memeorandum: Edwards threatens to cut off health insurance for Congress (CNN Political Ticker)

4:00 PM ET, September 17, 2007

Top Items:

Iraqis Order Blackwater out of Iraq — But Will It Leave? — Following a Baghdad shootout yesterday that left at least nine civilians dead, security-contractor giant Blackwater will no longer be permitted to operate in Iraq, according to the Iraqi Interior Ministry.

Discussion: Washington Post, Total Information Awareness, The Carpetbagger Report and Outside The Beltway

Larry Johnson / NO QUARTER:

The Iraq Blackwater Test — Depending on whether the Blackwater security firm stays in Iraq will inform us whether Prime Minister Maliki has any power or is just a U.S. puppet. My money is on the puppet. Over the weekend Blackwater contractors escorting a State Department/US Embassy Baghdad convoy got into a shoot out.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Huffington Post and Cliff Schecter

CNN:

Blackwater Security banned from Iraq — BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Iraq's Interior Ministry has revoked the license of Blackwater USA, an American security firm whose contractors are blamed for a Sunday gunbattle in Baghdad that left eight civilians dead. — Sunday's firefight took place near Nusoor Square …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, All Spin Zone, Swords Crossed, Shakespeare's Sister, The RBC, My Left Wing and Blogs of War

Washington Post:

Crocker Blasts Refugee Process — Iraqis Could Wait 2 Years for Entry, Ambassador Says — The U.S. ambassador to Iraq warned that it may take the U.S. government as long as two years to process and admit nearly 10,000 Iraqi refugees referred by the United Nations for resettlement to the United States …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Hullabaloo, MoJoBlog, New York Times, The Impolitic, FP Passport, Prairie Weather and Truthdig

Ned Parker / Los Angeles Times:
Iraq revokes license of U.S. contractor Blackwater

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly and Kiko's House

Washington Post:
Iraqi Government Revokes Blackwater License

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:

Clinton unveils health care plan — DES MOINES, Iowa - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton issued a call for universal health care on Monday, plunging back into a political battle she memorably waged and lost as first lady more than a decade ago.

Discussion: Ezra Klein, New York Post, Sister Toldjah, eyeon08.com, Donklephant, Liberal Values, Don Surber, Booman Tribune, The Glittering Eye, Wake up America, Wizbang, Liberty Pundit, NewsBusters.org, Macsmind, Vox Popoli, Extreme Mortman, JammieWearingFool and PoliPundit.com

Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Clinton Unveils Her Plan for Health Care

Discussion: Feministe

CNN Political Ticker:
Edwards threatens to cut off health insurance for Congress

Discussion: The Swamp and The Carpetbagger Report

Michael Luo / The Caucus:
Clinton's Rivals Blast Health Care Plan

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and National Review

John McCormick / The Swamp:
Edwards hammers Clinton on health care

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker

The Corner:

Meeting Mukasey — I wasn't going to post anything else on Mukasey, but come on guys and gals, there are gapping holes in what we know about him, and his supporters aren't helping matters. Ed Whelen, a good friend who I admire deeply, tells us not to worry about Schumer and Aron's support for him.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Macsmind and michellemalkin.com

Massimo Calabresi / Time:

How Bush's AG Pick Irritates the Right — If the administration was trying to avoid a fight with the left over the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales' replacement as Attorney General, they may have succeeded with the nomination of former New York district judge, Michael Mukasey.

Discussion: tpmmuckraker.com, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Hot Air, The Anonymous Liberal, The Gate, Open Left, Redstate, The Democratic Daily and Law Blog

Peter Lattman / Law Blog:
Seven Things to Know About Michael Mukasey

Discussion: Firedoglake, Bench Conference and The Sideshow

New York Times:
Bush Names Choice for Successor to Gonzales

Discussion: The Politico, The Hill, The Swamp, Los Angeles Times, Talking Points Memo, CNN Political Ticker, Petulant Rumblings, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Media Blog and Air America Radio

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Schumer Eats His Words, Up-Chucks

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Post, QandO, New York Sun, The Jawa Report, The Mahablog, ACSBlog, Sister Toldjah, Redstate, TalkLeft, Taylor Marsh, Liberty Pundit, Stop The ACLU and The Van Der Galiën Gazette

Garrett Therolf / Los Angeles Times:

Chemerinsky to return as UC Irvine law dean — UC Irvine Chancellor Michael V. Drake and Erwin Chemerinsky have reached an agreement that will return the liberal legal scholar to the dean's post at the university's law school, sources told The Times this morning.

