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Administration wages war on pornography By / Baltimore Sun — Permalink WASHINGTON - Lam Nguyen's job is to sit for hours in a chilly, quiet room devoid of any color but gray and look at pornography. This job, which Nguyen does earnestly from 9 to 5, surrounded by a half-dozen other "computer forensic specialists" like him, has become the focal... | |
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Michele Catalano: Let's start with something new: The Daily Piss Awards. As in, people/things that piss me off. Ashcroft and the Justice Department. Steven Taylor: Administration wages war on pornography "Lam Nguyen's job is to sit for hours in a chilly, quiet room devoid of any color but gray and look at... Smash: Stupid — ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT is launching a "War on Porn," the Baltimore Sun reports. Ashcroft, a religious man who does not drink... |
Gary Farber: There is no greater menace presently facing this country than the dire threat of pornography! This is precisely the right moment that... David Adesnik: OXBLOG DREAM JOB: "Lam Nguyen's job is to sit for hours in a chilly, quiet room devoid of any color but gray and look at pornography. Nick Gillespie: One More Reason to Hate Ashcroft—and To Love Reason — Just as news comes out that frequent sexual activity—whether alone or in pairs—may... |
| Also: Roger Ailes, Edward _, David Allan Pell, Radley Balko, Jesse Taylor, Jeff Jarvis, Glenn Reynolds, Andrew Sullivan, Oliver Willis | |
Two-Front Insurgency By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — In light of about a dozen American combat deaths yesterday, we should keep in mind our historic bet: that given their freedom from a savage tyrant, the three groups that make up Iraq could, with our help, create a rudimentary democracy that would turn the tide... | |
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Tom Maguire: In between, he takes a swipe at Safire's call for 10,000 Turkish troops. This is an old see-saw for Safire. And since it combines my thoughts on... Hesiod: HATE SPEECH: William Safire is a traitor. He's giving aid an comfort to the enemy, who are just hoping and praying for a massive U.S. military... Jesse Taylor: Intent Vs. Action - The Bloodletting — You know, I'm reading this William Safire column, and I'm quickly realizing that there are two debates... |
Gregory Djerejian: Reality Check — Sorry, but 10,000 Turkish troops isn't going to cut it. For more on why Turkish troops are a really bad idea—check out this old... Gary Farber: Safire is just the latest to seize upon five words spoken by Senator Edward Kennedy, and put them forth with no context. Betsy Newmark: William Safire, who has always been able to turn a good alliteration, offers up a new one, Quakering Quagmirists. I like that. |
| Also: Bunuel Cela, Nathan Newman, Greyhawk | |
U.S. Forces Fire Missiles at Mosque in Fallujah WaPo — Permalink FALLUJAH, April 7 — U.S. forces fired missiles at a mosque in the flashpoint city of Fallujah Wednesday after taking several hours of fire from insurgents who were using it as cover to attack Marines advancing through the city. | |
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Phil Carter: The AP and Washington Post report this morning that it has escalated even further, with a U.S. helicopter firing missiles into a mosque complex,... Stefan Sharkansky: UPDATE: The Washington Post also reports that "U.S. forces fired missiles at a mosque in the flashpoint city of Fallujah Wednesday after taking... Amanda Butler: [quote] Countless? The WaPo wrote "a significant number of Iraqi and foreign insurgents," suggesting fewer (not less) deaths than 'countless' implies.[end quote] |
David Adesnik: MORE BAD NEWS FROM IRAQ: Heavy fighting continues. There are further signs of a Shi'ite-Sunni alliance as well as indications that the depth of... Hesiod: MOSQUED AND ANONYMOUS: The Washington Post reports that Marines receiving heavy fire from insurgents within a Fallujah Mosque, called in an... DHinMI: But if there is anyone at the Pentagon who still doesn't know what happened, they might want to read the WaPo: "U.S. forces fired missiles at a... |
Iran, Hezbollah support al-Sadr By / Washington Times — Permalink Sheik Muqtada al-Sadr, the fiery Iraqi Shi'ite cleric who ordered his fanatical militia to attack coalition troops, is being supported by Iran and its terror surrogate Hezbollah, according to military sources with access to recent intelligence reports. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Only the Washington Times' Rowan Scarborough put the focus on Iran's backing for Muqtada al-Sadr, which is where the focus belongs. Pejman Yousefzadeh: But with regard to al-Sadr, Rowan Scarborough begs to differ: "Sheik Muqtada al-Sadr, the fiery Iraqi Shi'ite cleric who ordered his fanatical... Sean-Paul Kelley: Iran and Hezbollah are supporting Sadr. Let's not forget the Kurds. Note: the link is from Pravda. Treat as suspect. News from Sadr City and the... |
Allah: Here are a few choice snippets in the news today about the Islamic Republic's role in Muqtada's glorious intifada: U.S. military sources with... Roger L. Simon: But even with my all-too-human desire to drink three martinis and stick my head under a pillow, when I read reports like this one in The... KJL: SADR is Iran and Hezbollah's man. |
| Also: Greyhawk | |
Muslim Rivals Unite In Baghdad Uprising By / WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD, April 6 — On the streets of Baghdad neighborhoods long defined by differences of faith and politics, signs are emerging that resistance to the U.S. occupation may be growing from a sporadic, underground effort to a broader insurrection by militiamen who claim to be... | |
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Hugh Hewitt: I haven't yet seen anyone write that Iraq is America's Afghanistan, but the accounts in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe and Los... Mark Kleiman: A uniter, not a divider — Looks as if Mr. Bush, not satisfied with unifying the opposition to himself and his policies at home, has managed to... Jim Henley: There was no painted sign to say: 'You are now entering Imperium.' Yet it was a very old road and the voice of history was saying: 'Whether you... |
Robert Garcia Tagorda: While the Washington Post says that they are, Radio Free Europe notes that Sunni insurgents have given "no clear reply" to Shiite gestures. Tim Dunlop: Anyway, for more on the unlikely union between certain Sunni and Shiite factions, see this piece, which says, among other things, that what is... James Joyner: WaPo paints the scariest picture of the major outlets: Muslim Rivals Unite In Baghdad Uprising "On the streets of Baghdad neighborhoods long... |
| Also: Greyhawk, DemFromCT, Kash, Cori Dauber, Roger Ailes, David Adesnik, Sean-Paul Kelley | |
Kerry: Terrorist Shiite Al-Sadr 'A Legitimate Voice' NewsMax.com — Permalink In an interview broadcast Wednesday morning, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry defended terrorist Shiite imam Moqtada al-Sadr as a "legitimate voice" in Iraq, despite that fact that he's led an uprising that has killed nearly 20 American GIs in the last two days. | |
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Mickey Kaus: Viable market niche! (Drudge, its main competition, graciously links to it) ... But ABC already missed Kerry's controversial al-Sadr comments. Betsy Newmark: Read what John Kerry said on NPR about this punk al-Sadr who has been preaching violence against Americans. "Speaking of al-Sadr's newspaper,... |
Hindrocket: Today John Kerry added his voice to the chorus of pro-mullah sentiment in the Democratic Party, saying that he thought it was a bad idea to... Charles Johnson: Kerry: Muqtada al Sadr a "Legitimate Voice" — This may be the worst thing said yet by a Presidential candidate; even as Muqtada al-Sadr's goons... |
U.S. Vows to Crush Shiite Militia While Fighting Sunni Insurgents By / NYT — Permalink American-led international troops in Iraq were locked today in the fiercest fighting since the fall of Saddam Hussein a year ago, waging a two-front war against Sunni Muslim insurgents west of Baghdad and a ferocious and fast-spreading Shiite uprising in the south and center... | |
