memeorandum: The Lack of Major Wars May Be Hurting Economic Growth (Tyler Cowen/New York Times)

11:05 AM ET, June 13, 2014

Top Items:

Fareed Zakaria / Washington Post:

Who lost Iraq? The Iraqis did, with an assist from George W. Bush — It is becoming increasingly likely that Iraq has reached a turning point. The forces hostile to the government have grown stronger, better equipped and more organized. And having now secured arms …

Discussion: The Week, National Review and News Desk

Reihan Salam / Slate:

We Never Should Have Left Iraq — A U.S. military presence could have mollified Sunnis and prevented the new civil war. — The United States made a grave mistake by invading Iraq in 2003. Yet it also made a grave mistake by withdrawing its military forces in 2011.

Discussion: Reuters, Hinterland Gazette, Hullabaloo, Hot Air, Telegraph, neo-neocon, National Review, Foreign Policy and Patterico's Pontifications

New York Times:

Prime Minister Maliki Panics as Insurgents Gain — What's happening in Iraq is a disaster and it is astonishing that the Iraqis and the Americans, who have been sharing intelligence, seem to have been caught flat-footed by the speed of the insurgent victories and the army defections.

Discussion: Washington Post, Hit & Run, Daily Kos, Washington Free Beacon, ThinkProgress, American Spectator, Bloomberg, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Obsidian Wings

Daily Mail:

ABU DUA: IMPRISONED BY THE US, THE MAN WHO HATES THE WEST MORE THAN OSAMA BIN LADEN AND IS THE DRIVING FORCE BY ISIS … Marauding ISIS militia beheading their way to Baghdad: How jihadist group so extreme even al-Qaeda has distanced itself threatens to take Iraq three years after America left

Discussion: Washington Post, The Federalist, CANNONFIRE, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Riehl World News, TalkLeft, Wall Street Journal, Reuters and Belmont Club

Shane Harris / Foreign Policy:

Jihadist Gains in Iraq Blindside American Spies — First Crimea, now Iraq. Why does America's $50 billion intelligence community keep getting taken by surprise? — GOOGLE +

Discussion: The Week, Politico, Hot Air, Institute for the Study …, American Spectator, Vox Popoli, Business Insider, National Review, The Long War Journal, The Daily Caller and TalkLeft

New York Times:

Iraqi Shiite Cleric Issues Call to Arms — BAGHDAD — Iraq's senior Shiite leaders issued an urgent call to arms on Friday, telling all able-bodied Iraqis to assist the government's fight against the Sunni militants who have seized broad stretches of Iraqi territory, in a sign …

Discussion: Gawker and Outside the Beltway

Leslie H. Gelb / The Daily Beast:
Iraq Is Vietnam 2.0 And U.S. Drones Won't Solve The Problem

Discussion: New York Times, National Review, CNN and Washington Post

New York Times:
U.S. Scrambles to Help Iraq Fight Off Militants as Baghdad Is Threatened

Discussion: The Huffington Post and JustOneMinute

Peter Beaumont / Guardian:
How effective is Isis compared with the Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga?

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Dish and Vox

Economist:
Two Arab countries fall apart

Discussion: Firedoglake, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post and Belmont Club

Politico:
GOP on Iraq: We told you so

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Fox News, RedState, Washington Post, Gawker, his vorpal sword, Hullabaloo, Shakesville, Guardian, Daily Kos, Business Insider, Real Clear Politics, ThinkProgress, Fox News Insider and JustOneMinute

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:

The absurdity of electing Kevin McCarthy to replace Eric Cantor as House majority leader — HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2014 ELECTIONS ERIC CANTOR KEVIN MCCARTHY DAVE BRAT — If House Republicans respond to the shocking primary defeat of Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va. …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Hot Air, Washington Post, New York Times, RedState and Wall Street Journal

New York Times:

David Brat and Jack Trammell show unease in the spotlight — ASHLAND, Va. — Before the two professors became overnight political rivals in one of the most improbable, high-profile races in memory, they knew each other best as basketball teammates. — David Brat, the economics professor …

Discussion: Washington Post and Taegan Goddard's …

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama's Odds With Congress: Bad to Worse

Discussion: thenation.com/blogs/163253

Peter Beinart / The Atlantic Online:
Anarchy in the GOP: The End of Authority in the Republican Party

Discussion: New York Times, Liberal Values, Prairie Weather, The American Conservative and NY Daily News

David Frum / The Atlantic Online:
When Will Republican Leaders Fight Back?

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Washington Monthly

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:

Hillary Clinton's Gay-Marriage Problem — Until 2013, she held a position that lots of Democratic voters now regard as deeply wrongheaded. Some even insist that it is hateful and bigoted. — Hillary Clinton didn't refrain from supporting same-sex marriage for political reasons-prior to last year …

Discussion: The Dish, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway and CNN

Jonathan Allen / Bloomberg:
Clinton's Popularity Drops to 52% as 2016 Edge Shrinks

Discussion: Hot Air and Weekly Standard

Politico: Hillary Clinton gets testy over gay marriage

Tim / America Rising:
Hillary Clinton Snaps At Radio Host In Defensive, Testy Gay Marriage Interview

Discussion: Hot Air, Business Insider, Power Line and The Gateway Pundit

NPR:
Hillary Clinton: The Fresh Air Interview

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Althouse, Fox News, Refinery29 and The Daily Caller

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
10 Times NPR's Terry Gross Tries To Get Hillary Clinton To Explain When She First Supported Marriage Equality

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, NewsBusters, Mediaite, OnPolitics, The Other McCain, The Huffington Post, The Week and Poynter

Tyler Cowen / New York Times:

The Lack of Major Wars May Be Hurting Economic Growth — The continuing slowness of economic growth in high-income economies has prompted soul-searching among economists. They have looked to weak demand, rising inequality, Chinese competition, over-regulation, inadequate infrastructure …

Discussion: Althouse and Marginal REVOLUTION

Kimberly Dozier / The Daily Beast:

Exclusive: Bergdahl Explains in Prison Letters Why He Vanished — In a pair of letters, the captured U.S. soldier asks his government to reserve judgment about his disappearance—and complains about the officers leading his unit in Afghanistan. — Writing from a Taliban “prison,” …

Discussion: CNN, Mediaite and The Lead with Jake Tapper

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
In Bowe Bergdahl hearing, Chuck Hagel hedges the tough questions

Discussion: Power Line and Conservatives4Palin

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

Our ‘Dead Broke’ Leaders — In the largest turnout in a congressional primary in the history of Virginia politics, the voters of the Commonwealth's 7th Congressional District last Tuesday decisively chose not to renominate their seven-term representative, now serving as House majority leader …

Discussion: The Hugh Hewitt Show

Chris Christie / CNN:

Chris Christie, Jimmy Fallon dance around testy issues — (CNN) - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie bust a move on late night TV. — And the New Jersey Republican danced with “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon around testy issues such as the George Washington Bridge controversy …

Discussion: Politico