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Remarks by the President in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania White House — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. (Applause.) Thank you all. Thanks for such a great welcome. I appreciate it. It's great to be in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. | |
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Avedon Carol: Bush tell you how he felt about the debate: America saw two very different visions of our country, and two different hairdos. Joe Gandelman: I truly must need some sleep or Red Bull because I can't see how this is major — certainly not to require coverage by the cable news networks live. Matthew Yglesias: The president went and gave his standard stump speech and relabeled it a major address and got all these TV stations to cover it. |
Eugene Oregon: This [snipped quote] The White House basically cast Bush's basic anti-Kerry stump speech as a "significant speech" simply... ArchPundit: Bush this morning Chris Gruber: Bush Doctrine: Retreat! [snipped quote] — President Bush, in the same speech, this morning in Pennsylvania. |
| Also: Mathew Gross, Steve Soto, Ezra Klein, Taegan Goddard, Josh Marshall | |
Cheney & Edwards Mangle Facts FactCheck.org — Permalink Cheney wrongly implied that FactCheck had defended his tenure as CEO of Halliburton Co., and the vice president even got our name wrong. He overstated matters when he said Edwards voted "for the war" and "to commit the troops, to send them to war." | |
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Venkat @BeggingToDiffer: INSULT + INJURY — Factcheck.org, the Web site Cheney meant to refer listeners and viewers to when attempting to debunk... Tgirsch: Fact-checking the Veep Debate — FactCheck.org has their review of the VP debate. Ampersand @Amptoons: The low point of the Vice-Pres debate — Factcheck.org has a good article fact-checking both sides of last night's debate. |
Avedon Carol: FactCheck has posted their response to the VP debate. Of course, they disagree with Cheney on the very thing he was citing them for. Nathan Newman: FactCheck: Cheney Wrong About FactCheck — Your really in bad shape when you cite an authority and that authority says you got it wrong. Taegan Goddard: Let's look what the correct web site says today about Cheney's remark: [snipped quote] To be fair, Edwards got some things wrong as well, but he's given "partial credit." |
| Also: Oliver @LiquidList, Jeanne D'Arc, Byron L, Jeffrey Dubner, Matt Welch, Lambert @Corrente, Ezra Klein, Juan Non-Volokh, Kos, Bill @INDCJournal, Jon Henke, The Poor Man | |
Kerry says Franco-German troops unlikely Washington Times — Permalink Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry conceded yesterday that he probably will not be able to convince France and Germany to contribute troops to Iraq if he is elected president. | |
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True enough. Now: Well, I suppose he might like us to think so, now that he and Kerry have been forced to renew their own long-neglected... Ace: Shock: Kerry Admits French and German Troops in Iraq "Unlikely" — Apparently Kerry will also fail his self-declared Global Test: [snipped quote] Ummm, follow-up, please? Chad Evans: Kerry Accepts France/Germany Rejection - Washington Times (via Right on Red) [snipped quote] Interesting considering John... |
Judith Weiss: Group smackdown from the generals, plus Bremer himself: "Mr. Kerry repeatedly cited Mr. Bremer's remarks as he campaigned yesterday. Allah: Via Right on Red . . . Help isnoton the way C. D. Harris: Personally, I'd say John "Weeble" Kerry being forced to admit that he won't have any more success getting France &... |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, Hugh Hewitt, Bryon Scott, Captain Ed, Mitch Berg, Betsy Newmark | |
Daddy hunger By / Salon — Permalink So what debate was the crew at MSNBC watching Tuesday night? Following the vice-presidential faceoff, which most observers declared a draw, giving Cheney points for articulating an Iraq strategy in a way President Bush failed to do last week, and Edwards... | |
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Avedon Carol: (I'm with you, Chris!) ( (via) Eric Boehlert wonders, "So what debate was the crew at MSNBC watching Tuesday night?" Skippy: viewers of last night's debate call it a draw, even though msnbc thinks cheney wiped the walls with edwards. Amy Sullivan: That's pretty amazing. Update: Over at Salon, Eric Boehlert says the exact same thing about MSNBC. |
Sam Rosenfeld: Amy Sullivan and James Wolcott offer useful rundowns. UPDATE: More from Eric Boehlart. Tom Tomorrow: From Salon: "So what debate was the crew at MSNBC watching Tuesday night? Barbara O'Brien: What is wrong with these people? Eric Boehlert may have the answer at Salon. |
| Also: Matt Stoller, Atrios, Howard Kurtz, Hesiod, Digby | |
And The Winner Is ... Edwards CBS News — Permalink (CBS) John Edwards continued the Democratic ticket's winning streak in Tuesday night's vice presidential debate. He was judged the winner by uncommitted voters who watched the debate, just as John Kerry was last week. | |
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Steve Soto: The Veep Debate - Status Quo While Bush Flails Away — CBS News Poll Focus Group 178 Uncommitted Voters Who won the debate? Allah: In other news, vindication for Spoons! Although not everyone says so. UPDATE: CNS has a teaser: "You hear all that and you understand why somebody would make a face". James Joyner: Quick excerpts of the early polls, print pundit, and blogospheric reaction below: Uncommitteds Tab Edwards Winner (CBS... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: On the other hand, this survey of uncommitted voters has Edwards winning. Meanwhile, the pundits pontificate. Barbara O'Brien: The good news: CBS News reports that uncommitted voters judged Edwards to be last night's winner. Christopher Kanis: MY FELLOW INMATES — I'm glad to know that when they lock me up in the insane asylum for thinking Edwards won the... |
| Also: Captain Ed, KJL, Steve M., EDM Staff, Kevin Hayden, Jan Haugland | |
Transcript: Vice Presidential Debate WaPo — Permalink Following is the transcript of the presidential debate between Vice President Cheney (R) and Sen. John Edwards (D). The moderator of the nationally televised debate was Gwen Ifill of PBS. IFILL: Good evening from Case Western Reserve University's Veale Center here in Cleveland, Ohio. | |
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Joe Carter: A House Divided: Democrats Quash Their Draft Bill During the Vice Presidential debate last night, John Edwards continued... Stuart Buck: Cheney vs. Edwards — Cheney was full of subtle jabs at Edwards: "IFILL: OK, we'll move on. Avedon Carol: Fact-check fact-check — The Washington Post has added it's debate referee material to the debate transcripts, now, and... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Avedon Carol of Sideshow says the Washington Post article on fact-checking the debate spins towards Cheney: And, George... Orrin Judd: CARTERESQUE: Transcript: Vice Presidential Debate: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (October 5, 2004,... James Joyner: Full Transcript of the Debate Between the Vice Presidential Candidates in Cleveland (NYT) [no RSS] Transcript: Vice... |
| Also: Jon Henke, Kevin Hayden, Jan Haugland, Joe Gandelman, David Allan Pell, Ann Althouse, Lambert @Corrente, Kevin Drum, Glenn Reynolds, Daniel Drezner, Tom Maguire | |
A Debate Win By / ABCNEWS — Permalink Oct. 6, 2004— Dick Cheney prevailed in the vice presidential debate with help from a more Republican audience — and more support from his ticket's side than John Edwards got from his. | |
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Steve Soto: For example, ABC News put out a flash poll that showed Cheney won the debate by a 43%-35% result, with 19% calling it a tie. Pejman Yousefzadeh: SCORECARD — Cheney won the debate among a more Republican audience, but the most noteworthy statistic is that a higher... Taegan Goddard: An ABC News instant poll found 43% said Cheney won and 35% called it for Edwards. |
Chris Bowers: From the Note: [snipped quote] Further, according to the same overly Republican poll, Edwards won where it counted. James Joyner: A Debate Win: Cheney Gains With Help From His Friends (Gary Langer and Dalia Sussman, ABC) "Dick Cheney prevailed in... Captain Ed: VP Debate: The Aftermath — Vice President Dick Cheney trounced Senator John Edwards in the debate last night, a verdict... |
| Also: Steve M., EDM Staff, Jan Haugland, Kevin Drum, Joe Gandelman, Andrew Sullivan, Byron L, Daniel Drezner | |
Meeting Was Not First for Cheney, Edwards By / AP — Permalink CLEVELAND - Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday night that the debate with Democratic Sen. John Edwards marked the first time they had met. In fact, the two had met at least three times previously. Cheney made the remark while accusing Edwards of frequent absences from Senate votes. | |
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Rickheller @Centerfield: Cheney's Bad Memory — They met before. I guess Cheney's bad with faces. C. D. Harris: I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the media are treating Edwards' whinging over Cheney's insignificant bit of... Joe Gandelman: They Met Three Times — Vice President Dick Cheney's flat assertion in last night's debate was wrong. |
Ed Cone: Least important Cheney misstatement corrected. Orrin Judd: Meeting Was Not First for Cheney, Edwards (LIZ SIDOTI, 10/06/04, Associated Press) [snipped quote] Funny enough that... Pejman Yousefzadeh: It does seem that Dick Cheney met John Edwards even before last night—though unfortunately never on an occasion in the Senate that was not purely ceremonial. |
| Also: Tim Cavanaugh, Barbara O'Brien, Charles Kuffner, Kevin Hayden, Skippy, John Hawkins, Ann Althouse, Ogged @Unfogged, Judith Weiss | |
President Bush: "Global Test" Mindset Not Right for America in a Dangerous World Bush-Cheney 2004 News Room — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. (Applause.) Thank you all. Thanks for such a great welcome. I appreciate it. It's great to be in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. | |
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Bill Hobbs: You can read the whole thing here. last night, John Edwards stated in his debate with Vice President Dick Cheney that he... C. D. Harris: Permanent Record — Great speech by the President in Pennsylvania today. John Resnick: BRING YOUR BEST STUFF: "Global Test" Mindset Not Right for America in a Dangerous World (George W. Bush, 10/6/2004)... |
Orrin Judd: THE 80s VS THE 70s: President Bush: "Global Test" Mindset Not Right for America in a Dangerous World (Kirby Center For... Hindrocket: The transcript is available here. These are a few excerpts: "We have built a broad and solid record of accomplishment. Lorie Byrd: Thanks. UPDATE - TRANSCRIPT LINK - (Registration required) Thanks to Chris Atkins for the link. UPDATE: No registration required TRANSCRIPT LINK |
Inspector: Iraq had no WMD before invasion MSNBC — Permalink WASHINGTON - Iraq had no stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons before last year's U.S.-led invasion and its nuclear program had decayed since the 1991 Gulf War, according to a weapons inspector appointed by the Bush administration. | |
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The Poor Man: Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before ... MSNBC front page today: MSNBCnoWMD.jpg And the number two story, if you can't squint it out: CIA report finds no Zarqawi-Saddam link. Ken Layne: "CIA report finds no Zarqawi-Saddam link" and "Inspector: Iraq had no WMD before invasion." It is the most amazing campaign I've ever seen. Oliver Willis: That's That — I don't think this headline graphic needs much more clarification. Story here. |
Captain Ed: The Scotsman also reports what the American media is blaring to the exclusion of everything else in the ISG final report: Iraq had no stockpiles of WMD. David Allan Pell: Over and over, every interested party has confirmed that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. |
U.S. Report Finds No Evidence of Iraq WMD By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Contradicting the main argument for a war that has cost more than 1,000 American lives, the top U.S. arms inspector reported Wednesday that he found no evidence that Iraq produced any weapons of mass destruction after 1991. | |
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Captain Ed: "Memos from Iraqi intelligence officials, recovered by American and British inspectors, show the dictator was told as..." Chad Evans: Report Finds No WMDs in Iraq - Associated Press [snipped quote] This of course is no shock to anyone that has acutally lived outside of a cave in the last year. |
Charles Johnson: Duelfer Report: Saddam Planned to Restart WMD Programs — The Associated Press headline reads: U.S. Report Finds No Evidence of Iraq WMD. Talking Dog: Picking up from David Kay, Chief American Weapons Inspector Charles Duelfer released his long awaited report on Iraqi... |
Report Discounts Iraq Arms Threat WaPo — Permalink The government's most definitive account of Iraq's arms programs, to be released today, will show that Saddam Hussein posed a diminishing threat at the time the United States invaded and did not possess, or have concrete plans to develop, nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, U.S. officials said yesterday. | |
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Tim Dunlop: Ah yes, the truth: "The government's most definitive account of Iraq's arms programs, to be released today, will show... Kevin Raybould: US Government: Saddam was a "Waning" Threat — The final report of weapons inspectors says that Saddam was not a real... Nick Confessore: According to the Washington Post, the chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq, Charles Duelfer, has: [snipped quote] The... |
Steve Soto: Today, the Administration must deal with the final report of the Iraq Survey Group, also led by handpicked Bush accomplices; first David Kay, and now Charles Duelfer. Kevin Drum: So what does Duelfer have to say after spending an additional nine months searching for WMD? [snipped quote] No weapons. Eugene Oregon: And then I read this other Washington Post article and understood why that was "The government's most definitive... |
| Also: Cori Dauber, Jack Balkin, Orrin Judd, Jack Cluth, ArchPundit, Laura Rozen | |
Text: Bush's Speech in Pennsylvania WaPo — Permalink Following is the full text of President Bush's speech in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. BUSH: Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank you all. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Read it and pass it on. And second, the text of the president's speech in Pennsylvania earlier today. H.D. Miller: UPDATE: I just got the transcript from the Washington Post and here's what they say the president said. |
James Joyner: Bush's 'Significant Speech' in Pennsylvania — WaPo has the Text: Bush's Speech in Pennsylvania. Allah: UPDATE: The AP has a report here. Bush says Kerry has "a strategy of defeat". UPDATE: Transcript is here. |
Runners Advance By / Slate — Permalink Now are you sorry you didn't nominate this guy for president? That's what I wanted to ask Democrats as I watched John Edwards knock Dick Cheney around the ring tonight. If the Iowa caucuses had been held two days later, Edwards might have beaten John Kerry there and won the nomination. | |
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Steve Soto: William Saletan of Slate calls it convincingly for Edwards. Cheney's job was to stop the bleeding that started with Bush's flop last week. Jeanne D'Arc: Slate has an interesting "fair and balanced" pair of essays this morning: William Saletan insisting that Edwards scored a knockout; Fred Kaplan giving the debate to Cheney. Andrew Sullivan: SALETAN AGREES: Will Saletan agrees with me that Edwards destroyed Cheney last night: [snipped quote] On all the... |
Noam Scheiber: See Will Saletan for more on Edwards's clock-cleaning. James Joyner: William Saletan: "Now are you sorry you didn't nominate this guy for president? |
Cheney Drops the Ball By / Slate — Permalink CLEVELAND—Does Dick Cheney know that he told voters watching the vice presidential debate to go to GeorgeSoros.com? In response to a series of attacks from John Edwards on Cheney's tenure as CEO of Halliburton, the vice president said that Kerry and Edwards "know the charges are false. | |
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Kevin Drum: In fact, Edwards' charges are all accurate. "The Kerry record on taxes is one basically of voting for a large number of tax increases — 98 times in the United States Senate." Laura Rozen: The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy . . . A friend sends this, from Slate: [snipped quote] —Indeed, hilarious. |
Mark Kleiman: The factually challenged veep — Chris Suellentrop takes a look at factcheck.org, and discovers that it does not, in... Avedon Carol: George Soros, fast on the draw, figured out something was going on and quickly claimed the domain name, where you will... |
Misleading Assertions Cover Iraq War and Voting Records WaPo — Permalink Sen. John Edwards and Vice President Cheney clashed repeatedly in their debate last night, making impressive-sounding but misleading statements on issues including the war in Iraq, tax cuts and each other's records, often omitting key facts along the way. | |
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Kash: Fact-checking the Fact-checkers — The Washington Post ran a piece (also carried on MSNBC.com) fact-checking the claims of both sides in last night's debate. Digby: This article captures a few, but there are many more that will be fleshed out over the next few days. Mark Schmitt: Sure enough, the Washington Post came through, with a very thorough and almost instant analysis of the dubious claims in the debate. |
Joe Gandelman: You can't have it both ways folks; this kind of stuff may play well with people who already want to vote for Bush or for Kerry but there are some voters who take words seriously. Josh Marshall: In this article out this evening, the Post notes just two cases where he pressed the long-since-discredited claim that... Mark Kleiman: Kessler and VandeHei at the Washington Post have more Cheney quotes saying that Mohammed Atta had met with Iraqi intelligence in Prague. |
The vice presidential debate MSNBC — Permalink GWEN IFILL, MODERATOR: Good evening from Case Western Reserve University's Veale Center here in Cleveland, Ohio. I'm Gwen Ifill of "The NewsHour" and "Washington Week" on PBS, and I welcome you to the first and the only vice presidential debate between Vice President Dick Cheney, the Republican nominee, and Senator John Edwards, the Democratic nominee. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: From last night: "CHENEY: Gwen, the story that appeared today about this report is one I asked for. Jeralyn Merritt: Debate Transcript — You can read the transcript of the debate here. The New York Times fact checks here. Pejman Yousefzadeh: Tonight, John Edwards towered over Dick Cheney in terms of looking handsome and talking pretty. |
Ken Layne: Demean the Sacrifice Of Our Allies — Is Allawi deameaning the sacrifice of our allies, by, uhm, saying how bad things are in Iraq? Tbogg: So, like, there was this debate... If you were playing the debate drinking game and you had to do a shooter every time Dick Cheney mentioned George Bush...four times. |
Full Transcript of the Debate Between the Vice Presidential Candidates in Cleveland NYT — Permalink Following is the transcript of the vice presidential debate Tuesday night in Cleveland between Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, as recorded by The New York Times. The moderator was Gwen Ifill of PBS. | |
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Fred Clark: Here's what Cheney had to say about him during last night's vice-presidential debate: But let's look at what we know about Mr. Zarqawi. Eugene Oregon: Here was Cheney last night "You also have a situation where you talk about credibility. |
Frederick Maryland: In last night's debate in Cleveland, Dick Cheney said this: [quote] "It's important to look at all of our developments in Iraq within the broader context of the global war on terror.[end quote] |
Ethics panel rebukes DeLay second time AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The House ethics committee Wednesday criticized House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for conduct that appeared to link political donations to legislation and for improperly contacting U.S. aviation authorities for political purposes, House sources said Wednesday. | |
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Byron L: Rebuked Again — Tom DeLay's free fall continues: [snipped quote] I'd encourage all of the Kos readers following the link... Charles Kuffner: Think about it. UPDATE: MSNBC reports a second rebuke for DeLay. |
Andrew D: UPDATE: "An extraordinary second rebuke," and undoubtedly yet another stone of shame in the DeLay shame quarry, but not a censure. |
Cheney vs. Edwards WaPo — Permalink VICE PRESIDENTIAL debates are by definition something of a sideshow; they are primarily about two people who aren't even there. The vice presidential nominees' main task is to make the case for the guy at the top of the ticket; their own capabilities matter only secondarily, in showing that they'd be up to the job if necessary. | |
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Steve Soto: Many papers called it a draw, except the New York Times and the Washington Post, both of which called it for Edwards;... James Joyner: The Washington Post editorial page doesn't declare a winner but provides a reasonable analysis of the blow-by-blow,... |
Kos: So with that in mind, here's some of the reaction around the country: Washington Post "The Democrat was more effective,... KJL: WASHPOST — True, true. "In style and substance, the vice presidential candidates were about as distinct as two contenders could be. " |
Bush Chides Kerry in Pa. After VP Debate AP — Permalink WILKES BARRE, Pa. Oct. 6, 2004 — President Bush, in biting criticism of his Democratic challenger, said Wednesday that Sen. John Kerry has "a strategy of defeat" for Iraq and an economic program that would imperil America at home. | |
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Steve Gilliard: "— David Talbot" See the fear, smell the panic: Bush Chides Kerry in Pa. After VP Debate The Associated Press "WILKES... Ezra Klein: The Lies...They Burn — Bush's latest campaign speech is so exquisitely desperate, so totally bursting with falsehood, that it almost brings a tear to my eye. |
Susanna Dilliplane: Today, he again skates over the surface in an Associated Press report headlined "Bush Chides Kerry in Pa. After VP Debate." |
Iraqi Arms Threat Was Waning, Inspector Says By / WaPo — Permalink Charles Duelfer, the chief U.S. weapons investigator in Iraq, told Congress today that Saddam Hussein destroyed his stocks of chemical and biological weapons and agents in 1991 and 1992 and that his nuclear weapons program had decayed to almost nothing by 2003. | |
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Oliver Willis: Iraqi Arms Threat Was Waning, Inspector Says [snipped quote] Rhetoric and campaign stump speeches can only go so far. Joe Gandelman: US Arms Official: Iraqi Arms Threat Was Waning When We Invaded — Bad news for the U.S. government from the U.S... |
Bill @INDCJournal: Charles Duelfer on Iraq — Today's testimony to Congress predictably passes out some heavy ammunition to all sides of the debate. |
The Running Mates Debate NYT — Permalink During the final summation in last night's vice-presidential debate, John Edwards focused on the new Kerry campaign theme: that a vote for George Bush and Dick Cheney would mean "four more years of the same." | |
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John Cole: From the NY Times: "Mr. Edwards is normally known for his wide grin and boyish appearance, but he was serious and tough last night. |
Kos: New York Times [snipped quote] Online, the MSNBC poll drew 1.5 million responses, with 61 percent saying Edwards won, 39 percent deluded into thinking Cheney won. |
CIA Discloses Who's Who of Saddam's Alleged Bribes By / Reuters — Permalink UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday released a list of firms and people from dozens of countries allegedly given oil vouchers by Saddam Hussein 's government that could be turned into cash. | |
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Captain Ed: ABC News published an early list of the major players, but the CIA has added a few eye-opening names: "Among the... |
Hugh Hewitt: And the names of the members of the real coaltion of the bribed have begun to emerge with the CIA's release of some of... |
Debate moments By / Raleigh News & Observer — Permalink HIS MASTER'S VOICE: EDWARDS: "We lost more troops in September than we lost in August; lost more in August than we lost in July; lost more in July than we lost in June." And: "He defended this country as a young man; he will defend this country as president of the United States." | |
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Nick Confessore: (The Raleigh News-Observer is also confused about Cheney's statement.) So Cheney still isn't being honest with the American people, as Edwards might say. Atrios: Cheney — LIIIIIAAAAARRRR — Edwards' hometown newspaper: [snipped quote] ...Look, a mention in a weekly paper that isn't... |
Kos: Another Cheney lie — Man, it's easier to catalogue the truthful statments... From Atrios: "Edwards' hometown... |
Transcript for Sept. 14 MSNBC — Permalink Sept. 7 - This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed. MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: America remembers September 11, 2001. In Iraq, six months ago, the war began with shock and awe. | |
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Kevin Drum: In September 2003 Cheney said "[Iraq is] the geographical base of the terrorists who had us under assault for many years, but most especially on 9-11." Laura Rozen: [quote]To pick just one egregious example, here's what Cheney told Tim Russert in September 2003: "RUSSERT: The Washington...[end quote] Mark Kleiman: But a year ago, on Meet the Press (9/14/03) , Cheney said: This is about a continuing operation on the war on terror. |
Lorie Byrd: The transcript of the MSNBC post debate discussion of the Meet the Press clip that was shown has not yet been posted,... Josh Marshall: A year ago September on Meet the Press he said that in invading Iraq we had "struck a major blow right at the heart of... Rice Grad: UPDATE: This is the clip Matthews was using to assert that Cheney has tied Iraq to the 9/11 attacks. |
| Also: Kos | |
Iran Readies Uranium for Enrichment, UN Watching By / Reuters — Permalink VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran said on Wednesday it had processed several tons of raw "yellowcake" uranium to prepare it for enrichment — a process that can be used to make atomic weapons — in defiance of the U.N. nuclear watchdog. | |
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Steve Soto: And while we wasted our time and the lives of thousands in a misguided war in Iraq and are squandering reconstruction... Jeff Quinton: World AFP: Scottish comedian hits raw nerve with joke about hostage Bigley Reuters: Israel: Palestinian State Shelved... |
Charles Johnson: He would not specify how much. UPDATE at 10/6/04 8:12:32 am: But don't worry. The UN is watching. |
DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS By / New York Post — Permalink LAST night John Edwards went from seeming to be like JFK to emulating Dan Quayle in the space of 90 minutes. Confronted with Dick Cheney's obvious competence, incisive parries to his charges and devastating rebuttal of his phony statistics, Edwards looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights. | |
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Orrin Judd: MORE: DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS (DICK MORRIS, October 6, 2004, NY Post) "LAST night John Edwards went from seeming to be like JFK to emulating Dan Quayle in the space of 90 minutes. KJL: Edwards emulates Dan Quayle, not JFK (Stop knocking my Quayle!), says Dick Morris. That's enough op-ed page touring of the paper of record. |
James Joyner: Dick Morris: "LAST night John Edwards went from seeming to be like JFK to emulating Dan Quayle in the space of 90 minutes. |
Help Is On the Way By / Weekly Standard — Permalink IF IT'S POSSIBLE for a vice presidential debate to matter, last night's duel between Dick Cheney and John Edwards did. Why? Because Vice President Cheney did two things that might help President Bush. | |
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Orrin Judd: Help Is On the Way: Dick Cheney does his job taking care of Edwards, putting Kerry's record back on the table, and setting the president up for the next debate. James Joyner: Fred Barnes: "IF IT'S POSSIBLE for a vice presidential debate to matter, last night's duel between Dick Cheney and John Edwards did. |
Deacon: Over to you, Mr. President — Fred Barnes saw last night's debate pretty much the way we did: [snipped quote] The rest is up to President Bush. |
Comic Rodney Dangerfield Dies at Age 82 AP — Permalink LOS ANGELES - Rodney Dangerfield (news), the bug-eyed comic whose self-deprecating one-liners brought him stardom in clubs, television and movies and made his lament "I don't get no respect" a catchphrase, died Tuesday. He was 82. | |
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Mike Hendrix: All we have left now is Rickles — Amen to that. Bill @INDCJournal: Rodney Dangerfield, RIP rodney2.jpg Rodney also got 'no respect' in pajamas. Comic Rodney Dangerfield Dies at Age 82. Acidman: Adios, Rodney — Rodney Dangerfield died and I'm going to miss him. I enjoyed his self-deprecating humor. |
Baldilocks: Much Respect — One of the funniest comedians in the world, Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Cohen), died yesterday at age 82. Wind Rider: Rest in Peace, Jacob Cohen — And not to argue, or anything, but we did respect you, Rodney. My favorite Dangerfield movie? Radley Balko: Respect R.I.P. , Al. |
| Also: Michael DeBow | |
Pundits: Cheney 'substance' tops Edwards 'style' By / Washington Times — Permalink The same political pundits who proclaimed Sen. John Kerry the winner of the first presidential debate last night gave the nod to Vice President Dick Cheney, saying he had bested Sen. John Edwards in their debate by clearly illustrating the large stature gap between the two vice-presidential candidates. | |
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Orrin Judd: MAN VS. MOUSSE: Pundits: Cheney 'substance' tops Edwards 'style' (Joseph Curl, 10/06/04, THE WASHINGTON TIMES) "The... |
Betsy Newmark: John Edwards didn't do himself any good as a future candidate for president. He was all style and little substance. |
Cheney showed skill, experience By / MSNBC — Permalink I think Dick Cheney did awfully well at, first of all, putting John Edwards in his place, saying that I have been presiding over the Senate and I didn't meet you until tonight. Talking about his not having been on the job was pretty devastating. | |
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Steve Soto: Edwards: 60% Cheney: 40% Total Respondents: 1,671,537 The cable chatfest gangs that got bashed by the White House for... Captain Ed: MS-NBC's panel, headed by Chris Matthews — no friend to the GOP or Dick Cheney — scored it a shutout |
Jesse Taylor: In Trouble — You know, I'm reading over this transcript, and this part struck me: [snipped quote] He then proceeds to... |
EDWARDS OUTMATCHED By / New York Post — Permalink JOHN Edwards' imper sonation of an attack dog in last night's debate was a little like watching a yapping terrier taking on an old Golden retriever. Dick Cheney was calm, collected, thoughtful and incapable of being ruffled. Edwards had his talking points down pat. | |
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James Joyner: David Winston: "JOHN Edwards' impersonation of an attack dog in last night's debate was a little like watching a yapping terrier taking on an old Golden retriever. |
KJL: Pollster extraordinaire Dave Winston says: "What the vice presidential debate showed was that clever quips and overdone... |
Cheney, Edwards square off in VP debate By / AP — Permalink CLEVELAND — Sen. John Edwards accused the Bush administration tonight of bungling the war in Iraq and presiding over a historic loss of jobs. "Your facts are just wrong," Vice President Dick Cheney shot back in a crackling campaign debate. | |
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Jan Haugland: Glenn Reynolds is blogging from the scene. PS: So who do the people think won the Edwards-Cheney debate? I keep hearing about a tie. Byron L: 10:00: Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and girls, its Jon Stewart time!! Remember to vote in the Houston Chronicle poll. |
Joe Gandelman: But then we know EVERYTHING...) It's a measure of how this debate wound up that unlike after last week's Presidential... Atrios: Polls — Ones in bold are definitely live: Newsday: http://www.newsday.com (Look for "Poll: Rate the candidates") Akron... |
Comic Rodney Dangerfield Dies in L.A. at Age 82 Reuters — Permalink LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rodney Dangerfield, the goggle-eyed comic famed for his self-deprecating one-liners and signature phrase "I can't get no respect," died on Tuesday at age 82, his publicist said. | |
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C. D. Harris: Thanks For All The Laughs — Rodney Dangerfield, the last exemplar of his era in comedy, died today at 82. R.I.P. Ann Althouse: Goodbye to Rodney Dangerfield. Thanks for all the laughs for so many years. Joe Gandelman: WE WILL REALLY MISS YOU — Rodney_1 Rodney Dangerfield Is Dead At Age 82 Thanks to Dean's World for the tip. |
Tim Cavanaugh: Rodney Dangerfield, R.I.P. Completed the Triple Lindy this afternoon. Damian Penny: Respect — Rodney Dangerfield is dead at age 82. Ed Driscoll: Rodney Dangerfield Dead — The great comic was 82. |
| Also: Tim Blair, Charles Johnson, Dean Esmay | |
Media Matters? Poll Shows More than 4 in 10 Still Link Saddam to 9/11 Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK While the press gave extensive coverage Tuesday to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s statement that he hasn't seen "any strong, hard evidence" to link Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda terrorists who staged the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, it became ever more apparent that the media still have their work cut out for them on this issue. | |
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Norbizness: We never had enough troops on the ground," Bremer said Monday at a conference in West Virginia. I'm so scatterbrained! ArchPundit: Democratic Arrogance Check — Yeah, the public is egregiously wrong on Iraq and 9/11, but no one ever went broke underestimating the American public. Dave Johnson: THIS is Where This Debate Will Matter — Poll Shows More than 4 in 10 Still Link Saddam to 9/11: [snipped quote] What it... |
David Allan Pell: More than 30% of those polled believed that Saddam personally planned the attacks. This comes from the latest polling. Orin Kerr: Saddam Hussein and the Extraterrestrials: According to this source, 32% of Americans questioned in a recent poll believe that Saddam Hussein personally planned the 9/11 attacks. Laura Rozen: Edwards was able to clearly and effectively tease out those misleading statements (the amount of the burden in Iraq the... |
| Also: Matthew Yglesias, Atrios | |
Paul Begala's Debate Blog: Round 2 CNN — Permalink Posted: 10:23 p.m. Now it's a tax fight. Cheney says Edwards used Subchapter S to avoid paying $600,000 in Medicare taxes. Edwards says Halliburton used overseas subsidiaries to hide taxes. So's your mother. Posted: 10:20 p.m. | |
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Kevin Hayden: Talking points I missed — Events caused me to miss about 20% of the debate, but I'm glad to see Paul Begala recorded... Avedon Carol: Real-time blogs: Kit Seelye in the NYT Paul Begala at CNN. Fact-check: Kerrry-Edwards Rapid Response. |
Joe Gandelman: Paul Begala: Yes this blogger is somewhat partisan, in fact he is advising a certain presidential candidate with a "D" next to his name and we don't mean Daffy Duck. KJL: PAUL BEGALA blogging on CNN's site: "Edwards is not nearly as nervous as I thought he'd be. Aunt Bee, our Opie's all growed up." |
Republicans Glad to Lose on Bill to Start New Draft LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Seeking to dispel suggestions that the war in Iraq could lead to reinstatement of the draft, House Republicans on Tuesday hastily brought the idea to a vote — with the express intent of shooting it down. | |
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Orrin Judd: SORRY, CHARLIE: Republicans Glad to Lose on Bill to Start New Draft: The hasty House vote 'putting a rumor to rest' is 402-2. |
Cori Dauber: For God's sake, even Rangel voted against it. They did it to put a stop to the rumours. |
Partial Transcript of the Vice-Presidential Debate NYT — Permalink What are the Israeli people supposed to do? How can they continue to watch Israeli children killed by suicide bombers? Killed by terrorists. They have not only the right but the obligation to defend themselves. | |
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Mike Hendrix: Small lie, big truth — Okay, so perhaps Cheney got this part of it wrong (which is arguable, actually): "I'm up in the Senate most Tuesdays when they're in session. John Cole: Here is the text from the debate: [snipped quote] To that devestating assessment of his performance as a Senator, Edward's response is essentially: "That's not true. |
Josh Marshall: In a rather churlish moment, Cheney told Edwards that the two of them had never met before tonight's debate, despite the... |
When Points Weren't Personal, Liberties Were Taken With the Truth By / NYT — Permalink In a debate laden with detailed assertions and rebuttals more than with rhetorical flashes, Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator John Edwards often stretched the facts last night on issues including the war in Iraq and medical malpractice lawsuits. | |
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Stirling Newberry: In this act of streetwalking with column inches he also parts his cheeks and says "Suggesting that Cheney is connected... |
Jack Balkin: This morning the New York Times ran a story whose opening sentences suggested that both canidates stretched or distorted the truth. |
Cheney and Edwards Have Met Before By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — It was perhaps the most surprising tidbit of new information during the debate — that Vice President Dick Cheney had never met Sen. John Edwards until Tuesday night. Except it wasn't true. "I'm up in the Senate most Tuesdays when they're in session," Cheney said to Edwards. | |
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Howard Kurtz: In fact, says the Los Angeles Times, "Less than two hours after the debate ended, aides to Edwards and Sen. John F... |
The Poor Man: Lize — LA Times: [snipped quote] nat_prayer_breakfast.jpg Owned. |
State GOP says Michael Moore illegally offered underwear in exchange for voting AP — Permalink LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Republican Party is asking four county prosecutors to file charges against filmmaker Michael Moore, charging that he illegally offered underwear, noodles and snacks to college students in exchange for their promise to vote. | |
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Joel Foreman: That Crazy Michael Moore and his silly jokes. Tully @Centerfield: Bizarre... The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Michigan Republican Party wants Michael Moore prosecuted for... |
Joe Gandelman: The Michigan Republican Party wants Michael Moore investigated because to get college students to vote he offered noodles, snacks and underwear. Ed Driscoll: Ewww! Vote for Kerry, win Michael Moore's underwear! |
Speech by Donald Rumsfeld Newsday — Permalink SECRETARY DONALD RUMSFELD: [Applause. ] Thank you very much, Lou, ladies and gentlemen, Pete, David, Richard. It's good to be back here, and as before, it's a very full crowd in a small room, tightly packed in. So I thank all of you for being here as well. | |
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Ed Cone: Coupla hints, blogging buddy: update your site in the new posts section, not in comments to your original post; And,... |
Juan Cole: Then there was this amazing admission by Rumsfeld at a news conference: "QUESTIONER: My name is Glenn Hutchins. |
The Key to the Court By / LAW.com — Permalink The 164-year-old law firm Baker Botts is known for many things, but a significant U.S. Supreme Court practice has not been one of them. Which is why, when the firm announced in July that it had hired three Supreme Court clerks fresh out of their year at the... | |
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William J. Dyer: Supreme Court practice — Houston-based Baker Botts LLP has been aggressively building a US Supreme Court practice group... Orin Kerr: How to Create a Supreme Court Practice: Tony Mauro looks into the case of Baker Botts in this interesting article. |
Rice Grad: He's got humor, but he also points out to an article on how BakerBotts created a Supreme Court practice. |
Shots fired at Knoxville Bush-Cheney office; no one hurt AP — Permalink KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gunshots shattered the plate-glass front doors of a local Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters Tuesday morning before volunteers reported to work. "For someone to use that level of violence to try to make a political point, it is just a shock," said Chad Tindell, Knox County Republican chairman. | |
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Joel Foreman: If Democrats continue to reduce the debate to demonstrations like these and acts akin to the Knoxville shooting and the... Glenn Reynolds: More here via USA Today. Perhaps tonight someone should ask John Edwards how he feels about such violent behavior. |
Xan @Corrente: Even if it's another case of Rovian preemptive ratf**king to make Democrats look bad: (via USA Today) [snipped quote] Sigh. |
CBS Says Probe Results Unlikely Until After Election By / Reuters — Permalink NEW YORK (Reuters) - An external review of how CBS News came to use disputed documents in a report on President Bush 's military record will probably not be concluded until after the November election so as not to interfere with the presidential race, a top executive said on Tuesday. | |
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Sebastian Holsclaw: Nope, Wouldn't Want to Affect the Election — CBS decides that it doesn't want to risk affecting the election. Hindrocket: CBS Defers Investigation Until After Election — CBS has announced that its investigation into the 60 Minutes fake... Bill @INDCJournal: Make of This What You Will — Presented without comment: An external review of how CBS News came to use disputed... |
Ed Driscoll: Les Is More—Delays That Is — Les Moonves, the co-president of CBS parent company Viacom is delaying the results of the internal investigation of CBS until after November 2nd. Betsy Newmark: CBS doesn't think that they will have their investigation of Rathergate released before the election because it might influence the election. Charles Johnson: CBS Says Probe Results Unlikely Until After Election. |
Death-row inmate being freed after 17 years AP — Permalink SAN ANTONIO — Capital murder charges were dismissed today against a West Texas man who has spent the last 17 years on death row for a crime that may never have occurred. Ernest Willis, 59, was convicted of setting a 1986 fire that killed two sleeping women in Iraan, about 230 miles west of San Antonio. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Texas Death Row Inmate Freed After 17 Years — Today, Ernest Willis, age 59, was ordered released from a Texas prison after serving 17 years for a crime he did not commit. Norbizness: And the clock is ticking. The first death row inmate in five years was recently exonerated. |
Charles Kuffner: Given how badly the crime lab here screwed the pooch, I think we owe it to everyone involved to make sure that the... |
Governor refuses to halt executions Houston Chronicle — Permalink AUSTIN - With the hours ticking down on a convicted killer's life, Gov. Rick Perry rejected a call Monday from the chairman of the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee for a moratorium on all executions from Harris County until evidence from the problem-plagued Houston police crime lab can be reviewed. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Despite requests for a moratorium on Harris County executions from the police chief and a state senator, Texas Governor Perry refused to issue one. Norbizness: Like John Goodman's Chances in a Triathlon...so are the chances of getting off the Texas execution assembly line... |
Charles Kuffner: I probably should have already blogged about the Governor's refusal to halt executions while the godawful Houston Crime... |
Bremer: More troops were needed after Saddam's ouster CNN — Permalink (CNN) — The former U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq says the United States "paid a big price" for not having enough troops on the ground after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. | |
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Talking Dog: Speaking to a group of insurers at a meeting in West Virginia, former American Pro-consul to Iraq L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer... Mark Kleiman: One of Rummy's flacks started out (naturally) by calling Bremer a liar, but the White House shifted ground and claimed... Matthew Yglesias: Paul Bremer says he asked the administration for more troops. The administration says he's lying. |
Juan Cole: CNN notes some backtracking: [quote] "Bremer attempted to clarify his comments in a statement released Tuesday, saying his...[end quote] DeLong: "Just repeating the post below, with link to CNN article." Hesiod: Last month: [quote] "The single most important change ... would have been having more troops in Iraq at the beginning and throughout," Bremer said in September.[end quote] |
| Also: Atrios | |
Rumsfeld: Saddam Hussein tied to al-Qaida By / Jerusalem Post — Permalink Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday said he believes Saddam Hussein's Iraq and al-Qaida had ties, backtracking from a statement a day earlier that he had "not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two." | |
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Mark Kleiman: The Rummy flip-flop — He told the truth, but only for a moment: I have seen the answer to that question migrate in the... The Poor Man: Where would they ever get that idea? Whatever a "bulwark" is, I hope it's not something critical, or else we're pretty f**ked. |
Tom Tomorrow: Story. And then there's this (another one you Atrios fans have already seen): "PHILLIPS: So, do Americans agree with... |
Iraqi Premier Gives Sobering Account of Insurgency By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 5 — In his first speech before the interim national assembly here, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi gave a sobering account today of the threat posed by the insurgency, saying the country's instability is a "source of worry for many people" and that the guerrillas represent "a challenge to our will." | |
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ArchPundit: Ginsberg and Luntz Must have been busy doing Media Gigs — Because apparently Allawi went off message at home. Edward _: Truth Cuts (Strings and other Things) I've been one of the loudest among those calling Allawi a puppet of the Bush... |
Matthew Yglesias: Apparently, things look a little bit different when Iyad Allawi doesn't have Republican flacks on hand to write his... |
The Public's View of the VP Candidates; VP Debate Outlook; Afghan Women Have a Big Say in Afghan Presidential Election CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now to the music business and some X-rated criticism by singer Elton John. At an awards ceremony in London, he took some four-letter jabs at Madonna. | |
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Tom Tomorrow: And then there's this (another one you Atrios fans have already seen): "PHILLIPS: So, do Americans agree with Kerry's... Atrios: Will post transcript when it arrives, and all the trolls can cry. ...ah, here we are: Well, Americans are focused on their own upcoming election. |
The Poor Man: informed citizenry is the bulwark of a democracy — According to some CNN bobblehead [via Atrios], a new Gallup poll... |
'Girlie Men': The Unfair Sex? By / WaPo — Permalink "Girlie men": The phrase won roars of approval when Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger used it at the Republican National Convention, but is it an insult? Sean Bulson, the principal of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, thinks so, and he won't allow the school's young Republicans to wear it on their chests. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Well, I guess he'd know. "Former White House anti-terrorism adviser Richard A. Clarke, who conquered the nonfiction... KJL: A YOUNG BUCKLEY MAKES WAVES IN MARYLAND |
Rice Grad: Of course not: "The world-beating conservatives at the Weekly Standard proved their might by demolishing the combined... |
In a spin Guardian — Permalink Much ink has been spilled over John Kerry's smashing victory last week: how Kerry got a new lease on life after being written off for dead. Kerry's situation had never been dire, given the poll numbers in the battleground states (as opposed to the national poll numbers over-reported in the media). | |
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Chris Bowers: This week, they are coming to play: [snipped quote] Buckle down and expect more of a fight this time. Kos: Melhman wakes up — I wrote in my Guardian column today that the Bush campaign would make adjustments from its spin performance last week, and wouldn't be caught flat-footed again. |
Jeff Harrell: This week's column is, I s**t you not, a celebration of the Democratic noise machine. |
Which Is the 'Real' Bush? By / WaPo — Permalink So who was that George Bush we saw Thursday night? The one who at times looked more peevish and bored than gregarious and resolute? The notion that voters may come away from the debate thinking of Bush as someone who becomes upset when challenged is... | |
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Mark Kleiman: And will someone please send him to his room? Is Dan Froomkin right? Was the petulant child we saw Thursday night the real George W. Bush? Ted Barlow: National humiliation — Unbelievable. One of the most-cited gotchas from Thursday was Bush's assertion that "the A.Q. Khan network has been brought to justice." Mark A.R. Kleiman: His roundup of press commentary on the Beloved Leader's crash-and-burn performance Thursday quotes a number of people... |
Radley Balko: Making Us Safer — Condi Rice asserted on Late Edition this weekend that President Bush did not misspeak when he said that Pakistan's A.Q. Khan has been "brought to justice." Rivka: Where's The Outrage? Briefly mentioned in Dan Froomkin's White House Briefing, this story should be everywhere. |
Iran, When? NRO — Permalink The war on terror cannot be won without addressing Iran. Months before the liberation of Iraq I wrote that we were about to have our great national debate on the war against the terror masters, and it was going to be the wrong debate. | |
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Allah: And to think, Ledeen's nervous. F**king neocons! Bunuel Cela: As it still does." Very important analysis of the "quagmire of our own making" by Michael Ledeen in NRO. |
Matthew Yglesias: Faster, Please — Michael Ledeen, the Iran hawk who thinks we needn't use force to accomplish regime change in Iran is... Roger L. Simon: Either way it should come as no surprise. MEANWHILE: The Mullahs' Greatest Enemy warns us not to play defense. |
Rumsfeld: Iraq/al-Qaida remarks 'misunderstood' By / Guardian — Permalink The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, today attempted to distance himself from his earlier comments that there were no links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Like Rumsfeld backtracking to cover Cheney on WMDs. Remember that old Animals' song? Sarah Wildman: With all of Donald Rumsfeld's recent flip-flopping on the (lack of a) connection between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein,... |
Barbara O'Brien: For example: Rummy yesterday: ''To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two [Saddam... Venkat @BeggingToDiffer: FLIP FLOPS MCMLXXXIV — The Guardian provides a useful timeline on Rumsfeld's . . . evolving (for lack of a better word) thoughts on the Saddam-Al Qaida connection. |
POLISH PRESIDENT SLAMS KERRY AFTER DEBATE SNUB Drudge Report — Permalink Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski has slammed Dem president hopeful John Kerry for not recognizing Poland's contributions and sacrifice to the war in Iraq. "It is sad that a senator with 20 years of experience does not recognize Polish contribution. | |
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Avedon Carol: Elephant pies — Another recipient of a White House Phone Call, apparently, is Aleksander Kwasniewski, or so one must... Joel Foreman: Mars? Perhaps he means Poland, since in Kerry's world they're not a real country for the purposes of counting allies. DJ Drummond: An Ally Responds — This morning's Drudge Report illustrates how well John Kerry is respecting our allies. |
Betsy Newmark: Drudge also has the story on how Kerry has ticked off the Polish Prime Minister. Pejman Yousefzadeh: And in other Polish news ... "Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski has slammed Dem president hopeful John Kerry... |
Bremer Criticizes Troop Levels WaPo — Permalink The former U.S. official who governed Iraq after the invasion said yesterday that the United States made two major mistakes: not deploying enough troops in Iraq and then not containing the violence and looting immediately after the ouster of Saddam Hussein. | |
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Steve Soto: You'll recall that yesterday Paul Bremer was caught admitting to a private audience that the Iraq occupation was hobbled due to an insufficient number of troops on the ground. DeLong: "It's not a comfortable place to be, but that's where we are..." Former Iraq Proconsul L. Paul Bremer, September 17,... Wretchard: Sullivan's source for Bremer's remarks is the Washington Post which begins its story this way: "The former U.S. official... |
Josh Marshall: In this morning's Post a "senior defense official" denied that Bremer had ever pressed for more troops in Iraq, as the... Hesiod: L. PAUL BREMER — FLIP FLOPPER: Can someone find a single bit of difference between the opinion and position of former Iraq viceroy, L. Paul Bremer and John Kerry? David Allan Pell: During a single news cycle, Elton John outed Madonna for lip synching at concerts and L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer outed the administration's failure to have enough troops in Iraq. |
