memeorandum: "Vulture Fund" Company Seeks $40 Million Payment from Zambia on $4 Million Debt (Democracy Now)

3:50 PM ET, February 17, 2007

Top Items:

SENATE GRIDLOCKED ON IRAQ TROOP BUILDUP — Feb. 16: Sgt. John Guerra, 21, from Dallas, Tex., walks with his platoon from the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team during a patrol in Iraq. — WASHINGTON — The Senate gridlocked on the Iraq war in a sharply worded showdown on Saturday …

Discussion: Decision '08 and PoliPundit.com

CNN:

Senate won't vote on rebuke of troop buildup … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Senate Democrats failed to garner the necessary 60 votes they needed to consider a nonbinding resolution that opposes President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq. — The vote was 56-34, with seven Republicans crossing …

Discussion: William K. Wolfrum

Bill Frist, M.D. / Senator Bill Frist:

Expose Democrats' Hypocrisy — As many of you, I have watched with interest the new Democrat Majority. — Throughout the 2006 campaign, Democrats spoke at great length about the fair mindednesss of Democrat rule. If Democrats were in the Majority the American people would see a difference.

Discussion: The Mahablog and Oliver Willis

William Branigin / Washington Post:

Senate Republicans Block Floor Vote on Iraq Resolution — Senate Republicans today blocked a floor vote on a House-passed resolution that expresses disapproval of President Bush's plan to send thousands of additional U.S. troops to Iraq, as a procedural motion to cut off debate on the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed.

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Next Stop — The Senate

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard

CNN:
House rebukes the president on Iraq

Discussion: protein wisdom, Washington Post and PoliPundit.com

Anne Flaherty / Associated Press:
Senate to vote on Iraq troop buildup

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, State of the Day, The Democratic Daily, Blue Crab Boulevard and Washington Post

Washington Post:

Not the 'Real Vote' — REP. JOHN MURTHA (D-Pa.) has a message for anyone who spent the week following the House of Representatives' marathon debate on Iraq: You've been distracted by a sideshow. "We have to be careful that people don't think this is the vote," the 74-year-old congressman …

Discussion: Redstate, Right Wing Nut House, Blue Crab Boulevard, Riehl World View, PrairiePundit, "7.62mm Justice" ™, INSTAPUTZ, Macsmind and Washington Times

New York Times:

On to the Hard Part on Iraq — President Bush lost touch long ago with Iraq's political reality — not to mention Americans' anguish and disbelief at his mismanagement of the war. So we welcome the House of Representatives' long-overdue attempt to shake some sense into Mr. Bush …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Middle Earth Journal, Decision '08 and Donklephant

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Washington Post Spanks Murtha

Discussion: Argghhh!, GINA COBB and Blue Crab Boulevard

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

Antiwar Anger at '02 Vote on Iraq Follows Clinton — One of the most important decisions that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton made about her bid for the presidency came late last year when she ended a debate in her camp over whether she should repudiate her 2002 vote authorizing military action in Iraq.

Discussion: culturekitchen, Booman Tribune, Riehl World View, Daily Pundit, Liberty Street and San Francisco Chronicle

Media Matters for America:

"Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser — (Double) standard operating procedure: why "America's Mayor" isn't "America's ex-husband" — Two weeks ago, we noted that ABC News' Charlie Gibson asked Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton if she would be in a position to be a "credible" candidate for president were it not for her husband.

Discussion: Mercury Rising

Tina Daunt / Los Angeles Times: 'Can I talk to you about Hillary?'

Joe / AMERICAblog:

Forget Iraq. McCain wants to be the anti-sex candidate. He's preaching abstinence now. — fark it! Oh, this is rich. John McCain can't make the votes on Iraq — the dominant issue of these times. No, McCain has more pressing matters on his plate. He's too busy working on his no-sex agenda.

Discussion: The Real McCain

Liz Sidoti / ABCNEWS:

2008 Hopefuls Shift Plans for Iraq Vote — Senate Vote on Iraq Prompts Some 2008 Candidates to Shift Their Campaign Plans — Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, a staunch supporter of sending more troops to Iraq, will skip a Senate vote on the war Saturday to campaign in Iowa …

Discussion: The American Street and GOP Bloggers

Matthew Yglesias:
Worth The Wait — Laura Sessions Stepp, The Washington Post's …

Discussion: Ezra Klein

Russell Roberts / Los Angeles Times:

Workers are fine with fewer unions — Wealth and productivity have soared while union membership has declined. — LABOR UNIONS' importance in the workplace has fallen steadily since 1950, when roughly a third of American workers were unionized. Today, that number is well below 10% in the private sector.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Matthew Yglesias

Kevin Drum / Political Animal: HACK OF THE DAY....Today's anti-union harangue in the LA Times …

Greyhawk / Mudville Gazette:

WHILE CONGESS WAS VOTING... ...this happened in Iraq: — Iraqi Government and 1st Iraqi Army Division assumes control … IA Captures Al Qaeda In Iraq Cell Leader, Recovers Weapons Cache … BOMB-MAKING FACILITY DESTROYED … IA, CF target terrorist cells in Muqdadiya

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, Riehl World View, PrairiePundit and Cheat Seeking Missiles

Jeff Bailey / New York Times:

Long Delays Hurt Image of JetBlue — Can one very bad week for JetBlue Airways wipe out years of industry-leading customer satisfaction ratings? — That was the question hanging over the airline yesterday, as it tried to return its operations to normal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Roger Ailes

Gary Hart / The Huffington Post:

Iraq and Homeland Security — Both the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century and the follow-on — Council on Foreign Relations report a year after 9-11 concluded that the backbone of — homeland security is the 50-state National Guard. Properly trained and equipped,

Discussion: TalkLeft