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Swift boat skipper: Kerry critics wrong By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink The commander of a Navy swift boat who served alongside Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry during the Vietnam War stepped forward Saturday to dispute attacks challenging Kerry's integrity and war record. | |
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Michael Froomkin: Even as the various bizzarro allegations by not-so-Swifties are being systematically proved to be a complete tissue of... KJL: WILLIAM ROOD — Interesting piece in the Chicago Trib, from an editor at the paper who served with Kerry. James Joyner: This piece is joined by a companion article, Swift boat skipper: Kerry critics wrong, reporting on the previous article as a news event. |
Glenn Reynolds: THIS PIECE in the Chicago Tribune doesn't seem to add all that much considering how it was being spun. Harley: A Navy swift boat commander, William Rood, breaks thirty years of silence about the Feb. 28, 1969 mission because he believes the Swift Boaters are liars. Skippy: chicago tribune editor william rood, himself a swift boat captain during the same event, gives his version, and denounces the shifty boat liars (you may have to register!) |
| Also: Jon Henke, Barbara O'Brien, Josh Marshall, Christopher Kanis, Jerome Armstrong, Atrios | |
Swift Boat Accounts Incomplete And Flawed By / WaPo — Permalink When John F. Kerry rescued James Rassmann from the Bay Hap River in the jungles of Vietnam in March 1969, neither man could possibly have imagined that the episode would become a much-disputed focus of an American presidential campaign 35 years later. | |
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David Cohen: RICEBALL — Swift Boat Accounts Incomplete: Critics Fail to Disprove Kerry's Version of Vietnam War Episode (Michael... C. D. Harris: It's About Time — Tommorrow's Washington Post will contain a lengthy - and pretty balanced - article on the Swift Boat controversy. Hugh Hewitt: The Washington Post has thrown an enormous amount of effort at truthing one of Kerry's citations, and comes away with conflicting stories. |
Lambert @Corrente: Swift boat smear: Is WaPo in the tank on this one, or what? Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: This story from tomorrow's Washington Post illustrates the problem with the medals: "The Post's research shows... DemFromCT: BTW in the WaPo article cited by Kevin, there's this graf: "At one level, an attempt to establish what happened during... |
| Also: Oliver Willis, Kevin Drum, James Joyner, Joe Gandelman, Donald Sensing | |
Anti-Kerry vets not there that day By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink There were three swift boats on the river that day in Vietnam more than 35 years ago—three officers and 15 crew members. Only two of those officers remain to talk about what happened on February 28, 1969. | |
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ArchPundit: Trashing Kerry Has Other Effects — While trashing Kerry by a political operation that trashed John McCain is bad, the... Oliver Willis: More Swift Boat LIES — Anti-Kerry vets not there that day [snipped quote] George Bush is Up To His Old Tricks again, and their whole smear train is going down. Venkat @BeggingToDiffer: KERRY AS COMMANDER — One of the latest in the barrage of articles discrediting, or attempting to discredit, SBVT comes from William B. Rood of the Chicago Tribune. |
James Joyner: His piece, "Anti-Kerry vets not there that day," is getting quite a bit of attention from the left side of the blogosphere today. Laura Rozen: All sides in the Swift Boats nonsense are not 'equally guilty.' The facts overwhelmingly back up the Kerry side, as this... William Swann: Check out this first-hand account in the Chicago Tribune today of the incident that resulted in Kerry's Silver Star. |
| Also: Larre, Kevin Drum, Steve Gilliard, Barbara O'Brien, Atrios | |
Military records support Kerry's account of Vietnam service By / Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - Military records back John Kerry's account of his service in Vietnam and have backed at least two of his accusers into a corner. Kerry this week was forced to defend himself against accusations by a group of fellow Navy veterans of Vietnam that he was a liar and a coward. | |
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Harley: And Knight-Ridder has a helpful summary re the Swifties and their laughably inconsistent statements re the man they are trying so hard to destroy. DemFromCT: Steve Gilliard on the Neverending War with a review of a Joe Galloway article from today supporting Kerry. Skippy: knight ridder cites military records supporting kerry's version of the events. |
Robert Cox: Oliver Willis has a link to another respected voice, Joe Galloway of Knight-Ridder who backs Kerry's version of events. Oliver Willis: Must Reads — Election | George W. Bush | John Kerry | Republican Noise Machine | Republicans | Right-Wing Stupidity ... Steve Gilliard: Military records support Kerry's account of Vietnam service BY Joseph L. Galloway Knight Ridder Newspapers... |
| Also: Barbara O'Brien, Ed Cone, Atrios | |
DOING THE 'RIGHT' THING IN L.A. New York Post — Permalink IS there a growing cadre of closet conservatives in Hollywood? In an exposé on secret Hollywood Republicans in its upcoming September issue, Details magazine unmasks a host of stealth celebrity conservatives, including Adam Sandler, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jessica Simpson and Shannen Doherty. | |
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Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 8/21/04 6:10:33 pm: And just as I posted this link to Mark Steyn, Yehudit pointed out a NY Post gossip column about Hollywood's stealth Republicans. Jeff Quinton: Page Six: "In an exposé on secret Hollywood Republicans in its upcoming September issue, Details magazine... |
Judith Weiss: Outed. I'm going to quote most of this because it's short and doesn't have a permalink: [snipped quote] I look forward to reading the whole thing. Orrin Judd: NOT EXACTLY REAGAN, WAYNE & COOPER: DOING THE 'RIGHT' THING IN L.A. |
Kerry Might Pay Price for Failing to Strike Back Quickly By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 - The fierce back and forth over John Kerry's Vietnam War record may seem an odd storm to break out during the summer lull before the Republican convention. But it goes to the heart of his challenge to President Bush, and its resolution may prove pivotal in determining Mr. Kerry's hopes of victory this fall. | |
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David Adesnik: NYT CHEAPSHOT AT THE BLOGOSPHERE: I saw it this morning, but Glenn beat me to the post. Mike Hendrix: A-fisking we shall go — Reynolds links to a NYT article that is just astoundingly transparent twaddle, even by the... Betsy Newmark: The New York Times says that Kerry made a mistake by delaying his counterattack against the SBVT ad. |
Roger L. Simon: Lifson Takes On Nagourney — Some of you may have noticed that Adam Nagourney had some nasty things to say about blogs this morning. Glenn Reynolds: MORE SLOPPY AND UNSUBSTANTIATED CHARGES THIS POLITICAL SEASON: They're from the New York Times, which writes:... Tom Maguire: MORE: The smell of fear at the NY Times: from Adam Nagourney - "Kerry Might Pay Price for Failing to Strike Back... |
| Also: Hindrocket, Orrin Judd, Joe Gandelman | |
G.O.P. Vows to Offer Detailed Agenda at Its Convention By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 - President Bush will present what aides say will be a detailed second-term agenda when he is nominated in New York in 10 days, part of an ambitious convention program built on invocations of Sept. 11 and efforts to paint Senator John Kerry as untrustworthy and out of the mainstream. | |
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Michael Froomkin: From the mind-boggles dept: Bush Promises to Offer Detailed Plans at Convention: Mr. Bush's advisers said they were... Matthew Yglesias: Dipshits — [snipped quote] These people are really making me mad. |
Dave Johnson: Keeping in mind that Horowitz' book is considered the "Bible" of Republican strategists, take a look at this news story... DemFromCT: The RNC - A Preview of Failed Policy — G.O.P. Vows to Offer Detailed Agenda at Its Convention "President Bush will... |
New Internet Ad: George Bush is Up to His Old Tricks Kerry for President Press Room — Permalink Washington, DC - As a desperate President Bush and Karl Rove once again resort to the smear page of their campaign playbook, the Kerry-Edwards campaign today launched a new Internet ad that will give viewers across the country a severe case of Déjà vu. | |
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Kevin Drum: AT LONG LAST....The interesting thing about this bit of conservative psychoanalysis.... [snipped quote] ...is that it's from the latest issue of the Weekly Standard. |
Richard TPD: Via Duncan. UPDATE: You can go see for youself just how sickening bush's attacks on McCain 4 years ago were. Unbelievable. |
Kidnappers Will Release U.S. Journalist, Militia Says By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 21 - Representatives of a rebel Shiite militia said Saturday that they expected the release of Micah Garen, a 36-year-old American journalist who was taken hostage a week ago on Friday outside a gun shop in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Terrorists To Release American Journalist — You can tell it wasn't an Al Qaeda group this time: [snipped quote] The key... |
Jeff Quinton: Terrorists to release American hostage — N.Y. Times: [snipped quote] Via Joe Gandelman @ Dean's World. |
Some Veterans Still Bitter at Talk of Crimes WaPo — Permalink William Ferris was confined to a bed in a military hospital, his severed sciatic nerve reminding him of the attack on his Navy Swift boat in a Vietnamese river. A shot from a recoilless rifle had pierced the boat's pilothouse and then Ferris's body, leaving him in constant agony. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: UNLIKE THE STORY OF THE MEDALS, this will be harder to spin: [snipped quote] Kerry's postwar conduct is all a matter of... The Big Trunk: And Drudge has flagged this article from this morning's Washington Post: "Some veterans still bitter at talk of crimes." Tom Maguire: For their part, the Swiftees have moved the argument to what seems to be their real objection to John Kerry - his medals... |
Susan Madrak: 'BABY KILLERS' — Looks like this is primarily based in their need to punish Kerry for his testimony all those years ago: [snipped quote] You know what I find odd? Betsy Newmark: The Washington Post has a front page piece talking to some of the men who signed the SBVT ad asking Kerry to open his military records. Orrin Judd: MORE: Some Veterans Still Bitter at Talk of Crimes: Senator's Activism Made A Lasting Impression (Josh White and Brian... |
Dems play second fiddle to celebrity egos By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink One of the most agreeable aspects of the Republican Party is that there's minimal risk of running into celebrities. At a Democratic political get-together, the only way to tell who the senators are is that they're the only two guys in the room you don't... | |
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Charles Johnson: GOP Gets Zero Celebrity Rating — Mark Steyn, on the plethora of dim-bulb Democratic celebrities: Dems play second fiddle to celebrity egos. |
Judith Weiss: UPDATE: Mark Steyn on the celebrity-deprived GOP. |
Kerry to File Complaint Tying Bush to Attack Ads LAT — Permalink FORT MYERS, Fla. — The campaign for Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry said Friday it would file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, charging that a Vietnam veterans group had been illegally coordinating its ad campaign about Kerry's military record with President Bush. | |
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Patterico: Los Angeles Times Blows the Story of John O'Neill's Contributions to Democrats — Very interesting comment in the Los... |
Skippy: the latimes reports that kerry is filing a complaint with the fec that awol is coordinating with the shifty boat boys, which is against federal election laws. |
Graphic Designer Fired After Heckling Bush By / AP — Permalink CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A man who heckled President Bush at a political rally was fired from his job at an advertising and design company for offending a client who provided tickets to the event. The fired graphic designer said Saturday he won't try to get his job back. | |
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Xan @Corrente: "I was told that my actions reflected badly on the company and that a client was upset," Glen Hiller of Berkeley Springs... |
SK Bubba: ..and freedom to get fired. |
Witness breaks silence - backs Kerry's story AP — Permalink CHICAGO — A Chicago Tribune editor who was on the Vietnam mission for which John Kerry received the Silver Star is backing up Kerry's account of the incident. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: The latest news is the Chicago Tribune copy editor who comes out for Kerry's version. |
Joe Gandelman: Our Wonderful Saudi Arabian Allies — Isn't it great that we're helping defend an establishment with values like these? |
An Ocean Apart, a World of Difference By / NYT — Permalink In a relationship as complicated as America's with Europe, where politics, history and culture collide, politicians and analysts have but a limited role in defining its meaning. | |
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David Adesnik: LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The NYT ran a photo essay on European aristocracy on today's op-ed page along with a commentary... Cori Dauber: And what's so special about these pictures? |
Orrin Judd: AN OLD GULF WIDENED: An Ocean Apart, a World of Difference (AMANDA FOREMAN, 8/21/04, NY Times) [snipped quote] Bring him back today and he'd apologize. |
Bush Promises to Offer Detailed Plans at Convention By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 - President Bush will present what aides say will be a detailed second-term agenda when he is nominated in New York in 10 days, part of an ambitious convention program built on invocations of Sept. 11 and efforts to paint Senator John Kerry as untrustworthy and out of the mainstream. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Bush's Convention Plans — Reading about Bush's plans for the convention in Sunday's New York Times, it was hard not to gag. |
Orrin Judd: SO MUCH YET TO DO: Bush Promises to Offer Detailed Plans at Convention (ADAM NAGOURNEY, 8/22/04, NY Times)... |
A continent divided: Half of Europe is leaning to Kerry. But it's the wrong half National Post — Permalink If the presidential election still looks open in America itself — the polls show the two candidates continually overtaking each other — Senator John Kerry is agreed to be the firm favourite in Europe. | |
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Ed Driscoll: But as far as most American voters are concerned, it's the wrong half. (Via Charles Johnson.) |
Charles Johnson: Kerry's European Blunder — A great piece by John O'Sullivan on John Kerry's much-vaunted support among Europeans: Half... |
Going Negative: When It Works NYT — Permalink THIS was supposed to be the positive campaign. Late last fall, Democrats and Republicans alike predicted that a new campaign rule requiring candidates to appear in their own advertisements and take credit for them would discourage them from making negative ads. | |
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Michael Froomkin: It remains to be seen whether these tactical gains can be overcome by a strategic loss — which happens only if... |
Orrin Judd: DAVID ALWAYS BEATS GOLIATH: Going Negative: When It Works (JIM RUTENBERG and KATE ZERNIKE, 8/22/04, NY Times) |
Olympians largely barred from blogging AP — Permalink (AP) — Athletes may be the center of attention at the Olympic Games, but don't expect to hear directly from them online — or see snapshots or video they've taken. The International Olympic Committee is barring competitors, as well as coaches, support personnel and other officials, from writing firsthand accounts for news and other Web sites. | |
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Gary Farber: The Kings and Queens of the Olympics have spoken: "(AP) — Athletes may be the center of attention at the Olympic... Dan Gillmor: Olympic-Sized Arrogance — AP: Olympians largely barred from blogging. |
Ed Cone: Blogging banned as Olympic sport. Doesn't the IOC have some seats to be selling in Athens, or at least some bribe money... Jon Kay: SON OF UPDATE: GET YOUR COMPLETE IOC REPRESSION COVERAGE HERE! The IOC forbids blogs. |
Kerry Is Filing a Complaint Against Swift Boat Group NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 - Stepping up a counteroffensive against a veterans group that is attacking his military record, the campaign of Senator John Kerry said on Friday that it was filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing the organization of violating campaign laws by coordinating its activities with the Bush campaign. | |
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David Cohen: HOIST BY THEIR OWN PETARD — Kerry Is Filing a Complaint Against Swift Boat Group (Glen Justice and Jim Rutenberg, NY... Tom Maguire: And from Glen Justice and Jim Rutenberg, "Kerry Is Filing a Complaint Against Swift Boat Group: ...some Democrats said... |
Rich Lowry: So I agree with the Democractic aide quoted in this Times story: "Mr. Kerry's campaign argued that he was relating... John Cole: Kerry Is Filing a Complaint Against Swift Boat Group This is, of course, after trying to stifle the book. |
Keyes' refreshing honesty could change GOP By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink How I love the campaigning, cyclonic Alan Keyes! Let me count the ways. To appreciate the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, you must consider his two ingredients. First, an Old Testament prophet. ''Thus says the Lord,'' the prophets declared. | |
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ArchPundit: Apparently, Roeser isn't being satirical. Because, you know, Thomas Aquinas and an old testament prophet would be great candidates today. |
Orrin Judd: KEYES 8, OBAMA 0: Keyes' refreshing honesty could change GOP (THOMAS ROESER, 8/21/04, Chicago Sun-Times) |
Group to Air Ad Attacking Kerry's 1971 Testimony By / WaPo — Permalink The fight over Vietnam and valor consumed the presidential campaign yesterday, as a group of veterans accused John F. Kerry of betraying fellow soldiers and dishonoring the country when he became a leader of the antiwar movement upon his return, and Democrats launched a new counteroffensive. | |
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Orrin Judd: THE KERRY CAMPAIGN PEAKED AWHILE AGO, NOW IT'S MCPEAKED: Group to Air Ad Attacking Kerry's 1971 Testimony: Democrats... Josh Marshall: But the Post piece gives some sobering signs about how effective it's been. |
Betsy Newmark: The back and forth among the aides is really quite amusing. [snipped quote] The problem is that the public has heard all about Bush's National Guard service and processed it. |
Clashes Slow as Cleric's Grip on Mosque Seems to Slip NYT — Permalink The tightrope that the two sides are walking was clearly visible in the cemetery on Thursday and Friday. Late on Thursday night, American soldiers in tanks and armored vehicles pushed to its southern edge, just a few hundred yards from the mosque, where they fired tanks and heavy machine guns at buildings in the Old City. | |
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Rich Lowry: THE KEYS — I love this formulation from a Sistani aide, reported in the New York Times: [snipped quote] PS: Check out... |
Cori Dauber: NAJAF — This report from the Times suggests that the situation is too confusing to read precisely — but is beginning to look as if the crisis will pass. |
Putting Brakes On Olympic Blogs CBS News — Permalink (AP) Athletes may be the center of attention at the Olympic Games, but don't expect to hear directly from them online - or see snapshots or video they've taken. The International Olympic Committee is barring competitors, as well as coaches, support personnel and other officials, from writing firsthand accounts for news and other Web sites. | |
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Robert Cox: Cori Dauber notes that the IOC is shutting down Olympic bloggers beacuse it is a threat to broadcasters who paid for the rights to broadcast the Olympics. |
Cori Dauber: The IOC has ruled that athletes, coaches, even officials, posting first hand accounts, photos or video, interferes with... |
Colorado May Switch From Winner-Take-All By / WaPo — Permalink Colorado will decide this fall whether to revamp its system for allocating electoral votes — and that could have a big impact on this year's presidential election. | |
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John Cole: Election Changes — TalkLeft talks about proposed election changes in Colorado: [snipped quote] The motivation... |
Jeralyn Merritt: But a proposal to change that is on the ballot this fall. If it passes, it would affect the distribution of Colorado's electoral votes in the November election. |
The Kerry Wars By / Weekly Standard — Permalink JOHN KERRY, fresh from a three-day vacation at his retreat in Ketchum, Idaho, addressed the annual convention of the International Association of Fire Fighters in Boston last week, and it was quite a speech—combative, fiery, personal. | |
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Roger L. Simon: Il Capitano always has. UPDATE: Mathew Continetti appears to strike the right balance so far. Betsy Newmark: Here's the Weekly Standard cover story on Kerry's war service and the anti-Kerry Swift Boat group, "Where was John Kerry December 24, 1968? Orrin Judd: MORE: The Kerry Wars: Where was John Kerry December 24, 1968? Not in Cambodia. |
The Big Trunk: Last night we linked to Matthew Continetti's article reviewing the Kurtz chronicles, "The Kerry wars." Hugh Hewitt: Here is Matthew Continetti's new summary piece on the Cambodia deception. Here's my review, with the key links, of the meltdown. |
Militia, Shiite Leaders Bicker Over Shrine AP — Permalink NAJAF, Iraq Aug. 21, 2004 — Militants loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr remained in control of a revered Shiite shrine at the center of the crisis in Najaf on Saturday, as they bickered with top Shiite religious leaders over how to hand the holy site over. | |
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DemFromCT: How about Militia, Shiite Leaders Bicker Over Shrine That about sums up the situation, huh? A contretemps in Iraq. |
Barbara O'Brien: The most recent news stories say that Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia remain in control of the Imam Ali mosque, even... |
Bearhug Politics: Careful Steps to a New Bush-McCain Alliance By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 - It was one of the odder embraces in American politics since Sammy Davis Jr. hugged Richard M. Nixon at the Republican Convention 32 years ago this summer: George W. Bush and John McCain's back-wrapping bearhug and side-head-smooch on the campaign trail last week. | |
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James Joyner: The Bush-McCain Alliance — Bearhug Politics: Careful Steps to a New Bush-McCain Alliance (NYT) [snipped quote] Odd as it may be, it's not particularly surprising. |
Betsy Newmark: The New York Times takes a long look at the new McCain-Bush friendship and what's in it for both as if McCain's support is a pure political calculation. |
The Bloody Shirt Is Back By / Weekly Standard — Permalink THERE'S NEVER BEEN a presidential campaign like John Kerry's. Never has a presidential nominee made his own experience in a war the centerpiece of his campaign for the White House. In 1960, John F. Kennedy didn't hide his World War II record as commander of PT-109, but he didn't talk it up either. | |
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The Big Trunk: This morning the Standard has also posted the article by Fred Barnes, "The bloody shirt is back." Orrin Judd: IT'S NOT THE WAR RECORD, IT'S THE ANTI-WAR RECORD: The Bloody Shirt Is Back: Did you know John Kerry served in Vietnam? |
Betsy Newmark: And Fred Barnes notes that the "bloody shirt" campaign is back. |
Volunteer Links Anti-Kerry Flier to GOP By / AP — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas - A volunteer for John Kerry said Friday he picked up a flier in a Bush-Cheney campaign office in Gainesville, Fla., promoting Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group the Bush campaign has insisted for weeks it has no connection to. | |
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Sir George: Meanwhile of course, Kerry's campaign has seized on the presence of a stack of f**king fliers as the basis for their FEC filing. |
Steve Soto: Oops, Florida GOP Is Caught Promoting Swifties Campaign — On a day when the White House once again claimed it has no... |
Kerry Files Suit Vs. Ads Challenging His War Record Reuters — Permalink FORT MYERS, Fla. (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry asked the Federal Election Commission on Friday to force Republican critics to withdraw ads challenging his military service, and accused the Bush campaign of illegally helping coordinate the attacks. | |
