memeorandum: Lange: May cut social service funds to pass budget (Associated Press)

6:25 PM ET, March 13, 2007

Top Items:

Gonzales Accepts Resignation of Top Aide — WASHINGTON — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales abruptly canceled travel plans Tuesday amid growing calls for his ouster over the firings of eight federal prosecutors during a White House-directed housecleaning of U.S. attorneys.

Discussion: Think Progress, TPMmuckraker, Is That Legal?, PunditGuy, Wonkette, TBogg and Macsmind

Crew / Citizens Blogging for Responsibility …:

BREAKING: CREW wants Special Prosecutor to investigate potential criminal violations in U.S. Attorney firings — CREW wants the immediate appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate potential criminal violations related to the recent dismissals of eight U.S. Attorneys.

Discussion: Think Progress, TPMmuckraker, Seeing the Forest, DownWithTyranny!, Wonkette, JustOneMinute, protein wisdom and The Carpetbagger Report

CNN:

Gonzales: 'Mistakes were made' in U.S. attorneys' firings … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that "mistakes were made" regarding the firing of eight U.S. attorneys and he accepts responsibility for the ordeal. — "My pledge to the American people is to find out what went wrong here," he said.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Redstate, Booman Tribune, The Moderate Voice, Wonkette, PoliBlog (TM), Outside The Beltway, Kiko's House and New York Times

Amanda / Think Progress:

Gonzales Lied Under Oath, Said All Bush-Appointed Attorneys Would Be 'Senate-Confirmed' — A little-noticed provision slipped into the Patriot Act in 2005 allows the President to appoint "interim" U.S. attorneys for an indefinite period of time, without Senate confirmation.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Mahablog, Talking Points Memo, The Swamp, PoliBlog (TM), Firedoglake, DownWithTyranny!, TPMmuckraker and TAPPED

Bill Brubaker / Washington Post:

Gonzales Accepts Responsibility for 'Mistakes' — Schumer Warns Sampson's Resignation Does Not Absolve Attorney General — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said today he does not regret firing eight federal prosecutors last year, but he accepts responsibility for "mistakes" …

Discussion: Salon, Dick Polman's American Debate, Wonkette, Sunlight Foundation blogs, Sister Toldjah and Heath Haussamen …

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:

Gonzales: I'm "Dismayed" — We just watched Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' press conference here. The gist: Gonzales said that he accepts responsibility for the "mistakes" made at the Justice Department... but argued that he is not "aware" of "all decisions" at the Justice Department.

Discussion: Sunlight Foundation blogs and Attytood

TRex / Firedoglake:

That's All, Folks! — TINAT (This is not a transcript.) — Weee-heh-heell, Porky's little 2:00 presser didn't go very well, did it? Gonzo walked into that one like the proverbial man in a pork chop suit walking into the lion cage. — For those of you who missed it …

Discussion: TalkLeft, Needlenose and PoliBlog (TM)

Jay Carney / time-blog.com:
Where Credit Is Due — Twelve days ago, after David Iglesias …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, The Mahablog, The Carpetbagger Report and The Agonist

David Bowermaster / Seattle Times:
McKay "stunned" by report on Bush

Discussion: Comments From Left Field, Political Animal, CorrenteWire and Tennessee Guerilla Women

MSNBC:
Gonzales acknowledges mistakes in firings

Discussion: Bring it On!, War and Piece and Shakespeare's Sister

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Today's Must Read

Discussion: Associated Press, TalkLeft, Firedoglake, Booman Tribune, Outside The Beltway, Flopping Aces, The Daily Dish, Macsmind, Captain's Quarters, The Huffington Post, MyDD, Balkinization, At-Largely, Shakespeare's Sister, Pajamas Media and Rising Hegemon

Deacon / Power Line:
ABOUT THOSE FIRED U.S. ATTORNEYS

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Right Wing News, The Mahablog, TigerHawk and Macsmind

Ian Swanson / The Hill:

Pelosi hears boos at AIPAC — Members of the main pro-Israel lobbying group offered scattered boos to a statement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that the Iraq war has been a failure on several scores. — The boos, mixed with some polite applause, stood in stark contrast …

Discussion: The Nation, New York Times, Crooks and Liars, American Prospect, Hang Right Politics, Power Line and Booman Tribune

