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Archive Edition for   Monday, July 11, 2005Go to Current Page
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Quoted in this edition:

Ace of Spades HQ
  Ace
Althouse
  Ann Althouse
AMERICAblog
  John @AmericaBlog
  Joe @AmericaBlog
  Chris @AmericaBlog
  Michael @AmericaBlog
The Anchoress
  TheAnchoress
www.AndrewSullivan.com
  Andrew Sullivan
Associated Press
  Pete Yost
  Manuel Ernesto Rivera
  John J. Lumpkin
  Marc Humbert
  Daniel Cooney
  Frank Griffiths
  David Royse
The Australian
  David Nason
baldilocks
  Baldilocks
Balkinization
  Kim Lane Scheppele
Balloon Juice
  John Cole
Barcepundit
  FrancoAlemán
BBC
  Anna Browning
THE BELGRAVIA DISPATCH
  Gregory Djerejian
Betsy's Page
  Betsy Newmark
BillHobbs.com
  Bill Hobbs
Billmon
  Billmon
The Blogging of the President
  Stirling Newberry
Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal
  Brad DeLong
Bradford Plumer
  Brad Plumer
BrothersJudd Blog
  Orrin Judd
Captain's Quarters
  Captain Ed
CBS News
Chicago Tribune
  Steve Johnson
  Maurice Possley
Christian Science Monitor
  James Brandon
Chronicle of the Conspiracy
  Don
The Claremont Institute
  Ken Masugi
CNN
The Corner
  K. J. Lopez
  Cliff May
  Andrew Stuttaford
  Michael Ledeen
  Rich Lowry
  Stanley Kurtz
corrente
  Lambert @Corrente
  Riggsveda @Corrente
The Counterterrorism Blog
  Andrew Cochran
Daily Kos
  Al Rodgers
danieldrezner.com
  Daniel Drezner
Dean's World
  Mary Madigan
DefenseLINK
democracyarsenal.org
  Heather Hurlburt
Democratic Veteran
  Jo Fish
Drudge Report
Ed Driscoll.com
  Ed Driscoll
EdCone.com
  Ed Cone
Editor and Publisher
Eschaton
  Atrios
Ezra Klein
  Ezra Klein
Fafblog!
  Fafnir
Financial Times
  Sarah Laitner
Foreign Policy
  Phillip Carter
Fox News
Gateway Pundit
  Gateway Pundit
Gut Rumbles
  Acidman
Happy Furry Puppy Story Time with Norbizness
  Norbizness
Harry's Place
  David T
  Gene @HarrysPlace
Hit and Run
  Tim Cavanaugh
  Nick Gillespie
  Charles Paul Freund
The Huffington Post
  Bill Diamond
  Bob Dreyfuss
HughHewitt.com
  Hugh Hewitt
Hullabaloo
  Digby
The Indepundit
  Smash
Informed Comment
  Juan Cole
Instapundit.com
  Glenn Reynolds
INTEL DUMP
  Dave Glazier
  Phillip Carter
Israel news and commentary from IsraPundit
  Mediacrity
James Wolcott
  James Wolcott
JustOneMinute
  Tom Maguire
Kudlow's Money Politic$
  Larry Kudlow
L.A. Observed
  Kevin Roderick
Lean Left
  LeanLeft
The Left Coaster
  Steve Soto
  Eriposte @LeftCoaster
The Liquid List
  Tarek @LiquidList
Los Angeles Times
  Michael Kinsley
  Govindini Murty
  Bob Sipchen
The Mahablog
  Barbara O'Brien
Mark A. R. Kleiman
  Mark Kleiman
The Media Drop
  Tom Biro
mediabistro
  Brian Stelter
  Garrett M. Graff
Michelle Malkin
  Michelle Malkin
The Moderate Voice
  David Schraub
  Joe Gandelman
MSNBC
  Michael Isikoff
MyDD
  Chris Bowers
The Nation
National Review
New York Post
New York Sun
  Claudia Rosett
New York Times
  Adam Liptak
  David Stout
  Paul Krugman
  Robert A. Pape
  David D. Kirkpatrick
  Elaine Sciolino
  David Cay Johnston
  Kate Zernike
  Frank Rich
  James Traub
  James Bennet
  Hassan M. Fattah
  Linda Greenhouse
Newsday
NewsHog
  Cernig
NewsMax.com
Newsweek
  Michael Isikoff
No More Mister Nice Blog
  Steve M.
NY Daily News
  Sen. Charles Schumer
  Adam Nichols
Oliver Kamm
  Oliver Kamm
One Hand Clapping
  Donald Sensing
Opinion Journal
  Arthur Chrenkoff
Outside The Beltway
  James Joyner
  Robert Tagorda
  Steve Verdon
OxBlog
  Josh
Patterico's Pontifications
  Patterico
Pejmanesque
  Pejman Yousefzadeh
The Peking Duck
  Richard TPD
PoliBlog
  Dr. Steven Taylor
PoliPundit.com
  PoliPundit
Power Line
  Scott @PowerLine
  Paul @PowerLine
protein wisdom
  Jeff Goldstein
Rantingprofs
  Cori Dauber
Reuters
  Adam Entous
Right Wing News
  John Hawkins
Rising Hegemon
  Attaturk
Roger Ailes
  Roger Ailes
Roger L. Simon
  Roger L. Simon
Romenesko
  Jim Romenesko
Sadly, No!
  Sadly, No!
San Francisco Chronicle
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Secular Blasphemy
  Jan Haugland
The Sideshow
  Avedon Carol
Signifying Nothing
  Chris Lawrence
Silent Running
  Wind Rider
Sirotablog
  David Sirota
skippy the bush kangaroo
  Cookie Jill
  Skippy
  Pudentilla
Slate
  Timothy Noah
South Knox Bubba
  SK Bubba
Suburban Guerrilla
  Susie Madrak
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
  Taegan Goddard
Talking Points Memo
  Josh Marshall
TalkLeft
  Jeralyn Merritt
  Last Night
  TChris
TAPPED
  Matthew Yglesias
Telegraph
  Tom Leonard
  Colin Freeman
TheAgitator.com
  Radley Balko
Think Progress
  Faiz @ThinkProgress
Times of London
  Simon Freeman
UPI
  Martin Walker
USS Neverdock
  Marc @USSNeverdock
Virtual Scratchpad
  Matthew Sheffield
Vodkapundit
  Will Collier
The Volokh Conspiracy
  Todd Zywicki
  Orin Kerr
Vox Popoli
  Vox Day
Wall Street Journal
  Joe Hagan
War and Piece
  Laura Rozen
The Washington Monthly
  Kevin Drum
Washington Post
  Howard Kurtz
  Josh White
  Michael Kinsley
  R. Nicholas Burns
Washington Times
  Donald Lambro
  Jennifer Harper
Weekly Standard
  Paul Mirengoff
  Christopher Hitchens
Winds of Change.NET
  Arthur Chrenkoff
  WoW Team Monday
  Dan Darling
Wizbang
  Rob @Wizbang
  Will Franklin
WorldNetDaily



For Time Inc. Reporter, a Frenzied Decision to Testify
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 10 - Matthew Cooper, a reporter for Time magazine, stood before a federal judge on Wednesday, facing up to four months in jail for refusing to testify about a confidential source.
Tarek @LiquidList: Newsweek reporter Matt Cooper found a way out, and sleeps at night surely with a clean conscience.
Wind Rider: But, it seems, he just kinda, sorta, you know, made stuff up to give himself an alternate out for doing what the law (as...
Josh Marshall: Late Update: Also on Luskin, look at this piece today in the Times by Adam Liptak, and see if Luskin didn't screw up and...
Mark Kleiman: As he reads Liptak's story, Cooper had refused to accept the general waiver of confidentiality Rove had offered as...
Tom Maguire: I'm Glad It's Not Just Me — The NY Times pries into the Valerie Plame leak investigation and baffles us. But we are not alone!
Kevin Roderick: The NYT has a piece on the negotiation flurry between Time and Karl Rove's lawyers that led to Time reporter Matthew Cooper's testimony.
Also: Atrios, Jim Romenesko, Garrett M. Graff, Echidne, Orrin Judd

Rove Comes Under New Scrutiny in C.I.A. Disclosure Case
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 11 - The White House went on the defensive today amid a barrage of questions from Democrats and reporters about the presidential adviser Karl Rove and whether he had disclosed the name of a covert intelligence operative in retaliation for criticism of the administration's Iraq policy.
Mark Kleiman: Update Mirabile dictu, today turns out to be one of those days, with a hard-hitting piece by David Stout that starts...
Last Night: Don't call Rove at the Congressional Hearings — Rep. Henry Waxman called for a Congressional hearing over the Valerie Plame leak as the N.Y. Times this afternoon reported here.
Joe @AmericaBlog: NY Times weighs in on Rove White House Scandal — The NY Times provides their take on the Rove scandal.
David Sirota: Don't Worry, He'll "Clear Things Up One Day" — In two sentences, the New York Times shows how right-wing uber-hack Bob...
Orrin Judd: QUIT NOW AND GET IT OVER WITH: Rove Comes Under New Scrutiny in C.I.A. Disclosure Case (DAVID STOUT, 7/11/05, NY Times)...
Richard TPD: The heat is on. Burn, Karl, burn.

White House Won't Comment on Rove, Leak
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - For the better part of two years, the word coming out of the Bush White House was that presidential adviser Karl Rove had nothing to do with the leak of a female CIA officer's identity and that whoever did would be fired.
Cernig: It's instructive to look at the differences between then and now while discussing the curent events.
Joe Gandelman: White House Mum On Rove Leak And Early Bush Comments — See no evil, hear no evil, say no evil now seems to be the...
Rob @Wizbang: WASHINGTON - For the better part of two years, the word coming out of the Bush White House was that presidential adviser...
Joe @AmericaBlog: Even AP has a tough Rove story — AP has an article up today that very clearly and simply spells out the issues in the Rove affair.

Sen. Clinton attacks Bush, comparing him to Alfred E. Newman
  Newsday   —   Permalink 
ASPEN, Colo. (AP) _ Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton went on the attack against President Bush in a speech Sunday, accusing him of damaging the economy by overspending while giving tax cuts to the rich.
Captain Ed: Hillary's Latest Insanity, And It Ain't Mad — Hillary Clinton has received criticism for her remarks comparing George...
Jan Haugland: Hillary Clinton about George W. Bush: "I sometimes feel that Alfred E. Newman is in charge in Washington," Clinton said referring to the freckle-faced Mad Magazine character.
Ann Althouse: That it got a laugh from her audience shows they're either: [snipped quote] Where was this audience? — you may wonder.
Joe Gandelman: Hillary Clinton Compares George Bush To Alfred E. Newman — Uh, oh, brace yourself for another possible firestorm over a politician's comments.
Gateway Pundit: Hillary poked fun of Chimpy-Bush and the economy this weekend at an Aspen Ideas Festival.
Betsy Newmark: Well now, Hillary Clinton compares President bush to Alfred E. Neuman, the "What me worry?" guy from Mad Magazine.
Also: K. J. Lopez

Democrats urge Bush to fire Rove in leak scandal
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House faced mounting Democratic calls for President Bush to sideline or fire his top political aide Karl Rove on Monday over his involvement in a CIA leak scandal.
Joe Gandelman: Another reason why the White House may balk: punishing Rove — who could leave the White House and still closely...
John @AmericaBlog: Another GREAT story on the Rove debacle — This time from Reuters. The story has everything. How often do we get to say that?
Laura Rozen: The top story at Google News when I just checked was this arresting Reuters headline, "Democrats urge Bush to fire Rove in leak scandal."

Property Rights Are Civil Rights
  Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
In 1954 the Supreme Court declared in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. But that same year it also ruled in Berman v. Parker that government's power of eminent domain could be used to seize property in order to tear down "blighted" areas.
Donald Sensing: One coalition is comprised of civil-rights advocates who remember when "urban renewal really meant 'Negro removal,' as...
Robert Tagorda: Second, as John Fund observes, civil rights groups fear for their neighborhoods: Property Rights Are Civil Rights (WSJ)...
Glenn Reynolds: JOHN FUND NOTES that opposition to Kelo spans the political divide. As it should. Excerpt: [snipped quote] I'm surprised at how much resonance this issue has.
Betsy Newmark: John Fund writes about how many black leaders are joining with conservatives in fighting to protect property rights in light of the Kelo decision.
Bill Hobbs: The Wall Street Journal reports: "In 1954 the Supreme Court declared in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
Jeff Goldstein: Quick question: Anybody else beginning to suspect that when it comes to the prospect of picking Supreme Court justices...

The dead and the missing
  By / Times of London   —   Permalink 
Missing person hotline 0870 1566 344.
Phil Beer, 22, a hair stylist, was on his way to work and believed to be at Russell Square with his best friend Patrick Barnes. Mr Barnes was injured and later told Mr Beer's older sister Stacy that he heard his friend cry out
Andrew Cochran: London Terrorist Attack News Stories & Columns, July 11 (UPDATED) The dead and missing - names and pictures - because we...
Cernig: The London Times has a list of those confirmed dead and those still missing and presumed dead after the London bombing attacks.
Baldilocks: Just Gone — The "missing" in London. [snipped quote] And dozens more. (Thanks to My Pet Jawa)
Joe Gandelman: Just look at this list of the missing in London, and you see a cross-section of Great Britain....a group containing many ages, sexes and ethicities.
Michelle Malkin: THE 7/7 ATTACKS: THE DEAD AND THE MISSING — Here's the list. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

White House Leaks: A serious security matter
  Seattle Post-Intelligencer   —   Permalink 
President Bush has plenty of evidence to begin acting on Karl Rove's involvement in the disclosure of a secret agent's name to exact political vengeance. The president's choice will say a lot about whether he intends to control abuses of power within what some see as one of the most power-hungry administrations the United States has ever experienced.
Susie Madrak: Fire Rove Tomorrow's Seattle Post-Intelligencer: The president would bring credit to himself and his administration by firing Rove immediately.
John @AmericaBlog: Ouch. Tomorrow's Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial: "The president would bring credit to himself and his administration by firing Rove immediately.

Julianne Malveaux: USA, Bush Are 'Terrorists'
  NewsMax.com   —   Permalink 
Semi-regular USA Today columnist Julianne Malveaux said Monday that President Bush is "a terrorist" and that America is "a terrorist nation."
In an interview that began with Malveaux accusing U.S. troops of "beating" terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, the controversial author and economist told ABC Radio host Sean Hannity:
John Cole: And Then You Have This — Fabulous: [snipped quote] Such a treat, that woman is. I am going to bed.
David Schraub: However, while I understand the frustration of those who feel we are in a war because we were lied to, or because...

Puerto Rico Vote Favors Legislature Switch
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Puerto Ricans voted to do away with half their lawmakers, endorsing a one-house legislature that supporters say would be cheaper and more efficient.

Turnout was about 22 percent, extremely low by Puerto Rican standards.
Chris Lawrence: Puerto Rico considering no longer being "bi" — Puerto Rico had an "Anne Heche moment" today when voters approved a...
Dr. Steven Taylor: Going from Bi to Uni — Via the AP: Puerto Rico Vote Favors Legislature Switch [snipped quote] It must be that pernicious Nebraska influence!

Newspaper Industry Headlines - Top Newspaper Publishing Stories - News Media Reporting - Recent Journalism Articles
  Editor and Publisher   —   Permalink 
At numerous press briefings last week, not a single reporter asked White House Press Secretary about emerging allegations that top presidential aide Karl Rove was a source, or the source, for Time magazine's Matthew Cooper in the Valerie Plame case.
Bill Diamond: Bill Diamond: A Simple Request — People, people — can we pleeeeease lay off Scott McClellan? I mean, geez, what's the big deal?
John @AmericaBlog: He's still on staff. Is Bush a liar? "Q: I actually wasn't talking about any investigation.
Jim Romenesko: WH reporters grill McClellan about previous remarks re Rove — Editor & Publisher | WhiteHouse.gov McClellan A White...

White House Mum On Rove Leak
  CBS News   —   Permalink 
(CBS/AP) For two years, the White House has insisted that presidential adviser Karl Rove had nothing to do with the leak of a CIA officer's identity. And President Bush said the leaker would be fired.
Bill Diamond: Besides, what did Rove really do that's so gosh darn bad? As far as I can tell, all he's being accused of is talking to a reporter about a woman who "apparently works" at the CIA.
Atrios: AP: For two years, the White House has insisted that presidential adviser Karl Rove had nothing to do with the leak of a CIA officer's identity.
Skippy: we might not be able to call them the "asspress" much longer... thanks to atrios, we find an associate press piece which...

Ed Klein, Drowning in Ink and Gasping for Air
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Despite the enormous hype surrounding Edward Klein's scathing and hearsay-filled book about Hillary Rodham Clinton, the author has been ignored by all but two television talk shows.
This collective cold shoulder hasn't stopped "The Truth About Hillary" from hitting No. 2 yesterday on the coveted New York Times list.
Captain Ed: Howard Kurtz notices that Klein hasn't received nearly the attention given to Kitty Kelley for her load of tripe about...
K. J. Lopez: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ED KLEIN BOOK — There is undoubtedly something to Ed Klein's claim that he's getting the TV blackout treatment on his book.
Taegan Goddard: Klein's Book Ignored by Talk Shows — "Despite the enormous hype surrounding Edward Klein's scathing and hearsay-filled...
Joe Gandelman: Ed Klein Proves Media DOES Have Some Shame — Well, gee, we wake up in the morning, have our toast and tea and discover...
Nick Gillespie: Wash Post writeup here. Wash Times, which further notes that Bush isn't being covered as much as he used to be, here.
Jim Romenesko: Fox rep: Klein's Hillary book "is uninteresting to Fox News" — Washington Post "We've moved on," says a Fox News spokesman.
Also: Roger Ailes

BBC edits out the word terrorist
  By / Telegraph   —   Permalink 
The BBC has re-edited some of its coverage of the London Underground and bus bombings to avoid labelling the perpetrators as "terrorists", it was disclosed yesterday.
Early reporting of the attacks on the BBC's website spoke of terrorists but the same coverage was changed to describe the attackers simply as "bombers".
Ace: They've actually edited the word "terrorist" out of rebroadcasts of bombing news: "The BBC has re-edited some of its...
Cliff May: According to the Telegraph: "The BBC has re-edited some of its coverage of the London Underground and bus bombings to...

Sunny days ahead for GOP as population shifts south
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
Migration from liberal bastions in the Northeast and Midwest to the Sun Belt states will boost Republican electoral strength in the coming decade, making it tougher than ever for Democrats to win the presidency without carrying states in the South or Southwest.
James Joyner: Sunny days ahead for GOP as population shifts south (Washington Times) [snipped quote] While I'm sure the Census Bureau...
Taegan Goddard: Census Projections Favor Republicans — "Migration from liberal bastions in the Northeast and Midwest to the Sun Belt...
PoliPundit: Demographic Realities — Yet another demographics-are-bad-for- Democrats story: "Migration from liberal bastions in the...
Matthew Sheffield: Demographics and Democrats — PoliPundit spots a Washington Times article claiming that interstate migration patterns...
Todd Zywicki: Should Democrats Reconsider Their Position on Global Warming? "Sunny days ahead for GOP as population shifts south."

Nat'l Guard Misses Recruiting Goal Again
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - The Army National Guard, a cornerstone of the U.S. force in Iraq, missed its recruiting goal for at least the ninth straight month in June and is nearly 19,000 soldiers below its authorized strength, military officials said Monday.
Lambert @Corrente: Our delusional Preznit — Big words: [quote] "[BUSH AT QUANTICO] In the face of such adversaries there is only one course of...[end quote]
Jo Fish: Guard misses enlistment goals ... again — The National Guard, the backbone of the current forces deployed overseas has...

Bush finds no friends at networks
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
President Bush just can't win with the broadcast networks.
More than two-thirds of the news stories on ABC, NBC and CBS covering the first 100 days of Mr. Bush's second term were negative, according to an analysis released today by the District-based Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA).
Will Franklin: It's actually far less subjective than you might imagine. The Washington Times has more on the network negativity.
Marc @USSNeverdock: America - Media Biased Against Bush — Now there's a shocker. [snipped quote] Which is why they are in steep decline while blogs are shooting up.
Brian Stelter: ABC "Most Critical" Of President Bush; NBC "More Balanced," CMPA Says — "More than two-thirds of the news stories on...

