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TERRORISM: Why al Qaeda is Fleeing Iraq StrategyPage — Permalink July 12, 2004: Al Qaeda operations in Iraq have encountered unexpected problems.Iraqis have become increasingly hostile to al Qaeda's suicide bombingcampaign. Religious leaders, which al Qaeda expects to get support from, havebeen openly denouncing these bombings. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: This too seems consequential. (Thanks to InstaPundit for the link. Be sure to read the other links in his post.) Glenn Reynolds: THIS SEEMS LIKE GOOD NEWS: "Al Qaeda operations in Iraq have encountered unexpected problems. James Joyner: Why al Qaeda is Fleeing Iraq — StrategyPage - Why al Qaeda is Fleeing Iraq [snipped quote] Interesting. |
Stephen Green: Read the rest here. UPDATE: Did someone say "quagmire?" Bird Dog: Update: Strategy Page has more on the increasingly unwelcome al Qaeda in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries (hat tip to jdm). Smash: AN INTERESTING REPORT from StrategyPage: "Al Qaeda operations in Iraq have encountered unexpected problems. |
Plame's Lame Game By / Slate — Permalink Two recent reports allow us to revisit one of the great non-stories, and one of the great missed stories, of the Iraq war argument. The non-story is the alleged martyrdom of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wilson, supposed by many to have suffered cruel exposure for their commitment to the truth. | |
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Ace: Hitchens can't resist joining in the pig-pile, either. Laura Rozen: Christopher Hitchens plants himself firmly on the side of those who say there was an underlying truth behind those forged Niger uranium documents. Roger L. Simon: Of course in his new Slate piece, Plame's Lame Game - What Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife forgot to tell us about the yellow-cake scandal, there are few surprises. |
Betsy Newmark: Christopher Hitchens looks at Joseph Wilson. Gregory Djerejian: So's Johnnie Red-tippling Hitchens, by the way. And, remember, that is after some mega-goal-post-moving. Pejman Yousefzadeh: Like Christopher Hitchens enraged: [snipped quote] Hitchens goes on to downplay any suggestion of a crime committed by the revelation of Plame's name. |
Bush Again Tops Kerry on Terrorism, Poll Shows WaPo — Permalink Despite growing fears that the United States is losing the war on terrorism, President Bush has reclaimed the advantage over his Democratic challenger John F. Kerry as the presidential candidate best able to deal with the international terrorist threat, according to the latest Washington Post poll. | |
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Captain Ed: Not A Moment Too Soon, Apparently — This afternoon, the Washington Post reported more good news from their pollsters. Gregory Djerejian: If the Tagorda-thesis is right (namely, that the Administration's conflating of the war on terror with the war in Iraq... David Allan Pell: What Women Want — Leave it to those like Bill O'Reilly (who regularly tells us what people like and don't like -... |
Rich Lowry: OOPS—WASH POST POLL — That poll I posted about a while ago had actually already been released. Here it is. Steve Soto: Latest ABC News/Washington Post Poll Shows Tie, But Favorable News For Kerry — With several major polls coming out over... Robert Garcia Tagorda: Does it mean: (A) The Saudis are helping George W. Bush improve his counterterrorism record and hence his reelection chances, as Michael Moore might argue? |
| Also: Holden | |
Saudis: Bin Laden associate surrenders CNN — Permalink (CNN) — A close associate of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was flown to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after surrendering at the Saudi Embassy in Iran, a Saudi Interior Ministry official said. "He was a big fish," one Saudi official said of Khaled al-Harbi, who was believed to have been living near the Afghan-Iranian border. | |
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Tom Maguire: Check The Calendar — Crafty BushCo prepares for the Democratic Convention. Maybe it's time to re-line the tin-foil hat. James Joyner: Saudis: Bin Laden aide surrenders — CNN - Saudis: Bin Laden aide surrenders "A close associate of al Qaeda leader... |
Robert Garcia Tagorda: Khaled al-Harbi Pop Quiz! So Osama bin Laden's associate — "a big fish," according to one official — has surrendered. Steven Taylor: Bin Laden Ally Surrenders — Saudis: Bin Laden aide surrenders [snipped quote] Others blogging on this: The Command Post, Stephen Green, and Jeff Quinton. |
The Kennedy Factor By / WaPo — Permalink Every few days, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy can be seen on Capitol Hill hitting tennis balls to his Portuguese water dogs, Sunny and Splash. He typically does this on a grassy area near his office in the Russell Building or, if he has time before work, on a field near the entrance to the FDR Memorial. | |
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Jan Haugland: Most unlikely political quote of the day — From an article about Edward Kennedy in the Washington Post: "You've gotta... The Big Trunk: Fascinated by lubricants — The Washington Post profiles Teddy Kennedy at length in anticipation of his upcoming prime... Michelle Malkin: QUOTE OF THE DAY — "You've gotta like a senator who is a pooper picker-upper," said Connie Thompson of Laurel, Md.,... |
Stephen Green: Shocking Image — Remind me, on the very off chance that I ever get an invitation, not to go to any events at the... James Joyner: WaPo - The Kennedy Factor: At 72, the Senator Is Campaigning for a Kerry White House With Dogged Determination "Every... John J. Miller: SPLASH — Ted Kennedy has a dog named Splash. I am not making this up. |
| Also: Hugh Hewitt | |
Justice Dept. Details Patriot Act Cases By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The Justice Department on Tuesday gave Congress nearly three dozen examples of how the Patriot Act has been used to prosecute terrorists and other criminals, part of an administration effort to counter criticism that the law does more to harm civil liberties than to protect the nation. | |
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Kenneth Quinnell: Cherry-Picking the Patriot Act — John Ashcroft released a 29-page document on the effectiveness of the Patriot Act. Orin Kerr: The AP story is here; the DOJ report itself is here in .pdf format. I read the report, and there's nothing particularly unexpected in it. |
Edward _: [quote] "The Patriot Act is al-Qaida's worst nightmare when it comes to disrupting and disabling their operations here in America," he said. [end quote] Jeralyn Merritt: Justice Department Reports on Patriot Act Cases — The Justice Department today, amidst much fanfare, released a report on cases in which it has used the Patriot Act. |
Iraqi rebels dividing, losing support By / Christian Science Monitor — Permalink BAGHDAD - In April, with anger swelling at the US occupation and a Marine-led assault on the Sunni city of Fallujah,thousands of Shiites provided assistance to their Iraqi brothers in the city. | |
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James Joyner: Iraqi Rebels Dividing and Losing Support — CSM - Iraqi rebels dividing, losing support (via Memeorandum) Bird Dog: In another vein, the Christian Science Monitor is reporting that "Fallujah is now emerging as a symbol of the splintering Iraq resistance". |
Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: This article from the Christian Science Monitor would seem to support the above account from StrategyPage: "But... |
Kerry, Edwards May Not Vote on Marriage By / AP — Permalink BOSTON - Democrat John Kerry and his running mate John Edwards may not end up voting on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, a polarizing issue in the presidential campaign. President Bush has called for the amendment and top Republicans are trying to get one passed in the Senate. | |
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Jesse Taylor: I Wrote That Story Before I Didn't Write It — Kerry and Edwards may not vote on marriage. KJL: PRECIOUS — Looks like Kerry & Edwards may not vote on a marriage amendment. |
SK Bubba: And they've backed Kerry and Edwards into a corner in the process. I wouldn't blame them if they didn't vote. Pejman Yousefzadeh: But that doesn't prevent me from having utter contempt for John Kerry and John Edwards if this story is true: [snipped quote] Well, why not vote on the procedural measure? |
Gay Marriage Ban Divides Senate GOP By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Short on votes and beset by internal divisions, Senate Republicans struggled Tuesday to salvage a respectable defeat for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, an issue that President Bush pushed toward the top of the election-year agenda. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: Here's Senator Wayne Allard, using the kind of language often deployed when speaking of a despised minority: "There is... Tena Hollingsworth: Senate GOP short on votes for hate amendment to ban same sex marriages link here. |
Chris Gruber: Anti-Gay Amendment effort stymied — The first effort in U.S. history to use the Constitution to take rights away from... |
KERRY VS. THE WAR New York Post — Permalink JOHN Kerry has finally spo ken the words that make the November election an unambiguous choice. On "60 Minutes" on Sunday night, according to the official transcript released by CBS News, Kerry said: "I am against the — the war." | |
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Betsy Newmark: John Podhoretz has a great column trying to examine exactly where Kerry stands on the war in Iraq. [snipped quote] Read the whole thing. Stephen Green: Required Reading — John Podhoretz: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing. |
Glenn Reynolds: But they're not chummy! UPDATE: Read this, too: I voted for the war, but I'm against it! Full Evan Thomas transcript is here. Hugh Hewitt: The convention will be Kerry's last chance to seek coherence on the war against terror —though John Podhoretz is... |
Michael Moore, Ugly American By / WaPo — Permalink Michael Moore can handle verbal abuse from the conservative pundits in America, but harsh words from Pete Townshend, lead guitarist for The Who, may hit closer to his liberal heart. Moore wanted Townshend's rock anthem "Won't Get Fooled Again" for use on the soundtrack of his anti-Bush documentary film, "Fahrenheit 9/11." | |
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Tim Blair: NEW BOSS SAME AS THE OLD BOSS — Pete Townshend hits a familiar note: [snipped quote] More on this from The Independent and the Washington Post. Dean Esmay: An Honorable Man of the Left — Pete Townsend, of The Who fame, says Michael Moore is an arrogant bully, and that he... |
The Big Trunk: Michael Moore's foreign critics — The Washington Post has selected comments from the foreign press on "Fahrenheit 9/11": "Michael Moore, ugly American." Stephen Green: Maybe He'll Find Solace in a Wendy's Triple with Extra Cheese — Michael Moore is getting dissed from the Left:... |
Uncivil By / TNR — Permalink On Sunday, any ambiguity on the part of this president with respect to the religious right's Federal Marriage Amendment was removed. Bush is now clearly determined to use this issue as powerfully as he can in the election, and to endorse one of the most radical amendments to the Constitution ever proposed. | |
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James Joyner: Andrew Sullivan, writing in TNR, argues that even a limited approach is unnecessary (even if one grants the premises of... Julian Sanchez: The Show Must Go On — Scrolling through the Epstein piece Nick links below and Andrew Sullivan's fisking of the... |
Will Baude: And here's the link to Andrew Sullivan's fisking of President Bush's radio address on the Federal Marriage Amendment— which will probably persuade nobody but entertain many. Andrew Sullivan: FISKING BUSH: I take on his radio address on the Federal Marriage Amendment. |
Ditka tells GOP he's game By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink Bill Reese says if his high-end clothing firm just had a bit more warning, it would add a new shirt to next month's planned rollout of the Mike Ditka Hall of Fame Collection of casual wear. "How about 'Vote for Mike' shirts?" | |
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ArchPundit: From the Trib: [snipped quote] On top of that he doesn't seem to have voted since at least 2000. Howard Kurtz: "When it comes to Mike Ditka—the Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end, former winning Super Bowl coach, television... Christopher Kanis: DA SENATOR — Ditka tells GOP he'll run for Senate, if they want. Story. I still haven't decided what I think about this. |
Lucia @Amptoons: The rumor mill reports that they may draft Mike "Da Bears" Ditka as replacement candidate. James Martin Capozzola: The Chicago Tribune reports ("Ditka Tells GOP He's Game," by Rick Pearson): "[T]he 64-year-old Ditka ... is causing a... |
French woman admits she made up anti-Semitic attack AFP — Permalink A French woman who claimed last week she had been the victim of a vicious anti-Semitic attack admitted to police that she had made up the entire incident, and was detained for falsely reporting a crime. | |
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Damian Penny: The hate crime that wasn't — The young Parisian who said she was attacked by a gang of antisemitic Arab boys has admitted to making the whole thing up. Kim du Toit: Oops — Turns out that this story wasn't true — the woman who claimed to have been attacked made it all up. |
James Joyner: French Woman Admits She Made up Anti-Semitic Attack — AFP/YahooNews - French woman admits she made up anti-Semitic attack [snipped quote] It boggles the mind. |
Leaked Salary List Shows Bush's Highest-Paid Staff Is Mostly Male By / WaPo — Permalink The president's men are doing very well. The president's women are doing slightly less well, but still not bad. With new White House salary figures leaked to The Washington Post and an Excel spreadsheet, crack researcher Margot Williams determined that men in the Bush White House earn an average of $76,624 a year. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: Cori Dauber is a better writer than Dana Milbank could ever be. Cori Dauber also writes about more consequential things than Dana Milbank ever could. Betsy Newmark: Dana Milbank has a totally meaningless story in the Washington Post to indicate that men in Bush's White House earn more than women because more men have top positions. Cori Dauber: SLAM JOB — I'm sorry, but even though it's a bit off topic for me I just have to comment on this absurd piece by Dana Milbank on the breakdowns in White House salaries. |
Captain Ed: Dana Milbank, King Of The Non-Stories — The Washington Post's Dana Milbank continues his ongoing sniping at the Bush... Holden: White House Staff Salary List — The list. Some analysis. No surprises here. |
Roger and Me By / Slate — Permalink Let me offer my hearty congratulations on starting the All-Star Game. Wow, that is really terrific. I'd like to note, however, that I hate you. Also: You are fat. They say you've got this hard-core training regimen, with calisthenics and whatnot. | |
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Tom Maguire: Clemens haters loved watching The Rocket get launched for six runs. But there was a time...! Daniel Drezner: UPDATE: While I'm posting about baseball, Red Sox fans everywhere will have a good, rueful laugh at this Seth Stevenson rant about Roger Clemens over at Slate. |
Noam Scheiber: In honor of tonight's Major League Baseball All-Star game, and the fact that there can't be more than three people on... |
Search for AIDS vaccine falters By / USA Today — Permalink BANGKOK — The two-decade search for an AIDS vaccine, the only way to end the global crisis, is all but starting over, researchers here said Monday. • The only vaccine to complete two large-scale clinical trials, AIDSVAX, proved a flop. | |
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Clayton Cramer: No, Not The Only Way — This USA Today article about the failure to find a working AIDS vaccine makes this nonsensical... Glenn Reynolds: SOME DEPRESSING NEWS on an AIDS vaccine. I have to say that I expected a lot more progress than we've seen over the past couple of decades. |
Andrew Sullivan: THE VACCINE DREAM: Having studied this subject for over a decade, I cannot say I'm surprised that a vaccine for a... Michelle Malkin: Update: On a related note, Instapundit and Andrew Sullivan link to this article on the lack of progress in finding an AIDS vaccine. |
Ayatollah: U.S. Supports Iraq Insurgency AP — Permalink TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's supreme leader on Tuesday accused U.S. and Israeli agents, not Muslims, of responsibility for the wave of beheadings and kidnappings in Iraq, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: THE MULLAHS' PATHOLOGY: Here's Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blaming the terrorist violence against civilians in Iraq on ... Americans and Israelis. Josh Chafetz: NOTE TO THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT: If you're going to lie, at least make it plausible ... |
Charles Johnson: Iran's "Supreme Leader" Raves — Proving once again that nobody conspiracy-theorizes like an Iranian mullah, the... |
Bush Forcefully Defends War, Citing Safety of U.S. and World By / NYT — Permalink OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 12 - President Bush on Monday vigorously defended his decision to go to war against Iraq, saying the invasion was the right thing to do even though no banned weapons had been found there, and claiming progress against terrorism and the spread of unconventional arms. | |
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Quiddity: We read in a New York Times story Bush Forcefully Defends War, Citing Safety of U.S. and World, the following: (emphasis... Howard Kurtz: "Bush, meanwhile, is playing defense on the war, as the New York Times reports: "President Bush on Monday vigorously... |
Tim Dunlop: "President Bush and Jon Kreykes looked over gas centrifuges for uranium enrichment on Monday" [quote] aluminumtubes.jpg "Dang.[end quote] Cori Dauber: It's all in the framing. |
Politics, Iraqi Style By / MSNBC — Permalink July 13 - As I drove into Baghdad from the airport on Sunday, Iraqi cops were all over the streets. In some parts of town there seemed to be a road block on every corner. They stopped cars. They searched the trunks. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: ALLAWI AND THE STREET: He has a sense of what Iraqis want, according to Christopher Dickey. Top priority: order. |
Josh Marshall: A cautiously optimistic take on the new Iraqi interim government that is well worth reading. |
The Reality of Saddam's Threat NRO — Permalink On Friday, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released its "Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community's Pre-war Intelligence Assessment on Iraq." Although this report concluded that the Bush administration did not seek to "coerce, influence or... | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Seeing as how I've got a new column out saying that the Iraq War caused us to neglect more pressing issues, a new... Mike Hendrix: This single paragraph says a lot, and says it well: [snipped quote] ...but of course there's plenty more, all of it just as good and to the point. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Their article effectively refutes the common media spin regarding the report and its consequences: [snipped quote] The... |
French Officials: Hate Crime Fabricated By / AP — Permalink PARIS - Just days after claiming to having been the victim of a cruel anti-Semitic attack that stunned France, a young mother confessed she fabricated the story, authorities said Tuesday. | |
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Moe Lane: In the category of "Too pat a story"...it has been determined that the French anti-Semitic attack story was a hoax:... |
Ace: Mistaken Anti-Semitic Attack... Faked — French officials now say she just made it all up. |
GAZA'S KILLING SCHOOL Sky News — Permalink Children as young as 10 are being recruited to fight for the Palestinian cause. Sky News has gained access to a young people's camp in Gaza, where the only lesson taught is how to kill Israelis. | |
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Jan Haugland: Palestinian kids learn the art of terrorism — Palestinian child learning to be a terroristI had a look at Sky News... Charles Johnson: Palestinian Child Abuse — Gaza's Killing School. (Hat tip: Ben F.) Children as young as 10 are being recruited to fight for the Palestinian cause. |
Stephen Green: Religion of Peace — This ought to spoil your lunch: [snipped quote] I suppose the only reasonable question left to ask is, "How many five-year-olds does it take to hold up a RPG?" |
Two Americas of 'Fahrenheit' and 'Passion' By / NYT — Permalink LOS ANGELES, July 12 — The two most surprising hit movies of 2004 — Michael Moore's Bush-bashing documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" and Mel Gibson's religious epic "The Passion of the Christ" — offer an intriguing opportunity to examine the polarities among moviegoing Americans. | |
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Robert Cox: The Times Takes High Road in Fox News Battle Editor & Publisher In a letter sent to E & P Monday night, The New York... Hugh Hewitt: Tell them to smarten up. A fascinating piece on the "two Americas" of F911 and The Passion in the New York Times. |
Bill Hobbs: F9/11 Not A "Red State" Movie — The New York Times has an interesting look at the disparate geographic regions where... |
Iraq Police Net Over 500 Suspects in Baghdad Reuters — Permalink BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi police seized more than 500 criminal suspects in raids in Baghdad Tuesday, an Interior Ministry source said. "Till now the police have arrested 527 people in Rusafa," the source said, referring to a swathe of Baghdad on the east bank of the Tigris river. | |
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Steven Taylor: Good for the Iraqis — Iraq Police Net Over 500 Suspects in Baghdad "Iraqi police seized more than 500 criminal... Charles Johnson: Cleaning Out the Rats — A major round-up of criminals in Baghdad: Iraq Police Net Over 500 Suspects in Baghdad. |
Roger L. Simon: Meanwhile, on what I would wager is a far more significant front (and yet to make its appearance on CNN) the Associated... |
Ten Reasons to Fire George W. Bush By / Reason — Permalink If you're looking for reasons to be disgusted with George W. Bush, here are the top 10: 1. The war in Iraq. Over a thousand soldiers and counting have died to subdue a country that was never a threat to the United States. | |
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Billmon: But if I were a libertarian, I believe I'd find Reason magazine's top ten list of reasons to dump George W. Bush very, well, reasonable. |
Robert Clayton Dean: Who sucks harder? The often intemperate Jesse Walker lists 10 reasons to throw Bush out of the White House. |
Ditka for U.S. Senate? Ex-Coach Says Run Possible Reuters — Permalink CHICAGO (Reuters) - Mike Ditka, the cigar-chomping, blunt-speaking former football coach, said on Tuesday increasingly desperate Illinois Republicans may get a chance to put him on the ballot as their U.S. Senate candidate. | |
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KJL: RE: DITKA — I can't jump on the bandwagon yet until I hear his wife recant. Just trying to help protect marriage and all... |
Holden: Who Will Face Obama? Will it be Mike Ditka? [snipped quote] What about Bush administration drug warrior Dr. Andrea Grubb Barthwell? |
Democratic Convention to Focus on Kerry's Military Service By / NYT — Permalink With the backdrop of the war in Iraq, the four-day Democratic National Convention will focus on the public service experiences of Senator John Kerry, the presumed presidential nominee, and his running mate, Senator John Edwards, with a particular emphasis on Mr. Kerry's military experience. | |
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Paradox: Kerry Finally Draws His Knife — One can go to WaPo or those harlots at the nyt's and see the story breaking in many... |
David Allan Pell: During the upcoming Convention in Boston, we may see John Kerry arrive on the stage in a swift boat. |
Can the C.I.A. Really Be That Bad? NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee has had its say on the debacles leading up to the Iraq war, and America's intelligence agencies have come in for the lion's share of the blame. Some of the committee's findings were useful and constructive. | |
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Kevin Drum: WHOSE MISTAKE?...Michael O'Hanlon, in the course of an op-ed suggesting that the CIA didn't screw up quite as badly as... |
James Joyner: Brookings fellow Michael O'Hanlon asks "Can the C.I.A. Really Be That Bad?" in an op-ed in today's NYT. |
Five years for man who shot himself in groin Telegraph — Permalink A 28-year-old man who shot himself in the testicles with a sawn-off shotgun has been jailed for five years for possessing a prohibited firearm. David Walker had drunk 15 pints of lager when he accidentally discharged the gun which was stuffed down his trousers, Sheffield Crown Court was told. | |
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Kim du Toit: Only In Britain — Swallow all drinks before reading what follows:A 28-year-old man who shot himself in the testicles... |
Andrew Sullivan: HAVING A BAD DAY? It could be worse. |
Kerry-Edwards Stonewall LAT — Permalink If not murder, John F. Kerry and John Edwards have accused President Bush of something close to criminally negligent homicide in Iraq. "They were wrong and soldiers died because they were wrong," Kerry said of the Bush administration over the weekend. | |
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Xrlq: No attempt is made to reconcile this novel use of the phrase "weapons of mass destruction" with today's other editorial, which alleges Saddam Hussein's regime had none. Greg Ransom: Kerry and Edwards voted yes on the resolution authorizing the war in Iraq .. ". MORE LA Times "Kerry-Edwards Stonewall". |
Betsy Newmark: The LA Times opposes Bush and the war in Iraq, but they're not happy with Kerry and Edwards criticizing the war in Iraq but failing to explain their own votes for war. Tom Maguire: This editorial is brutal |
Enron e-mail cited in DeLay probe AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Rep. Chris Bell, D-Texas, who filed an ethics complaint against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, says e-mails between Enron officials bolster his charges that DeLay illegally solicited and accepted political contributions and should be investigated. | |
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Charles Kuffner: UPDATE: Via TBogg via Jack O'Toole, this priceless quote from DeLay spokesperson Jonathan Grella: [quote] "The last sign of a...[end quote] |
Tbogg: Same difference... Tom DeLay's 'challenged' spokeperson: [snipped quote] said Jonathan Grella, a DeLay spokesman.(my... |
Bin Laden associate turns self in to Saudis MSNBC — Permalink RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - A suspected Saudi al-Qaida militant who had appeared in a videotape with Osama bin Laden was flown back to the kingdom from Iran after he surrendered under a government amnesty, state television said on Tuesday. | |
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Laura Rozen: Bin Laden aide surrenders...on the Afghan-Iranian border, and is flown from Iran to Saudi Arabia. |
Tim Dunlop: UPDATE: This is good news if it pans out: "A confidant of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden surrendered to Saudi... |
Philippines Announces Pullout to Save Iraq Hostage By / Reuters — Permalink BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Monday it would withdraw its troops from Iraq as soon as possible to save a Filipino hostage threatened with death by militants. | |
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Captain Ed: A White Flag, Followed By Some First-Class Asskissing — The Philippines ran the white flag up to Islamic terrorists... Cori Dauber: But that doesn't quite give the entire picture. Because look what's in paragraph eight. Wretchard: According to Reuters: "Al Jazeera broadcast footage of Philippine deputy foreign minister Rafael Seguis reading out a... |
Stephen Green: Strike Two — Another domino falls: "The Philippines said on Monday it would withdraw its troops from Iraq as soon as... Joe Gandelman: Terrorist Forces Win One — Their strategy worked this time. Kos: Philippines caves, agrees to early withdrawal — Ugh. This is not so good. [snipped quote] It's hard to fault the Phillipines. |
A Report From Iraq 2.0 By / WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD — At least in the small enclave of the Green Zone, there's now a better balance: At one end is an Iraqi president who talks fervently about how to put his country back together, and at the other end is a U.S. ambassador who talks diplomatically about leaving Iraq to the Iraqis. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: Well, don't just take my word for it! Dave Ignatius, writing from Baghdad, issues a few cautiously optimistic notes too. Cori Dauber: Simply put, he's no Jim Hoagland, and it shows. Today, interestingly, he writes a moderately hopeful column from Iraq. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: "IRAQ 2.0" — David Ignatius clearly commits journalistic heresy by pointing out that things continue to get better in... |
Machine at Work By / NYT — Permalink From a business point of view, Enron is a smoking ruin. But there's important evidence in the rubble. If Enron hadn't collapsed, we might still have only circumstantial evidence that energy companies artificially drove up prices during California's electricity crisis. | |
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Charles Kuffner: Paul Krugman gives a synopsis today of the DeLay-Enron emails. Holden: Krugman on DeLay — A nice synopsis for readers of the Times. |
Susan Madrak: A BRIEF ABERRATION — Krugman: "The Texas redistricting, like many of Mr. DeLay's actions, broke all the usual rules of political fair play. |
Climatologist Exposes Cracks In Global Warming Foundation U.S. Newswire — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 12 /U.S. Newswire/ — A new report from the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) exposes serious problems with the historical climate trends reconstruction published by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)... | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: "CRACKS" IN THE GLOBAL WARMING THEORY — This deserves some attention: [snipped quote] The entire report can be found here. |
Brian Doherty: Excerpts from the press release: [snipped quote] Legates' complete essay here. |
A Prized Project, a Mayor and Persistent Criticism By / NYT — Permalink Even in a city with a worldwide reputation for innovative urban design, the opening this month of a spectacular new park and performance center near Lake Michigan promises to be a huge event. The site, Millennium Park, is opening four years late and at three times the original budget, but few here are complaining. | |
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Steve Antler: The cost of the future is the past... Shiny new Millennium Park, with its video fountain sculptures and state of the... |
James Martin Capozzola: The New York Times today reports ("A Prized Project, a Mayor, and Persistent Criticism," by Steven Kinzer): "Even in a... |
Bush again tries to link Saddam, al-Qaida Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - President Bush continued to insist Monday that there was an operational link between former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida despite reports by the Senate Intelligence Committee and the commission that's investigating the Sept. 11 attacks that there was no evidence that Saddam and Islamic terrorists collaborated to kill Americans. | |
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Brian Crouch: Wet concrete dries quickly — From the Knight-Ridder Washington Bureau, Bush again tries to link Saddam, al-Qaida:... |
Jesse Taylor: Wrong Lie, Right Time — I take issue with this article that accuses Bush of trying to link Saddam to al-Qaeda again. |
Red Cross Fears U.S. Is Hiding Detainees By / AP — Permalink GENEVA (AP) - The international Red Cross said Tuesday that it fears U.S. officials are holding terror suspects secretly in locations across the world. The Geneva Conventions on the conduct of warfare require the United States to give the Red Cross access to prisoners of war and other detainees. | |
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Michael Froomkin: Now AP reports that the Red Cross Fears U.S. Is Hiding Detainees and has been expressing this concern to the US for some... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Red Cross: U.S. May be Hiding Detainees — The Red Cross said today it is fearful that the U.S. is hiding detainees in secret places and not granting access to them. |
Tabby Gets Military Rank After Iraq Tour AP — Permalink COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Fort Carson Staff Sgt. Rick Bousfield of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team had a mission: Saving Pvt. Hammer. Pfc. Hammer is an Iraqi tabby cat the unit adopted after he was born last fall at a base in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad. | |
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Josh Chafetz: AS A FELLOW DOG-PERSON, I sympathize with Jonah on the "dogs of war" versus "cats of war" question. |
Rich Lowry: Hammer! From the AP: "Tabby Gets Military Rank After Iraq Tour." |
When the push for survival is a full-time job By / LAT — Permalink GOMA, Congo — Every day is a fight for pennies. At sunrise, Adolphe Mulinowa is out hauling 10-gallon cans of sand at a construction site. It takes him an hour to earn 5 cents. Then he hustles to a roadside with a few plastic bottles of pink gasoline, which he hawks alongside dozens of other street vendors. | |
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DeLong: Se Debrouiller... Marc Andreesen points Alex Tabarrok to the Los Angeles Times and Davan Maharaj reporting from the... |
Alex Tabarrok: Living on Pennies — Here is a heart-breaking series of stories about living in poverty in the third world. |
Rice: No Plan to Delay National Election By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The head of a new federal voting commission suggested to congressional leaders that there should be a process for canceling or rescheduling an election interrupted by terrorism, but national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said no such plan is being considered by the administration. | |
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Steven Taylor: Rice Says There Are No Plan to Delay Elections — Rice: No Plan to Delay National Election "Rice said the Bush... |
Kevin T. Keith: (When You Have to Trust Bush) DeForest Soaries, chair of a newly-created "US Election Assistance Commission" has... |
A Big Fat Stupid Man By / Front Page Magazine — Permalink Frontpage Interview's guests today are David T. Hardy and Jason Clarke, the authors of the new book Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man. FP: Mr. Hardy and Mr. Clarke, welcome to Frontpage Interview. Hardy: Glad to be here. | |
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Greg Ransom: Michael Moore. The Interview. |
SLZoll: There Are Medications That Can Help Quiz Time: Who do you think would appear goofier in a Front Page Mag interview —... |
A loud 'no' to delaying the election By / Washington Times — Permalink A suggestion that terrorism might delay the November election raised loud cries of "no" yesterday from both Republicans and Democrats. The chairman of the House committee that oversees federal election law said devising a plan to postpone the Nov. | |
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James Joyner: Election Delay Backlash — The blogosphere is, once again, a couple days ahead of the curve: Washington Times - A loud... |
Howard Kurtz: And, Reagan revealed, Kerry said 'that his first act as President of the United States should he be elected would be to... |
Sex Matters By / Opinion Journal — Permalink Our country is preoccupied with terrorism. But looking ahead, terrorism may be only one of our problems. China and India between them have 2.3 billion people. Although both nations have embraced some aspects of a market economy, one of them, China, is ruled by autocrats who manage a large military establishment. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: James Q Wilson comments on a new book by "Bare Branches" by Valerie M. Hudson and Andrea M. den Boer. Stephen Green: Frankie Says Relax — A couple of political scientists look at the unintended (?) results of China's One Child policy,... |
Sadly @SadlyNo: Shorter James Q. Wilson — Sex Matters "The Chinamen are coming! The Chinamen are coming!" |
White House Aims to Abolish Logging Rule By / AP — Permalink BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Bush administration Monday proposed lifting a national rule that closed remote areas of national forests to logging, instead saying states should decide whether to keep a ban on road-building in those areas. | |
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Roger L. Simon: More to Swallow - Dept. of This Land Is Your Land — Those of us who support Bush because of the WoT, despite opposing... Joe Gandelman: Gentlemen, Get Your Saws Ready... It'll be facinating to see how this plays out on both sides, but it should further... |
Steve Antler: Some of these regulations are now being addressed by the Bush administration. |
Zarqawi's Journey: From Dropout to Prisoner to Insurgent Leader By / NYT — Permalink AMMAN, Jordan, July 10 - Ten years ago, fellow inmates remember, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi emerged as the tough-guy captain of his cellblock. In the brutish dynamic of prison life, that meant doling out chores. | |
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Bird Dog: A Little More on Zarqawi — The New York Times has a profile on Musab al-Zarqawi, one of terrorism's most wanted men. |
Hugh Hewitt: I sent copies to Joshua Micah Marshall and Peter Beinart in the hope —probably vain— that articles like this one on... |
Who's Got the Wrong Values Now? By / WaPo — Permalink It's notable that in a week when the major reasons the administration offered for the war in Iraq were undercut by a Senate intelligence committee report, our presidential candidates devoted themselves to talk about "values." | |
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Rich Lowry: EJ DIONNE...today suggests that it is a sad commentary on Bush's values that he put the most alarming... |
Susan Madrak: VALUES — E.J. Dionne: [quote] Bush gave a powerful speech in York, Pa., last week describing his "values."[end quote] |
GOP May Revise Marriage Amendment WaPo — Permalink Senate Republicans yesterday weighed a proposal to scale back their constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages in hopes of picking up some votes, although they conceded that passage is still beyond their reach. | |
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Kevin Raybould: Hate Going Down Hard — This is worth smiling over: "Faced with the likelihood of falling far short of the two-thirds... |
Holden: Hatefest Off to a Bad Start — Thugs hope to snatch defeat from the jaws of an even greater defeat. |
Philippines Pledges Iraq Troop Withdrawal By / AP — Permalink MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Frantically trying to obtain the release of a captive Filipino truck driver with the clock ticking down, the Philippines said Tuesday it would withdraw its tiny peacekeeping force from Iraq as soon as it can. | |
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Stefan Beck: 'You chose dishonor and you will have war' — The Philippines has pledged to remove its (admittedly small) peacekeeping force from Iraq. |
Joe Gandelman: The latest (7/13) news story: "Frantically trying to obtain the release of a captive Filipino truck driver with the... |
Top Achievement: 'Surviving' By / NYT — Permalink The Jayson Blair scandal — which began with a reporter's fabrications and ended with the firing of two top editors — had badly bruised the paper's credibility. The public editor would scrutinize the Times's future performance and act as an advocate for readers. | |
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Will Baude: So, here's the link to the Wall Street Journal's intriguing piece on New York Times ombudsman Daniel Okrent. Daniel Drezner: The Timesmen really do not like their ombudsman — James Brander has a front-pager in today's Wall Street Journal... |
James Panero: Ombudsman watch — The Wall Street Journal yesterday took note of Daniel Okrent, ombudsman to The New York Times. (n.b. Jeff Jarvis: UPDATE: Here is the fixed link to the full story, free, from WSJ. |
Blunkett's ban will fan the flames By / Telegraph — Permalink A couple of years back, I mentioned the fatwa against Salman Rushdie and received a flurry of lively e-mails. It was Valentine's Day 1989, you'll recall, when the Ayatollah Khomeini issued his extraterritorial summary judgment on a British subject, and shortly... | |
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The Big Trunk: Churchillian observations — Prominently featured in Mark Steyn's column condemning British Home Secretary David... Greg Ransom: Winston Churchill. As quoted by Mark Steyn. |
Charles Johnson: Steyn on Blunkett's Ban — Another excellent column from Mark Steyn, on British Home Secretary David Blunkett's proposal... |
SUMMARY: TIME Poll Time — Permalink The latest TIME Poll was conducted with a random sample (RDD) of 1,192 American adults. Included in this sample are 1,003 registered voters, and 774 "likely voters" (which include those who are registered and most likely to turn out to vote). | |
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Michael DeBow: The TIME poll released Sunday included some questions about trial lawyers, including this: "55% say that his trial... Glenn Reynolds: I TOLD YOU SO: As I've been saying, calling John Edwards a "trial lawyer" may fire up the base, but it's not a recipe... Ruy Teixeira: In the Time magazine poll (July 6-8), Kerry leads Bush among RVs by 5 points (48-43). |
C. D. Harris: $591,000 In Tax Breaks For Me, Tax Hikes For You Prof. Reynolds points to this Time poll as evidence that John Edwards'... John J. Miller: AMERICANS LIKE LAWYERS — Time magazine has polled Americans on what they think of the trial-lawyer background of John... |
Hell On Earth US News — Permalink In October last year, Army Capt. Donald Reese visited the Abu Ghraib prison complex near Baghdad for the first time. He had plenty of reason to be there. He had just been installed as the warden of part of the prison, and as he toured cellblock 1, he was stunned to see a bunch of naked prisoners. | |
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Holden: Life in Abu Ghraib — Edward T. Pound and Kit R. Roane of US News & World Report have access to the 106 classified annexes to the Taguba Report. |
Susan Madrak: THE TORTURE PRESIDENT — Abu Ghraib - how did it happen? Who's to blame? |
Poll: Edwards pick gives Kerry's campaign a boost By / USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — John Kerry is getting a boost from his selection of North Carolina Sen. John Edwards as his running mate, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. The Democratic ticket now leads President Bush and Vice President Cheney 50% to 45% among likely... | |
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Taegan Goddard: New Polls — Here are the latest national polls on the presidential race: Newsweek:Kerry 51%, Bush 45% USA... Howard Kurtz: USA Today thinks so: "John Kerry is getting a boost from his selection of North Carolina Sen. John Edwards as his running mate, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. Byron L: The Edwards Bounce Kicks in — It's here: [snipped quote] Kerry / Edwards leads Bush / Cheney by eight points and Democrats are fully united behind our ticket. |
Steven Taylor: Betsy Newmark further notes the USAT write-up on NC and points out this rather amusing observation by the Kerry camp:... Betsy Newmark: I love this spin that Kerry's pollster gives about how the Kerry campaign is going to take off in North Carolina. |
Manila to Withdraw from Iraq 'As Soon as Possible' Reuters — Permalink DUBAI (Reuters) - The Philippines will withdraw its forces from Iraq "as soon as possible," Philippine deputy foreign minister Rafael Seguis said on Monday in a statement he read out on al Jazeera television. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: So, y'know, no biggie, I guess. **** more, from Malkin and friends. Joe Gandelman: This news is not good news. Robert Garcia Tagorda: Al-Jazeera says yes: [snipped quote] Reuters provides confirmation. If true, it would be a very tragic development indeed in this saga. |
Michelle Malkin: According to Reuters: [snipped quote] Seguis ends his pathetic bleat with this statement to the terrorists: "We know that Islam is the religion of peace and mercy." Charles Johnson: Philippines FM: "We Know Islam is the Religion of Peace and Mercy" — I'm beginning to feel as if I'm riding on a broken... |
President Bush Discusses Progress in the War on Terror White House — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for the warm welcome. I realize the Y-12 National Security Complex doesn't get a lot of visitors — (laughter) — so thanks for the special arrangements. I'm also glad to have the opportunity to thank each one of you for the vital work you do here. | |
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Tim Dunlop: And here's the President yesterday talking about what a good job his administration is doing: "First, we are defending the peace by taking the fight to the enemy. KJL: The president's Oak Ridge speech from yesterday. An excerpt: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing here. Matthew Yglesias: Today in Tennessee he re-iterated that it was all about a direct threat to American lives: "Although we have not found... |
Josh Marshall: The president's story, from the speech yesterday at Oak Ridge: "In 2002, the United Nations Security Council yet again... Hugh Hewitt: The president made a complete and spirited defense of the conduct of the war over the past three years in yesterday's remarks, and it was surely a warm-up to his acceptance speech. Angry Bear: AB P.S. Here's the relevant part of Bush's speech today: "In fact, according to former weapons inspector David Kay,... |
| Also: Zachary Roth, Holden | |
'Friends' of blacks By / Townhall.com — Permalink Reactions to Bill Cosby's recent criticisms of some counterproductive ghetto behavior patterns have ranged from applause from some in the black audience that heard him to a cheap attack from white liberal Barbara Ehrenreich in the New York Times. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Thomas Sowell says that we need to stop, in effect, coddling black youths by telling them it's not their fault if they don't get ahead. |
Greg Ransom: So I got my act together and graduated with honors .. ". MORE Thomas Sowell, "'Friends' of blacks". |
Officials Want Election Rescheduling Rules By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The head of a new federal voting commission suggested to congressional leaders Monday that there should be a process for canceling or rescheduling an election interrupted by terrorism, but national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said no such plan is being considered by the administration. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: The Associated Press is out with this story: "The head of a new federal voting commission suggested to congressional... |
Steve Soto: But rest assured: Condi "Twin Mirrors" says the Bush Administration is considering no such plan. |
News that explains our world By / Townhall.com — Permalink In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, William F. Buckley Jr., on the occasion of his taking leave from National Review, the magazine he founded 50 years ago, was asked a series of questions. | |
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Tbogg: Because even adults with ADHD need a columnist who writes for them — Dennis Prager writes about:... |
Edward Driscoll: NEWS THAT EXPLAINS OUR WORLD: Dennis Prager observes a jaw-dropping quote from the New York Times: [snipped quote] Ronald... |
Philippines troop offer in Iraq BBC — Permalink A senior Philippines official has said his troops will leave Iraq "as soon as possible", as a deadline nears for the beheading of a Filipino hostage. Militants holding truck driver Angelo de la Cruz since Wednesday say they will kill him if the Philippines does not speed up its planned withdrawal. | |
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KJL: PHILIPPINES NEGOTIATING WITH TERRORISTS? |
Robert Garcia Tagorda: Stay tuned. UPDATE: BBC and ABS-CBN have similar stories. UPDATE II: So does Bloomberg. |
Vice Presidents By / Townhall.com — Permalink Dick Cheney is the best Vice President in the history of the United States. I know what some of you are thinking, and the words, "damning with faint praise" are in there, aren't they? Shame on you. | |
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Tbogg: And I'm sure it's a real chuckle for the types who take anyone at TownHall seriously to read this: For good or ill,... |
Betsy Newmark: Jay Bryant argues persuasively that Dick Cheney is the best vice president ever. Of course, the pool is not great. |
'NY Times' Mag Editor May Have Broken Political Gift Ban By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK An editor at The New York Times Magazine may have violated the newspaper's highly-publicized ban on political campaign contributions with a $1,000 donation to John Kerry's presidential campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records. | |
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Jason Van Steenwyk: NY Times Mag Editor Breaks Rule: Donates 1,000 to Presidential Campaign — Now why is it I knew who the recipient was the moment I read the headline? |
Roger L. Simon: Only the Dead Are Impartial — Am I the only one that thinks The New York Times' highly-publicized ban on political... |
Israel Challenged to Tear Down Barrier By / AP — Permalink UNITED NATIONS - The Palestinians challenged Israel on Monday to accept the world court's ruling and destroy the barrier it is building to seal off the West Bank, warning that failure to do so will lead to "practical measures" against its construction. | |
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Emperor Darth Misha I: The Seethers They Are A-Seething — The palis are howling with frustration, demanding that Israel tear down the fence or else... Well, They'll think of something, dammit. |
Charles Johnson: Fat chance, losers. Israel Challenged to Tear Down Barrier. |
Official: Philippines Withdrawing Troops 'as Soon as Possible' Fox News — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq — Pleading for the life of a truck driver held hostage in Iraq, Philippine Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Rafael Seguis (search) said the country would withdraw its troops "as soon as possible." | |
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Christopher Kanis: Other countries are pussies. (P.S. — I should add that they're dumbasses, too, seein' as their groveling over a guy that's almost certainly already dead). |
Baldilocks: Filipinos Exit ASAP — One life saved (possibly). How many more will be lost as a result? |
Jadakiss Single Courts Controversy By / Reuters — Permalink NEW YORK (Billboard) - Musicians often voice political opinions in their songs, especially during an election year. Most hip-hop acts, however, have remained mum on the current political environment — until now. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Over The Line And Dumb — This rap lyric goes waaaaaaaaaaay over the line. But YOU decide. Michelle Malkin: MORE BAD RAP — The recording artist known as "Jadakiss" is earning big bucks and bling-bling with a new hit single called "Why?" |
Damian Penny: Conspirozoid Culture — The number one CD on Billboard's pop albums chart, Kiss of Death by Jadakiss, accuses President... |
Mike Ditka won't rule out U.S. Senate run Washington Times — Permalink Chicago, IL, Jul. 12 (UPI) — Hall of Fame football coach Mike Ditka says he's just a regular guy but that shouldn't rule him out as a replacement Illinois U.S. Senate candidate. The 66-year-old former head coach of the Chicago Bears appeared on television news shows to talk about a possible bid for Senate. | |
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Jesse Taylor: A Stiff, Throbbing Reminder Of America's Pride — If Mike Ditka runs for the Senate in Illinois, it will be proof positive that all politics is conspiring to give Wonkette fodder. Steve M.: I'm just thinking about it," Ditka told WGN-TV, Chicago... —Washington Times/UPI If this happens (in the wake of Jack... Ace: Mike Ditka Considering Senate Run — "I'm getting excited about it. I'm just thinking about it," the beloved coach says. |
Attaturk: In a situation just crying out of double entendres Levitra's prominant spokes-stiff, Mike Ditka, is pulsating in... Will Collier: Da Coach is publicly mulling over the idea; he even gets in a dig at Ted Kennedy in a brief UPI story. Steven Taylor: I heard something about this in passing yeterday: Ditka won't rule out U.S. Senate run "Hall of Fame football coach... |
| Also: Kos | |
In Oklahoma, GOP Race Not a Given By / WaPo — Permalink The Republican establishment in Oklahoma had hoped to all but crown former Oklahoma City mayor Kirk Humphreys as its nominee for the Senate seat being vacated by Don Nickles (R), believing he is the best choice to keep Democratic Rep. Brad Carson at bay in this conservative state. | |
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Josh Marshall: Tom Coburn, a former member of the House of Representatives from Oklahoma, who is campaigning to become the Republican... Norbizness: Senator John Cornyn (What Goes On In Your Head? — Texas) Lucia @Amptoons: Box Turtle Controversy — Andrew Sullivan and the Washington Post quote John Cornyn (R-Texas) speaking about the FMA: ... |
Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), quoted by the Washington Post, advocating a... Athenae: Senator (Heart) Turtle — Link. [snipped quote] Maybe he and Rick can hang out at the zoo. What is it with these people and animals? Byron L: He found this gem about our Junior Senator in Texas: [snipped quote] That's right. In 2004, it's men marrying men and women marrying women. |
| Also: Dwight Meredith, Charles Kuffner, Andrew Sullivan | |
Our Man in Niger NRO — Permalink Exposed and discredited, Joe Wilson might consider going back. Joe Wilson's cover has been blown. For the past year, he has claimed to be a truth-teller, a whistleblower, the victim of a vast right-wing conspiracy — and most of the media have lapped it up and cheered him on. | |
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PGL: As one reads the various attempts to smear Mr. Wilson from Andrew Sullivan, Jonah Goldberg, and in particular Cliff May... Charles Johnson: Our Man in Niger — Here's a highly damning piece by Clifford May on the left's discredited hatchetman, ex-ambassador Joseph Wilson: Our Man in Niger. Ace: Joe Wilson: Liar— Episode V — Clifford May. Even better, this WSJ piece (requires registration). |
Bill @INDCJournal: (Via Dean, who has some thoughts on the matter that you ought to read as well) UPDATE: Clifford May tastes sweet... Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Clifford May writes: "Exposed and discredited, Joe Wilson might consider going back. . . . I don't think Joe Wilson is an evil man. Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: Cliff May piles on—justifiably, I might add: "In 1991, Wilson's book jacket boasts, President George H.W. Bush... |
| Also: The Big Trunk | |
The Case of Reuters By / NRO — Permalink Many people still think of Reuters as the Rolls-Royce of news agencies. Just as the House of Morgan was once synonymous with good banking, Reuters has long been synonymous with good news-gathering. | |
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Joseph Alexander Norland: High Bias - "Mainstream" reporters aren't just liberal—they're fanatical. http://www.opinionjournal.com/ extra/?id=110005312 2. Charles Johnson: The Case of Reuters — Tom Gross looks at al-Reuters—the wire service with a venerable history that has become a... Zion Blogster: In many cases, the headline was couched in a passive voice." Read on>> |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: DARE WE HOPE? Perhaps, just perhaps, Reuters might be in the business of bettering itself. Edward Driscoll: THE KINGS OF QUOTATION MARKS: National Review looks at Reuters—the "news agency" that will not call a terrorist a terrorist. |
Counterterrorism officials look to postpone elections USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — Counterterrorism officials are looking into the possibility of postponing the November presidential election if there is a terrorist attack at election time, Newsweek reported Sunday. | |
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Chris Gruber: Now that the effort to kick legitimate Floridian voters (that old Bushian standy) has failed, they are going Orwell on... Magpie @PacificViews: For example, check out this report from USA Today or this one in the NY Times or this one from the BBC. Lambert @Corrente: Department of "No! They would never do that!" |
Bob Harris: Three subjects are hitting the inbox in quantity, so here are blanket responses: Yes, I do believe that Team Chimpy is... Norbizness: Perhaps I'm not as worked up about this whole postpone the election thing as I should be, and for that I'd like to thank Mr. Hookah and Mr. Serenity Now Audiotape. Chris Bowers: Just Because You Are Joking Doesn't Mean You Aren't Serious — I let this story slide when I first noticed it, and it... |
G.O.P. Hopes Web Sites Will Be a Link to the Small Donor By / NYT — Permalink Howard Dean, move over. In a nod to the successful online fund-raising of Mr. Dean and other Democrats, the Republican National Committee will this month start paying Web site owners who raise donations for the party through their sites. | |
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Susan Madrak: PAID VOLUNTEERISM — So the GOP will pay websites a 30% commission on donations made through them. Oliver Willis: Organic vs. Store-Bought — I'm currently reading Joe Trippi's book, and now reading this story what strikes me is the difference between how the two parties operate. Ezra Klein: Pay 'em: [snipped quote] It's not that this is a terrible idea or that it's substantively different than paying full-time fundraisers, but it changes the process for the worse. |
Holden: That's It, I'm Switching Sides — EdCone informs us that the RNC is planning to pay bloggers a 30% commission on donations to Republicans that they raise through their web sites. Ed Cone: Here's a new source of income for bloggers, as reported in the NYT: [snipped quote] — You register with a company called... |
MOVEON.ORG STILL HOME TO BUSH/HITLER AD; SHORT STILL ON SERVERS Drudge Report — Permalink Bush Haters worldwide are still watching the famed 'Bush is Nazi' add on MOVEON.ORG — despite repeated claims by the site's founders the short had been removed more than six months ago! | |
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Robert Cox: Move On Hid, Kept Hitler Ad - Until Today Drudge Report Bush Haters worldwide are still watching the famed 'Bush is... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Silly me. |
Captain Ed: Matt Drudge reports that not only was the offending file never removed, it was renamed to keep it hidden from prying... Charles Johnson: MoveOn Still Hosting Bush/Hitler Ad — According to the Drudge Report, that infamous Bush/Hitler ad that MoveOn.org... |
Gagging the Fuzz, Part 6 By / Slate — Permalink The National Park Service formally terminated Teresa Chambers on July 9. Chambers is the Park Police chief who was canned this past December for answering truthfully some questions posed to her by a Washington Post reporter about how budget constraints had... | |
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Kevin Drum: Fire her, of course. Tim Noah has the whole story. |
Daniel Drezner: Actually, it's worse than that — what does it say that three years after 9/11, the Bush administration's... |
DeLay's Corporate Fundraising Investigated By / WaPo — Permalink In May 2001, Enron's top lobbyists in Washington advised the company chairman that then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was pressing for a $100,000 contribution to his political action committee, in addition to the $250,000 the company had already pledged to the Republican Party that year. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: Reckoning DeLay The Washington Post lays out to latest on par-for-the course Texas Republican Tom DeLay ("DeLay's... Steve Soto: Tom DeLay Laundering Money With RNC's Help — It's good to see the Washington Post digging into this story. Kevin Raybould: DeLay and the Appearance of Corruption — DeLay pressed Enron execs for money to help with the Texas redistricting... |
Charles Kuffner: As for the Enron story, the Chron ran the WaPo piece. I haven't seen any mention yet in any of the other major Texas papers. ArchPundit: Can You Say Indictment — Mr. DeLay had better live up to his last name because right now Ronnie Earle, Travis County... Nick Confessore: Anyway, Smith's piece is long but well-worth reading. It does beg the question of where, exactly, the vaunted investigative reporters of the New York Times are on this story. |
| Also: Holden, Susan Madrak, Byron L, Attaturk, Tbogg, Billmon, Kevin Drum, Xan @Corrente, Oliver Willis, Kos | |
High Bias By / Opinion Journal — Permalink When Fox News Channel was founded by Rupert Murdoch, the consensus was that no startup all-news cable channel could possibly compete with CNN, and if any startup had a chance, it was MSNBC, which had the combined clout of NBC's esteemed news division and Microsoft, which in those days was believed to own the future. | |
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Robert Cox: Mainstream Media Hates Fox News OpinionJournal.com When Fox News Channel was founded by Rupert Murdoch, the consensus... Betsy Newmark: Author Orson Scott Card finds amazing bias in the mainstream media. Steve Bainbridge: Orson Scott Card ... ... turns out not only to be a fabulous science fiction writer (see, e.g., Ender's Game), but also a perceptive media critic. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: "Liberal media are fanatics" — Check out Orson Scott Card, my favourite Mormon science-fiction writer in the "Opinion Journal" talking about media bias. Edward Driscoll: ORSON SCOTT CARD ON MEDIA BIAS: [snipped quote] RTWT. Jesse Taylor: Bias, Bias Everywhere, Nor Any Drop To Spare — Orson Scott Card really should have just stopped with Ender's Game. |
| Also: Cori Dauber, Mike Hendrix, Stephen Green, Greg Ransom | |
It's officially a living: Bloggers find ad boom can pay their rent By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink A year ago, blogger Glenn Reynolds joked to the Tribune that he was making "burger-flipping" wages from the trickle of funds readers donated to his popular Web site, Instapundit.com. These days, Reynolds can afford to order steak. | |
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Robert Cox: 40 Most Powerful People in Radio Radio Ink This year's "40 Most Powerful in Radio," as compiled by Radio Ink magazine,... James Joyner: Blog Ad Boom — Chicago Tribune - It's officially a living: Bloggers find ad boom can pay their rent [otbblog-jamesotb]... Daniel Drezner: (Some) bloggers get (a little bit) rich Maureen Ryan reports in the Chicago Tribune that bloggers are starting to rake... |
ArchPundit: Pay the Rent? Uh no, but Does pay the Bandwidth! Maureen Ryan does an article on blog ads and their explosion. Jesse Taylor: Making A Living — The Chicago Tribune does a story on bloggers making a living from their blogs, while interviewing a... Steve Antler: The Chicago Tribune discusses the new economics of advertising on weblogs — featuring the great Glenn Reynolds and ad-leader Instapundit. |
The Great Intelligence Committee Report NRO — Permalink Some mysteries remain unsolved. Wow, more than 520 pages. As Dan Darling and I worked through it (and don't miss his more detailed analysis at www.windsofchange.net), we were constantly entertained by big blocks of "redacted" pages. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: I'll bring the coleslaw. **** see also: Michael Ledeen, "The Great Intelligence Committee Report: some mysteries remain unsolved." Betsy Newmark: Michael Ledeen has read the Senate Intelligence Committe Report and lots of penetrating observations. It's a must read. Matthew Yglesias: Ledeen's Theories — I've got a post on one aspect of this Michael Ledeen piece going up on Tapped, but the whole thing... |
Laura Rozen: Several interesting points in this piece. One is, the SSCI report essentially condemns the CIA for never questioning its... Cori Dauber: So you can take a look at this quite useful piece from Michael Ledeen, who's particularly useful on the question of Joe... Roger L. Simon: Best Tasted Cold... But Not Bad Lukewarm — Brother Ledeen takes on Hersh, Marshall and Jay Rockefeller — among other... |
The Talkative Terrorist on Tape: Madrid Plot 'Was My Project' NYT — Permalink MADRID, July 10 — Terrorists are not usually talkers. But the man who calls himself the mastermind of the March 11 train bombings in Madrid is an exception. For nearly three months, the Italian police have eavesdropped on Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed, "Muhammad the Egyptian" as the 32-year-old Egyptian is known. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: DEATH BY HAIR-DRYER: No, this is not a new device invented by drag queens to torture Trent Lott, it's apparently an al... Roger L. Simon: The NYT does, however, have fascinating piece of reporting on one of the lead terrorists in the Madrid bombing known as "Mohammed the Egyptian." Cori Dauber: The Madrid master mind turns out to be a chatty fellow. And there's information to be gleaned from just about everything he has to say. |
Jan Haugland: Italian police eavesdropped on his phone conversations for nearly three months, and the records have proven a very valuable source of information about the world of terrorism. Charles Johnson: The Talkative Terrorist — Bizarre and highly creepy revelations in the case of Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed, "Muhammad the... |
Wayward son gets public flogging By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Amid the spontaneous outpouring of respect and affection for Ronald Reagan after his death, a discordant note was sounded by his son. In a succession of television and newspaper interviews, Ron Reagan Jr. used the occasion to trash George W. Bush by drawing invidious comparisons between his father and the current president. | |
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Sadly @SadlyNo: Conservatives, upset about Ron Reagan's Jr. lack of adoration for George Bush, have unleashed what Robert Novak calls a public flogging. James Joyner: In news, Robert Novak recounts a fisking by William F. Buckley, Jr. of recent remarks made by Ron Reagan, Jr. "RR Jr.:... |
Robert Cox: As of Monday morning [11 am Eastern] — the ad was still carried on MOVEON's website — under the curious file name... The Big Trunk: Now Buckley has responded with a point-by-point refuation of RR Jr., parts of which are carried verbatim in Robert Novak's column this morning: "Wayward son gets public flogging." |
Antiwar Group Says Its Ad Is Rejected NYT — Permalink A group of antiwar advocates is accusing Clear Channel Communications, one of the nation's largest media companies, with close ties to national Republicans, of preventing the group from displaying a Times Square billboard critical of the war in Iraq. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: Times Square Ad Controversy The New York Times today reports "Antiwar Group Says Its Ad Is Rejected," by Raymond... KJL: ANTIWAR GROUP CRIES CENSORSHIP, IS CARELESS — I think I am for keeping bomb imagery out of Times Square. Steve M.: Mr. Meyer said Clear Channel had accepted a billboard that would replace the bomb with a dove... [Project Billboard... |
David Allan Pell: The group had planned a massive billboard in Times Square with the message: "Democracy Is Best Taught by Example, Not by War." Holden: The Peaceniks at Clear Channel — They simply can't tolerate an image of a bomb on one of their New York City... |
Democrats give Ron Reagan prime time speaking slot CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Ron Reagan will speak in prime time at the Democratic National Convention on the importance of stem cell research, a senior adviser to presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry told CNN on Sunday. | |
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James Joyner: Ron Reagan to Speak at Democratic National Convention — CNN - Democrats give Ron Reagan prime time speaking slot "Ron... Jim D: Bruised Ego Alert — Love him or hate him, admit that Ron Reagan Jr. can at least form a coherent thought and express it... Robert Garcia Tagorda: Junior — Readers should note three important points about this CNN article on Ron Reagan's planned speech at the Democratic National Convention. |
The Big Trunk: Novak quotes Buckley talking back to RR Jr. as follows: [snipped quote] UPDATE by Hindrocket: It has now been announced... Joe Gandelman: So, no, by pointing this out to you this doesn't mean I'm a Demcrat or in their cheering section. OK? Chris Mooney: Knock it Off — This CNN.com story about the planned appearance of Ronald Reagan's liberal son, Ron, at the Democratic... |
| Also: Roger Ailes, Athenae, Ezra Klein | |
Exclusive: Election Day Worries Newsweek — Permalink July 19 issue - American counterterrorism officials, citing what they call "alarming" intelligence about a possible Qaeda strike inside the United States this fall, are reviewing a proposal that could allow for the postponement of the November presidential election in the event of such an attack, NEWSWEEK has learned. | |
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Cori Dauber: It's never been done before, delay a federal election, and so it isn't even clear that anyone's yet thought through what it would take. Kevin Drum: Today, though, my paranoid friends are having the last laugh based on a story in Newsweek saying that the Department of... Jack K.: Election HiJinks? ...over the last couple of years I've been listening to all of you wigged-out lefties and all your... |
Magpie @PacificViews: And then there's this item from Newsweek that appears to started the movement of this subject from fringe paranoia to an acceptable topic for 'respectable' journalism. John Emerson: Newsweek "U.S. officials have discussed the idea of postponing Election Day in the event of a terrorist attack on or... Daniel Drezner: This officially scares the s*** out of me — Matt Drudge links to the following Michael Isikoff exclusive in Newsweek |
| Also: Mike Alissi, Will Collier, Kash, Billmon, Stephen Green, Steven Taylor, James Joyner, Tom Maguire, Susan Madrak, Ogged, Pessimist, Joe Gandelman, Meteor Blades, TChris, Digby | |
THE SENATE INTEL REPORT: SO MUCH FOR 'BUSH LIED' New York Post — Permalink THE Senate Intelligence Committee report on the intelligence failures gov erning run-up to the Iraq war is a devastating document — for those who might have thought the sole reason to go to war in 2003 was Saddam Hussein's presumed stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. | |
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Betsy Newmark: John Podhoretz looks at who the real liars are. Jonah Goldberg: ANOTHER EXCELLENT WALLOP — John Podhoretz is in fine form today. |
Cori Dauber: Update: Here's a critical point on the argument I was making this morning (not as well, however): the fact that WMD... Glenn Reynolds: SOME USEFUL PERSPECTIVE: [snipped quote] This doesn't get George Tenet and the CIA off the hook for a bad call, but it... |
Lynne, Dick Cheney Differ on Gay Marriage By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Lynne Cheney, the vice president's wife and mother of a lesbian, said Sunday that states should have the final say over the legal status of personal relationships. | |
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Harley: Which would explain calling Bush a 'tool of the fundamentalist right.' On the other hand, Lynne Cheney is no namby-pamby panderer. Jesse Taylor: Cheney Vs. Cheney — I wonder when Dick will tell Lynne to go f**k herself. ...Nah, that one's way too easy. Attaturk: Lynne Wishes to Maintain Literary License — Lynne Cheney, author of SISTERS, has bravely taken on the task of being married to "Mr. Happy" all these years. |
Kash: Maybe they should start a list of Cheney's flip-flops, too. Holden: Lynne Cheney Opposes Hate Amendment — Lynne thinks it should be left to the states to decide, agreeing with her husband circa 2000. Byron L: Lynne Cheney Loves Her Daughter — It's good to see that Mary Cheney's mother supports her daughter: [snipped quote] Congrats to Lynne Cheney. |
| Also: Andrew Sullivan | |
Social Conservatives Want More of Their Own to Speak at the G.O.P. Convention By / NYT — Permalink Some prominent conservatives say they are upset at the apparent exclusion of the champions of their favorite issues from the limelight of the Republican convention in favor of more moderate members of the party. | |
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Jesse Taylor: I bring it up not to reargue that point - if we've learned anything, it's that old conservative excesses disappear down... Harley: Social conservatives are mad as hell and they're not gonna take it any more! |
Digby: It is terribly unfair and ultimately counterproductive of your leadership to exclude the voices of grassroots "Red Lobster" Republicans from your convention. Susan Madrak: FEELING DUMPED — Seems that hurt feelings are virtually epidemic in the Republican party these days: [snipped quote] I don't know why they're bitching. |