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David Adesnik: In contrast, the headline of the NYT article about today's fighting is "US Rockets Reportedly Kill Over 2 Dozen Iraqis in Falluja". Sean-Paul Kelley: U.S. Vows to Crush Shiite Militia; Ukrainians Pull Out of Kut — American-led international troops in Iraq were locked today in the fiercest... Amanda Butler: FUBAR or not? For reasons I don't entirely understand, David J. Theroux of The Independent Institute has asked me to post a link to a recent... |
Kevin Raybould: More Fighting in Iraq — One more city has effectively fallen to the uprising, and it looks like another is is in danger. Gary Farber: Over here, under the headline "U.S. Vows to Crush Shiite Militia," we read: [quote] "We will attack to destroy the al-Mahdi Army," a military...[end quote] |
MoveOn staffer moves on to Kerry campaign By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — A strategist with MoveOn.org, a group that Republicans accuse of being too closely tied to Democrat John Kerry's presidential campaign, is leaving to work for Kerry. | |
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Edward Driscoll: REMEMBER MOVEON.ORG'S Bush=Hitler ads? Kerry has just hired Zack Exley, a strategist with MoveOn.org, as his director of online communications. Atrios: Let's hope he improves things a bit over there... |
Taegan Goddard: John Kerry's campaign as director of online communications and organizing, the AP reports. Ezra Klein: Moving Up — Looks like the Kerry campaign is making a real effort to rebuild their internet organization and start connecting with the netroots... |
Kerry Says He Would Limit Federal Spending as President By / NYT — Permalink Senator John Kerry said today that if he is elected president, no one in his administration will be allowed to propose new programs without the means to pay for it, and he said he would impose spending caps across the board except in the areas of security, education, health... | |
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Kevin Drum: KERRY ON SPENDING...Unfortunately, I have to agree that promising to enforce spending caps "except in the areas of security, education, health... |
Bo Cowgill: AWE-INSPIRING FISCAL CONSERVATISM: John Kerry sets his spending priorities: "Senator John Kerry said today that if he is elected president, he... |
Spaniards say war makes them a target IHT — Permalink MADRID Still shaken by the March 11 train bombings and the discovery of further plots to bomb the city since then, people here increasingly blame the American-led war in Iraq, fought with the support of the outgoing center-right government, for making Spain the focus of... | |
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Cori Dauber: No, they demand their government pull out of Iraq faster — because it's still America's fault. (Via Memeorandum.) I really would have thought... Allah: Game over, man: "Prime Minister-elect José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is due to take office on April 16, has stuck by his... |
Tim Blair: OUT-FRENCHING THE FRENCH — The world record seemed almost unbeatable, but no more: "Prime Minister-elect José Luis Rodríguez... |
Coors to run for Senate By / Rocky Mountain News — Permalink Brewery giant Pete Coors will enter Colorado's U.S. Senate race today, according to Gov. Bill Owens. The candidacy potentially gives Republicans a well-known and well-financed candidate to challenge Ken Salazar, the Democratic attorney general. | |
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Kos: They found him. "Brewery giant Pete Coors will enter Colorado's U.S. Senate race today, according to Gov. Bill Owens. The candidacy potentially... Taegan Goddard: In Colorado, Coors To Enter Senate Race — "Brewery giant Pete Coors will enter Colorado's U.S. Senate race today," the Rocky Mountain News... |
Rice Grad: Coors for Senate? Brewing magnate Pete Coors will enter the race for the Republican nomination for the Colorado Senate race. |
Anti-American Cleric Criticizes Iraq War AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq April 7 — Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand anti-U.S. Shiite Muslim cleric, warned the United States on Wednesday that Iraq would become another Vietnam-like conflict if Washington did not transfer power to "honest Iraqis." | |
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Betsy Newmark: Al-Sadr agrees with Ted Kennedy that Iraq is becoming Bush's Vietnam. |
Steven Den Beste: Update 20040407: I just spotted a "quagmire"! And al-Sadr himself is now claiming Iraq will become a new "Viet Nam". |
In Iraq, Without Options By / WaPo — Permalink So now the president's war of choice has led to an occupation with no good options. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Today is pundit Wednesday on the radio, with Mark Steyn, Claudia Rosett, and John Podhoretz from the center-right, and Harold Meyerson and Matt... Josh Marshall: Courtesy of Atrios, comes this line from Harold Meyerson's column today in the Post ... "The only unequivocally good policy option before the... |
Atrios: Meyerson — He concludes his WaPo piece with this: The only unequivocally good policy option before the American people is to dump the president... Greyhawk: In Iraq, Without Options (Washington Post)...Harold Meyerson So now the president's war of choice has led to an occupation with no good options... |
U.S. Increases Efforts to Put Down Sunni and Shiite Combatants By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 7 — The Iraqi uprising against the American-led occupation intensified Wednesday and spread to new parts of the country, with United States forces increasing their efforts to put down Sunni and Shiite combatants. | |
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Sean-Paul Kelley: News Highlights VII — The New York Times is reporting that the government has conceded that Najaf and Kufa have fallen to the Shi'ite... |
Atrios: Reboot — Sad. An official in the occupation authority said Wednesday that allied and Iraqi security forces had lost control of the key southern... |
Muqtada al-Sadr -- a profile Aljazeera — Permalink Muqtada al-Sadr has recently emerged as a Muslim Shia leader who vociferously rejects the US-led occupation in Iraq. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: Al-Jazeera's profile here: "He is seen by many Shia and politicians as a zealous leader who has chosen the wrong time for this escalation of... |
Tim Dunlop: Here's a little background: "Muqtada al-Sadr [had] a great deal of space for manoeuvre - as is the case with all Iraq's political and religious... |
At Word of U.S. Foray, a Baghdad Militia Erupts By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 6 — The word went out on Tuesday at noon, with the blast of the call to prayer: American soldiers had raided an office of Moktada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric, and torn up a poster of his father, one of Iraq's most revered martyrs. | |
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Edward _: Again, Mr. FBI, there is no need to revisit...it's a mindset, not an actual plot... I mention this in response to the seeming surprise in the... Greyhawk: At Word Of U.S. Foray, A Baghdad Militia Erupts (New York Times)...Jeffrey Gettleman The word went out on Tuesday at noon, with the blast of the... |
Amanda Butler: "The NYT says 3,000 in his private army." Ironically, one of the motivating forces behind the bloodshed was censorship by the United States, a... Cori Dauber: Update: Warning! Sorry, my mistake, I meant to link to this article. The headlines don't match those in the dead tree version. |
U.S. to Raise Size of Iraq Force; Some Troops to Stay Longer NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 7 — The Pentagon said today that there will soon be a big increase in the number of American troops in Iraq to quell the violence there and speed the country's transition to a free government and society. | |
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David Adesnik: Perhaps recognizing that it is best to admit ones mistakes quickly, Donald Rumsfeld has announced that the occupation force will grow by as much... |
Gary Farber: TROOP WITHDRAWALS PUT ON HOLD. I'm sure they'll be thrilled, but whaddya gonna do? "Mr. Rumsfeld did not mention a specific number of additional... |
Jimmy Breslin Accused of Faking Interview By / AP — Permalink NEW YORK - The head of a conservative lobbying group accused Newsday columnist Jimmy Breslin of making up quotes attributed to him in Wednesday's column. | |
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Edward Driscoll: And frankly, this news (concerning faked quotes in this article) doesn't surprise me all that much. |
Tim Blair: SNEAKY JIMMY — Jimmy Breslin is accused of pulling a Phillip Adams-style bogus interview stunt: "Breslin did not mention in Wednesday's column... |
Iraq war undermining battle against Al Qaeda: Musharraf Khaleej Times — Permalink SYDNEY - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf complained on Wednesday that the war in Iraq was drawing resources from the battle against Al Qaeda leaders and their supporters hiding in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In an interview to be broadcast on Monday night on Australian... | |
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Kevin Drum: IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN...Via Hesiod, even Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf thinks Iraq is a distraction from the fight against al-Qaeda: "In... |
Hesiod: Ladies and gentleman...I rest my case. UPDATE: Here's a more extensive excerpt from the interview. ANOTHER UPDATE: And the U.S. says it will not... |
Tawana Brawley goes to college By / Townhall.com — Permalink Note: this column contain language that may be offensive to some readers. | |
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Edward Driscoll: SELF-VANDALISM: Are the numbers of Tawana Brawley wannabes increasing? Michelle Malkin has some thoughts. Mitch Berg: Fake Hate Crime - Michelle Malkin notes that Tawana Brawley has just gone to college. [quote] : "Ever since self-defacing teenager Tawana Brawley...[end quote] |
Betsy Newmark: Michele Malkin looks at the spread of Tawana Brawley-type hoaxes on college campuses. "As is typical in these cases, the perpetrator and her... |
U.S. Firm on Iraq Handoff LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — One of the few things untouched by the new violence spreading across Iraq is the ringing U.S. insistence that no amount of instability will derail American plans to hand sovereignty back to Iraqis on June 30. | |
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David Allan Pell: It's All Yours — Sovereignty Lite: The June 30th deadline for handing over power to an interim Iraqi government remains firm. |
Greyhawk: U.S. Firm On Iraq Handoff (Los Angeles Times)...Paul Richter and Sonni Efron One of the few things untouched by the new violence spreading across... |
Kerry Says He Would Cap Federal Spending AP — Permalink WASHINGTON April 7 — Democrat John Kerry said Wednesday if he is elected president he will not let government programs outside of security and education grow beyond the rate of inflation, even if it means cutting some of his own campaign promises and existing government... | |
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Nathan Newman: Why Kerry's Spending Cap Sucks — Kerry has announced his deficit cutting plan. Proposals to eliminate Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, require... |
Steven Taylor: Capping Kerry — From a speech today, Kerry said: [quote] "When I say a cap on spending, I mean it," Kerry said in a speech at Georgetown University.[end quote] |
Shia split over Iraqi 'uprising' By / BBC — Permalink Iraqi Shia are divided in their response to the outbreak of violence between coalition forces and the supporters of cleric Moqtada Sadr. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: The Beeb too states clearly we are not facing a generalized Shi'a uprising. The key goal for the U.S. right now is to prevent a too ham-handed... |
Josh Marshall: This short piece on the BBC website is the first I've seen to suggest a small hint of how this situation in Iraq might be walked back. |
Anti-American cleric al-Sadr warns that Iraq could become 'another Vietnam' for America AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand anti-U.S. Shiite Muslim cleric, warned the United States on Wednesday that Iraq would become another Vietnam-like conflict if Washington did not transfer power to ''honest Iraqis.'' | |
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John Cole: And, I might note, others overseas understood what he meant: "Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand anti-U.S. Shiite Muslim cleric, warned the United... |
Michele Catalano: They both, in recent days, blathered on and on about Iraq becoming another Vietnam. Looks like someone was listening. "'I call upon the American... |
Mister Landslide's Neighborhood By / Slate — Permalink In the Sept. 2003 Atlantic Monthly, the conservative writer David Brooks, citing the late liberal political activist James Chapin, observed the following: | |
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Andrew Sullivan: More tonight when the facts are clearer. POLARIZATION: Tim Noah has an excellent piece in Slate on geographic political segregation. |
Ramesh Ponnuru: POLITICAL SEGREGATION — Timothy Noah writes about how you are less likely to "ever argue politics with your neighbor... because it's less and... |
Gov. Wants a Part-Time Legislature By / LAT — Permalink WAILEA, Hawaii — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that he would like to make the California Legislature part-time so lawmakers would not have as much freedom to create so many "strange bills." | |
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Kevin Drum: Speaking to reporters, he suggested that the California legislature has too much time on its hands. "I want to make the Legislature a part-time... |
Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — "I want to make the Legislature a part-time Legislature. Spending so much time in Sacramento, without anything to do, then... |
Behind Iraq's Moqtada Intifada By / Time — Permalink As if Fallujah wasn't bad enough, the U.S. military in Iraq suddenly finds itself fighting on a second, far more dangerous front. Even as hundreds of Marines prepared to enter the restive Sunni triangle town where four U.S. security men were killed last week, a Shiite... | |
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Robert Garcia Tagorda: Thus far, he's urged Shiites to refrain from retaliating, but has also described their demands as legitimate and condemned the coalition's... |
Billmon: Last Friday, on the eve of the revolt, Moqtada Sadr's sermon was filled with references to the parallel struggle being waged in the West Bank and... |
Kennedy an attribute in Democratic effort, and a Bush target By / Boston Globe — Permalink WASHINGTON — Senator Edward M. Kennedy is emerging as the Dick Cheney of the Kerry presidential campaign, an elder statesman with the star power to raise money and energize party activists and the firepower and the freedom to harshly attack President Bush's domestic and... | |
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Howard Kurtz: The Boston Globe turns the spotlight on Massachusetts' other senator: "Senator Edward M. Kennedy is emerging as the Dick Cheney of the Kerry... |
Taegan Goddard: Kerry's Dick Cheney — Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) "is emerging as the Dick Cheney of the Kerry presidential campaign, an elder statesman with the... |
'I am ready to shed my blood' Guardian — Permalink America's newest enemy in Iraq spent yesterday sitting in a back room of his cramped office on the corner of Najaf's Street of the Prophet, promising in apocalyptic tones an unparalleled fight against the American occupation. | |
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Tim Dunlop: With all that in mind, let me quote from this article in The Guardian that sheds some more light on all of this: "Yesterday his aides, a... |
Allah: Muqtada's stance? "Uncompromising." The media? Smelling blood. Allah? Feeling so funny in the pants he can't even stand up. And also thinking a... |
Rice to Cite Pre-9/11 Mentality, Officials Say WaPo — Permalink National security adviser Condoleezza Rice plans to testify tomorrow that the Bush administration was acting in a pre-Sept. 11 mindset in its efforts to combat al Qaeda and other terrorist groups and must be judged in that context, administration officials said yesterday. | |
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David Allan Pell: Condi Countdown — All of Washington is eagerly awaiting Thursday's testimony from Condoleezza. Some have been focusing on issues such as what... Cori Dauber: MORE ON OIL FOR FOOD — The OpinionJournal.com page goes after Oil for Food again, and again to great effect. Senate hearings into the scandal... |
DemFromCT: Meanwhile, back in DC... Rice to Cite Pre-9/11 Mentality, Officials Say "Rice also plans to mount a lengthy and barbed rebuttal of Richard A... |
Iraq Needs a Credible U.N. NYT — Permalink For the first time since last May, word came yesterday that American forces were engaged in serious combat in Iraq, this time against Iraqi insurgent forces who attacked American marines in a city southwest of Baghdad, and against an armed Sunni resistance in the town of... | |
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Roger L. Simon: Here's the Times—Iraq Needs a Credible UN: Unfortunately, not only is the role of the U.N. still unsettled, the world organization is suffering... Greyhawk: EDITORIAL 42. Iraq Needs A Credible U.N. (New York Times)...Editorial For the first time since last May, word came yesterday that American forces... |
Cori Dauber: But they are so committed to protecting the UN at all costs that their vision of what the scandal is and what it means for the future of the... David Adesnik: Yet at the moment, even its fiercest partisans have begun to admit that the UN's credibility has been severely damaged by the Oil-for-Food... |
Fierce Fighting Spreads to 6 Iraqi Cities NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 6 — American forces in Iraq came under fierce attack on Tuesday, with as many as 12 marines killed in Ramadi, near Baghdad, and with Shiite militiamen loyal to a rebel cleric stepping up a three-day-old assault in the southern city of Najaf, American... | |
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James Joyner: NYT: Fierce Fighting With Sunnis and Shiites Spreads to 6 Iraqi Cities "The attack in Ramadi was on an American base at the governor’s... Cori Dauber: There is certainly much bloodcurdling and frightening description but where's the hard information? For example, these guys say they are now... Sean-Paul Kelley: News Highlights: Bill O'Reilly says we should get out of Iraq. The fighting seems to be over in Ramadi but continues in Fallujah. |
Kash: Iraq Deteriorates Further — The violent uprising has now spread to at least half a dozen cities in Iraq. Perhaps even more worrying than simply... Tbogg: Mission Way Not Accomplished — Things are spinning out of control in George Bush's War: American forces in Iraq came under fierce attack on... |
Convicted Sept. 11 Suspect Leaves Prison By / AP — Permalink HAMBURG, Germany - The only person convicted in the Sept. 11 attacks was freed by a court Wednesday, pending the outcome of his retrial on charges of aiding the Hamburg al-Qaida cell that included three of the suicide pilots. | |
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Charles Johnson: Germany to Al Qaeda: Hit Us, Please — Germany has set free one of the people convicted of taking part in the September 11 attacks: Convicted... |
Betsy Newmark: This is what happens when you treat terrorism as a legal, not a military, problem. |
The Abortion Question By / NYT — Permalink LISBON — To understand what might happen in America if President Bush gets his way with the Supreme Court, consider recent events in Portugal. | |
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KJL: WHAT IS NICHOLAS KRISTOF TALKING ABOUT? Tioday's topic: criminalizing abortion. I'm pretty sure I don't know a single pro-lifer who wants to... |
Ezra Klein: The Choice Backlash — Kristof has a great column on abortion today. He makes one point that I particularly wish to highlight: "Portugal, like... |
Bush Compares a Guest to His Mother AP — Permalink EL DORADO, Ark. April 6 — President Bush has a penchant for dishing out good-natured insults, and usually the victim laughs along. But Sammie Briery didn't seem much amused when Bush fired one at her Tuesday. | |
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Kevin Drum: Today, after inadvertently insulting an audience member at a campaign appearance.... "Bush moved quickly to end the session. Digby: Pure Class "President Bush has a penchant for dishing out good-natured insults, and usually the victim laughs along. But Sammie Briery didn't... |
Jon Henke: [quote]Today, after inadvertently insulting an audience member at a campaign appearance.... "Bush moved quickly to end the session.[end quote] Oliver Willis: What A Weirdo — Some people (like me) would say this incident is just more evidence that the President is a surly blue-blooded frat boy with... |
Gloves off in Iraq Jerusalem Post — Permalink The war in Iraq was based on the conventional premise that no great power can afford to have its will flouted - flagrantly, abusively, and indefinitely - by a small power. To do so invites further challenges from other small powers, challenges that together combine to form a... | |
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Billmon: The Likudniks are in full battle cry, as in this Washington Post op-ed, or in even purer form, this one in the Jerusalem Post. |
Bunuel Cela: JPost editorial on Iraq — JPost has an important editorial on the crucial subject of the moment from which here is an excerpt: "Also worrisome... |
Anxious Moments in Grip of an Outlaw Iraqi Militia By / NYT — Permalink KUFA, Iraq, April 6 — If Moktada al-Sadr has chosen a grand mosque in this Euphrates River town for a last stand against American troops, as many of his militiamen have claimed in recent days, he appears to be relying more on the will of God than anything like military... | |
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Gary Farber: John F. Burns, possibly the best American journalist working in Iraq, managed to get himself and his entourage taken prisoner by Sadrists for... Wretchard: The Time Traveller — A wonderfully atmospheric piece by John Burns of the New York Times describes the atmosphere in the Golden Mosque before... |
Greyhawk: Anxious Moments In Grip Of An Outlaw Iraqi Militia (New York Times)...John F. Burns If Moktada al-Sadr has chosen a grand mosque in this... David Adesnik: Incidentally, Burns was briefly taken prisonerby Shi'ite radicals earlier today. In contrast to Burns, the editors of the WaPo have chosen to see... |
40 Reported Killed in Fallujah Mosque AP — Permalink FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. helicopter fired three missiles at a mosque compound in the city of Fallujah on Wednesday, killing about 40 people as American forces battled Sunni insurgents, witnesses said. | |
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Kevin Raybould: UPDATE: Bombing mosques cannot be a good thing. |
Jim Henley: Tilt, Game Over - From the Associated Press: "FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. helicopter fired three missiles at a mosque compound in the city of... |
Data Churners Try to Pinpoint Voters' Politics By / NYT — Permalink There's this great story making the Washington political rounds about the Conservative Party in Britain. It is that fund-raisers in London found a strong correlation between Conservative Party donors and people who buy garden bulbs by mail. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: And don't miss Joyce Purnick's "Data Churners Try to Pinpoint Voters' Politics," on the latest dreams of political consultants: signals of voting... |
Taegan Goddard: Data Mining For Votes — "The bipartisan hope in this tight election is that computer technology will offer a shortcut to the critical job of... |
Fierce Fighting With Sunnis and Shiites Spreads to 6 Iraqi Cities NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 6 — American forces in Iraq came under fierce attack on Tuesday, with as many as 12 marines killed in Ramadi, near Baghdad, and with Shiite militiamen loyal to a rebel cleric stepping up a three-day-old assault in the southern city of Najaf, American... | |
