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

9:20 AM ET, June 13, 2014

Top Items:

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: The Federalist, Washington Post, CANNONFIRE, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Riehl World News, TalkLeft and Belmont Club

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: Hullabaloo, Telegraph, neo-neocon, National Review, Patterico's Pontifications and Foreign Policy

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: Daily Kos, Washington Free Beacon, Bloomberg, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Obsidian Wings and Townhall.com

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: Hot Air, Politico, Vox Popoli, The Long War Journal, Business Insider and National Review

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 Federalist

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: Outside the Beltway

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

Discussion: National Review and Washington Post

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

Discussion: Firedoglake and Vox

Economist:
Two Arab countries fall apart

Discussion: Washington Post, Belmont Club and TheBlaze.com

Farnaz Fassihi / Wall Street Journal:
Iran has deployed Revolutionary Guard forces to fight al Qaeda-inspired militants in Iraq, Iranian security sources said

Discussion: American Spectator, Institute for the Study …, Business Insider, National Review, The Daily Caller, TalkLeft, Blazing Cat Fur, The Dish, The Week and Hot Air

Washington Post:
Iraq disintegrating as insurgents advance; Kurds seize Kirkuk

Discussion: The Week, Hot Air, The Moderate Voice, Bloomberg View, PandoDaily and National Review

Politico:
GOP on Iraq: We told you so

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Fox News, RedState, Washington Post, Gawker, his vorpal sword, Hullabaloo, Guardian, Daily Kos, ThinkProgress, News Desk, Business Insider, Real Clear Politics, Fox News Insider, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit and NPR

Reuters:
Obama warns of U.S. action as jihadists push on Baghdad

Discussion: Mediaite

Damien McElroy / Telegraph:
Repent or die: al-Qaeda forces announce rules for Iraqi territory they now control

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Reuters:
Iraqi Kurds Seize Oil-Rich City Of Kirkuk As Sunni Militants Surge Toward Baghdad

Discussion: CNN, Reuters, ThinkProgress, Vox Popoli and The Huffington Post

Washington Post:
The Middle East's mounting danger

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Gatestone Institute, American Spectator, Power Line, New York Times, Israel Matzav and Betsy's Page

Tim / America Rising:

Hillary Clinton Snaps At Radio Host In Defensive, Testy Gay Marriage Interview — In an interview this afternoon on NPR, Hillary Clinton gets testy and defensive about her and her husband's gay marriage record. — After 6 minutes of questioning, Clinton attacks host Terry Gross for pressing …

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

NPR:
Hillary Clinton: The Fresh Air Interview

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Althouse, Fox News and Refinery29

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

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

Chris Christie / CNN:

Chris Christie, Jimmy Fallon dance around testy issues — (CNN) - Gov. Chris Christie danced with Jimmy Fallon around testy issues such as the George Washington Bridge controversy, which has cast a shadow over the Republican governor and his administration, his weight, House Majority Leader …

Discussion: Politico

Jonathan Allen / Bloomberg:

Clinton's Popularity Drops to 52% as 2016 Edge Shrinks — Hillary Clinton's popularity continues to slide as she takes on a more political posture and Republicans raise questions about the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Libya on her watch. — Fifty-two percent of Americans view …

Discussion: Hot Air and Weekly Standard

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
CNN/ORC Poll: Bush 43 now on par with Obama

Discussion: Hot Air, Townhall.com, Scared Monkeys, Power Line and Politico

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Obama's Odds With Congress: Bad to Worse — WASHINGTON — One day in April, President Obama called Representative Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, to wish him a happy Passover. However the call started, it went downhill from there. By day's end, both sides were arguing …

Discussion: thenation.com/blogs/163253

Peter Beinart / The Atlantic Online:

Anarchy in the GOP: The End of Authority in the Republican Party — The big message from Eric Cantor's stunning primary loss isn't about immigration or the Tea Party. It's about the unprecedented crisis of authority in today's GOP. — Think about it. Cantor's boss, John Boehner is …

Discussion: New York Times, Liberal Values, 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

Miles O'Brien / New York Magazine:

Life, After — An accident in February cost the TV reporter Miles O'Brien his left arm. He soon discovered that every movement, no matter how small, requires rethinking. — Denial is powerful. It can be a crucial coping tool when experiencing loss or trauma, but it also can unmoor you from reality.

Elon Musk / Tesla Motors:

All Our Patent Are Belong To You — Yesterday, there was a wall of Tesla patents in the lobby of our Palo Alto headquarters. That is no longer the case. They have been removed, in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology.