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Ministers were told of need for Gulf war 'excuse' By / Times of London — Permalink MINISTERS were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal. | |
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Brad DeLong: (And We Could Use a Better Press Corps...) The Downing Street Memo acquires more steam: Ministers were told of need... Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Another British Memo... by hilzoy Via a dKos diary, I see that the Times of London is reporting on a second memo from Tony Blair's cabinet. Roger Ailes: Coming Attractions — Look for another terrorism arrest, or at least another missing white woman, to be announced Thursday at 8:00 a.m. [snipped quote] (Link via BuzzFlash) |
Nellie B: Groucho has to invent one, and, reports The Sunday Times of London, so did President Bush and Tony Blair, in a story... Jeralyn Merritt: More on the Blair Iraq War Briefing Memo — Both the Washington Post and the Times Online have updates on the July, 2002... Josh Marshall: Times of London ... [snipped quote] More here ... |
Repairing Senate's Record on Lynching By / WaPo — Permalink Anna Holmes remembers hearing about the bridge when she was a little girl. It stood somewhere near the spot where the Collington and Western branches of the Patuxent River met in Upper Marlboro, less than a quarter-mile from the Marlboro jail. | |
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Stephen: Capt. Ed links to this WaPo story about the Senate's proposed apology for its failure (THRU FILIBUSTERS!!!!!) in the 1930's to condemn lynching. James Joyner: Repairing Senate's Record on Lynching (WaPo, A1) [snipped quote] If this seemingly empty gesture will help ease the pain... |
Captain Ed: (Updates Galore) The Senate will debate whether to apologize for its role in blocking federal intervention in the quaint... Jesse Taylor: Whereas Perfect Strangers Was Hilarious... Okay, I know that the world of Senate proclamations is one that is sordid,... |
Naked cyclists in oil protest ride Yahoo! News — Permalink A group of naked cyclists took part in a bike ride to protest against oil dependency and to "celebrate the human body." Crowds gathered as about 100 people set off from Hyde Park corner, London, in the World Naked Bike Ride past some of the capital's most famous landmarks. | |
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Susanna Cornett: A new reason to get naked — A bunch of confused people stripped down and rode through London on bikes and roller skates... Atomizer l: Chad Neilson, one of the organizers of the London protest, had this to say: [snipped quote] Leaving aside the Holy Roman... |
James Joyner: Naked cyclists in oil protest ride [snipped quote] I'm guessing that this protest will have negligible impact on our... Clayton Cramer: Moonbats — One of the signs of a moonbat is their ability to discredit multiple causes at once because of their need to... |
Interrogating Ourselves By / NYT — Permalink I. The Silence After Abu Ghraib In order to get to the nub of the question of what we as citizens really expect and require of American interrogators facing supposed terrorists — how far we're prepared to allow those asking the questions to venture into... | |
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Tom Maguire: Joseph Lelyveld, a former executive editor of The New York Times, has the weekend must-read on torture. |
Charles Johnson: The creator of "Piss Christ." Appreciate the many levels of self-loathing: Interrogating Ourselves. (Hat tip: E.P.) |
Democratic leaders back Dean, don't want 'wimp' By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic National Committee leaders embraced feisty party boss Howard Dean on Saturday and urged him to keep fighting despite a flap over his blunt comments on Republicans. | |
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Ace: Howard Dean Reaches Bottom, Digs. [Dave at Garfield Ridge] [snipped quote] Wow, Gilda, you've been waiting for, what, all of three minutes? |
Mitch Berg: Yeeaaaaaaaaagggggh! The Democratic party leadership is foursquare behind Dean: [snipped quote] Exactly. Hang in there, Democrats! |
Human rights activists 'childish' BBC — Permalink Human rights campaigners in Britain have been branded childish by a former general secretary of Liberty. Andrew Puddephat said they attacked government attempts to deal with crime without considering members of the public who the laws are trying to help. | |
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Avedon Carol: Creeps I have known — As I've mentioned on previous occasions, I was once on the executive committee of the National... Jan Haugland: Headline of the day — "Human rights activists 'childish'" (BBC News) |
Amanda Marcotte: Human rights are not dispensable — From Avedon Carol, it seems like our friends across the pond have their share of... |
Zimbabwe's 'Cleanup' Takes a Vast Human Toll By / AP — Permalink HARARE, Zimbabwe, June 10 - The government abruptly began demolishing shanties and roadside markets here three weeks ago, evicting thousands of people and bulldozing homes or burning them to the ground, in what officials call a cleanup of illegal slums and black-market vendors. | |
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Jan Haugland: He certainly falls short on atrocities, but that is not for lack of trying. Betsy Newmark: That is one way for Mugabe to get rid of his opposition. The New York Times has a sad story on what is happening there. |
Charles Bird: All that's lacking are "reeducation" camps. Today's New York Times has a similar report. Cori Dauber: High Level Attention for Zimbabwe — And you know once the Times' covers it, it's news. |
Indictment: Saudi Pair in Colo. Kept Slave By / AP — Permalink (06-10) 19:27 PDT Aurora, Colo. (AP) — A Saudi Arabian couple was in custody Friday, accused of turning a young Indonesian woman into a virtual slave, forcing her to clean, cook and care for their children while she was threatened and sexually assaulted. | |
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Jan Haugland: Saudi couple kept slave — A Saudi couple is risking life in prison for keeping an Indonesian woman as a slave. Stirling Newberry: Slavery in America — Breaking from AP: [snipped quote] Slavery is a stain on America, if never again means anything... |
Charles Johnson: Saudi Slavery in Colorado — Our friends the Saudis keep slaves in their home country, and now they're bringing them to the US as well: Indictment: Saudi Pair in Colo. Kept Slave. |
Panel Chairman Leaves Hearing By / WaPo — Permalink After repeated criticism of the Bush administration, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee yesterday gaveled a hearing to a close and walked out while Democrats continued to testify — but with their microphones shut off. | |
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Joe Gandelman: A POOR MODEL For Iraq's Democracy — Attention F. James Sensenbrenner Jr.": far be it for me to lecture you on... Cookie Jill: but i think as we are lecturing foreign governments about the conduct of their behavior with regard to opposition —... Cori Dauber: Taking the Bait — Here's the thing: I just find it hard to imagine a situation where shutting down your opponent's... |
Lambert @Corrente: And here's WaPo's headline on the inside (page A04, not too bad): "Panel chairman leaves hearing. Still nothing unusual, right? Barbara O'Brien: Mike Allen, WaPo: "The hearing's announced topic was the USA Patriot Act, which granted broad new powers to federal law enforcement after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. |
City losing 169M in 9/11 funds By / NY Daily News — Permalink WASHINGTON - The feds are expected today to take back $169 million in misused and unspent 9/11 relief money meant for victims of the terror attack, congressional officials said. New York lawmakers called an emergency meeting for this morning to try to devise a plan to keep the money flowing. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Republicans trying to claw back New York's 9/11 money — Of course, Bush promised New York $20 billion in recovery... |
Matt Singer: As reported by the New York Daily News: [snipped quote] So, the money was inappropriately given to victims rather than... |
Dean Tells Dems: 'People Want Us to Fight' By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — Howard Dean said Saturday that positive responses from supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough despite suggestions from some congressional Democrats that the party chairman should tone down his rhetoric. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: "(AP via Guardian)" When you know you're under the Republican boot, you scream. If you're not screaming, you're not paying attention. |
Jeff Jarvis: Today, he says: [quote] "People want us to fight," Dean told the national party's executive committee. "We are here to fight." [end quote] |
Bush seeks expansion of offshore fish farms By / Seattle Post-Intelligencer — Permalink Calling fish farming a potential boon for consumers and the economy, the Bush administration yesterday proposed to massively expand the practice to waters as far as 200 miles offshore. Supporters in Washington, including a state senator who advocates for fish farmers, urged Congress to bless the idea. | |
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David Neiwert: The P-I's sterling environment reporter, Robert McClure, reported the other day that the Bush administration plans to... |
Cookie Jill: ...mosness, who fished for salmon in alaska for 28 years, worries that producing enough salmon in fish farms will give... |
Major Break in Natalee Holloway Case Fox News — Permalink ORANJESTAD, Aruba — One of the young men detained in the disappearance of an Alabama (search) honors student admitted "something bad happened" to the woman after they took her to the beach, a police officer said, while prosecutors said Saturday the investigation was at a crucial point. | |
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Michelle Malkin: MISSING PRETTY GIRL SYNDROME — If you are interested, Dan Riehl at Riehl World News has been tracking all the twists and turns in the tragic Natalee Holloway case in Aruba. |
Scared Monkeys: CNN - The compassionate news network. (Red) UPDATE - 1:45 pm - Family feeling the strain of this experience. |
Senators Mentioned As Possible Justices By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - If there is a Supreme Court vacancy this summer, President Bush may look no farther than the Capitol for a member of Congress who can be confirmed quickly. Past presidents have done it, more than two dozen times. | |
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Alexander K. McClure: Supreme Court Vacancy — There is an article from the Associated Press that speculates President Bush might appoint a Senator to a vacancy in the Supreme Court. |
James Joyner: Senators Mentioned As Possible Justices (AP) [snipped quote] While I'm reasonably familiar with both men and find them... |
Winning Ugly By / Weekly Standard — Permalink WHO'S WINNING IN WASHINGTON RIGHT now? Republicans, President Bush included. But they are winning ugly, and just barely. Actually, if success on Social Security reform is the yardstick, Republicans aren't winning at all. What changes the score is success on judges. | |
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Alexander K. McClure: Filibuster Deal — Fred Barnes weighs in on the confirmation of five blocked Bush judicial nominees, saying that it... |
Orrin Judd: THEY LOOK LIKE LINE DRIVES IN THE BOX SCORE: Winning Ugly: Republicans are doing better than you think. |
Editor of Climate Reports Resigns By / NYT — Permalink Philip A. Cooney, the chief of staff to President Bush's Council on Environmental Quality, resigned yesterday, White House officials said. Mr. Cooney's resignation came two days after documents revealed that he had repeatedly edited government climate... | |
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Andrew Sullivan: WHOPPER OF THE DAY: "He had accumulated many weeks of leave and had decided to resign and take the summer off to spend... |
Magpie @PacificViews: This time around, that bad news was the uncomfortable fact of Cooney's sudden resignation from his position as chair of Dubya's Council on Environmental Quality. |
Google blocks ad for anti-Clinton book WorldNetDaily — Permalink A conservative book publisher says the search engine giant Google rejected his ad for a book critical of Bill and Hillary Clinton while continuing to accept anti-Bush themes. | |
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Scott Sala: WorldNetDaily has the latest apparent Google attempt to block political ads that attack Democrats. |
Sadly, No!: Second, here's an article about Google rejecting an ad for a book that accuses Bill Clinton of being a big ol' rapist... |
Iran journalist returns to prison BBC — Permalink Dissident Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji has returned to prison after going missing for three days. He told reporters as he entered Tehran's Elvin prison that he would resume his hunger strike. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: AKBAR GANJI FOUND, RETURNING TO PRISON — The story is here. I wonder what precisely it takes to get this issue more to the forefront of the international news. |
Praktike: Please help him out if you can spare it. UPDATE: Ganji returns to Evin prison, saying he will resume his hunger strike. |
The Circus Maximus Syndrome By / NYT — Permalink If you love cities, this is a week to rejoice. Now that the stadium planned for New York's West Side is dead, no one can fantasize anymore about the Olympics coming to New York. | |
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John Cole: Tierney On the Olympics — Good piece by John Tierney in the Times: [snipped quote] A good piece, because it echoes my sentiments. |
Atrios: Wow — I got through an entire Tierney column without getting pissed off. |
Democrats List More Names in Inquiry on Bolton's Access By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 10 - Senate Democrats have prepared a list of approximately three dozen "names of concern" and are asking the Bush administration for assurances that John R. Bolton did not misuse his access to highly classified intelligence to seek information about them. | |
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Captain Ed: When their demands escalate every time you suggest a compromise. |
Steve Clemons: Doug Jehl reports this morning: [snipped quote] The Dems are doing all that they can to demonstrate flexibility. |
Boston Globe staff writer twice repeated Dean fund-raising canard Media Matters for America — Permalink Boston Globe staff writer Rick Klein twice reported that Democratic National Committee (DNC) fund-raising was "lagging" or "falling behind" under new chairman Howard Dean. In fact, Dean's fund-raising to date has surpassed his predecessor's, both in raw dollars and relative to Republican fund-raising. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Correction On Howard Dean — We've put in our posts here a statement that Democratic fundraising is lagging under Howard... Kevin Aylward: If you believe things are looking up for the Tigers you'll probably buy into spin job Media Matters is trying to put on Howard Dean's DNC fundraising record. |
Avedon Carol: All week I've been seeing stories that depict DNC fundraising under Howard Dean as "lagging" behind that of his... Cookie Jill: massachusetts has always had a love/hate relationship with vermont and now it ends up in print. |
Grisly Effect of One Drug: 'Meth Mouth' By / NYT — Permalink From the moment on Thursday when the young man sat down in Dr. Richard Stein's dental chair in southwestern Kansas and opened his mouth, Dr. Stein was certain he recognized the enemy. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: METH MOUTH: A grisly but important story in the NYT today about the effects of smoking crystal meth on your teeth. Ann Althouse: Kids, don't do drugs. Especially meth. For one thing, it'll ruin your teeth. Persuasive photo at the link. |
Tom Maguire: Just Mumble "No" — Regular methamphetamine users end up with terrible teeth, says the NY Times in a front-pager that comes complete with breakfast-unfriendly pictures. Atrios: BoBo's World — Meth mouth: "From the moment on Thursday when the young man sat down in Dr. Richard Stein's dental... |
'The Survivor': Measuring His Success By / NYT — Permalink MILLIONS of Americans despise Bill Clinton. They have done so since he became a presence in national politics in the early 1990's, and they continue to do so today, more than four years after his retirement from public office. Bill Clinton in the White House. | |
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Ezra Klein: Reviewing John Harris's The Survivor*, Alan Ehrahalt makes a point worth taking on : "Roosevelt made enormous and... Taegan Goddard: Correcting History — The New York Times reviews The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House by John Harris, a... |
Scott @PowerLine: Unreal — The lead review in tomorrow's New York Times Book Review is Alan Ehrenhalt's review of the new Clinton book by... Tom Smith: Anyway, here is the review in the Times of John Harris's book on the slick one. |
Man reportedly leading Aruba police to scene AP — Permalink ORANJESTAD, Aruba - Police investigating the disappearance of an Alabama teenager in Aruba said late Friday that one of three young men in custody has admitted "something bad happened" to her during her island visit. | |
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Kevin Aylward: Natalee Holloway Suspect: "Something bad has happened" — Joran Andreas Petrus Van Der Sloot, Satish Kalpoe, and Deepak... |
Scared Monkeys: MSNBC ORANJESTAD, Aruba - One of three young men who took a missing Alabama honors student to the beach confessed that... |
The Sihpol Verdict Opinion Journal — Permalink The world is discovering why New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has been so reluctant to take his business targets into an actual courtroom. A jury of regular men and women might be inclined to instruct him in securities law and the concept of criminal intent. | |
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Donald Luskin: Today's lead editorial in the Wall Street Journal gets it all just right. |
Steve Bainbridge: WSJ on Spitzer's Setback — There's a very fine editorial at OpinionJournal.com on the Sihpol verdict and what it means for Eliot Spitzer's shenanigans. |
Aruba Police: Suspect Leading Us to Scene By / AP — Permalink ORANJESTAD, Aruba - One of three young men who took a missing Alabama honors student to the beach confessed that "something bad" happened to the 18-year-old American, police say. | |