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Phil Carter: And the New York Times reports that Sunni and Shiite Muslim elements around the country have begun to rise up in armed opposition to the U.S. and... |
Greyhawk: Fierce Fighting With Sunnis And Shiites Spreads To 6 Iraqi Cities (New York Times)...Jeffrey Gettleman and Douglas Jehl ...It was one of the most... |
INSIDE CONDI'S PRIVATE WORLD New York Post — Permalink Tomorrow, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will be grilled before the 9/11 Commission in a pivotal moment for the presidency of George W. Bush. As an entire nation gets ready to watch her testimony, Washington Bureau Chief Deborah Orin reports on the remarkable... | |
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Betsy Newmark: Condoleezza Rice is the most extraordinary woman. Read this profile in the New York Post. No wonder Republicans dream of her running for office... |
John J. Miller: RENAISSANCE WOMAN — The New York Post has a nice Condi Rice profile today. Did you know she's read Tolstoy's War and Peace twice, in Russian? |
U.S. Says It Won't Move Quickly Against Sadr By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 6 — American military commanders and civilian officials have decided to move slowly in carrying out any retaliation against Moktada al-Sadr, fearing that if American forces kill or arrest the rebellious Shiite cleric now, wider violence may be ignited,... | |
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Gary Farber: Over here, under the headline "Strategy: U.S. Says It Won't Move Quickly Against Sadr," we read: "American military commanders and civilian... |
Greyhawk: U.S. Says It Won't Move Quickly Against Sadr (New York Times)...Douglas Jehl American military commanders and civilian officials have decided to... |
White House withholds Rice speech MSNBC — Permalink WASHINGTON - The White House has refused to provide the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a speech that national security adviser Condoleezza Rice was to have delivered on the night of the attacks touting missile defense as a... | |
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Jesse Walker: The White House says it won't hand it over, because such "draft documents" are confidential. Got that? The speech is confidential. Josh Marshall: But the White House is saying 'no': the speech is 'confidential'. But you have to ask, why? Confidential work product? Unless the argument is... |
Tbogg: I think that we don't think that you should think about what she was thinking — Is this the most boneheaded White House ever? |
Powell rebukes Kennedy in rare political foray AFP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Colin Powell rebuked a leading Democratic senator for comparing the war in Iraq to Vietnam and suggesting President George W. Bush 's policies had incited hatred against the United States. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Dave Johnson says the terrorists have launched a "Ted" offensive. ANOTHER UPDATE: "Colin Powell Rebukes Kennedy in Rare Political Foray." KJL: POWELL REBUKES TED KENNEDY on Tony Snow's radio show. (You can listen to the interview on the show's website.) |
Betsy Newmark: Now, he's slapping down Ted Kennedy. [quote] "I was in Haiti and didn't see the whole speech, but I must say that Senator Kennedy, I think, should be a...[end quote] |
'Dream' PAC Not Living Up To Goal By / WaPo — Permalink When Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Tex.) took charge of an independent political fund called American Dream PAC in 1999, he made clear that its mission was "to give significant, direct financial assistance to first-rate minority GOP candidates." | |
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Jesse Taylor: Unfortunately, the fund designed to reach out to minorities has gove the way of most Republican outreach efforts - nothing more than a token back... Kevin Drum: What's their excuse? Henry Bonilla, the PAC's founder, explains: [quote] "We did the best we could." In all, 27 minority office-seekers, predominantly...[end quote] |
Josh Marshall: The piece is in tomorrow's Post. |
Clashes in Iraq Threaten to Undermine Political Process WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD, April 6 — Three days of violent clashes have shaken the already fractious and fragile political process that is supposed to result in a sovereign Iraq in less than 90 days. | |
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Greyhawk: Clashes In Iraq Threaten To Undermine Political Process (Washington Post)...Sewell Chan and Robin Wright Three days of violent clashes have... DemFromCT: Update [2004-4-6 23:29:45 by DemFromCT]: Check out this story in the WaPo: Clashes in Iraq Threaten to Undermine Political Process [quote] "We've...[end quote] |
Mathew Gross: It won't. The clashes in Iraq are undermining the political process, and the violence is likely to escalate as the deadline approaches. |
130 SOLDIERS KILLED IN IRAQ - REPORTS Sky News — Permalink A Pentagon source has said up to 130 US troops have been killed in fierce fighting in Iraq. | |
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Atrios: 12 Marines Killed — In al Ramadi...Murdoch's Sky says up to 130. Let's hope they're full of s**t... I think for the moment at least we can... Allah: UPDATE: Via Ace of Spades HQ, one unconfirmed Pentagon source says as many as 130 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq. UPDATE: Some good news... Kevin Raybould: Don't let this be true 130 Marines killed in Iraq. This is Sky news — a Murdoch operation that has as little regard for facts as Murdoch's... |
Billmon: And this, frankly unbelievable report from Sky News: "A Pentagon source has said up to 130 US troops have been killed in fierce fighting in... Hesiod: UPDATE: Britain's Sky News is reporting that up to 130 U.S. troops were killed in fighting today. Those reports are "unconfirmed," however. Sean-Paul Kelley: Possible 130 Troops Killed — A Pentagon source has said up to 130 US troops have been killed in fierce fighting in Iraq. |
| Also: Kos | |
Marines Battle Enemy Fighters in Fallujah By / WaPo — Permalink FALLUJAH, Iraq, April 6 — U.S. Marines seized portions of this volatile city Tuesday and vowed to remain here until they have rid it of Islamic extremists, Saddam Hussein loyalists and common criminals who they said operate freely here. | |
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Greyhawk: Troops Gaining Grip In Sections Of Fallujah (Washington Post)...Pamela Constable U.S. Marines established control Tuesday over portions of this... Sean-Paul Kelley: More from the WaPo: it seems the Marines have firmly ensconed themselves in the southeast industrial zone of Fallujah, inserting more than 2,000... |
David Adesnik: Honestly, I don't know. The Marines say that they have secured Fallujah, where four American civilians were killed and mutilated this past week. Jim Henley: I'm not so sure. We're certainly trying, judging by the altogether sensible words of the commander of the separate Fallujah assault. |
THE ROAD TO IRAQ'S RIOTS: By / Benador Associates — Permalink April 6, 2004 — SUNDAY'S deadly riots look like the worst nightmare of Iraqis coming true: a Shiite uprising that could trigger not only a clash with the forces of occupation but also a civil war in the newly liberated country. | |
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Amanda Butler: [quote] Amir Taheri in the NY Post: "But take a deep breath: This is not the start of the much-predicted Iraqi civil war." (link via Pejmanesque [end quote] The... Betsy Newmark: Amir Taheri has some detailed background information on Sadr, the Khomeini-wanna-be inciting violence now in Iraq. Apparently, he's upset that... Andrew Sullivan: THE LESSON FROM SPAIN: Here's a quote from a Sadr relative that speaks volumes: "We may be unable to drive the Americans out of Iraq. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: But experienced observers of the Middle East, including (but I doubt limited to) Amir Taheri counsel against making too much out of this issue Allah: Finally, Andrew Sullivan links to this worthwhile piece on Muqtada al-Sadr by Amir Taheri and, in his post about it, attributes the "we can drive... Glenn Reynolds: AMIR TAHERI WRITES on the Iraq riots: "But take a deep breath: This is not the start of the much-predicted Iraqi civil war. " Read the whole... |
