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Dems Say Rove Should Apologize or Resign By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Democrats said Thursday that White House adviser Karl Rove should either apologize or resign for accusing liberals of wanting "therapy and understanding" for the Sept. 11 attackers, escalating partisan rancor that threatens to consume Washington. | |
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Baldilocks: UPDATE: I posted the whole Daou column. UPDATE: The playground war continues. John @PowerLine: Dems Try To Change the Subject — The Democrats, apparently hoping to stop the bleeding resulting from Dick Durbin's... Garance Franke-Ruta: Harry Reid, Howard Dean, and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer have already called for Rove to apologize. I heartily concur. |
Norbizness: Tony Randall: I certainly did, Jeff. And I'm just illustrating our basic difference in our basic philosophy. Kevin Drum: But note the Republican response to criticism from Democrats: [snipped quote] In fact, far from backing down, McClellan... Lorie Byrd: Some Democrats are calling for Karl Rove to apologize or resign for these comments. |
| Also: John Hawkins, Barbara O'Brien, David Sirota, Gateway Pundit, Michelle Malkin, Avedon Carol, Josh Marshall, K. J. Lopez, Chris Andersen, Orrin Judd, Dale Franks, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings | |
High court OKs personal property seizures AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — -- The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses — even against their will — for private economic development. | |
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John @PowerLine: Your Property Will Be Better Off In My Hands — There is a lot of blogosphere buzz about the Supreme Court's Kelo... Bill @INDCJournal: The Supreme Court's decision against property rights: Whether you're conservative or libertarian (or liberal with a... Jeff Goldstein: ATTACK OF THE JUDICIAL NANNYSTATE — That's right, the Supreme Court has just expanded the government's right to seize... |
Donald Sensing: Churches, synagogues and mosques are now number one targets — Crony capitalism gets the high court green light; houses... C. D. Harris: Life, Liberty, And Property — [snipped quote] Disagreeing with both of the above, the US SupCt ruled today that local... Jack Grant: A suitable follow-up to the passage of the anti-flag burning amendment...can be found here: [snipped quote] In other... |
| Also: Steve Verdon, James Joyner, John Hawkins, Steve Bainbridge, Michelle Malkin, Glenn Reynolds, David Sirota, DJ Drummond, Roger Ailes, Tyler Cowen, Feddie @SouthernAppeal | |
Rove Criticizes Liberals on 9/11 By / NYT — Permalink Karl Rove came to the heart of Manhattan last night to rhapsodize about the decline of liberalism in politics, saying Democrats responded weakly to Sept. 11 and had placed American troops in greater danger by criticizing their actions. | |
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Michael J. Totten: Look at Karl Rove's latest outburst. LeanLeft: Filed under: Politics Iraq Terrorism — Kevin Karl Rove thinks liberals like me want to see soldiers like my little... Betsy: What is interesting is how fast the Democrats were to jump up and claim that Rove was talking about them when he said "liberals." |
Jason Van Steenwyk: The genius of Karl Rove — Once again, Karl Rove has tied the Democrats in knots. With their own rope. Richard TPD: As you know by now, last night Bush's deputy chief of staff Karl Rove said that while conservatives wanted to deal... Blackfive: Nor is expressing outrage after the Trib quote... Anyway, here is what Karl Rove said: "Conservatives saw the savagery... |
| Also: Von @ObsidianWings, Hunter @DailyKos, Baldilocks, Cernig, Norbizness, Kevin Drum, Echidne, Garance Franke-Ruta, Barbara O'Brien, Paul @Wizbang, Captain Ed, Michelle Malkin, Joe Gandelman, Avedon Carol, Scott Sala, Chris Andersen, Josh Marshall, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, Jeralyn Merritt, Riggsveda @Corrente | |
Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Cities may bulldoze people's homes to make way for shopping malls or other private development, a divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday, giving local governments broad power to seize private property to generate tax revenue. | |
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Acidman: piss poor decision — I totally disagree with the Supreme Court's decision that government can steal your property for... Michelle Malkin: YOUR HOME IS NOT YOUR CASTLE — The Supreme Court's decision in the New London eminent domain case is in, and it's a... H.D. Miller: Kelo: A Terrible Decision — The Supreme Court decision favoring the City of New London over small homeowners in an emminent domain case is a terrible, terrible decision. |
Randall Parker: US Supreme Court Rewrites 5th Amendment And Reduces Property Rights — In the matter of Susette Kelo, et al. v. City of... Julian Sanchez: What's Yours is Mine — The Supreme Court has rendered its verdict in Kelo v. New London, and the widely-expected result has come to pass: a 5-4 loss for property rights. Smash: Eminent Domain I DON'T THINK I LIKE THIS: [snipped quote] If the Supreme Court says it's kosher, I suppose that's the law of the land (for now). |
| Also: Orin Kerr, Radley Balko, Jeralyn Merritt | |
Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes By / WaPo — Permalink The Supreme Court today effectively expanded the right of local governments to seize private property under eminent domain, ruling that people's homes and businesses — even those not considered blighted — can be taken against their will for private development if the seizure serves a broadly defined "public use." | |
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James Joyner: Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes for Private Use — Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes (WaPo) "The... TheAnchoress: SCOTUS: Your local gov't knows what's best for you The Supreme Court has sided with developers over private homeowners. |
Captain Ed: We're From The Government — We're Here To Move You — The Supreme Court has ruled that cities can seize property under... Will Collier: Bad News — A horrible, horrible Supreme Court ruling today on eminent domain powers. |
Prophet of Decline By / Opinion Journal — Permalink NEW YORK—Oriana Fallaci faces jail. In her mid-70s, stricken with a cancer that, for the moment, permits only the consumption of liquids—so yes, we drank champagne in the course of a three-hour interview—one of the most renowned journalists of the modern... | |
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Harry @HarrysPlace: If you haven't read her books (and I'm not recommending you should) there is a taste of her views in a sycophantic... Steve Bainbridge: Today's Must Read — OpinionJournal.com's interview with Oriana Fallaci is today's must read. Charles Johnson: Fallaci: Citizen of the World — Oriana Fallaci is interviewed in today's OpinionJournal by Tunku Varadarajan: Citizen of the World. |
Jan Haugland: Tunku Varadarajan interviews Oriana Fallaci, who is not apologetic about her statements, but very pessimistic about the future of Europe. Roger L. Simon: The West Hates Itself — In a must read interview in today's WSJ, my heroine Oriana Fallaci speaks of her hero the new... Dale Franks: Oriana Fallaci: Going down fighting — The Wall Street Journal draws our attention to an interview with Italian... |
| Also: Betsy, Hugh Hewitt, Stefan Beck, A.M. Mora y Leon, Scott @PowerLine, Glenn Reynolds | |
Democrats Demand Retraction From Rove By / AP — Permalink (06-23) 07:52 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are demanding that White House adviser Karl Rove immediately retract and apologize for comments that liberals responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes by wanting to "prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." | |
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Paul @Wizbang: "Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11... Damian Penny: Update: now Democrats are crying foul about comments by Karl Rove: Democrats are demanding that White House adviser Karl... |
Michelle Malkin: Right. On. Democrats are now calling on Rove to apologize. Apologize? For what? Betsy: Some Democrats have their panties in a knot about Karl Rove's comments comparing how liberals and conservatives reacted to 9/11. |
Groups Call for Action Against Zimbabwe By / AP — Permalink JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) - Rights groups showed a smuggled video Thursday of hundreds of thousands of poor Zimbabweans living in the open in the winter cold after the government tore down their homes in what it describes as an urban renewal project. | |
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Mark Leon Goldberg: Loose interpretations of a government's right of eminent domain is the sort of thing we expect in Harare — not New London. |
Glenn Reynolds: TAPPED calls it an "illiberal ruling" and observes: "Loose interpretations of a government's right of eminent domain is the sort of thing we expect in Harare — not New London." |
ANATOMY OF A POLITICAL FIRESTORM By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink WASHINGTON — It was the last speech of the day to a virtually empty Senate chamber. At 7:19 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, Sen. Dick Durbin left the floor after delivering an impassioned talk expressing deep misgivings about the way prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba were being treated. | |
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Blackfive: Chicago Tribune on Dick Durbin Comments — Read this Trib article and see if you think that the Trib gets it right... Taegan Goddard: Anatomy of a Political Firestorm — The Chicago Tribune notes that what Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) "encountered over the... PoliPundit: The Durbin Saga — Dick Durbin's outrageous commens about our military would have been suppressed, but for the New... |
Baldilocks: Confessions — From the Chicago Tribune: [snipped quote] Okay, Peter, you caught me. My anger at Senator Durbin's remarks was fake. Michelle Malkin: DURBIN WATCH: AUTOPSY REPORTS — The Chicago Tribune's Jill Zuckman pokes at the entrails. |
Iraq violence shifting Arab media By / BBC — Permalink The latest bombings and bloodshed in Baghdad have meant that violence in Iraq has once again been dominating the bulletins on Arab satellite television stations. The fact that Iraqi civilians are the main victims of the attacks is increasingly being stressed in reports, interviews and comments. | |
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Cori Dauber: Don't see it yourself? You must not be watching the right networks. Glenn Reynolds: On the other hand, the BBC reports that the terrorists' violence is generating some blowback: "Al Jazeera - often... |
Betsy: Here's a small sign that things may be shifting in the Arab world regarding Iraq. Jonah Goldberg: MOOD SHIFT IN THE ARAB MEDIA — This is encouraging. Arab press is starting to turn on the "resistance." |
Justices, 5-4, Back Seizure of Property for Development AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights. | |
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John Cole: Property Rights- A Quaint Idea — This is a terrible ruling: "A divided Supreme Court ruled that local governments may... Forkum: Property Wrongs — From The New York Times: Justices, 5-4, Back Seizure of Property for Development. |
Don: A Supreme Court decision today, with all the liberals voting in favor, has cleared the way for government to condemn... Nathan Newman: More Supremes Doing Nothing — The Supreme Court once again did its job by doing nothing, upholding a local eminent domain action in New London, CT. |
Homes may be 'taken' for private projects AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses — even against their will — for private economic development. | |
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Mark Leon Goldberg: It's hard to argue against John Paul Stevens, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer, but their ruling in Kelo v. New London is horrible. Todd Pearson: Today, Homes may be 'taken' for private projects Kennedy was the swing vote (again). |
Smash: Would this be a legitimate exercise of "eminent domain" under Kelo? [snipped quote] Does anybody else have visions of Phnom Penh circa 1975? |
Breakthrough Study at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Finds Adult Stem Cells Show Same Ability to Self-Renew as Embryonic PRNewsWire — Permalink PITTSBURGH, June 23 /PRNewswire/ — In a ground-breaking study, scientists at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh have discovered that adult, or post- natal, stem cells have the same ability as embryonic stem cells to multiply, a previously unknown characteristic indicating that post-natal stem cells may play an important therapeutic role. | |
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Betsy: I wonder if these results will get as much attention as every little criticism of Bush regarding embryonic stem cells gets. K. J. Lopez: STEM CELL NEWS—THIS LOOKS REALLY COOL "PITTSBURGH, June 23 /PRNewswire/ — In a ground-breaking study, scientists at... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: ON STEM CELLS — If true, this is an amazing discovery: [snipped quote] Neither would ethical dilemmas, which may very well be falling by the wayside. |
Why the Rebels Will Lose By / LAT — Permalink No wonder public support for the war is plummeting and finger-to-the-wind politicians are heading for the exits: All the headlines out of Iraq recently have been about the rebels' reign of terror. But, lest we build up the enemy into 10-foot-tall supermen, it's important to realize how weak they actually are. | |
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John Hawkins: Excerpt Of The Day: The Weakness Of The Iraqi Terrorists & Staying The Course In Iraq — [snipped quote] The terrorists... Andrew Sullivan: STAYING THE COURSE: Two great columns today from David Brooks and Max Boot. I second both. |
McQ: Failing Insurgency 101 — Max Boot takes us through the reasons the insurgency in Iraq is bound to fail: "The rebels lack a unifying organization, ideology and leader. Kevin Drum: THE CASE FOR OPTIMISM....Max Boot explains today why he thinks the Iraqi insurgency is doomed: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing to get a better sense of his whole argument. |
U.S. doctors linked to POW 'torture' Toronto Star — Permalink Medical records compiled by doctors caring for prisoners at the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay are being tapped to design more effective interrogation techniques, says an explosive new report. | |
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John Cole: A policy that doesn't throw our military physicians into an ethical breach. |
John @AmericaBlog: Doctors medical records of Gitmo prisoners being turned over to military and CIA to devise better interrogation techniques — Using doctors to aid torture. |
Rumsfeld rejects notion Iraq war is a 'quagmire' By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday rejected a senator's assertion the Iraq war had become a quagmire, but warned Iraq's government not to delay political developments such as drafting a consTitution. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: "A Lifeline to Terrorists" — From the WaPo: [quote] Of a [Iraq withdrawal] deadline, Rumsfeld testified: "It would throw a...[end quote] Judd @ThinkProgress: McClellan Can't Handle The Truth — At today's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Army Gen. John Abizaid criticized... |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Living in the Past — Here's a gem from Whiskey Ted Kennedy and Reuters: [snipped quote] And the scary and surreal part??? |
Air Force Academy Staff Found Promoting Religion By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 22 - An Air Force panel sent to investigate the religious climate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs found evidence that officers and faculty members periodically used their positions to promote their Christian beliefs and failed to accommodate the religious needs of non-Christian cadets, its leader said Wednesday. | |
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PatHMV @Centerfield: As the New York Times reports, the Superintendent seems to take it seriously. James Joyner: Religious Insensitivity Cited at Air Force Academy — Air Force Academy Staff Found Promoting Religion (NYT | RSS) "An... Pudentilla: whitewashed in the blood of the lamb — [snipped quote] you now how democrats love to demonize christians. |
Hugh Hewitt: The anti-religious expression zealots at Barry Lynn's shop are going to have to be satisfied with a couple of distorted... James Martin Capozzola: The news out of Colorado Springs, Colo., is disturbing ("Air Force Academy Staff Found Promoting Religion," by Laurie... |
Rove: Dems don't understand post-9/11 world AP — Permalink NEW YORK - Speaking in a ballroom just a few miles north of ground zero, Karl Rove said the Democratic party did not understand the consequences of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. | |
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Kos @DailyKos: Rove plays 9-11 for political gain — There goes Rove again, trying to invoke 9-11 to rescue his boss's flagging fortunes. |
Judd @ThinkProgress: Karl Rove, 6/22/05: "Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers. |
Pataki calls Sen. Clinton 'hypocritical', rejects demand he repudiate Rove remarks AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton demanded Thursday that Gov. George Pataki object to a top White House advisor's comments about liberals' response to Sept. 11. In return, Pataki called Clinton a hypocrite. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: George Pataki, on Hillary's call for a Rove apology: [snipped quote] — When the weak horse saddle fits, you have to ride it. |
Atrios: Clinton Demands Pataki Repudiation — As she should. |
Rumsfeld: US not losing Iraq war BBC — Permalink Donald Rumsfeld has said the US is not losing the Iraq war and it would be a mistake to set a timetable for American troops to leave the country. To set a deadline would "send a lifeline to terrorists", he told House and Senate committees. | |
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Hooman Majd: Hooman Majd: From Freedom is Messy to Success Ain't Easy — In Senate hearings on Thursday, Donald Rumsfeld maintained... |
Gregory Djerejian: Syria Watch — Abizaid, today: [snipped quote] Meantime: [snipped quote] The temperature is certainly hotting up yet a few more notches between Damascus and Washington. |
The Durbin Effect By / Weekly Standard — Permalink ON MONDAY, it was argued here that Senator Richard Durbin ought to be censured for his remarks last week, and not just those in which he made the outrageous comparison between interrogation tactics at Guantanamo and the practices of the Nazi, Soviet, and Khmer Rouge regime. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: "The Durbin Effect" is my WeeklyStandard.com column this morning, on the continuing effort by senior Democrats in Congress to smear the American military. Scott @PowerLine: But you might be able to learn something from his Daily Standard column this morning: "The Durbin effect." |
La Shawn Barber: Pitiful. Update: More on slander and the Durbin Effect. Michelle Malkin: Hugh Hewitt analyzes The Durbin Effect: [snipped quote] True that. Kevin at MediaSlander has the latest example. |
CIA chief has 'excellent idea' where bin Laden is CNN — Permalink (CNN) — CIA Director Porter Goss says he has an "excellent idea" where Osama bin Laden is hiding, but that the al Qaeda chief will not be caught until weak links in the war on terrorism are strengthened. | |
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Garance Franke-Ruta: The United States defeated Adolf Hitler's army and the Italian fascists in three and a half years, but nearly four years... |
Armando @DailyKos: And what has the Bush Administration done? Osama bin Laden. |
Rumsfeld Brushes Aside Call for Resignation Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — Tense exchanges percolated throughout Capitol Hill Thursday as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (search) fended off calls for his resignation, rejected calls for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq and urged patience in the face of continued terror attacks there. | |
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Cori Dauber: Interesting, by the way, that Fox shows the Generals and Rumsfeld pushing back (and pushing back hard) against Kennedy's contention that the war is a quagmire. |
Jeff Goldstein: Ted Kennedy reasserts his love for America and for its troops by calling their efforts a miserable failure — Dissent... |
Timeline for Iraq Pullout Would Aid Insurgents, Rumsfeld Says By / NYT — Permalink Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today that setting a timeline for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq would give a "lifeline for terrorists." And in a spirited defense of the war, he invoked Abraham Lincoln and the American revolution. | |
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Arianna Huffington: But no one's laughing anymore. "Timing in war is never predictable," he said. "There are no guarantees," he said. |
Armando @DailyKos: See, when it comes to Iraq, international law be damned. And, by the way, what kind of results are we getting from Bush on Iraq? |
Rove: Democrats Didn't Understand 9/11 Consequences By / AP — Permalink NEW YORK - Speaking in a ballroom just a few miles north of ground zero, Karl Rove said the Democratic party did not understand the consequences of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war." | |
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Captain Ed: Karl Rove's criticisms enraged Democrats, who today demanded a retraction: "Karl Rove came to the heart of Manhattan... |
Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — Karl Rove, quoted by the AP, in a speech last night in New York. Link | Related News |
Justices, 5-4, Back Seizure of Property for Development By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 23 - The Supreme Court ruled today, in a deeply emotional case weighing the rights of property owners and the good of the community, that local governments can sometimes seize homes and businesses and turn them over to private developers. | |
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Matt Singer: The Law versus the Legislation — I'm split on whether the Kelo decision is good law. I believe in judicial restraint and democratic processes. |
James Martin Capozzola: (See also the New York Times.) | HOME |
Senate Dems Want Consult on Court Pick By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats are urging President Bush to consult with them on a possible Supreme Court nomination to help avoid the kind of controversy that engulfed his lower court picks. | |
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Eugene Oregon: Creating, then Ignoring, the Clinton Standard — During the showdown over the filibuster, the top Republican talking... Jayson @PoliPundit: Wishful Thinking — From the AP and {who else? } Jesse Holland: "Senate Dems Want Consult on Court Pick." Riiiight. |
Wind Rider: Function: intransigent verb : to give whiny, loonbatty, and otherwise obstructionist minded democrats a big head start... |
Bush shakes money tree for Chafee By / The Hill — Permalink Some of President Bush's biggest donors are hosting an event next week for Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), a centrist Republican who has frequently opposed Bush's top priorities. | |
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Alexander K. McClure: 2006 Rhode Island Senate Race — President Bush is apparently throwing his support behind Senator Lincoln Chafee, who did not support the President's re-election last fall. |
Ed Driscoll: Alexander K. McClure of PoliPundit notes that President Bush is apparently supporting Senator Lincoln Chafee in the... |
One Committee's Three Hours of Inquiry, in Surreal Time By / WaPo — Permalink Yesterday's Senate hearing into superlobbyist Jack Abramoff's alleged defrauding of Indian tribes had something for everyone. There was the yoga instructor who took the Fifth. There was the lifeguard selected to run a think tank from a beach house at Rehoboth. | |
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Tbogg: When rabbis go bad: Yesterday's Senate hearing into superlobbyist Jack Abramoff's alleged defrauding of Indian tribes had something for everyone. Zoe Kentucky: A Different Kind of A-Bomb — This review in the Washington Post of yesterday's Jack Abramoff hearings is worth reading... |
Avedon Carol: One Committee's Three Hours of Inquiry, in Surreal Time - Dana Milbank on the hearings about Jack Abramoff. Gary Farber: YOUR IDEA OF BECOMING EMPEROR STARTS TO LOOK BETTER after you read this stuff. No, not very. Just slightly. My master. |
Aruba Authorities Arrest Suspect's Dad Fox News — Permalink ORANJESTAD, Aruba — Aruban authorities on Thursday arrested Paul van der Sloot (search), the father of the 17-year-old held in connection with the disappearance of missing Alabama high school student Natalee Holloway (search). | |
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Brian Stelter: This afternoon Aruban authorities arrested Paul van der Sloot, "the father of the 17-year-old held in connection" with Natalee Holloway's disappearance. |
Justin @SouthernAppeal: Be that as it may, it is a story close to home (literally) and it just took an interesting turn...maybe. |
Pentagon Creating Student Database By / WaPo — Permalink The Defense Department began working yesterday with a private marketing firm to create a database of high school students ages 16 to 18 and all college students to help the military identify potential recruits in a time of dwindling enlistment in some branches. | |
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Marty Kaplan: According to the Washington Post, the product being marketed to these kids, you will not be shocked to learn, is enlistment in the military. Jo Fish: Because the era of Huuuuge Government is here, and it's coming for you (and your offspring). James Joyner: Pentagon Creating Student Database for Recruiting — The Washington Post fronts a report that the military is collecting... |
Nellie B: The Washington Post reports the latest maneuver: a database of high school and college students, which will enable the... Steve Soto: On a day when Rummy told Congress that it would be unwise to talk about an exit strategy and even discuss when our... Kos @DailyKos: Pentagon builds student database — Hey parents, a heads up: [snipped quote] Enlistment wasn't a problem just two years ago, before Bush and Rumsfeld broke our military. |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt, The Farmer | |
Arrests Follow Searches in Medical Marijuana Raids By / NYT — Permalink SAN FRANCISCO, June 22 - Federal agents executed search warrants at three medical marijuana dispensaries on Wednesday as part of a broad investigation into marijuana trafficking in San Francisco, setting off fears among medical marijuana advocates that a federal crackdown on the drug's use by sick people was beginning. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Posted on June 23, 2005 | Permalink | Comments | 7 Trackbacks Federal Government's War Against Medical Marijuana Begins... Ann Althouse: The NYT reports: [snipped quote] These actions come two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the extension of... |
Nick Gillespie: Cracking Down on Medical Marijuana (Stupid California AG Edition) Here's Bill Lockyer, California's Attorney General... |
House Passes Constitutional Amendment to Ban Flag Burning By / WaPo — Permalink A constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to ban flag burning passed the House yesterday, and congressional leaders said it has a strong chance to clear the Senate for the first time, sending it to the states for ratification. | |
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Captain Ed: The measure now goes to the Senate, which has killed it in years past on a more partisan basis, but the Washington Post... Mitch Berg: Flag Burning — Dumb Idea: Banning Flag Burning. |
Avedon Carol: In The Washington Post — The Mothers back by the Joshua Lightshow Music to Your Eyes House Passes Constitutional Amendment to Ban Flag Burning by Mike Allen. |
Rove: Dems Didn't Get 9/11 Consequences By / AP — Permalink NEW YORK - Speaking in a Manhattan ballroom just a few miles north of ground zero, Karl Rove said on Wednesday night that the Democratic party did not understand the consequences of the Sept. 11 attacks. "Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war." | |
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John Hawkins: Here are the remarks from Rove that are drawing the Dems' ire: [quote] "Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and...[end quote] Steve M.: ... —AP Yeah, Karl? You think so? Well, we wanted bin Laden dead or in custody. Venkat @BeggingToDiffer: As expected, Karl Rove captures the split in reactions to 9-11: [snipped quote] I urge anyone who thinks the issue is that black and white to read Ghost Wars. |
Kriston @BeggingToDiffer: Let's go to the tapes and see whether we can suss out Rove's meaning: [snipped quote] There's at least no syntactic... John Cole: Karl Rove's Folly — If you don't understand why Karl Rove's remarks are pissing off Democrats, let's look at some more... Alexander K. McClure: Karl Rove on the Prowl — Karl Rove is stepping up the assault on Democrats, with some very punchy lines. |
The Real News in the Downing Street Memos By / LAT — Permalink It is now nine months since I obtained the first of the "Downing Street memos," thrust into my hand by someone who asked me to meet him in a quiet watering hole in London for what I imagined would just be a friendly drink. The source was a friend. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Clear and Present — Michael Smith, the London Times reporter who introducted the world to the Downing Street Memos,... Pudentilla: awol went to war months before congress passed the authorizing legislation — [snipped quote] if we lived in a democracy,... |
Kevin Drum: The real news, he says in the LA Times today, is that Tony Blair knew the war was illegal and was fishing around for a... |
Eine Kleine Biographie By / Opinion Journal — Permalink I have read the Hillary book by Ed Klein, which has been heavily dumped on by conservatives, and understandably. In terms of political impact it is not a takedown but a buildup. Dick Morris says its sensational charges will only "embolden" her. | |
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Vanderleun: PEGGY NOONAN has read the Klein biography of Hillary Clinton so you don't have to. Damian Penny: Captain Ed, Glenn Reynolds, John Podhertz, Michelle Malkin, Jim Geraghty, Decision '08, Peggy Noonan, Bill O'Reilly...all of them agree that the book is, um, sensationalist trash. Tbogg: No. Really. I have read the Hillary book by Ed Klein, which has been heavily dumped on by conservatives, and understandably. |
Jesse Taylor: Of course, there's also Nooners making the case that someone needs to write a worse book with more footnotes. S.Z.: Deep Thoughts, by Peggy Noonan This week, Peggy's column is about Ed Klein's Hillary book, and how, while it tells the... TheAnchoress: UPDATE: Count Peggy Noonan among those who have seem to have some suspicions about Klein's work here, and who feel the... |
| Also: K. J. Lopez | |
Democrats Say 2004 Election System Failed in Ohio By / WaPo — Permalink Democratic Party officials charged yesterday that the election system in Ohio broke down in last year's presidential race, citing numerous problems that frustrated or disenfranchised voters while concluding there was no evidence of fraud in the outcome. | |
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McQ: Still whining about Ohio — All I can say is thank goodness the Democrats seem to have finally let 2000 go (well, except... Avedon Carol: These people hate America, folks. Democrats Say 2004 Election System Failed in Ohio. |
Captain Ed: The Latest Ohio Post-Mortem — No GOP Fraud Or Suppression — The Democrats' long-awaited study on the presidential... |
Daley's surprise The Hill — Permalink Harsh comments by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley surprised Sen. Dick Durbin and triggered the Illinois senator's decision to apologize Tuesday afternoon from the Senate floor for comparing the U.S. treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo to murderous regimes. | |
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Kevin Drum: Explaining that "the mayor did not realize the impact his remarks would have" doesn't cut it. That was mistake #3. |
John Cole: Daley's Naivete — Apparently Mayor Daley is dumber than even I thought: [snipped quote] How he did not understand the impact his statement would have is beyond me. |
Iraq and the Polls By / NYT — Permalink There's a reason George Washington didn't take a poll at Valley Forge. There are times in the course of war when the outcome is simply unknowable. Victory is clearly not imminent, yet people haven't really thought through the consequences of defeat. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: David Brooks of The New York Times wrote of Biden's speech: It was, in some ways, a model of what the president needs to tell the country in the weeks ahead. Tbogg: Shorter David Brooks — The illustrated David Brooks Posted by Hello Normally we would write something short and pithy,... |
Jo Fish: Bobo no Gogo — Once again, another Bobo the Chickenhawk Speaks... "On the one hand, there are signs of progress. |
Perplexing talk AP — Permalink INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Danica Patrick is upset at Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone and confused by his comments likening women to "domestic appliances." Patrick received a telephone call from Ecclestone last week during which he congratulated the Indy... | |
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Warren Bell: HARD TO ARGUE — E-mailer "IQVPart" (what is your name, anyway?) sends this. |
Kevin Drum: QUOTE OF THE WEEK...Indy racing star Danica Patrick got a telephone call from Formula 1 head honcho Bernie Ecclestone... |
U.N. uncovers torture at Guantanamo Bay By / AP — Permalink GENEVA (AP) — U.N. human rights experts said Thursday they have reliable accounts of detainees being tortured at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The experts also said Washington had not responded to their latest request to check on the conditions of terror suspects at the facility in eastern Cuba. | |
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Charles Johnson: UN Springs Into Action, Condemns US — Get a load of this outrageous AP headline: U.N. Uncovers Torture at Guantanamo Bay. |
Dave Huber: U.N. "uncovers torture" at Gitmo — Well, not exactly. But hey, that News Journal/A.P. headline really pulls you in, eh? |
House GOP Offers Plan For Social Security WaPo — Permalink After watching the Social Security debate from the sidelines, House Republican leaders yesterday embraced a new approach to Social Security restructuring that would add individual investment accounts to the program, but on a much smaller scale than the Bush administration favors. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Well, the House leadership's gone and pulled the trigger on a variant of Social Security privatization whose irresponsibility is so prodigious as to beggar the imagination. Avedon Carol: House GOP Offers Plan For Social Security - still contains private accounts, though on a "smaller scale", we're told. |
Mark Thoma: It Ain't Over 'til It's Over — If you can't get enough to read on Social Security reform, and that's hard to imagine if... |
Canada's medical gulag By / Townhall.com — Permalink Really, it's not — except when it comes to medical care. While some Americans argue that our health care system should be copying Canada's single-payer national (read: government-controlled) health care system, a recent ruling by Canada's Supreme Court ought to cause some serious reconsideration. | |
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Stirling Newberry: Atrios finds an easy way of showing the hypocrisy of the press on these matters - because the right wing uses "gulag" language all the time. |
Andrew Sullivan: DOUBLE STANDARDS WATCH: I look forward to conservatives denouncing the following equation of Canada's healthcare system with the Soviet gulag. |
Leading fugitive Saudi militant killed in Iraq By / AP — Permalink CAIRO, Egypt (AP )— One of Saudi Arabia's most-wanted suspected terrorists was killed by an airstrike during fighting with U.S. and Iraqi forces in northwest Iraq, the leader of the al-Qaida in Iraq group said in a Web statement posted Thursday. | |
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Bill Roggio: The death of Abdullah Mohammed Rashid al-Roshoud in Qaim, number 24 out of 26 on Saudi Arabia's list of most wanted terrorists provides backing to the Flypaper theory. |
Orrin Judd: KEEP SENDING THEM, WE'LL MAKE MORE: Leading fugitive Saudi militant killed in Iraq (SALAH NASRAWI, 6/23/05, AP) "One of... |
Malaysia works to sell Islam on trade benefits By / NYT — Permalink KUALA LUMPUR When he was still Malaysia's prime minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad was fond of saying that terrorism could not be defeated by invasion, but only by defeating the economic injustices that inspire it. But his message was often lost in his famously abrasive rhetoric. | |
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Jan Haugland: Malaysia's inititative for modernisation — Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is promoting moderate... Orrin Judd: JUST TRADE: Malaysia works to sell Islam on trade benefits (Wayne Arnold, 6/23/05, The New York Times) |
Daniel Drezner: The New York Times' Wayne Arnold explains: [snipped quote] Whether Abdullah is a Nixon going to China or a Mahathir in... |
Wal-Mart Is Focal Point Of Democrats' Health Bill By / WaPo — Permalink Several congressional Democrats introduced a bill yesterday that would force states to report the names of companies that have 50 or more employees who receive government-funded health care, an effort to pressure Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in particular to improve employee health coverage. | |
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Judd @ThinkProgress: Kennedy and the other bill sponsors estimate that 600,000 of Wal-Mart's 1.3 million workers do not have company insurance. |
Jonathan H. Adler: ANTI-WALMART BILL — Congressional Democrats introduce anti-Wal-Mart legislation, according to this report. |
Senator May Block Successor to Defense Policy Chief Feith By / WaPo — Permalink The senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee has warned the Pentagon that he may block the nomination of a new defense policy chief unless documents involving the departing policy head — Douglas J. Feith — are turned over for review. | |
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Captain Ed: Preparing The Next Obstructionist Target — Senate Democrats have selected their next target for their new... |
Jonathan H. Adler: LEVIN V. FEITH — Senator Levin is threatening to block confirmation of Douglas Feith's successor at the Defense Department. |
Evangelicals Building a Base in Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD — With arms outstretched, the congregation at National Evangelical Baptist Church belted out a praise hymn backed up by drums, electric guitar and keyboard. In the corner, slide images of Jesus filled a large screen. | |
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Avedon Carol: Evangelicals Building a Base in Iraq - they're not converting any Muslims, but "seducing Christians from other churches." |
Cori Dauber: Honestly, with all the stories directly related to informing the American people on progress on the war that aren't... |
Luxury store apologizes to Oprah CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Luxury store Hermes on Wednesday apologized to Oprah Winfrey for turning her away last week, saying that its Paris store was closed to set up for a public relations event when the talk show host stopped by. | |
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Jack Cluth: Luxury store apologizes to Oprah: Hermes' Paris store had rebuffed talk show host "Hermes regrets not having been able... |
Trey Ellis: (Oprah gets turned away at Hermes in Paris (after it's closed) and all I get is mistaken for a middle-aged mugger.) |
Here's What You Need to Know About Gitmo By / Newhouse News — Permalink Gitmo is the gulag equivalent of a Ben Affleck movie: no one's seen it, but everyone has an opinion about it. Given all the rhetoric that's been spilled about this sorta-kinda-not-really Death Camp, it's time we re-examine the facts, and remind ourselves what's really at stake. | |
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Betsy: James Lileks presents answers to some FAQs on Gitmo. Here are some excerpts, but read the rest for more of Lileks' inimitable brilliance. TheAnchoress: But I utterly ADORE him when he bites! Go read him here, but I can't resist sharing a few morsels with you, right here. Ace: That's Why Lileks Is Lileks, And I Can't Even Sell 100 T-Shirts — James Lileks is on f'n' fire, and he's got all the funny: [snipped quote] The whole thing. |
Hugh Hewitt: Lileks had a grand screed yesterday. Don't miss it. Two days ago he had a fine column on Gitmo. Clayton Cramer: Anyway, read this in full. It is really funny! "Q: What is Gitmo? Vanderleun: Noted — Got Yer Red Hot Gitmo Right Here [snipped quote] There's more,much more, by Lileks, James —> right here. |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds | |
Riyadh Pledges $1bn for Iraq Reconstruction Arab News — Permalink BRUSSELS, 23 June 2005 — Saudi Arabia yesterday emphasized its vision of an independent and unified Iraq and said it would extend $1 billion in the form of soft loans for the reconstruction of the war-torn country. | |
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Praktike: And the Saudis may help out some on the money front: In his keynote address, Prince Saud stressed the importance of... |
Juan Cole: But the Saudis did pledge $1 bn. in reconstruction aid at Brussels, and have promised to send an ambassador. |
CIA says Iraq is now a terrorist training ground Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - The CIA believes the Iraq insurgency poses an international threat and may produce better-trained Islamic terrorists than the 1980s Afghanistan war that gave rise to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, officials said on Wednesday. | |
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Bill Roggio: The latest report indicates that terrorists are gaining "a broad range of skills, from car bombings and assassinations... |
Eriposte @LeftCoaster: The Far Right stands for a weak America - weakened by significantly underfunding and compromising homeland security, by... |
In Ohio Vote, Woes, Yes, Fraud, No By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 22 - A five-month study for the Democratic National Committee found that more than one in four Ohio voters experienced problems at the polls last fall, , but the study did not find evidence of widespread election fraud that might have contributed to President Bush's narrow victory there. | |
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Larry Kudlow: According to the New York Times, a DNC study concluded that, while young voters and black voters experienced "problems"... |
Taegan Goddard: DNC Study Finds No Vote Fraud in Ohio — [snipped quote] the New York Times reports. Link | Related News |
Flight 15 to Basra: Few Perks, but No Bombs. No Complaints. By / NYT — Permalink ABOARD FLIGHT 15, over southern Iraq - The smiling flight attendants strode down the aisle of the Boeing 727 in crisp green uniforms, handing out cold cans of soda and pieces of cake. | |
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Cori Dauber: But this morning, on the front page of the Times, I'm redeemed somewhat. "Flight 15 to Basra: Few Perks, but No Bombs. |
K. J. Lopez: SAFE FLIGHT NYTIMES: "ABOARD FLIGHT 15, over southern Iraq - The smiling flight attendants strode down the aisle of... |
Parents of son charged in beating may lose girl By / Detroit News — Permalink MADISON HEIGHTS — The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office on Thursday will attempt to permanently end the parental rights of a Madison Heights couple who police say neglected to seek medical help for their daughter after her older brother allegedly beat her over her relationship with a non-Muslim boy. | |
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Charles Johnson: Religion of Misogyny in Michigan — The 15-year old girl in this case is lucky to be alive: Parents of son charged in beating may lose girl. |
Marc @USSNeverdock: Americans might want to think about that because this is what you get from Islam. [snipped quote] Did you note her "crime"? |
Mexico Detains Man Thought Tied to Terror By / AP — Permalink CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico - A Lebanese-born man detained this week on Mexico's Baja California peninsula is believed linked to extremist organizations with ties to the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Mexican prosecutors said. | |
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Captain Ed: The AP reports that US officials have concerns that al-Qaeda may try to stage attacks on the US from Mexico or Central... Michelle Malkin: 1) From AP last week: "A day after he was expelled from Mexico, a man who once ran a Southern California aerospace... |
Charles Johnson: Baja Jihad — Mexico Detains Man Thought Tied to Terror. Vanderleun: Scanning the headlines this morning I came across "Mexico Detains Man Thought Tied to Terror." |
Governor is caught off guard, on camera Houston Chronicle — Permalink AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry thought he was off-camera, but a Houston television station caught the governor using an abbreviated version of a 12-letter word best left in the locker room. Perry called the reporter on Tuesday and apologized for the "inappropriate" word. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Crooks and Liars has the video. Perry has telephoned the reporter and apologized. |
Roger Ailes: Governor Goodhair Says "Adios, Mofo," Not Motherf**ker, Motherlover, Motherfrigger or Mickificki-er" — We await Dennis Prager's demand for Perry's resignation. |
Spain's govt 'twisted' bombings for gains - report Reuters — Permalink MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's previous center-right government "manipulated and twisted" the Madrid train bombings of March 2004 in a bid to salvage general elections three days later, a parliamentary commission found on Wednesday. | |
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Atrios: Meanwhile in Spain — Link: MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's previous center-right government "manipulated and twisted" the... Dr. Steven Taylor: Back to the Politics of 3/11 — Spain's govt 'twisted' bombings for gains [snipped quote] This finding doesn't surprise... |
Josh Marshall: Birds of a feather ... (from Reuters) [snipped quote] Atrios has more here. |
House Approves Flag-Burning Amendment By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The House on Wednesday approved a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to ban desecration of the American flag, a measure that for the first time stands a chance of passing the Senate as well. | |
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Bill @INDCJournal: Assaults on Liberty (Pithy) Flag burning amendment: Doesn't a constitutional amendment criminalizing flag burning... Acidman: She doesn't support a Constitution amendment to outlaw flag-burning, and neither do I. I believe that the entire issue... Norbizness: What is there really to say about the House's decision to again pass the anti-flag burning Constitutional amendment that hasn't already been said? |
Jan Haugland: For that reason, I also think the United States would take a significant step in the wrong direction by prohibiting flag-burning. Steve M.: The flag amendment has been approved by the House, but AP says it's likely to fall about two votes short in the Senate. Donald Sensing: (BTW, I oppose the flag-burning amendment.) The whole thing smells fishy to me. |
| Also: Arthur Chrenkoff, Jack Cluth, Mimus Pauly, Joe Gandelman, Damian Penny, Michael J. Totten, Commissar, Dr. Steven Taylor, Gerry @DalyThoughts, Liberal Atheist, Zoe Kentucky, John Cole, James Joyner, Matt Welch, Smash, Glenn Reynolds, Eugene Volokh, Andrew Sullivan, K. J. Lopez, Justin @SouthernAppeal | |
O'Connor, Not Rehnquist? By / Weekly Standard — Permalink Warning: THIS IS SPECULATION. Obviously, I think it's somewhat well-informed speculation, or else I wouldn't be writing this. But it is speculation. (1) There will be a Supreme Court resignation within the next week. But it will be Justice O'Connor, not Chief Justice Rehnquist. | |
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Natasha @PacificViews: Bill Kristol suggests that Gonzales is Bush's choice to replace O'Connor on the Supreme Court. Betsy: Bill Kristol speculates that Rehnquist will not retire next week, but O'Connor will. Dr. Steven Taylor: A Gonzalez Court? William Kristol is doing some SC guessing at the Weekly Standard. |
Ramesh Ponnuru: GONZALES FOR O'CONNOR? That's Bill Kristol's "somewhat well-informed speculation." Jeffrey Dubner: Later that week, if you believe Bill Kristol or the conventional wisdom pre-last week, a Supreme Court justice will resign. Spoons: So says Speculation by Bill Kristol. Fortunately, Kristol is notoriously bad at predicting... well... anything. |
| Also: Orrin Judd, Orin Kerr, Hugh Hewitt, John Hawkins, Pejman Yousefzadeh, James Joyner, Lorie Byrd, Nathan Hallford, Gail Heriot, John Podhoretz, John Cole | |
The War is Over, and We Won By / American Enterprise Magazine — Permalink Your editor returned to Iraq in April and May of 2005 for another embedded period of reporting. I could immediately see improvements compared to my earlier extended tours during 2003 and 2004. The Iraqi security forces, for example, are vastly more competent, and in some cases quite inspiring. | |
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Smash: Or would they just blame Bush? KARL ZINSMEISTER, on the other hand, may be a little too optimistic. Kevin Drum: IRAQ THROUGH ROSE COLORED GLASSES...Via Instapundit, the American Enterprise's Karl Zinsmeister tells us that the war... Ace: The War's Over? So says this guy. I made a similar point a long time ago. Back when there was just as much violence as this recent murder-Tet. |
Gary Farber: ADDEUNDUM: Whoops, it turns out I didn't keep my eye on the ball, and the whole thing is over: "The War is Over, and... Andrew Sullivan: "WE'VE WON IN IRAQ": Well, it's an argument worth reading. James Joyner: The War is Over, and We Won — Karl Zinsmeister, Editor-in-Chief of The American Enterprise, proclaims "The War is Over, and We Won." |
| Also: Ed Driscoll, Scott @PowerLine, Bill @INDCJournal, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Glenn Reynolds, PoliPundit, K. J. Lopez | |
AFI List of Top 100 Quotes From U.S. Films AP — Permalink 1. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," "Gone With the Wind," 1939. 2. "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse," "The Godfather," 1972. 3. "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. | |
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Ace: AFI's Top 100 Movie Quotes — If you care about these dumb lists. I find this list especially lame. Gary Farber: What most strikes me about the American Film Institutes' List of Top 100 Quotes From U.S. Films is that if you clear out... Steve @BeggingToDiffer: QUOTABLE FILM — The American Film Institute has released a list of the Top 100 Movie Quotes. |
Ann Althouse: Those 100 AFI quotes. Okay, I'm game. I'll TiVo-blog, numbering each entry. Watch for continuous updates. Jan Haugland: The Usual Suspects — The American Film Institute is 100 years old, and has asked a huge jury to select the 100 most memorable movie quotes of all time. Tom Maguire: I've Got A Bad Feeling About This... Political junkies will wonder - where are: (a) "What do we do now?", from The... |
| Also: David Sirota, Roger L. Simon, Patrick Carver, C. D. Harris | |
O'Reilly: FBI should arrest the "clowns" at Air America Radio for being traitors Media Matters for America — Permalink Responding to controversial comments by Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) regarding the treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said that Americans "must know the difference between dissent from the Iraq war and the war on terror and undermining it," and that "any American who undermines that war ... is a traitor." | |
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Gary Farber: Bill O'Reilly, rumored to be a broadcaster of some sort, is quoted as, apparently, saying: [snipped quote] If only I... Lindsay Beyerstein: O'Reilly calls for arrest of Air America staff — Talkshow host Bill O'Reilly says FBI should arrest the "clowns" at Air... |
Atrios: O'Reilly Calls for the Arrest and Detention of the Entire Air America Staff — Hilarious: Everybody got it? |
No One to Demonize By / WaPo — Permalink In the absence of an antiwar movement, the American people have turned against the war in Iraq. Those two facts, I suspect, are connected. There was a very real antiwar movement early on. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: He wins by sheer meanness. by demonizing the opposition. So now he's trying to build up Junior by smearing a whole lot of American citizens. Matthew Yglesias: Check out my colleague Harold Meyerson's column on how the absence of an anti-war movement has helped anti-war sentiment... Armando @DailyKos: Small Target (From the diaries — kos) atrios riffs on an interesting Harold Myerson column on the success of the... |
Chris Bowers: The Vast American Anti-War Movement — Harold Meyerson claims that there is no anti-war movement: "In the absence of... Atrios: No One to Demonize — Harold Meyerson begins his column: In the absence of an antiwar movement, the American people have turned against the war in Iraq. |
U.N. Procurement Official Resigns Job Fox News — Permalink UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. procurement official who has been at the center of a FOX News investigation into a possible conflict of interest involving his son has quit his job, officials at the United Nations confirmed Wednesday. | |
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Marc @USSNeverdock: He resigned yesterday. Glenn Reynolds: UNSCAM UPDATE: In the latest oil-for-food casualty, U.N. procurement official Alexander Yakovlev has resigned. (Via Roger Simon). |
Roger L. Simon: The bigger they are... Apropos my post of yesterday, UN procurement official Alexander Yakovlev has resigned. (hat tip: Rick Ballard) K. J. Lopez: YAKOVLEV OUT — An Oil-for-Food resignation (Some background here.) |
S&L redux Economist — Permalink Who should be responsible for honouring the promises that companies make to their workers? BUTTONWOOD is not exactly counting the grey hairs yet. But in the unlikely event that her children ever finish their hugely expensive education, it would be nice to think that she could hang up her keyboard one day and devote herself to Sudokus. | |
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Brad DeLong: The Economist's Buttonwood seems to think that it is a bad thing for companies to have to fund the pensions that they... Ian Welsh: Via Brad DeLong I recently came across this gem from Buttonwood (as she continues to exemplify the Economist's long slide from usefulness) |
Atrios: I hope the publishers of the Economist have taken a long hard look at "Buttonwood's" contractual pension benefits, if there are any, and decided to cancel them. (via DeLong) |
So Many Missed Opportunities By / TCS — Permalink The time has now come for fiscal conservatives to publicly admit the truth: the Republican complicity in the great spending spree of the early 21st century has placed our agenda on life-support. By failing to cut spending while implementing tax cuts and fighting a war, we now find ourselves in a predicament. | |
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Ace: Big Spendin' Bush — Veronique de Rugy writes that you'd have to go back to the Johnson Administration to find a bigger expansion of federal spending. Michelle Malkin: BIG GOVERNMENT CHART OF THE DAY — Depressing reality check via Neal Boortz today: spree.gif The death of fiscal... |
Andrew Sullivan: Kevin Drum lays out the evidence here and calls it "criminal neglect." He's right. Andrew Stuttaford: BIG SPENDER — There's a terrific piece by the AEI's Veronique de Rugy on TCS on the administration's so-called 'compassionate conservatism' (which is, of course, neither). |
Leading Democrat Apologizes for Prisoner Abuse Remark By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 21 - After a steady drumbeat of criticism from Republicans, Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, apologized Tuesday for likening American mistreatment of detainees to the acts of "Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others - that had no concern for human beings." | |
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Kevin Aylward: Democratic Senator Robert Byrd and Republican Senator Rick Santorum both quickly apologized for Nazi allegories in... Tom Maguire: Readers trapped in Timesworld will never know that some leading Dems may have provided the straw that broke the... Michelle Malkin: DURBIN WATCH: IN THE NY TIMES COCOON — Hawk-eyed blogger Tom Maguire notices two important omissions in the New York Times' coverage of the Dick Durbin "apology." |
Michael Froomkin: The Durbin escapade — apologizing for remarks that were accurate — is a sign of the Democrats' problem. Glenn Reynolds: Compare to Durbin's apology: [quote] "I'm sorry if anything that I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such...[end quote] |
Democrats Call for Firing of Broadcast Chairman By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 21 - Sixteen Democratic senators called on President Bush to remove Kenneth Y. Tomlinson as head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting because of their concerns that he is injecting partisan politics into public radio and television. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: According to the New York Times, the signatories are: Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Jon Corzine (N.J.) Ed Driscoll: The Brothers Judd link to a New York Times article titled, "Democrats Call for Firing of Broadcast Chairman":... Orrin Judd: A BIG RED DOG AND LITTLE BLUE POLS (via Rick Turley): Democrats Call for Firing of Broadcast Chairman (STEPHEN LABATON,... |
Jim Romenesko: > Democrats call on Bush to remove Tomlinson from CPB post (NYT) C. D. Harris: Irony Overload — Democrats Call for Firing of Broadcast Chairman: [snipped quote] I hope you weren't drinking anything when you read that. |
House Republicans unveil Social Security plan Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled an alternative Social Security accounts proposal they hope will breathe new life into President Bush's flagging plan to restructure the retirement program. | |
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Jayson @PoliPundit: And now the GOP-controlled Congress actually is {gasp!} moving towards crafting legislation on the matter. Politics is a process. |
C. D. Harris: Ideologically Bankrupt — The real truth finally comes out: [snipped quote] IOW, they won't negotiate whether personal accounts are on the table or off it. |
Bush Energy Bill; Iraq Conflict; Rahm Emanuel Interview; Roy Blunt Interview; Abramoff Questioned CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. ANNOUNCER: A coordinated attack on Iraq. Democrats plan ways to make the most of the Bush administration's vulnerabilities. Power and the president. | |
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Greg Saunders: My previous post was awarded with a mention on CNN's "Inside the Blogs" segment that perfectly sums up why reporting on... |
Greg @TheTalentShow: UPDATE : The transcript has been posted and it perfectly sums up what's so wrong about the "Inside the Blogs" segment :... |
Klein backs off rape smear in Hannity interview meltdown Media Matters for America — Permalink Asked by interviewer Sean Hannity "about whether or not Bill [Clinton] raped her [Hillary Clinton] and conceived Chelsea that way," author Edward Klein backed off the claim in two June 21 interviews — and told two conflicting stories about his own sourcing for it in the process. | |
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Tbogg: All I got was a nasty tobacco burn... Ed Klein has officially become the national pinata of both the left and the right (John Podhoretz and Sean Hannity). Atrios: Klein the Klown — This guy totally melts down on Hannity. Not ready for prime time. |
James Joyner: Klein backs off rape smear in Hannity interview (Media Matters for America) [snipped quote] Unbelievable. via Peter Daou... |
Iraqi Rebels Refine Bomb Skills, Pushing Toll of G.I.'s Higher By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 21 - American casualties from bomb attacks in Iraq have reached new heights in the last two months as insurgents have begun to deploy devices that leave armored vehicles increasingly vulnerable, according to military records. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: On the other side of the ledger, we have the following story about a record number of increasingly effective insurgent attacks: [snipped quote] I link. Hugh Hewitt: The New York Times ran a story today that reports on the 33 American deaths in Iraq in May and the 35 so far in June, and to the increasing sophistication of the terrorists' IEDs. |
Kevin Drum: UPDATE: There's also this from the New York Times today: "American casualties from bomb attacks in Iraq have reached... |
