memeorandum: VIDEO: The 'Bama Tea Party speech (Robert Stacy McCain/The Other McCain)

11:40 AM ET, April 18, 2009

Top Items:

Counting Mexico's Guns — President Obama says 90 percent of Mexico's recovered crime guns come the U.S. Not true. — There's no dispute that thousands of handguns, military style rifles and other firearms are purchased in the U.S. and end up in the hands of Mexican criminals each year.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Don Surber, Wake up America and Lynn Sweet

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:

Barack Obama way wrong on U.S. guns in Mexico—FactCheck.org — On his recently concluded first visit to Mexico as president, a week after telling Europeans that his country had been at times arrogant, President Barack Obama blamed his own country for providing 90% of Mexico's recovered crime guns.

Discussion: Political Machine

Jacob Sullum / Reason:
Drug Control Breeds Gun Control

Discussion: Sydney Morning Herald, NewsBusters.org, JustOneMinute, The Agitator and RedState

Dan Collins / protein wisdom:

Stacy McCain Rouses the Rabble — “Politics is about who's got the best list.” — Petticoats gratefully accepted. — Meanwhile, in Obamatopia:

Discussion: Pajamas Media

Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:

VIDEO: The 'Bama Tea Party speech — You might be a right-wing extremist if . . . I'm actually much better-looking in person. — Stephen Gordon at Liberty Papers has the best roundup on the Alabama Tea Party scene. — RELATED: — 4/17: Dear Ross Douthat — 4/16: The World's Worst TV Reporter

Discussion: Pundit & Pundette and The Liberty Papers

Major Garrett / Fox News:

Obama, Chavez Shake Hands at Summit of the Americas — Venezuela quoted Chavez as saying, “I'd like to be your friend.” — FOXNews.com — PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago - President Obama made the first move to greet Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, but it was the acerbic …

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, Neptunus Lex, Fausta's Blog, JustOneMinute, Jules Crittenden, The Mahablog, Political Punch and Political Byline

Michelle Malkin:

At least he didn't bow — I can't stand to look at our president's dumb grin as he warmly greets Venezuela's thug-in-chief: — Gag. — Did anyone smell sulfur during the photo op? — Now, the Evil Clown (as Allahpundit calls him) can add his friendly pic with Obama to his Chavista Fan Club photo album:

Discussion: PoliGazette, Babalú Blog, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Stop The ACLU and Hot Air

Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
Obama faces tough crowd at summit

Discussion: The Swamp and Sister Toldjah

Wall Street Journal:

Jobless Rate Climbs in 46 States, With California at 11.2% — California and North Carolina in March posted their highest jobless rates in at least three decades, as unemployment increased in all but a handful of states during the month, the Labor Department said Friday.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, PoliGazette, On Deadline and Wake up America

Andrew Bolt / NEWS.com.au:

Picture is kiss of death for George Bush prejudice — SEE this picture? That's odd, because the Sunday Age's editor can't. Unimaginable, she calls it. — Last weekend, her paper began yet another editorial praising new US President Barack Obama like this:

Discussion: Stop The ACLU

Scott Shane / New York Times:

Divisions Arose on Rough Tactics for Qaeda Figure — WASHINGTON — The first use of waterboarding and other rough treatment against a prisoner from Al Qaeda was ordered by senior Central Intelligence Agency officials despite the belief of interrogators that the prisoner had already told them all he knew …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, On Deadline and Think Progress

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
C.I.A. Memos Could Bring More Disclosures

Discussion: Prairie Weather, FP Passport, On Deadline and Blog of Rights

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Politico's understanding of journalistic anonymity — (updated below) — In a Politico article discussing Obama's decision to release the OLC torture memos, Mike Allen granted anonymity to “a former top official in the administration of President George W. Bush” to enable that official …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Greg's Opinion and The Politico

Scott / Power Line:

An obscene insult — The star hosts of CNN and MSNBC news shows have notoriously derided the tea party demonstrations around the country with reference to the homosexual practice of teabagging (which I had never heard of before they brought it up). As John noted, both networks' “journalists” …

Discussion: Pundit & Pundette and Media Research Center

Mohamed Ahmed / Reuters:

CORRECTED: NATO frees hostages from pirates — MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Dutch commandos freed 20 Yemeni hostages on Saturday and briefly detained seven pirates who had forced the Yemenis to sail a “mother ship” attacking vessels in the Gulf of Aden, NATO officials said.

Discussion: Hot Air and Sweetness & Light