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9:45 AM ET, May 12, 2009

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
The Two Jokes  —  What makes Wanda Sykes's witless vulgarity amusing to the president?  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The White House Correspondents Dinner took place this weekend.  As usual, the president was in attendance and a comedian provided the evening's entertainment.
RELATED:
Fox News:
Did Wanda Sykes Go Too Far at the White House Correspondents' Dinner?  —  This is a rush transcript from “On the Record,” May 11, 2009.  This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.  —  GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Tonight: 9/11, waterboarding and wishing for kidney failure …
Discussion: The Swamp and NY Daily News
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Wanda Sykes sees the humor of 9/11; White House not
Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:
NRSC to endorse Crist  —  Even as Gov. Charlie Crist comes under fire from Florida conservatives, he will be getting some important political backing today as he announces that he's running for the Senate in Florida.  —  The National Republican Senatorial Committee will be endorsing Crist …
RELATED:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
White House Cheat Sheet: What Crist Means  —  Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is set to announce his Senate candidacy today, a decision that has national implications and says a great deal about the current political landscape, from Republicans rebuilding efforts to the treacherous political position for governors heading into 2010.
Josh Kraushaar / The Politico:
Conservatives may buck Crist  —  The expected announcement Tuesday by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist that he's running for the Senate would seem to be a rare bit of good news for beleaguered Republicans.  —  But while Crist is a brand-name recruit with sky-high approval ratings and bipartisan appeal …
Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
What if Cheney's Right?  —  Blogger Alert: I have written a column in defense of Dick Cheney.  I know how upsetting this will be to some Cheney critics, and I count myself as one, who think — in respectful paraphrase of what Mary McCarthy said about Lillian Hellman — that everything he says is a lie, including the ands and the thes.
RELATED:
Andy Kessler / Wall Street Journal:
Was It a Sucker's Rally?  —  You can have a jobless recovery but you can't have a profitless one.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The Dow Jones Industrial Average has bounced an astounding 30% from its March 9 low of 6547.  Is this the dawn of a new era?  Are we off to the races again?
Discussion: Clusterstock and The Big Picture
Megan McArdle:
Obama's Magical Mystery Tour of Health Care Savings  —  This weekend, I was on a panel where the other economics journalist and I spent a great deal of time belaboring the obvious: Obama's health care plans are very, very expensive, and they mean higher taxes for everyone …
RELATED:
Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:
W.H. lobbies for Olympics in Chicago  —  The Obama White House is playing an unprecedented role in the bid to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to Chicago, with top adviser Valerie Jarrett spearheading an effort that draws on the international symbolism of his presidency.
Discussion: Outside The Beltway and The Page
Peter Finn / Washington Post:
Detainee Who Gave False Iraq Data Dies In Prison in Libya  —  A former CIA high-value detainee, who provided bogus information that was cited by the Bush administration in the run-up to the Iraq war, has died in a Libyan prison, an apparent suicide, according to a Libyan newspaper.
Peter Hamby / CNN:
Actor Gary Sinise floated as possible GOP savior  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Nicolle Wallace, a top adviser to George W. Bush and John McCain's presidential campaign, is adding a few names to the list of Republicans who might lead the GOP out of the wilderness.  —  Top among them?  Actor Gary Sinise.
Discussion: NewsBusters.org
David Paul Kuhn / Real Clear Politics:
Social Conservative Leaders Feel Scapegoated  —  There is a brooding sense within top social conservative circles that they have become the revolving scapegoat of the Republican Party.  Many of the longtime leaders of the Christian right, from Richard Land to Tony Perkins to Gary Bauer …
Discussion: Townhall.com and GOP 12
RELATED:
John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Huckabee speaks out against alienating social conservatives.
Discussion: BitsBlog
Digby / Hullabaloo:
De-basing Torture  —  The argument against torture is slipping away from us.  In fact, I'm getting the sinking feeling that it's over.  What was once taboo is now publicly acknowledged as completely acceptable by many people.  Indeed, disapproval of torture is now being characterized …
Neil A. Lewis / New York Times:
Potential Justice Offers a Counterpoint in Chicago  —  WASHINGTON — When President Bill Clinton had a rare opportunity in 1995 for a Democratic president to fill a vacancy on the federal appeals court based in Chicago, a bastion of conservative thinking, he received an unusually strong recommendation from Senator Paul Simon.
Discussion: The Page
Washington Post:
Hispanics See Stars Aligned on High Court  —  For President, Diversity Is One Of Many Factors  —  Justice David H. Souter's departure from the Supreme Court gives the first African American president a historic opportunity to break another barrier by appointing the first Hispanic to the nation's highest court.
Discussion: Los Angeles Times and The Politico
Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
The GOP's misguided and confused campaign against judicial empathy.  —  One is surely entitled to say that President Obama's repeated claim that he seeks “empathy” in a replacement for Justice David Souter is something less than a crisp constitutional standard.
Discussion: Washington Monthly
Michael Ledeen / The Corner:
Saberi: Who Paid What to Whom?  —  Years ago, after I had negotiated with the Iranians about many things — including the release of American hostages — the first hostage, the Reverend Weir, returned to Washington.  A friend at the New York Times called and said, “I know I'm missing something here; can you help me?”
Leigh Hornbeck / Capitol Confidential:
726  —  59, 47, 168, 273, 365....It won't be technically official until tomorrow, but according to the state Board of Elections, Scott Murphy won his seat in Congress over Jim Tedisco by 726 votes.  The final tally, which the commissioners will meet to certify at a noon meeting in Albany, is 80,833 to 80,107.
Discussion: the albany project
Michael Evans / Times of London:
Taleban using white phosphorus, some of it made in Britain  —  Taleban fighters have been using deadly white phosphorus munitions, some of them manufactured in Britain, to attack Western forces in Afghanistan, according to previously classified United States documents released yesterday.
Discussion: Chris Floyd Online and MyDD
 
 
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 More Items: 
Richard Posner / The Becker-Posner Blog:
Is the Conservative Movement Losing Steam? Posner
Discussion: The Daily Dish
Robin / American Thinker:
Letter of Amends from a Recovering Liberal in Berkeley
Mark Blumenthal / Pollster.com:
The Edwards 2008 What-If
 Earlier Items: 
Los Angeles Times:
Defending Dawn Johnsen
Discussion: Firedoglake and ACS Blog
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The ouster of Afghanistan commander David McKiernan could make …
Marisa Guthrie / Broadcasting & Cable:
Jon Stewart to Make History Special
Discussion: Media Blog and Perez Hilton
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Family ties aid Obama applicants
Discussion: Hot Air and Don Surber
Hugh Hewit / www.washingtonexaminer.com:
Here comes California's May 19 Rebellion