memeorandum: The True ‘Cost’ of Defeat in Afghanistan (Max Boot/Commentary)

8:35 AM ET, January 13, 2011

Top Items:

Branding the Tucson massacre: “Together We Thrive” in white and blue; Updated: Liveblogging the bizarre pep rally; Gov. Brewer booed; in sum: right speech, too late, boneheaded venue (WOOT!) — President Obama used to preach that there was no “Red America” and no “Blue America,” just one America.

New York Times:

Obama's Remarks in Tucson — Following is a text of President Obama's prepared address on Wednesday to honor those killed and wounded in a shooting on Jan. 8, as released by the White House. — To the families of those we've lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university …

Discussion: New York Times, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Connecting.the.Dots, The Moderate Voice, The Democratic Daily and MyFox Phoenix

The White House:

Remarks by the President at a Memorial Service for the Victims of the Shooting in Tucson, Arizona — McKale Memorial Center University of Arizona — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Please, please be seated. (Applause.)

Discussion: Obama London, Don Surber, News Hounds and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Byron Tau / Ben Smith's Blog:

Obama in Tucson — Here's the speech: … Rest of the speech after the jump.

Discussion: FrumForum

The Politico:

Pelosi is there as Giffords opens eyes — TUCSON, Ariz. — Simple sentiments, spoken by family and some of her closest friends in Congress, inspired the “miracle” of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' open eyes Wednesday evening. — Surrounded in her hospital room by her husband, her parents …

Discussion: TPMDC, JammieWearingFool, The Note and Naked Politics

New York Times:

Obama Calls for a New Era of Civility in U.S. Politics — TUCSON — President Obama offered the nation's condolences on Wednesday to the victims of the shootings here, calling on Americans to draw a lesson from the lives of the fallen and the actions of the heroes, and to usher in a new era of civility in their honor.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, FiveThirtyEight, Guardian, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Prairie Weather, Outside the Beltway, PostPartisan, Gothamist and The Caucus

Washington Post:

Tucson shootings: Let us heal together, Obama says at memorial event — TUCSON - President Obama comforted a community suffused with grief and summoned the nation to recommit to a more civil public discourse as he delivered a eulogy Wednesday evening urging Americans to talk with each other …

Discussion: The Fix, News Desk, Right Turn, PostPartisan, Betsy's Page and Harry's Place

Michael Shear / The Caucus:

Obama and Palin, a Tale of Two Speeches — President Obama gives his speech honoring the January 8 shooting victims at McKale Memorial Center. — Wednesday was bookended by two remarkable — and remarkably different — political performances that demonstrated the vast expanse of America's political landscape.

Discussion: The Politico, Runnin' Scared and Marbury

Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:
Obama to Eulogize Tucson Victims

Discussion: Fox Nation, Metropolis, Conservatives4Palin and Philly.com

Mike Lillis / The Hill:
House Democratic leaders call for end to belligerent rhetoric

Discussion: Reuters, The Note and TPMDC

Publius / Big Government:

Exclusive: Alan Dershowitz Defends Sarah Palin's Use of Term ‘Blood Libel’ — In an exclusive statement, famed attorney and Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz defended Sarah Palin's use of the term “blood libel” from multiple detractors. As the Media Matters/MSM/Democrat narrative …

The Note:
The Note: Obama, Palin And Arizona: A Tale Of Two Speeches

Discussion: Reuters, AmSpecBlog, USA Today, Hot Air, Bookworm Room, blogs.abcnews.com, Conservatives4Palin, The Other McCain, Ballot Box, Gawker, Washington Post and protein wisdom

David Gibson / Politics Daily:
‘Blood Libel’ and Sarah Palin: Christian Conservatives' Infatuation with Judaism

Discussion: Wizbang, American Power, Big Government and Taylor Marsh, more at Mediagazer »

NJDC:
Palin's Incendiary “Blood Libel” Reference: Wrong Time, Wrong Place, Wrong Always

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, ThinkProgress, Patterico's Pontifications, Mediaite, Shakesville, Crooks and Liars and skippy the bush kangaroo

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Palin aide: She's getting death threats at unprecedented levels — I almost wish that this wasn't being reported as it'll only inflame things further among fringe types, but after four days of screeching about Palin the murderer, who can blame her staff for wanting to show the world the ironic outcome?

