memeorandum: Bush just playing us with 'troop withdrawal' (Keith Olbermann/MSNBC)

8:00 AM ET, September 5, 2007

Top Items:

UPDATED 7:25 p.m. — Craig may not quit after all if he's cleared of charges, spokesman says — Sen. Larry Craig says he may fight to keep his job in the U.S. Senate after all. — "Basically, as he stated on Saturday, Senator Craig intends to resign on Sept. 30th," said his spokesman Dan Whiting via e-mail Tuesday night.

Discussion: The Corner, Infidels Are Cool, The Moderate Voice, Bark Bark Woof Woof, On Deadline, Obsidian Wings, Reason Magazine, The Garlic and The Huffington Post

John Miller / Associated Press:

Craig reconsidering decision to resign — BOISE, Idaho - Sen. Larry Craig says he may still fight for his Senate seat, a spokesman says — if the lawmaker can clear his name with the Senate Ethics Committee and a Minnesota court where he pleaded guilty after his arrest in an airport men's room sex sting.

Discussion: Hot Air, Right Wing News, Think Progress, All Spin Zone, Dyre Portents, Power Line, The Gun Toting Liberal™, Macsmind, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Riehl World View, D-Day, michellemalkin.com, Truthdig, Brendan Nyhan, Sister Toldjah, The American Mind, PinkDome and ABCNEWS

ABCNEWS:

AP: Craig Reconsiders Decision to Resign — AP NewsBreak: Idaho Sen. Craig Reconsidering Decision to Resign in Uproar Over Sex Sting — Sen. Larry Craig is reconsidering his decision to resign after his arrest in a Minnesota airport sex sting and may still fight for his Senate seat, his spokesman said Tuesday evening.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and GregsOpinion.com

New York Times:

Craig Said to Consider Not Resigning — Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho opened the door Tuesday to returning to the Senate, creating another twist in his unfolding political drama and raising the possibility of an ugly showdown with national Republican leaders.

Discussion: Obsidian Wings

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Arlen! — I'm really not sure I've ever seen such a bizarre story. Via McJoan at DailyKos I found this story at the Idaho Statesman, which, well ... there's really not explaining this ... For what it's worth I went to the Roll Call site and I didn't see any story about this.

Discussion: The Democratic Daily

Associated Press:
FALLOUT — Political support for Craig continues to erode.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and Wonkette

Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
Paper Publishes Larry Craig's Voicemail to his Lawyer

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Talking Points Memo, Firedoglake and Riehl World View

Mcjoan / Daily Kos:
ID-Sen: Tough it out, Larry!

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake and MyDD

The Politico:
Craig reversal angers GOP colleagues

Discussion: New York Times and AMERICAblog

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Sex scandal senator reconsiders quitting

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Blog P.I.

Matthew Daly / Associated Press:
Craig a no-show as Senate reconvenes

Discussion: Say Anything

Keith Olbermann / MSNBC:

Bush just playing us with 'troop withdrawal' — Night is day, and death is life, and enraging the world against us is safety — SPECIAL COMMENT — And so he is back from his annual surprise gratuitous photo-op in Iraq, and what a sorry spectacle it was.

Discussion: Brilliant at Breakfast, Jules Crittenden, Hoffmania!, Take Our Country Back, The Democratic Daily, Left In Alabama, Tennessee Guerilla Women, The Garlic and The Galloping Beaver

Logan Murphy / Crooks and Liars:

Countdown Special Comment: You have no remaining credibility about Iraq, sir. — Keith Olbermann's Special Comment tonight is without a doubt, one of his hardest hitting and most emotional to date. Keith absolutely lays waste to President Bush's lies and rhetoric about the surge.

Discussion: Kiko's House and The Democratic Daily

Dan Froomkin / Washington Post:
Kabuki at Camp Cupcake

Discussion: The Democratic Daily, Eschaton, Connecting.the.Dots, State of the Day, The Newshoggers and AMERICAblog

Washington Post:

Military Officials in Iraq Fault GAO Report — A bleak portrait of the political and security situation in Iraq released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office sparked sharp protests from the top U.S. military command in Baghdad, whose officials described it as flawed and "factually incorrect."

Discussion: Eschaton, New York Times, Take Our Country Back, Washington Monthly and D-Day

Frederick W. Kagan / Weekly Standard:

What's Wrong with the GAO Report — Measuring failure—or the failures of measuring. — At first glance—as those who leaked it last week saw—the Government Accountability Office's report on Iraq, released today, paints a dark view of progress and prospects in Iraq.

Discussion: The Heretik, State of the Day, Foreign Policy, Burkean Reflections, Macsmind, On Deadline, Booman Tribune, Comments From Left Field, Gateway Pundit, The Huffington Post, Flopping Aces, Wake up America, Think Progress, Sister Toldjah, Democratic National Committee, The Democratic Daily, Balloon Juice and The Newshoggers

Horses Mouth:

Oh, man, this is an unsightly one indeed. — Take a look at this video of CNN's Kyra Phillips reporting today on the big GAO report finding that the Iraqi government has only met three of 18 benchmarks for measuring political progress. Phillips wonders whether this really carries any …

Discussion: CNN, The Sideshow and TPM Election Central

Faiz / Think Progress:
GAO Chief Suggests Administration Is Cooking The Books On Levels …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Next Hurrah, Take Our Country Back and D-Day

Washington Times:

The next war? — BERN, Switzerland. — After a brief interruption of his New Hampshire vacation to meet President Bush in the family compound at Kenebunkport, Maine, French President Nicolas Sarkozy came away convinced his U.S. counterpart is serious about bombing Iran's secret nuclear facilities.

Discussion: Group News Blog

USA Today:
Iranian shakeup a setback for hardline leader

Discussion: VodkaPundit

Spencer Ackerman / TPMmuckraker:
Selling War with Iran: Next Week at AEI

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, LiberalOasis, Pacific Views, ArchPundit, Mercury Rising, D-Day, newsrack blog and Prairie Weather

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:

STATE SECRETS — Is the D.C. Madam attempting to raise the graymail defense? Or is it the throw-everything-against-a-wall-and- see-what sticks defense? From the WaPo: … I'm not sure where this is going. A grand unified theory of scandal, perhaps? Warrantless wiretapping of Muslim men …

Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:
Accused D.C. Madam Cites National Security

Discussion: DCist

David McHugh / Associated Press:

3 terror suspects arrested in Germany — BERLIN - Three suspected Islamic militants were arrested for allegedly plotting "imminent" and "massive" attacks on the Ramstein Air Base, a major U.S. and NATO military hub, and Frankfurt's busy international airport, German authorities said Wednesday.

Discussion: Jihad Watch

ABCNEWS:

Time to Head to Congress — Gen. Petraeus Preps for Much-Anticipated Iraq Progress Report — The top military general in Iraq hinted to ABC's Martha Raddatz that next week's much-anticipated report on the status of the troop surge in Iraq would include a recommendation for troop reduction in March …

Discussion: Hot Air, Wizbang, Instapundit.com, Stop The ACLU, Don Surber and The American Pundit

Dean Barnett / Weekly Standard:

The Lopsided Netroots — Why there's no conservative Kos. — In early August, the collection of liberal blogs that refers to itself as "the Netroots" held its annual convention. The convention's name, "YearlyKos," invokes the allure of the liberal blogosphere's most powerful entity, the Daily Kos.

Discussion: Redstate, Right Wing News and Power Line