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Huge Cache of Explosives Vanished From Site in Iraq NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 24 - The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives - used to demolish buildings, make missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons - are missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations. | |
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Stephen Green: Challenge: "BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 24 - The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international... Gregory Djerejian: And, today, this staggeringly awful story (that rings so out and out FUBAR and, in many ways, sums up so much of what went awry with the Iraq occupation). Liz Cox Barrett: Left-leaning bloggers are focused on the 380 tons of Iraqi explosives that, as reported by The New York Times, vanished... |
Jeanne D'Arc: Incompetence — The word everyone is using to label today's New York Times revelation that the Bush Administration... Thomas Lang: Forget the Iraq bloodshed or the recent revelation that 380 tons of explosives disappeared from a weapons cache. Skippy: the nytimes is reporting that 380 tons of conventional explosives in iraq, which was obstensively the responsibility of the u.s., is missing. |
| Also: Captain Ed, Jeff Goldstein, Gene @HarrysPlace, Von @ObsidianWings, Steve M., Norbizness, Dave Johnson, Zoe Kentucky, Bird Dog, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, Kevin Raybould, James Martin Capozzola, Phillip Carter, Taegan Goddard, Tim Dunlop, Roger Ailes, Matthew Yglesias, Kash, Jon Henke, Bill @INDCJournal, Paul Glastris, Ed Cone, John Cole, Jonah Goldberg, Tom Maguire, Juan Cole, Natasha @PacificViews, David Allan Pell, Mary @LeftCoaster, Jeralyn Merritt, Michael Froomkin, Guy Andrew Hall, Mathew Gross, Joe Gandelman, Andrew Sullivan, Oliver Willis, Richard TPD, Chris Bowers, Matt Singer, Digby, Josh Marshall, Hugh Hewitt, Brad @ShrillBlog, Atrios, Laura Rozen, Steve Gilliard, Kos, Barbara O'Brien | |
Security Council members deny meeting Kerry By / Washington Times — Permalink U.N. ambassadors from several nations are disputing assertions by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry that he met for hours with all members of the U.N. Security Council just a week before voting in October 2002 to authorize the use of force in Iraq. | |
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Stuart Buck: Kerry and Bush — When you watch the video of the second debate, it's obvious that Bush immediately knew that Kerry was... Dale Franks: Joel Mowbray reports in the Washington Times that John Kerry's meetings with the UN Security Council apparently never occurred. Todd Pearson: Security Council members deny meeting Kerry Which one is Chris Matthews et al going to be talking about tonight? |
Tom Maguire: I Will Reach Out To Our Allies — To the haunting strains of "It's Only Make Believe", RedState and the Washington Times... Liz Cox Barrett: It's a handful of missing UN Security Council members, as reported by the other Times (of Washington), that have righty bloggers all atwitter (KerryForgotBulgariaGate) . Clayton Cramer: For someone who has accused Bush of lying (because the pre-war intelligence reports—of many nations—were wrong), Kerry... |
| Also: H.D. Miller, Sir George, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Von @ObsidianWings, Norbizness, C. D. Harris, Orrin Judd, Jesse Taylor, Bill Hobbs, John Hood, Jon Henke, QD @SouthernAppeal, Captain Ed, John Cole, Steve Dillard, Betsy Newmark, Charles Johnson, Stefan Sharkansky, Ace, The Poor Man, Christopher Kanis, Greg Ransom, Roger L. Simon, Lorie Byrd, Digby, Michelle Malkin, Bill @INDCJournal, The Big Trunk, Judith Weiss, Hugh Hewitt, William J. Dyer, Atrios, Jeralyn Merritt, Kos | |
IAEA: Tons of Iraq explosives missing CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Some 380 tons of explosives, powerful enough to detonate nuclear warheads, are missing from a former Iraqi military facility that was supposed to be under American control, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog says. | |
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Avedon Carol: Nick Confessore and Josh Marshall look at the spin of the day on those missing explosives. Steve Gilliard: Tons of Iraq explosives missing Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told CNN... Nick Confessore: Here's a round of spin the White House floated over CNN today on the Al Qaqaa story: [snipped quote] You'll see this... |
Matthew Yglesias: "Stuff You Can Buy Anywhere" — At least part of the White House spin on the RDX/HMX thing is that this is "stuff you can buy anywhere". Andrew D: From CNN.com: [snipped quote] Just FYI, the same type of explosives that went missing were used in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing over Scotland in 1989. Captain Ed: The New York Times has created a storm of controversy with its lengthy and detailed reporting of 380 tons of high... |
| Also: Todd Pearson, Josh Marshall, Kos | |
THE CHOICE New Yorker — Permalink This Presidential campaign has been as ugly and as bitter as any in American memory. The ugliness has flowed mostly in one direction, reaching its apotheosis in the effort, undertaken by a supposedly independent group financed by friends of the incumbent, to... | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: In one of the longest and strongest editorial endorsements we've seen, the New Yorker editors blast Bush and comes on strong for Kerry. James Martin Capozzola: In "The Choice," the editors write, among much else: "The Bush Administration has had success in carrying out its... Matthew Yglesias: Silly New Yorker — They make a convincing case for Kerry but they forget the most important thing. If Bush loses, you'll be . |
Lambert @Corrente: Election fraud 2000: Lest we forget, lest we forget — Nice takedown in the New Yorker (funny how the parts of the... David Allan Pell: For example, The New Yorker offered an endorsement of Kerry even though they had never backed either candidate in any past election. Matt Welch: It's So Obvious, it Almost Pains Us to Say it — I know I'm supposed to take the election seriously and all, and I... |
| Also: Laura Rozen | |
Poll: Bush has five point lead with likely voters CNN — Permalink (CNN) — President Bush commands a five percentage point lead over Sen. John Kerry in the race for president among likely voters in a CNN/USA Today/ Gallup opinion poll published Monday. Fifty-one percent of likely voters said they would back Bush, and 46 percent expressed support for Kerry. | |
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Steve M.: One more poll: L.A. Times. And it's tied: 48%-48% (likely voters, 3-way race), 47%-47% (registered voters, 3-way race). Ace: Polls: Mixed With Edge to Bush Kim Richards and Why She's Still Hot (With Some Poll News) CNNGallupUSAToday: Bush by 5 with likelies 51-46, by 2 among registered. Deacon: Bush continues to lead in Gallup Poll — The latest Gallup Poll has President Bush up by 51-46 among likely voters. |
Dwight Meredith: Today, CNN/USAT/Gallup released its most recent poll. That poll shows Mr. Bush leading 51%-46% among "likely voters" and 49% to 47% among registered voters. Clayton Cramer: But here's a nice surprise: "Fifty-one percent of likely voters said they would back Bush, and 46 percent expressed support for Kerry. Steve Soto: Today's Gallup Poll Based On Even Larger GOP Bias Amongst Likely Voters — With no concern apparently for its... |
| Also: Taegan Goddard | |
Rehnquist Hospitalized With Cancer in Md. By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, the second-oldest man to preside over the nation's highest court and its premier conservative figure, is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer. | |
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Avedon Carol: The Dictionary of All-Vowel Words and fake Google Logos (via) Are we safer if Rehnquist is hospitalized during the election? James Martin Capozzola: IF THIS DOESN'T GET YOU TO THE POLLS — You're Hopeless Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist has been hospitalized. | HOME Steve Clemons: .SUPREME COURT AP IS REPORTING THAT CHIEF JUSTICE WILLIAM RENQUIST is in intensive care, hospitalized for treatment of thyroid cancer. |
Ann Althouse: Let me extend good wishes for a SPEEDY RECOVERY TO CHIEF JUSTICE REHNQUIST, who has been hospitalized for treatment of thyroid cancer. ArchPundit: Rehnquist Hospitalized — I, of course, wish him well, but let's add number 2 million as to why to vote for Kerry Ace: BREAKING: Underwent surgery— a tracheotomy. Pray for the man's life. |
| Also: Robert Garcia Tagorda | |
Majority Says Nation Is Headed in Wrong Direction By / WaPo — Permalink A majority of likely voters says the country is headed in the wrong direction, but these Americans remain sharply divided whether President Bush or Democratic challenger John F. Kerry is the best choice to lead the country over the next four years, according to a Washington Post tracking poll. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Traditionally, polling right before an election that shows most people feeling the country is headed in the wrong... Chris Bowers: However, here is the money quote: [snipped quote] First time voters are generally young people and the newly registered. |
Mathew Gross: That's the break you've been looking for, and it's going to Kerry: [snipped quote] Like father, like son: war, recession, failed reelection. Taegan Goddard: Update: The new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Kerry moving into a narrow lead over Bush, 49% to 48%. |
EDWARDS WIFE: NO RIOTS IF WE WIN Drudge Report — Permalink The wife of Dem vice presidential hopeful John Edwards said on Sunday there will be no riots around the election — if Kerry/Edwards wins! C-SPAN cameras captured spouse Elizabeth Edwards making the startling comments to a supporter during a Kerry Campaign Town Hall Meeting in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. | |
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Clayton Cramer: Now Senator Edwards' wife goes ahead and articulates it: [snipped quote] And here's the audio clip of it. Joel Foreman: That's the implication of this statement by Elizabeth Edwards. Is this really how the Democratic ticket thinks? Charles Johnson: Elizabeth Edwards: No Riots "If We Win" — John Edwards' wife Elizabeth has been telling supporters not to worry about riots after the election—as long as Democrats win. |
Bill @INDCJournal: For Reference (UPDATED) People looking for the definition of an overhyped story should compare this Drudge bit to the... Tim Blair: Vote no to riots! KJL: THERE WILL BE RIOTS IF BUSH WINS — Suggests Mrs. Edwards. |
Top Army Official Calls for a Halliburton Inquiry By / NYT — Permalink The top civilian contracting official for the Army Corps of Engineers, charging that the Army granted the Halliburton Company large contracts for work in Iraq and the Balkans without following rules designed to ensure competition and fair prices to the... | |
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Kevin Hayden: The second page is as bad as the first. I remember an America where voters didn't call this the entrepreneurial spirit. Kriston @BeggingToDiffer: The chief contracting officer of the Army Corps of Engineers joins the ranks of Che-adoring, WTO-decrying activists:... Matthew Yglesias: I haven't put a huge amount of stock in allegations of impropriety surrounding the awarding of Iraq-related contracts to... |
TChris: She's raising questions about the Bush administration's cozy relationship with Halliburton, including its repeated... James Martin Capozzola: Staying the Course If this — stolen weapons, mass executions, and Halliburton-style contracting — is what constitutes... |
Four . . . More . . . Years? By / WaPo — Permalink The cover of the Washington Monthly asks the burning question: "WHAT IF HE WINS?" The outcome of the race remains in doubt, of course, but there are huge implications for the media — especially its openly liberal branch — if President Bush is reelected next week. | |
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Orrin Judd: SOMEONE GETS TO GOVERN: Four . . . More . . . Years? Laura Rozen: He forgot, the Des Moines Register. And the New Yorker [apparently — its first presidential endorsement in history]. Betsy Newmark: Howard Kurtz looks at how the liberals are thinking about having to deal with a Bush victory. They're not happy about it. |
Tim Graham: PETULANCE IN ADVANCE — Howard Kurtz relates today just how angry the Left will be if Bush wins, from a Washington... Tim Blair: These frightened liberals are already exhibiting profound paranoia: CNN's Paul Begala: "He and his allies are likely to... |
Hope for Democracy in Iran By / WaPo — Permalink TEHRAN — Many people in the West believe that the deadlock in Iran's domestic politics blocks any hope for societal reform. But from my viewpoint here in Iran, there is hope. Let me tell you why. Society itself, not the government, creates change. | |
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Laura Rozen: Iran is in the midst of profound social change that will lead to democratic transformation, argues journalist and... Pejman Yousefzadeh: "HOPE FOR DEMOCRACY IN IRAN" — Emadeddin Baghi's words should strike fear in the heart of the Islamic regime, and... |
Matthew Yglesias: Reform In Iran — Via Laura Rozen, a Washington Post op-ed from an Iranian journalist and democracy activist arguing... |
Blue State Slander By / Gadflyer — Permalink Fantasyland, October 25, 2004 - Today John Kerry opened up a new line of attack on President Bush, charging that his policies and positions are a product of Texas, a state whose political culture lies far outside the American mainstream. | |
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Kevin Hayden: Teatime for Wussy Texas — Paul Waldman takes on the bias the media accepts from the bigoted Right in its regional hatred. Ezra Klein: Gadflyer Stuff — Paul Waldman has an excellent piece on the vituperative, and unacceptable, regionalism of the GOP. |
Matthew Yglesias: The North Will Rise Again — Paul Waldman takes a good look at the real America / fake America rhetoric of the right and the self-hating media's awful tendency to swallow it. |
IAEA Says Tons of Iraq Explosives Missing By / AP — Permalink VIENNA, Austria — Several hundred tons of conventional explosives are missing from a former Iraqi military facility that once played a key role in Saddam Hussein's efforts to build a nuclear bomb, the U.N. nuclear agency confirmed Monday. | |
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Josh Marshall: A clip from an article just posted on the WaPo website that truly says it all ... [snipped quote] Doesn't that capture everything? Kriston @BeggingToDiffer: But knowing what we know now, it's garbage that the President has the gall to insist still that a tyrant in his august... |
David Allan Pell: All Talk — Kerry on the Missing Weapons: George W. Bush, who talks tough — talks tough — and brags about making Americans safe, has once again failed to deliver. Barbara O'Brien: Most other news outlets, such as the Washington Post and CNN, picked up an Associated Press story on the weapons. |
Kerry Will "Put More Pressure on Israel" By / Weekly Standard — Permalink LAST FRIDAY, Charles Krauthammer argued in his column, Sacrificing Israel, that the currency with which a Kerry administration "would pay the rest of the world in exchange for their support . . . is obvious: giving in to them on Israel." | |
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Charles Johnson: Holbrooke: Kerry Will "Put More Pressure on Israel" — William Kristol notes a very telling comment from John Kerry's... Bunuel Cela: Isn't there, Sen. Kerry? (my emphases). William Kristol in the latest of his"Campaign Memos" at weeklystandard.com |
Betsy Newmark: Bill Kristol catches what Richard Holbrooke said about how Kerry will relate to Israel if he were elected. |
How to Make New Enemies By / NYT — Permalink It is striking that in spite of all the electoral fireworks over policy in Iraq, both presidential candidates offer basically similar solutions. Their programs stress intensified Iraqi self-help and more outside help in the quest for domestic stability. | |
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Kevin Hayden: Plan, plan, who's got a plan? He defines the central problems well. But does Brzezinski have a better plan? Edward _: The Need for Nuance — Criticizing both the Bush and Kerry plans for Iraq, former National Security Adviser Zbigniew... |
David Allan Pell: Fueling the Fire — Zbigniew Brzezinski on Making enemies: Both candidates have become prisoners of a worldview that fundamentally misdiagnoses the central challenge of our time. Steve Clemons: I'm pessimistic that the crowd we have here will be able to coalesce around something that would be seriously considered... |
