memeorandum: Watching Big Sister (Washington Post)

3:35 PM ET, March 21, 2007

Top Items:

House panel defies Bush, votes for subpoenas … WASHINGTON (CNN) — House Democrats voted Wednesday to give their leaders the authority to force White House officials to testify on the firings of U.S. attorneys. — The House Judiciary subcommittee vote was to authorize subpoenas.

Discussion: Washington Post, Center for American Progress, Neptunus Lex, Riehl World View, Unfogged, ACSBlog, The Volokh Conspiracy and The Democratic Daily

Nico / Think Progress:

VIDEO: Former Reagan U.S. Attorney Blasts Administration Over Purge — As Atrios noted, former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), who served as a U.S. Attorney under President Reagan, appeared today on CNN. — Barr blasted the White House, saying "the integrity of the Department of Justice is being used …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report

MSNBC:

House panel subpoenas White House aides — Move sets up a constitutional showdown over firings of U.S. attorneys — WASHINGTON - A House panel on Wednesday defied the White House and authorized subpoenas for President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove and other top aides …

Discussion: Political Radar and TPMmuckraker

New York Times:

House Panel Authorizes Subpoenas for Top Bush Aides — A House Judiciary subcommittee today authorized subpoenas for Karl Rove, President Bush's political adviser, and other senior White House officials in the investigation into the firing of eight United States attorneys.

Discussion: Redstate and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

New York Times:

What People Really Need — In nasty and bumbling comments made at the White House yesterday, President Bush declared that "people just need to hear the truth" about the firing of eight United States attorneys. That's right. Unfortunately, the deal Mr. Bush offered Congress …

Discussion: TBogg, Newsweek, Firedoglake, Balkinization, Middle Earth Journal, Political Radar, The Heretik, NewsHog, Shakespeare's Sister, Tennessee Guerilla Women and Rising Hegemon

Bob Geiger:

Study: White House Guilty Of "Political Profiling" — In a study cited on the floor of the United States Senate earlier this week, two researchers have found that the Bush administration's Justice Department has persistently engaged in what they call "political profiling" and that there is a …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Agonist and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

New York Times:

Ousted California Prosecutor Previously Had Disputes on Strategy — Among the cases of the eight federal prosecutors dismissed by the Department of Justice last year, none brought more accusations of egregious political retaliation than that of Carol C. Lam.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Macsmind and Patterico's Pontifications

Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:
Bush Aides Facing Subpoenas Over Firings

Discussion: State of the Day and Patterico's Pontifications

Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:
House panel OKs Rove, Miers subpoenas

Discussion: Firedoglake, New York Times, DownWithTyranny!, 2Millionth Web Log, The Gun Toting Liberal ™, NewsHog, The Carpetbagger Report and All Spin Zone

Arizona Republic:
Renzi inquiry at issue in ouster

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and The Nation

Richard A. Serrano / Los Angeles Times:
Making a list of reasons for firing U.S. attorneys

Discussion: TPMmuckraker and The Carpetbagger Report

David C. Iglesias / New York Times:
Why I Was Fired

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
"The Math" — (Electoral college numbers map via The Talent Show.)

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Newsdesk / The Swamp:

Snow swallows own old words — "What kinds of conversations does executive privilege protect?...What are the limits on privilege?'' a newspaper columnist wrote in the spring of 1998 on a subject strangely familiar today. — "Evidently, Mr. Clinton wants to shield virtually any communications …

Discussion: Pam's House Blend

Lane Hudson / The Huffington Post:

Tony Snow: WH Asserts Privilege for Conversations That Never Took Place! — In the White House Press briefing that just concluded, press secretary Tony Snow said that he was not aware of the president being briefed on the US Attorney issue. He further said the president did not sign off on the firings.

Discussion: Think Progress and The Carpetbagger Report

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

The White House and Congress Seem Headed Toward a Familiar Collision — "Once executive privilege is asserted," Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority in a 2004 Supreme Court decision, "coequal branches of the government are set on a collision course."

Discussion: White House Watch and The Carpetbagger Report

Robert J. Samuelson / Washington Post:

Hollywood's Climate Follies — "My fellow Americans, people all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis. It's not a political issue. It's a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act. That's a renewable resource.

Discussion: Gristmill, Blue Crab Boulevard, ShopFloor.org and Reason Magazine

New York Times:

Star in New Role, Gore Revisits Old Stage — The last time Al Gore appeared publicly inside the United States Capitol, he was certifying the Electoral College victory of George W. Bush. He returns on Wednesday, a heartbreak loser turned Oscar boasting Nobel hopeful globe trotting multimillionaire pop culture eminence.

Discussion: The Swamp, Crooks and Liars, Wonkette, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Althouse and Brendan Nyhan

Shailagh Murray / Washington Post:
Gore Returns to Capitol Hill a Hero and a Target

Discussion: Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, The Democratic Daily and Connecting.the.Dots

Robert Salladay / Los Angeles Times:

Governor calls Limbaugh 'irrelevant' — Schwarzenegger's repudiation of the conservative talk show host comes as he is accused of betraying his party's values. — SACRAMENTO — After repeatedly being asked about his conservative critics, including talk show host Rush Limbaugh …

Discussion: The Democratic Daily

Media Matters for America:
Latching onto L.A. Times op-ed, Limbaugh sings "Barack, The Magic Negro"

Discussion: Polimom Says

CNN:
Schwarzenegger: Rush Limbaugh is 'irrelevant'

Discussion: Redstate, The Carpetbagger Report, Matthew Yglesias and Liberal Values

Washington Post:

Watching Big Sister — '1984' Takeoff on YouTube Is a Sign Of Why 2008 Won't Be Like 2004 — It's the first viral attack ad of the 2008 presidential campaign: a clever idea, visually arresting images, the sound of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's voice and, all too fittingly in this YouTube age, an anonymous filmmaker.

Discussion: Cato-at-liberty, NewDonkey.com and Blue Crab Boulevard