memeorandum: Kentucky at War — Carol Trainer could hardly process what was happening. (Bob Moser/The Nation)

4:50 PM ET, September 13, 2007

Top Items:

TIMES GIVES LEFTIES A HEFTY DISCOUNT FOR 'BETRAY US' AD — The New York Times dramatically slashed its normal rates for a full-page advertisement for MoveOn.org's ad questioning the integrity of Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. — Headlined "Cooking the Books …

New York Post:

SEN. CLINTON'S SLUR — Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday found herself positioned firmly to the left of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi regarding that disgusting New York Times/MoveOn "General Betray Us" attack on Gen. David Petraeus' integrity. — That's not an enviable position for a woman who's trying …

Discussion: The Politico, The Mahablog, Taylor Marsh, Wake up America, No More Mister Nice Blog and Blue Crab Boulevard

Washington Post:
Petraeus Returns to War That Is Now His Own

Discussion: Brian Beutler and Don Surber

Zzaki / Political Punch:
Does Ideology Matter in NYT ads?

Discussion: Redstate, Reason Magazine and Confederate Yankee

Pundit Review Radio / BLACKFIVE:
COMPLAINT FILED WITH FEC OVER BETRAY US AD

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Edward / Heading Right:
Discounts For Character Assassination

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and NewsBusters.org

Abu Aardvark:

Abu Risha murdered — I was in the middle of putting the finishing touches on an short piece about Iraqi Sunni politics due out later today when I got an urgent flash that Abd al-Sattar Abu Risha had been murdered in Anbar. Nothing could have been more predictable than the murder of Abu Risha …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Times, TPMmuckraker, American Footprints, Daily Kos, The Garlic, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, rubber hose and The Next Hurrah

Robert H. Reid / Associated Press:
Key anti-al-Qaida sheik slain in Iraq

Discussion: The Corner, Washington Monthly, The Long War Journal, Crooks and Liars, Hot Air, Publius Pundit and 9/11 Families …

Guardian:
Setback for Bush as key US ally dies in Iraq

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Kiko's House

Marc Lynch / American Prospect:
Sunni World — The cheerleaders for the surge have constructed …

Discussion: Ezra Klein, Abu Aardvark and TPMmuckraker

Faiz / Think Progress:
Sattar Abu Risha

Discussion: ABCNEWS

Brian Ross Reports / The Blotter:

Clinton, Pelosi, Greenspan, Bloomberg, Gates, Annan Also Say Interviews 'Fakes' — Brian Ross Reports: — Former President Bill Clinton, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates …

Discussion: Attytood, MoJoBlog, War and Piece, Mercury Rising, Washington Post and TVNewser

Lindsay Renick Mayer / Capital Eye:

The Other Iraq Surge — A sharp increase in contributions from the military to Democrats suggests the Republican commander-in-chief and his party are losing the troops' support. — Assessed favorably this week by the war's lead general, the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq appears to be causing …

Discussion: The New Republic, The Carpetbagger Report, The Caucus, Boston Globe, TPM Election Central and INSTAPUTZ

George Will / Real Clear Politics:

Is a Fred Thompson Campaign Necessary? — Fred Thompson's plunge into the presidential pool — more belly-flop than swan dive — was the strangest product launch since that of New Coke in 1985. Then the question was: Is this product necessary? A similar question stumped Thompson the day he plunged.

Discussion: Chicago Sun Times, The Corner, Comments From Left Field, TIME, MSNBC, PoliBlog (TM), Shakespeare's Sister, Daily Kos, Daily Pundit, Betsy's Page, The Right's Field and PoliPundit.com

Robert D. Novak / Washington Post:
Help Not Wanted — Almost immediately following the launch …

Discussion: Althouse, The Impolitic, Wonkette, The Carpetbagger Report and Los Angeles Times

Robert Vamosi / CNET News.com:

Researcher: Bin Laden's beard is real, video is not — On the Friday before the sixth anniversary of 9/11, Osama bin Laden appeared in a new video, his first since prior to the U.S. presidential elections in 2004. In analyzing the video, Neal Krawetz of Hactor Factor, an expert on digital image forensics …

Discussion: Donklephant, Outside The Beltway, Balloon Juice, Secure Computing, GINA COBB and QandO

Richard Miniter:

BERGER'S COMEBACK — As many of you know, Clinton's National Security Advisor Sandy Berger and I no longer get along. — Once a cordial and helpful source, Berger turned on me in January 2002 when the first installment of a Sunday Times (U.K.) series that I co-wrote appeared.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, beldar.blogs.com, baldilocks, Right Wing Nut House, Right Wing News, Betsy's Page and Weekly Standard

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Hsus And Socks — by the company he chooses ... and the pig got …

Discussion: Wizbang

National / Homeland Security National Terror Alert:

Camouflaged Man Armed With A Loaded AK-47 Arrested In Dearborn Park — A 26-year-old Dearborn resident, Houssein Zorkot, was arraigned in 19th District Court Tuesday on several felony charges, including carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent. — Zorkot, a third-year medical student …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Dearborn Press …, Little Green Footballs, Atlas Shrugs, Hot Air, Debbie Schlussel, Sweetness & Light, Op For, Macsmind, Jihad Watch, Stop The ACLU, Wake up America, Gateway Pundit, Sister Toldjah and UrbanGrounds

Mother Jones:

Crocker's Fuzzy Economics — NEWS: Ambassador Ryan Crocker had tough marching orders this week: Spin the political and economic chaos of Iraq into something that sounds like progress. But even the mild gains Crocker professed don't stand up to close scrutiny.

Discussion: TPMmuckraker

Kos / Daily Kos:

CT-Sen: Lamont would win rematch — Daily Kos commissioned the following poll from independent pollster Research 2000: — Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 9/10-12. Likely voters. MoE 4% (No trend lines) … Lieberman won 50-40-10 in 2006, so the poll tracks closely.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Corner, Open Left and DownWithTyranny!

Victor Davis Hanson / Real Clear Politics:

A New Strain of Anti-Semitism is Spreading — Who recently said: "These Jews started 19 Crusades. The 19th was World War (1). Why? Only to build Israel." — Some holdover Nazi? — Hardly. It was former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan of Turkey, a NATO ally.

Discussion: bustardblog, Secular Blasphemy, Blogs for Bush, Roger L. Simon and Blue Crab Boulevard

Rasmussen Reports:

43% Support Petraeus Recommendation, 38% Oppose — Forty-three percent (43%) of Americans favor the recommendation made by General David Petraeus to withdraw 30,000 soldiers from Iraq but leave 130,000 troops in place at least through the summer. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found …

Discussion: protein wisdom and Wake up America

Editor and Publisher:

As Bush Prepares for 'Surge' Address Tonight: Here Is What He Promised in January Speech — NEW YORK With President Bush reportedly ready to endorse a full continuation of the "surge" in Iraq through next summer in a speech to the nation tonight, a look back at what he promised in his address …

Discussion: Think Progress and D-Day

Nedra Pickler / Associated Press:

Edwards buys ad to rebut Bush on Iraq — WASHINGTON - In the clamor of Democrats assailing President Bush on Iraq, presidential candidate John Edwards has found a way to be heard after Bush addresses the nation Thursday night: He's buying time for a rebuttal.

Discussion: Slate, All Spin Zone, The Caucus, Wonkette, Shakespeare's Sister and Brilliant at Breakfast

Dan Morain / Los Angeles Times:

Hsu letter appeared to be suicide note — The fundraiser sent it on the day of his second disappearance. In it, he apologized to those to whom he donated. — On the day he disappeared, Norman Hsu, the disgraced fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign …