meme orandum
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U.S. Team Took 250 Tons of Iraqi Munitions Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — A U.S. Army officer came forward Friday to say a team from his 3rd Infantry Division took about 250 tons of munitions and other material from the Al-Qaqaa (search) arms-storage facility soon after Saddam Hussein's regime fell in April 2003. | |
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Avedon Carol: "Fox has the fake excuse, and the wingnuts reckon no one can get upset about it now because, well, gosh, lots of stuff was out there." Jesse Taylor: Excuse number 14 has come out about Al Qaqaa, and the exact same people who were swearing yesterday that the explosives... Wretchard: Fox News reports that: "WASHINGTON — A U.S. Army officer came forward Friday to say a team from his 3rd Infantry... |
Cori Dauber: PENTAGON HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE — I only caught quick glimpses of today's Pentagon press conference, at which an Army... Clayton Cramer: There Goes Kerry's October Surprise — What happened to the 377 tons of HMX? Steve Dillard: U.S. Team Took 250 Tons of Iraqi Munitions: How do ya like dem apples, Senator Kerry. |
| Also: Baldilocks, Bill Hobbs, Bird Dog, Michael Totten, Jon Henke, Hindrocket, Jeff Goldstein, Tom Maguire, Ace, PoliPundit, Bill @INDCJournal, Robert Cox | |
Bin Laden Accuses Bush of Deceiving Americans Reuters — Permalink DUBAI (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden accused President Bush of deceiving the American people and said the Sept. 11 attacks would not have been so severe if the president had been alert. | |
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Avedon Carol: Friday, 29 October 2004 "Meme meme meme meme meme October surprise: I can't think of any greater proof that bin Laden... Sebastian Holsclaw: I Was Wrong — Apparently I was wrong about Osama being dead. Clayton Cramer: Not surprisingly, Bin Laden shows his lack of political acumen by attacking George Bush's integrity and competence (see... |
Bird Dog: Update [2004-10-29 15:18:35 by Bird Dog]: Bin Laden channels Michael Moore: [quote] "It never occurred to us that the...[end quote] Jon Henke: Let's all take note of this... [quote] "It never occurred to us that the commander in chief of the country (Bush) would leave...[end quote] Steve Soto: And I guess Osama has had the time to see "Fahrenheit 911": "It never occurred to us that the commander in chief of the... |
| Also: Megan McArdle, Hindrocket | |
Bin Laden Claims Responsibility for 9/11 Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — Usama bin Laden (search ) made his first televised appearance in more than a year in which he admitted for the first time ordering the Sept. 11 attacks and accused President Bush of "misleading" the American people. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Fox reports on this facet: "Bin Laden suggested Bush was slow to react to the Sept. 11 attacks, giving the hijackers more time than they expected. PoliPundit: Rove — How long before Terry McAuliffe pins the blame for Bin Laden's Michael-Mooreite rant on Karl Rove? Rickheller @Centerfield: New Osama Bin Laden Tape — He looks healthy, unfortunately. It seems to be recent, because he refers to Kerry as well as Bush. |
Cori Dauber: No story on their web site yet, but Fox is reporting that they have sources at Justice nervous that the release of two... Chris Short: Usama bin Laden Alive and On the Air — Lots of things about this tape: 1) bin Laden is alive. 2) bin Laden takes... Jeff Goldstein: a few cursory thoughts on bin Laden's "address to the Americans" — F**k him and the mountain goat he sleeps with.* ... |
| Also: Baldilocks, Charles Johnson | |
Bin Laden: U.S. security depends on policy CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Osama bin Laden delivered a new videotaped message in which he told Americans their security does not depend on the president they elect, but on U.S. policy. The tape was aired on the Arab language network Al-Jazeera Friday, just four days before the U.S. presidential election. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: The bin Laden video — I'll admit I was surprised by the new bin Laden video. I was more than half convinced he was scorpion food in the rubble of Tora Bora. Talking Dog: We got our answer: Al Qaeda kingpin and former world's most dangerous man Osama bin Laden, with a video shown on Al Jazeera television. Jan Haugland: Bin Laden endorses John Kerry — Al-Jazeera (of course) tonight broadcast a new video tape from Osama Bin Laden, where... |
Medium Lobster: On a videotape today, Osama bin Laden spoke - and in doing, he committed an act of terrorism - terrorism of words. Orin Kerr: According to news reports, the new tape of bin Laden includes a section where he admits his responsibility for the 9/11 attacks. |
Al-Jazeera broadcasts new bin Laden tape MSNBC — Permalink Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, in a videotape broadcast Friday on Al-Jazeera television, claimed full responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States and warns Americans that "your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al-Qaida. | |
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Donald Sensing: MSNBC reports, "Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Francona, a Middle East specialist and former military official at the... Bird Dog: Osama bin Laden's October Surprise — MSNBC is reporting the release of an authentic videotape: "Al-Qaida leader Osama... Hesiod: No contemporary references, for example. I take that back, there was a reference to the upcoming election. |
Daniel Davies: October surprise — About two hours after the Osama video hit the newswires, and the good old Iowa Electronic Markets... Laura Rozen: Bush Failed Us on Bin Laden — Over the past three years, why has the Bush administration not devoted the resources — or worse, decided it's not a priority — to get this monster? FrancoAlemán: ALMOST OUT OF TIME for being called an "October Surprise": "Al-Jazeera to broadcast new bin Laden video Arab TV says... |
One Nation Under Bush By / Slate — Permalink PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.—"I want you to stand, raise your right hands," and recite "the Bush Pledge," said Florida state Sen. Ken Pruitt. The assembled mass of about 2,000 in this Treasure Coast town about an hour north of West Palm Beach dutifully rose, arms aloft, and repeated after Pruitt: "I care about freedom and liberty. | |
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DeLong: Other people are creeped out as well: [quote] One Nation Under Bush - At a campaign rally, Republicans recite the "Bush Pledge."[end quote] Richard TPD: Personality cult — Who says it can't happen here? [quote] . —"I want you to stand, raise your right hands," and recite "the Bush Pledge," said Florida state Sen. Ken Pruitt.[end quote] Aaron @LiquidList: Politics: I Pledge Allegiance — The following fascist display is brought to you by the Bush-Cheney campaign:... |
Kevin Drum: Here is Slate's Chris Suellentrop to demonstrate for us: [snipped quote] Like a lot of Democrats, Kerry wasn't my first... Kevin Raybould: Bush Above All Else — [snipped quote] Bush rally attendees are taking an oath of loyalty to George W. Bush personally. |
Bin Laden Takes Responsibility for 9/11 Attacks in New Tape By / NYT — Permalink Osama bin Laden said for the first time that he ordered the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to a videotape made public today, and he accused President Bush of "misleading the American people" about the attacks. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Iraq clusterf**k: Headline of the year — From the Times, no less! Orrin Judd: IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING INTELLIGENT TO SAY, BLOG IT: Bin Laden Takes Responsibility for 9/11 Attacks in New Tape... |
Jeff Jarvis: [quote]I was about to post this when I saw another Kerry comment: "In an interview with WISM in Milwaukee, Mr. Kerry also took...[end quote] |
Imam: Man on Terror Tape Is Gadahn Fox News — Permalink GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — The director of a California mosque told FOX News on Friday he believes the man threatening the United States on a mysterious videotape is that of a young American he converted to Islam. | |
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Charles Johnson: Adam Gadahn Identified in Terror Tape — The imam of the Garden Grove Mosque in Orange County, California, says that the... Tom Maguire: We saw the ABC News tape of the American Terrorist, "Azzam the American". Now, how can I put this in a way that minimizes the adverse Karmic impact? |
Baldilocks: Martin Luther via C.S. Lewis, quoted in The Screwtape Letters UPDATE: Do I know my accents or what? |
Bin Laden Says He Ordered 9/11 Attacks By / AP — Permalink CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Osama bin Laden, injecting himself into the campaign four days ahead of presidential elections, said in a videotape aired Friday that the United States can avoid another Sept. 11 attack if it stops threatening the security of Muslims. | |
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Jack Cluth: HE'S BAAAACK.... America's chief bogeyman makes a pre-election guest appearance Mitch Berg: Endorsement Race: 100% of Terrorist Masterminds Endorse Kerry — Bin Laden speaks: "Osama bin Laden, addressing the... |
Juan Cole: Some of the rest of the statement is given by The Associated Press: "He said he was first inspired to attack the United... |
Kerry: 'Wake Up America' and Choose Fresh Start By / Reuters — Permalink ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Democratic challenger John Kerry urged Americans on Friday to "wake up" and choose a new start on the economy and Iraq instead of four more years of President Bush's "catastrophic mismanagement." | |
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Michael Totten: He sounded like a flailing irrelevant activist today when he told me and everyone else to wake up. The Big Trunk: (Patricia Wilson, "Kerry: 'Wake Up America' And Choose Fresh Start.") Bob Dole on October 25, 1996: "Where is the outrage in America? |
Captain Ed: Reuters reports that Kerry went "off script" and told America that anyone not voting for him must be unconscious:... Steve Dillard: Senator Kerry to America: "Wake up!" : America to Kerry: "How can we wake up, when you keep putting us to sleep?!" |
Al-Jazeera Airs Bin Laden Tape AP — Permalink CAIRO, Egypt — The Arab television station Al-Jazeera aired a video of Osama bin Laden on Friday directly admitting for the first time that he carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and promising to outline "the best way to avoid another Manhattan." | |
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Captain Ed: Osama Weighs In — Just in time for the election's final stretch, Al Jazeera aired a new Osama bin Laden videotaped... Hesiod: UPDATE: Oh my God...did Bin Laden make a reference to My Pet Goat?!? It looks like he got a bootleg copy of Fehrenheit 9/11 and viewed it in his cave. |
Ken Layne: Surprise, Surprise — Guess what magically appeared today? It's a new video hit from the beloved entertainer, Osama bin Laden! Josh Marshall: Al Jazeera says it has a new tape from OBL. Will run it at 4 PM. |
Bin Laden Condemns Bush, Says New Attacks Possible By / Reuters — Permalink DUBAI (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden burst into the U.S. election campaign on Saturday, releasing his first video tape in more than a year to deride President Bush and warn of possible new Sept. 11-style attacks. | |
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Steve Dillard: Bin Laden Condemns Bush, Says New Attacks Possible: Your days are numbered UBL. That's the one thing all Americans are united behind—seeing you six feet under. Ezra Klein: Bin Laden's Back — Bin-Laden's newest tape, "Threat to the Oldies", has been released, and just in time for the election. |
Tim Dunlop: Guess who's coming to dinner — President Bush recently said he doesn't think too much about Osama bin Laden:... |
Bin Ladin: Bush deceived Americans Aljazeera — Permalink Usama bin Ladin appeared on Aljazeera television on Friday accusing US President George W. Bush of deceiving the American people. In an address just days ahead of the US presidential election, bin Ladin also said the US administration resembled "corrupt" Arab governments. | |
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Orin Kerr: Al Jazeera quotes bin Laden as saying, "We decided to destroy [the] towers in America." Magpie @PacificViews: Aljazeera promises to have a subtitled version of the tape up here very shortly. |
Bird Dog: Al Jazeera will be coming out with an English-subtitled video shortly (Update: The transcript is here): "He accused Bush... Stefan Sharkansky: Osama bin Laden's new video, which just aired on Al Jazeera, borrows heavily from Michael Moore: "Usama bin Ladin... |
Transcript of Al Jazeera Tape Reuters — Permalink DUBAI, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Following are excerpts from a speech by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden addressing the American people in a video tape, parts of which were aired by Al Jazeera television on Saturday, as translated by Reuters. | |
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Steve Gilliard: Transcript of Al Jazeera Tape By REUTERS [snipped quote] Not only does he mock Bush for the ineffective Patriot Act, but... |
Orrin Judd: Meanwhile, the actual text of the "Osama" message is revealing, Transcript of Al Jazeera Tape (REUTERS, 10/29/04) "God... |
Bin Laden video threatens America BBC — Permalink Arabic TV station al-Jazeera has broadcast a videotape in which Osama Bin Laden threatens fresh attacks on the US. The leader of the al-Qaeda network says the reasons behind the events of 11 September 2001 still exist. | |
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Fafnir: Osama is a swing voter — Osama bin Laden's back - an just in time for Halloween too! "Wooooooooo," says Osama bin Laden twirlin his black velvet cape. |
Bird Dog: Update [2004-10-29 16:23:1 by Bird Dog]: And then there's Fafnir, who is some sort of diabolical genius: "Osama bin Laden's back - an just in time for Halloween too! |
Al-Jazeera Airs Video Said to Be of Osama bin Laden AP — Permalink CAIRO, Egypt — Osama bin Laden, addressing the American public ahead of presidential elections, said in a video aired Friday that the United States can avoid another Sept. 11 attack if it stops threatening the security of Muslims. | |
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Ann Althouse: Do you think there's any connection between Osama Bin Laden's releasing a new videotape after all these years and that asinine "Assam the American" tape of a few days ago? Damian Penny: Update: the video mentions John Kerry, which implies it was likely made quite recently. |
Gregory Djerejian: I don't know what to make of this new videotape just yet—it's possible that old video footage has somehow been... |
Al-Jazeera airs videotape by bin Laden AP — Permalink CAIRO (AP) — Osama bin Laden, addressing the American public ahead of presidential elections, said in a video aired Friday that the United States can avoid another Sept. 11 attack if it stops threatening the security of Muslims. | |
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Bird Dog: Good luck staying hidden, bub. More from AP. Steve Soto: Update: Bin Laden appears healthy and serene in the video, and accepts responsibility for 9/11 directly. |
Jon Henke: Does this FEC know about this in-kind contribution? So, he's still alive after all. Who knew? |
TONE DEAF By / New York Post — Permalink LIKE any recent Demo cratic presidential can didate, John Kerry's hopes hinge on an overwhelming share of the black vote — about 90 percent. But Kerry's hinge may be rusty. The eye-opening poll came from Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the top Washington think tank on African-American issues. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Robert A. George shows why Kerry is not winning hearts and minds among black voters. "But Kerry's problems with blacks go beyond simple issues. |
Ed Driscoll: Tone Deaf — Robert A. George explains why Senator Kerry isn't connecting with black voters. (Via Betsy Newmark.) |
Study puts civilian toll in Iraq at over 100,000 IHT — Permalink PARIS More than 100,000 civilians have probably died as direct or indirect consequences of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, according to a study by a research team at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. | |
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Laura Rozen: More than 100,000 Iraqi have been killed or died as a direct or indirect result of the US invasion, just a year and a... Peter Burnet: AND NOW, ANOTHER SPECIAL REPORT FROM DAN RATHER — Study puts civilian toll in Iraq at over 100,000 (Elizabeth... |
Ken Layne: Maybe 100,000? That's swell. Freedom on the march. |
Pentagon Seeks to Account for Explosives By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - An Army unit removed 250 tons of ammunition from the Al-Qaqaa weapons depot in April 2003 and later destroyed it, the company's former commander said Friday. A Pentagon spokesman said some was of the same type as the missing explosives that have become a major issue in the presidential campaign. | |
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Tom @Corrente: As evidenced by this story, no one is buying the administration's furious spinning about the 380 tons of missing high explosives from al QaQaa. Hindrocket: He doesn't recall any "sealed" areas and can't say exactly what the munitions were, but the Pentagon says they believe some of the destroyed material was RDX. |
Steve Soto: The Pentagon just trotted out a commander in the 3rd Infantry along with Rummy mouthpiece Larry Di Rita at a press... |
Bob Dole Addresses His Election Struggles By / CNN — Permalink ROBERT DOLE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Little over a week. CROWLEY: ...to make what's an uphill climb. Is there something left for you to say to voters, a kind of a closer, that you think can bring in the undecided? DOLE: Well, we hope so. | |
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The Big Trunk: ("Bob Dole addresses his election struggles," CNN AllPolitics interview with Candy Crowley.) (Courtesy of Kathryn Jean Lopez and The Corner.) |
KJL: What recent loser presidential candidate said "Wake Up, America"? Bob Dole. |
Dog saves woman's life by calling 911 AP — Permalink RICHLAND, Washington (AP) — Leana Beasley has faith that a dog is man's best friend. Faith, a 4-year-old Rottweiler, phoned 911 when Beasley fell out of her wheelchair and barked urgently into the receiver until a dispatcher sent help. | |
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Jan Haugland: Dog calls 911 — Today's hero is Leana Beasley's rottweiler Faith, who called 911 when the woman fell out of her wheelchair. Steve Bainbridge: Unless it decided to barf up a hairball an your writhing form. In contrast, a dog will call 911 for you. |
Tom Maguire: OK, I Was One Day Off — My "talking dogs" prediction materializes one day early. Buckle up now. Jonah Goldberg: DEAL WITH THIS CAT LOVERS — Dog calls for help: "Faith, a 4-year-old Rottweiler, phoned 911 when Beasley fell out of... |
Bush Seeks Limit to Suits Over Voting Rights LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Bush administration lawyers argued in three closely contested states last week that only the Justice Department, and not voters themselves, may sue to enforce the voting rights set out in the Help America Vote Act, which was passed in the aftermath of the disputed 2000 election. | |
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Kevin Raybould: Bush Argued to Deny Right to Sue If Voting Rights Denied — The Bush Administration's Justice Department argued in three... Mathew Gross: From the LA Times: [snipped quote] Man, what does it tell you when one candidate's only strategy to winning an election is to keep voters away from the polls? |
The Poor Man: You Have Got To Be S**tting Me — These guys are really incredible: [snipped quote] One more time, they blow my mind. |
John Kerry's Brain on Drugs By / NRO — Permalink John Kerry's zeal in pursuing insurgents and terrorists was second to none — in 1989, when he chaired the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics, and International Operations, and the bad guys were in Latin America. | |
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H.D. Miller: Kerry's War on Drugs — Our old friend Clint Taylor is back with a great piece in the National Review Online in which he... Michelle Malkin: Also, Andrew McCarthy on Our Troops vs. Kerry's Global Test and Clint Taylor's excellent piece, which asks: Why won't he fight terrorists as hard as he fights drug traffickers? |
Ace: Libertarians, Take Note: If Only John Kerry Thought Terrorists Were as Dangerous as Drug-Smugglers — The man has no... |
The Lancet: A Casualty of Politics By / TCS — Permalink There is a report out today in The Lancet (discussed here in the Guardian) which attempts to measure the number of deaths from coalition actions in Iraq. Here is how it is being reported: | |
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Sir George: Lancet Statistics — Tech Central Station took a look at the breathtakingly biased, unscientific, and downright innumerate Lancet Article making BBC headlines. Charles Johnson: The Lancet: A Casualty of Politics — Britain's medical journal Lancet rushed a report to print in the final days... |
Bird Dog: As Tim Worstall noted, normally it takes up to six months to peer-review an academic paper. In this study, it was four weeks. |
French Doctors Examine Seriously Ill Arafat By / Reuters — Permalink CLAMART, France (Reuters) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat , who doctors say may have leukemia, was conscious and in "good shape" at a French hospital on Friday after leaving the West Bank for the first time in more than 2-1/2 years. | |
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Jonathan Gewirtz: Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] Of course there wasn't much chaos under Arafat's orderly, benevolent rule, just as... |
Michael Totten: FRENCH DOCTORS think Yasser Arafat may have leukemia. |
Photos point to removal of weapons By / Washington Times — Permalink U.S. intelligence agencies have obtained satellite photographs of truck convoys that were at several weapons sites in Iraq in the weeks before U.S. military operations were launched, defense officials said yesterday. | |
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Greyhawk: In the latest developments, The Washington Times published satellite photos today: "U.S. intelligence agencies have... Oliver @LiquidList: Right-wing media and sources run obfuscation cover, throwing out theories about Russia and Syria, the amount of... |
Jon Henke: Those photos released by the DoD, showing a flatbed truck backed up to bunkers? You know, the one purporting to prove that Iraqis were moving elements already? Cliff May: SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS — The Washington Times Bill Gertz story this morning provides more important clues as to what may have happened at Al Qaqaa. |
GOP Challenging Voter Registrations By / WaPo — Permalink Republicans yesterday continued to challenge the validity of tens of thousands of voter registrations in Ohio and other key states in the presidential election while a coalition of civil rights and labor groups sued the GOP, contending the Republican efforts were aimed at removing eligible minority voters from the rolls. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: "Republicans also sent mail to about 130,000 voters in Philadelphia, another heavily black and Democratic stronghold. (via WaPo)" Well, well, well. BillG: Big deal: Clinton called last night. If Ohio is Florida 2004, Blackwell will be Katherine Harris. |
Richard Reeb: WaPo: Fighting Voter Fraud Is Just Like Committing It — In a good example of how journalistic "moral equivalence" aids... |
Munitions Issue Dwarfs the Big Picture WaPo — Permalink The 377 tons of Iraqi explosives whose reported disappearance has dominated the past few days of presidential campaigning represent only a tiny fraction of the vast quantities of other munitions unaccounted for since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government 18 months ago. | |
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Cori Dauber: And, now I wait for the next replay. In the meantime, this interesting article from the WaPo. Roger L. Simon: Some Even-Handedness from the WaPo — This coverage of the Al Qaqaa Scandal is an example of why the Washington Post is... Jeff Goldstein: But here's a bit from the Washington Post I find worth pointing out, if only because it dovetails perfectly with my take... |
Bird Dog: Perspective and Questions — This isn't easy jumping into this after getting bit pretty hard in yesterday's entry, but... McQ: The WaPo does a good job of bringing a little perspective back to the issue. Not that it will have any tempering effect, but its worth a look. Phillip Carter: Tom Ricks and Bradley Graham provide some analysis in Friday's Washington Post of the Al Qaqaa story which has taken a life of its own since Monday's initial NY Times report. |
| Also: Tom Maguire, Oliver @LiquidList, Matthew Yglesias, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Captain Ed, Jesse Taylor, James Joyner, Jeff Jarvis, Hugh Hewitt, Betsy Newmark, Rickheller @Centerfield | |
Hayek and Iraq By / TCS — Permalink The study of spontaneous orders has long been the peculiar task of economic theory, although, of course, biology has from its beginning been concerned with that special kind of spontaneous order which we call an organism. | |
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Greg Ransom: HAYEK vs. HAYEK — freedom's intellectual warriors square off over Iraq and American foreign policy. The author has a new blog here. |
Orrin Judd: MORE: Hayek and Iraq (Max Borders, 10/29/2004, Tech Central Station) "The study of spontaneous orders has long been the... |
Draft Mischief By / NRO — Permalink The peculiar thing about myths is that even the most far-fetched can be nearly impossible to extinguish. This is especially so when there is a vested interest in some quarters in keeping them alive. | |
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Christopher Kanis: RUMMY IN PRINT — The SecDef has a column in National Review (and some other nespapers) explaining that THERE WILL NOT BE A DRAFT. Ann Althouse: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld writes: "To my knowledge, in the time I have served as secretary of Defense, the... |
Bird Dog: As Donald Rumsfeld wrote: (Update at the end of the full story) |
Election Predictions!!!! Weekly Standard — Permalink Dark horse: Tom Daschle loses to John Thune in South Dakota. Dark horse: Wisconsin, long regarded as the clean government state, will be so overwhelmed with voter fraud that pundits in 2008 will speak of avoiding the "Wisconsin problem." | |
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Deacon: Given all of this, it's not surprising that the Weekly Standard pundits who offer predictions on what the new House will... PoliPundit: Predictions — The Weekly Standard's writers make their predictions. My predictions would be closest to Fred Barnes'. |
Richard Reeb: Most Weekly Standard Pundits See Bush Victory — Eleven of 14 Weekly Standard editors and writers predict a Bush victory... |
They Can't Be Serious By / American Spectator — Permalink WASHINGTON — Among the more dangerous ideas floating around this election is that sending John Kerry to the White House will force Kerry and the Democratic Party to take seriously the war in Iraq and, by extension, the broader War on Terror. | |
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Michael Totten: HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY: David Hogberg takes issue with the notion that electing John Kerry would force him and his party to take the terror threat seriously. |
Judith Weiss: "The philosophy behind such sentiment is determinism — the idea that men don't so much control events as they are controlled by them. |
Kerry's Afghan Amnesia By / WaPo — Permalink In the 1990s, Afghanistan was allowed to fall to the Taliban and become the global center for the training, indoctrination and seeding of jihadists around the world — including the mass murderers of Sept. 11, 2001. | |
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Cori Dauber: FORGETTING AND REMEMBERING — Charles Krauthammer writing today on Afghanistan: In the 1990s, Afghanistan was allowed to... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Charles Krauthammer makes a game effort, but it may be a Sisyphean task: [snipped quote] And of course, Kerry was in... James Joyner: Kerry's Afghan Amnesia — Charles Krauthammer issues a historical reality check this morning: [snipped quote] Fair points all. |
Stephen Green: Required Reading — Krauthammer. William J. Dyer: But Charles Krauthammer hasn't forgotten Afghanistan: "Within days of Sept. 11, the clueless airhead president that... Betsy Newmark: Charles Krauthammer reminds us of what a victory Afghanistan was. [snipped quote] Swat. You go, Dr. K. |
| Also: Greg Ransom | |
ACLU Scolds Missouri High School for Censoring Gay Student ACLU — Permalink WEBB CITY, MO - The American Civil Liberties Union has come to the defense of a high school junior who was sent home twice from school for wearing t-shirts bearing gay pride messages. The principal cited concerns that other students may be offended by the shirts worn by Brad Mathewson. | |
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Julian Sanchez: Careful, You Might Offend a Bigot — Looks like there's no shortage of school officials who could stand to be reacquainted with Tinker v. Des Moines. |
Atrios: School Bigots — From the ACLU: WEBB CITY, MO - The American Civil Liberties Union has come to the defense of a high... |
The Power of Will NRO — Permalink Winning still matters. The terrorists cannot win either a conventional or an asymmetrical war against the United States, should it bring its full array of assets to the struggle. Indeed, the Middle East, for all its revenue from inflated oil prices, has a smaller economy than Spain's. | |
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Charles Johnson: VDH: The Power of Will — As usual, Friday brings us another great Victor Davis Hanson column, on The Power of Will. |
Matt Welch: Victor Davis Hanson says no: [quote] It does not matter what Kerry would "really" wish to do, since the last two years of...[end quote] |
Vast amounts of weapons-related material missing, official says By / Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - (KRT) - The more than 320 tons of missing Iraqi high explosives at center stage in the U.S. presidential election are only a fraction of the weapons-related material that's disappeared in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion last year. | |
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Avedon Carol: "They blew it again. Oh, right, it was much more important to listen to Chalibi rather than the CIA about what we should be looking out for in Iraq." Steve Gilliard: Vast amounts of weapons-related material missing, official says BY JONATHAN S. LANDAY Knight Ridder Newspapers Josh Marshall: While Di Rita and Co. were working on today's spin operation, this story went out on the KR newswire under Landay's byline. |
Laura Rozen: So many of the disasters of the US war and post-war in Iraq — including apparently al Qaqaa getting crossed off the... Oliver @LiquidList: Step back, Dems. This article represents a golden moment to remedy your strategic blunders of the past. The Poor Man: Well, via Digby, it turns out that there's a reason such evidence has not materialized: "Al Qaqaa was on a classified... |
| Also: Kevin Drum, Digby, Atrios, Matthew Yglesias, Mark Kleiman, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings | |
Public Opinion Poll Indicates Iraqis Favor Kerry over Bush in U.S. Presidential Race By / Voice of America — Permalink A new public opinion poll shows more Iraqis favor Democratic challenger John Kerry than President Bush, who launched the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. But more than half of the 2,000 peopled polled throughout Iraq don't care who wins the U.S. presidency in next week's election. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Less obvious is that even Iraqis aren't too hot on their would-be liberator, with just 16 percent saying they hope he... |
Venkat @BeggingToDiffer: SO UNGRATEFUL — Public Opinion Poll Indicates Iraqis Favor Kerry over Bush in U.S. Presidential Race [via Tapped]. |
Kerry's edge on Bush in California narrows By / San Diego Union-Tribune — Permalink SACRAMENTO - Democrat John Kerry's lead over President Bush has narrowed to seven points among likely California voters, while Sen. Barbara Boxer has increased her lead over Republican Bill Jones to 19 points, according to the latest Field Poll. | |
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Greg Ransom: KERRY IS SLIPPING BADLY IN CALIFORNIA today's Field Poll shows. Believe it or not California is play. |
Orrin Judd: PACIFICATION: Kerry's edge on Bush in California narrows (Bill Ainsworth, October 29, 2004, San Diego Tribune)... |
It's Not Just Al Qaqaa By / NYT — Permalink Just in case, the right is already explaining away President Bush's defeat: it's all the fault of the "liberal media," particularly The New York Times, which, so the conspiracy theory goes, deliberately timed its report on the looted Al Qaqaa explosives - a report all the more dastardly because it was true - for the week before the election. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: If it's Friday, it's time for Paul Krugman. [snipped quote] More Paul Krugman! Treat yourself to this interview in Texas Monthly! |
Matt Davis: As Krugman says, [snipped quote] To end the election in a confusing game of "he said, he said" for the final few days... |
What Zogby tells me: Kerry wins NY Daily News — Permalink Pollster John Zogby, in a telephone interview with me yesterday, predicted that John Kerry will win the election. "It's close," he said, "but in the last couple of days things have been trending toward Kerry - nationally and in the swing states. | |
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Tom Smith: So maybe . . . Dick Morris, that toe-sucking son of a gun, says it's W all the way, relying on fundamental analysis. John Hawkins: Update #1***: According to Sidney Zion in the New York Post, Zogby has changed his mind... "Pollster John Zogby, in... |
Hesiod: POSTSCRIPT: By the way, Pollster John Zogby predicts a Kerry victory. [snipped quote] Indeed. |
Schilling's not done pitching, and Bush digs it By / Boston Herald — Permalink WESTLAKE, Ohio - Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling will throw his support to President Bush [related, bio] at two New Hampshire rallies today, unexpectedly stealing part of Sen. John F. Kerry's hometown base. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Schilling Will Not Campaign for Bush — Despite reports in the Boston Herald that Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling will... Orrin Judd: LAST PITCH THIS SEASON: Schilling's not done pitching, and Bush digs it (Noelle Straub, October 29, 2004, Boston Herald)... |
PoliPundit: New Hampshire — Curt Schilling stumping in New Hampshire. UPDATE: No, he won't. |
Controversy Over Missing Explosives Intensifies; Springsteen Campaigns With Kerry CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening again everyone. What a day this has been, lunch aside, pictures of American troops searching the al Qa Qaa weapons site in Iraq right there next to the IAEA sealed bunkers. | |
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Wretchard: Are they RDX or HMX? The substance in the bunker is HMX, at least according to David Kay. Jon Henke: All of which seems rather compelling. ...but then there's David Kay's take: [snipped quote] I think we can agree that David Kay is a credible, objective source. Jesse Taylor: David Kay said they were wrong there, too. If Bush starts walking around with a canister of fake RDX, the election is over. |
Neil Shah: I'm sure that deacon has a very impressive resume, but perhaps he should leave the weapons inspection up to the weapons inspectors. Avedon Carol: Despite pretty solid evidence all over the place making clear that this administration's policies are responsible for losing all those missing explosives. Josh Marshall: Listen to what Kay said when Brown asked him whether the debate over when the explosives were taken is now over ... |
| Also: Juan Cole, Dwight Meredith | |
100,000 Iraqi civilians dead, says study Guardian — Permalink About 100,000 Iraqi civilians - half of them women and children - have died in Iraq since the invasion, mostly as a result of airstrikes by coalition forces, according to the first reliable study of the death toll from Iraqi and US public health experts. | |
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Michael Froomkin: 100,000 Iraqi Civilians Dead — Most From Bombing — Huge banner headline in the (left-of-center) Guardian today: 100,000 Iraqi civilians dead, says study. Ian Welsh: The Limits of Air Power — You've probably now heard of the Lancet study which found that about a hundred thousand Iraqis have probably died since the invasion. Chris Bertram: Deaths in Iraq — The Guardian has a story today about some research led by Les Roberts of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg... |
Bird Dog: More questions remain on the alleged 100,000 civilian deaths in Iraq, as reported in places such as the Guardian. James Joyner: Report: 100,000 Iraqi Civilians Dead Since Invasion 100,000 Iraqi civilians dead, says study (Guardian) "About 100,000... Jude Nagurney Camwell: Can you? Actually, no need to imagine. It happened. |
With Nothing Left to Win, Fans of Red Sox Suddenly Feel a Loss By / NYT — Permalink BOSTON, Oct. 28 - It didn't take long to go from ecstatic to existential. Having waited 86 years for a World Series championship, Bostonians found themselves on Thursday swirling with elation, but also scratching their heads. | |
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Orrin Judd: WHERE'S BOOM-BOOM MANCINI WHEN YOU NEED HIM? (via The Mother Judd): With Nothing Left to Win, Fans of Red Sox Suddenly... |
Greg Goelzhauser: Interestingly, the New York Times has a story today entitled "With Nothing Left to Win, Fans of Red Sox Suddenly Feel a Loss." |
Propositioning California By / Weekly Standard — Permalink WITH ALL ATTENTION focused on Florida and Ohio, it's tempting to pity California which, in this election at least, seems to have mattered most as the home of Jay Leno and The Tonight Show. Once again, the wealthy nation-state has lived up to its traditional role as the ATM of American politics. | |
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Greg Ransom: BILL WHALEN on the California propositions. |
PoliPundit: California Initiatives — Those crazy Californians will be voting on a bewildering array of initiatives this year. |
GDP growth weaker than expected CNN — Permalink NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The economy grew at an annual rate of 3.7 percent in the third quarter, the government reported Friday, up from the prior quarter but well below forecasts on Wall Street. | |
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Skippy: cnnmoney: "the economy grew at an annual rate of 3.7 percent in the third quarter, the government reported friday, up... |
Kash: Expectations had been for GDP growth in the range of 4.0%-4.5%, so this is clearly a disappointment. |
What a big Bill! NY Daily News — Permalink Bill O'Reilly and the decades-younger producer who claimed he tormented her with unwanted phone sex reached an out-of-court settlement last night - putting a seeming end to an embarrassing sex scandal for the Fox News superstar. | |
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Roger Ailes: Thuggery doesn't pay, but thugs do — I may have underestimated O'Reilly's payout. |
Taegan Goddard: According to the New York Daily News, O'Reilly will have to pay "at least" $2 million "and possibly as much as" $10 million. |
New Michigan polls: Kerry 46, Bush 40, and Kerry 50, Bush 46 AP — Permalink DETROIT (AP) — John Kerry leads President Bush in one poll of the Michigan presidential race released Friday. Another poll shows Kerry with higher numbers, but the difference falls within the margin of error. | |
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EDM Staff: Kerry Ahead by 6 and 4 in Pair of New MI Polls — John Kerry leads George Bush 46-40 percent of Michigan LVs, according... |
Hesiod: KERRY OPENS LEAD IN MICHIGAN: Don't believe the Bush campaign hype — John Kerry is starting to pull away in Michigan, according to two new polls. |
IRS probes NAACP after Bond's anti-Bush talk By / Detroit Free Press — Permalink WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is investigating whether a speech by NAACP Chairman Julian Bond in July that criticized the Bush administration violated a federal law that prohibits tax-exempt charitable organizations from engaging in most forms of political activity. | |
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SK Bubba: IRS investigating NAACP — The IRS is investigating the tax-exempt status of the NAACP because Julian Bond gave a speech critical of the Bush administration's policies. |
KJL: SHOCKING — The NAACP is like, for Democrats? The IRS is actually investigating. |
NASA photo analyst: Bush wore a device during debate By / Salon — Permalink George W. Bush tried to laugh off the bulge. "I don't know what that is," he said on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, referring to the infamous protrusion beneath his jacket during the presidential debates. "I'm embarrassed to say it's a poorly tailored shirt." | |
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Michael Froomkin: Ceci N'est Pas du Tinfoil — OK, this is getting out of the tinfoil category when Salon quotes a NASA scientist who has... Digby: Busted again Salon.com interviews a physicist who is an expert on imaging. It's not good news for the Codpiece. Taegan Goddard: More on Bush's Bulge — A NASA photo analyst says sophisticated imaging techniques prove president Bush's bulge in his... |
Angry Bear: Salon is still trying to find out: [snipped quote] AB Andrew Sullivan: THE BULGE: I've long thought this was a ridiculous story. But check out these images. Some kind of bullet-proof vest or security device? Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: The Bulge That Won't Die — This time NASA is on the case, and scientific reputations are being staked on the... |
| Also: SK Bubba, Susan Madrak, Joe Gandelman, Meteor Blades, Jeralyn Merritt, Tbogg, David Allan Pell, Ogged @Unfogged, Josh Marshall, Harley | |
Sen. Kerry: Nation 'is polarized' By / MSNBC — Permalink After starting his day in Ohio, Sen. Kerry brought his campaign to Madison, Wisconsin and one of the largest crowds of the election: more than 80,000 people. But "the Boss," Bruce Springsteen, may have had something to do with the turnout. | |
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Betsy Newmark: The Brokaw interview with Kerry is so illuminating. Folks, we can't let someone who talks and thinks like this get elected. Deacon: Consider this exchange between Kerry and Tom Brokaw: [snipped quote] But, in the past, as Captain Ed reminds us, Kerry has insisted that his entire record is public. PoliPundit: Kerry's Records — John Kerry slips up, admits his military records have not been released: [snipped quote] Why won't Kerry sign form 180 and release his records? |
Tom Maguire: Recruiting Surge At KH4K — "Kerry Haters for Kerry" braces for a surge in recruitment after their lesser evil meets with Tom Brokaw. Captain Ed: Despite having claimed for months that he had released all of his military records, Kerry admitted last night that he'd... William J. Dyer: Here's Sen. Kerry responding to questioning tonight on the topic from Tom Brokaw (elipses in original): "Brokaw: This... |
Video Shows G.I.'s at Weapon Cache NYT — Permalink A videotape made by a television crew with American troops when they opened bunkers at a sprawling Iraqi munitions complex south of Baghdad shows a huge supply of explosives still there nine days after the fall of Saddam Hussein, apparently including some sealed earlier by the International Atomic Energy Agency. | |
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Kieran Healy: A Tiny Fraction of the Total — I know this is late in Blog Time, but this Pentagon response to the debacle of the... Hesiod: Kerry 350 electoral votes. UPDATE: The New York Times starts hammering the nail on Bush's electoral cofffin. Howard Kurtz: ABC News has a breakthrough on the ammunition story, as picked up by the New York Times: "A videotape made by a... |
Tom Maguire: Missing Explosives - Day Five — The NY Times stages a bit of a rally on the missing explosives story - William Broad... James Joyner: Video Shows G.I.'s at Weapon Cache [RSS] (NYT) "Yesterday evening, the Pentagon released a satellite image of the... Josh Marshall: The Times even has this from a piece that went up late Thursday evening: "Weapons experts familiar with the work of the... |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, Rickheller @Centerfield, Laura Rozen, Captain Ed, Andrew Sullivan, Jeanne D'Arc, Gregory Djerejian | |
Photo, video show Iraqi complex before, after invasion CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — Two more bits of possible evidence surfaced Thursday in the mystery of the missing Iraqi explosives, but they appear to bolster two different scenarios as to what may have happened to the cache. | |
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Jesse Taylor: CNN brings up the Pentagon photo that supposedly shows the explosives being taken from the facility (despite the fact... |
Josh Marshall: Aaron Brown valiantly tries to carry the CNN ball into the credibility endzone, only to get dragged back by unnamed... |
Brain scanners can probe your politics By / MSNBC — Permalink SAN DIEGO - Applying some of the same brain-scan technology used to understand Alzheimer's and autism, scientists are trying to learn what makes a Republican's mind different from a Democrat's. | |
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Joe Gandelman: It HAD to happen: "SAN DIEGO - Applying some of the same brain-scan technology used to understand Alzheimer's and... |
Meteor Blades: Brain scanning scientists in San Diego are investigating how GOP and Democratic minds differ. |
CIA can't authenticate alleged al Qaeda tape CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — After a technical analysis, the CIA cannot determine whether a videotape obtained by ABC News in Pakistan featuring a man claiming to be affiliated with al Qaeda is authentic, a U.S. intelligence official said Thursday. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Gaslight watch: "Never mind!" TheCIA can't authenticate the tape: [snipped quote] So much for "Shazzam the American" .... James Joyner: CIA Can't Authenticate Alleged al Qaeda Tape — Contrary to yesterday's report by Matt Drudge, the CIA can't authenticate alleged al Qaeda tape, according to CNN. Roger Ailes: By the way, can we all acknowledge that anyone stupid enough to link to Drudge on a pro-Administration story is, like Drudge himself, wholly lacking in credibility. |