Discussion: Eschaton, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, The RBC, The Sideshow, LA Observed and Abovethelaw.com

UCI Chancellor Page:

JOINT STATEMENT: — RE DONALD BREN SCHOOL OF LAW — We are very pleased to announce that Erwin Chemerinsky, the Alston & Bird Professor of Law and Political Science at Duke University, has been offered and has accepted the position of founding dean of the Donald Bren School of Law at the University of California, Irvine.

Discussion: Brian Leiter's Law …

Telegraph:

Prepare for war with Iran, says French minister — By Alex Spillius in Washington and Tim Butcher in Jerusalem — The world should "prepare for war" with Iran, the French foreign minister has said, significantly escalating tensions over the country's nuclear programme.

Discussion: FP Passport, Outside The Beltway, Pajamas Media, Captain's Quarters, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Fausta's blog, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Gateway Pundit

Tim Butcher / Telegraph:
N Korean ship 'linked to Israel's strike on Syria'

Discussion: The Belmont Club and Israel Matzav

Jerusalem Post:
600 Iranian missiles said to be pointed at targets in Israel

Discussion: The Newshoggers, The Glittering Eye, Wake up America and QandO

National / Homeland Security National Terror Alert:

School Terror Threat - "Jihad Boom" Postcards With Threatening Cartoon Sent To Nine Schools … Investigators released the postcards with the threatening drawings on them Monday in hopes of generating leads in the case. Officials said that the postcards are made up of various and traditional themes …

Discussion: Wake up America, Atlas Shrugs and Jihad Watch

WKMG-TV:
'Jihad Boom' Postcards Mailed To Schools Feature Threatening Cartoons

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Tomoneil / Los Angeles Times:

Gold Derby by Tom O'Neil — Wow! They censored Sally Field! — "If mothers ruled the world, there wouldn't be any god -" Emmy winner Sally Field said before the Emmycast cut off her sound and pointed the camera away from the stage so viewers would be distracted.

Discussion: thinkprogress.org, Crooks and Liars, James Hibberd, The Gun Toting Liberal™, The American Mind, TPMCafe blogs, Althouse, The Carpetbagger Report, The Atlantic Online, Greatscat! and The Heretik

thinkprogress.org:
Fox censors Sally Field's anti-war speech at Emmy's.

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Getting At 'The Truth' — We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you an important development from the media world. — Ron Brownstein has been a fixture at the Los Angeles Times for nearly two decades, an influential political reporter and talking head who delves into policy as well as campaign strategy.

Discussion: Riehl World View, On Deadline, The Gate, NewsBusters.org, Brendan Nyhan, Romenesko, The Carpetbagger Report, Outside The Beltway and LA Observed

ABCNEWS:

ACLU Backs Sen. Larry Craig — Senator Accused of Soliciting Sex Has an Unlikely Ally in American Civil Liberties Union — Idaho's Republican Senator Larry Craig reads a statement to the media Monday afternoon, Aug. 28, 2007, in Boise, Idaho. He read a statement and took no questions during …

Discussion: Agitprop

The Corner:

So long, white boy — So reads the headline on this article from Salon, which argues that the Democrats should end-and in fact already are ending-any efforts to court the white male vote. Well, Salon's headline certainly gets the message across, doesn't it?

Discussion: BartBlog, bustardblog, Democratic Strategist and Daily Pundit

JoAnne Allen / Reuters:

Greenspan clarifies Iraq war, oil link — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Clarifying a controversial comment in his new memoir, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said he told the White House before the Iraq war that removing Saddam Hussein was "essential" to secure world oil supplies, according to an interview published on Monday.

Discussion: AMERICAblog, FP Passport, Liberty Pundit, Wizbang, Macsmind, Corrente and WSJ.com

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:

Bob Gates or Bob McNamara? Gen. Petraeus or Gen. Westmoreland? — In his book about the failures of the Vietnam War, Dereliction of Duty, H.R. McMaster writes of how the delusion and hubris of President Lyndon Johnson, combined with the failures in judgment

Discussion: Make Them Accountable

Walter Pincus / Washington Post:

'Help Wanted' Ad Belies Report on Iraq Security — A week ago today, Gen. David H. Petraeus started his rounds on Capitol Hill, reporting that security in Iraq was improving to the point that a small number of troops could begin coming home by year's end. — But 10 days ago …

Discussion: unbossed.com, Corrente, Air America Radio, TIME: Swampland and Make Them Accountable