Kerry rips Bush for 'incredible incompetence' MSNBC — Permalink Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush of "incredible incompetence" in the war on Iraq on Monday, citing the disappearance of hundreds of tons of powerful explosives. "My opponent has the wrong strategy for the wrong country at the wrong time," Bush shot back as the campaign for the White House entered its final full week. | |
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John Cole: Update #2 *** Commenters have left some links that lead me to believe my initial reaction was correct. |
Tom Maguire: [MSNBC says no to this - why can't CNN or the Times get this news? |
NBCNEWS: HUGE CACHE OF EXPLOSIVES VANISHED FROM SITE IN IRAQ -- AT LEAST 18 MONTHS AGO -- BEFORE TROOPS ARRIVED Drudge Report — Permalink The NYTIMES urgently reported on Monday how the Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives are now missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations. | |
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Steve Dillard: Reason No. 1,345,678 why the NYT is a freakin' joke: [snipped quote] — What say you now, Senator Kerry? You stupid twit. |
Lorie Byrd: The Mainstream Media Rushs To Judgment — Drudge is now reporting the story that Sean Hannity referenced tonight at Hannity & Colmes about the Iraq explosives. |
Election 2004 Zogby Battleground State Polls: Zogby — Permalink Zogby International has narrowed the race for the White House down to ten battleground states. While most of the other 40 states and the District of Columbia seem to be in the hands of one candidate or the other, some states (like New Hampshire or Arizona) could still produce late surprises. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Zogby Sees Bush Surge In Battleground States — If you look at the new Zogby battle ground states polls there is a... Andrew Sullivan: ZOGBY'S BUSH SURGE: Poring over the polls this morning, I'm struck by one big thing: Zogby is showing a real Bush surge in the battleground states. Taegan Goddard: Interestingly, a new Zogby poll gives Kerry a four point lead over Bush in Colorado. |
Ace: Zogby: In ten Battleground states, Bush holds most 2000 Bush states, and picks up a couple of Gore states (New Mexico, Iowa, Wisconsin), but may lose Colorado. Steve Soto: Although Zogby noted last night that Bush is ahead in both Ohio and Florida, other polls show Kerry ahead in both states, and this is before Clinton makes his visits. Alexander K. McClure: Zogby Polls — There are a whole batch of polls out tonight from Zogby. Here are the numbers as he reports them. |
Apocalypse Next Week? A Thursday surprise? A delicious ad? And more NRO — Permalink Let me begin with something apocalyptic. (Since when do you have a choice?) I think Nov. 2 will tell us a lot about the American people — and what it tells us may not be pretty. We are in a war, or at least we Bush supporters think we're in a war. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: Closer and closer — Jay Nordlinger, NRO: [snipped quote] I'm feeling queasy. Damian Penny: (As Jay Nordlinger puts it today, "Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Michael Moore are not supporting Kerry because they... |
Betsy Newmark: Jay Nordlinger has another good reason to support Bush. |
Paper: Iraq tells U.S. of missing explosives Reuters — Permalink NEW YORK - The interim government of Iraq has informed the U.S. government and international inspectors that nearly 380 tons of conventional explosives have gone missing from al Qaqaa, a sensitive former military installation, the New York Times reported on Monday. | |
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Michael Totten: IRAQ'S MISSING EXPLOSIVES: According to an MSNBC TV news report the Pentagon says the hundreds of tons of explosives... Hesiod: THE BOMBSHELL: It remains to be seen, of course, but I think the big news today that 350 tons of high and other... |
Tbogg: Seriously — To all of those fence-straddlers and those who... Josh Marshall: If you go to the MSNBC website, the headline on the al Qa Qaa story reads: "Paper: Iraq tells U.S. of missing explosives." |
Kerry strikes out as Boston Red Sox leave him red-faced Scotsman — Permalink SENATOR John Kerry's efforts to portray himself as "just a regular American guy" suffered a blow this weekend when he comprehensively messed up the scoreline at a game featuring his beloved Boston Red Sox. | |
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Orrin Judd: STICK TO SOCCER: Kerry strikes out as Boston Red Sox leave him red-faced (NEDRA PICKLER, 10/25/04, AP) "SENATOR John... |
Hugh Hewitt: (HT the indispensible KerrySpot.) UPDATE: John Kerry. Poser. |
Still a Puzzle for the Undecided, a Pivotal Few Among Voters By / NYT — Permalink Mary Ellen Bower can hardly miss the signs that October is all but gone and that she is nearly out of time to make a decision on the presidential election. Along the streets of Ambler, Pa., a comfortable suburb northwest of Philadelphia, ranks of pumpkins and store-bought ghouls sit on every other lawn, often between Kerry/Edwards or Bush/Cheney placards. | |
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Tom Maguire: Unexpected Indecision At The Times — The NY Times chats with a few undecided voters, and manages to surprise us. Steve M.: It was Change vs. More of the Same I find the handwringing of the undecideds maddening, but I sometimes wonder if Kerry... |
James Martin Capozzola: QUOTE OF THE WEEK — The Undecided Voter The latest quote of the week comes from Kimberly Parmar, an undecided Michigan... |
Two Nations in One By / Opinion Journal — Permalink There are two Iraqs. The one we more often see and read about is a dangerous place, full of exploding cars, kidnapped foreigners and deadly ambushes. There, reconstruction is proceeding at a snail's pace, frustration boils over, and tensions—political, ethnic, religious—crackle in the air like static electricity before a storm. | |
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Tully @Centerfield: Two Nations in One: A roundup of the past two weeks' good news from Iraq Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: On the other hand, Chrenkoff's points cannot be forgotten. And should not be. Captain Ed: Chrenkoff: The Iraq That Goes Unnoticed — Arthur Chrenkoff has a great column in today's OpinionJournal (also on his... |
FrancoAlemán: THERE ARE TWO IRAQS, writes Arthur Chrenkoff: [snipped quote] It's the new installment of his Good News from Iraq series; as usual, it's worth reading each and every line. Orrin Judd: WELL, IT WASN'T WORKING AS JUST ONE IRAQ: Two Nations in One: A roundup of the past two weeks' good news from Iraq. Arthur Chrenkoff: Good news from Iraq, vol. 13 — Note: Also available from the "Opinion Journal" and Chrenkoff. |
Arab and Jewish Votes By / NYT — Permalink Washington — You have to give credit to Arab-Americans, and to the overlapping category of American Muslims, for knowing what side they are on in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - and for voting for those they believe would address their concerns. | |
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Betsy Newmark: William Safire wonders why American Jews are supporting the same candidate that American Muslims are supporting. Jonah Goldberg: STRANGE TIMES — Not only did I find Bill Safire's column on Israel much superior to Charles Krauthammer's from last... |
Laura Rozen: Bill Safire is chagrined that Jewish and Arab Americans are united in voting overwhelmingly against Bush and believing Kerry will better represent their interests. |
Two Steps Forward in Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush and Kerry campaigns enter the final full week of this dizzying, deadlocked race without having put on the table credible blueprints of what an electoral victory for either will mean for Iraq. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: But, in the very article Dan links, we read: "The lack of key spare parts for gear vital to combat operations, such as... Matthew Yglesias: Jim Hoagland. If we're lucky, "the irrepressible Ahmed Chalabi" will ride to the rescue in Iraq. Michael Kinsley. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: And should not be. ANOTHER UPDATE: See also Jim Hoagland: [snipped quote] A THIRD UPDATE: All right, commenters! All right! |
THE BELIEVER By / New Yorker — Permalink On the night of October 5th, a group of Polish students, professors, military officers, and state officials crowded into a small auditorium at Warsaw University to hear Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, give a talk on the subject of the war in Iraq. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: As the author of a bona fide hit piece on Peter Boyer, I have to say that I quite enjoyed his profile of Paul Wolfowitz. |
Laura Rozen: "Paul Wolfowitz defends his war," an article in the New Yorker. |
Insurgents Massacre 49 Iraqi Recruits By / WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD, Oct. 24 — The bodies of 49 freshly trained Iraqi National Guard recruits, lined up and executed by insurgents, were discovered on a roadside about 75 miles northeast of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said Sunday. | |
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Eugene Oregon: An Important Story Trapped in the WSJ — Because the Wall Street Journal requires a subscription to access some of their... Matthew Yglesias: Missing tons of high-powered explosives aside, conditions in Iraq have deteriorated to the point where a single... |
Tarek @LiquidList: Politics: Support Their Troops — Can anyone explain why the United States, having just trained these people who are... |
Israel is waiting for a Lincoln By / Haaretz — Permalink Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to pull the Israel Defense Forces and the Jewish settlements out of the Gaza Strip is, fundamentally, only a prelude to the inevitable: Due to various considerations, both internal and external, Sharon has decided to do, now,... | |
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Sarah Wildman: Today's Ha'aretz has an editorial by Amir Oren that says the dilemma is "waiting for a Lincoln." . |
Laura Rozen: Update: The American Prospect's Sarah Wildman notes a very interesting editorial from Ha'aretz today: [snipped quote] Go read the whole Ha'aretz piece. |
A Card to Borrow Your Future By / WaPo — Permalink For a quarter-century, a Boston inventor has been obsessed with a single idea: an innovation that would give millions of American workers the chance to borrow their own money from their 401(k) savings plans using a new kind of credit card. | |
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Tom Smith: 401k credit cards — I think it's a good idea. There will be people who blow their retirement egg at Vegas, but so what? |
Megan McArdle: This seems, at first glance, like a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea: let people have charge cards on which to borrow against their 401(k) savings. |
Gore and Kerry Unite in Search for Black Votes NYT — Permalink JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 24 - Al Gore, the former vice president, sprinted across six pulpits Sunday morning to exhort African-Americans to avenge his disputed 2000 defeat in this deadlocked state, while Senator John Kerry hit South Florida, clapping along with the choir at another black church in Fort Lauderdale. | |
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Noam Scheiber: As Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings puts it in today's New York Times, "I think that Kerry's biggest problem is that he is not Clinton. Taegan Goddard: Yesterday, the New York Times notes Al Gore "sprinted across six pulpits" to "exhort African-Americans to avenge his disputed 2000 defeat in this deadlocked state." |
Ann Althouse: That would be John Kerry, as campaign rhetoric is laid on extra-thick and extra-shamelessly for black voters. |
Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan White House — Permalink MR. McCLELLAN: Good morning. The President had his usual briefings a short time ago on board Air Force One. We've got three events today. Mayor Giuliani and Mrs. Giuliani will be traveling with us all day. | |
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Josh Marshall: Definitely take a moment to skim over Scott McClellan's remarks today in the press gaggle about the al Qa Qaa debacle. |
Kos: From this morning's press gaggle: [snipped quote] So oil was more important than securing the very weapons now being used... |
Sen. John Kerry: 'I will fight for the middle class' MSNBC — Permalink There are only a few days left until the presidential election and the race for the White House is too close to call. Both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry have been barnstorming the battleground states, hoping to attract the estimated 6 percent of voters who remain undecided. | |
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Joel Foreman: I found a transcript here, but I'm not certain the weakness shows through in it. Hugh Hewitt: John Kerry with Katie Couric this morning, using very old plays from a failed playbook: "Couric: The Bush campaign is... |
KJL: IS IT ME? Or were Kerry's answers remarkably lame in his Katie Couric interview this morning? |
Turnout Titans Opinion Journal — Permalink If John Kerry is elected president, he will have many people to thank, but the list may start with Michael Whouley. A legendary Democratic field operative, the reclusive Mr. Whouley is in charge of the thousands of Democratic grassroots organizers who are charged with getting out the vote. | |
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Joe Gandelman: The Wall Street Journal has a piece that says this: [snipped quote] FOOTNOTE: This article is by John Fund, who is usually predictable due to his unabashed partisan slant. Betsy Newmark: John Fund looks at the Get Out the Vote campaigns for each side. You just have to cross your fingers that the GOP GOTV effort will be better than the Democrats this year. |
PoliPundit: GOTV — OpinionJournal.com has a readable piece on Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) efforts by both parties. |
Breyer Cites Doubt About Impartiality of Election Vote WaPo — Permalink STANFORD, Calif. — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer said he is not sure he was being truly impartial when the high court was asked to settle the disputed 2000 presidential vote in Florida. | |
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Orrin Judd: Breyer Cites Doubt About Impartiality of Election Vote (Associated Press, October 25, 2004) [snipped quote] No one has accused him of being impartial, have they? Betsy Newmark: Stephen Breyer admits that he may have been swayed by partisanship in his vote in the 2000 Bush v. Gore decision. |
Juan Non-Volokh: Justice Breyer on Judicial Neutrality: Speaking at the Stanford University Law School on Saturday, Justice Breyer... |
Tons of Explosives Missing in Iraq By / AP — Permalink VIENNA, Austria - Several hundred tons of conventional explosives are missing from a former Iraqi military facility that once played a key role in Saddam Hussein 's efforts to build a nuclear bomb, the U.N. nuclear agency confirmed Monday. | |
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Dave Johnson: 380 Tons of Fun, Coming Your Way Thanks to Bush 380 tons of high explosives are missing in Iraq because the Bush administration did not bother to post guards. |
Steve Soto: The IAEA confirmed the loss of these explosives a short while ago, and it must be remembered that Bush bears direct responsibility for this fiasco. |
Globe interview with John Kerry Boston Globe — Permalink On December 10, 2003, the Globe editorial board interviewed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, US Senator from Massachusetts. The following is a complete transcript of the interview. QF: Just in case you were wondering, mostly members of the editorial board here (inaudible). | |
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Lorie Byrd: Amazing Quote About That Security Council Meeting — With regard to the "Kerry lied about the UN Security Council... |
Bill @INDCJournal: But here's a third instance of Kerry being very specific with his assertion, this time in a December 10, 2003 interview... |
Administration Officials Split Over Stalled Military Tribunals By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON - When hundreds of prisoners arrived at the American naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in early 2002, the Bush administration laid out a straightforward plan: once the men were interrogated, the worst of the lot would be prosecuted before special military tribunals devised to bring terrorists to justice quickly. | |
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Orin Kerr: Part two of the New York Times investigative report on military tribunals is out today, and it is very much worth reading. David Allan Pell: John Ashcroft, Moderate — How extreme were the Pentagon strategies for dealing with Gitmo detainees? |
Jeralyn Merritt: Ashcroft vs. the Pentagon: Infighting Over Military Tribunals — Now the truth comes out. Scott Rosenberg: UPDATE: Part two of Golden's series is now online. |
Party Down By / Washington Monthly — Permalink In late July, on a gauzy, impossibly hot Washington evening, I met a friend of mine in a quiet sushi restaurant a few blocks from the White House. My friend, a conservative aide to an even more conservative senator, is from the suburbs of Atlanta; his favorite... | |
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Nick Confessore: (My colleague Ben Wallace Wells limns this comparison at length in last month's Washington Monthly.) |
Sam Rosenfeld: The bankruptcy, corruption, and deepening internal contradictions of Republican conservatism as a political ideology... |
ED & RUDY FORM 'AIR' FORCE FOR W. By / New York Post — Permalink Two former New York mayors, Rudy Giuliani and Ed Koch, have teamed up to tape an odd-couple radio ad for President Bush that will run all over Florida in a bid to court ex-New Yorkers. | |
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Lorie Byrd: Finally! Finally, the ad I have been waiting for. I hope it gets aired in more markets than just Florida. (Link via Betsy's Page) |
Betsy Newmark: Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani are teaming up for a joint ad to be aired in Florida to support Bush. |
Mongiardo gains ground on Bunning By / Courier-Journal — Permalink FRANKFORT, Ky. — The U.S. Senate race between Democratic state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo and Republican Sen. Jim Bunning appears to have tightened to 6 percentage points, according to a new Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll. | |
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Kos: KY-Sen: Top tier pickup — Bluegrass Poll. 10/18-20. MoE 3.7%. (9/10-15 results) "Bunning (R) 49 (51) Mongiardo (D) 43 (34)" The numbers above take leaners into consideration. |
Taegan Goddard: Kentucky Race Tightens — Kentucky's U.S. Senate race between Daniel Mongiardo (D) and Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) "appears... |
Prewar intelligence predicted Iraqi insurgency By / USA Today — Permalink The moment when U.S. troops realized they had badly underestimated the resistance they would encounter from Iraqi guerrilla fighters can be pinpointed to the minute. U.S. Marines from the 2nd Battalion search for insurgents in Ramadi. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Over the weekend, USA Today reported that this was less a case of miscalculation than yet another case of Bush ignoring... |
Jesse Taylor: In much the same vein, we're exempt from politicizing this report that we knew about the insurgency three days after the invasion, and still failed to plan for it. |
A Less Than Ideal Choice By / WaPo — Permalink For all its negativism and nastiness, this fall's campaign has been instructive in one very important way. It has given us a much better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of John Kerry's and George Bush's approaches to the job of being president. | |
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Bird Dog: David Broder: But we also know much more about his liabilities: a tendency to overstudy issues, procrastinate and avoid... Betsy Newmark: David Broder looks at the choice between Bush and Kerry and is not happy. He doesn't like either. |
Matthew Yglesias: Shockingly, The Wall Street Journal editorial page turns out to be an unreliable source of information. David Broder. Deacon: This doesn't bode well for Kerry — David Broder, the Washington Post's moderately liberal columnist, refers to John... |
Reuters Poll: Bush Holds Three-Point Lead on Kerry By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush holds a slender three-point lead over Democratic rival John Kerry in a tight race for the White House, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Monday. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Some show Bush's lead widening: Reuters/Zogby has Bush leading Kerry by three points, 48% to 45%. |
Hugh Hewitt: The direction of Zogby's tracking over the weekend was great, with Bush adding another point this morning, to a 3 point... |
For Bush, Bad News Is Bad News By / NYT — Permalink Here's George W. Bush's problem. How does a president win re-election when all the news the voters are seeing is bad? Polls show the president running even or slightly ahead of Senator John Kerry. But bad news is piling up like mounds of trash in a garbage strike, and that's never good for an incumbent. | |
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Mathew Gross: Bob Herbert sums up Bush's problem: How does a president win re-election when all the news the voters are seeing is bad? |
John Cole: Exactly, Bob — Bob Herbert nails it: [snipped quote] Gee- I wonder who is responsible for the news? |
Kerry, Bush trade barbs on homeland security Boston Globe — Permalink FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The presidential race entered its final full week yesterday with polls indicating Senator John F. Kerry leading in key battleground states, President Bush tied or slightly ahead nationally, and both sides arguing they can best provide the leadership America needs during the next four years. | |
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Taegan Goddard: The Final Week — The presidential race entered its last week with polls showing Sen. John Kerry "leading in key... |
Howard Kurtz: This is what the level of campaign discourse has come to, as reported by the Boston Globe: "Bush saw his campaign... |
Not to Worry -- The End Is Very Near By / WaPo — Permalink Americans are in the grip of a monster case of Pre-Election Anxiety Disorder. No one is talking about voter apathy anymore, because the opposite is more likely the case. People care too much. They're losing sleep. They're having bad dreams about unfavorable tracking polls. | |
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Zoe Kentucky: So here's my latest tin-foil-hat club PEAD-induced theory: Going into Iraq perhaps Bush & Co. wanted the playing field... Mathew Gross: Everyone is suffering from it: [snipped quote] We knew, on the Dean campaign, that this election would deeply divide the... |
Hugh Hewitt: Finally this morning, there is a Washington Post article on pre-election anxiety disorder among political junkies who can't sleep etc. |
Why I'm voting for John Kerry By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink At the age of 50, I get few chances to try something entirely new. Come Nov. 2, I plan to take one of those rare opportunities. I'm going to vote for a Democrat for president. I've never done it before, and I hope I never have to do it again. | |
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Radley Balko: Self-described "pro-life libertarian" (much like your humble Agitator) Stephen Chapman goes a step further, and endorses John Kerry. Avedon Carol: And not to put too fine a point on it, there are things like this in The Chicago Tribune from Steve Chapman: "At the age of 50, I get few chances to try something entirely new. Greg Ransom: STEVE CHAPMAN opposes the war and opposes the death penalty, so he's voting Democrat for President for the first time in his life. |
Andrew Sullivan: BUSH, KERRY AND LIFE: Steve Chapman, perhaps the best libertarian columnist in the country (someone give him Safire's job), joins the crew of new Kerry-backers. ArchPundit: If only their were More Chapmans — Chapman is in full riff why he'll vote for Kerry "At the age of 50, I get few chances to try something entirely new. Nick Gillespie: I'll vote for John Kerry without high hopes or enthusiasm, but vote for him I will." Whole thing here (reg. required). |
| Also: Skippy | |
Screen Burn, The Guide Guardian — Permalink The final sentence of a column in The Guide on Saturday caused offence to some readers. The Guardian associates itself with the following statement from the writer. "Charlie Brooker apologises for any offence caused by his comments relating to President Bush in his TV column, Screen Burn. | |
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Jan Haugland: The Guardian apologises, sorta — It took time, but the original Guardian article by columnist Charlie Brooker, who... Clayton Cramer: The Guardian Retracts The Call For Assassination — They ran a column asking why we didn't have Oswald or Hinckley... Glenn Reynolds: CHARLIE BOOKER'S GUARDIAN COLUMN (noted here earlier), with its shout-out to Lee Harvey Oswald, etc., has drawn this correction from The Guardian: [snipped quote] So there you are. |
Scott Burgess: The paper does not issue its own apology, but rather "associates itself" with one written by the columnist, which has replaced the original piece at the Guardian website. Hindrocket: The Guardian has now pulled the Brooker column; in its place is this notice: [snipped quote] The entire Brooker column can still be read here. Bird Dog: "Update [2004-10-25 9:38:4 by Bird Dog]: Charlie Booker and the Guardian offer a weaselly apology: Charlie Brooker... |
| Also: Bill @INDCJournal, Tim Blair | |
Why Tony would vote for Dubya By / Observer — Permalink When George W Bush's poll ratings recently dipped, every Labour MP cheered. Correction: every Labour MP except one. The Prime Minister fretted to one close friend: 'Whenever Bush weakens in the polls, they start mucking about.' | |
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Clayton Cramer: Interesting Comment From Britain About Bush — This is from an otherwise negative article about Bush in the Guardian: ... Glenn Reynolds: Hey, it worked for Elvis. UPDATE: Tony Blair would vote for Dubya. "'Tony thinks the world is a very dangerous and precarious place. |
Steve Bainbridge: Tony Blair — What he said: "When George W Bush's poll ratings recently dipped, every Labour MP cheered. Orrin Judd: KERRY DOESN'T SHARE THE FAITH: Why Tony would vote for Dubya: His advisers have been telling Mr Blair he will be best served by regime change in Washington. |
Why the Old Labels Don't Stick By / Time — Permalink Why is this election so hard for so many people? Here's one theory. It's not so easy to tell who's the liberal and who's the conservative anymore. You want a candidate who pumps unprecedented amounts of money into agricultural subsidies, uses tariffs to protect some American industries and adds a whole new entitlement to Medicare? | |
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Greg Ransom: WHAT A LOAD. [snipped quote] From the ever more ridiculous dishonest Andrew Sullivan. |
Andrew Sullivan: LEFT OR RIGHT? In the Bush-Kerry battle, it's not so simple any more. My take in Time. |
Never Apologize, Never Explain By / Weekly Standard — Permalink The correction that the New York Times ran also stemmed from the Swifties' ad. It had to do not with the date of Kerry's visit to Paris but with the identity of his interlocutors there. | |
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Tom Maguire: A quick reprise of his memory failures would surely include: (1) the adventure in Cambodia which was "seared" into his... Greg Ransom: JOHN KERRY & VIETNAM — Never Apologize, Never Explain: [quote] John Kerry says he is "proud" of his activities in opposition to the Vietnam War.[end quote] PoliPundit: The Weekly Standard's Joshua Muravchik says that's just scratching the surface of all the lies that surround Kerry's Paris trip(s). |
Michelle Malkin: ANOTHER KERRYISM — This weekend the story was Kerry's lies about what he did as an anti-war activist following the Vietnam war. Orrin Judd: THE COMPANY YOU KEEP: Never Apologize, Never Explain: John Kerry's real record as an antiwar activist. |
Bush exploits suffering of 9/11, says Carter Guardian — Permalink George Bush has exploited the suffering of September 11 and turned back decades of efforts to make the world a safer place, the former president Jimmy Carter says in an interview with the Guardian published today. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: Then go read this. See? You shoulda just strangled her in bed and dumped her body in a landfill when you had the chance. |
JD @SouthernAppeal: Because, you know, taxing is so much better than leadership, vision, courage, character, and all those other messy concepts. |
John Kerry will make his adoring anti-war groupies look like fools By / Telegraph — Permalink One of the more amusing spectacles of these less-than- amusing times is the emergence of a Kerry fan club among European anti-war enthusiasts. The letter-writing campaign of The Guardian to the voters of Clark County, Ohio, is especially silly, but is only one of many examples. | |
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Tim Blair: IRON JOHN — European anti-militarists have really picked the wrong guy as their hero, writes Edward Luttwak: "In the... |
Orrin Judd: PICK A QUAGMIRE: John Kerry will make his adoring anti-war groupies look like fools (Edward Luttwak, 24/10/2004, Daily... |
AP EXCLUSIVE: Iraqis reveal in secret interviews how Saddam manipulated oil-for-food program By / AP — Permalink (10-23) 10:35 PDT NEW YORK (AP) — Interviews with dozens of former and current Iraqi officials by congressional investigators have produced new evidence that Saddam Hussein micro-managed business deals under the U.N. oil-for-food program to maximize political influence with important foreign governments like Russia and neighboring Arab states. | |
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Roger L. Simon: Important Oil-for-Food update — According to a new AP release: Interviews with dozens of former and current Iraqi... |
Glenn Reynolds: UNSCAM UPDATE: [snipped quote] I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more attention. |
Thoughts From the Mailbag and Beyond By / WaPo — Permalink Two issues dominated the complaint box last week, and both involved stories that some readers felt worked, unfairly, against Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry. | |
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Mary @PacificViews: Nevertheless, their Ombudsman, Michael Getler, asked the right question about the administration's and the media's failures in taking the country to war for false reasons. |
Avedon Carol: Post ombudsman Michael Getler says one question still bothers him: How could it happen that the United States was taken... |
Don't Do It, Justices By / WaPo — Permalink In 1953, Justice Robert Jackson wrote of the Supreme Court: "We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final." Americans don't believe the court is infallible, but they do respect the finality of its decisions. | |
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Mathew Gross: Bush v. Kerry — Garrett Epps reminds us of why the election should stay out of the courts— even if it doesn't quite end up in the hands of the people. |
Avedon Carol: Don't Do It, Justices - Garrett Epps explains why the Supreme Court should have stayed out of the 2000 election and begs them not to make the same mistake again. |
No time for Kerry's Europhile delusions By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Maybe I'm getting old. I've been covering politics for 53 years, and that's just since John Kerry's convention speech. I'm sick of this election, even before the Democratic Party's chad-diviners have managed to extend it to mid-December. | |
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Jon Henke: Can't re-import what you don't export — In a column largely about other things, Mark Steyn points out a very... Tom Smith: Canadistan health care — Mark Steyn gives us this little nugget: So this is no time to vote for Europhile delusions. Clayton Cramer: Mark Steyn's column points out that, sure there are parts of the Iraq War that have not gone well. |
Harry @HarrysPlace: But, reading his latest offering, I am not sure at all what the difference is between his views and those of Bossi,... Greg Ransom: THE GREAT ONE — MARK STEYN ON WAR AND DEATH. Quotable: "The war against the Islamists and the flu-shot business are really opposite sides of the same coin. Porphyrogenitus: Too True — Mark Steyn on unserious political campaigns in our time. This paraghraph in particular struck a chord with me: "Almost everything falls into that category. |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, Orrin Judd, Matt Welch, Glenn Reynolds, Stuart Buck, KJL, Roger L. Simon, Charles Johnson | |
Bush Says U.S. Safety from Terror 'Up in the Air' Reuters — Permalink WACO, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush said in a television interview the United States was safer from terrorism but whether it can ever be fully safe was "up in the air." | |
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James Martin Capozzola: A direct quote from President Flim-Flam, from an interview with Fox News, as reported by Reuters earlier today: [snipped quote] Oh, I see. |
Steve Soto: According to the information that Lockhart and Devine had which they shared with the media, Bush actually told Hannity... |
FEW DOZEN TURN OUT TO HEAR ROSIE O'DONNELL ELECTION PREACH Drudge Report — Permalink Rosie O'Donnell addressed a nearly vacant CLUB OVATION Saturday night in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida during a get-out-the-vote rally for Dem presidential hopeful John Kerry. "You know, there's only like, you know, maybe 38 of us here and maybe we can just like tap a keg and put on some disco, and totally party," O'Donnell deadpanned. | |
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Acidman: Rosie O'Donnell appeared to talk politics in Florida and almost nobody showed up to hear her rant. Glenn Reynolds: I DON'T THINK I'D BLAME JOHN KERRY FOR THIS: [snipped quote] I mean, honestly, how many people can there be who want to hear either of those two talk about politics? |
Nick Gillespie: Details here and here. Lorie Byrd: I don't know how relevant this is, but if it is any indication of the way Kerry's support is holding up going into the... |
Some Cuyahoga County absentee ballot voters confused over layout By / AP — Permalink CLEVELAND - The elections board in Ohio's most populous county has fielded numerous calls from voters confused about the layout of absentee ballots. The ballots are from traditionally Democratic Cuyahoga County, which is receiving more than 2,000 requests for absentee ballots every day. | |
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Christopher Kanis: Keep checking with Powerline for the latest, including this Associated Press account: [snipped quote] Let's think about this carefully. |
Hindrocket: Mike Wise, however, thinks the confusion is misplaced: [snipped quote] THE LAST WORD: This Associated Press story says... |
Bush, Kerry in statistical dead heat among likely Nevada voters, Sun poll says By / Las Vegas Sun — Permalink A new statewide poll taken for the Las Vegas Sun/Channel 8 Eyewitness News/KNPR Nevada Public Radio shows Republican President Bush leading Democratic challenger John Kerry 45 percent to 41 percent among very likely voters in Nevada. | |
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Kevin Hayden: Oops, did he slip too far? The best news: Arkansas is back in play, just as its Daddy hits the streets after bypass surgery. EDM Staff: Race Close and Bush under 50 in Pair of NV Polls — Bush leads Kerry 47-43 percent of Nevada LV's, according to a Sun Channel/KNPR Poll conducted 10/16-19. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: POLLS, POLLS, POLLS — Let's have a look at them, shall we? [snipped quote] (Cross posted at Red State.) Taegan Goddard: New Polls — Here are some notable state polls: Hawaii: Bush 46, Kerry 45 (Star-Bulletin) Michigan: Bush 47, Kerry 42... |
Is That a Pilot in Your Pocket? By / Wired News — Permalink Somewhere in Florida, 25,000 disembodied rat neurons are thinking about flying an F-22. These neurons are growing on top of a multi-electrode array and form a living "brain" that's hooked up to a flight simulator on a desktop computer. | |
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Will Collier: I can guaran-dang-tee you this story will be hitting all of their mailboxes on Monday morning (most of the senders will probably be their F-15 and F-16 buddies)... |
Glenn Reynolds: THIS IS INTERESTING: [snipped quote] Just in case you forgot we were living in the 21st Century. More here. |
The Michigan factor NY Daily News — Permalink In 2000, Al Gore carried the Wolverine State by more than 200,000 votes. This year's conventional wisdom has conceded it to John Kerry. Two weeks ago, Democratic operatives began telling reporters that Michigan was in the bag. They were wrong. | |
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PoliPundit: Michigan — Michigan: Bush by 47-42. Is this state still in play? UPDATE: Zev Chafets explains why Michigan is in play. |
Hugh Hewitt: And note two states in particular. Hawaii joins Michigan as a "surprise-for-Bush" state. There are others coming. |
Abu Ghraib team bids to run UK prisons Observer — Permalink The American prison company whose director set up Iraq's infamous Abu Ghraib jail for use by the US military is bidding to run a number of prisons in Britain. The Utah-based Management and Training Corporation (MTC) has set up a London headquarters and is in advanced negotiations to operate at least one prison in Britain. | |
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Avedon Carol: In the Observer: Abu Ghraib team bids to run UK prisons: Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Mark Oaten expressed... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Abu Ghraib Prison Firm Seeks British Contract — Chutzpah department: the Management and Training Corporation (MTC), a... |
Candidates Hit Key States With Election Still a Tossup WaPo — Permalink JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 23 — President Bush turned his Marine One chopper into a campaign prop Saturday and used it to drop in on huge crowds at three stadiums around Florida, at a time of concern in his campaign about his failure to gain a decisive lead in the most crucial battlegrounds. | |
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Steve Soto: And from the Post yesterday, there is concern inside the GOP at this development, no matter what bravado we hear from the top. Angry Bear: AB UPDATE: Even as the Washington Post reports that "A poll by Ohio University's Scripps Survey Research Center,... Magpie @PacificViews: A source in the GOP says that Dubya's campaign is sweating over new polls that show the prez slipping in Ohio and other swing states. |
Avedon Carol: Generalissimo Bush — The candidates were back in Florida over the weekend, and El Busho was at it again Kevin Hayden: Shorter WaPo: Bush is back into flightsuit and Top Gun mode because image is his only suit, but Kerry's image and record... Kos: Bush's internal polling paints dire picture for him — From a GOP official who has seen Bush's internal polling. |
| Also: Barbara O'Brien, Digby, Steve Gilliard, Yuval Rubinstein, Lambert @Corrente, Susan Madrak | |
A Confident Opposition By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Republicans don't want to talk about it, but the question is already an awful thought not so far back in their minds: What happens to the G.O.P. if President Bush loses on Nov. 2? | |
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Nick Confessore: That's the question put forward by Elisabeth Bumiller to a number of Republican sources, and she comes back with a... Sam Rosenfeld: Yesterday, after finishing Elisabeth Bumiller's latest swoony paean to the power and the majesty of Karen Hughes, I... Steve M.: That's what Elizabeth Bumiller says in this article in today's New York Times. |
Avedon Carol: If the ballots are counted, Bush is toast. (Via Skippy.) The GOP is already visualizing losing (via). Howard Kurtz: The Times also looks at the GOP fallout if Kerry wins. Mathew Gross: Republican Myopia — It's amazing that there are high figures in the Republican Party who insist that George Bush's... |
| Also: DemFromCT, Ann Althouse | |
Decision Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink The role of commander in chief is clearly one of the president's most important jobs. But a presidential campaign provides voters little opportunity to evaluate how a candidate would handle that role, particularly if the candidate isn't an incumbent. | |
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QD @SouthernAppeal: I have a Plan: Kerry dodges interview questions on Iraq. But, of course. Wouldn't want to let anyone else know what "the plan" is, now would we? Greg Ransom: He's also bailed on a promised interview with Bob Woodward about American foreign policy and Iraq. Orrin Judd: IT STARTED WITH TAKING OUT NIXON...: Decision Iraq: Would Kerry Have Done Things Differently? |
C. D. Harris: Ducking And Weaving — If one didn't know better, one would think John "Weeble" Kerry is avoiding answering any hard... Jason Van Steenwyk: Take Our Word For It Dept. Bob Woodward tells about how Kerry's been dodging an interview on Iraq for months. Pejman Yousefzadeh: DODGING THE PRESS — Ensuring that his secret plans regarding how to resolve the occupation in Iraq do indeed remain a... |
| Also: PoliPundit, Charles Johnson, Betsy Newmark | |