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Captain Ed: However, Kerry has usurped the role that his Hollywood handlers strove to hang on George Bush and John Ashcroft,... Laura Rozen: From Reuters: [snipped quote] MORE: Evidence the Bush campaign is coordinating with the Swift Boats [via Atrios. ] |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Forget the investigation, media already knows the answers — This is how the mainstream media - Reuters in this case -... Hindrocket: Shut Up, He Explained — More crushing of dissent: John Kerry has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections... |
Kennedy has company on airline watch list CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Edward Kennedy is not alone. A second prominent lawmaker said Friday that he's been subjected to extra security at airports because his name appears on a list designed to prevent terrorists from boarding planes. | |
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Joe Gandelman: The Brooh-Ha-Ha Over Bigwigs Getting Stopped On A No-Fly List — The Department of Homeland security continues to be the... Lambert @Corrente: Now, it's two lawmakers on the airlines terror watch list — Two guesses on which party both are from! One.... Two.... Times's up! |
Michelle Malkin: Now comes word that Rep. John Lewis of Georgia has had a similar problem. |
U.S. Increasing Surveillance of Canadian Border AP — Permalink BELLINGHAM, Wash., Aug. 20 (AP) - As part of a plan to increase surveillance of the Canadian border, federal officials on Friday opened the first of five planned bases for regular flights to look for drug runners and others crossing illegally by air or land. | |
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Cori Dauber: So, all that having been said, the news that additional surveillence is coming online for the norther border is very welcome. |
Jeralyn Merritt: The borders are about to become increasingly populated with government agents: "...federal officials on Friday opened... |
Kerry takes legal action against Vietnam critics AFP — Permalink FORT MYERS, United States (AFP) - Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry 's campaign formally alleged that a group attacking his Vietnam war record had illegal ties to US President George W. Bush 's reelection bid. | |
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John Hawkins: The Kerry campaign immediately filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission and Amazon.com to block the ads and the book. Allah: Panic — UPDATE: Reason. |
Robert Cox: Meanwhile, the White House denies The Times story. Kerry has filed an FEC complaint. |
Kerry, Bush Escalate Battle Over Vietnam Ads Reuters — Permalink Kerry escalated the battle over the Swift Boat ads on Thursday by charging that the group was "a front for the Bush campaign" funded by hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Republican contributor in Texas, Bush's home state. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: In both Florida, and Minnesota (not to talk about the fact that the guy who's funding them is the largest Republican donor in Texas). |
Bill Hobbs: UPDATE: Kerry is showing his commitment to freedom of speech, while his campaign shows its disdain for censorship of dissent. |
What Went Wrong in Iraq By / Foreign Affairs — Permalink Summary: Although the early U.S. blunders in the occupation of Iraq are well known, their consequences are just now becoming clear. The Bush administration was never willing to commit the resources necessary to secure the country and did not make the most of the resources it had. | |
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Venkat @BeggingToDiffer: WHAT WENT WRONG IN IRAQ — An article written by someone who "served as Senior Advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority" from Jan. to April of 2004. Matthew Yglesias: I note that by no means should anyone read Larry Diamond's devastating account of the catastrophic mismanagement of the occupation of Iraq. Phillip Carter: The article is titled "What Went Wrong in Iraq," and covers some interesting ground relating to the nexus between security and nation-building. |
Gary Farber: Larry Diamond in Foreign Affairs comprehensively explains: [snipped quote] I have no problem understanding why many people supported the invasion of Iraq. Daniel Drezner: Diamond has articulated that dissatisfaction into a lengthy essay in the September/October issue of Foreign Affairs... |
Flashback: In 1999, media virtually ignored anti-Bush book -- except to report on author's credibility Media Matters for America — Permalink In light of the relentless media coverage of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth [sic] and their thinly sourced, consistently contradicted-by-official-documents attacks on Senator John Kerry (D-MA) — most notably in the new book Unfit for Command: Swift Boat... | |
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Jeff Quinton: Media Matters on Swift Vets, Fortunate Son — Tim Kelly makes a good point: "Media Matters looks at the Swift Boat... Atrios: Sharp Contrast — Fortunate Son vs. Swift Boat Liars. |
Camille Roy: Swift Slime — MediaMatters has posted an analysis of the current brouhaha about "Unfit for Command", comparing it to an earlier book on Bush. |
Kerry files FEC complaint against critical veterans group CNN — Permalink (CNN) — The Kerry presidential campaign on Friday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, alleging ads from an anti-Kerry veterans' group are inaccurate and "illegally coordinated" with Republicans and the Bush-Cheney campaign. | |
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Captain Ed: CNN attempts to use a little misdirection on his behalf to turn Kerry into a reporter (scroll down to subheader... Orrin Judd: STUCK IN '68: Swift boat group launches new anti-Kerry ad: Survey finds earlier spot reaching wide audience (CNN,... |
Tbogg: Context: Not shown on the ad is Kerry's preface to those comments, in which he said he is reporting what others said at a conference of Vietnam veterans in Detroit. |
Press Gaggle by Scott Mcclellan White House — Permalink MR. McCLELLAN: All right, good afternoon. The President participated in his usual briefings this morning. Following that, he spoke with Secretary Rumsfeld. They discussed Iraq, including the latest developments on the ground in Najaf, and they also talked about Monday's defense meeting here in Crawford. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Department of How Stupid Do They Think We Are?"—Putting the W in "sWift Boat" — Of course the Republicans are in bed with the "Swift Boat Veterans for [cough] Truth." Atrios: McClellan said. ...here's the gaggle where the quote is from, courtesy of holden. |