SK Bubba: He's had to back off two separate rumors (#1, #2) in two days. That's what happens when you rely on the GOP Minister of Disinformation. Joe Gandelman: And late last night CNN reported that the CIA CANNOT AUTHENTICATE the tape that aired on ABC. |
We Are All Floridians Now By / TCS — Permalink The 2004 presidential election is shaping up to be uglier than an octogenarian stripper convention. Look for intimidation, blatant vote fraud, bureaucratic incompetence, judicial shenanigans, and the promise of an ugly, heavily litigated November - and that's just at my house. | |
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Orrin Judd: EXCEPT THAT FLORIDA ISN'T EVEN FLORIDA: We Are All Floridians Now (Douglas Kern, 10/29/2004 , Tech Central Station)... |
Ed Driscoll: Tuesday Night Could Be A Long Month — Douglas Kern of Tech Central Station reminds us that "We Are All Floridians Now":... |
Sharp Increase in Early Voting Alters Campaign NYT — Permalink MADISON, Wis., Oct. 28 - State election officials around the country said on Thursday that there had been a surge in early voting this year, with people lining up in numbers so large that some analysts predict that one-fifth of presidential ballots will be cast before Nov. 2. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that there has been "a surge in early voting this year, with people lining up in... |
Steve M.: IT'S A BLOODY NUISANCE THAT WE LET THE PEASANTS VOTE AT ALL — From an article on early voting in tomorrow's New York... |
Report: Video Shows Explosives Went Missing After War Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - ABC News on Thursday showed video that appeared to confirm that explosives that went missing in Iraq did not disappear until after the United States had taken control of the facility where they were stored. | |
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Christopher @ShrillBlog: In the process, hundreds of containers were filmed that have been positively identified as the missing explosives,... Oliver Willis: Bush Admin: Our Previous Statements, Spin, Etc. are Now Inoperative — Report: Video Shows Explosives Went Missing After War [snipped quote] (via atrios) Tim Dunlop: (Thanks to reader Mike for the link) UPDATE: So it looks like the final answer is in: the explosives were there and thus... |
Dwight Meredith: Still photos of the intact seal are here. Game, set and match (at least on that issue). Update: More proof. Atrios: "Video Shows Explosive Went Missing After War" — This whole "when did they go missing" debate was mostly irrelevant to the underlying issue, but... game, set, match. |
THE MYTH OF THE 'MISSING EXPLOSIVES': A SHAMELESS LIE By / New York Post — Permalink SHOULD the United Na tions decide who be comes our president? Sen. John Kerry wouldn't mind. He's shamelessly promoting the lies that the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency is telling about Iraq. | |
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Avedon Carol: How are the administration and their attack-dog minions dealing with this? By pretending it's a myth. Porphyrogenitus: The Stakes Are Too High For You to Stay Home — First read Ralph Peters, no knee-jerk defender of the Bush... Bird Dog: Ralph Peters offers his twelve common sense reasons as to why the explosives were not stolen after April 4th, 2003. |
John Cole: Exposives Issue — What he said. Cori Dauber: THINGS THAT GO BOOM IN THE NIGHT — Ralph Peters' take on the 400 tons. H.D. Miller: (Here's Ralph Peters calling the myth of the missing explosives, a "shamless lie.") |
| Also: Stephen Green, Jesse Taylor, McQ, Tim Blair, James Joyner, JoelL @SouthernAppeal, Cliff May, Damian Penny | |
Conservatives launch baseless verbal attacks on U.S. troops Media Matters for America — Permalink In falsely accusing Senator John Kerry of denigrating American troops, it is in fact conservatives themselves — including one of Bush-Cheney '04's most vocal campaigners — who are suggesting that soldiers on the ground are responsible for explosives going missing in Iraq. | |
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James Joyner: What's particularly interesting to me is the side debate, about whether criticizing Bush for this issue amounts to blaming the troops. Avedon Carol: Media Matters reports on another example of "conservatives" supporting our troops - by blaming them for following the... Digby: That doesn't really pass the smell test since William Kristol on FOX News Live and Laura Ingraham all echoed this... |
Jeanne D'Arc: Iaeaseal_011 I'm betting "blame the troops" makes a quick retreat, and "see, we told you Saddam had WMDs" takes off as the excuse of the last few days. Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Speaking about the tons of explosives missing from al Qaqaa, Rudy Giuliani said the following on the Today Show: ... Atrios: Conservatives Continue to Blame Troops — Add Ingraham and Kristol to the list, along with Giuliani. The truth? |
| Also: Tim Dunlop | |
Kerry unable to crack Bush base By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Pollster John Zogby surprised the political world back in April with a long-range prediction that John Kerry would defeat George W. Bush for president. On Monday this week, Zogby told me, he changed his mind. | |
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Kevin T. Keith: Novak started it: "On Monday this week, Zogby told me, he changed his mind. He now thinks the president is more likely to be re-elected . Barbara O'Brien: The Reptile today: "Pollster John Zogby surprised the political world back in April with a long-range prediction that John Kerry would defeat George W. Bush for president. Stephen Green: . . Flip-flop from Zogby: [snipped quote] Well, we all know how well that's likely to work. |
John Hawkins: Well, according to Robert Novak, Zogby has changed his tune... "Pollster John Zogby surprised the political world back... Joe Gandelman: Columnist Robert Novak says so: "Pollster John Zogby surprised the political world back in April with a long-range... Betsy Newmark: Bob Novak says that Zogby has flip-flopped and now thinks that Bush will win because Bush has done better at solidifying his base and is perceived as stronger on terror. |
FBI Investigating Halliburton Contracts By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The FBI has begun investigating whether the Pentagon improperly awarded no-bid contracts to Halliburton Co., seeking an interview with a top Army contracting officer and collecting documents from several government offices. | |
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Juan Cole: The FBI is investigating how Halliburton got its bids to work on Iraqi petroleum facilities. Jeralyn Merritt: Two more: The FBI is investigating Halliburton and researchers and scientists at Johns Hopkins University, Columbia... Mathew Gross: FBI Investigating Halliburton Contracts — Why does the FBI hate America? |
Joe Gandelman: Going to Halliburton In A Handbasket (Or FBI Investigation) The bad news keeps bubbling out for the Bush-Cheney ticket... Oliver Willis: Mr. Bush, FBI on Line One — FBI Investigating Halliburton Contracts [snipped quote] (gleeful emphasis mine) Robert Cox: MEDIA MELTDOWN PART II — Well the AP is rushing to the ramparts to help John Kerry in flogging a silly story about... |
| Also: Steve Soto | |
The incompetent or the incoherent? Economist — Permalink YOU might have thought that, three years after a devastating terrorist attack on American soil, a period which has featured two wars, radical political and economic legislation, and an adjustment to one of the biggest stockmarket crashes in history, the campaign for the presidency would be an especially elevated and notable affair. | |
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Mark Kleiman: The Economist is reality-based — The Economist, which endorsed Bush in 2000, switches to Kerry in 2004. |n one sense... James Martin Capozzola: It's nice to see the endorsement, "The Incompetent or the Incoherent?", but we all know the magazine will sway few if... Kash: The Economist Endorses Kerry — The Economist gives a somewhat lukewarm endorsement to Kerry: [snipped quote] The editors... |
Jeff @BeautifulAtrocities: Economist: Seems to have made up his mind conclusively about something only once, & that was 30 years ago. Richard TPD: Conservative Economist endorses Kerry — It's been a good week for Kerry, as yet another prominent conservative voice... Stuart Benjamin: The Economist switches from Bush to Kerry: The Economist magazine, which endorsed Bush in 2000, has endorsed Kerry in 2004. |
| Also: Taegan Goddard | |
100,000 Civilians Died Because of Iraq War, Hopkins Study Says Bloomberg — Permalink Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) — About 100,000 civilians have died as a result of the war in Iraq, according to research from Johns Hopkins University. The findings are the first scientific study of the effects of war on Iraqi citizens, according to the Lancet medical journal, which is publishing the research. | |
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Greyhawk: Because Tonnage Matters 100,000 Iraqi ciilains dead. If they weighed an average of 120 pounds that would mean 6,000 tons of Iraqi civilians killed. Harley: Now this from John Hopkins University (emphasis mine): [snipped quote] Yeah, I know. War is hell. Tell it to the Iraqis. Taegan Goddard: 100,000 Civilians Killed in Iraq — "About 100,000 civilians have died as a result of the war in Iraq, according to research from Johns Hopkins University," Bloomberg reports. |
Cori Dauber: DOESN'T EVEN PASS THE SMELL TEST — A new study claims 100,000 civilian deaths in Iraq since the war. Bird Dog: Update [2004-10-28 16:18:21 by Bird Dog]: Five days before the election, a Johns Hopkins study is released showing way... |
Web Offers Hefty Voice to Critics of Mainstream Journalists By / NYT — Permalink Practicing cheap and dirty politics, playing fast and loose with the facts and even lying: Accusations like these, and worse, have been slung nonstop this year. The accused in this case are not the candidates, but the mainstream news media. | |
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Michael Totten: GET A PAPER ROUTE: Jim Rutenberg wrote an article for the New York Times about journalists spooked by "Internet writers." Roger L. Simon: One of the early reflections of this pain is an article in today's NYT - Web Offers Hefty Voice to Critics of Mainstream Journalists. Jeff Jarvis: Then this Jim Rutenberg story in the news section wrote about bloggers dogging big media on issues of accuracy and fairness. |
Cori Dauber: GIVING THE GUILTY EXCUSES — I have to admit that I'm very torn by this article (via Memeorandum) on media critique on the Internet in today's Times. Matt Welch: Amusing New York Times article today about the pain of high-profile campaign reporters having to deal with, as Tom... Tresy @Corrente: Like Talking to a Cocker Spaniel — Between the uncomprehending, affronted reaction to Stewart's Crossfire appearance... |
| Also: Tim Blair, Hindrocket, Roger Ailes, Michelle Malkin | |
Scientists estimate 100,000 Iraqis may have died in war far more than previous estimates By / AP — Permalink LONDON (AP) Researchers have estimated that as many as 100,000 more Iraqis many of them women and children died since the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq than would have been expected otherwise, based on the death rate before the war. | |
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Judith Weiss: The report was rushed to publication so it would appear right before the US election. Tim Graham: Oh, and Republicans are also the only ones making apparent gaffes: "This late in the game, any miscue is ripe for... |
James Joyner: Scientists estimate 100,000 Iraqis may have died in war far more than previous estimates (AP) "A survey of deaths in... Jeanne D'Arc: The lead researcher, from Johns Hopkins University, said that he wanted the information to come out before the election,... |
Don't Ask Me By / WaPo — Permalink Three dozen protesters gathered outside the Minneapolis Star Tribune building a month ago. They glowered and pounded on the windows. They carried signs calling the newspaper the "Star and Sickle." They shouted "Liberal!" at staffers leaving the building. | |
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The Big Trunk: For whom the Minnesota Poll tolls — Yesterday's Washington Post carried a story by Richard Morin with a Minnesota twist: "Don't ask me." Daniel Drezner: Richard Morin makes this point in today's Washington Post: [snipped quote] Keep this in mind when someone trumps a one or two point lead by their candidate. James Joyner: Polls Coming Under Scrutiny — Don't Ask Me: As Fewer Cooperate on Polls, Criticism and Questions Mount (WaPo) "It's tough being a pollster these days, even in Minnesota. |
Avedon Carol: Bits of news — In The Washington Post, Richard Morin reports on a new wrinkle in this year's political landscape -... David Allan Pell: People are even furious at the pollsters. And I don't just mean they're accusing them of being wrong. Megan McArdle: POLL-WATCHING: The Washington Post says there are major problems with the polls — "Costs are soaring as cooperation rates remain at or near record lows. |
| Also: Mathew Gross, DemFromCT | |
Schilling coming to Verizon with President Bush By / Union Leader — Permalink Red Sox pitching ace Curt Schilling will accompany President George W. Bush to his campaign stops in Manchester and Portsmouth on Friday. The Union Leader has learned Schilling will appear with Bush at rallies at the Verizon Wireless Arena and at the Pease International Tradeport. | |
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BTD @BeggingToDiffer: So for that reason I'm voting for President Bush. (Bonus justification: Curt Schilling told me to. Betsy Newmark: Here's the modern version of "waving the bloody shirt." |
Lorie Byrd: Talk About Adding Insult To Injury — Does it get any better than this? (Thanks to Polipundit reader, Sherrie Zabinski, for sending me the link.) Orrin Judd: WAVING THE BLOODY SOX: Schilling coming to Verizon with President Bush (JOHN DiSTASO, 10/28/04, Manchester Union Leader) [snipped quote] Brilliant. |
'American' voice on new terror video By / Christian Science Monitor — Permalink ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - A new videotape that has surfaced in Pakistan threatens a massive attack against the United States by a purported American member of Al Qaeda. It is not yet known if the tape is an authentic Al Qaeda production, but it bears enough resemblance that some experts are taking the tape seriously. | |
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Joe Gandelman: On the other hand, the reporter for The Christian Science Monitor, saw it and was impressed by its production... Steve M.: The Christian Science Monitor has a few details about the October surprise terror tape (featuring an American-accented... KJL: THAT AL QAEDA TAPE — The Christian Science Monitor has watched it. |
Lambert @Corrente: Here's what the vry mild-mannered Christian Science Monitor has to say: "A new videotape that has surfaced in Pakistan... JoelL @SouthernAppeal: Read about it here and here. In this video, bearing the logo of As-Sahab (Al Qaeda's video production company) the... |
Alleged Terror Tape Gives ABC Pause By / WaPo — Permalink It has all the makings of an incendiary story: a chilling pre-election videotape featuring a supposed member of al Qaeda, declaring in English that "blood will run red in the streets of America." | |
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Joe Gandelman: Yesterday morning, the Washington Post's media writer Howard Kurtz, in a piece on the controversy, wrote this: "Ross and... PoliPundit: Fact Check — On that Qaeda tape, the linguists seem to think that English isn't the guy's native tongue Charles Johnson: ABC Suddenly Concerned About Impacting Election — ABC News is very concerned about the effect on the US election of... |
Digby: Halloween Terror How likely is it do you suppose, that FOX will run with the American Al Qaeda boogeyman tape before the week-end is out? Megan McArdle: UPDATE: Howard Kurtz reports that ABC may not run it at all, saying they aren't convinced it represents a real threat. Orrin Judd: THE NON-BARKING DOG: Alleged Terror Tape Gives ABC Pause: News Division Delays Airing Video as FBI, CIA Evaluate (Howard... |
Saddam's U.N. Payroll Opinion Journal — Permalink Out on the campaign trail, John Kerry continues to diminish our allies in Iraq and decry President Bush for "rushing" to war without U.N. Security Council approval. | |
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McQ: Kerry and the Myth of Iraqi Sanctions — The WSJ has an interesting piece today which pretty much drives a stake into... Steve Antler: UPDATE: And now we read this as well: Oil voucher recipients are alleged to include the Russian presidential office,... |
Cliff May: Another plausible scenario is raised in the Wall Street Journal's lede editorial this morning. John Cole: Oil for Food — More on the Oil for Food scandal from the Opinion Journal: [snipped quote] These are the respective 'allies' whose asses John Kerry desires to kiss. |
TERROR TAPE WARN OF BUSH, CHENEY CONSEQUENCE Drudge Report — Permalink ABCNEWS withheld portions of an alarming new al Qaeda videotape which warns the next terror attack will dwarf 9/11 from the feds when they submitted the video for analysis, a top federal source tells the DRUDGE REPORT. ABC strongly denies the charge. | |
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Roger L. Simon: The Insufferable Self-Importance of the Mainstream Media Continues — Not much more than two weeks after ABC Political... Ace: In Videotaped Threat, Al Qaeda Formally Endorses John Kerry — But the shocks continue: Unbiased, objective ABCNews... |
Michael Totten: Drudge reports that the Al Qaeda videotape obtained by ABC News was sent to the FBI and the CIA and has since been authenticated. James Joyner: Drudge: ABC Withheld Parts of Video from CIA — Drudge has the siren out again: [snipped quote] Update (1707): The link is now up. |
Household Survey Sees 100,000 Iraqi Deaths AP — Permalink Lancet editor Richard Horton wrote in an editorial accompanying the survey that more household clusters would have improved the precision of the report, "but at an enormous and unacceptable risk to the team of interviewers." | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Disgrace — [snipped quote] About the methodology: In September, investigators went to 33 neighborhoods spread evenly around Iraq. Chris Bowers: Oh My God — I have nothing to say about this: [snipped quote] A moment of silence is in order. |