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Scared Monkeys: ABC AP REPORT [snipped quote] Riehl World is reporting that "according to unconfirmed sources the search for Natalee... |
James Joyner: Update (0735): Aruba Police: Suspect Leading Us to Scene (AP) "Police investigating the disappearance of an Alabama... |
The Increasingly Unpopular President By / WaPo — Permalink When President Bush says "polls go up, and polls go down," he's about half right. Two new public-opinion surveys show Bush's poll numbers are dropping into solidly negative territory. | |
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Stirling Newberry: Bush cracks — The bad economy is grinding on Bush, one reason why the Fed and the Executive have let loose a "Guns and... |
Brad DeLong: Daniel Froomkin writes: The Increasingly Unpopular President: "the just-out Associated Press/Ipsos poll, Bush's job... |
2,200 Journalists Await Jackson Verdict By / AP — Permalink SANTA MARIA, Calif. - About 2,200 members of the media have received credentials to cover Michael Jackson's trial — more than the O.J. Simpson and Scott Peterson murder trials combined and enough to form a vast, humming tent city outside the modest courthouse. | |
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Joe Gandelman: You could call this a "media circus" — except modern day circuses aren't that big and no longer employ freak... Jason Van Steenwyk: Here's why: [snipped quote] It's not like there's two wars and a genocide going on or anything. Magpie @PacificViews: While a picture is as good as 1000 words ... ... well-chosen numbers can speak at least as loudly: [snipped quote] Via Random Walks. |
James Joyner: 2,200 Journalists Await Jackson Verdict (AP) [snipped quote] What's odd about this is that, in my perception at least,... Jeralyn Merritt: There are 2,200 journalists on site. |
GOP Chairman Walks Out of Meeting By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON Jun 10, 2005 — The Republican chairman walked off with the gavel, leaving Democrats shouting into turned-off microphones at a raucous hearing Friday on the Patriot Act. | |
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Jack Grant: The current administration has signed the RealID Act, a bill passed without any kind of public hearing or input, which... Gateway Pundit: The Republican chairman walked off with the gavel, leaving Democrats shouting into turned-off microphones at a raucous hearing Friday on the Patriot Act. Lambert @Corrente: We paid for this microphone, Senator Sensenbrenner! |
Barbara O'Brien: Gagged — Minutes of the Kangaroo Kongress—the Repubublican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee shut down... Ace: Read the rest here. Can you really blame him for shutting down the hearing? This was the *11th* hearing held on the Patriot Act reauthorization. . . since April. Jeralyn Merritt: Sensenbrenner Cuts Mikes During Patriot Act Hearing — Update: Sensenbrenner storms out of hearing, gavel in hand. |
| Also: John Cole, Tom @ScaredMonkeys | |
Public Broadcasting Targeted By House By / WaPo — Permalink A House subcommittee voted yesterday to sharply reduce the federal government's financial support for public broadcasting, including eliminating taxpayer funds that help underwrite such popular children's educational programs as "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow," "Arthur" and "Postcards From Buster." | |
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Avedon Carol: Aside from the usual interesting take on news that is or should be on the front page (the House subcommittee vote to... McQ: PBS: Earn your own way or go away — In a word: "good". Joe Gandelman: GOP Dominated House Committee Seeks To Starve Big Bird — Now they're going after Big Bird as what's seemingly shaping... |
Amanda Marcotte: I always knew Big Bird was a commie — In a move to demonstrate to the unbelievers that Republicans aren't Evil Lite,... Brad Plumer: Oh sure, the recent attacks on PBS' funding are an outrage and all, but my outrage-o-meter is sagging a bit here on a... Jayson @PoliPundit: Trimming the Fat — WaPo's predictably got its undergarments in bunches over the idea, but very little would please me... |
| Also: Riggsveda @Corrente, Kriston @BeggingToDiffer, Lindsay Beyerstein, Cookie Jill, Skippy, Oliver Willis, Steve Bainbridge | |
Gallup: Public Confidence in Newspapers, TV News Falls to All-Time Low Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK Public trust in newspapers and television news continued to decline in Gallup's annual survey of "public confidence in major institutions" in the United States, reaching an all-time low this year. | |
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Marc @USSNeverdock: America - Confidence In Media plummets — A Gallup poll shows America trusts its Military, Police and religious leaders far more than they trust the media. Captain Ed: One small example of this last problem comes in the reporting of the poll itself in today's on-line Editor & Publisher. Jason Van Steenwyk: Why is media credibility going down the toilet? Why is media credibility going down the toilet? |
Jeff Jarvis: Confidence in news media — newspaper and TV — has reached an all-time low in Gallup's survey of trust in institutions. Will Collier: UPDATE: Nah, I'm sure this has nothing at all to do with any mythical media bias. Red @ScaredMonkeys: Even at an all time low. [snipped quote] No blogger would have ever sen this coming would they? |
| Also: Alexander K. McClure, Roger L. Simon | |
Curt Weldon's Deep Throat By / American Prospect — Permalink Countdown to Terror, Representative Curt Weldon's sensationalistic new book about his personal struggle to combat the Iranian terrorism threat despite the alleged resistance of the CIA, is based entirely on the Pennsylvania Republican's freelance communications with a secret source he code-named "Ali." | |
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Avedon Carol: Watching the defectives — One of the big stories this week has been the release of a smelly new book that seeks to... Kevin Drum: RIGHT WING LOONS...Pennsylvania congress-loon Curt Weldon gets letters: [snipped quote] Before you jump out of your... Jesse Walker: Congressman Kook — In The American Prospect, Laura Rozen unravels the extracurricular spycraft of Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Penn.) |
Laura Rozen: Check out my new piece from the Prospect about the Pennsylvania Republican's Iran intelligence source, who Rep. Weldon has been pushing to get on the CIA payroll. Praktike: One minute he's contradicting Dick Cheney's overly optimistic assessments of Iraq, and the next he's playing at amateur intelligence analyst and spy novel author. |
(White) Women We Love By / WaPo — Permalink Someday historians will look back at America in the decade bracketing the turn of the 21st century and identify the era's major themes: Religious fundamentalism. Terrorism. War in Iraq. Economic dislocation. Bioengineering. Information technology. Nuclear proliferation. | |
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Ace: Malkin, echoing Eugene Robinson's earlier opinion in the Washington Post, posits that the MSM coverage in this and... Brendan Nyhan: What NYT editorials and runaway brides have in common — Writing in the Washington Post, Eugene Robinson revisits the... Kevin Drum: DAMSELS IN DISTRESS....In the Washington Post today, Eugene Robinson is the latest to note the media's ongoing obsession with damsels in distress. |
Michelle Malkin: It's titled "(White) Women We Love." Scott Sala: Technorati Tags: Google+bias Right+March Google+ad+words conservative+bias — Jun 10 White Chicks Ruling Tragedy TV Via... La Shawn Barber: Always a treat. Update: Controversial stuff! Read "(White) Women We Love." (reg. req.) . |
| Also: Cori Dauber | |
Barbara Boxer, Bully City Journal — Permalink Some things in the United States Senate seem so rote that they're not worth much further analysis. Hillary Clinton will make (calculating) "moderate" maneuvers, John McCain will be feisty about something (campaign finance reform, steroids in baseball, Tom... | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Also: While the righties find what Sensenbrenner did amusing, they are getting themselves worked up into a lather... Betsy Newmark: Katherine Ernst looks at Barbara Boxer's attacks on conservatives who come before her and contrasts it with how John Ashcroft, a Boxer target, spoke in a similar situation. K. J. Lopez: BARBARA BOXER, "BULLY" — From City Journal |
Avedon Carol: Just to get some perspective on what kind of sense of proportion the wingers are capable of, one of them presents us... Steve Bainbridge: Barbara Boxer = Bully — Katherine Ernst gives Senator Babs a well-deserved spanking. |
Women should embrace the blogosphere By / Townhall.com — Permalink No discussion of women bloggers would be complete without some gross generalizations and politically incorrect observations — both of which I plan to include here. The first time I read one of the many posts that have been written on various blogs about a shortage of female political bloggers, my first thought was to ask, "What shortage?" | |
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Amanda Marcotte: Oh, I need a big, strong man to help me figure out this keyboard — I'm not entirely sure why Townhall felt the need to join the "where are the women bloggers" fray. Betsy Newmark: Lorie Byrd of Polipundit has an inaugural column today at Townhall explaining why women should not be afraid of blogging and should "embrace the blogosphere." La Shawn Barber: Women Should Embrace The Blogosphere — Blogger Lorie Byrd has written a great article for Townhall.com. Check it out. |
Jesse Taylor: Let's start off with our favorite subject: chicks and blogging. How do we get more chicks more hits? TheAnchoress: Lorie Byrd is spreading her wings Not only is she blogging at mulitple sites (she clearly can multi-task), but she's... Lorie Byrd: Women Should Embrace The Blogosphere — Check out my article at Townhall.com about women and the blogosphere. |
The Dutch-Muslim Culture War By / The Nation — Permalink Ayaan Hirsi Ali is supposed to be on the run, but, as one last spring snowstorm turned Amsterdam's lacy bridges and gabled canal houses into a confectioner's delight, she seemed to be everywhere. In the pages of newspapers she harangued the health authorities to examine schoolgirls for evidence of genital mutilation. | |
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Andrew Stuttaford: Despite that, as this article reminds us, she finds herself under attack from the very people who should be among her allies. Harkonnendog: Click here to read it, for it is the excellent. Quick summary. |
Charles Johnson: The Dutch-Muslim Culture War — The Nation's Deborah Scroggins would apparently like us to believe that the Islamic... Glenn Reynolds: INTERESTING POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS in The Netherlands and elsewhere: [snipped quote] Stay tuned. |
Jacko Prosecutors Celebrate Early By / Fox News — Permalink The prosecutors in Michael Jackson's child molestation and conspiracy trial apparently feel they've already won their case. On Wednesday night, the whole lot of them — DA Tom Sneddon, Ron Zonen, Gordon Auchincloss, their wives and families — all celebrated at the Hitching Post restaurant in Casmalia. | |
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Ace: Anyway, this thing about the Jackson prosecution's "celebratory" outing seems dubious—really it has all the telltale signs of journalistic tattling. Steve Bainbridge: Jacko Meets Sideways — I hope they at least didn't order any Merlot. |
Mitch Berg: I was reading this piece, in which the Michael Jackson prosecution team began celebrating a verdict that has not yet been delivered. Paul @Wizbang: In a story about the Jackson prosecution team celebrating early: Said one observer, "This group was happy. |
Arrested teen had met Holloway day before she vanished CNN — Permalink ORANJESTAD, Aruba (CNN) — A teen being held in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway met the Alabama student at her hotel's casino a day before she vanished, according to police. Juron Van Der Sloot — the teenage son of an Aruban judge — was among three people taken into custody early Thursday. | |
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Lorie Byrd: It is not a political story, but since it has been heavily covered by the cable news shows I thought some might be... Scared Monkeys: CNN "CNN) — A teen being held in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway met the Alabama student at her... |
