGTON, April 7 — A carefully constructed compromise on immigration reform apparently fell apart in the Senate today after Democrats fended off conservative Republican efforts to amend the agreement and an effort to cut off debate failed by a lopsided vote.

Discussion: The Washington Monthly, TAPPED and The Next Hurrah

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Kris W. Kobach / New York Post:

HIDDEN BOMBS — HOW do you slip legislative poison past a U.S. senator? Bury it on page 302 of a bill. — The Senate's Democratic and Republican leaders yesterday announced a compromise on an immigration bill - with some details still to be worked out.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and PunditGuy

Suzanne Gamboa / Associated Press:
Senate Shelves Immigration Bill

Discussion: TexasRainmaker, Associated Press, Right Wing News, Right Wing Nut House, The Democratic Daily Blog, Ace of Spades HQ and THE NEWS BLOG

Jeannine Aversa / Associated Press:

Employers Boost March Payrolls by 211,000 — Employers, in a springtime hiring burst, boosted payrolls by a sizable 211,000 in March and pushed the nation's unemployment rate down to 4.7 percent. — The latest snapshot, released by the Labor Department on Friday, suggested …

Discussion: Clayton Cramer's BLOG and Ezra Klein

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Jeannine Aversa / Associated Press:

Consumer Confidence in Economy Improves — Consumer confidence in the economy's prospects improved in early April even as gasoline prices and borrowing costs marched higher. — The RBC CASH (Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household) Index, based on results from the international polling firm Ipsos …

Discussion: A Chequer-Board of Nights …

Christopher Swann / Financial Times:
US economy generates 211,000 new jobs

Discussion: Dr. Sanity and Wizbang

William Sherman / NY Daily News:

The billionaire, the Post and the $220G shakedown — Page Six writer wanted $$$ to stop inaccurate coverage — A New York Post Page Six staffer solicited $220,000 from a high-profile billionaire in return for a year's "protection" against inaccurate and unflattering items about him in the gossip page, the Daily News has learned.

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister, Attytood, Gawker, LA Observed and News Hounds

Juan A. Lozano / Associated Press:

DeLay Supporters Crash Democrat's Event — SUGAR LAND, Texas - Supporters of U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay protested at an event Thursday held by the Democratic candidate for the congressman's seat, and the event quickly dissolved into a shouting and shoving match. Police were called, but made no arrests.

Discussion: Off the Kuff, Daily Kos, NewDonkey.com, Swing State Project, Blue Crab Boulevard, CorrenteWire, State of the Day and Wonkette

Amy Sullivan / Washington Monthly:

Not as Lame as You Think — Democrats learn the art of opposition. — The first week of March should have been a bright spot for Democrats in an otherwise bleak five years. With the president's approval numbers reaching Nixon-esque lows, and Democrats outpolling Republicans by 15 points …

Discussion: TAPPED, Outside The Beltway and Upper Left

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

Decided or Not, Giuliani Charts a Path to 2008 — After four years of enjoying private life, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani is taking several steps that could lay the groundwork for a presidential bid, strengthening alliances with Republicans nationwide and especially with conservative leaders of the party.

Discussion: Middle Earth Journal, Demagogue and Decision '08

Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:

Gonzales Suggests Legal Basis for Domestic Eavesdropping — WASHINGTON, April 6 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales suggested on Thursday for the first time that the president might have the legal authority to order wiretapping without a warrant on communications between Americans that occur exclusively within the United States.