memeorandum: Bin Laden may have just escaped U.S. forces (MSNBC)

1:30 PM ET, September 27, 2007

Top Items:

How Petraeus Moved The Debate, Literally — How far has General David Petraeus moved the debate on Iraq? His testimony on the surge, and the effects of the surge itself, has made it much more difficult for Democrats to argue for withdrawal and defeat. In fact, at last night's debate …

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Washington Monthly, Weekly Standard, Confederate Yankee, Comments From Left Field, Wake up America, Hot Air and Conservative Belle

A.B. Stoddard / The Hill:

A Lack of Clarity — Thank you, Tim Russert, for dragging the truth from all the Democratic candidates about what "ending the war" actually means. We hear these words a lot, especially from Hillary Clinton, yet Russert's questioning at MSNBC's New Hampshire debate last night revealed …

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

A Good Night for the Republican Nominee — From CampaignStandard.com: The odds are getting better for the GOP. — Editor's note: This piece first appeared at THE WEEKLY STANDARD's new election blog, The Campaign Standard. — Last night, for the first time this election cycle, I watched a Democratic presidential debate.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Power Line and Brendan Nyhan

Jonathan Martin / The Politico: Romney hits Dems on gay issue

Representative Dennis Kucinich / New York Times:
The Democratic Presidential Debate on MSNBC

Discussion: Reuters, The Carpetbagger Report, Dick Polman's American Debate, Townhall.com and Shakespeare's Sister

The New Republic:
THE DARTMOUTH DEBATE: — In the "spin room" after tonight's debate …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Ezra Klein

Beth Fouhy / Associated Press:
Dems can't make guarantee on Iraq troops

Discussion: Right Wing News, Real Clear Politics, Taylor Marsh, michellemalkin.com, Middle Earth Journal, The Swamp, The Impolitic, The Oxford Medievalist, Wizbang and The Caucus

NY Daily News:
Hillary flip-flops, contradicts Bill - & herself - in N.H. debate

Discussion: New York Times, MSNBC, The Politico, The Carpetbagger Report and Weasel Zippers

Brian Faughnan / Weekly Standard:

Saddam Risked His Life for WMD Secrets — The Washington Post reports on a story leaked to Spain's El Pais about a meeting between President Bush and the former Spanish president Jose Maria Aznar weeks ahead of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It's interesting to note how Bush discusses Saddam's signals …

Discussion: Harper's

JMG / Barcepundit:
MUCH IS BEING MADE of the scoop by pro-Zapatero's daily El País …

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, The Moderate Voice, Flopping Aces, Fausta's blog, The Osterley Times, The Carpetbagger Report, Salon and Think Progress

MSNBC:

Bin Laden may have just escaped U.S. forces — August mission in Tora Bora almost snared 'high value target' — A little more than a month ago, with the anniversary of Sept. 11 approaching and fears of a new al Qaeda attack rising, some U.S. intelligence and military analysts thought …

Discussion: Think Progress, The Jawa Report, Chuck Adkins, Hoffmania! and Weasel Zippers

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Verizon Rejects Messages of Abortion Rights Group — Saying it had the right to block "controversial or unsavory" text messages, Verizon Wireless has rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group, to make Verizon's mobile network available for a text-message program.

Discussion: Think Progress, The Carpetbagger Report, All Spin Zone, Bluedaze, Big Brass Blog, Law Blog, Feministing, Lean Left, Shakespeare's Sister, Obsidian Wings and The Sideshow

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Verizon Reverses Itself on Abortion Messages

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Corrente, WorkingForChange, Open Left and Lawyers, Guns and Money

Michelle Mittelstadt / Houston Chronicle:

Senate temporarily sidelines immigration legalization bill — Democrats vow to pass measure aiding 1 million youths — WASHINGTON — The prospects for immediate Senate action on the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants, disappeared Wednesday amid Republican opposition.

Discussion: Wake up America and Right Wing Nut House

USA Today: Illegal immigrants moving out

Los Angeles Times:

What are 'Hollywood values'? — If it's all about free love and hating America, how come there aren't many openly gay stars or pro-jihadi movies? If it's all about the almighty dollar, how come Hollyweirdos disproportionately back the party that wants to tax them more?

Discussion: The Newshoggers, The Atlantic Online and Power Line

Tushar Rae / Quad City Times:

Obama's wife makes stop in Q-C — Michelle Obama, wife of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, had to cut her Wednesday visit to the Carriage Haus in downtown Davenport short. — Even though her husband and other Democratic candidates for president were debating one another in New Hampshire and Michelle …

Ben Smith / The Politico:
Betting on Iowa — The Quad City Times reports today …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report and The Atlantic Online

Cornelia Dean / New York Times:

Scientists Feel Miscast in Film on Life's Origin — A few months ago, the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins received an e-mail message from a producer at Rampant Films inviting him to be interviewed for a documentary called "Crossroads." — The film, with Ben Stein, the actor …

Discussion: Pharyngula, The Volokh Conspiracy, Liberal Values and DefCon Blog

New York Times:

In a 9/11 Survival Tale, the Pieces Just Don't Fit — Tania Head's story, as shared over the years with reporters, students, friends and hundreds of visitors to ground zero, was a remarkable account of both life and death. — She had, she said, survived the terror attack …

Discussion: On Deadline, CBS News and Riehl World View

New York Times:

Blackwater Tops All Firms in Iraq in Shooting Rate — The American security contractor Blackwater USA has been involved in a far higher rate of shootings while guarding American diplomats in Iraq than other security firms providing similar services to the State Department …

Discussion: The Monkey Tennis Centre, IAVA Blog, The Swamp, TPMmuckraker, All Spin Zone, Wonkette, The Osterley Times, Prairie Weather, Liberty Street, Danger Room, Middle Earth Journal, abu muqawama, rubber hose, Drink-soaked Trotskyite …, The Moderate Voice, Los Angeles Times and Rook's Rant

The Corner:

Blowing smoke — Okay, Muslim foot-baths in Kansas City airport, gender-segregated swimming sessions at French municipal pools, banning pork from Aussie hospital menus, no eating donuts for Belgian cops during Ramadan, no seeing-eye dogs or alcohol in Minneapolis taxi cabs, fine, fine, fine.

Discussion: Jay Currie, Hot Air, Riehl World View and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

USA Today:

19,000 insurgents killed in Iraq since '03 — More than 19,000 militants have been killed in fighting with coalition forces since the insurgency began more than four years ago, according to military statistics released for the first time. — The statistics show that 4,882 militants …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, No More Mister Nice Blog and Weasel Zippers

Bryan Bender / Boston Globe:

Army is worn too thin, says general — Calls force not ready to meet new threats — Defense Secretary Robert Gates (left) and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Peter Pace at a Capitol Hill hearing yesterday. (MARK WILSON/GETTY IMAGES) — WASHINGTON - The Army's top officer …

Discussion: Think Progress, Comments From Left Field and MSNBC

Daniel Ellsberg / Consortiumnews.com:

'A Coup Has Occurred' — September 26, 2007 (Text of a speech delivered September 20, 2007) — Below is an edited transcript of Ellsberg's remarkable speech: — I think nothing has higher priority than averting an attack on Iran, which I think will be accompanied by a further change …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, QandO, Suburban Guerrilla and Truthdig