memeorandum: Letter: Obama's no Muslim, but so what? (WBRZ-TV)

3:05 PM ET, September 12, 2010

Top Items:

A Harsh Thing I Should Have Said (Martin Peretz Dept) — Usually you regret the harsh things you say more than the harsh things you decide not to say. At least, that's how it usually turns out for me. — Here's an exception. Earlier this week I wrote an item about an incredible instance …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

WBRZ-TV:

Letter: Obama's no Muslim, but so what? — No, President Barack Obama is not a Muslim. Not long ago, folks were having hissy fits about Obama's Christian pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Remember? — But OK. For the sake of argument, let's say Obama is a Muslim. So what? So this:

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and The Political Carnival

Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:

Is This America? — For a glimpse of how venomous and debased the discourse about Islam has become, consider a blog post in The New Republic this month. Written by Martin Peretz, the magazine's editor in chief, it asserted: “Frankly, Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims.”

Discussion: TPMMuckraker and Balloon Juice

David S Morgan / CBS News:

Boehner: I'll Drop Tax Cut for Rich If I Have To — House Minority Leader Disputes Obama's Claim GOP Blocks Tax Cuts for Middle Class; Says Spending Cuts Only Way to Create Jobs — (CBS) The leading Republican in the House, and a vocal proponent of allowing an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts …

Discussion: New York Times, The Caucus, Raw Story, Washington Wire and AMERICAblog News

The Hill:

New chairman: Unemployment ‘going to stay high’ in near term — President Obama's new chairman of the Council of Economic Affairs (CEA) said Sunday that the national unemployment rate will not decrease significantly anytime soon. — Austan Goolsbee, who Obama announced on Friday …

Discussion: Gateway Pundit and Raw Story

CNN:

Boehner says he'd vote for Democratic tax proposal — House Minority Leader John Boehner said Sunday that if he had to, he would vote for a Democratic proposal to restore higher tax rates on the richest Americans. — (CNN) - The top Republican in the U.S. House said Sunday he would vote …

Discussion: Commentary, Washington Monthly and The Politico

Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Gingrich predicts Republican takeover that could trump party's gains in 1994

Discussion: The Politico

Bridget Johnson / The Hill:
Boehner would vote for limited tax cuts if that's ‘the only option’

Discussion: CNN and Washington Monthly

Byron York / Beltway Confidential:
Boehner fights back: NYT story is ‘hatchet job’

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, Michelle Malkin, CBS News, Raw Story, Mediaite, TPMDC, Mother Jones, The Hill, NewsBusters.org, YID With LID, Political Punch, Doug Ross and Power Line

Robert Costa / National Review:

Gingrich: Obama's ‘Kenyan, anti-colonial’ worldview — Citing a recent Forbes article by Dinesh D'Souza, former House speaker Newt Gingrich tells National Review Online that President Obama may follow a “Kenyan, anti-colonial” worldview. — Gingrich says that D'Souza has made a …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, Mother Jones, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Politerati, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Raw Story, alicublog, GOP 12, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, Ben Smith's Blog and Angry Bear

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

WHEN GINGRICH LOSES HIS MIND.... Obama Derangement Syndrome can take some strange people to some strange places. Disgraced former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), in all his pseudo-intellectual glory, has become so enveloped in his own garbage, he appears to have suffered some kind of severe head trauma.

Discussion: Media Matters for America

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

When Peggy Left Barry — How did the first president of color become so colorless? — And how can Obamicans can Obama? — The president is everywhere, trying to get more aggressive and recapture some of his “Yes we can” mojo in an effort to fend off the rebuke that's barreling toward him from voters this fall.

Discussion: Questions and Observations, Commentary and Daily Kos

Frank Rich / New York Times:
Time for This Big Dog to Bite Back

Discussion: Firedoglake, Balloon Juice and Prairie Weather

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:

Citing “Mental Anguish,” Christine O'Donnell Sought $6.9 Million in Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Against Conservative Group — Court documents obtained Saturday by THE WEEKLY STANDARD reveal surprising new details about the gender discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuit filed …

Discussion: Riehl World View

Bridget Johnson / The Hill:

Imam: Palin on mosque was ‘disingenuous’; controversy exploited — The imam behind a mosque project near Ground Zero said in an interview that “certain politicians” were exploiting the controversy. — The imam behind a mosque project near Ground Zero said in an interview aired Sunday that …

Discussion: The Politico and Weasel Zippers

Ben Geman / The Hill:

Hoyer: Dems won't lose the House — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) acknowledged Sunday that Democrats will lose seats in the midterm elections but said they will keep their majority. — “We are going to hold the House,” said Hoyer, appearing on CNN's State of the Union.

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog