Kate already pointed out one important story getting buried by the McChrystal bombshells–for my money, amid the raft of bad judgment McChrystal exhibits in the profile, perhaps the most alarming is his fondness for Talladega Nights–but here are a few other items you might have missed today.
Immigration
Morning Must Reads: McChrystal
Official White House Photo
–You can read Rolling Stone‘s full piece on Stanley McChrystal here. The general and his inner circle were something beyond cavalier and insulted a lot of people, but probably the most troubling aspect to the White House is that the commander of American forces in Afghanistan brazenly impugned the …
Morning Must Reads: On Deck
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–BP’s containment cap made some progress over the weekend.
–The administration’s not slapping any backs quite yet. They expect clean-up efforts to last at least through the fall. Thad Allen is on deck for today’s White House press briefing.
—Underestimating risk might be the theme …
Reid on the Rebound?
Sure, he’s a loooooooong way from, um, winning — or even being in a position to win. But he’s had a good month and his poll numbers are finally going slightly north. On the other hand, they could’ve hardly gotten worse. A webstory today from me.
Michelle Obama Meets A Young Face Of Illegal Immigration
Updated below with Department of Homeland Security Response
Michelle Obama joined Mexico’s first lady, Margarita Zavala, at a school in suburban Washington DC today, where everyone ran around, bounced balls and talked about sports. But during the Q&A that followed, a second grade student asked a question that was more piercing than …
Morning Must Reads: Twists and Turns
REUTERS/Jake Stevens
–Mexican President Felipe Calderon is in Washington today for a slew of public meetings and a state dinner with President Obama. Drug violence and immigration will be the issues to get top billing; our colleague Tim Padgett explains why Calderon needs a talking to on police reform and anti-poverty …
Arizona Saturation
The state’s new immigration law is now so pervasive in the political landscape, it’s being used as a campaign platform in faraway, borderless South Carolina. Republican Rep. Gresham Barrett, who’s running for governor, is up with this ad stating, “Gresham Barrett’s immigration plan: pass a common-sense Arizona law,” complete with images …
How the Arizona Immigration Law May Look in Practice
As debate over SB1070 continues to rage, The Arizona Republic convenes a panel of experts to parse its practical applications. It should come as no surprise that when and how the controversial new law should be enforced remains open to interpretation. The five-person panel included two Arizona legislators: a Republican who sponsored the …
Morning Must Reads: A Different Beast
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–Some initial reactions to the Kerry-Lieberman energy and climate bill here and here. Brad Johnson has a useful side-by-side comparison with the House bill. Our colleague Bryan Walsh looks at the big picture.
–The politics are a different beast from health care or financial reform. As …
Winning the Immigration Lottery
Dems are still moving ahead with the legislation but here’s a story from me about why the GOP is unlikely to play this year. There’s actually more risk in the Democratic strategy than I’d previously seen: a lot of folks on both sides are concerned that the draft legislation thus far was released — the compromise that was being …
When Hollywood And Politics Meet: Machete, Arizona And Immigration Reform
Yes, “Machete” is actually a real movie, due for release in September, just in time for the midterm election season. And yes, it actually stars Steven Segal and Robert DeNiro and Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan (as a socialite/nun, of course) and Cheech, who plays a homicidal priest. But the interesting part, aside from the explosive …
Well Done
It is early days yet in the investigation of the Times Square bombing, but not too early to be impressed by the quick and excellent work done by the FBI, NYPD and the Joint Terrorism Task Force in picking up the prime suspect, Faisal Shahzad, from a flight to Dubai last night. We in the media were quick to jump all over the federal …
Reading the Immigration Smoke Signals
President Obama may have (one hopes inadvertently) killed the immigration bill prematurely last week, but that doesn’t mean that Senate Democrats aren’t still pushing ahead with the legislation. Senators Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer last week introduced a 22-page outline of a bill – noticeably without South Carolina Republican …