memeorandum: Iraq Push Revives Criticism of Force Size (Thomas E. Ricks/Washington Post)

3:20 PM ET, June 23, 2007

Top Items:

Olbermann Fact-Checks White House, Finds No Special Exemption For Cheney — Yesterday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino defended Dick Cheney's claim of existing outside the Executive Order (EO) that governs the preservation of classified data, a directive which applies to all Executive Branch officials.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, The Impolitic, The American Street, War and Piece, Outside The Beltway, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, The Newshoggers, Dependable Renegade and The Gun Toting Liberal™

Peter Baker / Washington Post:

White House Defends Cheney's Refusal of Oversight — The White House defended Vice President Cheney yesterday in a dispute over his office's refusal to comply with an executive order regulating the handling of classified information as Democrats and other critics assailed him for disregarding rules that others follow.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, TalkLeft, Scholars and Rogues and MSNBC

White House:

Press Briefing by Dana Perino — White House Conference Center Briefing Room — MS. PERINO: Happy Friday. One quick announcement. Today the governor of Wyoming appointed John Barrasso to fill the vacancy caused by the unfortunate death of U.S. Senator Craig Thomas.

Discussion: Threat Level, First Draft and JURIST

Atrios / Eschaton:

Indeed — Via email:

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The American Street and New York Times

Josh Meyer / Los Angeles Times:

Bush claims oversight exemption too — The White House says the president's own order on classified data does not apply to his office or the vice president's. — WASHINGTON — The White House said Friday that, like Vice President Dick Cheney's office, President Bush's office is not allowing …

Discussion: The Next Hurrah and Booman Tribune

Digby / Hullabaloo:
Now They Notice

Discussion: Think Progress, US News, Mad Kane's Political Madness, The Next Hurrah, Suburban Guerrilla and State of the Day

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Everyone we fight in Iraq is now "al-Qaida" — Josh Marshall publishes an e-mail from a reader who identifies what is one of the most astonishing instances of mindless, pro-government "reporting" yet: … That the Bush administration, and specifically its military commanders …

Discussion: A Blog For All, Middle Earth Journal, TBogg, Corrente and CNN

John Ward Anderson / Washington Post: 17 Insurgents Killed Near Baqubah

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
TPM Reader SM writes in ... I don't know if SM's claim is accurate in the particular.

Discussion: News Hounds and Big Brass Blog

Blackanthem Military News: Operation 'Arrowhead Ripper' continues in Baqouba

John F. Burns / New York Times:
Militants Said to Flee Before U.S. Offensive

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Hot Air, The Strata-Sphere, The Impolitic, Kiko's House, The Atlantic Online, Macsmind, The Moderate Voice, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Prairie Weather and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

Pauline Jelinek / Associated Press:
US may reduce forces in Iraq by spring

Discussion: The Heretik, The Reaction, The Mahablog, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Daily Kos, KnoxViews and All Spin Zone

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:

STAB IN THE BACK WATCH....Here's the latest from Instapundit, in its entirety: … Oh yes indeedy, I too expect we'll be hearing more of this in the future, especially if things go badly in Iraq. Lots more. — You can almost smell the stink of desperation from the pro-war crowd.

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com:

IN THE MAIL: Col. Buzz Patterson's War Crimes: The Left's Campaign to Destroy Our Military and Lose the War on Terror. — I don't think that the left wants to lose the war on terror, exactly — they just want Bush to lose the war on terror. I suspect, however, that Patterson's theme …

Discussion: Oliver Willis and INSTAPUTZ

Thomas E. Ricks / Washington Post:

Iraq Push Revives Criticism of Force Size — Baghdad Offensive May Shift Violence Elsewhere — The major U.S. offensive launched last weekend against insurgents in and around Baghdad has significantly expanded the military's battleground in Iraq — "a surge of operations," …

Discussion: TalkLeft, All Spin Zone and Prairie Weather

Fox News:

Banned by PBS: Muslims Against Jihad — Saturday, June 23 at 9 p.m. ET — Repeats Sunday, June 24 at 3 a.m. ET — Tune in this weekend, as FOX News Channel presents the documentary the Public Broadcasting System didn't want you to see. — It's a film about the difference between moderate Muslims …

Discussion: Hot Air

Associated Press:

Texas Democrat chastises Bush on vets' health care … WASHINGTON (AP) — The Texas congressman who represents President Bush's home district said Saturday that the administration and Republicans put a higher priority on tax cuts than on veterans' health care.

Discussion: bustardblog

Daily Mail:

British Muslims burn St George's flag at anti-Rushdie rally — Muslims burned the flag of St George and called for the Queen to 'Go to Hell' in a furious rally held in London over Salman Rushdie's knighthood. — Angry Muslim extremists rallying at Regents Park Mosque said that anger …

Discussion: The Jawa Report and sugiero

Little Green Footballs: British Muslims Burn St. George's Flag

Washington Post:

Fundraising Gap Likely to Persist For Campaigns — McCain, Edwards Expect To Lag Behind Leaders — Twelve weeks ago, after raising less money than two other Republican candidates in the first three months of 2007, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the early favorite for his party's presidential nomination …

Discussion: The Caucus, GregsOpinion.com and Michael P.F. van der Galiën

Roland S. Martin / CNN:

Martin: A Bloomberg run would be different to Perot — Editor's note: Roland S. Martin is a CNN contributor and a talk-show host for WVON-AM in Chicago. — (CNN) — Political junkies are excited and electrified over a potential independent presidential bid by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and for good reason.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Bob Geiger:

The Saturday Cartoons — Today's animation comes from Mark Fiore with "Innovations In Energy" which takes a poke at all who would keep America dependent on foreign oil. It's worth watching just for the part where the narrator describes the big automakers as follows: "As Toyota sells …

Discussion: Firedoglake

Don Surber:

The week that was — STORY OF THE WEEK — Hillary Clinton picked this as her campaign theme song. — VULCAN MIND MELD OF THE WEEK — Sir Rupert Murdoch inched closer to taking over the Wall Street Journal. Will we see Page 3 girls in Stipple Portraits? — SATURDAY

Discussion: sugiero