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REALNEWS.COM By / New York Post — Permalink GET the mainstream media some smelling salts. The resignation of CNN executive Eason Jordan last Friday night caused near-fainting spells in the journalism world. | |
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Brian Micklethwait: The claim that the blogosphere is nothing but a bunch of bloodthirsty right wing lynch mobbers, which is what the MSM is... Captain Ed: In today's New York Post, Michelle pulls no punches in telling the media elite that they have lost their monopoly on... Baldilocks: And we're the progeny of Senator McCarthy, the KKK and every idiot-nutcase ever born now? |
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: Michelle Malkin in a New York Post piece recounts the Jordan affair and concludes:"The only unjustified and... Hugh Hewitt: Read Michelle Malkin's New York Post column, the New York Times piece by Katherine Q Seelye, and the very, very odd Wall Street Journal editorial "The Jordan Kerfuffle." Michelle Malkin: Here's my column for the N.Y. Post today tackling the "lynch mob/bloodhounds/fill-in-t he-ad-hominem-here" meme that started spreading over the weekend. |
| Also: The Big Trunk, Jeff Jarvis, Greg Ransom, Glenn Reynolds | |
After Bush Leaves Office, His Budget's Costs Balloon WaPo — Permalink For President Bush, the budget sent to Congress last week outlines a painful path to meeting his promise to bring down the federal budget deficit by the time he leaves office in 2009. | |
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Norbizness: Cheech and Chong Working on New Movie: Asked about the plot, the duo said it will not be much different from what the... Noam Scheiber: OF HOPE IS NOT A PLAN: Jonathan Weisman and Peter Baker have a useful piece in today's Washington Post about the... Kevin Drum: THE 2010 TIME BOMB....In the Washington Post today, Jonathan Weisman and Peter Baker note that the latest George Bush budget is a [snipped quote] — Indeed it is. |
Jesse Taylor: The Washington Post notes after a mere four-years plus of Bush's programs that, yes, the cost of government is set to blow up bigger than Kanye West. Matthew Yglesias: Today, Jonathan Weisman and Peter Baker take note of a deeper problem: The budget's a time bomb, that produces the 2009 number through a lot of complicated phase-ins and so forth. Dwight Meredith: From Today's Washington Post: "Congress and the White House have become adept at passing legislation with hidden... |
| Also: Fontana Labs | |
It's No "Kerfuffle" NRO — Permalink The Wall Street Journal's strange performance on the Eason Jordan scandal. The Wall Street Journal has a very strange editorial this morning regarding the controversy (which it gently labels a "kerfuffle") that resulted last Friday night in the resignation of CNN's chief executive, Eason Jordan. | |
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The Big Trunk: The kids are alright — Andrew McCarthy performs a virtually comprehensive autopsy on the Wall Street Journal's... Baldilocks: Denounced from the Hilltops — Red-on-red action between Opinion Journal and National Review regarding the resignation... Greg Ransom: UPDATE: NRO, "What's Wrong With the Wall Street Journal?" See also Captain Ed. |
Dale Franks: Andrew McCarthy, on the other had, is sweeping in his condemnation of the Journal's editorial. Michelle Malkin: Read the whole thing. Update II: Andy McCarthy thwacks the WSJ with a clue-by-four. Captain Ed is disappointed. |
Nominations Sent to the Senate White House — Permalink NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE: Terrence W. Boyle, of North Carolina, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit, vice J. Dickson Phillips, Jr., retired. Janice R. Brown, of California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, vice Stephen F. Williams, retired. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Who are they and how bad? Here's the offical White House list. Kos @DailyKos: More Bush vetting at work — Boy, this is becoming farcical. |
Taegan Goddard: President Bush, earlier today, just after nominating of Thomas B. Griffith to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the District... Steve Dillard: President Bush renominates Judge William H. Pryor, Jr. and a whole host of others: You can see the list here. |
Bloggers as News Media Trophy Hunters By / NYT — Permalink With the resignation Friday of a top news executive from CNN, bloggers have laid claim to a prominent media career for the second time in five months. In September, conservative bloggers exposed flaws in a report by Dan Rather; he subsequently announced that on March 9 he would step down as anchor of the "CBS Evening News." | |
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Saint Paul l: Today in the NYT, The Northern Alliance's Captain Ed was put on the front lines of defending the legitimacy of the Eason Jordan story. Eugene Volokh: Lynch Mobs and Persuasion Bunches: The New York Times reports, in an article about the Eason Jordan resignation from... Joe Gandelman: Bloggers: NY Times Portrait Of A Drooling At The Mouth Lynch Mob — The New York Times today provides one more... |
Jay Rosen: See this photo, which shows what I mean. Steve Lovelady: Go to comments — February 14, 2005 Editor's Note Second Thoughts Now that the dust has settled on the abrupt... McQ: More on the Eason resignation fallout — It appears the MSM is not amused: "The salivating morons who make up the lynch... |
| Also: Tom Maguire, Hugh Hewitt, Cori Dauber, Michelle Malkin, Jeff Jarvis, Captain Ed, Ed Cone, Brian Stelter, Bill Hobbs, Dave Winer, Kevin Drum, Greg Ransom | |
The Jordan Kerfuffle WSJ — Permalink The writers of these columns believe that, in addition to having opinions, we are ultimately in the same information business as the rest of the press corps. Which is why we try to break news whenever we can if a story merits the attention. | |
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Steve Bainbridge: Even the usually solid WSJ editorial board is acting like it was the recipient of a collective atomic wedgie. Jeff Jarvis: The Wall Street Journal editorializes, making the assumption that this is the only reason Jordan is out (I don't... |
Steve Lovelady: This morning, even the Wall Street Journal's editorial page reached much the same conclusion — that the punishment here far exceeded the provocation. |
Marine charged in killing of Iraqis By / Washington Times — Permalink He is the kind of Marine officer who seems to come off the assembly line, so patriotic that he rejoined the Corps after September 11 and went to Iraq to kill terrorists. That is why it is so hard for 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano and his family to understand how the Marine Corps could call the platoon leader a murderer. | |
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Michelle Malkin: DEFEND THE DEFENDERS — Washington Times reporter Rowan Scarborough had a troubling story in today's paper about a... |
Hindrocket: Marine Charged With Murder — Rowan Scarborough reports on Marine Lt. Ilario Pantano, who is charged with murder for... |
Resignation at CNN Shows the Growing Influence of Blogs By / NYT — Permalink With the resignation Friday of a top news executive from CNN, bloggers have laid claim to a prominent media career for the second time in five months. In September, conservative bloggers exposed flaws in a report by Dan Rather; he subsequently announced that on March 9 he would step down as anchor of the "CBS Evening News." | |
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Steve Bainbridge: Reaping the Whirlwind — In the wake of the Eason Jordan resignation, the MSM is all atwitter. Rickheller @Centerfield: Lynch Mobs? The New York Times discusses the role of blogs in the Eason Jordan case. |
Stirling Newberry: The Blogatics of Personal Destruction — For those looking for how the conservative press is going to interpret Blogging here it is. |
McClellan Tells E&P He Didn't Know Guckert Used Fake Name for Nearly Two Years By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK Talon News reporter James D. Guckert got to ask questions at White House press briefings for nearly two years, but White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan didn't know he was using an alias until the past few weeks, McClellan told E&P today. | |
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SLZoll: Oh, and speaking of people who are always forthright and honest, here's part of what Scottie McClellan told Editor &... Kevin Hayden: Would he just have to play nice-nice and be pro-Bush to get past the doorman? Update: Scotty says. I didn't know that. |
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE II: White House Press Secretary Scott McClelland is issuing a slew of denials. |
Huge Car Bomb Kills Lebanon's Former Prime Minister By / NYT — Permalink BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 14 A huge car bomb killed Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik al-Hariri, and six of his bodyguards today as Mr. Hariri's motorcade made its way along Beirut's waterfront. | |
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Wretchard: On the other hand, a New York Times article suggests the US government strongly suspects Syria. |
Gregory Djerejian: Hariri's Assassination — We interrupt our brief blog hiatus to simply state that B.D. hopes that the young and... |
Iraq Winners Allied With Iran Are the Opposite of U.S. Vision By / WaPo — Permalink When the Bush administration decided to invade Iraq two years ago, it envisioned a quick handover to handpicked allies in a secular government that would be the antithesis of Iran's theocracy — potentially even a foil to Tehran's regional ambitions. | |
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Jon Henke: This WaPo story seems to be producing a great deal of premature "Iran Won!" ejaculation... "When the Bush... Norbizness: The Godfather Got Game: Before Brando died last June, the Oscar winner granted [Electronic Arts] permission to use his... Cori Dauber: Sure enough, take a look at her article on the way the election results came down. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: LOUSY JOURNALISM — That's what Robin Wright is guilty of in this article, where she loads up paragraphs in the front... Kos @DailyKos: Iran's electoral invasion of Iraq — The headline says it all: "Iraq Winners Allied With Iran Are the Opposite of U.S... Juan Cole: Robin Wright of the Washington Post points out that an electoral victory of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution... |
| Also: Chris Lawrence, Daniel Drezner, Armed Liberal, Max B. Sawicky, Steve Soto, Judith Weiss, Laura Rozen, Tom Tomorrow, Hecate, Joe Drymala, Oliver Willis | |
My Privatized Valentine By / Reason — Permalink Around 270 A.D.—according to one tradition, at least—St. Valentine, a Roman cleric, was imprisoned for his opposition to Emperor Claudius' decree that young men (his potential crop of soldiers) could no longer marry. | |
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Will Baude: John Coleman wonders What Would Saint Valentine Do? about marriage today? (Privatize it, he concludes, semi-dutiful libertarian that he is.) Julian Sanchez: John Coleman has the story. |
Joe Carter: Valentine's View — My buddy John Coleman (of Ex Nihilo and Crux) has an article in Reason Online that asks what... Glenn Reynolds: SOME VALENTINE'S DAY THOUGHTS ON MARRIAGE: [snipped quote] Yes, the creepiest line in the Goodridge case is the one about... |
A Newly Meaningful Relationship? By / WaPo — Permalink Romance is in the air today across the land. But in Washington, the buzz continues about "The Kiss." No, not Gustav Klimt's famous painting. It's the big fat one an exuberant President Bush planted on Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman's right cheek as he waded through the Capitol crowd after the State of the Union a couple of weeks ago. | |
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Steve M.: Or maybe it's just love? —Washington Post In Luke 22, Judas kisses Jesus and Jesus is arrested. Nathan Hallford: Love Is In The Air: Apropos today, I pass along this snippet from the Washington Post, detailing the show of feelings between President Bush and Sen. Joe"mentum" Lieberman. |
Ezra Klein: Of course, I was looking for devious reasons when the actual rationale was obvious and mundane. Andrew Card is going to retire soon. Taegan Goddard: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) "could be on an administration list to replace Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in the next year or so," the Washington Post reports. |
Google's givers go Democratic By / USA Today — Permalink SAN FRANCISCO — As it claws for greater power, the Democratic Party has found a newly rich ally in one of the fastest-growing U.S. companies: Google. Google employees gave $207,650 to federal candidates for last year's elections, up from just $250 in 2000 when it was still a start-up. | |
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Charles Johnson: Several LGF readers emailed about this article at USA Today, suggesting a possible reason why Google News keeps giving... Michelle Malkin: GOOGLE'S DEMOCRATS — From USA Today: [snipped quote] (Hat tip: reader Raymond L. Konkle.) Previously: Google News: Not so Fair and Balanced |
SK Bubba: The company you keep... Smart people are Democrats. Or are Democrats smart people? Or both? I'm going with "both". |
I Would Have Fired Eason Jordan By / Slate — Permalink The Wall Street Journal editorial page, never the most sympathetic venue for speakers who accuse the U.S. military of murdering civilians, thinks CNN wronged its chief news executive, Eason Jordan, by forcing him to resign over his statements at Davos. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: JACK SHAFER IN SLATE: "I would have fired Eason Jordan." "Jordan's dereliction is less a mistake than it is proof of brain rot. |
Greg Ransom: JACK SHAFER at Slate, "I Would Have Fired Eason Jordan." |
Iraqi Shiites Win, but Margin Is Less Than Projection NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 13 - A broad Shiite alliance led by two Iran-backed religious parties won a slim majority of seats in the national assembly, final election results showed Sunday. | |
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James Joyner: Shiites Magnanimous in Victory — Iraqi Shiites Win, but Margin Is Less Than Projection (NYT rss) "A broad Shiite... Barbara O'Brien: John Burns and James Glanz report in the New York Times that the final voter turnout was 58 percent. |
Jeremy Brown: As we say in my country: Yee haw! Here's the New York Times' account of the results. |
"Rapture" Rapture By / Weekly Standard — Permalink ONE OF LIBERALS' chief motivations these days is fear of the religious right. Ask people on the left to explain their loathing of President Bush or the Republican party, and the answer often comes around to Jerry Falwell, evangelicals, theocracy, and so on. | |
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The Big Trunk: A liberal rapture — Jonathan Last of the Daily Standard has hit dry land and pulled himself together sufficiently to... Betsy Newmark: John Hinderaker exposes the lie by Bill Moyers about James Watts not caring about the environment because he was awaiting the rapture. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE RAPTURE CANARD — John Hinderaker has a good article debunking a favorite talking point of Bill Moyers and other like-minded folks. |
Shiites Walk Softly in New Landscape By / LAT — Permalink BAGHDAD — The lopsided victory by Iraq's Shiite Muslim alliance gives it the biggest voice in shaping the nation's new government and constitution. But at the moment of their triumph, Shiite leaders have decided to accentuate moderation and inclusiveness to win over their political rivals. | |
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Jon Henke: Meanwhile, as critics dwell on Iraq's impending future as an Iranian satellite, the news coming out of Iraq points to a... Orrin Judd: LOSING BADLY ENOUGH TO WIN: Shiites Walk Softly in New Landscape (John Daniszewski, February 14, 2005, LA Times)... |
James Joyner: Shiites Walk Softly in New Landscape (LAT) "The lopsided victory by Iraq's Shiite Muslim alliance gives it the biggest... |
A Princeton Philosopher's Unprintable Essay Title By / NYT — Permalink Harry G. Frankfurt, 76, is a moral philosopher of international reputation and a professor emeritus at Princeton. He is also the author of a book recently published by the Princeton University Press that is the first in the publishing house's distinguished history to carry a title most newspapers, including this one, would find unfit to print. | |
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Ogged @Unfogged: Frankfurt — Hooray! I've always been a big Harry Frankfurt fan, and this article in the Times today does him justice. Greg Ransom: PHILOSOPHER Harry Frankfurt writes an essay on Bill Clinton & friends: "The bull[*] artist, on the other hand, cares nothing for truth or falsehood. |
Eugene Oregon: So when I came across this article in the New York Times I got pretty excited (I've filled in the missing words) |
Amputee heading back to battlefield By / Rocky Mountain News — Permalink FORT CARSON - Inside the place where there is no camouflage, Capt. David Rozelle sat near the pool, dressed only in a swimsuit. He unsheathed his leg from his prosthetic foot and stared at the stump. | |
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Blackfive: ... Amputee heading back to battlefield Fort Carson captain prepares for redeployment, releases book By Jim Sheeler,... Smash: Returning to Action — "I'm taking a bag of legs" THIS IS HUMBLING: "I believe that I will not be hindered in any way from performing all the duties of a cavalry officer. |
Jan Haugland: Amputee returning to Iraq — Capt. David Rozelle intends to become the first amputee to return to active duty in the same theatre where he lost his right foot. |
Funny Bones NYT — Permalink Q Tell me, Triumph, are you excited that your CD, ''Come Poop With Me,'' has been nominated for a Grammy Award, in the category Best Comedy Album? It's all a big sham. Remember, the voters are from the music industry. | |
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Nathan Hallford: Triumph: The New York Times Magazine interviews none other than Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog. |
C. D. Harris: RTWT — [snipped quote] - Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, on competing with Al Franken and Jon Stewart for a Grammy <Via Eric the Viking> |
Another Pundit on the Payroll By / WaPo — Permalink The issue of pundit payola, it seems, is not limited to inside the Beltway. Eric Wesson, a columnist for the Call, an African American newspaper in Kansas City, offered plenty of praise last year for the successful House bid of Democrat Emanuel Cleaver. | |
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Captain Ed: In his lead entry for today's Media Notes, Kurtz reports that the Democrats have paid advocacy journalists who failed to... |
Glenn Reynolds: MORE PUNDIT PAYOLA? [snipped quote] He did some work for the campaign, but it looks like another item that should have been disclosed. |
HIV 'could destroy cancer cells' BBC — Permalink US scientists hope to be able to use a harmless form of the Aids virus to seek and destroy cancer cells. A University of California team found an "impotent" version of HIV, with the disease-causing parts of it removed, tracked down cancer cells in mice. | |
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Hesiod @AmStreet: Alien vs. Predator — Cool. [snipped quote] Maybe God did have a reason for creating the AIDS virus after all? |
Orrin Judd: YOU GO FIRST (via Jim Yates) HIV 'could destroy cancer cells' (BBC, 2/13/05) [snipped quote] At least the conspirasct... |
Senate May Open Inquiry Into C.I.A.'s Handling of Suspects By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 - The Senate intelligence committee is moving toward adoption of a plan to conduct a formal inquiry into the Central Intelligence Agency's handling of suspects captured in the American effort to curb terrorism, Congressional officials from each party said this week. | |
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Sam Rosenfeld: Thus, it is at least a bit heartening to see that the Senate intelligence committee under Pat Roberts may actually... |
Jeanne D'Arc: The Senate intelligence committee is on the verge of an investigation into the CIA's detention and interrogation practices, including extraordinary rendition. |
Split Verdict in Iraqi Vote Sets Stage for Weak Government By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 13 - The razor-thin margin apparently captured by the Shiite alliance here in election results announced Sunday seems almost certain to enshrine a weak government that will be unable to push through sweeping changes, like granting Islam a central role in the new Iraqi state. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Dexter Filkins in The New York Times contends that in light of its narrow victory the Alliance lacks a real mandate and... |
Daniel Drezner: ANOTHER UPDATE: It's intriguing to compare the New York Times news analysis by Dexter Filkins with Wright's analysis in the Washington Post. |
Power Check: Verdict Is Split in Iraqi Election By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 13 - The razor-thin margin apparently captured by the Shiite alliance here in election results announced Sunday seems almost certain to enshrine a weak government that will be unable to push through sweeping changes, like granting Islam a central role in the new Iraqi state. | |
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eRobin @AmStreet: Now Iraq's elections, whose early counts showed a huge lead for the UIA, have emerged from radio silence to, as Dexter... Roger Kimball: For Dexter and his controllers at the Times, however, its parlous times in Ridgemont High: "BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 13 -... Joe Gandelman: Iraqi Election Results Mean Coalition Gov't But Not Necessarily Doom — File this New York Times report in the What... |
Hugh Hewitt: Finally this morning, the opening line of today's New York Times "news analysis" piece by Dexter Filkins on the Iraqi... Steven Taylor: The NYT on the Iraqi Elections — Via the NYT comes what strikes me as an odd piece: Power Check: Verdict Is Split in Iraqi Election. Chris Lawrence: A tale of two Shiites — Is my brain malfunctioning or is this New York Times account of the Iraqi election outcome actually less pessimistic than this WaPo account? |
| Also: Matthew Yglesias, Armed Liberal, Jeff Jarvis, Mike Rappaport | |
Nuclear Programs in N. Korea, Iran Heighten US Concerns By / Voice of America — Permalink North Korea says it has nuclear weapons. Iran is rejecting a European proposal aimed at restricting Tehran's development of nuclear fuel, which it says is solely for the production of electricity, not a weapons program. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Just over two years later, North Korea announced it has nuclear weapons. See how well Condi's plan worked? |
James Joyner: Nuclear Programs in N. Korea, Iran Heighten US Concerns (VOA) "Speaking on CNN's Late Edition program, Senator [Jay... |
Rangel belittles 'success' of Iraq vote By / Washington Times — Permalink Amid a general chorus of U.S. approval for the Iraqi election results yesterday, Rep. Charles B. Rangel called the vote "a success by Republican standards" and said Americans "don't want their children to die for other people's freedom." | |
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Jayson @PoliPundit: It Depends Upon What the Meaning of the Word "Success" Is — Charlie Rangel doesn't see too much in the way of "success," in connection with the Iraqi democracy. |
Jeff Goldstein: "Rangel belittles 'success' of Iraq vote" — From the Washington Times: [snipped quote] Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini could not be reached for comment. |
Frist has necessary votes to change filibuster rules Washington Times — Permalink Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says he has the 51 votes needed to change Senate rules and make it easier for Republicans to overcome Democratic filibusters against President Bush's judicial nominees, but he hopes such a change won't be necessary. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: The most important bit of domestic news, though, comes from the Washington Times: "Frist has necessary votes to change filibuster rules." |
PoliPundit: Nuclear Option — Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist says he has the votes to force a rule change on judicial... |
Allawi miscalculated and never connected with Iraqis, analysts say By / Knight Ridder — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - Sunday's election results suggest that interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and the U.S. administration that backed him made a bad bet. Allawi's political ticket, which had said it expected to finish strong, ended up a distant third with... | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Knight-Ridder's Tom Lasseter offers a post-campaign retrospective that should be familiar to those of you who, like me,... |
Barbara O'Brien: Tom Lasseter writes for Knight Ridder: "Allawi's political ticket, which had said it expected to finish strong, ended... |
In the East Wing, a New Order and a Busier Schedule By / NYT — Permalink The East Wing has traditionally been the "nice" wing of the White House, the decorous place where the social secretary, the calligraphers and members of the first lady's staff plan projects, guest lists and the centerpieces for state dinners. | |
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Tbogg: If he hadn't used a raviloi crimper on her suit, he'd still have a job today — Laura Unleashed: The East Wing has... Betsy Newmark: The New York Times tries to drum up some controversy about the way Laura Bush is handling the East Wing and how she fired the chef that the Clintons had hired. |
Taegan Goddard: The East Wing — While President Bush has had a hard time bringing new blood into the administration, Laura Bush has... |
The Importance of Being Earnest NYT — Permalink For all its talk of deficit reduction, President Bush's 2006 budget is a map of reckless economic policies and shows how they have backed the United States into a precarious position in the global financial markets. | |
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DeLong: This Would Have Been a Nice Editorial 4 1/2 Years Ago — The New York Times arrives at the party, 4 1/2 years late Avedon Carol: Untimely Times — Gosh, the NYT has caught up with the rest of us, noting that Bush is a spendthrift: "It's not hard to see what brought the United States to this juncture. |
Hecate: The NYT finally figured out that running giant deficits might not be such a great idea.. ******* The Importance of Being... |
The Flaw in Bush's Plan By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush budget policy continues to be awful. But the recent proposal for personal accounts in Social Security is at least half-excellent. If the administration can show the flexibility to recant one key error, it may deserve to win the coming battle in Congress. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Last, but by no means least, Sebastian Mallaby likes private accounts but notices that once the Bush proposal is fully... |
DeLong: Sebastian Mallaby Sees Most of It — The big thing wrong with Bush's version of the private accounts proposal: ... |
HOST CHRIS ROCK SHOCK: ONLY GAYS WATCH OSCARS Drudge Report — Permalink Veteran members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have grown concerned over the choice of Chris Rock as host of this month's awards show, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. Concern deepened after Rock claimed only gays watch the Oscars! | |
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John Derbyshire: BLASPHEMY — For falling-off-the-chair-lau ghing news items, this one on Chris Rock deserves, well, some kind of award. |
Ann Althouse: Here's the article: [snipped quote] Hey, all Rock did was ask whether any straight black men watched the Oscars. |
American Cities of Aspiration By / Weekly Standard — Permalink FOR MUCH OF THE PAST decade, Darik Volpa labored long and hard in the high-tech vineyards of San Jose and Boston. As an executive in the medical instrument industry, he earned good money, but could not achieve a middle class lifestyle in those pricey locales. | |
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Jesse Walker: Urban Argument — The libertarian-leaning Democrat Joel Kotkin has offered his own Two Americas story, this time... |
Arnold Kling: Euro-America — Joel Kotkin's catch-phrase for summarizing America's older cities is Euro-America [snipped quote] Kotkin... |
Pentagon covers up failure to train and recruit local security forces By / Independent — Permalink Training of Iraq's security forces, crucial to any exit strategy for Britain and the US, is going so badly that the Pentagon has stopped giving figures for the number of combat-ready indigenous troops, The Independent on Sunday has learned. | |
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Norbizness: 3. The Man Who Isn't There: [Keanu] Reeves is notoriously inscrutable onscreen as well as off. |
Billmon: The Independent Pentagon covers up failureTo train and recruit local security forces February 13, 2005 "Having failed to... |
Huge blast kills Lebanese ex-PM CNN — Permalink BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has been killed in an apparent large-scale bomb attack on his motorcade in Beirut. One of Hariri's senior bodyguards and officials at the American University in Beirut hospital confirmed Hariri's death to CNN. | |
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Damian Penny: Mass murder in Beirut — A huge car bombing has killed at least 9 people, including former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik... |
Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: Why Iraq? Looks like Lebanon and the Phillipines have a terrorist problem. Which means they're not all in Iraq. |
Sacramento Showdown Opinion Journal — Permalink SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Arnold Schwarzenegger is a political moderate, but he has decided to lead a revolution against the unions and other interest groups blocking his package of four reform initiatives that will likely go before voters this fall. | |
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Dale Franks: Fixing California — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has thrown down the gauntlet to the aging San Francisco hippies that currently run the state legislature in California. Betsy Newmark: John Fund looks at how Arnold Schwarzenegger is going against his own evil empire - the nexus of interest groups and politicians who have run California's economy into the ground. |
Jeff A. Taylor: Guvinator Update — With Arnold Schwarzenegger on something of a PR offensive of late it is important to remember his humble start as a brandy-sniffing hunk of beefcake. Greg Ransom: JOHN FUND — "Sacramento Showdown: Arnold Schwarzenegger takes on California's 'evil' empire": "On Friday, the... |
The End of the Beginning By / Opinion Journal — Permalink Mark Steyn, the joker in the conservative pundit deck, but also in many ways the shrewdest and the most insightful of the lot, wrote in the aftermath of the Iraqi poll: Like a four-year-old child, the media were so distracted by bright colours and loud noises that they missed the real story. | |
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FrancoAlemán: ARTHUR CHRENKOFF is at it again with the 21st installment of his Good News from Iraq series: "Mark Steyn, the joker in... Judith Weiss: Arthur Chrenkoff has much more in his regular Good News from Iraq newslink roundup. UPDATE: Cliff May has the same take on the Wapo article that I do. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Good news from Iraq, Part 21 — Note: Also available at the "Opinion Journal" and Winds of Change. Cori Dauber: Nonetheless, as always, plenty of material here that the press hasn't bothered with, despite the fact that the sources... |
Huge blast kills ex-Lebanese PM CNN — Permalink BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri has been killed in an apparent large-scale bomb attack on his motorcade in Beirut, a bodyguard told CNN. | |
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Jan Haugland: More details to come... Update: A very powerful car bomb has killed at least nine people and injured many others. |
Jeff Quinton: Car bomb explodes in Beirut CNN "An apparent car bomb has exploded in downtown Beirut Monday, causing several casualties and widespread destruction. |
Abbas Declares War With Israel Effectively Over By / NYT — Permalink GAZA CITY, Feb. 13 - The new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, said in an interview this weekend that the war with the Israelis is effectively over and that the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, is speaking "a different language" to the Palestinians. | |
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eRobin @AmStreet: Before any winger starts howling that the Left isn't sufficiently jubilant that the Palestinian/Israeli intifada of the... Jonah Goldberg: THE WAR IS "EFFECTIVELY OVER" — From The New York Times: "The new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, said in an... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Assuming that Abu Abbas isn't trying to sandbag the international community, this story may be an utterly momentous one: [snipped quote] Cross your fingers. Orrin Judd: KING OF THE ROAD: Abbas Declares War With Israel Effectively Over (STEVEN ERLANGER, 2/14/05, NY Times) |
Since election, Shiites build bridges to Iraq's minorities By / Christian Science Monitor — Permalink BAGHDAD - Bakar Humam Hammoudi, a leader of one of the Shiite religious parties that are poised to become the country's most important political force, sips tea in his garden on a springlike day. As he speaks of a new, inclusive Iraqi politics in the sunlight, the brutal realities of the war seem far away. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: ANOTHER UPDATE: See also this story which indicates the efforts the Shi'ites in Iraq are making to reach out to other groups. Judith Weiss: Although the Sunnis didn't vote in numbers proportional to their percentage of the population, they are being encouraged... |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Or as this report notes: "Bakar Humam Hammoudi, a leader of one of the Shiite religious parties that are poised to... |
A Column With Support At Each End By / WaPo — Permalink The issue of pundit payola, it seems, is not limited to inside the Beltway. Eric Wesson, a columnist for the Call, an African American newspaper in Kansas City, offered plenty of praise last year for the successful House bid of Democrat Emanuel Cleaver. | |
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Joanne Jacobs: Funding liberalism on campus — Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank, is funding liberal newspapers on already liberal college campuses. Greg Ransom: What the world really needs is more lefty journalists: "College campuses are widely viewed as [lefty] bastions .. So... |
Betsy Newmark: Howard Kurtz writes about liberals are afraid that conservatives have the initiative in ideas on college campuses so they're funding liberal campus newspapers. |
Saudis defy Valentine's Day ban AP — Permalink RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The Saudi woman, swathed in black with only her eyes showing, circled a huge, red teddy bear, wondering if the plastic flowers stuck in the crook of its arm were too tacky. She wanted this Valentine's Day to be perfect. | |
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Tyler Cowen: Black markets in red — [snipped quote] [snipped quote] Here is the story. |
Ellen Dana Nagler: Celebrate the day! ValDay.gif Because some people can't. |
Neo-Nazis upstage Dresden memorial Guardian — Permalink Waving black flags and banners, thousands of neo-Nazis marched through the heart of Dresden yesterday on the 60th anniversary of the city's destruction by British and American bombers. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: Thousands of neo-Nazis march in Dresden — "In the largest neo-Nazi demonstration in Germany's postwar history..." is a... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Look who showed up and grabbed the attention: [snipped quote] They played the music of Wagner and Bach from their loudspeakers. |
Eason Jordan Resigns CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. HOWARD KURTZ, HOST (voice-over): CNN executive Eason Jordan resigns over his remarks on U.S. soldiers killing journalists in Iraq. Was he too slow to apologize? | |
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McQ: However Jeff Jarvis from buzzmachine was on Howard Kurtz's "Reliable Sources" this past weekend and made some excellent points. Roger Ailes: Libel Sources — Speaking of CNN-employed liars, Howie "the Putz" Kurtz will take honors for Lying Employee of the Year... Glenn Reynolds: Best Jeff quote: "Bloggers didn't fire Jordan. CNN fired Jordan." [LATER: Well, I was close. Transcript here. |
Michelle Malkin: [quote]Veteran journalist and blogger Jeff Jarvis got it right when he said on CNN's Reliable Sources on Sunday: "We didn't want his head — most of us didn't.[end quote] Jeff Jarvis: LATER: The trancript is up. If only Davos could say that.... : At Dean's site, Joe Gandelman excerpts the transcript. Joe Gandelman: On Blogging: Jeff Jarvis Hits Home Run On CNN by Joe Gandelman Anyone who ever wondered why Jeff Jarvis often serves as... |
| Also: Brian Stelter, Greg Ransom | |
Teresa Heinz drops 'Kerry' PittsburghLIVE.com — Permalink A campaign convenience is no more. According to The Washington Times, Teresa Heinz, the erstwhile Teresa Heinz Kerry, has stopped using the last name of her husband, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, last year's Democrat presidential nominee. | |
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Orrin Judd: PITY THE POOR CABANA BOY: Teresa Heinz drops 'Kerry' Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 6, 2005) "According to The... Joe Gandelman: Teresa Plays Ketchup With Her Life — Now that the campaign is over John Kerry's wife/the woman John Kerry is married to... Ed Driscoll: The Election Is Officially Over — Teresa Heinz drops "Kerry" from her last name. |
James Joyner: Teresa Heinz Drops 'Kerry' — Teresa Heinz drops 'Kerry' (PittsburghLIVE.com) [snipped quote] Amazing. McQ: The hyphen is history: [snipped quote] UPDATE [Jon Henke]: Sundries Shack gives us the upshot of all this: "You May Now Declare the Campaign Over" K. J. Lopez: THE ELECTION SEASON IS OFFICIALLY OVER — She is Teresa Heinz again. |
Shiite Coalition Wins Largest Number of Votes WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD, Feb. 13 — A coalition dominated by Shiite Islamic parties and tacitly backed by the country's most influential religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, won the largest number of votes in results released Sunday from Iraq's landmark election, but fell short of a symbolically important majority that many of its leaders had projected. | |
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Daniel Drezner: Iraq's election results — Anthony Shadid and Doug Struck provide a summary of Iraq's election returns in the Washington Post. Pejman Yousefzadeh: IRAQI ELECTION RESULTS — First, read this article and pay particularly close attention to the following passages: "A... Steven Taylor: Iraqi Election Results Today — However, at this point, there appears not to be any hard information WaPo/The AP has the... |
Norm Geras: The election results in Iraq (by Jeff Weintraub) On first impression, the latest news about the Iraqi election returns has confirmed my most optimistic hopes. Steve Soto: Shiite Factions, With Chalabi And Al-Sadr In Tow, Take Nearly 50% Of Iraqi Vote — The long awaited Iraqi election... Robert Tagorda: Iraq Election Results — The final count is lower than the initial estimates, which is quite understandable given the... |
| Also: Steve M., Billmon, Jeralyn Merritt | |
When Sexuality Undercuts A Family's Ties By / WaPo — Permalink M aya Keyes loves her father and mother. She put off college and moved from the family home in Darnestown to Chicago to be with her dad on a grand adventure. Even though she disagrees with him on "almost everything" political, she worked hard for his quixotic and losing campaign for the U.S. Senate. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: Maya Keyes, daughter of Republican activist Alan Keyes, on being cut off from her family for being gay. Steven Taylor: A Sad Tale — Via WaPo: When Sexuality Undercuts A Family's Ties [snipped quote] While I can certainly understand how any... Joe Gandelman: Alan Keyes Strikes Again by Joe Gandelman This time he has disowned his daughter. |
Byron LaMasters: Two weeks ago, Maya was thrown out of her home, lost her job with her father's political organization, and told by her... Max B. Sawicky: ALAN KEYES' FAMILY VALUES Our favorite Republican politician has disowned his daughter, Maya, throwing her out of the... Oliver Willis: Alan Keyes' Daughter Is Making Sense — Thankfully the apple falls far from that tree. |
| Also: Greg Ransom | |
U.S. Uses Drones to Probe Iran For Arms By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration has been flying surveillance drones over Iran for nearly a year to seek evidence of nuclear weapons programs and detect weaknesses in air defenses, according to three U.S. officials with detailed knowledge of the secret effort. | |
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McQ: Drones help identify Iran Nuke sites — And, of course, Iran isn't happy about it: "The Bush administration has been... James Joyner: The Washington Post reported it on the front page of yesterday's paper: U.S. Uses Drones to Probe Iran For Arms "The... Glenn Reynolds: THE PINTO PROPHECY: Reader David Gerstman emails: "Remember this? Doesn't it seem prophetic now?" Why, yes, yes it does. |
Evariste: The US has been flying pilotless drones over Iran for nearly a year to seek evidence of Iran's nuclear program and to... Steve Soto: I'm sure with Chalabi and al-Sistani in charge in Iraq, there won't be many more secret drone surveillance flights over Iraqi air space into Iran either. |
The Correct Way to Fix Mistakes By / LAT — Permalink Has anyone ever said something about you that wasn't true? Something that, if people believed it, would significantly damage your reputation? How would you feel if you saw that falsehood printed on the front page of the Los Angeles Times? | |
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Patterico: My "Outside the Tent" Piece in the L.A. Times — My "Outside the Tent" piece in the L.A. Times is up, and can be accessed here. Leopold Stotch: Patterico on the Inside — Patrick Frey, better known as Patterico, has an "Outside the Tent" feature in today's Los Angeles Times. Caltechgirl: Outside the Tent — Fellow Bear-Flagger and LA Times watchdog Patterico subscribes to the ancient theory, "If you can't... |
Kevin Roderick: Today it's Patterico's turn. William J. Dyer: Is there any principled argument against this proposal by my blogospheric friend Patterico in his very fine op-ed in today's Los Angeles Times? Kevin Aylward: The Correct Way To Fix Mistakes — Patrick Frey (Patterico's Pontifications) gets a chance to serve up a well thought... |
| Also: Captain Ed, Steve Bainbridge, Cori Dauber, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Spoons, Greg Ransom, Glenn Reynolds, PoliPundit | |
No Mullah Left Behind By / NYT — Permalink The Wall Street Journal ran a very, very alarming article from Iran on its front page last Tuesday. The article explained how the mullahs in Tehran - who are now swimming in cash thanks to soaring oil prices - rather than begging foreign investors to come into Iran, are now shunning some of them. | |
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Harry @HarrysPlace: Financing both sides — Here is a thought-provoking article from the always interesting Thomas Friedman in the New York... Glenn Reynolds: But a reader asks what I think about this column by Tom Friedman today. Judith Weiss: Iran's nukes, cont. In the debate about nukes in Iran I attended Tuesday, there was some discussion about whether economic sanctions would have any leverage with the mullahs. |
Matthew Yglesias: Maureen Dowd. I'm lonely. Thomas Friedman. Time to dust off my energy policy column again. Paul @Wizbang: He wrote an article this week with his solution to the Iran problem. In his worldview, the solution is to place a 1 dollar per gallon tax on gasoline. Cori Dauber: I don't know about all of Tom Friedman's ideas, but I do have one question: if you're a big supporter of the GWOT, did... |
Shiites, Kurds Big Winners in Iraq Vote By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - Clergy-backed Shiites and independence-minded Kurds swept to victory in Iraq 's landmark elections, propelling to power the groups that suffered most under Saddam Hussein and forcing Sunni Arabs to the margins for the first time in modern history, according to final results released Sunday. | |
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Roger Kimball: Here's how the folks at Power Line presented it: "Iraqi Election Results... ...are about as expected. Turnout was a terrific 60%. |
Hindrocket: Iraqi Election Results... ...are about as expected. Turnout was a terrific 60%. |
Shiites Win Most Votes in Iraq Election, With Kurds Coming in Second; Turnout Around 60 Percent By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq Feb 13, 2005 — Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims won nearly half the votes in the nation's Jan. 30 election, giving the long-oppressed group significant power but not enough to form a government on their own. | |
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Smash: Iraqi Election Results 8,456,266 Iraqis voted THE RESULTS of the Iraqi Election have been tabulated, AP reports. Cori Dauber: Final Iraq Numbers — Total turnout just over 8 million, just over 60%, which as Instapundit notes will lead to some interesting political results. |
Jeff Goldstein: Anyway, as I was saying, 'Jeff Gannon' isn't even his real name...!" * Glenn Reynolds: IRAQ ELECTION RESULTS: [snipped quote] This seems like good news. Turnout was also somewhat higher than previously estimated. |
Shiites Win Nearly Half of Iraqi Votes By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq 's majority Shiite Muslims won nearly half the votes in the nation's landmark Jan. 30 election, giving the long-oppressed group significant power but not enough to form a government on its own, according to results released Sunday. | |
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Juan Cole: The electoral commission said that the turnout was 58 percent. The Sunni Arabs (20 percent of the population and the former ruling group) mostly did not come out to vote. Chris Bowers: With the vote now counted but not certified, fundamentalist Muslims under Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani... |
Captain Ed: Iraq's Democracy Yields Shared Power — The elections held in Iraq last month have resulted in a parliament where no one... Joe Gandelman: Iraq Election Results: It'll Require A Coalition by Joe Gandelman The results of Iraq's milestone January 30 elections... |
Transcript for Feb. 13 MSNBC — Permalink PLEASE CREDIT ANY QUOTES OR EXCERPTS FROM THIS NBC TELEVISION PROGRAM TO "NBC NEWS' MEET THE PRESS." This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed. In case of doubt, please check with: | |
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Ann Althouse: Today, Sharansky appeared along with Pat Buchanan on "Meet the Press." Here's the transcript. It was a really lively debate. Josh Marshall: Rep. Charlie — Rangel (D) of New York: [snipped quote] From this morning's Meet The Press. See the video here. |
Susan Madrak: THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND — Via Crooks and Liars, Pat Buchanan versus Natan Sharansky on today's Meet The Press. |
Saudi Morality Police See Red Over Valentine Roses By / Reuters — Permalink RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's morality police are on the scent of illicit red roses as part of a clampdown on would-be St Valentine's lovers in the strict Muslim kingdom. | |
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Jan Haugland: The Valentine's Day red flower massacre — The Saudi religious police, the fanatical thugs who like to beat up women,... Jonah Goldberg: YES, WE HAVE NO RED FLOWERS — Happy Valentine's Day: [snipped quote] There's more... |
Charles Johnson: Saudi Religious Police Hate Love — Filed in Reuters' "Oddly Enough" section with a cute pun for its headline, a story... |
Pivot Lessons By / Newsweek — Permalink Feb. 11 - You can't walk past Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel's office on Capitol Hill without stopping to reflect on the lengthening line of posters propped up on easels outside his door. In chronological order, you see the faces of the fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with their age and where they're from. | |
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Jeffrey Dubner: In an Eleanor Clift column, Marshall Wittman makes the point that the White House can find a way to turn a loss on... Taegan Goddard: Rahmbo — Eleanor Clift profiles Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), the new head of the House Democratic campaign arm. |
Chris Bowers: Unfortunately, the DCCC new chair, Rahm Emanuel, disagrees: "To those who see a parallel between the Clintons'... |
The Revolution That Wasn't By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — If the history of the Republican revolution were being written today, a single overarching question would have to be answered: Whatever happened to the promise of smaller government? | |
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Steve Bainbridge: A Fair Question — The NYT asks a fair question: [snipped quote] Regular readers know that I'm no fan of the libertarian dream of a night watchman state. Susan Madrak: The New York Times actually has a piece pointing out the Republicans haven't delivered on their biggest promise |
Taegan Goddard: Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R), quoted by the New York Times, on the Bush administration's fiscal policy and the lost promise of smaller government. Greg Ransom: THE DEATH OF THE REPUBLICAN REAGAN REVOLUTION. |
U.S. Said to Pay Iraq Contractors in Cash By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - U.S. officials in postwar Iraq paid a contractor by stuffing $2 million worth of crisp bills into his gunnysack and routinely made cash payments around Baghdad from a pickup truck, a former official with the U.S. occupation government says. | |
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Dwight Meredith: It appears that the CPA in Iraq needed to have a talk with the Prince's accountant: "U.S. officials in postwar Iraq... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Senate Hearing Monday on Cash Payments in Iraq — The Senate will hear testimony Monday from a former Coalition... |
On culture front, we're losing war By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Here are three small news items from around the world you might have missed: 1) An unemployed waitress in Berlin faces the loss of her welfare benefits after refusing a job as a prostitute in a legalized brothel. | |
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Charles Johnson: Steyn: The Fetish of Tolerance — Mark Steyn asks, "Are there no grown-ups left in Rhode Island?" |
Greg Ransom: MARK STEYN — in the terrror war we're losing on the Western Front: [snipped quote] UPDATE: Xrlq emails with news that... |
A Liberal in Damascus By / NYT — Permalink When I first met Ammar Abdulhamid in Washington in the fall, the 38-year-old Syrian novelist, poet and liberal dissident had Damascus on his mind. He had received word from his wife back in Syria that the political situation at home was becoming more precarious for rights activists like himself. | |
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Armed Liberal: On The Road To in Damascus - A Liberal — The NY Times Magazine today has an article today that more than piqued my interest. FrancoAlemán: So read the whole thing and spread the word (link doesn't require subscription). Orrin Judd: MIDDLE EAST MO': A Liberal in Damascus (LEE SMITH, 2/13/05, NY Times Magazine) [snipped quote] But History does. |
Michael Young: The Fate of a Syrian Liberal — Lee Smith has just published a very interesting portrait of Syrian liberal Ammar Abdulhamid in The New York Times Magazine. Cliff May: A profile of him in today's New York Times magazine is worth reading. Pejman Yousefzadeh: The consequences are unsettling for said regime: [snipped quote] There is more. |
At war with Gitmo grilling By / NY Daily News — Permalink WASHINGTON - Military lawyers at the Guantanamo Bay terrorist prison tried to stop inhumane interrogations, but were ignored by senior Pentagon officials, the Daily News has learned. | |
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Michael Froomkin: New York Daily News - World : Military lawyers at the Guantanamo Bay terrorist prison tried to stop inhumane... |
Jack Balkin: JAG complaints of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo Bay ignored JB From the New York Daily News: "Military lawyers at the... |
Heavens! Potlucks are illegal By / Indianapolis Star — Permalink As a veteran of Presbyterian potluck suppers, Thomas K. Weatherwax says it pays to be aggressive when it comes to pecan pie. "If you are not the first one in line, forget it," advises Weatherwax, a Republican state senator from Logansport. | |
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Jacob Sullum: The Indianapolis Star reports that "word on the new law generally hasn't spread to the church halls across Indiana, so... |
Radley Balko: More statehouse and city hall tomfoolery: 1) In Indiana, bill mandating public food be handled by "food certifiers"... |
Shiites Win Most Votes in Iraq, Election Results Show NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 13 - New and nearly final tallies of the votes cast in the Jan. 30 Iraqi national election show Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims won almost half, or 48.2 percent, of the nearly 8.5 million votes cast, more than any other group but not enough to control the planned 275-member national assembly without the help of others. | |
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John Cole: The election results are out, and it appears that the Shi'ite Coalition won the most votes, but not quite a majority:... |
Matthew Yglesias: The Votes Are In — The ballots have been counted in Iraq and the Alliance seems to have gotten just 48 percent of the... |
Shiites Dominate Iraq Election; Kurds 2nd By / AP — Permalink Feb. 13, 2005 - Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims won nearly half the votes in the nation's Jan. 30 election, giving the long-oppressed group significant power but not enough to form a government on their own. | |
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Judith Weiss: An excellent outcome for the Iraqi elections: A very respectable 60% turnout, with none of the three major groups... |
Juan Cole: Shiites, Kurds, win Big — Bush Loses Election in Iraq Some key election results are now being reported for Iraq. |
Editorial: Try Khadr, or free him Toronto Star — Permalink Omar Khadr is one of 545 people from 40 countries being held as "enemy combatants" by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In that respect, he is nothing special. But he is the only known Canadian there. Now 18, Khadr was 15 when jailed. | |
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Jeanne D'Arc: His family is certainly creepy: Omar's Egyptian-born father Ahmed Said Khadr was an Osama bin Laden confidante and... |
Jeralyn Merritt: This week the Toronto Star called for a trial by impartial tribunal or his release. |
Justice after Dedge Daytona Beach News-Journal — Permalink Florida took more than 20 years to offer compensation to Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee, who spent 12 years on death row after being wrongfully accused. Wilton Dedge, released last year after spending 22 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit, will not have to wait as long. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Florida is making moves to correct the problem, and the Daytona Beach News Journal endorses it. |
John Cole: About Time — Talkleft reports on some long overdue reform in Florida- reform that should be enacted everywhere in the United States. |
Shia parties win Iraqi election BBC — Permalink A Shia-dominated coalition won nearly half of the 8.5 million votes cast in Iraq's election, poll officials say. The Kurdish coalition came second with nearly 2.2 million votes, while the party of interim PM Iyad Allawi was third with nearly 1.2 million. | |
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Jan Haugland: Iraqi election results are in — To nobody's surprise, the broad Shia coalition assembled by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani... |
Kevin Drum: Sort of: Shia list: 48% Kurdish parties: 26% Iyad Allawi list: 14% Others: 12% The conventional interpretation of this... |
Reservist with 11 children headed to Iraq AP — Permalink NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Johnnie Chennault has no regrets about joining the Navy Reserve, even though it means he's going to Iraq later this month. But he does worry about not being around to help take care of his house full of 11 kids. | |
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Atrios: Oh, Jonah... 11 Children, off to Iraq: NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Johnnie Chennault has no regrets about joining the... |
Radley Balko: Family Values — I'm still trying to figure out why conservatives are making a hero of this guy: [snipped quote] Chennault isn't honoring a military commitment he made long ago. |
The Special-Interest Group Hug By / WaPo — Permalink Incoming Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean spent yesterday in a series of meetings with valued Democratic constituencies at the Hilton Washington. | |
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Tim Graham: DEAN'S MOUTHY DEBUT — For those of you just waiting for Howard Dean to start making gaffes, see the Saturday Washington... |
Baldilocks: UPDATE: And what a way to start off! [snipped quote] (Thanks to one of Armed Liberal's commenters.) |
Christo's Gates: A Little Creaky By / WaPo — Permalink NEW YORK, Feb. 12 — They're way, way better than the pandas, pigs, cows and other fiberglass tchotchkes that have "decorated" our cities over the past decade. But it's only a difference of quality, not kind. | |
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Ann Althouse: Blake Gopnik has an elaborate piece in The Washington Post. His main point is that "The Gates" has no depth of meaning that has to do with the time and place. |
Alex Tabarrok: Here is the Washington Post: [quote] Ho-Hum. They're way, way better than the pandas, pigs, cows and other fiberglass tchotchkes that have "decorated" our cities over the past decade.[end quote] |