memeorandum: Get the Memo — A readers' guide to Stephen Hadley's reflections on Iraq. (Laura Rozen/American Prospect)

2:00 PM ET, December 1, 2006

Top Items:

U.S. Considers Ending Outreach to Insurgents — The Bush administration is deliberating whether to abandon U.S. reconciliation efforts with Sunni insurgents and instead give priority to Shiites and Kurds, who won elections and now dominate the government, according to U.S. officials.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, The Carpetbagger Report, Taylor Marsh, Westhawk, Political Animal, PrairiePundit, Happy Furry Puppy Story …, JustOneMinute, Daily Kos, PoliBlog (TM), Think Progress, Ezra Klein, toohotfortnr, Kiko's House and The American Street

David E. Sanger / New York Times:

Idea of Rapid Withdrawal From Iraq Seems to Fade — In the cacophony of competing plans about how to deal with Iraq, one reality now appears clear: despite the Democrats' victory this month in an election viewed as a referendum on the war, the idea of a rapid American troop withdrawal is fast receding as a viable option.

Discussion: The Remedy, The Huffington Post, PoliBlog (TM) and PrairiePundit

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:

This Is Realism? — Iran and Syria Won't Be Riding to Our Rescue — Now that the "realists" have ridden into town gleefully consigning the Bush doctrine to the ash heap of history, everyone has discovered the notion of interests, as if it were some new idea thought up by James Baker and the Iraq Study Group.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Booman Tribune, Blue Crab Boulevard, Captain's Quarters, Hyscience, Middle Earth Journal and PrairiePundit

Washington Post:

Iraq Panel to Urge Pullout Of Combat Troops by '08 — The bipartisan Iraq Study Group plans to recommend withdrawing nearly all U.S. combat units from Iraq by early 2008 while leaving behind troops to train, advise and support the Iraqis, setting the first goal for a major drawdown of U.S. forces …

Discussion: David Corn, Slate, The Mahablog, CBS News, QandO, The Carpetbagger Report, Iowa Voice, Macsmind, Wake up America, The American Street, AMERICAblog, Sadly, No!, Gun Toting Liberal, On Deadline, Discourse.net and The News Blog

Laura Rozen / American Prospect:

Get the Memo — A readers' guide to Stephen Hadley's reflections on Iraq. — This Wednesday, the day that President Bush was to meet with Iraqi prime minister Nouri Al Maliki in Jordan, The New York Times published a classified memo prepared by National Security advisor Stephen Hadley and his staff …

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Prairie Weather

New York Times:
Bush, Maliki and That Memo

Discussion: AMERICAblog, Prairie Weather and AMERICAN FUTURE

Eli Lake / New York Sun:
Bush Hints His Team Will Link Iraq to Arab-Israeli Conflict

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs

James Fallows / The Huffington Post:
Getting Out of Iraq: What's the Right Idea When All Ideas Are Bad?

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

ShrinkWrapped:
The Iraq Study Group is Studying the Wrong War

Discussion: The Belmont Club and PrairiePundit

New York Times:
Bush, in Meeting on Iraq, Rejects a Quick Pullout

Discussion: NewsHog

MSNBC:

Report: Italian tests positive for deadly toxin — Academic had lunch with ex-spy on day he fell ill; autopsy under way … LONDON - An Italian security expert who met with a former KGB agent the day the ex-spy fell fatally ill with radiation poisoning has also tested positive for the substance, British media reported Friday.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, Guardian, TBogg, A Blog For All, Blue Crab Boulevard, Hot Air and Decision '08

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Breaking: Litvinenko's lunch companion tests positive for polonium; Update: New details emerge — Few details thus far, but this doesn't bode well: … As with every new fact in this story, it could cut both ways. The fact that Scaramella's been victimized too makes it less likely that he's …

Discussion: This Is London and BLACKFIVE

Sky News:
Radiation Hits Second Man

Discussion: War and Piece

Telegraph:
Scaramella tests positive for polonium

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere

Abu Kais / Michael J. Totten:

The breaking of a country: Hizbullah takes to the streets of Beirut — Hundreds of thousands of Shias from the south have flooded two squares in downtown Beirut. According to LBC, the Christian participation is weak, with even lesser participation by Beirut Sunnis.

Discussion: Hot Air, Counterterrorism Blog, Right Wing Nut House, A Blog For All and snapped shot

Sam F. Ghattas / Associated Press:
Hezbollah, allies protest in Beirut

Discussion: From Beirut to the Beltway, Gateway Pundit and Blue Crab Boulevard

Associated Press:

Aides: Pelosi taps Reyes to head intelligence committee … WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi has chosen a Border-Patrol-agent-turned-congressman to lead the House intelligence committee, according to congressional aides. — Democratic leaders are contacting congressional …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and Decision '08

Boston Globe:

Illegal immigrants toiled for governor — Guatemalans say firm hired them — This story was reported by Jonathan Saltzman and Maria Cramer of the Globe staff and by Globe correspondent Connie Paige and was written by Saltzman. — SUCHITEPEQUEZ, Guatemala — Outside his aqua-colored concrete house here …

Discussion: La Shawn Barber's Corner, The Corner, Pam's House Blend and The Right Angle

Cameron W. Barr / Washington Post:

Security Of Electronic Voting Is Condemned — Paper Systems Should Be Included, Agency Says — Paperless electronic voting machines used throughout the Washington region and much of the country "cannot be made secure," according to draft recommendations issued this week by a federal agency …

Discussion: Political Animal, The Caucus, TPMmuckraker, Redstate and The Agonist

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

McCain Courts Crucial Support of Governors — Last anyone checked, Senator John McCain of Arizona is not — and has never been — a governor. — But no matter. Mr. McCain turned up on Thursday morning at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa here for a guerrillalike visit to the annual meeting of the Republican Governors Association.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Carpetbagger Report and First Read

Hassan M. Fattah / New York Times:

As the Talks on Iraq Conclude, Arabs Wonder, Is That All? — For days, Arab governments lobbied against any American opening to Iran, Jordanians planned protests against President Bush and politicians braced for a possible announcement of a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

Discussion: Informed Comment, Democratic Underground and Riehl World View

Richard Beales / Financial Times:

Dollar slides as US business slows — The dollar suffered sharp falls on Thursday, hit by reports of weak US business activity and a benign inflation picture. — The euro rose .7 per cent against the dollar to $1.3247 by late afternoon in New York after data from Chicago purchasing managers indicated …

Discussion: The Agonist, The Influence Peddler and PrairiePundit

Eric Pfeiffer / Washington Times:

Lawmaker to take oath on Koran, faces flak — Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, will take his oath of office on the Koran, not the Bible. — Although some have criticized the Minnesota Democrat's decision, his campaign manager cites historical precedent in describing it as a nonissue.

Discussion: Right Wing News