U.S. House Approves Constitutional Amendment to Protect Flag Bloomberg — Permalink June 22 (Bloomberg) — The House of Representatives approved, for the fifth time, a constitutional amendment to ban the desecration of the U.S. flag, setting the stage for a close vote in the Senate, which has previously rejected the measure. | |
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TChris: Members of Congress who elevate symbols of freedom above actual freedom are again trying to amend the Constitution to... |
Lindsay Beyerstein: Philosoraptor called it — Some legislators would elevate their perverse fetishes to Constitutional status: U.S. House... |
CNN LARRY KING LIVE CNN — Permalink • Interview with former President George H.W. Bush, former First Lady Barbara Bush • Encore Presentation: What Happens After We Die? • What Happens After We Die? | |
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Greg Saunders: 2 : Since the primary purpose of my original post was to make a political point and not just score a cheap laugh, I... |
Greg @TheTalentShow: They show a couple of people reading from a computer screen, cash in on the "blog" trend, and get to free up additional... |
'Hezbollah drugs ring' broken up BBC — Permalink Police in Ecuador say they have broken up an international drugs ring which was raising money for the Islamic militant group, Hezbollah. The authorities have declined to give details of the gang's alleged links with the group, but say it was sending Hezbollah up to 70% of its profits. | |
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Captain Ed: Snort Cocaine And Fund More Bombings — The BBC reports that Ecuador has broken up a drug ring that explicitly existed... Charles Johnson: Hizballah Drug Cartel in Ecuador 'Hezbollah drugs ring' broken up. (Hat tip: SoCalJustice.) |
Colt: Whether lawsuits are the cure... A Hezbollah drugs ring in Ecuador has been broken up. Dr. Steven Taylor: And Yet More Drug News — Via the BBC: 'Hezbollah drugs ring' broken up [snipped quote] I am hardly surprised. |
Bush Calls for More Nuclear Power Plants By / WaPo — Permalink President Bush called today for a new wave of nuclear power plant construction as he promoted an energy policy that he wants to see enacted in a bill now making its way through Congress. | |
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Steve Soto: Democrats' New Apollo Approach Trumps The GOP's Empty Measures Towards Energy Independence — It's a sad commentary on... Gerry @DalyThoughts: Bush Calls for More Nuclear Power Plants — Link. The President certainly does not shy away from taboos, does he? |
K. J. Lopez: GOING NUCLEAR — Bush wants more nuclear-power plants. We've had this conversation before: Isn't public opinion just too anti to make it feasible. |
Wiki Reviews Guantanamo Docs By / Wired News — Permalink A group of volunteers has begun using collaborative wiki software to expedite the process of perusing thousands of pages of complex documents related to detainees held by the U.S. government at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. | |
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Marc @USSNeverdock: Speaking of the task of reviewing the 4000 pages of documents, Daniel Terdiman of Wired had this to say. |
Charles Johnson: Kos Kidz Launch Groundbreaking Anti-American Effort — Those Kooky Kos Kidz are keeping themselves busy with a new... |
Iraq Leader Avoids Shaking Women's Hands AP — Permalink BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — Photographers didn't have much luck getting pictures of Iraq's prime minister shaking hands with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, even though the United States was co-hosting an international conference on rebuilding Iraq. | |
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Juan Cole: That Iraq has been captured by leaders of Shiite religious parties was underlined dramatically when Prime Minister... |
Echidne: No Hand Shaking With Women — The Associated Press reports that the prime minister of Iraq doesn't shake hands with... |
Smears and Lies: Klein on Clinton By / New York Observer — Permalink It is sorry proof of the national decline of standards and the perversion of priorities that Senator Hillary Clinton isn't getting coverage in Vanity Fair magazine—a New York-based publication—for her work in the U.S. Senate. | |
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Ogged @Unfogged: Bunk — Pretty much everything you need to know about Ed Klein's smear book on Hillary Clinton. via atrios Ed Klein,... Atrios: Klein - Big Liar — Maura Moynihan skins Ed Klein alive and demonstrates that he is indeed a complete and total fraud, which will only ensure that gets the royal media treatment. |
Attaturk: Pretty damned big apparently, so he is well-suited to be part of the Right-Wing noise machine. From the daughter of the late Senator Pat Moynihan. |
Durbin Apologizes for Remarks on Abuse By / WaPo — Permalink Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) yesterday offered a tearful apology on the Senate floor for comparing the alleged abuse of prisoners by American troops to techniques used by the Nazis, the Soviets and the Khmer Rouge, as he sought to quell a frenzy of Republican-led criticism. | |
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Tom Maguire: The Washington Post starts off with the Republicans On Attack story line, but patient readers will get this in paragraph... Cori Dauber: That must come as a surprise to the Anti-Defamation League, an organization this Post article notes had called for an apology. K. J. Lopez: The Washington Post seems to still like the it-was-all-a-VRWC-distrac tion storyline on the Durbin deal. |
Norbizness: Of course, if you're going to be a complete reactionary literalist, nowhere was it mentioned that Mr. Dilawer was raped,... Taegan Goddard: Durbin Apologizes — Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) [snipped quote] the Washington Post reports. Trey Jackson has the video. |
DeLay uses Houston to make point about Iraq news coverage Houston Chronicle — Permalink WASHINGTON - When House Majority Leader Tom DeLay sat down with reporters on Tuesday on Capitol Hill, he was asked to assess President Bush's campaign in Iraq and to respond to criticism that the military mission is not going well and the White House needs to develop an exit strategy. | |
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Faiz @ThinkProgress: Tom DeLay: Insurgent Violence Breaking Out In Houston — Today, the Houston Chronicle reported that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay believes Iraq is actually going quite well. Charles Kuffner: At least he didn't call it a "hellhole" — Apparently, Tom DeLay has been taking the same stupid pills as Rick Perry:... |
Atrios: Clap Louder — DeLay says Houston just like Iraq: WASHINGTON - When House Majority Leader Tom DeLay sat down with... Tom Tomorrow: Tom Tomorrow: Compare and contrast Tom DeLay: [quote] "You know, if Houston, Texas, was held to the same standard as Iraq is...[end quote] |
Crime? And Punishment By / TCS — Permalink The recent convictions of ex-Tyco executives Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz and of ex-Adelphia executives John and Timothy Rigas highlight once again the growing extent to which the criminal law is being invoked to deal with problems of corporate governance. | |
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Steve Bainbridge: Tyco and Criminalizing Agency Costs — My latest TCS column deals with the recent Tyco and Adelphia convictions, asking:... |
Glenn Reynolds: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: Both Rand Simberg and Stephen Bainbridge have thoughts. |
Requiem for Anita Busch By / LA Weekly — Permalink In the movies, reporters are mostly made out to be sleazy louts (It Happened One Night) or bumbling fools (Absence of Malice). Hollywood moguls even portray good journalists (All the President's Men) as egotistical, obsessive, not-very-nice people. | |
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Kevin Roderick: Whither Anita Busch — Nikki Finke says in the LA Weekly that Anita Busch, the former Hollywood Reporter editor and... |
Jim Romenesko: Report: Ex-LATer Busch has had it with the news business — L.A. Weekly Nikki Finke reports former Hollywood reporter... |
House Again Backs Ban on Flag Desecration By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 22 - Voting once again today on an issue blending emotion, patriotism and politics, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly endorsed a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to outlaw debasing the American flag. | |
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Will Baude: The New York times counts 65 Senators who have voted for the amendment in the past or promised to vote for it this time. |
Fontana Labs: But Orrin Hatch makes it so difficult: One sponsor of the measure, Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, said in... |