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'Easongate' By / Opinion Journal — Permalink Did Eason Jordan, chief news executive of CNN, actually say the American military has deliberately killed journalists covering the conflict in Iraq? It's a serious question, at least to judge by the heat it's generated. Google "Easongate" and you get 2,500 results. | |
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Charles Johnson: But when I read his op-ed about Easongate at OpinionJournal earlier today, I detected a faint air of "circling the wagons." Smash: Military Targets Journalists — Reporter Targeted by "Deliberate Barrage" CNN EXECUTIVE EASON JORDAN has come under... Michelle Malkin: Bret Stephens' curious little account in the WSJ does not, contrary to the subtitle of the piece, settle the question of what exactly Eason Jordan said and how he said it. |
Joe Gandelman: Wall Street Journal Suggests CNN's Eason Jordan Getting Bum Rap — The definitive dispute settler (the tape) has not yet... Barbara O'Brien: Today, Power Line blogger The Big Trunk is p.o.'d because a Wall Street Journal editorial on the matter brushed Jordan-gate off as not that big a deal. James Frederick Dwight: The invaluable Bret Stephens was in the room in Davos when Eason Jordan said what he said. Today in the Journal he offers his report. |
| Also: Bigwig, Cori Dauber, Captain Ed, Jonah Goldberg, Dean Esmay, The Big Trunk, Orrin Judd, Vanderleun, Glenn Reynolds, Greg Ransom | |
Rights lawyer convicted of helping terrorists AP — Permalink Veteran civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart was convicted Thursday of helping terrorists by smuggling messages of violence from one of her imprisoned clients — a radical Egyptian sheik — to his terrorist disciples on the outside. | |
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Damian Penny: The new Mumia — Lynne Stewart, who long ago crossed the line between defending Islamofascist terror suspects and... Michelle Malkin: GUILTY IN NYC — Back from the ice rink and catching up with the afternoon headlines... You've already seen the guilty verdict in the Lynne Stewart case. Glenn Reynolds: LYNNE STEWART CONVICTED: [snipped quote] — UPDATE: A personal angle, from Scott Johnson. |
The Big Trunk: Today the jury convicted them all: "Rights lawyer convicted of helping terrorists." I think this was a difficult but meritorious case for the government. Jeralyn Merritt: Lawyer Lynne Stewart Found Guilty — Update (by TChris): After 13 days of deliberations, the jury found Lynne Stewart guilty of providing material support to terrorists. |
Calling All Democrats By / NYT — Permalink In the past week, I've received several e-mail notes from Democrats about the Iraq elections, or heard comments from various Democratic lawmakers - always along the following lines: "Remember, Vietnam also had an election, and you recall how that ended." | |
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Damian Penny: For the defence, I submit this Tom Friedman column (preferably without its remarkably naive paragraph about the... Matthew Yglesias: Thomas Friedman exhorts Democrats to "start thinking seriously about Iraq - the way Joe Biden, Joe Lieberman and Hillary Clinton have." Jesse Taylor: Iran Sez: "Democracy - Potentially Off The Hizzle" — A question to Tom Friedman. |
Jeff Jarvis: (See Tom Friedman — a Democrat of my ilk — this morning on four things in Iraq Democrats should be excited about). James Joyner: Democrats and Iraq — Tom Friedman (rss), when he sticks to writing about the thing that established him as a top... Donald Sensing: Update: NYT journalist Thomas Friedman: "[T]hose who suggest that the Iraqi election is just beanbag, and that all we... |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, Glenn Reynolds, Cori Dauber, Jonah Goldberg, ArchPundit, Orrin Judd, Stephen Green | |
Senate Passes Overhaul of Rules for Class-Action Lawsuits By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 - The Senate voted overwhelmingly today to shift many class-action lawsuits from state courts to federal courts, handing President Bush and his supporters in the business world a major legislative triumph. | |
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Julia @AmStreet: Nonetheless, the Times has discovered by the kind of investigative reporting for which they are so justly famous that... Dave Johnson: From a different report, "One Democrat who voted yes, Dianne Feinstein of California, said afterward that the bill was... |
James Joyner: Senate Passes Class-Action Reform — Se Passes Overhaul of Rules for Class-Action Lawsuits (NYT rss) "The Senate voted... |
Flatpack farrago By / Guardian — Permalink There has been much talk about consumer greed in the wake of the Ikea riot, about the depravity of people crushing one another for a 45 sofa. But there is less talk about Ikea's greed, and in particular about the way in which this giant of a corporation... | |
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James Joyner: Susie Steiner, who edits the Guardian's home and garden section, says Ikea treats its customers so badly, a riot is the... Kevin Drum: PANICKY HOTNESS....There was a riot during the grand opening of an Ikea store in Britain today, and it prompted a truly bizarre reaction from Susie Steiner in the Guardian. |
Ogged @Unfogged: My reaction to this is, basically: s**t happens. The Guardian's Susie Steiner has a rather different reaction. Orrin Judd: Flatpack farrago: Ikea treats its customers so badly, a riot is the least it might have expected (Susie Steiner,... |
Columnists' errors, CNN's treason By / Townhall.com — Permalink A journalistic scandal involving payment of thousands of dollars has received massive attention in the mainstream media. One concerning the exchange of 30 pieces of silver has not, so far. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Other than that, the Jordan story is still mostly limited to Town Hall ("Columnists' Errors, CNN's Treason"), Cybercast... Cori Dauber: But if you can't prove that Jordan, with clear and specific intent, set out to help the other side, that is, that he... Captain Ed: Today, Marvin Olasky contrasts the wan efforts of Bret Stephens by checking Lexis-Nexis instead of Google and... |
Michelle Malkin: Marvin Olasky with Creators Syndicate: "Bloggers have reported the story extensively, often accusing Jordan of giving aid and comfort to terrorists and their appeasers. Ace: Best bit comes from Marvin Olasky: [snipped quote] And, interestingly enough, you ought to know that as blog-readers, you're better-connected than Chris Matthews and Judy Woodruff. Betsy Newmark: There are also at least two, syndicated columnists, Michelle Malkin and Martin Olasky, writing about this so the story is spreading to the newspapers where there columns appear. |
| Also: Steve Bainbridge | |
Chaos at Ikea opening This Is London — Permalink Five people are in hospital today after hundreds were crushed as the opening of England's biggest Ikea store turned into a riot. Nine ambulances were sent to the outlet in north London after reports that up to 20 people had suffered heat exhaustion when the opening at midnight descended into chaos. | |
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James Joyner: Riot at Ikea Opening — Chaos at Ikea opening (Evening Standard) "Five people are in hospital today after hundreds were... Betsy Newmark: IKEA is a nice place to get cheap furniture. But is it worth a riot? That is a bit more to the IKEA experience than I would like. |
Ace: Riot Breaks Out at London IKEA, Hospitalizing Hundreds — Donald Rumsfeld Criticized For Failing to Have a "Plan" Umm, can I speak freely? Jonah Goldberg: I DON'T GET IT. Fortunately no one died. It's all so bizarre. Who riots for Ikea furniture? "I will kill or die for that cheap swivel chair!" |
Court of First Resort By / NYT — Permalink TEN years ago, I asked Bosnian civilians under siege in Sarajevo where they would go if they could escape. Most chose one of the sand or pebble beaches along the Adriatic. | |
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Randy Paul: I don't believe that at all, but I do believe that it can have a positive impact on the situation and so does Samantha... Laura Rozen: Read Samantha Power and Mark Goldberg on the Bush administration blocking of the ICC's efforts to try to hold individuals accountable for war crimes in Darfur. Peter Burnet: HARLEQUIN ROMANCES FOR TRANZIS — Court of First Resort (Samantha Power, New York Times, February 10th, 2005) [snipped quote] Right. |
Eugene Oregon: Darfur and the ICC — I don't normally disagree with Samantha Power, but she has an op-ed in the New York Times today on... Mark Leon Goldberg: For those following the current row over the International Criminal Court and Darfur, Samantha Power's New York Times op-ed is not to be missed. |
Fake news, fake reporter By / Salon — Permalink When President Bush bypassed dozens of eager reporters from nationally and internationally recognized news outlets and selected Jeff Gannon to pose a question at his Jan. 26 news conference, Bush's recognition bestowed instant credibility on the apparently... | |
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Scott Sala: Salon asks the above question, which sums up the other angle of this story. Tom Tomorrow: Gannon, cont'd — Salon has an excellent rundown. And a reader retrieves Gannon's site from the memory hole, via that reliable foe of revisionists everywhere, the Google cache. Howard Kurtz: Salon's Eric Boehlert frames the Gannon episode this way: "The Talon News fiasco raises serious questions about who the... |
Avedon Carol: And, PR being the priority, it's good to have Eric Boehlert around to comment on the state of the media - and, in this case, Fake news, fake reporter. John Hawkins: This is a hot story on the left side of the blogosphere, Media Matters has written multiple articles about him, Salon is... Rickheller @Centerfield: We haven't up till now discussed the case of Jeff Gannon, a reporter for Talon News who has been participating in White House press briefings. |
| Also: Giblets, Joe Gandelman, Scott Rosenberg, Joe Carter, Kos @DailyKos, ArchPundit | |
Officials: Abbas Fires Gaza Commanders By / AP — Permalink RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas fired top Gaza security commanders Thursday, Palestinian officials said, hours after militants fired dozens of mortar shells and homemade rockets at Jewish settlements there, breaking a 2-day-old cease-fire. | |
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Jan Haugland: Abu Mazen has responded by firing his top security officials in Gaza as a "punitive" reaction to their failure to prevent the attacks. Charles Johnson: Holocaust-denying Palestinian president Abu Mazen is disciplining the usual suspects. |
Captain Ed: In retaliation, Abbas fired his Gaza commanders for their failure to prevent the attacks, but Abbas may well run out of... The Big Trunk: We'll stay tuned. UPDATE: In a closely related story, the AP reports: "Abbas fires Gaza commanders." |
Reporter Quits Amid Credential Questions AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - A conservative writer who attracted attention by asking President Bush a loaded question at a news conference last month has resigned amid questions about his identity and background. | |
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Baldilocks: Mr. Gannon was allowed a daily pass to White House press briefings, as many reporters for many new services are. |
Hindrocket: The first actual news story I've seen on the Gannon affair is this AP report, which quotes Scott McClellan: [snipped quote] I still don't get it. |
Online Reporter Quits After Liberals' Expose By / WaPo — Permalink The conservative reporter who asked President Bush a loaded question at a news conference last month resigned yesterday after liberal bloggers uncovered his real name and raised questions about his background. | |
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Scott Sala: Lefty Blogs Take Down Right Wing Reporter — I guess score one for the Lefty blogs, as they exposed a lousy reporter for... Brian Montopoli: "He has been extremely anti-gay in his writings," said Markos Moulitsas, who runs the Daily Kos blog. Lambert @Corrente: Well. And what is the reaction of the wingers? Let's quote Howie quoting Instapundit: [snipped quote] Beautiful. |
Kevin Aylward: On the libel watch: The aforementioned Daily New article, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, Truthout.org, If you find more sites... Barbara O'Brien: These include the New York Daily News's wonderfully headlined "Bush Press Pal Quits Over Gay Prostie Link," plus stories... Max B. Sawicky: IT'S A JUNGLE OUT HERE L'affaire Gannon/Guckert leaves me uneasy, as the politics of personal destruction descend closer... |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, SLZoll, Donald Sensing, Kos @DailyKos, Oliver Willis, Orrin Judd, Frederick Maryland, Stephen Green | |
North Korea says it has nuclear weapons CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Citing what it calls U.S. threats to topple its political system, North Korea said it is dropping out of six-party nuclear talks and will "bolster its nuclear weapons arsenal," the country's official news agency KCNA said Thursday. | |
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Kathleen: Evidently, he also has some anger issues. Comforting, yes? Duck and Cover, the Next Generation: North Korea has nukes. Bill Hobbs: Duck and Cover — After years of diplomacy aimed at preventing it from happening, the insane leader of the world's... |
David Schraub: And for my debut post on this blog...North Korea is the bomb (or has one, anyway). |
The Blogs Beat the Bigs Again By / Weekly Standard — Permalink "CHRIS MATTHEWS looked at you like you were Grover Norquist," a very senior Democratic operative commented on my appearance at Matthews' weekend show. During the segment where Matthews asks his panel to tell them something he doesn't know, I predicted a... | |
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Kevin Hayden: I accuse… and raise the call for impeachment — The Conservative Blunderground can persist in its pursuit of... Ace: Hugh Hewitt reports that even after Easongate had been the rage of the blogosphere for more than a week, talking-head newstwits still hadn't even heard of the story at all. |
Michelle Malkin: Easongate and TKS are live with the latest. Hugh Hewitt on the blogs vs. the bigs. Hugh Hewitt: My WeeklyStandard.com column, "The Blogs Beat the Bigs Again," focuses on the first episode in 2005 when the blogs... |
Early Returns NRO — Permalink The campaign for Social Security reform has now begun in earnest. The president devoted much of his State of the Union address to making the case for the idea. He argued that the program's commitments have to be brought into line with what it can afford, and that young workers deserve a better deal. | |
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DeLong: (National Review Edition) The National Review enters the Black Hole of total and irreversible stupidity: "The Editors... |
Matthew Yglesias: The National Review runs an unsigned editorial about Social Security privatization: "The press is not making his job any easier. |
Congressman: Democrat Leadership Threatening 'Retribution' for Dems Who Cooperate with White House By / Human Events — Permalink Rep. Paul Ryan (R. -Wis.) was asked at a CATO conference in Washington yesterday whether he had persuaded any Democrats to back his plan to rescue Social Security from its financial troubles. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Apparently, bipartisanship is not a two-way street. [snipped quote] Come on. You're the minority party in the House, for gosh sake! |
Kos @DailyKos: From the House (from a conservative source): "Rep. Paul Ryan (R. |
CU prof's writings doubted Denver Post — Permalink University of Colorado officials reviewing Ward Churchill's writings and qualifications will find questions about his scholarship and accuracy dating back at least eight years. | |
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Steven Taylor: Churchill's Scholarship Questioned — The smallpox blankets story has been in the Blogosphere for a few days, now it... Ace: On the Trail of Churchill's Academic Fraud — Fraudulent Indian heritage, fraudulent military service, and now, of course, fraudulent "academic" writings. |
Jeff Goldstein: In a revealing article today, The Denver Post takes a closer look at Ward Churchill's scholarship: [snipped quote] And... Greg Ransom: And the Denver Post reports that scholars are challenging the accuracy of Chuchill's academic writings: [quote] "If he is...[end quote] |
Detainees accuse female interrogators MSNBC — Permalink Female interrogators repeatedly used sexually suggestive tactics to try to humiliate and pry information from devout Muslim men held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a military investigation not yet public and newly declassified accounts from detainees. | |
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Digby: We find out today that the tales of sexual depravity at Gitmo that everyone dismissed earlier are true.I wrote about... Max @Centerfield: Today, only after being pushed, The Pentagon admitted to using sexual tactics in order to 'break' Guantanamo Bay detainees. |
Ace: Separate them out for yourselves: "Female interrogators repeatedly used sexually suggestive tactics to try to humiliate... |
Senate OKs Limit on Class Action Lawsuits AP — Permalink Feb. 10, 2005 - The Senate approved a measure Thursday to help shield businesses from major class action lawsuits like the ones that have been brought against tobacco companies, giving President Bush the first legislative victory of his second term. | |
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James Joyner: [Update: This AP story confirms: "The GOP-controlled Senate struck a deal with the House saying if senators passed the... |
Betsy Newmark: This is a nice victory for Bush and for the American people. I wonder if there are some more low-hanging fruit of easy bills to pass out there. |
North Korea Says It Has Nuclear Weapons and Rejects Talks By / NYT — Permalink TOKYO, Feb. 10 - In a surprising admission, North Korea's hard-line Communist government declared publicly today for the first time that it has nuclear weapons. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: In the meantime, don't miss this article on Condi's Paris trip, her Paris speech (including the Q&A), this article on... Jane Galt: Annals of journalism — Kudoes to the New York Times for making possibly the most egregious use of the unsourced third... |
Hugh Hewitt: The consequences of the Clinton-Albright policy of carrot and carrot are made clear today with North Korea' announcement. Oliver @LiquidList: Inspectors don't find weapons. Bush administration starts pre-emptive war. North Korea says they have weapons. |
Lawyer Convicted of Helping Terrorists By / AP — Permalink NEW YORK - A veteran civil rights lawyer was convicted Thursday of crossing the line by smuggling messages of violence from one of her jailed clients — a radical Egyptian sheik — to his terrorist disciples on the outside. | |
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Charles Johnson: Lynne Stewart Convicted — In the latest explicit example of collaboration between the far left and Islamic fascism,... |
Wind Rider: That's from Lynne Stewart, who was convicted today of aiding convicted terrorist Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman (a.k.a. The Blind Sheik). |
The Next Bubba? By / WSJ — Permalink KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Democrats have noticed that senators and Northeasterners don't do especially well in presidential elections. That has led to some talk of running a governor from the South in 2008, but Southern Democratic governors are in short supply. | |
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James Joyner: Glenn Reynolds has a piece in today's WSJ dubbing Bredesen, "The Next Bubba?" Pejman Yousefzadeh: HOPE FOR 2008? Glenn Reynolds presents a candidate for Democrats to rally around for the next Presidential election. |
Bill Hobbs: Highlight the Best, Ignore The Rest — Glenn Reynolds has a piece in today's Wall Street Journal looking at why Phil... Glenn Reynolds: BREDESEN IN 2008? I've got a piece in today's Wall Street Journal that looks at the prospects. |
Social Security Problems Not a Crisis, Most Say WaPo — Permalink Most Americans are certain Social Security will go bankrupt but are not ready to embrace changes that would shore up the system's finances, according to two surveys by The Washington Post, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University. | |
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Noam Scheiber: Here's an interesting finding from the two Social Security surveys featured in today's Washington Post: 77 percent of... Dave Johnson: It just might be starting to happen. Nathan Newman: What Workers Know That Kevin Doesn't — Kevin Drum is surprised by a poll that shows that Americans think prices have... |
Thomas Lang: Pointing to a Washington Post poll analysis, Marshall thinks the most revealing observation is that "support drops... Matthew Yglesias: The Washington Post takes a rather detailed look at public opinion on Social Security and reveals that the American people have a pretty weak grasp of the situation. Randall Parker: Update: One factor that may work in favor of proposals to change Social Security indexing from wages to inflation is... |
| Also: Kos @DailyKos, Kevin Drum, Steve Soto, Josh Marshall | |
Bush press pal quits over gay prostie link By / NY Daily News — Permalink WASHINGTON - A conservative ringer who was given a press pass to the White House and lobbed softball questions at President Bush quit yesterday after left-leaning Internet bloggers discovered possible ties to gay prostitution. | |
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Kevin Aylward: For example The New York Daily News:Bush press pal quits over gay prostie link BY HELEN KENNEDY DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON... John Hawkins: But, the interest level roared up to "Memogate levels" on the left side of the blogosphere when Gannon was accused of... Kos @DailyKos: Salon and the NY Daily News have stories that do a much better of discussing core issues than Kurtz. |
Steve M.: TRACTION — The Jeff Gannon story is in the New York Daily News, under this headline: "Bush Press Pal Quits Over Gay Prostie Link." Jesse Taylor: Post Title HereM4M — Ironclad proof that all Richard Nixon had to do was solicit a gay prostitute and we'd never have heard a single White House tape. Mathew Gross: Up to Speed — If you've been trying to get your head around the Gannon story, look no further than this concise summary... |
Hamas fires mortars and Kassams on Gaza settlements Jerusalem Post — Permalink At least twenty five mortar shells and Kassam rockets have landed on Gaza Strip settlements since 2:00 a.m. Thursday, hitting settlements in Gush Katif, southern Gaza, and northern Gaza, according to the IDF. | |
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Jan Haugland: Hamas and Islamic Jihad have already delivered their response to the ceasefire agreement reached (informally) between... The Big Trunk: Who's in charge? The Jerusalem Post reports: "Hamas fires mortars and Kassams at Gaza Settlement." |
Captain Ed: While I had expected a few days for the newly-minted cease-fire to settle in, Hamas had already set a major mortar attack into action. |
House OKs Citizenship Check for Licenses By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - Hoping to keep drivers licenses out of the hands of terrorists, the House voted Thursday to make states verify that applicants are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants. | |
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Atrios: Show Your Papers — Well, it seems as if my days of mocking Yurpeans for their national ID cards and the like are just about over. |
Greg Ransom: VICTORY in the House! The vote is 261-161 to ban driver's licences for illegals. |
Shoot the Stupid Consumer By / TCS — Permalink "Now, here's the interesting part," the reader wrote. "The rebate fulfillment house will GUARANTEE IN WRITING to the manufacturer that the percentage of rebates claimed as presented in this table will not be exceeded. They will eat the cost if it is." | |
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Kevin Drum: MAIL-IN REBATES...Over at TCS, Arnold Kling writes with appropriately dripping vitriol about the "mail-in rebate" scam... |
Arnold Kling: Mail Un-Rebates Revisited — I hope this got it out of my system. [snipped quote] Anyway, for my father's computer, I went to Office Depot. |
North Korea Says It Has Nuclear Weapons By / AP — Permalink SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea announced for the first time Thursday it has nuclear weapons, and it rejected moves to restart disarmament talks anytime soon, saying the bombs are protection against an increasingly hostile United States. | |
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Charles Johnson: North Korea: We Have "Nukes" — The only surprise here is that they are finally admitting it: North Korea Says It Has Nuclear Weapons. Damian Penny: North Korea admits nukes — The world's worst-kept secret is out: North Korea on Thursday announced for the first time... |
Greg @TheTalentShow: SUMMARY : [quote] Story One : "North Korea announced for the first time Thursday it has nuclear weapons, and it rejected moves...[end quote] Jan Haugland: North Korea: we have nukes — North Korea has for the first time publicly announced it has nuclear weapons: "We ... have... |
Negative Freedom By / TNR — Permalink Last week, Togo's President Gnassingbe Eyadema died in office, leaving power to his son. At the time of his death, he was Africa's longest serving head of state, having taken power in a 1967 coup. | |
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Brian Doherty: In this article by Steven Kosnar, we are told [snipped quote] The "situation," by the way, is that a long-term (elected,... |
David Adesnik: THIS SHOULD'VE BEEN AN EASY CALL: Why won't the United States speak out on behalf of democracy in Togo? |
Wildlife scientists feeling heat San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Washington — Scientists in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say they've been forced to alter or withhold findings that would have led to greater protections for endangered species, according to a survey released Wednesday by two environmental groups. | |
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Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: According to the San Francisco Chronicle, [quote] "One scientist from the Pacific region, which includes California and five...[end quote] Cookie Jill: the 1600 crew making nixon look...well...saintly "the us fish and wildlife service has directed its scientists not to... |
Chris Mooney: Covering the Latest Revelations from UCS/PEER — I can find five major papers that have done so: The San Francisco... |
9/11 Report Cites Many Warnings About Hijackings By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 - In the months before the Sept. 11 attacks, federal aviation officials reviewed dozens of intelligence reports that warned about Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, some of which specifically discussed airline hijackings and suicide operations, according to a previously undisclosed report from the 9/11 commission. | |
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Cookie Jill: the faa also made no concerted effort to expand their list of terror suspects, which included a dozen names on Sept. 11,... Steve Soto: The New York Times, today, after this report had been suppressed for five months and redacted considerably. Joe Gandelman: Information On 911 Bungling Was Suppressed Until After The Election — Unless you have a short or selective memory, you... |
Julia @AmStreet: in non-Gannon news you might not have seen these stories in the the much-delayed release of a report from the 9/11... Digby: As more and more is revealed every day it becomes clear that these incompetents who ignored the warning signs before... Avedon Carol: Anyway, while George is yucking it up, we finally get the 9/11 Report, the content of which was already obvious years ago. |
| Also: Cori Dauber, Jesse Taylor, James Joyner, Norbizness, Skippy @AmStreet, Jeff Jarvis, Eugene Oregon, Kos @DailyKos, Nick Gillespie, Tom Tomorrow, Dave Johnson, Oliver Willis | |
Chairman's tax ideas astound GOP By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Rep. Bill Thomas of California, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is the ultimate legislative poker player who keeps his hand shielded even from partners. But he showed a few cards during the recent Republican retreat at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. His fellow Republican congressmen were astounded. | |
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Max B. Sawicky: THOMASES' FRENCH KISS — Bob Novak reports with anxiety that Rep. Bill Thomas (R-CA), the smart, powerful, and satanic... |
Yuval Rubinstein: Bob Novak's panicky column, which skittishly recounts Thomas's skillful demolition of sacrosanct Republican beliefs at... |
Detainees Accuse Female Interrogators WaPo — Permalink Female interrogators repeatedly used sexually suggestive tactics to try to humiliate and pry information from devout Muslim men held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a military investigation not yet public and newly declassified accounts from detainees. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: This from the "Washington Post" (hat tip: Best of the Web): "Detainee lawyers likened the tactics to Nazis shaving the... Jesse Taylor: If Only We Could Complain to The FCC — Andy McCarthy, whose understanding of the war on terror stagnated sometime... Andy McCarthy: GET A GRIP, PLEASE — The Pentagon should probably feel good about today's latest (Page One!) installment in the faux torture controversy, offered up by the Washington Post. |
Phillip Carter: Losing the moral war on terror — Dana Priest and Carol D. Leonnig report in Tuesday's Washington Post that a new... Michael Froomkin: YATA to the Nth (Official) Holden at First Draft, Pentagon Confirms Detainee Allegations: A forthcoming report of a... Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: The Washington Post reports that a Pentagon investigation has confirmed the reports of female interrogators at... |
Abbas ousts 3 security officers after Gaza attack CNN — Permalink JERUSALEM (CNN) — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas fired three key security officers Thursday after Palestinian militants fired mortars at Israeli communities in Gaza, a Palestinian official said. | |
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James Joyner: Abbas Fires Officials after Gaza Violence — Abbas takes action after Gaza violence (CNN) [snipped quote] Arafat did... |
Orrin Judd: AMAZEN' (via Bryan Francoeur): Abbas takes action after Gaza violence: Palestinians say 3 security officials to go (CNN,... |
Blogger's news on news hits nerve By / Miami Herald — Permalink A Broward County businessman has touched off a firestorm of controversy with an Internet report that the news chief of CNN accused American troops in Iraq of deliberately killing journalists. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: The newspaper stories include the Howard Kurtz article in the Washington Post (for which the righties are remarkably... Jeff Jarvis: Eason bubbles up : The Miami Herald does a story about Eason Jordan. [snipped quote] : I missed the Boston Globe's item on this. |
Captain Ed: Today, the Miami Herald covers the story in its TV section, explaining how bloggers can work in positive ways to bring... |
N. Korea Announces It Has Nuclear Weapons By / AP — Permalink SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea on Thursday announced for the first time that it has nuclear arms and rejected moves to restart disarmament talks any time soon, saying it needs the weapons as protection against an increasingly hostile United States. | |
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Captain Ed: North Koreans Admit Having Nukes — In an announcement that surprises no one, the North Koreans told the world that they... Greg Ransom: NORTH KOREA now publicly admits it has nukes — something the U.S. government was privately told some time ago. |
Wind Rider: Norks and Da Bomb — So now the Norks are openly claiming that which everyone suspected - that they've got a nuke. K. J. Lopez: NORTH KOREA admits to having nukes. |
Essay Flap's Plot Takes Strange Turn By / LAT — Permalink A Manhattan Beach homeowner offers his house as a prize. When the Canadian winner declines it, charges fly. And it's not over yet. The most imaginative writer in town could not have penned the surprise ending to Ben Waldrep's "Why I Want to Live in Manhattan Beach, Calif." essay contest. | |
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Matt Welch: The jury rules for the plaintiffs, and ... well, here's the punchline: [snipped quote] Whole thing here. Kevin Drum: Answer: $1.8 billion. Talk about your runaway juries..... (Don't worry, I'm sure the judge will fix it. |
Ann Althouse: They meant to award $1 million to be split among the members of a 1,812-person class, but they accidentally gave $1 million to each member of the class. |
Charles to marry lover Camilla CNN — Permalink LONDON, England (CNN) — Britain's Prince Charles is to marry his longtime lover, Camilla Parker Bowles, the royal family has announced. The wedding will be a civil ceremony in Windsor Castle on April 8, followed by a service of prayer and dedication in St. George's Chapel at which the Archbishop of Canterbury will preside. | |
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Jack Cluth: Meanwhile, those of us on this side of the pond could give a rat's @$$ Are you like me, relieved that the Duke of... |
Smash: NOTICE — THIS WEBLOG is a Charles and Camilla Free Zone. Thank you. |
Why are the Chinese moving their money out of China? By / Jewish World Review — Permalink Once in a while, I run across statistics that seem unimportant at first, and then suddenly appear amazing. The Chinese government announced this week that Chinese investment overseas rose by 27 percent in 2004, to $3.6 billion dollars. | |
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Steve Antler: UPDATE III: Then there's this, from Sandy Peterson via the Bros. Judd: There are, in fact, very serious problems in the Chinese economy. |
Orrin Judd: FOLLOW THE INSIDER TRADING: Why are the Chinese moving their money out of China? |
Reporter tied to GOP quits over scrutiny Boston Globe — Permalink WASHINGTON — Jeff Gannon, the reporter whose GOP connections, lack of conventional journalistic credentials, and softball questioning of President Bush raised questions about the White House's decision to grant him access to news conferences, abruptly quit yesterday after bloggers connected him to websites apparently devoted to gay sex. | |
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Steve M.: An anti-gay White House credentials a "journalist" (with no journalism experience) who seems linked to gay prostitution;... Kos @DailyKos: The Boston Globe also chimes in. |
TChris: More Background on Jeff Gannon — Here's more on the demise of JeffGannon.com (reported here by TalkLeft). |
Budget boredom By / Townhall.com — Permalink Do the oversized partisan newspapers really have to be so utterly, boringly predictable? When the new budget came out, reactions from the usual suspects might as well have been copied and pasted from previous "news" and editorials during any year in which any... | |
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PGL: But I want to pick up on this from Alan Reynolds: "But that rosy figure depends entirely on the hidden assumption that... Betsy Newmark: Alan Reynolds is not pleased with thow the major newspapers cover the budget and economic issues. |
Jesse Taylor: Alan Reynolds: [snipped quote] Stephen Moore: "The Democrats continue to argue that the budget deficit explosion is a result of the Bush tax cut. Greg Ransom: ALAN REYNOLDS, "Please wake me up if somebody at The New York Times, L.A. Times or Washington Post ever has something novel or intelligent to say about taxes and spending." |
All's quiet in the library By / Washington Times — Permalink Fewer visitors than expected have dropped by the much-ballyhooed, $165 million Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark., since its November gala opening, but one VIP has been trying to make up for that: President Clinton himself. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Bill Clinton's presidential library isn't getting as many visitors as they had thought they would - fewer in a similar... |
Michael DeBow: Has the Clinton Library proved a boon to Little Rock tourism? The Washington Times has a report. |
Pentagon To Retool Personnel System WaPo — Permalink The Defense Department's new personnel rules will jettison parts of a civil service system that for decades have meant steady pay increases for civilian workers and several layers of protection against arbitrary firings or discipline, according to a Pentagon briefing for Congress yesterday. | |
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Betsy Newmark: The Defense Department has revamped their procedures for giving raises to employees. |
Orrin Judd: UNDOING PROGRESSIVISM: Pentagon To Retool Personnel System: Raises to Be Tied To Performance (Christopher Lee and... |
White House reporter's credentials questioned CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — A New York congresswoman asked the White House to explain Wednesday why a man who worked for a news Web site owned by a GOP activist was able to obtain White House press credentials under an assumed name. | |
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Kos @DailyKos: CNN's effort focuses on the propaganda angle, using Slaughter's letter as a hook (showing the importance of getting elected officials to show leadership on these sorts of issues). |
Oliver @LiquidList: Politics/Media: Guck-hurt — I love it when a crappy news organization gets something right. |
Massachusetts Governor Opposes Stem Cell Work By / NYT — Permalink BOSTON, Feb. 9 - Setting up a political battle over stem cell research, Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts said this week that he would propose legislation to outlaw a type of embryonic stem cell research that is being planned by laboratories at Harvard University and other institutions in the state. | |
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Chris Mooney: They Just Don't Get It — Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney opposes "therapeutic cloning" research for the same basic... |
K. J. Lopez: ROMNEY VS. HARVARD/EMBRYONIC-STEM-CE LL RESEARCH — NYTimes: [snipped quote] Kepp watching Romney. |
Fired Staffer Called Ehrlich's 'Hatchet Man' By / WaPo — Permalink When the man who described himself as "the Prince of Darkness" arrived at the Maryland Department of Human Resources two years ago and placed a Grim Reaper figurine on his desk, longtime employees were baffled. | |
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Tarek @LiquidList: Politics: Culture of Dirty Tricks — As regretful as can be, I point you today dear readers to two stories about the... Oliver Willis: Ehrlich's Elves Under Possible Investigation — Looks there might be more to the smear job orchestrated by folks in... |
Susan Madrak: THE BIG PICTURE — So Maryland Governor Bob Erhlich fires Steffen for spreading infidelity rumors about Baltimore's mayor and thinks it'll end with that? |
The Founder of Salon Is Passing the Mouse By / NYT — Permalink David Talbot, a pioneer of online journalism who founded Salon magazine in 1995, will announce today that he is stepping down as the magazine's editor in chief, chief executive and relentless cheerleader. He will be replaced as editor, he said, by Joan Walsh, his longtime deputy. | |
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Vanderleun: This comes to light in a report on Salon in the NYT (The Founder of Salon Is Passing the Mouse) where we meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Tim Cavanaugh: Salon Reshuffled — The only thing more perennial than the Salon-death-watch story is the Salon-near-viability story, so... Kevin Roderick: Salon's David Talbot steps down — Salon logoThe founder and editor of Salon.com will announce Thursday that he is... |
Scott Rosenberg: Since the news of his stepping down as editor of Salon broke today, it seems the right time to tip my hat to his... Jane Galt: . . Why is David Talbot, the founder of Salon, stepping down just as the company declares it's first ever profit? Atrios: Oh Crap — While Salon generally failed to (frequent several notable exceptions) live up to its promise, replacing the... |
Bush budget scraps 9,790 border patrol agents San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Washington — The law signed by President Bush less than two months ago to add thousands of border patrol agents along the U.S. -Mexico border has crashed into the reality of Bush's austere federal budget proposal, officials said Tuesday. | |
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McQ: But when it comes to funding it it appears they're not very serious at all: "The law signed by President Bush less than... Atrios: Good News and Bad News For Immigrant Haters — The bad news is that the Bush budget cuts out almost 10,000 border guards. |
Steve Soto: Bush has decided that maintaining tax cuts for millionaires is more important than securing our borders. Greg Ransom: BUSH guts border security funding. |
PA fears Hizbullah to target Abbas By / Jerusalem Post — Permalink Palestinian Authority security officials on Wednesday expressed fear that Hizbullah and Iran were planning to kill PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in order to thwart attempts to revive the peace process. | |
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Jan Haugland: A recent report said the PA fears that Hizbollah is targetting Abu Mazen for assassination. Colt: The P.A. is worried that Hezbollah may kill Abu Mazen. |
Joe Gandelman: They Eat Their Own Young — He has barely been in office but there are indications PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas may already... Spots: Maybe. Hezbollah wanting you dead is usually a good sign. |
AP: U.S. Aims to Oust U.N. Nuke Official By / AP — Permalink VIENNA, Austria - The United States is lobbying allies in a bid to oust the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, perhaps as early as the end of the month, diplomats and officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. | |
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Charles Johnson: US Wants Toothless Watchdog Put Down — Unelected EUropeans and UN diplomats are apparently complaining to the... |
Colt: Diplomats and officials say the U.S. is trying to oust the head of the I.A.E.A.. Let's hope. |
President Participates in Class-Action Lawsuit Reform Conversation White House — Permalink Washington, D.C. THE PRESIDENT: Carlos, thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all. Not so fast, Senator. Carlos, thanks. I appreciate your service, Carlos. Thanks for agreeing to be the Cabinet Secretary. Thanks for leaving the private sector to come to Washington, and bring your family here to serve our country. | |
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Billmon: George W. Bush Remarks at the Department of Commerce February 9, 2005 — [snipped quote] John Cusack and Annette Bening The Grifters Mary @PacificViews: Defaulting on the Trust Fund — President Bush said today that the trust fund was a chimera and the American public was going to have to just accept that the money was gone. Matthew Yglesias: Josh Marshall catches the president in his most-explicit-yet promise to default on the government's obligation to repay the debt owed to the Social Security Trust Fund. |
Leah A: And note where he says, "Who will make the obvious point?" Well, how about all of us, for a really pleasant bloody change? Kevin Drum: However, he also made the following plain statement about the Social Security trust fund: [snipped quote] This is a... Josh Marshall: President Bush lays the groundwork for defaulting on almost two trillion dollars worth of US Treasury bonds, from today... |
Dayton expected to bow out of re-election bid Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., plans to announce today that he will not seek re-election to a second term in the Senate, two knowledgeable Democratic sources said. | |
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Chad The Elder: Today, the Strib is reporting that Dayton expected to bow out of re-election bid (thanks Tom): Minnesota Democratic... James Joyner: Continued... Update (1535): It's official: Dayton bows out of re-election bid (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) "Sen. Mark... Saint Paul l: Breaking News — Dayton not running for Senate in '06. In related news, price plummets in Dayton v. Kenney blog common stock. |
Hindrocket: UPDATE: The Minneapolis Star Tribune's article on Dayton's telephonic press announcement is here. Captain Ed: Beating A Very Brave Retreat — Again — Brave Sir Dayton has again beat a very brave retreat from Washington DC, this... Mitch Berg: Mark Dayton is apparently not running for Senate again: [snipped quote] Minnesota's gain is the Northern Alliance's loss; we just lost two guaranteed years of material. |
| Also: Kos @DailyKos | |
New White House Estimate Lifts Drug Benefit Cost to $720 Billion By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 - The Bush administration offered a new estimate of the cost of the Medicare drug benefit on Tuesday, saying it would cost $720 billion in the next 10 years. That is much more than the $400 billion Congress assumed when it passed legislation creating the benefit in late 2003. | |
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Jon Henke: Medicare/Medicaid - $539b — Note: "The Bush administration offered a new estimate of the cost of the Medicare drug... Jacob Sullum: Give or Take a Few Hundred Billion — The White House now puts the cost of the new Medicare drug benefit that President Bush championed at $720 billion over 10 years. Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: The phrase "Conscience of a Conservative" will be tested even more with news that a new estimate of the cost of... |
Billmon: New York Times New White House Estimate Lifts Drug Benefit Cost February 9, 2005 "Pfizer ... accepts there is great... Matt Stoller: The New York Times: New White House Estimate Lifts Drug Benefit Cost to $720 Billion The Washington Post: Medicare Drug... New Donkey: This week, almost casually, the administration let it be known that the true ten-year cost of the benefit will come in at a cool $1.2 trillion. |
| Also: Jane Galt, Steven Taylor, Steve Clemons, Kash, Oliver @LiquidList, Angry Bear, John Cole | |
Blueprint Calls for Bigger, More Powerful Government By / WaPo — Permalink President Bush's second-term agenda would expand not only the size of the federal government but also its influence over the lives of millions of Americans by imposing new national restrictions on high schools, court cases and marriages. | |
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Norbizness: UPDATE: From MaxSpeak, the short summary of the 2006 Bush budget that should drain the face-blood out of even the staunchest "conservative" Administration apologist. Jesse Taylor: Keep Em' Federated — The Washington Post details today conservative concerns over the expansion of federal government under Bush. Max B. Sawicky: BUSHIAN SOCIALISM, UTOPIAN & SCIENTIFIC The government that governs best runs local public schools, regulates state tort... |
Joe Gandelman: New Government Republicanism Trumps Newt Gingrich Vision — The era of Big Government Republicanism is here, the... Jonah Goldberg: ODD SILENCE... Around here over the frontpage story in the Post this morning about Bush's big government conservatism. Orrin Judd: THE BUSH DEAL—CASH IN EXCHANGE FOR CULTURE (via mc): Blueprint Calls for Bigger, More Powerful Government: Some... |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, Mathew Gross, Taegan Goddard | |
To stop Hillary, draft Condi The Hill — Permalink As she tours the continent after her Senate confirmation, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is like a rock star — her every movement, her every meeting covered by an adoring media. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Another Dick Morris Political Revelation — Let me catch my breath because Dick Morris has made another major... Greg Ransom: CONDI, CONDI, CONDI: "As she tours the continent .. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is like a rock star — her... Zoe Kentucky: Whatever Drug He's On... Can I please have some? |
Roger L. Simon: I didn't realize how right I was. Think what she's going to have to go through after this. Taegan Goddard: Dick Morris argues the merits of Condoleeza Rice presidential campaign, saying "the political fact is that a Rice... James Joyner: Dick Morris seems to think so. [snipped quote] I'd be interested to see polling data supporting this contention, which I find dubious. |
| Also: Patrick Ruffini | |
Bill sets fine for low-riding pants AP — Permalink RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) — Virginians who wear their pants so low their underwear shows may want to think about investing in a stronger belt. The state's House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday authorizing a $50 fine for anyone who displays his or her underpants in a "lewd or indecent manner." | |
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Clayton Cramer: Excuse Me, Your Underwear Is Showing — One of my readers was angry about a bill like this being introduced: ... Joe Gandelman: File this in the My Cup Runneth Over Department: [snipped quote] Our reaction to this? Ed Cone: Virginia is for lovers, but it's no place to be displaying your underpants if you want to avoid a $50 fine. (via... |
Orrin Judd: LEISURE SUITS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CAPITAL OFFENSE: Bill sets fine for low-riding pants (CNN, February 9, 2005)... Brian Keegan: Law About Clothing — The most disturbing thing to me is that these guys collect paychecks from the people for ideas... |
Medicare Drug Benefit May Cost $1.2 Trillion WaPo — Permalink The White House released budget figures yesterday indicating that the new Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost more than $1.2 trillion in the coming decade, a much higher price tag than President Bush suggested when he narrowly won passage of the law in late 2003. | |
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Kevin Drum: It's going to cost $1.2 trillion. But it's not so bad. Honest. Matthew Yglesias: Now it comes out that costs were actually being understated by something more like $300 to $800 billion. Ezra Klein: And $100 billion bucks ain't s**t to these guys, so now they're saying they lowballed by $670 billion. Yowza! |
