memeorandum: Media, drones and rank propaganda (Glenn Greenwald/Salon)

11:25 PM ET, June 9, 2012

Top Items:

Justin Sink / Ballot Box:

Obama video hits Romney over teacher, firefighter funding — President Obama's reelection team released a new web video blasting Republican nominee Mitt Romney for saying Friday that the federal government shouldn't move forward with legislation that would give cash-strapped states money for teachers and emergency responders.

Discussion: The Reality-Based Community

New York Post:

Clueless appeal to aid gov't workers — A startlingly listless President Obama appeared in the White House press room yesterday morning, spoke some dull preliminaries about the European financial crisis — and then slipped and tumbled headfirst into re-election quicksand from which he will find it very difficult to extricate himself.

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com, neo-neocon, The Daily Caller, JustOneMinute, The Caucus, Power Line and The Hill

Rebecca Kaplan / CBS News:
Jindal: Obama “most liberal, most incompetent” president since Carter

Discussion: Althouse, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, The Gateway Pundit, Wake up America, Riehl World View and Weekly Standard

Mhigginscbs / CBS DC:
Liberals Threaten Not To Vote In November Over Disappointment With Obama

Discussion: Doug Ross, Hot Air, Ed Driscoll, Weasel Zippers, The PJ Tatler and Conservatives4Palin

Frank Bruni / New York Times:

The G.O.P.'s Gay Trajectory — OVER the past year, the main story line in the push for marriage equality has been the ardor and success with which leading Democratic politicians have taken up the fight. The Democratic governors of New York, Maryland and Washington all promoted …

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog, DownWithTyranny!, Towleroad News #gay and Good As You

Lee Smith / Weekly Standard:

Leaker-in-Chief — The Justice Department has launched an investigation into the White House's handling of classified information. The spur seems to have been the June 1 New York Times article by David Sanger, sourced to current and former U.S. officials, revealing sensitive details …

Jeremy Herb / The Hill:
Holder appoints two prosecutors to probe national security leaks

more at Mediagazer »

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Media, drones and rank propaganda

Discussion: Unqualified Offerings

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Holder Directs U.S. Attorneys to Track Down Paths of Leaks

Discussion: Nice Deb, Wall Street Journal, Michelle Malkin, The Jawa Report, Wake up America, The Caucus, emptywheel, Mother Jones and Weekly Standard

Washington Post:
Attorney General Eric Holder names attorneys to investigate leaks

Discussion: Firedoglake, New York Times and New York Magazine

Michelle Malkin:

Bloggers under fire: Arizona conservative lawyer/activist targeted by left-wing Arizona State Bar — I've turned the lights back on here at MichelleMalkin.com after “going dark” to help raise awareness about attacks on blogger free speech. Every phone call, e-mail, tweet …

Discussion: American Spectator

BuzzFeed:

Joe Biden Had An Epic Waterfight With Kids Today — The Vice President invites the press and their families to his home at the Naval Observatory every year. My son's excuse for dousing David Brooks: “Biden told me to!” — Buzzfeed Politics — an hour ago — 35 responses

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, New York Magazine and Ed Driscoll

New York Times:

Spain to Accept Rescue From Europe for Its Ailing Banks — MADRID — Responding to increasingly urgent calls from across Europe and the United States, Spain on Saturday requested assistance for its cash-starved banks. European finance ministers in turn promised up to $125 billion in aid …

Discussion: Telegraph and Marginal Revolution

Financial Times:
Berlin is ignoring the lessons of the 1930s

Discussion: The Big Picture, Business Insider, National Review and AMERICAN FUTURE

Christina D. Romer / New York Times:

Economic View: It's the Fed's Time to Step Up - Economic View — THE next meeting of Federal Reserve policy makers, on June 19 and 20, will probably be contentious. The latest employment report, showing anemic job growth for a third consecutive month and an uptick in unemployment …

CNN:

Biden drenched by children with super-soakers — Washington (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden's cordial annual media picnic turned into an all-out war between the vice president and children of journalists in attendance. — The vice president distributed high-powered water guns …

Fars News Agency:

Senior Cleric Terms Islam Source of Power, Glory for Iran — TEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani stressed that enemies are deeply fearful of the Islamic identity of Iran, and described Islam as a source of power and glory for the country.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch

John Rosenthal / National Review:

Report: Rebels Responsible for Houla Massacre — It was, in the words of U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, the “tipping point” in the Syria conflict: a savage massacre of over 90 people, predominantly women and children, for which the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was immediately blamed by virtually the entirety of the Western media.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Outside the Beltway

Alexander Burns / Politico:

The sincerest form of negative advertising? — Republicans are drawing on an unlikely source of inspiration as they pummel President Obama over his comment that the private sector economy is “fine.” — Consider, if you will, the similarity between Obama's 2008 ad targeting John McCain's …

Discussion: CNN, Althouse and Weasel Zippers