Secret Weapon for Bush? By / NYT — Permalink To Bush-bashers, it may be the most infuriating revelation yet from the military records of the two presidential candidates: the young George W. Bush probably had a higher I.Q. than did the young John Kerry. | |
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Dean Esmay: Too bad it turns out that, even according to the New York Times, Bush has a higher I.Q. than Kerry. Matt Singer: IQ: Who Cares? Via Memeorandum, I found a NYTimes article about how Bush really isn't that stupid. Andrew Sullivan: QUOTE OF THE DAY II: "People will often be misled into thinking someone is brighter if he says something complicated... |
Brian Doherty: UPDATE: As Thomas Knapp points out in the comments thread, the Times' John Tierney just yesterday noted Badnarik's spoiler possibilities, in a piece I hadn't yet seen. Gerard Vanderleun: Political Corrections — As a Matter of Fact, Bush is Smarter Than Kerry And what really has to hurt is that it says so in, wait for it, The New York Times. Clayton Cramer: The New York Times runs this amazing article (amazing because the Times is carrying it): [snipped quote] Everyone... |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, Roger Ailes, John Derbyshire, Roger L. Simon, Damian Penny, James Joyner, Bill @INDCJournal, PoliPundit, Orrin Judd, Glenn Reynolds, Jan Haugland, Ken Masugi, Betsy Newmark | |
Kerry for President WaPo — Permalink EXPERTS TELL US that most voters have had no difficulty making up their minds in this year's presidential election. Half the nation is passionately for George W. Bush, the pollsters say, and half passionately for John F. Kerry — or, at least, passionately against Mr. Bush. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: It's Kerry Endorsement Season! Wow, it's getting lonely out there! WaPo. TNR. Drezner. Chafetz. Adesnik. Andrew, likely soon? Mary @PacificViews: WaPo Ombudsman Asks the Right Question — Sunday the Washington Post extended a tepid endorsement for John Kerry. James Martin Capozzola: [Note: The Washington Post also endorsed Sen. Kerry, but you knew that already. |
Laura Rozen: Wow, it's getting lonely out there! WaPo. TNR. Drezner. Chafetz. Adesnik. Andrew, likely soon?" He forgot, the Des Moines Register. Andrew Sullivan: "THE BETTER BET": The pro-war, increasingly centrist Washington Post endorses Kerry. Steve Soto: And the Washington Post came out for Kerry. Kerry/Edwards have announced the early week travel plans. |
| Also: Gene @HarrysPlace, Matthew Yglesias, KJL, Avedon Carol, David Adesnik, Xan @Corrente, Jeff Jarvis, Taegan Goddard, DemFromCT, Atrios | |
John Kerry, the real thing Des Moines Register — Permalink About half of Americans have lost confidence in President Bush, yet many hang back from embracing the alternative. That's unfortunate, because Senator John F. Kerry is a wise and decent man who has the makings of a fine president. | |
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Ed Cone: Des Moines Register (via Dave Winer): "Yes, Kerry is liberal. But what's to fear from a liberal president? Andrew Sullivan: VOTING AGAINST BUSH: Here's a sentence I could have written: [snipped quote] That's the Des Moines Register, endorsing Kerry. Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — The Des Moines Register's endorsement of Sen. John Kerry. |
Matthew Yglesias: Good Line — [snipped quote] That's the shrill Des Moines Register, beacon of elitist coastal decadence. Leah A: It comes from the heartland, remember: I recommend you email the URL or the actual content to as many people as you... Jeralyn Merritt: Here are a few that stand out: The Des Moines Register goes with Kerry in a state that is a must win battleground for Bush. |
The devil and the deep blue sea By / Telegraph — Permalink A devil-worshipping non-commissioned officer in the Royal Navy has become the first registered Satanist in the British Armed Forces. Chris Cranmer, a naval technician serving on the Type 22 frigate Cumberland, has been officially recognised as a Satanist by the ship's captain. | |
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Scott Burgess: While Mr Cranmer will "have a space provided for Satanic ritual practice" aboard ship, it remains unclear whether he... Steve Bainbridge: To which we can now add ... wait for it ... devil worship? Brian Micklethwait: Today's Telegraph contains this devilishly diverting story: "Chris Cranmer, a naval technician serving on the Type 22... |
Jan Haugland: Satanist in the Royal Navy — A British sailor has become the first registered Satanist in the British armed forces. Joe Gandelman: When THIS guy says he's horny, he's not fooling around: "A devil-worshipping non-commissioned officer in the Royal Navy... |
Cooking His Own Goose By / NYT — Permalink In yet another attempt to prove to George W. Bush that he is man enough to run this country, John Kerry made an animal sacrifice to the political gods in a cornfield in eastern Ohio last week. Four dead geese are not too high a price to pay for a few rural, blue-collar votes in a swing state. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Man, Arabs seem concerned about this whole Palestine thing. Maureen Dowd. How many animals will John Kerry kill to win the election? Ann Althouse: I see Maureen Dowd is going with "Cooking His Own Goose." Ezra Klein: You would also, unfortunately, be wrong: "One of my first presidential trips was going to Texas one weekend to cover Ronald Reagan hunting with James Baker at Mr. Baker's ranch. |
James Martin Capozzola: About that Ad New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd today writes about the Bush-Cheney campaign's new "wolves" ad (which... Orrin Judd: HELL HATH NO FURY: Cooking His Own Goose: George W. Bush needed to shock and awe to prove he was no wimp. John Kerry shot and ate. |
Detainees Secretly Taken Out Of Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink At the request of the CIA, the Justice Department drafted a confidential memo that authorizes the agency to transfer detainees out of Iraq for interrogation — a practice that international legal specialists say contravenes the Geneva Conventions. | |
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Phillip Carter: Goodbye Geneva, Part XVIII — Dana Priest, who reports on intelligence community issues for the Washington Post, has a... DemFromCT: What's the Election Really About? The Rule of Law. There are those who believe in the rules and those who don't. Jeralyn Merritt: Original Post 10/23/04 9:30 om A newly revealed Department of Justice memo allowed the CIA to secretly remove detainees from Iraq for questioning in other countries. |
Mathew Gross: Including war crimes: [snipped quote] These bastards have dragged the United States down to the lowest level imaginable. Laura Rozen: "Senators concerned about report CIA secretly removed detainees from Iraq," the AP reports. |
Bush, Kerry in dead heat, Florida survey shows By / Sun-Sentinel — Permalink A surge of newly registered voters has helped Democrat John Kerry regain momentum in the presidential race in Florida, where he has pulled even or just slightly ahead of President Bush, according to a statewide poll less than two weeks before the election. | |
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DJ Drummond: Specifically, I looked at articles in the St. Petersburg Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Quinnipiac poll, and the Mason-Dixon poll. EDM Staff: Two New Polls Have Kerry Ahead by 1, Dead Heat in Florida — Kerry leads Bush by 1 point, 48-47, among Florida LVs according to a new Research 2000 poll, conducted October 18-21. |
Chris Bowers: First, here are the four most recent polls: Miami-Herald 10/19-10/21, 800 LV's, MoE 3.5 Kerry 46 Bush 46 Research 2000... Dwight Meredith: A Research 2000 poll of 600 registered voters (MOE +-4) has Kerry in the lead in a three way race, 48%-47%-2%. |
Stretching the franchise By / PittsburghLIVE.com — Permalink Not since the election of 1800, the first in which one party displaced another from the presidency, has there been such anxiety about voting. In 1800 there were fears that the losing side would resort to arms. | |
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Christopher Kanis: I'm... There are no words. While you're at it, read this post at Powerline, too, and the George Will column cited there. |
Hindrocket: George Will writes: [snipped quote] In Ohio, likely to be the decisive state this year, Republicans have filed challenges to more than 35,000 newly-registered "voters." |