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Quoted in this edition:

Aljazeera
  Lawrence Smallman
American Digest
  Vanderleun
Amygdala
  Gary Farber
www.AndrewSullivan.com
  Andrew Sullivan
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
  BC Imperial Torturer
Associated Press
  Mike Glover
  John Gerome
  Pauline Jelinek
BBC
The Belgravia Dispatch
  Gregory Djerejian
Belmont Club
  Wretchard
Betsy's Page
  Betsy Newmark
BLACKFIVE
  Blackfive
Boston Globe
  Christine Chinlund
  Yvonne Abraham
  Jeff Jacoby
Boston Herald
Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal
  Brad DeLong
BuzzMachine
  Jeff Jarvis
Captain's Quarters
  Captain Ed
Change for America
  Joe Drymala
Citizen Smash
  Smash
Clayton Cramer's BLOG
  Clayton Cramer
CNN
The Corner
  KJL
  Andrew Stuttaford
  Rich Lowry
Counterspin Central
  Hesiod
Crescat Sententia
  Amy Lamboley
  Will Baude
Daily Kos
  Meteor Blades
  Bodhisattva
Daimnation!
  Damian Penny
Dallas Morning News
Dan Gillmor's eJournal
  Dan Gillmor
danieldrezner.com
  Daniel Drezner
Dean's World
  Dean Esmay
Detroit Free Press
  Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki
EdDriscoll.com
  Edward Driscoll
Electablog
  David Allan Pell
Eschaton
  Atrios
etc.
  Noam Scheiber
Fox News
Front Page Magazine
  Andrew G. Bostom
Harry's Place
  Harry @HarrysPlace
Hit & Run
  Julian Sanchez
  Nick Gillespie
  Jesse Walker
Hullabaloo
  Digby
Independent
  Johann Hari
Instapundit.com
  Glenn Reynolds
INTEL DUMP
  Phil Carter
Ipse Dixit
  C. D. Harris
Israel news and commentary from IsraPundit
  Fred Lapides
  Ted Belman
Lean Left
  Kevin Raybould
The Left Coaster
  Pessimist
  Mary InLosGatos
lgf
  Charles Johnson
LibertarianJackass.com
  Libertarian
The Liquid List
  Aaron @LiquidList
  Shawn @LiquidList
Los Angeles Times
  Tony Perry
  Richard A. Serrano
  Max Boot
Mark A. R. Kleiman
  Mark Kleiman
Mathew Gross
  Mathew Gross
Matthew Yglesias
  Matt Yglesias
MaxSpeak, You Listen!
  Max B. Sawicky
Media Notes Extra
  Howard Kurtz
MyDD
  Chris Bowers
The National Debate
  Robert Cox
National Review
  Victor Davis Hanson
  Donald Luskin
  Andrew C. McCarthy
  Steven Stalinsky
New York Post
  Ralph Peters
  John Podhoretz
  Amir Taheri
New York Times
  Laurie Goodstein
  Ian Fisher
  David E. Sanger
  Douglas Jehl
  Patrick E. Tyler
  Thomas L. Friedman
No More Mister Nice Blog
  Steve Messina
NY Daily News
Obsidian Wings
  Edward _
Oliver Willis
  Oliver Willis
One Hand Clapping
  Donald Sensing
Opinion Journal
  Joseph I. Lieberman
  Daniel Henninger
  Jose Ramos-Horta
Outside the Beltway
  James Joyner
OxBlog
  David Adesnik
pandagon.net
  Jesse Taylor
Pejmanesque
  Pejman Yousefzadeh
PoliBlog
  Steven Taylor
The Poor Man
  The Poor Man
Power Line
  Deacon
  The Big Trunk
Priorities & Frivolities
  Robert Garcia Tagorda
protein wisdom
  Jeff Goldstein
Rantingprofs
  Cori Dauber
Reuters
  Adam Entous
  Carol Giacomo
  Sue Zeidler
The Right Coast
  Tom Smith
Right Wing News
  John Hawkins
the road to surfdom
  Tim Dunlop
Roger Ailes
  Roger Ailes
Roger L. Simon
  Roger L. Simon
Sadly, No!
  Peanut @SadlyNo
Salon
  Joe Conason
Secular Blasphemy
  Jan Haugland
Sgt. Stryker's Daily Briefing
  Sparkey
Shark Blog
  Stefan Sharkansky
Sky News
Slate
  Phillip Carter
  Brendan I. Koerner
  Timothy Noah
Southern Appeal
  Michael DeBow
  Nathan Hallford
The Spoons Experience
  Christopher Kanis
t a c i t u s
  Moe Lane
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
  Taegan Goddard
Talking Points Memo
  Josh Marshall
TalkLeft
  Jeralyn Merritt
  TChris
TAPPED
  Matthew Yglesias
  Nick Confessore
  Garance Franke-Ruta
»«TBogg»«
  Tbogg
Tech Central Station
  Patrick Cox
  Charles Rousseaux
  Lee Harris
TheAgitator.com
  Radley Balko
Travelling Shoes
  H.D. Miller
USA Today
  Richard Willing
USS Clueless
  Steven Den Beste
VodkaPundit
  Stephen Green
The Volokh Conspiracy
  Eugene Volokh
The Washington Monthly
  Kevin Drum
Washington Post
  Dan Balz
  Thomas E. Ricks
  Dan Eggen
  Josh White
  Jim VandeHei
Weekly Standard
  Hugh Hewitt
White House



American Cannibalism
  By / NRO   —   Permalink 
Have we any memory of a man in a suit and tie, nearly three years ago wading through the din and panic amid the morning rubble, assuring millions of stunned Americans that the national headquarters of their armed forces was still intact and capable of defending us after the mass murder of 3,000?
The Poor Man: Victor Davis Hanson, classicist, columnist: "Have we any memory of a man in a suit and tie, nearly three years ago...
Smash: MORE: Writing in the National Review, Victor Davis Hanson echoes my concerns.
Blackfive: Donald Rumsfeld — Victor Davis Hanson has an extraordinary editorial today at NRO. Everyone is linking to it. They should.
Stefan Sharkansky: Instead of "psychological counseling", these students (not to mention teachers and administrators) should be assigned to...
Captain Ed: VDH: Taking Our Eyes Off The Ball — Victor David Hanson writes another brilliant essay for National Review Online,...
The Big Trunk: Hugh's request — Our radio hero Hugh Hewitt has asked us to direct you to Victor Davis Hanson's NRO column today, and send it to twenty friends: "American cannibalism."
Also: Max B. Sawicky, Nathan Hallford, Charles Johnson, Hugh Hewitt, Mike Hendrix, Glenn Reynolds

WHY THE TROOPS DON'T TRUST RUMMY
  By / New York Post   —   Permalink 
ACCORDING to his handlers, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld went to Baghdad to "boost troop morale." The best way the SecDef could improve morale would be to resign.
In Operation Iraqi Freedom, Rumsfeld and his apparatchiks boldly defended Washington while our troops fought overseas.
Kevin Drum: Ralph Peters is hardly the final word on this subject, but here's what he wrote about it today: [snipped quote] The fact...
Nick Confessore: Everyone's favorite ornery, hard-ass retired military officer/pundit, Ralph Peters, has a particularly compelling column in the New York Post today.
Mathew Gross: "Unfit to Serve Our Democracy" — Ralph Peters in today's New York Post delivers a blistering attack on Rumsfeld: [snipped quote] And take Wolfie with ya.
Mary InLosGatos: Afterall, he put Rumsfeld in charge of his war and no one can deny that Rumsfeld has botched this war in Iraq royally.
Charles Johnson: On the other side of this issue, Ralph Peters does not like Donald Rumsfeld and makes it very clear in his new column: Why the Troops Don't Trust Rummy.
Wretchard: Whether the Syrian sanctions and operations against Fallujah and Najaf are battle-shaping activities for the next phase...
Also: Atrios

'Let Us Have Faith'
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON—Watching the reels of pictures from the prison in Iraq was a jarring descent into a world without values or limits or law. I was appalled, of course, by the American guards' lack of any respect for the humanity of their prisoners.
Captain Ed: UPDATE: On the other other hand, here's Joe Lieberman making nothing but sense in today's OpinionJournal: "Most...
C. D. Harris: Truman Would Have No Choice But To Be A Republican Today — Here, in a nutshell, is why, had the Democrats nominated...
Roger L. Simon: He writes in today's Wall Street Journal: Most Democrats and Republicans, including President Bush and Sen. Kerry, agree...
Nathan Hallford: Rumsfeld Must Stay: That's what Sen. Joseph Lieberman writes in today's Wall Street Journal.
Dean Esmay: It's important. Senator Joe Lieberman (D) has some thoughts that relate.
Charles Johnson: "Let Us Have Faith" — Joe Lieberman, one of the few high-ranking Democrats who hasn't taken leave of his senses, says Donald Rumsfeld must stay.
Also: Cori Dauber

Editor sacked over 'hoax' pictures
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been sacked following pressure over faked photos of soldiers abusing an Iraqi prisoner.
The Queen's Lancashire Regiment earlier told a press conference the Mirror had to apologise for running the pictures and endangering British troops.
Dan Gillmor: Fake Photos Editor Bounced — BBC: Editor sacked over 'hoax' photos.
Kevin Drum: Their editor has been sacked: [snipped quote] It's a sad day for tabloid journalism.
Glenn Reynolds: MIRROR EDITOR GONE OVER FAKED IRAQ PHOTOS: "Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been sacked following pressure over faked photos of soldiers abusing an Iraqi prisoner.
Steven Den Beste: However, those photographs were frauds, and were spotted as such almost immediately based on some serious...

Tainted by Torture
  By / Slate   —   Permalink 
There are plenty of good reasons to avoid using torture in interrogations. It's an immoral and barbaric practice condemned by most Western nations and theological traditions, for starters. International human rights law and U.S. criminal law both outlaw it.
Glenn Reynolds: AGAINST TORTURE: Phil Carter has an interesting article in Slate. I share his opposition to torture, as I noted back when Alan Dershowitz was floating the idea.
James Joyner: Torturing Terrorists — Phil Carter has yet another piece in Slate.
Phil Carter: "Methods too close to the rack and the screw": Slate has just published my Jurisprudence article "Tainted by Torture" on...
Donald Sensing: Update: Phil Carter explains how torture is actually counterproductive.

Want a Different Abu Ghraib Story? Try This One
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
By now, some Americans may feel the need for respite from the images of Abu Ghraib and the five hooded barbarians standing behind Nick Berg. This week's column will try to provide some measure of respite.
Vanderleun: Abu Ghraib Videotapes We've Yet to See — DANIEL HENNINGER reports on unseen videos out of the Iraq Prison in:...
The Big Trunk: Reader's request — Reader Susan Robbins has asked us to direct your attention to this outstanding Wonder Land column by...
James Joyner: Abu Ghraib - 1995 — WSJ's Daniel Henninger offers some perspective in his piece, Want a Different Abu Ghraib Story?
Dean Esmay: Abu Ghraib: The Untold Story — There's more about Abu Ghraib that you should know. It's important.
Blackfive: Update: Peter sends this WSJ story about Abu Ghraib and it's a good one. Phil Carter has a post about one of the MPs cooperating with the investigation.
Cori Dauber: NEED SOME GOOD NEWS? No, I mean really good news. I mean a story that will remind you why we're proud to be Americans.

A series of errors on lewd images
  By / Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
IT IS AN understatement to say that the Globe erred when it ran a photo that, if you look closely, showed images of men dressed as soldiers having sex with unidentified women. It's also an understatement to say the paper regrets the error — as was evident in the apology published yesterday as an editor's note.
Vanderleun: [quote] Boston Globe — A series of errors on lewd images "We are not firing anybody," responds Baron.[end quote]
Glenn Reynolds: Meanwhile, here's the Boston Globe's ombudsman on its own fake-photo scandal. They're still not coming right out and admitting that the photos are bogus, though.
Harry @HarrysPlace: This is how they reacted - within two days. Rather different to how long it took the Mirror to own up to how they had been duped.

ACLU gets Bible verse back in local yearbook
  By / Detroit Free Press   —   Permalink 
Abby Moler is getting the chance to pass on two lessons to her classmates: You can fight City Hall, and you can enlist unexpected sources for help.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan — often known for helping to keep religion out of schools...
James Joyner: Preferred Freedoms — Julian Sanchez points to this case as evidence that the ACLU isn't necessarily a Left-wing, anti-religion organization.
Eugene Volokh: "ACLU prevails in fight to put God back into the classroom": So How Appealing reports, pointing to the ACLU's standing...
Julian Sanchez: God in the Classroom, Courtesy of the ACLU — The ACLU's work on church-state separation sometimes gets them pegged as...

ROOTING FOR THE ENEMY
  By / New York Post   —   Permalink 
A MAN has his head cut off by al Qaeda in Iraq, and The New York Times aggressively markets the idea - on its front page yesterday - that his death is somehow the fault of the United States.
Edward Driscoll: JOHN PODHORETZ ON TIME MAGAZINE: "Take a look at Time magazine's cover this week.
Glenn Reynolds: This is our enemy's goal, for they are murderers, not soldiers." More thoughts here.
Michael DeBow: John Podhoretz lays it on the line in today's NY Post: "Conventional liberal opinion is actively seeking the humiliation and defeat of the United States in Iraq."
Betsy Newmark: John Podhoretz looks at how the press and some prominent Democrats want to use the prison abuse story for political gain.

Police Union Endorses Kerry
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
Presumptive Democratic nominee John F. Kerry on Friday collected the endorsement of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, a police union that backed President Bush in the 2000 election.
Meteor Blades: Police Union Backs Kerry — As Bush's poll numbers continue their descent, the president's campaign team got another...
Taegan Goddard: Police Union Backs Kerry — Sen. John Kerry [snipped quote] the AP reports. The union endorsed Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996.
Aaron @LiquidList: Politics: Endorsement For Kerry — The International Brotherhood of Police Officers, a union that endorsed George W. Bush in the 2000 campaign, has endorsed John Kerry for 2004.

I'm Not the Only One by George Galloway
  By / Independent   —   Permalink 
It is not the allegations that he was being paid by Saddam Hussein - soon to be settled in the libel courts - that will destroy George Galloway. No: it is this book. In this strange, repetitive little manifesto, marketed as an autobiography, the MP doesn't just shoot himself in the foot; he machine-guns his own legs to pieces.
Jan Haugland: Galloway's self-destructive manifesto — The leftist Independent prints a scathing book review of George Galloway's (yes, the traitor) autobiography I'm Not the Only One.
Captain Ed: You might expect that the Independent would receive Galloway's new book with some sympathy. You would be wrong.
Harry @HarrysPlace: You are not the only one — Here is Johann Hari's review of Galloway's book "I'm not the only one".
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Johann Hari's review just annihilates it: [snipped quote] It is nothing short of amazing that someone not under threat by Saddam and his goons can actually think this way.
Damian Penny: GG [heart] SH — Johann Hari's review of George Galloway's new memoir, I'm Not the Only One, confirms what we already...

Bad Signs For Bush In History, Numbers
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Six months before the November election, President Bush has slipped into a politically fragile position that has put his reelection at risk, with the public clearly disaffected by his handling of the two biggest issues facing the country: Iraq and the economy.
Mary InLosGatos: Bush's campaign believes that Bush's drop in approval ratings is something that can be overcome.
Aaron @LiquidList: Politics: Glee — What a way to start the weekend! Bush's approval ratings are dropping.
James Joyner: Bad Signs For Bush — WaPo - Bad Signs For Bush In History, Numbers [snipped quote] This analysis strikes me as solid.
Joe Drymala: Making it Stick — David Broder has an analysis piece in the Washington Post this morning about Bush's poll numbers,...
Taegan Goddard: Bad Signs For Bush In History — "Six months before the November election, President Bush has slipped into a politically...
Betsy Newmark: Dan Balz has an article in the Washington Post about how Bush's low approval ratings foretell doom in November.
Also: David Adesnik

The Vietnam investor behind the "Swift Boat Vets" attack
  By / Salon   —   Permalink 
When the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" launched its campaign against John Kerry 10 days ago, leadership and guidance were provided by Republican activists and presidential friends from Texas — notably Houston attorney John E. O'Neill and corporate media consultant Merrie Spaeth.
Jeralyn Merritt: Joe Conasen at Salon writes that the group attacking Kerry for his antiwar record (the "swift-boat vet attacks") is...
Oliver Willis: Smear Watch — Joe Conason is on the case, as usual.

Bishop Would Deny Rite for Defiant Catholic Voters
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
The Roman Catholic bishop of Colorado Springs has issued a pastoral letter saying that American Catholics should not receive communion if they vote for politicians who defy church teaching by supporting abortion rights, same-sex marriage, euthanasia or stem-cell research.
Amy Lamboley: The New York Times has an article stating that "The Roman Catholic bishop of Colorado Springs has issued a pastoral...
Jesse Taylor: Democrats Need Not Apply — I wasn't surprised by the stance of this bishop threatening to deny voters communion if they...
Steve Messina: I don't know if the Colorado Springs bishop quoted in the post below is really representative of church thinking — the...

Lawsuits target alcohol industry
  By / USA Today   —   Permalink 
Consumers' attorneys across the nation have begun to target the alcoholic beverage industry, filing lawsuits that claim that some leading brewers and distillers are using slick advertising to sell products to underage drinkers.
Andrew Stuttaford: David Boies III is a lawyer who, to throw another metaphor into the invective, has crawled out from under some stone in...
Michael DeBow: Boies, boys, and booze: USA Today reports on a batch of lawsuits filed against various purveyors of alcoholic beverages, in re their marketing to minors, etc.
Radley Balko: You Were Warned — Here comes the first big wave of lawsuits: [snipped quote] The CAMY and CASA studies the anti-alcohol...

Executive Order
  White House   —   Permalink 
I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, hereby determine that the actions of the Government of Syria in supporting terrorism, continuing its occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, and undermining...
Moe Lane: Syrian Sanctions — First I've heard of this:Executive Order Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting the...
Wretchard: The Executive Order, whose full text has not been prominently carried by many newspapers, is extraordinarily accusatory.
Vanderleun: By Executive Order "I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, hereby determine that the actions of...

Berg Died for Bush, Rumsfeld 'Sins' - Father
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The father of Nick Berg, the American beheaded in Iraq, directly blamed President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday for his son's death.
''My son died for the sins of George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld.
H.D. Miller: Nick Berg's Father — Like Spoons my first instict was to cut Nicholas Berg's father some slack on all that nonsense...
Christopher Kanis: But this is starting to go too far: [snipped quote] Blaming Bush is fine. Excusing the terrorists isn't.
Tbogg: Meanwhile, when the Berg story does get attention, they don't like what it tells them. I just listened to the CBS news on the local CBS radio affiliate.
Sparkey: By blaming Bush and Rummy that's how: "My son died for the sins of George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld.
Cori Dauber: This is simply grotesque. He apparently also said the Patriot Act was a coup. Fine, good, whatever. This isn't news.
Oliver Willis: So... I wonder how soon until the righties let us know how evil Michael Berg is for saying
Also: Mathew Gross, Damian Penny, John Hawkins

Rice Likens Terrorists to Klansmen
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that terrorists today are driven by the same hatred that inspired Klansmen to bomb a church in 1963 in her hometown of Birmingham, Ala.
Clayton Cramer: An Apt Comparison — Condoleeza Rice spoke at Vanderbilt University: "NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Condoleezza Rice said...
Eugene Volokh: Qu Qlux Qaeda: According to the AP, "Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that terrorists today are driven by the same hatred...

Poll: Support for Bush, Iraq war dropping
  CNN   —   Permalink 
(CNN) — As Americans express growing unease about Iraq, President Bush's job approval rating has taken a hit, according to a poll released Friday by CNN and Time magazine.
That development appears to be helping Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Chris Bowers: Generic Congressional Ballot Update — It is too bad today is not November 2nd: Rasmussen: Dem 44-35 GOP (5/11-13)...
Bodhisattva: New CNN/Time Poll — Likely Voters: Bush 46 Kerry 51 Bush Approval Approve 46 (49) Disapprove 49 (47) There's more.

Is Torture Against the Law?
  By / Slate   —   Permalink 
According to an article in today's New York Times, the CIA is using "coercive interrogation methods" against some al-Qaida suspects. The piece notes that "defenders of the operation said the methods â did not violate American anti-torture statutes."
Hesiod: UPDATE: "The best laid plans...." Well it turns out that the United States DID ratify the Convention back in 1994.
James Joyner: In a related piece, Brendan Koerner looks at the specific statutes in U.S. and international law that govern the use of terrorism.

"Under New Management"
  By / Weekly Standard   —   Permalink 
ON MONDAY, Ted Kennedy took to the floor of the United States Senate and made this statement: "Shamefully we now learn that Saddam's torture chambers reopened under new management, U.S. management."
Cori Dauber: Now, Hugh Hewitt does leave out of his piece here the fact that Kennedy's quote was used by the networks.
Glenn Reynolds: Well, some people are trying to do that to us, anyway.

Prisoner Abuses and Bilateral Logic
  By / TCS   —   Permalink 
"The horrors experienced by many young inmates, particularly those who are convicted of nonviolent offenses, border on the unimaginable. Prison rape not only threatens the lives of those who fall prey to their aggressors, but it is potentially devastating to the human spirit.
Rich Lowry: Meanwhile, this piece over at TCS picks up the cudgel.
Glenn Reynolds: A CALL FOR SEN. CARL LEVIN TO RESIGN over prison abuse. UPDATE: More here.

Fair Elections
  By / NRO   —   Permalink 
While polls show Bush and Kerry neck-and-neck, a sophisticated econometric model operated at Yale University — the same kind of model used for simulating the entire U.S. economy — is calling Bush the winner by a wide margin, with almost 58 percent of a two-party vote.
Deacon: An economic interpretation of elections — Donald Luskin on one of my favorite subjects, using economic models to predict who will be elected president.
Michael DeBow: Donald Luskin has a column about it on NRO today.

MIRROR BOSS GETS SACK
  Sky News   —   Permalink 
The editor of the Daily Mirror has been sacked after admitting its alleged Iraqi abuse pictures had been "a hoax".
Piers Morgan's decision came as the paper "apologised unreservedly" for printing the pictures.
Damian Penny: Bye-Bye, Mr. Morgan — Piers Morgan has been fired as editor of the Daily Mirror after admitting its Iraq abuse photos...
Tim Dunlop: Published and be damned — And damned he is. More here.

Iraqi Tells of U.S. Abuse, From Ridicule to Rape Threat
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 13 — The rough road to confession began with the ridicule of the naked and hooded prisoner's name: Saddam.
The now-former prisoner, Saddam Saleh Aboud, 29, said that escalated into a threat of rape by an American soldier named Ivan in the 1-A block of Abu Ghraib prison.
Libertarian: INTERROGATION SUCCESS A reader comments on this NYTimes article: Success!
Steve Messina: Every few days, he said, he was uncuffed for other treatments: douses of cold water, barking dogs, something called "the...

CHOPPING HEADS
  By / New York Post   —   Permalink 
THE murder of Nick Berg, a 26-year-old American businessman, by a group of Islamist terrorists in Iraq continues to send shock waves through much of the West. What has impressed most people is the fact that the terrorists cut Mr. Berg's head in the way that sheep are beheaded at the annual Feast of the Sacrifice.
H.D. Miller: Chop Chop — Amir Taheri discusses the Muslim practice of head-chopping in this morning's New York Post.
Donald Sensing: Update: Amir Taheri writes at some length about the brutal history of beheading in Islam.
Betsy Newmark: Amir Taheri looks at the history of beheading in Muslim cultures.

Wolfowitz Draws Democrats' Ire
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Senate Democrats lit into the Bush administration's Iraq policies yesterday, using an uncharacteristically contentious hearing on additional war spending to attack the Pentagon's number two official in personal and bitter terms.
Digby: The Big Swinging Dems — Yo Wolfie, you wanna piece 'o me?
Phil Carter: Yesterday, according to Tom Ricks in the Washington Post, the Senate Armed Services Committee took its turn by excoriating the embattled appointee for the Abu Ghraib mess.

The Wrong Direction
  NYT   —   Permalink 
Watching President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld this week, it was hard to avoid the sinking feeling that they had already moved on from the Abu Ghraib prison mess and were back to their well-established practice of ignoring all bad news and marching blindly ahead as if nothing unusual had happened.
Pessimist: Take today's New York Times editorial: The Wrong Direction [snipped quote] People are supposed to ask tough questions!
Tbogg: Still cutting through the bulls**t — The New York Times is actually doing their job: Watching President Bush and...
Cori Dauber: They start by taking one of Rumsfeld's laugh lines and playing it straight.
TChris: That seemed like a good idea to Donald Rumsfeld, who announced that he doesn't read them either. Hey, why be informed?

Berg's encounter with 'terrorist' revealed
  CNN   —   Permalink 
WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania (CNN) — When Nicholas Berg took an Oklahoma bus to a remote college campus a few years ago, the American recently beheaded by terrorists allowed a man with terrorist connections to use his laptop computer, according to his father.
Digby: Curiouser and Curiouser — [snipped quote] "Christians, like slaves and soldiers, ask no questions." —Jerry Falwell, 1981
Steven Taylor: Most Bizarre — From CNN: Berg's encounter with 'terrorist' revealed "Michael Berg said the FBI investigated the matter more than a year ago.
Edward _: Berg's encounter with 'terrorist' revealed "Berg said his son cooperated fully with an FBI investigation into the matter.
John Hawkins: Update #1***:It turns out that the person believed to be a terrorist who used Nick Berg's computer was apparently noneother than Zacarias Moussaoui.

Gay marriage opponents see fight getting tougher
  By / Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
As Massachusetts prepares to begin marrying same-sex couples Monday, opponents are viewing legalization of gay marriage as a setback on the scale of the US Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, and they see a similar long fight ahead in their efforts to overturn the court decision that is leading to a new social era.
Shawn @LiquidList: In light of this sentiment, I present this Boston Globe article, which offers the miserable lamentings of the Christian far-right as they realize the extent of their defeat.
Edward _: Even what should be a very joyous day in the history of the US for me, the upcoming legalization of marriage in...

Marines Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stack
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
AL BO ALI DAKEL, Iraq — In accordance with the brutal accounting of modern combat, cash payments were made Thursday to people in this small village who suffered during recent fighting between U.S. Marines and insurgents in nearby Fallouja.
Robert Garcia Tagorda: Recompense Revisited — The Los Angeles Times provides additional details on the coalition's efforts to pay Iraqis back...
James Joyner: Marines Walk Softly And Carry A Big Stack [otbblog/jamesotb] [snipped quote] While this system borders on comical, it's...

Prison Abuse Scandal
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
Brig. Gen. Janis L. Karpinski, commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade who was in charge of running prisons in Iraq, told Army investigators earlier this year that she had resisted decisions by superior officers to hand over control of the prisons to...
Jeralyn Merritt: On Line Chat With Brig. Gen. Karpinski From the Washington Post: "Brig.
Phil Carter: Update III — BG Karpinski speaks: The Washington Post hosted a live online discussion with BG Janis Karpinski, the...

Officials Unaware of Interrogation Rules
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon's No. 2 general and the deputy defense secretary said they were unaware of interrogation rules approved for use in Iraq allowing the use of dogs or days of sleep deprivation.
Jeralyn Merritt: Interrogation Rules — At yesterday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, both Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice...
Peanut @SadlyNo: (05/14/04 AP/Jelinek) Let's go to the tape ... NATO: Blow me. Where are those WMDs? UN Staff: As if!

Polls Show Bush's Job-Approval Ratings Sinking
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, May 13 - As President Bush was traveling through the Midwest on his exuberant bus tour last week, his campaign aides still sounded confident that the revelations of how Iraqi prisoners were abused would do far more harm to the United States' image abroad than to the president's standing at home.
Howard Kurtz: First, the New York Times: "Mr. Bush's job-approval numbers have sunk to all-time lows, with a majority of Americans...
Taegan Goddard: The New York Times notes that problems in Iraq are causing Bush the most political damage right now.

Kerry Views Iraq Abuse Images, Blames Bush
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry saw for himself on Thursday the images of violence and sexual humiliation at a U.S.-run prison in Iraq, and blamed "grievous" errors by the Bush administration and lax oversight up and down the chain of command for the scandal.
Kevin Raybould: John Kerry, a man who has actually lived through combat, reminds us [snipped quote] We don't get the moral high ground,...
Atrios: Kerry — Link: "This administration has made a grievous error in the laxity of command control," Kerry told the Fox News Channel in an interview.

Sometimes, a War Saves People
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
The new Socialist government in Spain has caved in to the terrorist threats and withdrawn its troops from Iraq. So have Honduras and the Dominican Republic. They are unlikely to be the last.
Donald Sensing: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta says no. "Now is the time for Washington to show leadership by ensuring that the U.N. plays the central role in building a new Iraq.
Smash: The Price of Appeasement — JOSE RAMOS-HORTA, a 1996 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, speaks out on the war in Iraq.
Cori Dauber: I WANT TO HUG THIS MAN — A Nobel Peace Prize winner argues for force. What is the alternative?
Pejman Yousefzadeh: "SOMETIMES A WAR SAVES PEOPLE" — Nobel Peace Prizewinner Jose Ramos-Horta on Iraq: [snipped quote] No doubt, Ramos-Horta...
Blackfive: "It Is Always Easier To Say No To War..." In today's Wall Street Journal Op-Ed section, Jose Ramos-Horta, winner of the...
Dean Esmay: Then of course there's the case made by the likes of Jose Ramos-Horta who, like his fellow Nobel Peace laureate Vaclev Havel, fully supports America's efforts.
Also: Stephen Green

C.I.A. Says Berg's Killer Was Very Probably Zarqawi
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, March 13 — The Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is believed with "high probability" to have been the masked man seen decapitating a 26-year-old American in a video clip posted on an Islamist Web site, a Central Intelligence Agency official said Thursday.
Cori Dauber: WHAT SUBSTANCE LOOKS LIKE — Some days the Times gets it right. Here's the Times' update on the Berg case.
Andrew Sullivan: Teddy Roosevelt. IT WAS ZARQAWI: Yes, it probably was Osama's number two. As dumb as he is evil.
Christopher Kanis: Voice Analysis — So, the C.I.A. Says Berg's Killer Was Very Probably Zarqawi. Could be.

World Bank Corruption May Top $100 Bln
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Corrupt use of World Bank funds may exceed $100 billion and while the institution has moved to combat the problem, more must be done, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Thursday.
Jesse Walker: Corruption at the World Bank at Abu Ghraib
Glenn Reynolds: IT'S NOT JUST UNSCAM: [snipped quote] I hope this story gets the attention it deserves.
Captain Ed: Senator Richard Lugar set off warning bells at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this afternoon: "Corrupt use of...
Stephen Green: Now That's Real Money — The latest scandal involving a do-gooding international body: [snipped quote] Corrupt Enron went...

ACLU Was Forced to Revise Release on Patriot Act Suit
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
When a federal judge ruled two weeks ago that the American Civil Liberties Union could finally reveal the existence of a lawsuit challenging the USA Patriot Act, the group issued a news release.
Nick Gillespie: The this in question is a WashPost story: [snipped quote] Whole thing here.
Dan Gillmor: Another 'Patriot' Act Hatchet to Freedom of Speech — Washington Post: ACLU Was Forced to Revise Release on Patriot Act Suit .