Press Gaggle by Scott Mcclellan White House — Permalink MR. McCLELLAN: Good morning. Let me begin with the President's day. He had his usual briefings. The Freedom Corps greeter upon arrival is Laura Spencer, who for 14 years now has volunteered as part of the Adult Basic Literacy Education Program at Central Piedmont Community... | |
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Billmon: And then we go to Crawford for the rest of the week." White House Spokesman Scott McClellan Reviewing the President's Schedule |
Sean-Paul Kelley: Did you know your President will be on vacation all week? "MR. McCLELLAN: It will be after his remarks, before departing the community college. |
Former Iraqi enemies unite to fight U.S. By / UPI — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 6 (UPI) — The American dream to bridge ancient Iraqi sectarian rivalries turned nightmarish Tuesday as Shiite and Sunni religious and tribal figures put aside their differences and publicly aligned against the occupation, vowing to rid Iraq of the... | |
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Tim Dunlop: For instance, that the so-called Sunni resistance in Iraq has declared it's support for (Shiite) al-Sadr: "BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 6 (UPI) — The... Kos: Latest Iraq update: At least 18 coalition dead, "significant" more uncounted 18 confirmed US dead, while "U.S. aligned coalition forces also took... |
Ezra Klein: Chaos in Iraq — Things are terrible in Iraq right now, At least 18 are dead and the uprising appears to be attracting broad support from the... |
No wide Shiite rally to Sadr's forces By / Christian Science Monitor — Permalink BAGHDAD - Just a year ago, Ayad Abdullah Hussein shared in the jubilation when the much-feared Saddam Hussein was toppled. But today, he is afraid again - this time, of Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army, who have been in open battle with coalition forces since... | |
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Robert Garcia Tagorda: But the Christian Science Monitor reports that "a full-fledged Shiite uprising in Sadr's support is looking less likely" and that "he so far... Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: This article is worth reading. ANOTHER UPDATE: Read this, too. Jonah Goldberg: From the Christian Science Monitor: "As the days go by, a full-fledged Shiite uprising in Sadr's support is looking less likely. |
Stefan Sharkansky: Calling a spade a 'spade' — The front-page headline in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer reads: Battle looms with 'outlaw', referring to Iraqi... Josh Marshall: Take a moment to read the rest of this article out today in the Christian Science Monitor. Also note this passage from a dispatch just out from... |
Claim that al-Zarqawi got aid in Iraq questioned CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — Senior U.S. officials told CNN on Tuesday that they now believe fugitive terrorism suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi did not have a leg amputated in Iraq, as the Bush administration had previously said. | |
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Atrios: It Never Ends — More crap: Senior U.S. officials told CNN on Tuesday that they now believe fugitive terrorism suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi did... Hesiod: WITHOUT A LEG TO STAND ON: Conveniently, the Bush administration admitted today (when all hell is breaking loose in Iraq and no one will notice)... |
Jim Henley: Get Out Your Erasers - From CNN: [quote] In his prewar presentation to the United Nations, Powell said, "Zarqawi's activities are not confined to this...[end quote] |
Sources: Al-Sadr supporters take over Najaf CNN — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Supporters of maverick Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr controlled government, religious and security buildings in the holy city of Najaf early Tuesday evening, according to a coalition source in southern Iraq. | |
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Juan Cole: Najaf CNN reports that Muqtada al-Sadr is now in complete control of the municipality of Najaf, a holy city of 500,000 inhabitants, occupying... David Neiwert: Where will we be surprised next? If Stern is right, Ramadi is just the first of those surprises. Sean-Paul Kelley: Najaf Falls To Sadrists — Al-Sadr supporters take over Najaf BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Supporters of maverick Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr... |
Michael Totten: The Id of the Right — The insurgency in Iraq is getting nasty. Baathists killed 12 US Marines in Ramadi. And Shi'ite fanatics took over Najaf... Tim Dunlop: The occupying force is not simply dealing with a bunch of random terror attacks generated by opportunisitc jihadists or disgruntled Baathists,... Von @ObsidianWings: Time and other essential things (Part IV) The latest: "Supporters of maverick Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr controlled government, religious and... |
| Also: Kevin Raybould, Josh Marshall, Billmon, Jesse Taylor, Atrios | |
HEAVY FIGHTING IN IRAQ Sky News — Permalink A large number of soldiers have been killed in fierce fighting in Iraq, according to unconfirmed reports. | |
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Allah: UPDATE: Some good news via Rusty Shackleford. A follow-up report from Sky News suggests that the earlier report was wildly exaggerated. Sean-Paul Kelley: More on 130 possibly killed here. I'm looking for confirmation. |
Jay @Agonist: An update from SkyNews: Heavy Fighting in Iraq — The large scale battle, described as "intense", has taken place in the town of Ar Ramadi, 20... |
U.S. Marines Face Tough Urban Warfare in Falluja Assault AP — Permalink FALLUJAH, Iraq — In a narrow alley, Marines pinned down by a hail of guerrilla fire sent up red smoke in a cry for help. Tanks pounded shell after shell into houses, while troops on the city's edge crawled forward on their bellies, firing on insurgents. | |
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James Joyner: Seizing Fallujah — Citing this NYT account [AP-no RSS] of early Marine success in battling Sadr’s militia in Fallajuh, Matthew Yglesias... |
Matt Yglesias: Seizing Falluja — This account of the battle to retake Falluja is very interesting reading and speaks to the competence and bravery of our... |
Poll finds Bush is losing support across California By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink A new poll shows President Bush's approval ratings in California have plummeted, even in the state's most GOP-dominated conservative areas. | |
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Kos: Cali sends Bush its love (Internals are here.) Josh Marshall: But this is a steep plunge. A new poll out Monday puts his approval in the Golden State at 38%. |
Jesse Taylor: Bush needs to saturate the California market with millions of dollars of ads! His approval ratings are below 40 percent! |
Cheney Tax Plan From '86 Would Have Raised Gas Prices By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 5 — In October 1986, when Dick Cheney was the lone congressman from energy-rich Wyoming, he introduced legislation to create a new import tax that would have caused the price of oil, and ultimately the price of gasoline paid by drivers, to soar by billions... | |
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Howard Kurtz: I somehow missed this yesterday, but since the Bush camp has been hammering Kerry in ads for having voiced support for a 50-cent gas tax a decade... Tim Dunlop: So it was nice to see this apposite quote from then-congressman Dick Cheney (before he became the President's president): "In October 1986, when... Atrios: Cheney Loves High Oil Prices — And high gas prices. Let us rid ourselves of the fiction that low oil prices are somehow good for the United... |
