memeorandum: Let the Cleavage Conversation Begin (Washington Post)

10:35 PM ET, July 27, 2007

Top Items:

White House Conference Call On Executive Privilege (Update: Executive Privilege Analysis) — The White House hosted a blogger conference call to discuss the issues surrounding the Bush administration's use of executive privilege in the probe of the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

Discussion: bustardblog, The Newshoggers, Balloon Juice and Wake up America

The Raw Story:

White House calls bloggers to push privilege — At the urging of top conservative bloggers, the White House set up a Friday morning conference call to promote its message on the subject of executive privilege, RAW STORY has found. "The White House hosted a blogger conference call to discuss …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Matt / Think Progress:
WH gives talking points to right-wing bloggers.

Discussion: Happy Furry Puppy Story … and GregsOpinion.com

Carrie Budoff / The Politico:

'No more confirmations of Bush high court nominees' — New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a powerful member of the Democratic leadership, said Friday the Senate should not confirm another U.S. Supreme Court nominee under President Bush "except in extraordinary circumstances."

Discussion: Power Line, Redstate, Comments From Left Field, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Wizbang

Thomas Ferraro / Reuters:
Democrat charges U.S. justices "duped" Senate

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and michellemalkin.com

Washington Post:

Let the Cleavage Conversation Begin — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign has sent out a fundraising letter calling a Washington Post fashion writer's column on Clinton's cleavage "grossly inappropriate" and asking donors "to take a stand against this kind of coarseness and pettiness in American culture."

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, Don Surber, Taylor Marsh, The Democratic Daily, NewsBusters.org, Hot Air, Balloon Juice and Althouse

CNN Political Ticker:

Clinton seeks 'cleavage' cash — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Few political fundraising e-mails have ever carried the subject header "cleavage," but White House hopeful Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign sent a solicitation to supporters Friday with the attention-grabbing header in order to decry …

Discussion: WIMN's Voices, New York Times, Wonkette, The Carpetbagger Report, Washington Times and MSNBC

Rusty / The Jawa Report:

Kos: Tillman Murdered for Chomsky Admiration, Antiwar Views — It's about time someone finally connected Noam Chomsky to Pat Tillman's death. Another Kos diarist goes off the deep end. This time with help from the AP which leads yet another story about the tragic death of Pat Tillman with this:

Discussion: At-Largely, Little Green Footballs, Comments From Left Field, Riehl World View and Shakespeare's Sister

Think Progress:
Time For President To Come Clean On Tillman Cover-Up

Discussion: Liberty Street

Josh Swiller / The Huffington Post:
Who Killed Pat Tillman?

Discussion: Middle Earth Journal

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Another Thompson resignation — Another aide to Fred Thompson's campaign-in-waiting resigned last night, two sources close to the campaign confirm. Tom Frechette had been effectively serving as campaign manager Tom Collamore's deputy. Collamore was removed from his post Tuesday and given a "senior adviser" role.

Discussion: MSNBC, Wake up America, Cliff Schecter, National Review and race42008.com

Kombiz Lavasany / Democratic National Committee:

Rough Seas Ahead For Thompson — The Fred Thompson campaign has seen some tough times lately, confronted with his record as a lobbyist and the subsequent cover-up. That was followed by staff problems at the very top of the campaign. — But rather than kick a man when he's down, we decided to throw him a life vest.

Discussion: Blogs For Fred Thompson and BobGeiger.com

David Stout / New York Times:

White House Backs Gonzales on Testimony — The White House offered a vigorous defense of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today, insisting that he had not given misleading testimony to Congress, but that national security factors prevented further clarification for now.

Discussion: FP Passport, Brian Beutler, Midtopia and Daily Kos

White House:
Briefing by Tony Snow

Discussion: Power Line and First Draft

Amanda / Think Progress:

Bush Administration Subpoenas Michael Moore — For the filming of his documentary SiCKO, Michael Moore took sick 9/11 workers to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to help them obtain free medical care. "The (rescue workers) just want medical attention!" Moore shouts into a loudspeaker in the movie …

Discussion: Mouth of the Potomac and Brian Beutler

UPI:
Your Thoughts — Let him claim executive privilege and ignore the subpoena.

Discussion: Cliff Schecter

Faiz / Think Progress:

Chickenhawk Congressman Smears Military Expert — Center for American Progress military expert Lawrence Korb testified before the House Armed Services Committee this morning, challenging escalation proponents to have the courage of their convictions and call for a draft if they would like the surge to continue indefinitely.

Discussion: Buckeye State Blog

Center for American Progress:
Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow

Discussion: Think Progress

A. O. Scott / New York Times:

In the Beginning: Focusing on the Iraq War Enablers — So far, some of the best documentaries about the war in Iraq — "Gunner Palace," "The War Tapes" and "Iraq in Fragments," for example — have concentrated less on politics, policy or military strategy than on individual, in-the-moment experiences.

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Phillip Carter / INTEL DUMP:
Review: "No End In Sight"

Discussion: TalkLeft

Post / Washington Post:

YOUTUBE, TAKE TWO Few GOP Candidates Commit to Debate — McCain Adviser Trims Advertising Strategy — YOUTUBE, TAKE TWO Few GOP Candidates Commit to Debate — Four days after the Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C., more than 400 questions directed to the GOP presidential field …

Discussion: Althouse, Bluey Blog, Chicago Tribune, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, Firedoglake, NewsBusters.org, Heading Right, NY Daily News, michellemalkin.com, Crooks and Liars, CBS News and Townhall.com

Ana Marie Cox / Time:
Will the G.O.P. Say No to YouTube?

Discussion: Patrick Ruffini, Washington Post, Daily Kos and TIME: Swampland

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Edwards: "They want to shut me up" — MyDD flags an intense minute and a half from John Edwards in Creston, Iowa, yesterday in which he heatedly tells an audience that the attention to trivia (I assume the reference here is to his haircuts) is "not an accident" and that "they want to shut me up" …

Discussion: Liberal Values, Ian Schwartz, The Corner, Riehl World View and Hot Air

Peter J. Wallison / TCS Daily:

Is the War Lost? Three Inconvenient Truths About Iraq Right Now — Democratic Party opponents of the Iraq War are now deeply invested in a withdrawal strategy. They argue, as Harry Reid has phrased it, that the war is lost. But there are three inconvenient truths...

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor, QandO and Wake up America

Logan Murphy / Crooks and Liars:

Keith Olbermann Updates The Nexus Of Terror And Politics - Creating Terror Scares — On "Countdown" Keith Olbermann talked with Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News about President Bush's use of trumped up terror alerts to drown out the roar of scandals plaguing his administration.

Discussion: Blinq