First Court Martial Defendant Details Prison Abuse
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — The first soldier who will be court-martialed in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal has told military authorities a harrowing tale of how a group of guards led by Cpl.
Howard Kurtz: As if to underscore what Rummy is up against, the Los Angeles Times reports: "The first soldier who will be...
Phil Carter: Richard Serrano breaks an exclusive story in the LA Times this evening about what Army SPC Jeremy Sivits will confess to...

FBI Interviewed Berg on Possible Moussaoui Link
  Fox News   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Nicholas Berg, the American businessman executed by Islamic extremists in Iraq, may have had contact with accused Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui (search).
FBI agents interviewed Berg a few years ago when they were investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, sources said.
Steven Taylor: Th FOX News version, FBI Interviewed Berg on Possible Moussaoui Link states: "FBI agents interviewed Berg a few years...
Mathew Gross: Fox News launched this counter-"story" within hours of Michael Berg's comments hitting the wires: "WASHINGTON —...

Abu Ghraib Denial, Part 2
  By / Slate   —   Permalink 
Stop the presses! Chatterbox predicted May 11 that right-wing culture warriors would soon be blaming the Abu Ghraib prison scandal on the depravities of the 1960s. But various readers alerted Chatterbox that quite a few conservative commentators (most of them second-tier) have already come tantalizingly close to making just that point:
Rich Lowry: TIM NOAH'S DISHONESTY — Over at Slate, Tim Noah hits me from as he puts it, "Blame[ing] Quentin Tarantino" for Abu Ghraib.
Oliver Willis: Like Clockwork — You can always count on the right to blame homosexuals, porn, feminists and movie directors when things go wrong.
Andrew Sullivan: THE RIGHT-WING UNHINGED: Tim Noah collects a few of the more nutty far right attempts to explain away, ignore or just duck the issue of Abu Ghraib.
Howard Kurtz: Slate's Tim Noah has a nifty compilation of all the finger-pointing: "Stop the presses!
Nathan Hallford: Slate Takes A Look at the responses from "right-wing cultural warriors" on the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse.

CIA Says Al-Zarqawi Beheaded Berg in Iraq
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON May 13, 2004 — U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was the person shown on a video beheading an American civilian in Iraq, based on an analysis of the voice on the video, a CIA official said Thursday.
Jesse Taylor: Connections — Analysis is confirming that it was Zarqawi's voice on the tape of Nick Berg's death.
Steven Taylor: Berg Beheaded by al-Zarqawi says CIA — CIA Says Al-Zarqawi Beheaded Berg in Iraq "U.S. intelligence officials have...
Hesiod: How did they figure this out? "[B]ased on an analysis of the voice on the video. . . ." Oh really?
KJL: ZARQAWI KILLED BERG, THE CIA SAYS

British Inquiry Says Paper's Prison Abuse Photos Were Faked
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
LONDON, May 13 — The British government said today that its investigation into a series of published photographs showing the brutal mistreatment of an Iraqi prisoner has concluded that the photos were not taken in Iraq and, therefore, must have been faked.
Clayton Cramer: The Left's Continuing Campaign of Falsification — The New York Times is reporting that a series of pictures showing...
Glenn Reynolds: MORE FAKE PHOTOS of prisoner abuse. As I said before, if people keep this up, it's going to make it less likely that Abu Ghraib will be taken seriously.

Cheer Up, Hawks
  By / TCS   —   Permalink 
There's a hint of hopelessness in the air, understandable given the shocking images and casualty reports that continue to come out of Iraq. While the neurasthenic natterings of the likes of Maureen Dowd would be of little note, much of the debacle chatter is coming from the decoder-ring wielding members of the right wing conspiracy.
Daniel Drezner: "At Tech Central Station, Arnold Kling and Charles Rousseaux list the various important things that haven't gone wrong in Iraq (Kling link via Milt Rosenberg)."
Andrew Sullivan: CHEER UP, HAWKS: Reasons to be more cheerful. THE RIGHT-WING UNHINGED: Tim Noah collects a few of the more nutty far...
Pejman Yousefzadeh: OF GOOD CHEER — Charles Rousseaux points out some stories coming out of Iraq that you may have missed: "One of the...
Tom Smith: UPDATE: As usual, I'm just a radio, picking up the waves in the blogosphere.

To Help Restore U.S. Standing, Rumsfeld Must Take the Fall
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld's failure to offer his resignation over the Abu Ghraib scandal is sadly typical of the lack of accountability that permeates the U.S. government.
We have suffered some catastrophic failures during the last few years.
David Adesnik: Max Boot writes: [snipped quote] Robert Tagorda thinks that Boot's argument is solid, but that the moment for a Rumsfeld resignation has passed.
Matthew Yglesias: Max Boot, who's been one of the least-gruntled neocons out there for quite some time, is ready to sack Don Rumsfeld.
Garance Franke-Ruta: As my colleague Matthew Yglesias notes below, Iraq war enthusiast and proud neocon Max Boot, today — in a surprising...
Robert Garcia Tagorda: The Neoconservative Case Against Don Rumsfeld — Max Boot delivers it, citing not the Secretary of Defense's personal...

The War that Dare Not Speak Its Name
  By / NRO   —   Permalink 
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is adapted from a speech given last month at the annual conference of the University of Virginia School of Medicine's Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG). The theme of this year's CIAG conference was "Countering Suicide Terrorism: Risks, Responsibilities and Realities."
Edward _: Silence and the Moderate Muslim (part 3): Resistance is Futile — Andrew McCarthy's essay on NRO reads like a summary of...
Ted Belman: The War that Dare Not Speak Its Name — The battle is against militant Islam, not "Terror" By Andrew C. McCarthy, NRO ...
Cori Dauber: THE WAR THAT DARE NOT SPEAK ITS NAME — An important piece today from Andrew McCarthy in the NRO.

Globe caught with pants down: Paper duped into running porn photos
  Boston Herald   —   Permalink 
The Boston Globe was reeling yesterday after graphic photos of alleged sexual abuse of Iraqi women by U.S. soldiers turned out to be staged shots from a hardcore porn Web site.
''This photo should not have appeared in the Globe,'' editor Martin Baron said in a statement.
Jeff Goldstein: Please Come to Boston... Boston Globe editor Martin Baron acknowledges his paper's mistake in running a staged porn...
Glenn Reynolds: You'd have to buy the Boston Herald, he observes, to find out the full story. Ouch!
Jesse Walker: For the rest of the story — including the alleged involvement of the Nation of Islam (?!) — go here.

The War of Images
  By / TCS   —   Permalink 
It is often said that we are fighting a war of ideas. We are not. We are fighting a war of images, and right now our enemy is winning this war, while we are losing it, and losing it badly.
Vanderleun: And on this subject he is worth listening to very carefully: The War of Images [snipped quote] He doesn't say it, but could it be because there aren't any?
Digby: Update: Via Atrios, I see that Yglesias has posted about one of those six million, apparently, a writer for tech central...
Jesse Taylor: Lee Harris: "It is often said that we are fighting a war of ideas. We are not."
The Poor Man: Lee Harris, editor, Tech Central Station: "Liberals complain that the Bush administration's approach is too simplistic.
Matt Yglesias: The Downward Spiral — Has it come to this? [snipped quote] I'm foreseeing an ugly future.
Nick Gillespie: A snippet: [snipped quote] I'm not sure I agree with Harris' full analysis, but he raises a number of interesting points,...
Also: Glenn Reynolds

The Sacred Muslim Practice of Beheading
  By / Front Page Magazine   —   Permalink 
Reactions to the grotesque jihadist decapitation of yet another "infidel Jew," Mr. Berg, make clear that our intelligentsia are either dangerously uninformed, or simply unwilling to come to terms with this ugly reality: such murders are consistent with sacred...
BC Imperial Torturer: An Historical Perspective of the RoP (My Ass) Sacrament of Beheading — Via Glenn Beck's kickass program, we bring you...
Charles Johnson: The Sacred Muslim Practice of Beheading — Andrew Bostom reminds us that Nick Berg's decapitation was not an anomaly: The Sacred Muslim Practice of Beheading.
Donald Sensing: Beheading enemies has long Islam history — So reports LGF, citing this article.
Fred Lapides: The Sacred Muslim Practice of Beheading — Reactions to the grotesque jihadist decapitation of yet another "infidel...

LEASH GAL'S SEX PIX
  New York Post   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - Shocking shots of sexcapades involving Pfc. Lynndie England were among the hundreds of X-rated photos and videos from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal shown to lawmakers in a top-secret Capitol conference room yesterday.
"She was having sex with numerous partners.
Jeff Goldstein: 1. (Tie) Tyrannosaurus Rex; "I tripped and fell and accidentally landed on some erect penises." **** story
Steven Taylor: James Joyner notes this story from the NY Post: Leash Girl's Sex Pix "Shocking shots of sexcapades involving Pfc.
Howard Kurtz: All that's been missing from the story is sex, an angle the New York Post is all too happy to jump on: "Shocking shots of sexcapades involving Pfc.
Radley Balko: Reports of the latest round of pictures suggest that the abuse wasn't the result of expressed or implied military...
James Joyner: Lynndie England Photos — NY Post - LEASH GAL'S SEX PIX [snipped quote] Since Drudge is highlighting this one, it'll be all over the 'net soon enough.
Jeralyn Merritt: Congress Sees Explicit Lynndie England Photos — Bump and Update: Among the photos seen by Congress were many depicting...

Liberal Talk Show Shuts LA, Chicago Sales Offices
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Air America has shut its sales offices in Los Angeles and Chicago and is recasting its business plan, the network's president said on Wednesday as troubles beset the liberal talk show network.
Betsy Newmark: More Frankenfreude, as Jonah Goldberg would say. Air America is having more bad news. What a dang shame.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: ERR AMERICA: THE SAGA CONTINUES — And it looks like the saga is still filled with bad news for the network:...
Jeff Jarvis: The network gets pulled off the air in a major market. Executives keep leaving. And bad news keeps piling up.
Captain Ed: Air America Shuts Some Doors — Err America logoIn more bad news followed by some first-class spin, Air America...
Steven Taylor: Yet More Trouble for Air America — Reuters News Article [snipped quote] What!?! they had a business plan? Who knew?

The images we see -- and those we don't
  By / Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
THE DEATH of Nicholas Berg is a horror. It is a bitter reminder of why we are at war — something that much of America's political and media elite, in their binge of outrage and apology over the Abu Ghraib abuses, have lately seemed all too willing to forget.
Howard Kurtz: Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby has had it with the press: "I don't for a moment minimize the awfulness of what some...
Glenn Reynolds: Or maybe both.) UPDATE: Jeff Jacoby writes on the pictures we see and the pictures we don't. ANOTHER UPDATE: Capt. Ed thinks it's the Arnold effect.
Betsy Newmark: Jeff Jacoby looks at the media double standard on what disturbing images they will show you. "What exactly is the governing rule here?
Cori Dauber: Cowards. Update: This piece was written before the author knew about the DMN piece, obviously.

Dancing Alone
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
It is time to ask this question: Do we have any chance of succeeding at regime change in Iraq without regime change here at home?
"Hey, Friedman, why are you bringing politics into this all of a sudden?
Gary Farber: THOM FRIEDMAN HAS NOTICED the priorities of the Administration. Read The Rest Scale: 4.5 out of 5.
Howard Kurtz: Tom Friedman has had it with the Bush crowd: "There is something even more important to the Bush crowd than getting...
Will Baude: Mark Kleiman says that Tom Friedman has gone "off the reservation". Alternatively, you might say he has "returned to planet Earth".
Brad DeLong: It's not natural. It's very disturbing disturbing: "Thomas Friedman: Dancing Alone: I admit, I'm a little slow.
Cori Dauber: I can't figure out what the hell the problem is. Anyway, as a result, I never did get to Tom Friedman's renunciation.
Mark Kleiman: Tom Friedman is off the reservation — Friedman writes: It is time to ask this question: Do we have any chance of...
Also: Matthew Yglesias, Garance Franke-Ruta, David Allan Pell, Kevin Drum, Harley, Micah Sifry, Edward _, Tarek @LiquidList, Ed Cone, Ezra Klein