Washington Post:

The Pelosi Plan for Iraq — THE RESTRICTIONS on Iraq war funding drawn up by the House Democratic leadership are exquisitely tailored to bring together the party's leftist and centrist wings. For the Out of Iraq Caucus, which demands that Congress force a withdrawal of all U.S. troops …

Discussion: Austin Bay Blog, The Influence Peddler, Captain's Quarters, Jules Crittenden, Los Angeles Times, Confederate Yankee, Don Surber, Argghhh!, The Glittering Eye, Blue Crab Boulevard, The American Mind, The Strata-Sphere, TigerHawk, The Sideshow, Hot Air, Betsy's Page and ScrappleFace

CNN:
Poll: 58 percent want Iraq withdrawal by 2008 or sooner

Discussion: The Coffee House, BobGeiger.com, Associated Press, DownWithTyranny!, Booman Tribune, Pollster, Sirotablog and The Democratic Daily

Aamer Madhani / Chicago Tribune:

Don't drop `don't ask, don't tell,' Pace says — Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday that he supports the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving in the military because homosexual acts "are immoral," akin to a member of the armed forces conducting …

Discussion: At-Largely and Donklephant

Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
Republican Rebukes Pace, but Defense Secretary Defends 'Don't Ask' Policy

Discussion: Reuters, Box Turtle Bulletin, D-Day, The Daily Dish, AMERICAblog and Chicago Tribune

CNN:
Top general: Remarks on gays were 'personal moral views'

Discussion: The Lede, The Moderate Voice and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

Mark Green / The Politico:

Air America's Invitation — Tweaking the Fox News Channel, the president of liberal Air America Radio this morning sent a letter to the chairmen of four state Republican parties, offering to host and broadcast the state parties' upcoming presidential debates.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Daily Kos, The Impolitic and Think Progress

Devlin Barrett / Associated Press:

Clinton: Right-wing conspiracy is back — WASHINGTON - The "vast, right-wing conspiracy" is back, presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is warning, using a phrase she once coined to describe partisan plotting. — Once derided for her use of the phrase, Clinton is now trying to turn the imagery to her advantage.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Hot Air

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Clinton nabs K St. backers her rivals shun

Discussion: Sirotablog, The Caucus, TIME and CorrenteWire

The Blotter:

Exclusive: Curveball, the Defector Whose Lies Led to War — Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz Report: — The Iraqi defector known as Curveball, whose fabricated stories of "mobile biological weapons labs" helped lead the U.S. to war four years ago, is still being protected by the German intelligence service …

Discussion: Political Animal, The Daily Dish and Think Progress

Associated Press:

Lange: May cut social service funds to pass budget — HELENA - The Republican House leader said he is prepared to strip $2 billion in federal money out of the social services budget if that's what it takes to advance the GOP budget bills. — The announcement comes as the House gets ready …

Discussion: Sirotablog and Left in the West

Jennifer Saba / Editor and Publisher:

'NYT' Opening TimesSelect to Students and Teachers for Free — NEW YORK The New York Times is opening up access permanently to TimesSelect to all students and faculty who have .edu e-mail addresses beginning on March 13. — "It's part of our journalistic mission to get people talking on campuses …

Discussion: ProfessorBainbridge.com ® and Chronicle of the Conspiracy

CNN:

CNN LARRY KING LIVE — Interview With Bill Maher — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. — LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, Bill Maher is back. — BILL MAHER, COMIC, HOST OF HBO'S "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": From now on …

Discussion: Hot Air, NewsBusters.org and TVNewser

Rasmussen Reports:

MN Senate Poll: Coleman 46% Franken 36% — Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman (R) knows he is high on the Democrats' wish list this cycle and the first Rasmussen Reports Senate poll for Election 2008 shows the incumbent starting off below the 50% level of support.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Minnesota Campaign Report and Daily Kos

Christian Trejbal / The Roanoke Times:

Shedding light on concealed handguns — Editor's note: The database has been removed. Read the statement. — Today is the start of Sunshine Week, the annual week in which we reflect on the importance of open government and public records. To mark the occasion, I want to take you on an excursion into freedom of information land.

Discussion: Don Surber, Michelle Malkin and Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler