memeorandum: White House: ‘War on terrorism’ is over (Washington Times)

9:15 PM ET, August 6, 2009

Top Items:

Sotomayor Confirmed by Senate, 68-31 — WASHINGTON — Voting largely along party lines, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the 111th justice of the Supreme Court. She will be the first Hispanic and the third woman to serve on the court.

Discussion: Room for Debate, New York Times, The Politico, US Senator Orrin Hatch, The Nation, Wonkette, Political Byline, The Confluence, Shakesville, Indecision Forever, Corrente, Little Green Links, Reason, Lawyers, Guns and Money, BlueOregon, Feministe and Donklephant

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Hispanic Votes Not Swaying GOP on Sotomayor

Discussion: Zandar Versus The Stupid

The Note:
Retiring GOP Senators Free to Vote for Sotomayor

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Politico, The Swamp and Pam's House Blend

The Note:
Franken Presides over Sotomayor Vote

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Senate confirms Sotomayor, first Hispanic justice

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Raw Story, Minnesota Independent and DownWithTyranny!

msnbc.com:
Senate confirms Sotomayor for high court

Discussion: TBogg, Zandar Versus The Stupid and skippy the bush kangaroo

The Huffington Post:

Unions To Take On Conservative Groups Health Care Town Halls — The nation's largest federation of labor organizations has promised to directly engage with boisterous conservative protesters at Democratic town halls during the August recess. — In a memo sent out on Thursday …

Discussion: TPMDC, Gateway Pundit, The TrogloPundit, QandO, Erick's blog, The Plum Line, Daily Kos, The Caucus, On Deadline, Politicususa.com, Burnt Orange Report, Washington Monthly, msnbc.com, Washington Post, Atlas Shrugs, Maggie's Farm and American Power

Moe Lane / Moe_Lane's blog:

Behold those scary, scary swastika-bearing astroturfers. — (Brief summary for those lacking video: Dallas AARP meeting went wrong for organizers when participants refused to sit down, shut up, and applaud Democratic talking points. Organizers then left; meeting continued.)

Discussion: American Nihilist, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Atlas Shrugs and American Power

Steve / Sweetness & Light:

Was Pelosi So Wrong About Swastikas? — As you may have heard by now, the United States Speaker of the House, the number two most powerful elected federal official, Nancy Pelosi, has accused the protesters at Democrat healthcare town halls of carrying swastikas:

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, The Daily Dish, Political Byline and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

RealClearPolitics Video Log:
Pelosi: Town Hall Protesters Are “Carrying Swastikas”

Discussion: San Francisco Chronicle, Achenblog, Don Surber, Maggie's Farm, Gathering of Eagles: NY, Below The Beltway, The Moderate Voice, Founding Bloggers, Dr. Sanity, Gateway Pundit, PrairiePundit, Newsweek Blogs, Townhall.com, Blue Crab Boulevard, Wake up America and Sister Toldjah

Washington Post:
Senate Committee's Bipartisan Health-Care Reform Talks Move Toward Center

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Treatment, Ezra Klein, Wonk Room, msnbc.com, The Page, Boston Globe and Indecision Forever

Michael Andersen / Columbian:
Baird fears foes may plan ‘ambush’

Discussion: Hot Air, Michelle Malkin and The Plum Line

David Weigel / The Washington Independent:

‘Punkin’ the Birthers: Priceless' — It's looking more and more like the forged “Kenyan birth certificate” released by Orly Taitz on Sunday was a prank by a supporter of President Obama. Politijab points to an anonymous blogger at FearlessBlogging, who has uploaded four photos of the original forgery and a mocking declaration:

Discussion: JustOneMinute and TPMDC

Jerome R. Corsi / WorldNetDaily:
Obama birth doc update: Kenya sources weigh in

Discussion: Below The Beltway and TPMDC

Little Green Footballs:
Punkin' the Nirthers — That “Kenyan birth certificate” …

Discussion: The Jawa Report

Safe. Anonymous. Free.:
Birthers Punk'd! Hoax Kenyan Birth Certificate

Discussion: Salon, Below The Beltway and Confederate Yankee

Tom Bevan / Real Clear Politics:

After 6 Months, More View Obama's Presidency as a ‘Failure’ Than Bush's — A rather surprising finding from the newly released CNN poll. Question three on the national survey of 1,136 adults (which includes an oversample of African-Americans) asks, “Do you consider the first six months …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and Below The Beltway

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
Poll: Obama approval drops 7 points over last 100 days

Discussion: Quinnipiac University, Real Clear Politics, Christian Science Monitor, The Fix, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, The Page, Washington Monthly and Below The Beltway

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Health Care Generation Gap

Discussion: Ezra Klein

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THEY ALREADY HAVE THEIR CARE.... The CNN poll released yesterday found …

Discussion: Liberal Values

The Huffington Post:

Anti-Obama Protester Compares President To Nazi In Swastika Sign — In championing the protests being staged at Democratic town halls, the Republican Party faces the obvious danger of becoming defined by the crazier elements of the crowd. So it's hard to imagine GOP higher-ups feeling …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Liberal Values, American Power, The Politico, The Jawa Report, The Huffington Post, NJDC Blog, IMAO, Wizbang and Don Surber

RushLimbaugh.com:

Whose Swastikas, Speaker Pelosi? — BEGIN TRANSCRIPT — RUSH: Greetings to you, music lovers, thrill-seekers and conversationalists all across the fruited plain. Welcome to the leader. I am the Mobfather Rush Limbaugh here at the Excellence in Broadcasting Network and the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies.

Discussion: Glenn Thrush's Blog, Michelle Malkin and Reason

Philip Kennicott / Washington Post:

Obama as The Joker: Racial Fear's Ugly Face — ‘Political’ Poster Turns On Violent Symbolism — Between Jack Nicholson's 1989 portrayal of the Joker in “Batman” and Heath Ledger's 2008 characterization in “The Dark Knight,” something sinister happened to the villain's iconic makeup.

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, Hot Air, Political Byline, AmSpecBlog, Guardian, No More Mister Nice Blog, Moonbattery, Big Hollywood, James Fallows, RedState, Media Research Center, The Huffington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Reason, Neptunus Lex and LewRockwell.com Blog

Washington Times:

White House: ‘War on terrorism’ is over — ‘Jihadists’ and ‘global war’ no longer acceptable terms — It's official. The U.S. is no longer engaged in a “war on terrorism.” Neither is it fighting “jihadists” or in a “global war.” — President Obama's top homeland security …

Discussion: RealClearWorld, The Jawa Report, CNN, Atlas Shrugs, Jules Crittenden, Pajamas Media, Jihad Watch and Shot in the Dark

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
White House Affirms Deal on Drug Cost

Discussion: AMERICAblog News, Corrente, Ezra Klein, Firedoglake, RedState, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, The Treatment, The Confluence, Time, MyDD, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Sunlight Foundation, naked capitalism, Swampland and TPMDC

Rachel Slajda / Talking Points Memo:

CNN Anchor Rips Into Health Care CEO Who's Funding Anti-Reform Effort — A CNN anchor today tore down Rick Scott, the founder of an organization that's been funding anti-health care reform protests and the former CEO of a hospital company that, as Sanchez pointed out, paid $1.7 billion …

Discussion: Think Progress and Zandar Versus The Stupid

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:

Reid: GOP ‘run by a talk show host’ — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid launched his harshest attack on the Republican Party in months, claiming the GOP is “being run by a talk show host.” — Reid, armed with a patch of Astroturf, slammed Republicans for sponsoring town hall attacks …

Discussion: Knowledge is Power, Hot Air and JammieWearingFool

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
WH to Dems: Punch back twice as hard

Discussion: The Reaction

ABCNEWS:

U.S. Official: ‘Strong Indications’ Pakistani Taliban Leader Baitullah Mehsud is Dead — U.S., Pakistani Officials Awaiting DNA Tests for “100 Percent” Confirmation — “There is strong indication” that Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a CIA drone strike that targeted …

Discussion: The Long War Journal, The Lede, FP Passport, Don Surber, Hot Air, The Washington Independent, ATTACKERMAN and PrairiePundit

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Obama's dissident database could be secret — and permanent — The White House request that members of the public report anyone who is spreading “disinformation” about the proposed national health care makeover could lead to a White House database of political opponents that will be both secret …

Discussion: Power Line, Fausta's Blog, Neptunus Lex, Raw Story, Babalú Blog, Right Wing News, Hot Air and St. Louis Tea Party

Political Punch:
‘Nobody Is Collecting Names’: White House Responds to Charge It's …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Wonkette, Hullabaloo, The Hill, Washington Monthly, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Below The Beltway, Stop The ACLU and TPMDC

Michelle Malkin:

Revolt against AARP in Dallas: “Do you work for us or do we work for you?” — Watch the senior citizen “hooligans” and “civic vigilantes” in Dallas question a condescending AARP representative about Obamacare. Dues-paying members are speaking up about the organization's sellout of its members — and the AARP brass is not happy.

Discussion: Stop The ACLU and Gathering of Eagles: NY

Pew Research Center:

Many Fault Media Coverage of Health Care Debate — Partisan Divide Over Coverage of “Birther” Allegations — As the fight in Washington over health care reform continues to dominate public attention and media coverage, most Americans are critical of the way news organizations are explaining key elements of the debate.

Discussion: The Washington Independent, Little Green Footballs, Atlantic Correspondents, Raw Story, Salon, Think Progress, The Swamp, Brendan Nyhan and Zandar Versus The Stupid

Business Week:

The Health Insurers Have Already Won — How UnitedHealth and rival carriers, maneuvering behind the scenes in Washington, shaped health-care reform for their own benefit — As the health reform fight shifts this month from a vacationing Washington to congressional districts and local airwaves around …

Discussion: Raw Story

Gary Fields / Wall Street Journal:

Clunkers Plan Deflates Mechanics — WASHINGTON — Who doesn't like the government's “cash for clunkers” program? Your mechanic, for one. — Owners of automotive repair shops say the program to help invigorate sales of new cars is succeeding at their expense.

Discussion: Lean Left, AmSpecBlog and Betsy's Page