memeorandum: The Errors Haunting Clinton (E. J. Dionne Jr/Washington Post)

11:45 AM ET, April 8, 2008

Top Items:

Congress To Hear Of Gains In Iraq — Petraeus, Crocker To Face Impatient Lawmakers — In a reprise of their testimony last September, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker plan to tell Congress today and tomorrow that security has improved in Iraq and that the government …

Seumas Milne / Guardian:

Secret US plan for military future in Iraq — A confidential draft agreement covering the future of US forces in Iraq, passed to the Guardian, shows that provision is being made for an open-ended military presence in the country. — The draft strategic framework agreement between the US …

Discussion: Don Surber, Think Progress, Democratic National Committee, Taylor Marsh, Comments from Left Field, American Street and Mercury Rising

Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:

Testimony by General Will Test Candidates for President — WASHINGTON — Three presidential candidates and two very different views of Iraq will be on full display on Tuesday as Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Baghdad, testifies before the Senate in a marathon session of war and White House ambitions.

Discussion: The Swamp, New York Times, The Crypt's Blogs, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, Politics Nation and Associated Press

James Hider / Times of London:
Iraq: Al-Mahdi army offers to lay down its arms

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House, Austin Bay Blog, CNN, CALIFORNIA YANKEE, Daily Pundit and The Strata-Sphere

Shaun Mullen / The Moderate Voice: Wanted & Found: An Iraq War Bogeyman

Frederick W. Kagan / National Review:
Why Iraq Matters — Losing wars is always bad.

Discussion: The Glittering Eye, Angry Bear and Gateway Pundit

Gateway Pundit:
The Gratitude Campaign— Pass It On

Discussion: The Opinionator and Dr. Melissa Clouthier

John Bresnahan / The Crypt's Blogs:
Protesters line up for Petraeus-Crocker appearance at Senate Armed Services panel

Discussion: The Swamp

Ahmed Rasheed / Reuters:
Iraq's Sadr threatens to scrap ceasefire

Discussion: Confederate Yankee and democracyarsenal.org

Jules Crittenden:
“Failure of Leadership”

Discussion: The Swamp, Washington Monthly and Wake up America

CNN:
Petraeus will stick to his guns, aide says

Discussion: The Page

Reagan Union / Quinnipiac University:

Obama Catching Up With Clinton In Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; She's Losing Ground Even Among Women — Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is catching up with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary and now trails 50 - 44 percent among likely primary voters …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, MSNBC, The Swamp, Fox News, Spin Cycle, New York Times, Hotline On Call, Real Clear Politics, AMERICAblog and TPM Election Central

New York Times:

Shift at Top May Mean Shift in Tone for Clinton — WASHINGTON — “This isn't exactly what I was planning on when I woke up this morning,” Geoff Garin e-mailed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton after a hasty weekend shake-up left him atop her campaign's strategy team. — Mrs. Clinton answered his dry humor in kind.

Discussion: NY Daily News, The Politico, New York Post, The Washington Independent and The Huffington Post

E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:

The Errors Haunting Clinton — The most striking critiques of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign have come not from her opponents or her enemies but from her most loyal friends. — Since December, I have been hearing a steady stream of worries from Clinton partisans who took Barack Obama's challenge seriously from the start.

Discussion: Washington Wire, Salon and Newsweek

Hillary Clinton / CNN:
Clinton says Penn controversy won't be damaging

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blogs

Martha Raddatz / ABCNEWS:

Surprising Political Endorsements By U.S. Troops — American Soldiers Speak Out About Their Presidential Endorsements — ABC's Martha Raddatz asked American soldiers in Iraq what issues are most important to them when looking at the presidential candidates.

Discussion: Buck Naked Politics, Think Progress, Redstate, The Corner, NewsBusters.org and Donklephant

Greg Ip / Wall Street Journal:

His Legacy Tarnished, Greenspan Goes on Defensive — Future of U.S. Financial Reform Is at Stake; ‘I Am Right’ — WASHINGTON — Alan Greenspan's reputation is under siege, and he's incredulous. — Hailed three years ago as “the greatest central banker who ever lived,” …

Discussion: The American Mind

Think Progress:
ThinkFast: April 8, 2008 — Aides say in today's testimony …

Discussion: The Hill and MotherJones.com

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:

FBI Data Transfers Via Telecoms Questioned — When FBI investigators probing New York prostitution rings, Boston organized crime or potential terrorist plots anywhere want access to a suspect's telephone contacts, technicians at a telecommunications carrier served with a government order can …

Discussion: protein wisdom, The Raw Story, The Impolitic and TPMMuckraker

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Iraq War Attitudes Politically Polarized — Republicans generally favor the war; Democrats oppose it — PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans reject the idea of a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, by a better than 2-to-1 margin, 65% to 32%. Democrats show an even greater margin …

Discussion: Salon and American Power

Matt Lewis / The Politico:

Perkins, Toomey for Senate? — While most political observers are focused on the protracted Democratic primary fight between the senator from the state of New York and the senator from the state of Hope, rumors have been swirling in conservative circles that two of the movement's …

Discussion: American Spectator

Washington Post:

The Sin of Speaking Truth — YET ANOTHER Democratic adviser is in trouble for having more common sense that his candidate — or at least, more than his candidate has the courage to admit having. — First there was Austan Goolsbee, Sen. Barack Obama's economic adviser …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Commentary and Betsy's Page

Ali / Think Progress:

McCain confused about al Qaeda again, suggests it's a 'sect of Shi'ites.' — McCain confused about al Qaeda again, suggests it's a 'sect of Shi'ites.' — During today's hearing with Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) questioned Petraeus on what he called “the major threat” of al Qaeda in Iraq.

Discussion: Marc Ambinder

Jackie Kucinich / The Hill:

Housing, foreclosures notably absent in House GOP recess kits — House Republican leaders did not mention mortgage foreclosures or the word “housing” in materials given to their members before the March recess. — The 21-page document distributed on March 13 addressed economic concerns ranging …

Discussion: MoJoBlog

Christopher Hitchens / Slate:

Obama Is No King — TODAY, THE NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS PULPIT IS LARGELY OCCUPIED BY SECOND-RATE SHAKEDOWN ARTISTS. — When Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, I was 19 years old and fancifully considered myself to be far to the left of him. Notwithstanding that, he felt …

Discussion: Power Line, The Volokh Conspiracy and five feet of fury.