Digby: Unctuous Dick — Atrios links today to this NY Times piece exposing Dick Cheney's long time love for high oil prices. I'm happy to see the DNC... Ezra Klein: Bad Cheney Hates Cheap Oil — You know John Kerry's oppo researchers are doing their jobs when you see headlines like Cheney Tax Plan From '86... Kos: Cheney: high gas taxes rock! Cheney wanted to raise gas prices. "In October 1986, when Dick Cheney was the lone congressman from energy-rich... |
Dangerous Restraint NRO — Permalink When the late shah of Iran was asked why he did not imitate the Swedish monarchy, he responded: "I will act like the king of Sweden when my subjects behave like Swedes." In the end the shah was persuaded by President Jimmy Carter to act like the king of Sweden — whereupon... | |
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Michael Totten: According to him, one way of dealing with this problem is "to establish order by bringing in massive numbers of U.S. and allied troops, imposing... Matt Yglesias: I by no means agree with this bloodthirsty and insane John O'Sullivan column, but I'm glad to see the true face of conservatism once again... |
Von @ObsidianWings: John O'Sullivan once again reminds us that he's not merely an idiot, but an amoral idiot. O'Sullivan suggests that we should've executed... |
Blix: Iraq Worse Off Now Than With Saddam AP — Permalink COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Iraq is worse off now, after the U.S.-led invasion, than it was under Saddam Hussein , Hans Blix told a Danish newspaper Tuesday. | |
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Mitch Berg: I read Hans Blix' latest descent in to lunacy - and I'm saying it now: "Iraq (news - web sites) is worse off now, after the U.S.-led invasion,... Allah: Allah is betting the farm on "no." Elsewhere, Hans Blix misses Saddam, Le Monde gets back on track after a brief, post-Madrid "westerners unite"... |
Donald Sensing: What other conclusion can we draw from his assertion today to a Danish newspaper that the Iraqis were better off under Saddam Hussein than they... Jonah Goldberg: BLIX BLIGHT — Blix says Iraq is worse off without Saddam. He says too many people are dying from terrorism. He's right too many people are dying... |
'Background' Moves to Forefront By / WaPo — Permalink One side effect of Richard A. Clarke's testimony to the Sept. 11 commission was to bring the Washington notion of the "backgrounder" to the fore. | |
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Robert Garcia Tagorda: Background Spin — Amy Sullivan praises Dana Milbank for "picking apart another pecularity of the Bush administration": its use of background... Kevin Drum: BACKGROUND BRIEFINGS...Amy Sullivan, who now has the most peculiar permalinks I've ever seen, points us to Dana Milbank's column in the... |
Gary Farber: MAYOR BUSH. Tutoring Mayors, based upon his municipal experience: "Bush Hits the Pavement Again and Again ... President Bush seems to have... Susan Q. Stranahan: Today, the Washington Post's Dana Milbank flips over the rock and lets all of us peek into the subterranean world of those who dish out these... |
Report: Blix Says Iraq Worse Off After War Reuters — Permalink COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The costs of the war in Iraq have outweighed the benefits of removing Saddam Hussein , former U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix told a Danish newspaper. | |
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Libertarian: THE WORLD IS NOT SAFER WITHOUT SADDAM? I guess it just depends on your opinion, here's one. It is impossible to prove empirically that the world... Charles Johnson: Ignorance Is Blix — Milquetoast "weapons inspector" Hans Blix says the Iraqis were better off when Saddam Hussein's boot was on their necks:... |
David Allan Pell: Blix Blast — Hans Continues to Hammer: "Bush declared war as a part of the U.S. war on terror, but instead of limiting the effects of terror,... |
Al Qaeda absent from final Clinton report By / Washington Times — Permalink The final policy paper on national security that President Clinton submitted to Congress — 45,000 words long — makes no mention of al Qaeda and refers to Osama bin Laden by name just four times. | |
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Jon Henke: They're getting to it...er, during their third term — James Lakely backhands Richard Clarke, the media... just about everybody. Captain Ed: The Washington Times has unearthed the final national security report from the Clinton administration to Congress, written in December 2000, and... Cori Dauber: NOW WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT — Via the invaluable Memeorandum, a story from the Washington Times that is totally in your face — and that... |
Mike Rappaport: It depends on the meaning of "urgent" — If any more were needed to discredit Richard Clarke's partisan attacks, consider this from the... Bill Hobbs: Urgent? Really? From today's Washington Times. "The final policy paper on national security that President Clinton submitted to Congress -... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Now we find yet more evidence to undercut Clarke's claim that the Clinton Administration was somehow on the ball regarding the fight against... |
| Also: Robert Garcia Tagorda, Glenn Reynolds, Kevin Drum, Andrew Sullivan, Tim Blair, James Joyner, Jonah Goldberg, Steve Antler, The Big Trunk, Betsy Newmark | |
Kerry Dismisses Critics of Time That He Took Off Campaigning By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 5 — Responding to concerns in his own party that he may have taken too long off the campaign trail, Senator John Kerry said Monday that he had plenty of time to define himself for voters despite millions of dollars worth of what he termed "the equivalent... | |
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Hugh Hewitt: John Kerry snapped at a reporter yesterday, in another display of his inner child getting loose. This snarl was pretty revealing, both for the... KJL: If you haven't seen it yet, this is from the NYTimes: "Mr. Kerry became combative when told that some conservatives were criticizing him for... Betsy Newmark: Apparently, John Kerry wouldn't do well on our team. [quote] He added: "I'm not a church spokesman. I'm a legislator running for president.[end quote] |
Steve Bainbridge: Kerry's Ongoing Catholic Problem — Kerry got testy with the NYT when asked about critics of the disconnect between his politics and Catholic... Edward Driscoll: UPDATE: Buried in this New York Times article is another Kerry gaffe: [quote] He added: "I'm not a church spokesman. I'm a legislator running for...[end quote] Howard Kurtz: Kerry is defending his snowboarding-and-surgery period, says the New York Times: "Responding to concerns in his own party that he may have taken... |
| Also: Greyhawk | |
7 U.S. Servicemen Killed in Recent Fighting in Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink Fighting across Iraq continued escalating Tuesday with military spokesmen announcing the deaths of seven more U.S. soldiers over the past 24 hours. | |
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Greyhawk: U.S. Forces Take Heavy Losses As Violence Spreads Across Iraq (Washington Post)...Anthony Shadid Sunni Muslim insurgents killed about a dozen... David Adesnik: MARINES TAKE HEAVY CASUALTIES: It is a sad day. Heavy fighting against Sunni insurgents in Ramadi has taken the lives of 12 Marines. Hesiod: (How many are Marines is uncertain). This news is breaking right now. UPDATE: Sigh...they're Marines. And there are at least twelve dead. |
Cori Dauber: Consider this article from the WaPo: highly descriptive, to be sure, but what do we know? Consider: Sadr controls between 3,000 and 10,000 men. Sean-Paul Kelley: Two South Korean aid workers captured earlier are now free. Anthony Shadid of the WaPo has a pretty good wrap-up of today's events. James Joyner: 7 U.S. Servicemen Killed in Recent Fighting in Iraq "Fighting across Iraq continued escalating Tuesday with military spokesmen announcing the... |