James Joyner: Aruba Suspect Confesses to Killing Natalee Holloway — Aruba police official: Suspect confesses to killing missing teen... |
Building Iraq's Army: Mission Improbable WaPo — Permalink BAIJI, Iraq — An hour before dawn, the sky still clouded by a dust storm, the soldiers of the Iraqi army's Charlie Company began their mission with a ballad to ousted president Saddam Hussein. "We have lived in humiliation since you left," one sang in Arabic, out of earshot of his U.S. counterparts. | |
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RangerShade @DailyKos: I didn't think it was possible to depress me more about Iraq. I was wrong. [snipped quote] Now keep in mind, these are the Iraqis supposedly on OUR side. Avedon Carol: What's really astonishing about the article Building Iraq's Army: Mission Improbable is not the depressing story it tells. Juan Cole: Anthony Shadid and Steve Fainaru explain why the new Iraqi Army is unlikely to take over security duties effectively any time soon. |
Hugh Hewitt: Today the Washington Post declares Iraq's army nearly impossible to build, branding the effort "Mission Improbable." Steve Soto: Amar Mana, 27, an Iraqi army private On a day when the Washington Post runs a Page One story on the improbability of... The Poorman: [Mark R. Levin] With all the good news coming out of Iraq, you would think that the MSM would stop their constant drumbeat of doom and gloom. |
| Also: Steve M., Billmon, John Hawkins, Cori Dauber, James Joyner, Randall Parker, Ed Cone, Kevin Drum, Gregory Djerejian, Attaturk, John Cole, Armando @DailyKos, Atrios | |
Insurer Pushes Pill-Splitting Savings By / AP — Permalink MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The nation's second-largest health insurer, UnitedHealthcare, is giving away away pill-splitters and offering half-price on drugs for those who split double-strength pills, cutting the patient's insurance copayment in half. | |
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James Joyner: Insurer UnitedHealthcare Pushes Pill-Splitting Savings — Insurer Pushes Pill-Splitting Savings (AP) "The nation's... Cookie Jill: give me a double please — [snipped quote] what do you think the odds are that big pharma's going to double the price of double-strength pills? |
William J. Dyer: But when I read this story — about giant United Healthcare urging its insureds to "save money" by literally cutting... |
'Minutemen' gear up for mainstream movement By / MSNBC — Permalink WASHINGTON - Volunteers in the civilian-led border watch group known as the "Minuteman Project" are called vigilantes, or worse, by their critics — patriots or heroes by their supporters. | |
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Oliver Willis: Right Wing Militias On The March — This is just what wee need right about now. Oldman @BOPNews: One man's 'Minuteman'... The 'minute-men' are gearing up to "go mainstream". |
McQ: Well, the "Minuteman Project" has decided it should do something ... again. |
Dean's Appearance Has Media in a Sweat By / WaPo — Permalink It was a scalding day on Capitol Hill yesterday, and that includes tempers. Things got particularly hot during a photo op in the office of Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) after the minority leader and his Senate deputies completed a 17-minute meeting with the hot-tongued Howard Dean. | |
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Captain Ed: However, Mark Leibovich of the Washington Post takes up Durbin's banner and attempts to make him sound reasonable: "It... Oliver Willis: Dean's Appearance Has Media in a Sweat After several seconds, a booming voice cut through the noise. Michelle Malkin: Some in the Washington press corps and on Capitol Hill are in a huff because Fox News Channel anchor/reporter Brian... |
Attaturk: History doesn't really change — By alternative universe Washington Post, June 1933, Berlin: It was a scalding day at the Reichstag yesterday, and that includes tempers. Avedon Carol: Mark Leibovich tells you everything you need to know about why newspaper sales are down in Dean's Appearance Has Media... Shawn @LiquidList: From the paper's coverage of the Dean-Reid meeting yesterday: "The press chorus then devolved into a cacophony of competing screams. |
| Also: Mitch Townsend, Brendan Nyhan, Brian Stelter, Taegan Goddard, David Sirota, Kevin Drum, James Joyner, Jim Romenesko | |
Beyond Brakes, Amtrak's Woes Hit the Cafe Car By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 9 - Riders on Amtrak may think that the $3.25 hot dog and the $1.50 bag of chips in the cafe car are no bargain. Neither does Amtrak. It is spending just over $2 for each dollar of food it sells on its trains, according to auditors. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: I don't really know what to make about this Amtrak food-service issue except that they'd better not eliminate the cheese-and-cracker snack. Justin @SouthernAppeal: Woe is Amtrak: Beyond Brakes, Amtrak's Woes Hit the Cafe Car [snipped quote] — Two questions: (1) How can you consistently be this inept at running a corporation? |
McQ: The Amtrack Business Model — Or, how to piddle away taxpayer money without even trying: "Riders on Amtrak may think... K. J. Lopez: More Amtrak woes—this time the cafe car, also a liability. Excuse me a sec. M y knee jerks. Privatize it all. |
From Thomas, Original Views By / WaPo — Permalink Justice Thomas: "Dope is cool." Justice Scalia: "Let the cancer patients suffer." If the headline writers characterized Supreme Court decisions the way many senators and most activists and lobbying groups do, that is how they would have characterized the Supreme Court decision this week on the use of medical marijuana in California. | |
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Ace: UPDATE: In Friday's Washington Post ("free" registration required; jerks), Charles Krauthammer wrote about the... John Hawkins: What The Debate Over Judges Is Really About — Charles Krauthammer puts his finger on what we should be really debating... John Cole: The Hammer on Thomas — Great piece by Krauthammer: [snipped quote] And while we are at it, it dovetails nicely with this... |