Duckman GR: No wonder — Reading Spinnin Scotty's gaggle from this mornng this afternoon, it suddenly struck me. |
Kerry Aims to Counter Impact of Criticism By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - The Democratic Party launched a costly round of ads Friday to buttress John Kerry's credentials to be commander in chief as the White House accused the Massachusetts senator of "losing his cool" over attacks on his war record. | |
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Joel Foreman: Kerry Aims to Counter Impact of Criticism I love this quote: "John Kerry is a fighter and he doesn't tolerate lies from others." |
Roger L. Simon: I certainly don't know... and I don't think the story is written yet, El 'Awrence... but this report would from the AP would indicate they are beginning to. |
Can Kerry make a case that Bush broke the law? By / MSNBC — Permalink WASHINGTON - Can Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry prove his allegation that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group airing ads denigrating his service as a Navy officer in Vietnam, are nothing more than "a front for the Bush campaign"? | |
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Baldilocks: I just heard on Hugh Hewitt's radio show that the Kerry Campaign is filing suit with the Federal Election Commission... |
Charles Johnson: Kerry Files FEC Action to Muzzle SwiftVets — Rather than dealing factually with the ever-expanding allegations of... |
Audit Shows $8.8B Missing in Iraq Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — A soon-to-be-released audit will show that at least $8.8 billion in Iraqi money that was given to Iraqi ministries by the former U.S.-led authority there cannot be accounted for, FOX News has confirmed. And three senators want to know where the cash is. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Speaking of accountants it seems that the Coalition Provisional Authority somehow lost "at least" $8.8 billion that had been appropriated for Iraq reconstruction efforts. |
Brian Doherty: Fox News pulls together some of the brewing controversy about a forthcoming report from the inspector general of Iraq's... |
John Kerry's Mysterious Combat "V" Front Page Magazine — Permalink As the authors of Fake Warriors: Identifying, Exposing and Punishing Those Who Falsify Their Military Service, we receive scores of emails on our website either asking questions about the Fake Warrior phenomenon (which has reached epidemic proportions), or reporting sightings which sometimes lead to exposure and even fines or jail terms. | |
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Sadly @SadlyNo: FrontPage Article with a "D" for Dumb — Over at the always hooty FrontPage Magazine, the ambiguously accurate duo of... C. D. Harris: There's more... » * Here, for instance, is an easy one the media could investigate: Erika and Henry Mark Holzer,... |
Ace: This guy says that Silver Stars are never awarded with the additional specification "for V" (valor), because that's a redudancy. John Cole: Citation Language — What is going on with this: [snipped quote] If Kerry were a republican, this accusation alone would be enough for a front page NY Times story. |
Anti-Americanism a Hit With Egyptian Audiences By / WaPo — Permalink CAIRO — A ballad drifted from the movie screen. The lyrics mourned a lost love, not an unusual climax for an Egyptian film. But this lost love was a place across the sea. "New York," the singer asked, "why do you resist tenderness?" | |
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Virginia Postrel: Spinning Egyptian Anti-Americanism The incomparable Chuck Freund, who has seen more Arabic-language movies than most... Allah: One nice thing about the lack of Kerry/Cambodia coverage is that it frees up valuable space for stories like this, in... |
Charles Paul Freund: New York Today's Washington Post has a front-page story about anti-Americanism in Arab pop culture, leading with a... |
Veteran shares perspective on Kerry story Augusta Free Press — Permalink The new version of Sen. John Kerry's Cambodia experience is also not true. Sen. Kerry patrolled from An Thoi on the 94 boat and also from Cat Lo on the 44 boat. There was no way to enter Cambodia from the An Thoi patrol area. | |
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John Cole: I hear he is also especially cruel to the little creatures: [snipped quote] Liar. Kerry hater. Greg Ransom: A swift boat vet unaffilliated with "Swift Boat Vets for Truth" speaks out: [snipped quote] — Doug Regelin, in the Augusta Free Press. (via Powerline.) The Big Trunk: Enter Doug Regelin — A reader has sent us the link to this guest column by Doug Regelin in the Augusta Free Press: "Veteran shares perspective on Kerry story." |
Betsy Newmark: One Swift Boat Veteran who is not part of SBVT explains why Kerry's whole Cambodia story is just not true. Roger L. Simon: And that's the problem. UPDATE: More on the Cambodia story from The Augusta Free Press. |
Kerry Starts Firing Back at Critics of War Record LAT — Permalink BOSTON — Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry on Thursday lashed back for the first time against a group of Vietnam veterans critical of his wartime service, accusing them of doing President Bush's "dirty work" and suggesting that he, in turn, would challenge Bush's military record. | |
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Patterico: Patterico Seeks Yet Another Correction from the Los Angeles Times — The Los Angeles Times reports this morning: Kerry Starts Firing Back at Critics of War Record. Hugh Hewitt: Kerry's threatening to attack Bush's Air National Guard record, which even the Los Angeles Times is obliged to report as... |
Susan Q. Stranahan: The Times and the Post,along with the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, and USA Today all duly reported Kerry's charge linking the group to the Bush White House. |
Can You Forgive Them? By / Slate — Permalink The most striking thing about this week's statement by Rep. Doug Bereuter, R-Neb., that "it was a mistake" to go to war in Iraq is how little controversy it's stirred. | |
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Kevin Hayden: Atrios mentioned the Tim Noah article describing the view from the Beltway, which is [snipped quote] We live in a nation... Jeanne D'Arc: Timothy Noah: Being wrong about the war may have caused me mild embarrassment among some of my friends on the left, but... |