| Also: Avedon Carol, Magpie @PacificViews, Noam Scheiber, Brad @ShrillBlog, Matthew Yglesias, Christopher Kanis, Kash, Cori Dauber, Kevin Hayden, Belle Waring, Phillip Carter, Joe Gandelman, Ogged @Unfogged, Andrew Sullivan, Laura Rozen | |
Kerry Ad Falsely Accuses Cheney on Halliburton FactCheck.org — Permalink A Kerry ad implies Cheney has a financial interest in Halliburton and is profiting from the company's contracts in Iraq. The fact is, Cheney doesn't gain a penny from Halliburton's contracts, and almost certainly won't lose even if Halliburton goes bankrupt. | |
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Matt Welch: What's more: "In fact, we did post an article pointing out that Cheney hasn't profited personally while in office from... Mike Hendrix: Last night Cheney screwed up the URL for this site, which has all the debunking of Kedwards' Halliburton lies you'll ever need. Allah: What he meant to say was "Factcheck.org", where you'll find this bunker-buster dropped on Waffles's latest Halliburton-themed attack ad. |
The Poor Man: The real factcheck.org says: "In fact, we did post an article pointing out that Cheney hasn't profited personally while... Betsy Newmark: It's an "org" not a "com" as Cheney said. Go there and read up on all the lies about Halliburton. Jeffrey Dubner: Factcheck.org did just release a critique of a Kerry campaign ad claiming that Cheney still had a financial interest in Halliburton. |
| Also: C. D. Harris, Judith Weiss, Vance @BeggingToDiffer | |
THE ARMY WINS By / New York Post — Permalink IN a remarkable display of skill, elements of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division and newly trained Iraqi national forces drove the terrorists from the city of Samarra last week. Killing over 100 of freedom's enemies and capturing many more, our troops lost a single soldier. | |
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Greyhawk: Enough of that loser attitude, here's the real story, from the Post (some bold emphasis added): [snipped quote] Thank you sir. Jesse Taylor: Failure Into Victory 17 months after Bush stood on the deck of an aircraft carrier and declared mission accomplished,... Stephen Green: Required Reading — Ralph Peters: [snipped quote] Read the rest right the hell now. |
Allah: Simon and Peters are must reads today. Must. Not in the sense of "you should find time to read it" but in the sense of "you're not fully informed if you don't." H.D. Miller: Corrective — As usual, Ralph Peters should be read daily as a corrective to nonsense and whining. Pejman Yousefzadeh: "THE ARMY WINS" — Ralph Peters discusses the recent success of the Army's operations in Samarra—and casts aspersions... |
| Also: McQ, James Joyner | |
CIA review finds no evidence Saddam had ties to Islamic terrorists Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - A new CIA assessment undercuts the White House's claim that Saddam Hussein maintained ties to al-Qaida, saying there's no conclusive evidence that the regime harbored Osama bin Laden associate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. | |
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Jon Henke: The Left will certainly claim the 9/11 Report—and the recent CIA report—indicated there was not "collarborative relationship". Jesse Taylor: There's really no real new point to the report except, I think, to make sure that every synonym for "no connection whatsoever, you f**king idiots" is covered. Joe Gandelman: A New CIA Assessment Finds No Sadaam-Al Qaeda Ties — Attention Robert Novak: PLEASE get out another column about how the CIA is undercutting the president. |
Mark Kleiman: (Update: Here's the story. Very, very bad for Cheney's case, which explains why he backed off the Saddam=9/11 claim. Kevin Drum: Fine. So what does the CIA think? [snipped quote] I guess that's that. So we won't be hearing anything from Cheney tonight about Saddam and al-Qaeda, right? Laura Rozen: "CIA review finds no evidence Saddam had ties to Islamic terrorists," reports — Knight-Ridder's Warren Strobel,... |
| Also: Matthew Yglesias, Jeff A. Taylor | |
Quickening the Tempo in Iraq By / NYT — Permalink The pace of events seems to be quickening in Iraq. When I spoke to administration officials a few weeks ago, I got the sense that the U.S. and the Iraqi governments had no choice but to bide their time so they could train more Iraqi troops and work out political deals with wavering tribal leaders. | |
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Mark Kleiman: David Brooks, the Times's new second-string GOP spinmeister, reports that "The defense secretary had been one of those... Kieran Healy: My First is in Quick, but not in Thick — David Brooks today: Every few weeks I hear about a new twist in American strategy or tactics. Matthew Yglesias: WHAT PUPPET? WHERE? David Brooks assures us that Iyad Allawi is no puppet. |
Von @ObsidianWings: Until that time, though, Kieran of Crooked Timber is on the right track: [snipped quote] Indeed, Iraq looks nothing like Vietnam. Tim Dunlop: Priceless — This is why David Brooks gets the big bucks and a regular spot on the op-ed pages, not to mention every... Paradox @LeftCoaster: I rarely read David Brooks at the New York Times—allegedly brought aboard as some sort of moderate, thinking... |
Dear Mike, Iraq sucks Guardian — Permalink I went to Iraq with thoughts of killing people who I thought were horrible. I was like, "F**k Iraq, f**k these people, I hope we kill thousands." I believed my president. He was taking care of business and wasn't going to let al Qaeda push us around. | |
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Hesiod: UPDATE: No wonder our troops are so angry. "People's perceptions of this war have done a complete 180 since we got here. Richard Reich: Dear Mike — Iraq sucks. |
Chris Bowers: The Guardian has several others, which are all worth reading. |
Meet the Graders By / NRO — Permalink President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry referred to the United Nations 17 times during their debate last Thursday on American foreign policy. Kerry's references outnumbered the president's more than 2 to 1. The senator's attitude? | |
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Noam Alaska: Here's an example from the Hudson Institute's Anne Bayefsky on today's National Review Online. The Big Trunk: I get it! UPDATE: At NRO Anne Bayefsky provides the necessary context: "Meet the graders." |
Charles Johnson: Meet the Graders — Anne Bayefsky introduces us to the graders of the global test. Roger L. Simon: Those few who might be interested won't have the chance. MEANWHILE: Anne Bayevsky asks us to "Meet the Graders." |
Here I Blog, I Can Do No Other By / TCS — Permalink Buoyed by the ascendancy of a new information technology, a revolution against the mainstream media (MSM) is underway. What began as a modest effort to reform the excesses of the MSM evolves into a total rejection of the MSM's right to mediate and interpret the truth. | |
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Orrin Judd: 300 MILLION LUTHERS: Here I Blog, I Can Do No Other (Doug Kern, 10/05/2004, Tech Central Station) [snipped quote] Why aren't centrists partisans of the Center? H.D. Miller: Pope Rather — Here's another in a series of articles that compares blogging to the Protestant Reformation, a subject I treated in brief a couple weeks ago. Greg Ransom: HERE I BLOG, I Can Do No Other. "When Martin Luther posted his blog on the Wittenberg door, he fact-checked Catholic theology against the text of scripture. |
Ramesh Ponnuru: BLOGGERS VS. THE MSM "[T]he blogosphere will not destroy the MSM. Glenn Reynolds: DOUG KERN looks at blogging in the Sixteenth Century. Jay Rosen: Here I Blog, I Can Do No Other, Doug Kern column (TCS, Oct. 5) "Five hundred years ago, the Catholic Church was the big... |