Private Guards Repel Attack on U.S. Headquarters By / WaPo — Permalink An attack by hundreds of Iraqi militia members on the U.S. government's headquarters in Najaf on Sunday was repulsed not by the U.S. military, but by eight commandos from a private security firm, according to sources familiar with the incident. | |
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Mark Kleiman: Update Phil Carter cites a Washington Post report showing that the Blackwater force in Iraq is acting as a fighting force, with its own... Sean-Paul Kelley: See this article for more info on the several brave men who repelled and attack on the US goverment's headquarters in Najaf. mercenaries.jpg... Gary Farber: In Najaf: "An attack by hundreds of Iraqi militia members on the U.S. government's headquarters in Najaf on Sunday was repulsed not by the U.S... |
Tom Smith: Otherwise, they seem too much for them. Phil Carter: Civilian contractors engage the enemy in Najaf — The Washington Post reports this morning that a team of ex-special ops guys from Blackwater... Ed Cone: He also links to a Washington Post article about Blackwater's active combat role in the current fighting in Iraq: Blackwater...sent in its own... |
| Also: Mathew Gross, Belle Waring, Charles Johnson, James Joyner | |
Skirmishes in Iraq Kill 7 More U.S. Soldiers Since Weekend By / NYT — Permalink Seven American soldiers have died in clashes in Baghdad and Falluja since the weekend, the American military said today, as fighting between the American-led military coalition and Iraqi militia continued to roil Iraq. | |
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John Cole: Iraq — Only a fool would deny the obvious- things are a bloody mess in Iraq. However, I think things are not as bad as they could be, and I... Gregory Djerejian: It appears we lost approximately 20 U.S. soldiers over the past 24 odd hours. That's just not acceptable. We, as people like McCain have been... Kevin Raybould: Widespread violence in Iraq — 7 More US Dead — It's getting ugly. We now have at least two cities that US forces simply do not control, and a... |
DemFromCT: This update just appeared in the online NY Times, and covers the geographical extent of today's violence, along with some quotes re Sadr's... Sean-Paul Kelley: 7 More Soldiers Dead Since Weekend — Skirmishes in Iraq Kill 7 More U.S. Soldiers Since Weekend Seven American soldiers have died in clashes in... |
For Kerry aides, McCain would fit bill as running mate By / Boston Globe — Permalink WASHINGTON — The great parlor game inside the Beltway right now focuses on whom John F. Kerry will pick to be his running mate, and the game rages no more fiercely than inside Kerry's own campaign headquarters. | |
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Ramesh Ponnuru: McCAIN-KERRY? I can understand the appeal the idea has for Democrats, but I don't buy it. To set up the ticket, McCain would have had to make a... Howard Kurtz: The McCain speculation is still going strong: "The great parlor game inside the Beltway right now focuses on whom John F. Kerry will pick to be... The Big Trunk: Kerry's veepstakes, part 2 — Dear readers, the Boston Globe is catching the fever: "For Kerry aides, McCain would fit bill as running mate." |
David Allan Pell: Maybe that's why much of the McCain talk is coming, not only from starry-eyed bloggers, but also from people inside the Kerry camp. Taegan Goddard: Kerry Aides See McCain As Perfect Running Mate — The Boston Globe listens inside Sen. John Kerry's campaign for speculation about his running... |
Kenneth Starr Named Dean of Pepperdine AP — Permalink MALIBU, Calif. — Kenneth W. Starr, who led the investigation into President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky, has been named dean of the Pepperdine University School of Law, a school official said. | |
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Tom Smith: Lucifer to be dean of Pepperdine Law School — Oh no, not the prince of darkness, actually, but Ken Starr (via ProfBainbridge) Judge Starr is... Betsy Newmark: Kenneth Starr finally got the job he had been wanting all during the Whitewater investigation: Dean of Pepperdine Law School. |
Steve Bainbridge: Ken Starr to Pepperdine Law — Pepperdine Law School has named Ken Starr as its new dean. Congrats to both. I've often thought Pepperdine ought... Steve Dillard: Second time is a charm: Judge Kenneth Starr has been named the new dean of Pepperdine. Congrats! (LvHB) |
The Buzz in Higher Education By / Chronicle of Higher Education — Permalink Caffeine is America's drug of choice, and nowhere is that more evident than in academe. | |
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Steven Taylor: More Evidence of the Caffeinated Professoriate — The Buzz in Higher Education Which reminds me: time for some afternoon coffee... (Hat Tip: OTB) Jacob Levy: The Chronicle took the idea and ran with it, asking four academics to keep caffeine diaries. Brad DeLong remains a piker at just over 373 mg in a... Jeremy Blachman: Re: Caffeine — Is this article Amanda links to below an April Fools joke? Does the President of NYU really drink thirty-three cups of coffee a... |
James Joyner: Caffeine: Academe's Drug of Choice — Prompted by a long-ago (in Internet time) discussion on the blogosphere (see here and here), The Chronicle... Brad DeLong: The Chronicle of Higher Education presents some evidence: "The Chronicle: 4/9/2004: The Buzz in Higher Education: By DAVID GLENN: Caffeine is... Amanda Butler: Read it, and be impressed (and unlike some of the Chronicle stuff he's linked to in the past, this is available to non-subscribers). |
Generals in Iraq Consider Options for More Troops NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, April 5 — American commanders in Iraq are developing contingency plans to send more American forces to the country if the situation worsens, and administration officials said Monday that the new surge of violence by Shiites represented a worrying challenge to... | |
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Gregory Djerejian: Words matter. But actions speak louder. So what's the President's thinking on the matter? From the White House press brief today: Q What's the... Rich Lowry: This is from the New York Times today: "He called the absence of Arab neighbors as part of the stabilization force 'staggering,' saying, 'All... James Joyner: It appears reinforcements are on the way: War Policy: Generals in Iraq Consider Options for More Troops [RSS] "American commanders in Iraq are... |
David Allan Pell: Meanwhile, U.S. military leaders in Iraq are calling for contigency plans that would include the deployment of more troops. Tom Tomorrow: Doesn't quite seem to be working out that way: "American commanders in Iraq are developing contingency plans to send more American forces to the... |
Why no Christian suicide bombers? and other thoughts on Islamic terror By / Townhall.com — Permalink Golly gee, Muslim terrorists tried to attack Madrid again. How can that be? Wasn't Muslim terror in Spain supposed to end once Spain appeased the terrorists by voting in the socialists? | |
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Steven Taylor: Ideas Matter — As Dennis Prager notes: "Islamic terror is caused by Muslims, not, as Islamic and leftist apologists would have it, by the... Betsy Newmark: Dennis Prager bravely looks at the correlation of terrorism and Muslims. "Islamic terror is caused by Muslims, not, as Islamic and leftist... |
James Joyner: Root Causes — Steven Taylor points us to a Dennis Prager column arguing that, “Islamic terror is caused by Muslims, not, as Islamic and... |
Private guards repel attack on headquarters By / MSNBC — Permalink An attack by hundreds of Iraqi militia members on the U.S. government's headquarters in Najaf on Sunday was repulsed not by the U.S. military, but by eight commandos from a private security firm, according to sources familiar with the incident. | |
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Rosemary: (Rosemary, the QOAE) The Blackwater commandos, most of whom are former Special Forces troops, are on contract to provide security for the... Glenn Reynolds: KOS MAY SNEER AT 'EM, but these guys seem to be earning their pay: "An attack by hundreds of Iraqi militia members on the U.S. government's... |
Allah: Screw those mercs |