Oliver Willis: War: Totally Awesome — Household Survey Sees 100,000 Iraqi Deaths "A survey of deaths in Iraqi households estimates... |
I Know What You Did Last Recess By / Slate — Permalink Supreme Court watchers tell us the 2004 election probably won't implode with Bush v. Gore-style litigation. I'm not inclined to listen—if only because this advice isn't in keeping with the Halloween spirit. So, here's an election "horror story" that should get the blood racing: | |
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Howard Kurtz: Everyone's got their nightmare scenarios about Tuesday—The Washington Post came up with 33 ways there could be a... Eugene Oregon: Scary, But Not Likely — Mark Moller has an interesting piece in Slate regarding the possibility that the election might... |
William J. Dyer: Best title I've read in a while — I think the scenario he paints is extremely improbable, but I'm hugely amused by Mark... |
CIA, FBI AUTHENTICATE NEW QAEDA TERROR TAPE; ABCNEWS EXECUTIVES CONSIDER POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF AIRING Drudge Report — Permalink The CIA and FBI late Wednesday authenticated a disturbing new al Qaeda videotape which warns the next terror attack will dwarf 9/11. "The streets will run with blood," and "America will mourn in silence" because they will be unable to count the number of the dead, a man claims on the video. | |
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Whiskey: Terror tape authenticated — According to the Drudge Report, the Al Qaeda video tape obtained by ABC in Pakistan has been authenticated by the CIA and FBI. Megan McArdle: IT'S REAL, SO RUN IT: The CIA has apparently authenticated the tape of a terrorist threatening new attacks, but ABC is holding off because of the political implications. James Joyner: CIA, FBI Authenticate New Al Qaeda Video — CIA, FBI AUTHENTICATE NEW QAEDA TERROR TAPE; ABCNEWS EXECUTIVES CONSIDER... |
Christopher Kanis: WHAT THE HECK DOES THIS MEAN? DRUDGE REPORT: CIA, FBI AUTHENTICATE NEW QAEDA TERROR TAPE Authenticate as what, exactly? KJL: "THE STREETS WILL RUN WITH BLOOD" — That al Qaeda tape is evidently real. |
Bush Campaign Acknowledges Ad Was Doctored Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush's campaign acknowledged on Thursday that a television ad depicting soldiers listening to Bush speak had been doctored so that some of the faces of the soldiers appear more than once. | |
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Joe Gandelman: A Tempest In A You Know What...BUT — This is one of those stories easy to dismiss as a "Who Cares? Charles Johnson: Deceptive Reuters Headline of the Day — Reuters says: Bush Campaign Acknowledges Ad Was Doctored. |
Josh Marshall: Video editors get slotted for CIA fall-guy role in latest Bush cooked up evidence flap ... [snipped quote] Priceless. |
Kerry Uses Bush's Own Words to Call Him Unfit By / Reuters — Permalink TOLEDO, Ohio (Reuters) - Democratic challenger John Kerry turned President Bush 's own words into a weapon on Thursday and said it was the Republican incumbent who had jumped to conclusions in Iraq , disqualifying him from being commander in chief. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: "Jumping to Conclusions" — Nice Kerry takedown of one of the index cards KaWen wrote up for Inerrant Boy: [snipped quote] Yup. Captain Ed: Kerry: Iraq Is Equivalent To Bay Of Pigs — If you could imagine the most foolish analogy anyone could use in terms of... |
Joe Gandelman: We Told You So — We said this would happen in an earlier post: [snipped quote] You could see this coming a mile away once Bush said it. Steve Soto: Kerry Throws Bush's Words Back At Him — I love it when a seed planted in the blogosphere grows. |
Bush Campaign to Recut Doctored Ad By / AP — Permalink INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) - President Bush's campaign acknowledged Thursday that it had doctored a photograph used in a television commercial to remove the president and the podium where he was standing. The campaign said the ad will be re-edited and reshipped to TV stations. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Bush Campaign Admits Doctored Ad — The Bush campaign admitted doctoring an ad depicting Bush surrounded by soldiers. Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 10/28/04 3:48:06 pm: More details in this AP story, revealing that this brouhaha is even more ridiculous than it first appeared: Bush Campaign to Recut Doctored Ad. |
Garance Franke-Ruta: The Bush campaign is walking back from its aptly named new ad, "Whatever It Takes," which an eagle-eyed DailyKos.com... |
Poll: Republicans inch ahead By / Rapid City Journal — Permalink Republicans John Thune and Larry Diedrich have overcome double-digit deficits to draw ahead of their Democratic rivals, Sen. Tom Daschle and Rep. Stephanie Herseth, according to an independent poll. | |
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James Joyner: Zogby: Thune Ahead of Daschle — Poll: Republicans inch ahead (Rapid City Journal) [snipped quote] Very interesting, although certainly not decisive. Orrin Judd: 50 & 60 & 240: Poll: Republicans inch ahead (Bill Harlan, 10/28/04, Rapid City Journal) "Republicans John Thune and... Hindrocket: South Dakota Swinging Red — Good news from the latest Zogby poll in South Dakota: John Thune has a three-point lead over Tom Daschle. |
H.D. Miller: And John Thune is pulling ahead in South Dakota. It might be bye, bye Tom, Looks like you changed your permanent residence just in time. Jayson @PoliPundit: No, nope, and no. That was Dan Pfeiffer, the campaign spokesman for Tom Daschle, lashing out at Zogby, for the latter's... |
Bush, Kerry Trade Charges on Leadership AP — Permalink SAGINAW, Mich. - Bitingly personal, President Bush called Sen. John Kerry too weak and wavering for wartime leadership Thursday while the Democrat held Bush responsible for missing explosives in Iraq . "The commander in chief is not getting his job done," Kerry said. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: The only news that really affects the campaign at this late date is the coverage provided by the Associated Press that... |
Z.R.: Go to comments — October 28, 2004 Fact Check Beaver State Bungle Check out this sentence from an Associated Press... |
Tribune Co. Announces Steep Circ Declines In Los Angeles and Chicago on Day After News of Fuller's Retirement By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK The Tribune Co. announced this morning that circulation at its two largest papers, the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, experienced steep declines. | |
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Vanderleun: The Los Angeles Times, which brought in Michael Kinsley as an editorial tourniquet a few months back, admitted today... Ed Driscoll: Legacy Media Bleeds More Red Ink — Editor and Publisher writes: [snipped quote] The Gray Lady's bottom line has been looking redder and redder as well. |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Any questions? Note: *The Los Angeles Times' circulation declined sharply over the past six months. Kevin Roderick: A story in Editor & Publisher leads with the Times' "steep drop" and notes that the Chicago Tribune also suffered a smaller drop in circulation. |
Hold Bush Accountable By / WaPo — Permalink I do not write the headlines for my columns. Someone else does. But if I were to write the headline for this one, it would be "Impeach George Bush." Of course, I realize there's no chance Congress would impeach the president at this point or under almost any circumstance. | |
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Avedon Carol: Richard Cohen finally says two things that are long overdue in Hold Bush Accountable: I do not write the headlines for my columns. Matthew Yglesias: October 28, 2004: "I do not write the headlines for my columns. Someone else does. |
Digby: Oh Sure, Now When It's Safe To Be Shrill — It seems that my favorite bucket of lukewarm spit has finally received the... KJL: OY "Impeach George Bush." (Richard Cohen) |
The 92% Solution By / NRO — Permalink The Kerry campaign's concerns about its candidate's failure to rally black voters in numbers similar to those received by either the Gore or Clinton presidential campaigns have become a staple of the daily news. | |
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James Joyner: Getting Out the White Vote — Peter Kirsanow has an interesting analysis of the racial breakdown of the vote this... Acidman: Some polls indicate that the change may begin with this Presidential election. It'll be a slow process, because old habits are hard to break. |
Orrin Judd: PSSSST, GEORGE BUSH KILLED RAY CHARLES, PASS IT ON: The 92% Solution: Kerry and the black vote. Betsy Newmark: Peter Kirsanow waxes optimistic about black support for Bush. |
'War raised Iraqi death rate by 100,000' Guardian — Permalink As many as 100,000 more Iraqi civilians have died in the 18 months since the US-led invasion last year than would have been expected in the period before the war, a study claimed today. Researchers said the chances of a violent death were 58 times higher after the invasion than before it. | |
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Kevin Raybould: There are no words: [snipped quote] When the right wing says "they hate us because of our freedoms" they actually have something of a point. |
Jeanne D'Arc: Ninety-five percent of those deaths were the result of bombs or fire from helicopter gunships, and the majority of victims were women and children. |