Hugh Hewitt: The cost of the prescription drug benefit is huge. Democratic criticism of the program is amusing, though, as it was widely criticized on the left as stingy when it passed. Noam Scheiber: Anyone who doesn't understand the consequences of allowing the White House to get away with this kind of diversionary... Lambert @Corrente: If you're Big Pharma—not a Rush joke, really [rimshot]—you're laughing all the way to the bank: "The White... |
| Also: K. J. Lopez, Max B. Sawicky, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, Greg Ransom, Greg @TheTalentShow | |
O'Malley Likens Bush's Proposed Cuts to Sept. 11 Attacks By / WaPo — Permalink Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley yesterday compared President Bush's proposed budget cuts to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, saying that Bush, like the al Qaeda hijackers who crashed planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, has launched an assault on America's cities. | |
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Cori Dauber: That was then, and this is now. John Hawkins: Good Grief... The comments you're about to read came not from the Democratic Underground, IndyMedia or some other... Betsy Newmark: The Mayor of Baltimore has gone around the bend. Now he compares Bush's budget to 9/11. |
Michelle Malkin: Now we have the Democrat mayor of Baltimore likening President Bush to the Sept. 11 terrorists over the issue of budget cuts. Thomas Lang: Here's what O'Malley said, as reported by the Washington Post: "Back on September 11, terrorists attacked our metropolitan cores, two of America's great cities. Deacon: Mission accomplished — Martin O'Malley, the Mayor of Baltimore, has compared President Bush's proposed budget to the 9/11 attacks. |
| Also: John Cole, Pejman Yousefzadeh | |
Blogger's 'Crime' Against the Islamic State By / LAT — Permalink TEHRAN — "Excuse me, Miss, but here in my hand I have a warrant for your arrest," said a middle-aged man with a few days' growth of beard. "Please do not make any noise as you walk calmly to the Mercedes parked at the corner." | |
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Charles Bird: The LA Times has a sad and disturbing tale of the experiences of an Iranian weblogger, who was arrested for daring to criticize the Iranian regime. Kevin Drum: DARKNESS AT NOON....An Iranian blogger writes in the LA Times today about her arrest and interrogation in Tehran: [snipped quote] Would Stalin have been so droll? K. J. Lopez: An Iranian female blogger writes in the LATimes today about being humilated and jailed by the mullahs. |
Ezra Klein: Make it worth her while and read the piece. Pejman Yousefzadeh: . . That "free speech" in Iran is a joke: [snipped quote] It gets surrealistic and bizarre at the end. Read on. Virginia Postrel: Arrested for Blogging An Iranian blogger tells her story in today's LAT. |
| Also: Greg Ransom, Laura Rozen | |
Ron Reagan to Host MSNBC News/Talk Show Reuters — Permalink LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ron Reagan, son of the late president and conservative hero Ronald Reagan , will co-host a new political talk show on MSNBC, the network said on Wednesday. Reagan will host "Connected: Coast to Coast" from MSNBC.com headquarters in Redmond, Washington, MSNBC said in a statement. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Reagan Returns To T.V. But not Ronald Reagan, Ron Reagan, on MSNBC: [snipped quote] Sounds like another (more polite) Crossfire in the making....... Lorie Byrd: Yuck — Oh yuck, indeed. |
Betsy Newmark: Oh, yuck. MSNBC has signed Ron Reagan to host a news show. He's paired with Monica Crowley. |
Judge won't use clerks from Yale By / al.com — Permalink An Alabama federal judge has told Yale Law School he won't accept its graduates for clerkships because the school blocks military recruiters from campus. Senior U.S. District Judge William Acker Jr., a Yale graduate, explained his decision in a Monday letter to the law school's Dean Harold Koh. | |
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Steve Bainbridge: The Sins of the Fathers — My friend and colleague Eugene Volokh has blogged an objection to holding Yale law students... James Joyner: Alabama Judge Boycotting Yale Clerks — Judge won't use clerks from Yale (Birmingham News) [snipped quote] While I agree... K. J. Lopez: YALE BOYCOTT — A federal judge in Alabama won't take law clerks from Yale because of his alma mater's ROTC policy. |
Eugene Volokh: But I have to also criticize this reaction by a federal district judge (thanks to How Appealing for the pointer):... Nathan Hallford: Yale Grads Need Not Apply: Senior U.S. District Judge William Acker, here in Alabama, said he will no longer hire clerks... |
Reid blasts Bush over RNC document CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — Angered by Republican criticism, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday suggested President Bush's calls for unity are proving "absolutely false." | |
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Mary @LeftCoaster: George W Bush says, "It wasn't me. I don't know anything about it." That must have been an interesting dinner that Reid had with Bush this week. Kos @DailyKos: GOP is destructionist party — Harry Reid says: [snipped quote] Nice. |
Lambert @Corrente: I'm warming up to Harry Reid — Nice: [snipped quote] Destructionists. I like it. |
CNN WOLF BLITZER REPORTS CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now. He asked questions of President Bush, now there are questions circling over this one-time White House reporter. | |
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Norbizness: It appears that Clinton Network News has emerged from the Karl Rove Summer Re-education Camp with improved self-esteem and a saucy new outlook on life. |
Digby: According to Howie and Wolf there's no general rule against it. Update: BLITZER: Welcome back. |
Ahmad Chalabi Is on the Brink of a Comeback By / New York Sun — Permalink WASHINGTON - The former Iraqi exile leader who helped found the Iraqi National Congress, Ahmad Chalabi, is seeking his country's highest office and says he has accepted an informal nomination to be prime minister. | |
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Laura Rozen: As much predicted, Ahmad Chalabi is back, and seeking to become Iraq's prime minister: "In a phone interview yesterday... Tim Dunlop: But now, apparently, Ahmad Chalabi is back, bigger and brighter than ever: [snipped quote] Should be fun to watch the Bush administration spin this if it happens to come off. Steve M.: Ahmad Chalabi, the man whose lie-propagation machine sent Americans to die in Iraq, just might become its next prime minister, says Eli Lake in The New York Sun. |
Orrin Judd: WE SHOULD HAVE PUT HIM IN POWER IN THE SUMMER OF '03: Ahmad Chalabi Is on the Brink of a Comeback (ELI LAKE, February 9,... Mary @LeftCoaster: Like a particularly bad penny, our first Iraqi friend, Ahmed Chalabi, is a contender for the Iraqi Prime Minister job (via Laura Rozen). James Joyner: Ahmad Chalabi on the Brink of a Comeback — Ahmad Chalabi Is on the Brink of a Comeback (NY Sun) [snipped quote] There... |
W. Churchill By / NRO — Permalink The recent controversy over the writings of Ward Churchill, radical activist, faux Indian, and tenured professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado, raises a number of serious academic issues — which, let me underscore, does not mean that Churchill himself is in any way serious. | |
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Moe Freedman: Mark Goldblatt says that's exactly the problem: [snipped quote] When put that way, it is pretty shocking isn't it? Greg Ransom: "WARD CHURCHILL LEFTIES" make up 10% of the faculty at America's colleges and universities, and that's a lowball estimate explains Mark Goldblatt. |
Michael DeBow: More: Mark Goldblatt explains why he thinks the U. of C. should not fire or otherwise discipline Churchill: "His... Jeff Goldstein: Wisdom of Solomon 8:11 — "I shall be found keen in judgment, and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired." * |
O'Malley, Wife, Affirm Relationship WaPo — Permalink Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and his wife briefly told a crowd of reporters today that they have a faithful, loving marriage, a day after the mayor accused agents of Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration of spreading false rumors that he had an extramarital affair. | |