Eugene Oregon: These Are Not the Droids You're Looking For — Timothy Noah has a good piece on how just about everyone was wrong about... |
Friendly Fire: The Birth of an Anti-Kerry Ad NYT — Permalink After weeks of taking fire over veterans' accusations that he had lied about his Vietnam service record to win medals and build a political career, Senator John Kerry shot back yesterday, calling those statements categorically false and branding the people behind them tools of the Bush campaign. | |
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Fafnir: 'Preciate it. FB: Now Mr. President a group called Swift Boat Vets for Trooth are attackin John Kerry's war record. Camille Roy: Is that going to defeat Bush? Look at the 'Swift Veterans' campaign, especially at its network of advisors. Pejman Yousefzadeh: That having been said, it is clear that the New York Times is now engaged in providing John Kerry with (pardon the military pun) covering fire. |
Roger Ailes: Sure, fiction usually has a bigger audience, but there's got to be an audience for well-written non-fiction. Joe Gandelman: How The Media Works — Now the New York Times has entered the fray with a major story on the Swift Boat Veterans For... Robert Cox: Sean Hannity is covering The New York Times entry into the SwiftVets debate. Meanwhile, the White House denies The Times story. |
| Also: Arthur Chrenkoff, Sylvain Galineau, Frederick Maryland, Thomas Lang, Donald Sensing, McQ, Susan Q. Stranahan, Von @ObsidianWings, Venkat @BeggingToDiffer, Charles Johnson, David Allan Pell, Steve Gilliard, Dale Franks, C. D. Harris, Kevin Raybould, Ted Barlow, Hugh Hewitt, Jeffrey Dubner, Matthew Yglesias, Dan Gillmor, Nick Gillespie, James Joyner, Ezra Klein, Steve M., Barbara O'Brien, Jon Henke, John Cole, The Big Trunk, Richard TPD, Oliver Willis, Mike Rappaport, Patterico, Tbogg, Kos, Kevin Drum, DeLong, The Poor Man, Ace, Orrin Judd, Captain Ed, Greg Ransom, Roger L. Simon, Betsy Newmark | |
KERRY CAMP FRETS OVER CAMBODIA TALE By / New York Post — Permalink THERE'S now some real angst in Dem ocratic circles be cause of the growing evidence that Democrat John Kerry's claim to have a memory "seared in me" of spending Christmas 1968 in Cambodia was false — and just didn't happen. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Unnamed people within the Democratic Party are "fretting", apparently, over Kerry's "exaggeration problem". Ace: The non-media wing of the Democratic Party, meanwhile, has "angst" over these allegations. They ought to. They really, really ought to. Roger L. Simon: One of the most important elections of modern times hangs in the balance and we are in the middle of it. Who'd a thunk it? |
Orrin Judd: AN UGLY FIRST IMPRESSION: KERRY CAMP FRETS OVER CAMBODIA TALE (Deborah Orin, August 20, 2004, NY Post) "THERE'S now... Josh Marshall: When they put together the anthology or college class source book of early 21st century popular political discourse they... Hugh Hewitt: Despite indifference from the major media —with some key exceptions like Deborah Orin who, in today's New York Post... |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, James Joyner, McQ, Greg Ransom, The Big Trunk, Captain Ed, Glenn Reynolds | |
'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for August 19 MSNBC — Permalink CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Tonight, political war breaks out over the swift boat ad, and John Kerry come out swinging against the president. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Well, if he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: Bring it on! | |
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Susan Madrak: The Farmer connects the dots between the Swift Boat Liars, Regnery Publishing and the American Security Council - the... Duckman GR: Does that mean that any Republican, like Michelle Malkin is equivalent to any Democrat, like Vice President Gore or General Wesley Clark? Atrios: More Malkin Funnies — From Hardball: MATTHEWS: This is not a show for this kind of talk. |
The Farmer: I was finally able to get to the transcript tonight. Pay particular attention to the name of the "group" below emphasized in red highlight. Dale Franks: Matthews v. Malkin — Judging from the transcript, Michelle Malkin didn't do as well on Chris Matthews as some of her defenders are trying to say. Jesse Taylor: She Needs A Golden Calculator — Michelle Malkin is full of angry internment rage over an embarassing appearance on Hardball last night. |
| Also: Michelle Malkin, Joe Gandelman, David Neiwert, Steve Soto, Greg Ransom | |
Saudi Armed Forces Journal on the Jews: 'The Fabricated Torah, Talmud, and Protocols of the Elders of Zion Command Destruction of All Non-Jews for World Domination' MEMRI — Permalink A journal titled "Al-Jundi Al-Muslim" (The Muslim Soldier), which is published by the Religious Affairs Department of the Saudi armed forces, published an antisemitic article in its "Know Your Enemy" section. The article was written by Ma'ashu Muhammad and was titled "The Jews in the Modern Era." | |
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Jan Haugland: MEMRI provides a translation of an article from Al-Jundi Al-Muslim (The Muslim Soldier), published by the Religious Affairs Department of the Saudi armed forces. Joe Gandelman: Isn't it great that we're allied with and tacitly defending comments like these? [snipped quote] Hey, I'm Jewish. Gary Farber: Of course, classic insane Jew-hatred continues to roll along as well as ever; it's always useful to glance at MEMRI now... |
Andrew Stuttaford: SCUM — This (according to MEMRI) is from a "journal titled "Al-Jundi Al-Muslim" (The Muslim Soldier), which is... Pejman Yousefzadeh: OUR FRIENDS THE SAUDIS — I trust that this speaks for itself. Allah: Or this, in which growing Arab anti-Americanism is attributed to a lack of aggressive P.R. Because, you see, the main... |
| Also: Roger L. Simon | |
U.S. Struggles to Win Hearts, Minds in the Muslim World By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration is facing growing criticism from both inside and outside its ranks that it has failed to move aggressively enough in the war of ideas against Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda and other Islamic extremist groups over the three years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: Same old same old — From a Washington Post article about the Bush administration's hit and (mostly) miss approach to... David Allan Pell: I'm not the only one who isn't seeing a plan being acted upon. Are we even fighting a battle over hearts and minds? MWS @Centerfield: An article in the Washington Post by Robin Wright today talks about how the Administration has undefunded programs designed to influence opinion about the US in the Muslim world. |