McQ: Today, Charles Krauthammer has a great article making precisely the same point I made as he discusses Justice Thomas's... Betsy Newmark: Charles Krauthammer puts his finger on what we should be really debating when we debate these judicial nominations: how they think and decide. |
Durbin blames 'right wing' By / Washington Times — Permalink The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate yesterday blamed "the right wing" and elements of the press "in service to it" for repeating Howard Dean's remarks about Republicans and inflating them out of proportion. | |
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McQ: VRWC - Version 2.0 — The word that immediately came to mind when I read this was "laughable". Captain Ed: After some disarray on how to handle their out-of-control party chairman, leading Democrats have finally arrived at a strategy to unite behind Howard Dean and his overactive mouth. Mitch Townsend: The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy is Alive and Well — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D NM) and Minority Whip Richard... |
Paul @PowerLine: Ingrates — Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin has blamed "the right wing" and elements of the press "in service to it"... Hugh Hewitt: The Dems' #2 in the Senate, the usually forgettable Dick Durbin, did however manage to blame the press and the... K. J. Lopez: On top of Dick Durbin's little echo of Howard Dean's "White Christian" nonsense yesterday on the Senate floor during the... |
Roadside Bomb Kills Five Marines in Iraq By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - A roadside bomb killed five U.S. Marines during combat operations in western Iraq, and the bodies of 21 Iraqis were found scattered in separate locations near a town close to the Syrian border considered an insurgent hotbed, officials and witnesses said Friday. | |
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Edward _: Uncomfortably Numb — I remember when a headline like this made me angry and sad...now it just makes me numb: "Roadside... |
Jeff Quinton: UPDATE AP "Five U.S. Marines were killed by a roadside bomb in western Iraq, the military said Friday. |
Gonzo Gitmo charade By / Washington Times — Permalink Thank you, Michael Isikoff. Because of Newsweek's Commode Koran story — the one that went down the drain in a retraction — a previously undisclosed threat to our very existence has been revealed. | |
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Roger Kimball: Waugh would have smirked when, after the Isikoff story turned out to be false, other members of the Fourth Estate, their... |
Paul @PowerLine: The unclean hands doctrine — In her weekly column, Diana West takes a look at the code of conduct in place for dealing with the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. |
Va. Gov. Takes Steps Towards Presidential Run By / WaPo — Permalink RICHMOND, June 10 — Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) is forming a federal political action committee and has hired a former top aide to Vice President Al Gore to advise him on national politics, the governor's top political aide in Virginia said. | |
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James Joyner: Va. Gov. Takes Steps Towards Presidential Run (WaPo) [snipped quote] What's interesting is that Warner's predecessor, Allen, is involved in both options. John J. Miller: WARNER WARNING — My governor wants to be your president. He raised my taxes. He'd probably try to raise yours, too. |
Ezra Klein: Warner 08? Looks like VA governor Mark Warner will be running for president. Think Evan Bayh, but from the South and touting a background in the tech industry. |
Terror allegations disappear from court filing By / Christian Science Monitor — Permalink The Los Angeles Times reports that the Federal Bureau of Invesigation apparently gave the media a different, far more damaging version of an affidavit against a Lodi, California father and son charged with lying to federal officials than the one that was finally given to a court in Sacramento Thursday. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: For example, see Tom Regen, Christian Science Monitor, "Terror Allegations Disappear from Court Findings." |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Confusion in the Lodi al Qaeda Case — Via the CSM we get the following: Terror allegations disappear from court filing... |
Kaptur alerts colleagues of unfolding scandal By / Toledo Blade — Permalink WASHINGTON - As the word spread Tuesday night that the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation had lost $215 million in a high-risk investment, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur alerted her colleagues to the mounting concerns in her home state. | |
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The Poorman: WOODEN NICKELS [Jonah Goldberg] Everybody is crying about the $225 million dollars in public money that the Ohio... |
Jerome Armstrong: National Democrats from Ohio are also speaking out. Republicans :: Fri Jun 10th, 2005 at 12:16:35 PM EDT :: 11 Comments |
Inside Politics By / Washington Times — Permalink It turns out President Bush, who jokes about being a "C student" in school, was not the worst student running for president last year. Sen. John Kerry has finally authorized release of his military files, and the Boston Globe reported yesterday that the records include Mr. Kerry's grades while an undergraduate at Yale University. | |
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PoliPundit: RCP, on John Kerry's claim to have signed form SF-180 and released his military records: [snipped quote] (via Kausfiles, natch) |
Steve Soto: Pot, Meet Kettle — "Howard Dean reminds me of one of these old soldiers from previous wars you find in a cave somewhere... |
Envy Them? No. Tax Them? Oh Yeah. By / LAT — Permalink There are certainly subjects that liberals refuse to discuss without resorting to hysteria and name-calling. (Ask Harvard President Lawrence Summers, who has spent much of the year groveling abjectly for having delicately suggested the possibility that maybe inherent differences play a role in the paucity of female scientists.) | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Update: Jonathan Chait writes about the same stuff in the LA Times. | bar.jpg DJ Drummond: In a column for the LA Times ("93% fact free since 1991") titled "Envy Them? No. Tax Them? |