Discussion: Big Journalism, Whiskey Fire and The Mahablog

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
Person Tweeting Death Wish For Palin Now Wants Privacy

Discussion: Big Journalism and Patterico's Pontifications

A New Way Forward:

Afghanistan Study Group - Survey Results of Conservatives — The following is an analysis of a poll taken of conservative voters nationwide. Drawn from a sample of randomly selected phone numbers, this poll contains 1,000 registered voters who describe their political ideology as conservative.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway and New Atlanticist

Max Boot / Commentary: The True ‘Cost’ of Defeat in Afghanistan

Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:
Grover Norquist calls for discussion on right about leaving Afghanistan

Discussion: Politics Daily

Levi Pulkkinen / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

One arrested in threats against Seattle congressman — FBI: California man admitted calls, said he wouldn't risk his $3 mil. trust fund by hurting McDermott — A California man accused of threatening to kill Seattle Congressman Jim McDermott has been arrested and charged in federal court.

Discussion: The Caucus, CNN, TPMMuckraker, Gawker, Politics Daily, The Moderate Voice and Balloon Juice

Jim Brunner / Seattle Times:
Man arrested over threats to kill McDermott

Discussion: ThinkProgress and The Hill

Michael C. Moynihan / Hit & Run:

The Assassin Who Would Save America from the Extreme Right — If political rhetoric can inspire murder, then it follows that those issuing warnings about the current “tone” in American discourse—those breathless invocations of “eliminationists” acting like “Brownshirts” and “fascists,” …

Discussion: Stop The ACLU and Hot Air

Jennifer Bendery / Roll Call:

Boehner to Host RNC Party During Tucson Memorial — Speaker John Boehner will host a cocktail party for the Republican National Committee at the same time that President Barack Obama will be addressing the nation at the memorial service for victims of the Tucson shooting.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Taylor Marsh, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, ThinkProgress, Booman Tribune and The Maddow Blog

Tim Mak / FrumForum:
RNC Shocker: Boehner Backs Cino for RNC Chair

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Ben Smith's Blog, Riehl World View, The Fix and TPMDC

Wall Street Journal:

Suspect's Downward Spiral — Police Records Show Accused Killer Growing More Erratic Before College Suspension — TUCSON, Ariz.—Students and faculty at Pima Community College feared for their safety as Jared Lee Loughner's increasingly erratic behavior led to a series of encounters …

Discussion: Right Wing News, The Wire and Runnin' Scared

Rich Lowry / National Review:

The Non-Accusatory Case for Civility — The pep-rally atmosphere was inappropriate and disconcerting, but President Obama turned in a magnificent performance. This was a non-accusatory, genuinely civil, case for civility, in stark contrast to what we've read and heard over the last few days.

Discussion: protein wisdom and blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Lawrence D. Jones / ChristianPost.com:

Legal Group Seeks Injunction to Halt Mosque Near Ground Zero — NEW YORK - A conservative legal group asked the New York Supreme Court on Tuesday to halt construction of the Islamic cultural center near ground zero. — The American Center for Law and Justice, which represents 9/11 …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and iOwnTheWorld.com

Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs: Lawsuit Filed to Stop the Ground Zero Mosque

Howard Kurtz / The Daily Beast:

Correction on My Darrell Issa Story — I'd like to set the record straight on one of my stories. — In late November, I asked Rep. Darrell Issa's spokesman, Kurt Bardella, for an interview with the congressman. He said he would see what he could do. — That afternoon my phone rang …

Discussion: Gawker, The Wire, Salon and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Keach Hagey / The Politico:
Kurtz explains correction's delay

Discussion: Gawker and FishbowlDC, more at Mediagazer »

Simmi Aujla / The Politico:

Gohmert drafts bill to allow guns on House floor — Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert says his office is drafting a measure to allow members of Congress to carry guns in the District of Columbia, including in the Capitol and on the House floor. — Gohmert says he and his colleagues need …

Discussion: Gawker, Bloomberg, Swampland, Harry's Place, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo and Washington Post

NOAA News Releases:

NOAA: 2010 Tied For Warmest Year on Record — According to NOAA scientists, 2010 tied with 2005 as the warmest year of the global surface temperature record, beginning in 1880. This was the 34th consecutive year with global temperatures above the 20th century average.