memeorandum: Out by June: UK plans Iraq withdrawal (Richard Norton-Taylor/Guardian)

6:20 AM ET, December 10, 2008

Top Items:

Questions Arise About the Obama/Blagojevich Relationship — “Obviously like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney's office today,” said President-elect Obama this afternoon in Chicago, speaking of the criminal complaint …

New York Times:

Obama's Intervention for Ethics Bill Indirectly Led to Case Against Governor — In a sequence of events that neatly captures the contradictions of Barack Obama's rise through Illinois politics, a phone call he made three months ago to urge passage of a state ethics bill indirectly contributed …

Discussion: The Politico, Firedoglake and AMERICAblog News

Greg Hinz / Chicago Business:

Illinois' top lawmakers to strip Blago of senate pick power — (Crain's) — The state's top two legislative leaders Tuesday said they will move fast to seize control of the process of selecting a replacement for Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, taking that power away from Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Discussion: Associated Press, FiveThirtyEight.com and The Moderate Voice

Carol E. Lee / The Politico:

Attorney: Blagojevich has no plans of resigning — CHICAGO— The attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said the governor will be vindicated and he has no plans to resign. — “He didn't do anything wrong,” attorney Sheldon Sorosky told reporters after Blagojevich was arraigned.

Discussion: Business Week, Top of the Ticket, The Moderate Voice, Associated Press, Chicago Breaking News, The Huffington Post, The Raw Story, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Politico, TIME.com, MyDD and Reuters

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Aide: Ax ‘misspoke’ — An Obama aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, took back David Axelrod's remark last month that Barack Obama and Rod Blagojevich had spoken recently. — “What the president-elect said today is correct, David Axelrod misspoke,” the aide said.

Discussion: RedState and AMERICAN DIGEST

Faiz Shakir / Think Progress:

Chicago reporter suggests Rahm Emanuel may have ‘tipped’ off federal investigators about Blagojevich.» — Marcy Wheeler catches local Chicago press reporting that Rahm Emanuel may have tipped off federal investigators that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) was engaging in corrupt acts.

Discussion: The Hill, Emptywheel, TPM Election Central, Wizbang, Gawker, The Caucus, Don Surber, CNN, Gates of Vienna, Chicago Breaking News, Wonkette and culturekitchen

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

Criminal Complaint Alleges That Gov. Blagojevich Threatened to Block Tribune Co.'s Business Deals if Staffers Were Not Fired — On Sept. 29, a Chicago Tribune editorial ripped Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for his “notorious pay-to-play politics” and said the legislature should investigate whether to impeach him.

Associated Press:
Obama works to distance himself from Ill. governor

Discussion: Associated Press, Weekly Standard, GINA COBB, Townhall.com, Reuters and Ed Driscoll.com

Ron Kampeas / JTA:
Blagojevich arrest could send Jewish rep to Senate

Discussion: Washington Post, The Volokh Conspiracy, Sunlight Foundation, Ben Smith's Blogs, Soccer Dad, Gawker, TalkLeft and The Debate Link

Will Bunch / Philly.com: Obama's support of ethics reform is good news for the GOP...

David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times: In the old days, buying a Senate seat was not unusual

Joe Weisenthal / Silicon Alley Insider:
Alleged: Blago Hoped To Shake Down Warren Buffett!

Discussion: DealBook

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Source: ‘SEIU official’ was Stern

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, FiveThirtyEight.com, TalkLeft, Atlas Shrugs, Firedoglake, The Swamp, Associated Press and The Crypt's Blogs

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Blago calls Obama “motherf—er”

Discussion: Bark Bark Woof Woof, WLS-TV, USA Today, The Huffington Post, The Politico, The Jawa Report, Clout St, The Caucus, Marc Ambinder, Taylor Marsh, The Crypt's Blogs, Buck Naked Politics and The Field on the Narcosphere

Michaelscherer / Swampland:
BlagoGate: Obama's Burden

Discussion: Political Punch, American Prospect, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Kevin Drum, Hot Air, ArchPundit, RedState and Chicago Business

Katie Allison Granju:
Note to President-Elect Obama: just tell the truth

Discussion: Political Punch, Political Machine and Gateway Pundit

Edwin Eisendrath / The Huffington Post:
Now, Finally, We Can Clean Up This State

Discussion: The Hill and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
A tip from Rahm? — Jack Connaty, of Chicago's Fox affiliate, reported this morning:

Discussion: Democracy in America, The Heretik and Wizbang

Andy Barr / The Politico:

Joe the Plumber: McCain ‘appalled me’ — Joe Wurzelbacher lashed out at former GOP presidential nominee John McCain Tuesday, the man who made Wurzelbacher famous as “Joe the Plumber.” — Wurzelbacher told conservative radio host Glenn Beck that he felt “dirty” after “being on the campaign trail …

Discussion: THE TOOT, Little Green Footballs, The Heretik, Booman Tribune and Liberal Values

Matt Cooper / Portfolio:

Dear Governor Blagojevich: — I know you've had a long day. — Apparently, federal agents showed up at your house to arrest you at 6 a.m. for trying to sell Barack Obama's senate seat to the highest bidder. — You're probably wondering what to do. I have some advice.

Discussion: The New Republic, TalkLeft and The Huffington Post

Scott Shane / New York Times:

Fond Ties Have Grown Between Chicago and Its Corruption Fighter — WASHINGTON — In New York, he earned his prosecutorial spurs going after terrorists and mobsters. In Washington, he brought down the powerful top aide to the vice president. — And as the United States attorney in Chicago …

Monica Davey / New York Times:
Illinois Governor in Corruption Scandal

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Dee Dee Myers / Vanity Fair:

Favreau's Sexist Photo Is No Laughing Matter — Oh, what to do. An incredibly talented young aide, to an impossibly idealistic new president, gets caught doing something indefensibly stupid and undeniably sexist. Everyone is uncomfortable. But should anyone be held accountable? Apparently not.

Discussion: Tennessee Guerilla Women, Liberal Values and QandO

CNN:

Man who lost family when jet hit house: I don't blame pilot — SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) — A Korean immigrant who lost his wife, two children and mother-in-law when a Marine Corps jet slammed into the family's house said Tuesday he did not blame the pilot, who ejected and survived.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin and TigerHawk

Bloomberg:

Treasury Bills Trade at Negative Rates as Haven Demand Surges — A A A — Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) — Treasuries rose, pushing rates on the three-month bill negative for the first time, as investors gravitate toward the safety of U.S. government debt amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com

New York Times:
Investors Buy U.S. Debt at Zero Yield

Discussion: Associated Press, DownWithTyranny!, Matthew Yglesias and AMERICAblog News

Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:

O'Reilly And Rove Agree: Reports On The Bad Economy Are Part Of A Media Cabal To Help Obama — Yesterday on Fox News, Bill O'Reilly and Karl Rove went on a tirade against the media for hyping the struggling state of the economy. They claimed that it's not as bad as reports are making it out to be …

Discussion: danieldrezner.com, Left in the West and Shakesville

Christopher Drew / New York Times:

A Fighter Jet's Fate Poses a Quandary for Obama — Two of President-elect Barack Obama's stated goals — cutting wasteful spending and saving or creating millions of jobs — are on a collision course in a looming decision over whether to keep building the F-22 fighter jet.

Richard Norton-Taylor / Guardian:

Out by June: UK plans Iraq withdrawal — Britain's six-year occupation of south Iraq will begin drawing to a close in March, and the last troops will leave Basra by June, a senior defence source disclosed yesterday. — But instead of handing over to Iraqi authorities …

Discussion: Informed Comment and TIME.com

John Bresnahan / The Politico:

Ethics committee expands Rangel probe — The House ethics committee has voted to expand its investigation of Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) to include allegations that he helped a $1 million donor to the Charles B. Rangel Center at the City College of New York retain a lucrative tax loophole.

Discussion: TIME.com