Orrin Judd: SIDLE UP TO THE TEAT: U.S. Struggles to Win Hearts, Minds in the Muslim World (Robin Wright, 8/20/04, Washington Post)... Talking Dog: It seems that the lip service we have been giving to efforts to improve our standing among residents of the Arab and... |
CIA Study on Iraq Weapons Is Off Course, Officials Say By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Having failed to find banned weapons in Iraq, the CIA is preparing a final report on its search that will speculate on what the deposed regime's capabilities might have looked like years from now if left unchecked, according to congressional and intelligence officials. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Uh...yeah. Kevin Drum: WOULDA COULDA SHOULDA....Here's the latest brainstorm from the politically independent and free-of-pressure Central Intelligence Agency: [snipped quote] Due next month, eh? Laura Rozen: The CIA is a sucker for punishment. Get this, from the LA Times' Greg Miller. |
Meteor Blades: What's next? Séances? An excerpt: [snipped quote] Political pressure? What an insult. Jeanne D'Arc: Redefining chutzpah — Gosh, this makes so much sense: Having failed to find banned weapons in Iraq, the CIA is... |
The Real Deal: By / National Catholic Reporter — Permalink This past March 17, having paid tribute to the saint who drove the snakes from Ireland, George W. Bush — first lady to his left, Irish prime minister to his right — bounded off the Roosevelt Room podium. | |
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Skippy: the daily cookie keeps us up on the awol campaign official who resigned because of questions about his alleged affair with a student while he was teaching at fordham university. Matthew Yglesias: Ah, Tortilla Flats — It's always amusing when little spots from your youth resurface as part of a nice, juicy scandal. Kevin Drum: Anyhoo, turns out that Hudson was forced to leave Fordham University ten years ago after getting a freshman co-ed drunk... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: SO NOW WE KNOW . . . That there are alleged perverts on both sides of the fence. May we get back to the issues, please? Ayelish McGarvey: The backstory: Hudson's departure came a day in advance of the publication of a damning profile by Joe Feuerherd in the National Catholic Reporter, a moderate Catholic newsweekly. Charles Kuffner: Personally, after reading this story about him, I'd say he's a jerk, and then some. |
| Also: Jeanne D'Arc, Kos | |
An angry dispute over a rescue in the river Washington Times — Permalink A number of the combat commanders, fellow officers and other men who served with Sen. John Kerry in Vietnam challenge his accounts of combat heroism in a new book, "Unfit for Command" (Regnery Publishing), by John E. O'Neill, who took over command of Swift... | |
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John Hawkins: However, Kerry has already been caught in a lie about going to Cambodia and in my personal opinion, it looks to be... Greg Ransom: "UNFIT FOR COMMAND" EXCERPTS — "'Sampan incident' belies heroic image." "An angry dispute over a rescue in the river." Vox Day: Kerry is dead in the water — From "Unfit For Command", via the Washington Times: [snipped quote] Make that Swift vets 4, Kerry 0. |
Nick Gillespie: Kerry vs. the Vets — As the Washington Times runs its third and final excerpt from the anti-Kerry tome Unfit for... Betsy Newmark: Here is the Washington Times' excerpt from Unfit for Command about the Rassman incident and how Kerry reported his injury for winning the third Purple Heart. |
Kerry comrades have credibility on their side By / Boston Globe — Permalink YESTERDAY John Kerry decided to take the offensive over his Vietnam War record. It's about time. For the last week or so, one has hardly been able to turn on the television without encountering John O'Neill, the public face of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth,... | |
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Digby: And, I'm hoping that somebody is working hard to verify where that asshole William Schachte really was on the day he... Barbara O'Brien: Today, by coincidence, one of the Globe's regular columnists, Scott Lehigh, weighs in with an op ed called "Kerry Comrades Have Credibility on Their Side." |
Atrios: From the Boston Globe: [snipped quote] So, she came up with the names of the guys who stand by Kerry's account, to the... Mary @PacificViews: According to this article, no. Here it is clear that John O'Neill has added one more person as an "eye-witness" to back... |
Voting While Black By / NYT — Permalink The smell of voter suppression coming out of Florida is getting stronger. It turns out that a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, in which state troopers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando in a bizarre hunt for... | |
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Bob @Unfogged: The right man for the job — Who's heading the Florida agency that's sending armed cops into elderly black voters'... Stuart Buck: Or Fraud? The New York Times' Bob Herbert is especially exercised over what he deems "voter suppression" in Florida. |
Jeanne D'Arc: More on Jeb's Voter Intimidation Project — Bob Herbert has a follow-up to his Monday column on the intimidation of elderly black voters in Florida. |
Senators Ask Where $8.8 Bln in Iraq Funds Went By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds that was given to Iraqi ministries by the former U.S.-led authority there cannot be accounted for, according to a draft U.S. audit set for release soon. | |
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Jeanne D'Arc: Latest tally: $8.8 billion. Part of that money, by the way, came from the U.N. Oil for Food Program — you know, the one Saddam looted. Steve Soto: It is reported late yesterday that $8.8 billion (that's billion with a "b") in Iraqi oil revenue just since we have been in charge cannot be accounted for. |
Jo Brooks: Senators Ask Where $8.8 Bln in Iraq Funds Went [snipped quote] getting funding for 74,000 guards, but only being able to... Tom @Corrente: Chump Change: $8.8 Billion In Iraq Funds Missing — Where did it go? [snipped quote] I mean, heck folks, why should you and I be concerned? |