memeorandum: Justice Department Investigators Probe Hiring Practices (Paul Kiel/TPMmuckraker)

4:55 PM ET, August 31, 2007

Top Items:

Lawmakers Describe 'Being Slimed in the Green Zone' — The sheets of paper seemed to be everywhere the lawmakers went in the Green Zone, distributed to Iraqi officials, U.S. officials and uniformed military of no particular rank. So when Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) …

Amanda / Think Progress:

U.S. Troops Given Misleading, Inaccurate Bios Of Democratic Lawmakers Visiting Iraq — This morning, the Washington Post has a story on how lawmakers are being "slimed in the Green Zone" when they travel to Iraq for congressional delegation trips. Reps. James Moran (D-VA), Jon Porter (R-NV) …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Carpetbagger Report and Corrente

Don Surber:
Troops to surrender Democrats: Up yours

Discussion: Take Our Country Back and PrairiePundit

CNN:

Sources: Craig resignation likely soon — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Several well-placed GOP sources in Washington and Idaho have told CNN that embattled Republican Sen. Larry Craig is likely to resign soon, possibly as early as Friday. — A GOP source with knowledge of the situation told CNN's Dana Bash …

Idaho Statesman:

UPDATED 11:12 a.m. — GOP officials say Otter already has picked Craig successor; Otter's office says that's not so — Republican officials say Gov. Butch Otter will name Lt. Gov. Jim Risch to the Senate if Sen. Larry Craig resigns. — But Otter's spokesman Jon Hanian said the governor hasn't made that decision yet.

Discussion: Left in the West, Daily Kos, AMERICAblog and Central Sanity

William Yardley / New York Times: Idaho Governor Faces Speculation on Senate Seat

ABCNEWS:

White House Press Secretary Snow Resigns — Ailing White House Press Secretary Tony Snow Resigning, Deputy Dana Perino Will Take His Place — Tony Snow, the highly visible White House press secretary, will leave his job on Sept. 14 and be replaced by his deputy, Dana Perino, an administration official said Friday.

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, The Swamp, MSNBC, The Corner, Crooks and Liars, The Carpetbagger Report, All Spin Zone, Wake up America, Wizbang, PoliBlog (TM), NewsBusters.org, The Democratic Daily and JammieWearingFool

CNN Political Ticker:
Snow to step down as W.H. spokesman September 14

Discussion: The Politico, The Swamp, DCist, Debsweb and Reason Magazine

Justin Rood Reports / The Blotter:
Bush E-Mail Mystery Deepens: White House Won't Name Tech Contractor

Discussion: Pensito Review

Mmstewart / CNN Political Ticker:

Warner's departure puts GOP in bigger bind — WASHINGTON (CNN) - Senator John Warner announced Friday that he will retire after his current term expires and will not run for re-election in 2008. The five term senior senator from Virginia was first elected to his seat in 1978.

Discussion: The Swamp, New York Times, Take Our Country Back, The Caucus and Middle Earth Journal

CNN:

Warner to retire from Senate — (CNN) — Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, said Friday he won't run for re-election. — "I say that my work and service to Virginia as a senator will conclude upon the 6th of January, 2009, when I finish ... my career of a then 30 years in the United States Senate," said Warner, 80.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, DownWithTyranny!, Open Left, Wake up America and Cliff Schecter

The Atlantic Online:
Virginia In 2008 — This is a blog about the 2008 presidential race …

Discussion: MyDD

Josh Kraushaar / The Politico:
Warner to retire — Virginia Sen. John Warner (R) …

Discussion: Jack and Jill Politics

Chris Cillizza / The Fix: Va. Senate: A Golden Opportunity for Democrats

Lara Jakes Jordan / Associated Press:

Fla. students face explosives indictment — WASHINGTON - Two Egyptian students at the University of South Florida were indicted Friday for carrying explosive materials across states lines and one of them was charged with teaching the other how to use them for violent reasons.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Hot Air, BLACKFIVE, Atlas Shrugs and The American Pundit

Michelle Malkin:
Breaking: Goose Creek indictments

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Riehl World View

Silvia Aloisi / Reuters:

"Redacted" stuns Venice — VENICE (Reuters) - A new film about the real-life rape and killing of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl by U.S. soldiers who also murdered her family stunned the Venice festival, with shocking images that left some viewers in tears. — "Redacted", by U.S. director Brian De Palma …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Confederate Yankee, The Jawa Report, Sister Toldjah, Daily Pundit, Roger L. Simon, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Macsmind, A Blog For All and MilBlogs

Henry C. Jackson / Associated Press:

1 gay marriage, then judge stays ruling — DES MOINES, Iowa - Two men sealed the state's first legal same-sex marriage with a kiss Friday morning, less than 24 hours after a judge threw out Iowa's ban on gay marriage and about two hours before he put that ruling on hold. — It was a narrow window of opportunity.

Discussion: The Politico, CNN Political Ticker, Daily. Gay. News., Truthdig, CNN, Blanton's and Ashton's and All Spin Zone

Yahoo! News:
New Frontburner Issue in Iowa: Same-Sex Marriage

Discussion: The Corner, Boston Globe, All Spin Zone and PrairiePundit

Washington Post:

HHS Toned Down Breast-Feeding Ads — In an attempt to raise the nation's historically low rate of breast-feeding, federal health officials commissioned an attention-grabbing advertising campaign a few years ago to convince mothers that their babies faced real health risks if they did not breast-feed.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Captain's Quarters, Heading Right, The Corner, The Carpetbagger Report, Hullabaloo, Brilliant at Breakfast and Suburban Guerrilla

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:

Thinking Beyond Maliki — The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has had more than 15 months to try to pacify the Sunni insurgency by offering national accords on oil-sharing, provincial elections and de-Baathification. It has done none of these.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, MoJoBlog, News Groper, FP Passport, Daily Kos, Real Clear Politics and Sadly, No!

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:

Justice Department Investigators Probe Hiring Practices — Do you believe in God? Are you gay? Have you cheated on your spouse? What's your position on abortion? Should gays be allowed to marry? Have you contributed to Republican candidates? What kind of conservative are you?

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Carpetbagger Report, Talking Points Memo, Capitol Briefing, Washington Post, Wonkette and The Next Hurrah

Kimberley A. Strassel / Opinion Journal:

What Women Want — How the GOP can woo the ladies. — Hillary has herself. Barack has Oprah. John Edwards has his wife, Elizabeth. And what secret weapon do Republican presidential candidates have to curry the all-important "women's vote"? — (Cue silence.)

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister, Lawyers, Guns and Money, All Spin Zone, PrairiePundit, Betsy's Page and Burkean Reflections

Gretel C. Kovach / New York Times:

Got Arachnophobia? Here's Your Worst Nightmare — Most spiders are solitary creatures. So the discovery of a vast web crawling with millions of spiders that is spreading across several acres of a North Texas park is causing a stir among scientists, and park visitors.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

Times of London:

How life returned to the streets in a showpiece city that drove out al-Qaeda — An American 'martyr' is being hailed in the Sunni Triangle for restoring peace to a town where soldiers now fight only water leaks — Watch Martin Fletcher's report from Ramadi

Discussion: Wake up America, Kevin Sullivan, The Strata-Sphere and PrairiePundit

Matt / Think Progress:

O'Hanlon Hopes Final GAO Report On Iraq Will Be 'Improved' To Reflect WH Claims Of Progress — Yesterday, a leaked draft of an upcoming Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on progress in Iraq painted a "strikingly negative" picture of the war-torn country.