McQ: UPDATE: Jonathan Chait joins the chorus in today's LA Times: "In recent weeks, three of the nation's leading newspapers have taken on this topic. |
As Africans Join Iraqi Insurgency, U.S. Counters With Military Training in Their Lands By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 9 - A growing number of Islamic militants from northern and sub-Saharan Africa are fighting American and Iraqi forces in Iraq, fueling the insurgency with foot soldiers and some financing, American military officials say. | |
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Faiz @ThinkProgress: In reality, the Iraq war is spawning a new generation of foreign insurgent fighters who are taking the skills and... |
Billmon: A small vanguard of veterans are also returning home to countries like Morocco and Algeria, poised to use skills they... |
Saddam lawyers 'left in the dark' BBC — Permalink Saddam Hussein's lawyers say they have not yet been given any details of the case against him. Iraq's government has said the former leader could go on trial within months over alleged crimes against humanity. | |
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Gateway Pundit: Poor "Wittle" Dictator — Saddam Hussein's lawyers are making complaints today that they have not been given details of the case against their client. Dr. Steven Taylor: Saddam Trial Update — Via the BBC: Saddam lawyers 'left in the dark' [snipped quote] Indeed, while it is certainly the... |
Jeff Goldstein: Saddam's lawyers say they are being kept in the dark — From the BBC: [snipped quote] Well, leaving aside the dubious... |
U.S. Has 'Credible' Word of Syrian Plot to Kill Lebanese By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 9 - The United States has received "credible information" that Syrian operatives in Lebanon plan to try to assassinate senior Lebanese political leaders and that Syrian military intelligence forces are returning to Lebanon to create "an environment of intimidation," a senior administration official said Thursday. | |
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Captain Ed: A "senior administration official" told at least two media outlets yesterday that the US has credible intelligence of... Steve Soto: Yet Steven Weisman of the Times reports that the intelligence community hasn't even seen this information and hasn't even had the chance to verify it. |
Jan Haugland: Syria plots to kill Lebanese According to a senior administration official, US intelligence has received "credible... K. J. Lopez: SYRIA'S CEDAR HIT LIST NYT: [quote] WASHINGTON, June 9 - The United States has received "credible information" that Syrian...[end quote] |
I'm Trying To Learn Arabic By / Slate — Permalink When I walked into Arabic class last week, Karam, my teacher, cheerily asked me how I was doing. I said, "Tamaam, hamdulillah," which means, "Fine, thanks be to God." But I was lying. I'd just spent a full day at work and was sitting down at a desk for two hours of mind-bending grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. | |
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Phillip Carter: Linguistic Lag — Robert Lane Greene has an interesting column in Slate on the difficulties one encounters when trying to learn Arabic. Ogged @Unfogged: But Arabic is really killing me. Lots of entertaining details for all the language mavens in these here parts. |
Jan Haugland: Yeah right Robert Lane Greene has successfully convinced me to not even attempt learning Arabic. |
Affidavit Changed in Terrorism Accusation LAT — Permalink SACRAMENTO — Attorneys for a Central Valley father and son arrested in connection with a broad FBI terrorism probe plan to challenge the government case in court today over significantly differing versions of the affidavit used to charge the two men. | |
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Dr. Steven Taylor: The LAT story has the details (albeit they are somewhat confused): "Federal prosecutors blamed the problem on confusion... Jeralyn Merritt: Affidavit Changed in Lodi Terror Case — The most sensationalized details in the charges against the Lodi, CA terror... |
Roger Ailes: To Live and Lie In Lodi — The Bush FBI claims incompetence, which is certainly possible, but that doesn't explain why... |
Bush stops in Ohio, sidesteps coin case By / Toledo Blade — Permalink COLUMBUS - President Bush yesterday traveled to Ohio to talk about terrorism, but he arrived in the midst of the biggest statewide scandal in years and to a crowd of angry "Coingate" protesters. | |
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Kos @DailyKos: Such as these guys: "Toni Brandon, 33, said she hadn't read or heard any news about Mr. Noe or the Bureau of Workers' Compensation scandal. |
Jerome Armstrong: Noe evil — Some examples of the signs that met Bush in Ohio: "Mr. President, Give back all of my money," "What ethics?"... |
Congressman's Book Calls C.I.A. Unfit By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 8 - In a new book, a Republican congressman denounces the Central Intelligence Agency, accusing it of "gross incompetence" for dismissing an Iranian expatriate who he says offered critical information about terrorist threats, the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and Iran's nuclear weapons program. | |
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Steve M.: Perhaps you saw this story in yesterday's New York Times about a new book published by Regnery: In a new book, a... |
Praktike: ... Dana Priest has a similar story, as does the Times. |
Panel Would Cut Public Broadcasting Aid By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 9 - A House Appropriations panel on Thursday approved a spending bill that would cut the budget for public television and radio nearly in half and eliminate a $23 million federal program that has provided some money for producing children's... | |
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Magpie @PacificViews: Yesterday, a House panel voted to cut the CPB's funding almost in half and to kill altogether a program that funds public TV programs for children. |
Ace: Budget Cuts For Public Broadcasting - Zelda of The Urban Grind — It looks like the budget for public television and radio will be cut in half. |