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Michelle Malkin: On a separate note, O'Malley was caught up in this very unpleasant story involving a conservative activist/aide to... |
Oliver Willis: Probe Sought Of O'Malley Affair Rumors [snipped quote] O'Malley was on Air America today, talking about how his son asked... |
'Law & Order': 'Factor' or fiction? By / NY Daily News — Permalink Bill O'Reilly's sexual harassment nightmare continues - in front of a prime-time audience. That's because tonight's episode of "Law & Order" bears a striking resemblance to O'Reilly's own troubles with a former producer, which resulted in the woman walking away with a boat-load of money. | |
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Brian Stelter: Ripped From The Headlines... "Tonight's episode of 'Law & Order' bears a striking resemblance" to Bill O'Reilly's sexual harassment nightmare, the NY Daily News reports. |
Kevin Aylward: [New York Daily News] |
Fellow member of punk clique surrenders in scalping case AP — Permalink BOISE (AP) — A member of a punk clique surrendered Wednesday for scalping another member, apparently as punishment for her disrespectful behavior toward women, police said. The victim, a 16-year-old girl whose hair was cut in a mohawk, survived. | |
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Joe Gandelman: The young woman to the left turned herself in...and we will only give you a tiny part of this story here (it's too... Ace: Update: The scalper has surrendered to the police. And it gets a little weirder: [quote] "It was an act of revenge.[end quote] |
Jeff Goldstein: Well, I like to think my work in raising the profile of oppressed Native Americans had something to do with that little... |
Woman Surrenders in Idaho Scalping Case By / AP — Permalink BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A member of a punk clique surrendered Wednesday for scalping another member, apparently as punishment for her disrespectful behavior toward women, police said. The victim, a 16-year-old girl whose hair was cut in a mohawk, survived. | |
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Avedon Carol: (Hope you're feeling better, Charlie.) I missed out on the creepy scalping story but Jeralyn briefly posted it. |
Jeralyn Merritt: The depraved scalping of the Idaho woman |
Theft and Mismanagement Charged at U.N. Weather Agency By / NYT — Permalink The tempest inside the World Meteorological Organization began with a single check. An accountant working late one night in July 2003 at the United Nations-affiliated weather agency in Geneva spotted a check that he had signed, but noticed that someone had endorsed it to an unknown third party, one L. Khalil. | |
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Dale Franks: What is less of a surprise, however, is that the reason it came to my attention this morning is that the WMO appears to be a sinkhole of corruption and mismanagement. Cori Dauber: Oh, but there is. And it's now missing the bureaucrat who, they now realize, has embezzled $3 million. Oh yes, he's missing. Josh Marshall: Hmmm. Judith Miller assigned to cover the UN corruption beat for the Times. Need we say the obvious? |
Charles Johnson: Another UN Scandal Surfaces — The latest outrageous case of fraud and thievery at the United Nations: Theft and Mismanagement Charged at U.N. Weather Agency. K. J. Lopez: This just in (from Judith Miller): The U.N. has a weather agency. (I didn't realize.) It's corrupt. (Shocking, I know.) Joe Drymala: This Just In... The New York Times hires Scott McClellan as their Washington bureau chief. |
Poll: Tap wealthy on Social Security By / USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — Most Americans are willing to endorse painful steps to ensure Social Security's long-term solvency — steps that nick the rich, that is. Two-thirds of those surveyed by USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup last weekend say it would be a "good idea" to limit retirement benefits for the wealthy and to subject all wages to payroll taxes. | |
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Susan Q. Stranahan: And the administration's intentions to overhaul Social Security have proven resoundingly unpopular. Big numbers. Big headlines. Howard Kurtz: In the gore-someone-else's-ox department, USA Today reports: "Most Americans are willing to endorse painful steps to... |
Max B. Sawicky: The MaxSpeak solution, supported by 2/3rds of the public: tax Republicans. (Who did those people think they were voting for?) Steve Bainbridge: I guess I'm Still With Winston on Democracy, but .... [snipped quote] Democracy is doomed once the citizens realize they can vote themselves other people's money. |
Ward Churchill Is Just The Beginning By / Front Page Magazine — Permalink RMN Editor's note: In an interview that appeared in Saturday's Rocky Mountain News, University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill said "It's been announced in pretty clear terms by both David Horowitz and Newt Gingrich that I am just the kickoff for a general purge they have in mind." | |
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Stanley Kurtz: FIRING CHURCHILL — Here's a good piece by David Horowitz on the Ward Churchill affair. |
Greg Ransom: DAVID HOROWITZ on Ward Churchill and academic freedom: [snipped quote] UPDATE: Prof. Thomas Brown of Lamar University... |
Iraq Election Results to Be Delayed AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi officials Wednesday delayed the announcement of final results from landmark national elections because they said the election commission must recount votes from about 300 ballot boxes. | |
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Dean Esmay: This morning he notes the same Wall Street Journal story I do here, and also points to a real story of a journalist... |
James Frederick Dwight: This morning, one of the U.S. station's on-air Iraqi correspondents was gunned down along with his three year son as they left their home. |
Cops: Woman Scalped Girl After Slight AP — Permalink BOISE, Idaho — A 16-year-old girl was allegedly tied up and scalped (search) with a 4-inch knife in what police say may have been an act of revenge by another woman. The girl, who had a punk-style mohawk (search) haircut before the attack, is recovering at home. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: University of Colorado Ethnic Studies professor and anti-American firebrand Ward Churchill and 70s Kung-fu expert and... |
Ace: Woman *Scalps* Girl For "Disrespecting" Women — Brutal and weird: "A 16-year-old girl was allegedly tied up and... |
Canadian Wal-Mart Seeking Union to Close By / AP — Permalink (02-09) 14:28 PST NEW YORK, (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Wednesday it will close a Canadian store whose workers are on the verge of becoming the first ever to win a union contract from the world's biggest retailer. | |
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Nathan Newman: And today the company announced that it was shutting the Quebec Wal-Mart where workers decided to unionize a few months ago. |
Steve M.: That effort failed when Wal-Mart eliminated the job of meatcutter companywide, and moved away from in-store meatcutting to stocking only pre-wrapped meat.... —AP |
Olbermann revealed O'Reilly's "resume padding" in Super Bowl program essay Media Matters for America — Permalink OLBERMANN: We segue now into our nightly roundup of celebrity and entertainment news, "Keeping Tabs." And it turns out the 2005 Super Bowl was not entirely scandal-free. This year's wasn't about the commercials, the halftime show or even the Philadelphia Eagles' pathetic clock management. | |
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Skippy: stop the presses, o'reilly lies again via the hamster, we find keith olbermann catching bill "loofah or falafel"... Max B. Sawicky: BONZO GOES TO COLLEGE The big O runs to daylight. |
Atrios: Falafel! Is O'Reilly ever not entirely full of s**t? |
Dean Takes Over By / Village Voice — Permalink "It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you, I like brawling." - Marine Corps Lieutenant General James Mattis, on killing people in Afghanistan and Iraq, 2.1.05, San Diego, California, panel discussion | |
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Avedon Carol: Some stuff — The Village Voice has some amusing reaction quotes on the new party chairmanship of Howard Dean. |
Charles Paul Freund: So who is this guy? Hint: He's pro-gun and a budget balancer, too. Give up? |