Bloggers doubt Berg execution video
  By / Aljazeera   —   Permalink 
Revolting millions around the world, the video footage of an American citizen's execution has also raised numerous questions concerning its authenticity.
Even at first glance, internet bloggers were asking on Thursday why Nick Berg was wearing an orange jumpsuit — just like US prisoners wear.
Jeralyn Merritt: Doubts Emerge About Berg Decapitation Video — This article in Al Jazeera says bloggers around the world are questioning the authenticity of the Nicholas Berg decapitation video.
Jeff Jarvis: Aljazeera war crime deniers : The ever noxious Al Jazeera really pushes the edge this time, running a story by one...
Cori Dauber: Of course, forget links — that would be far too much to ask for — forget names — that would be crazy to expect — they don't even make up quotes from these alleged bloggers.
Damian Penny: Al-Jazeera's shocking scoop — After causing a stir with its story about the Nick Berg beheading being a hoax, the "Arab CNN" has stumbled upon something even bigger.
Glenn Reynolds: Because Al Jazeera is now attacking its authenticity. (Yeah, it's certainly unprecedented!) Who are these unnamed bloggers?
H.D. Miller: Here's al-Jazeerah (of course) suggesting that something is fishy about the video of the murder.
Also: Blackfive, Charles Johnson, Hesiod, Stephen Green

Harsh C.I.A. Methods Cited in Top Qaeda Interrogations
  NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, May 12 — The Central Intelligence Agency has used coercive interrogation methods against a select group of high-level leaders and operatives of Al Qaeda that have produced growing concerns inside the agency about abuses, according to current and former counterterrorism officials.
Digby: In other words, it is likely that the rules for the treatment of prisoners in Iraq, just as they were in Guantanamo,...
Kevin Drum: "PAUL CLEMENT, DEPUTY SOLICITOR GENERAL: Well, our executive doesn't..." May 13, in the New York Times: "In the case...
Cori Dauber: So when you read the Times' lead article this morning, lets just try and keep a little perspective.
Steve Messina: So if even nonviolent interrogations can produce suspect results, why the hell are we abusing, and in some cases...
Robert Cox: The New York Times is reporting that some people are concerned that the CIA might be abusing al Qaeda leaders captured over the past few years.
David Allan Pell: In order to try to extract information from him after he was in custody, the CIA used a technique known as water...
Also: Matthew Yglesias, Mike Hendrix, Howard Kurtz, Tim Dunlop, Captain Ed, Jonah Goldberg, Tom Maguire, Roger L. Simon, Jeralyn Merritt, Smash, Angry Bear, Atrios, Mark Kleiman

This is the Enemy: Vile image shows world why we fight
  Dallas Morning News   —   Permalink 
The image you see here depicts an al-Qaeda terrorist brandishing the severed head of American hostage Nick Berg as a trophy of war. This is who the enemy is. This is what our nation is up against.
We have chosen to obscure Mr. Berg's face.
Steven Taylor: The editorial is worth reading, even though one has to register to do it: This is the Enemy: Vile image shows world why we fight.
Sparkey: The hometown paper get's one right for a change: Publishing this photo in no way justifies what happened in Abu Ghraib,...
Glenn Reynolds: Meanwhile, Rod Dreher emails to make clear that the Dallas Morning News did run the Berg picture.
Cori Dauber: Then they present an image of what happened to Nick Berg death's so doctored as to mean nothing.

Rumsfeld Pays Surprise Visit to Iraq
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD, May 13 — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived in Iraq Thursday afternoon in a surprise visit to reach out to U.S. soldiers and to meet privately with his top generals in the field.
Noam Scheiber: NO PROBLEM: According to today's Washington Post story about Donald Rumsfeld's visit to Abu Ghraib: "Injured detainees,...
David Allan Pell: Rummy Goes to Baghdad — Donald Rumsfeld showed up in Baghdad today where he spoke to the troops: "In recent months...
Steven Taylor: Mucho Rummy — While the big story in the Blogosphere today is obviously the Nick Berg execution, there is also quite a...
Phil Carter: A change in leadership at Abu Ghraib — Shift from reserve to active MPs should make a big difference The Washington...
Gregory Djerejian: The problem here was with individuals, not the system." This is a variation on this Rummy statement.
Aaron @LiquidList: Defense Secretary Rumsfeld decided to surprise the troops and his field commanders in Iraq today.
Also: KJL

Kerry Assails Bush on Iraq
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
ORLANDO, May 12 — Sen. John F. Kerry, breaking momentarily from his cautious approach to turmoil in Iraq, blasted President Bush on Wednesday for running an "extraordinarily mismanaged and ineptly prosecuted war" and strongly suggested Bush is partly to blame for abuses at Abu Ghraib prison.
Oliver Willis: It's As If They Lie — Who would ever think that an Enron lobbyist like Bush's campaign chair Marc Racicot would have such a loose relationship with the truth?
Josh Marshall: You know Marc — Racicot's reputation as a liar is getting pretty widespread when the Post walks its readers through...
Mark Kleiman: Jim VandeHei of the Washington Post shows how the real pros do it: The Bush campaign has repeatedly accused the senator of "politicizing" Iraq.
Betsy Newmark: Just One Minute adds a third headline to the stories about whether or not Kerry is saying enough about Iraq.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE POLITICIZATION OF ABU GHRAIB — John Kerry has come out with an uncommonly silly take on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
Noam Scheiber: THE MILBANK-IFICATION OF THE WASHINGTON POST: I've been a little critical of Jim VandeHei lately, so it's only fair that...
Also: Tom Maguire, Stephen Green

WSJ vs. 'Jersey Girls'
  NY Daily News   —   Permalink 
Wall Street Journal pundit Dorothy Rabinowitz - who last month penned an acid assault on the "Jersey Girls," four 9/11 widows who've dared to criticize the Bush administration - received some payback yesterday at the hands of "Jersey Girl" Kristin Breitweiser.
Max B. Sawicky: "THESE ABSURD PRODUCTS OF THE ZEITGEIST . . . " Don't let the children see this.
Nick Confessore: One of the paper's editors sent it to Rabinowitz for some thoughts, and she responded — to Breitweiser, accidently...
The Poor Man: Sort of. By accident. Still: [snipped quote] That's sweet. Via Romenesko.
Roger Ailes: Now it's an act of patriotism, says Dotty Rabinowitz. A class act, that Dotty. And bright, too!

Kingdom Comes to North America
  By / NRO   —   Permalink 
Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayyis, the Saudi government appointed imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, will give a series of lectures in Canada next week and attend the Islamic Society of North America conference in Toronto. Al-Sudayyis's position is one of the most prestigious in Sunni Islam.
Ted Belman: Beware — Kingdom Comes to North America Top Saudi cleric to visit Canada. By Steven Stalinsky [snipped quote] This article is well worth reading in its entirety.
Damian Penny: I'm not sure I agree with that decision on freedom-of-expression grounds, but I do believe we should at least be...
Charles Johnson: The Sheikh is a Grade A, Saudi-certified, jihad-preaching moonbat, whose khutba (sermons) are distinguished by their...