Republicans Blast Sen. Clinton's Comments
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
ALBANY, N.Y. - Republicans took aim at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday for a speech comparing President Bush to Mad magazine's freckle-faced, "What, me worry?" kid, Alfred E. Neuman.
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: And now — you guessed it — the Republican National Committee is on the warpath quite seriously over these comments.
SK Bubba: News yawn flash: GOP upset with Hillary — Well, the resemblance is striking
Chris @AmericaBlog: The GOP response is incredible in light of both the massive security funds that were stripped out of the...

Neoconservatism's Big Tent
  By / Weekly Standard   —   Permalink 
FOR LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE CRITICS of the Bush administration, it is an article of faith that neoconservatives have hijacked American foreign policy. The neocons accomplished this, the theory goes, by selling their half-baked ideology to a president too unschooled, dim-witted, or panicked to resist it.
Cernig: NeoconTries To Downplay Neocon Influence — I have to assume that Paul Mirengoff has read PNAC's 1997 statement of...
Ed Driscoll: Meanwhile, Paul Mirengoff of Power Line analyzes another frequently uttered cliche: that "neoconservatives have hijacked American foreign policy": [snipped quote] Read the rest.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: "NEOCONSERVATISM'S BIG TENT" — Paul Mirengoff is right to deride the belief that neoconservatives have somehow taken...
Paul @PowerLine: That's the question I explore today in my Daily Standard piece, "Neoconservatism's Big Tent."

Safer at Safari
  NRO   —   Permalink 
Reassessing things post-7/7.
Last Thursday, my son and I returned home after two weeks in Africa, having been blessedly isolated from television, newspapers, and Internet.
Ezra Klein: The War on Terror (Michael Ledeen Mental Remix) Via Matt, Michael Ledeen is talking crazy: [snipped quote] This sort of lunacy fascinates me.
Matthew Yglesias: Here I just spent the whole weekend working hard on a piece arguing that the important subtext of right-wing reaction...

Turd Blossom Must Go
  By / Slate   —   Permalink 
We now know, courtesy of Newsweek's Michael Isikoff, what Karl Rove told Time's Matt Cooper. On July 11, 2003—three days before a Robert Novak column outed Bush administration critic Joe Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA employee—Rove outed Plame to Cooper.
Digby: Update: Tim Noah says "Turdblossom Must Go" Update II: Just caught the gaggle over on Crooks and Liars. Scotty had a rough day.
Jeralyn Merritt: Pac Timothy Noah at Slate: Turd Blossom Must Go Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid just released this statement (received...

Coming Home
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
Last October I noted a story of three Afghan exchange students coming to Florida to learn about life in America. Now they are returning to their homeland:
Abdulahad Barak, Abdulahad Fazil and Khushal Rasoli joined Floridians and other Americans in a year...
TheAnchoress: She also links to good news from Afghanistan and highlights this extremely valid point: The worst disservice that the...
Ann Althouse: Arthur Chrenkoff has a roundup of good news from Afghanistan and concludes: "The worst disservice that the international...
Jan Haugland: More good news from Afghanistan — Arthur Chrenkoff: Good news from Afghanistan, part 14 aka Coming Home.
Arthur Chrenkoff: Good news from Afghanistan, 11 July 2005 — Note: Also available from "The Opinion Journal" and Chrenkoff.
FrancoAlemán: ANOTHER SUPERB ROUNDUP of the good news coming from Afghanistan, by Arthur Chrenkoff.

Un-Spin the Budget
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Later this week the White House budget director plans to put on an aviator costume, march up to a microphone and declare Mission Accomplished in the war on deficits. O.K. , I'm not sure about the costume bit.
Brad DeLong: Unspinning the Budget Deficit — Paul Krugman on the budget deficit outlook: Un-Spin the Budget - New York Times: By...
Michael @AmericaBlog: God Bless The Onion — Paul Krugman launches a preemptive strike on Bush's coming attempt to spin a massive $300 billion+ budget deficit as good economic news.
Susie Madrak: Into the Quagmire Krugman: Later this week the White House budget director plans to put on an aviator costume, march...

DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for June
  DefenseLINK   —   Permalink 
The Department of Defense announced today its recruiting and retention statistics by the active and reserve components for the month of June.
Active duty recruiting. The Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force met or exceeded their recruiting goals in June.
Dave Glazier: June Recruiting: The Truth, But Not the Whole Truth — The Department of Defense "officially" released June recruiting...
Donald Sensing: Army makes 109 percent of goal — June recruiting figures for the armed services have been released.

Rove Needs A Pink Slip
  CBS News   —   Permalink 
(The Nation) This column was written by David Corn.
In a weekend posting I asked if it was time to get ready for the Karl Rove frog-march? The question was prompted by a Newsweek article by reporter Michael Isikoff that disclosed the first documentary...
Joe Gandelman: David Corn writes: "Either Rove knew that he was revealing an undercover officer to a reporter or he was identifying a...
Barbara O'Brien: We won't know until there are indictments. Crime or no crime, David Corn writes, Rove should be fired.

Al Qaeda's Smart Bombs
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WHILE we don't yet know who organized the terrorist attacks in London on Thursday, it seems likely that they were the latest in a series of bombings, most of them suicide attacks, over the past several years by Al Qaeda and its supporters.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: WHY THEY HATE US — A key critique of the critique of terrorism itself is that the latter critique claims that terrorists hate us for our values and our freedoms.
Brad Plumer: I could see how that might be the "smarter" thing to do from a strategic perspective, in which case Robert Pape's...

Cooper Email Identifies Rove As a Source
  By / WSJ   —   Permalink 
The government's investigation of the leaking of the identity of a CIA agent continues, with new revelations further deepening a mystery that has captivated Washington and the news media.
Tom Maguire: The WSJ also tackles this, chats with Luskin, and summarizes the "personal waiver" saga thuly: "Yesterday, Mr. Luskin...
Ed Cone: Rove — It's not the smokingest of guns, but things are not looking that great for Rove.
Jim Romenesko: > Pearlstine acknowledges some journos unhappy with his decision (WSJ) > Crook criticizes Time Inc's "unfortunate...

Property ruling sparks action by states, Congress
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
A Supreme Court ruling that permits local governments to seize people's property for private commercial development has triggered a political backlash in Congress and among a growing number of state legislatures to ban such actions in the future.
Todd Zywicki: Legislative Responses to Kelo: Donald Lambro reports on legislative responses to Kelo in Washington and around the...
Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Here's a report on legislative responses to Kelo around the nation. (Via Volokh).

Yes, London Can Take It
  By / Weekly Standard   —   Permalink 
IF ONE MUST HAVE cliché and stereotype (and evidently one must) then I would nominate the sturdy phlegmatic Londoner as the stock character who deserves to survive for at least another generation.
Oliver Kamm: As Christopher Hitchens, the voice of progressive values, notes: "First out of the trap was George Galloway, the...
Will Collier: Stirred, Not Shaken — Here's Christopher Hitchens in the Weekly Standard, on the July 7 bombings.

REVEALED: INSIDE A MOVEON SUPREME COURT HOUSE PARTY; TAKE 'BUSH LIAR' T-SHIRTS OFF
  Drudge Report   —   Permalink 
Over the weekend, the liberal activist group MOVEON.ORG hosted over house parties across the nation to stop President Bush from nominating a "radical right judge" — and the DRUDGE REPORT obtained an exclusive invite to one of their hottest parties!
Paul @PowerLine: FURTHER UPDATE: Drudge provides the sub-text to the main house party covered by the Washington Post.
Michelle Malkin: MOVE ON PLAYS DRESS UP — This Drudge flash, which reports on a MoveOn.org activist's warning to partygoers to leave their "Bush is a liar" shirts at home, is fascinating.
John Cole: Sorry, Drudge — It is just a little tough to get upset about this: bl.jpg "Liar, Liar.." When our side is running...

Al-Qaida nukes already in U.S.
  WorldNetDaily   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - As London recovers from the latest deadly al-Qaida attack that killed at least 50, top U.S. government officials are contemplating what they consider to be an inevitable and much bigger assault on America - one likely to kill millions, destroy the economy and fundamentally alter the course of history, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
Vox Day: At least the papers will get punched — From WND: [snipped quote] I suppose closing the southern border would have been...
John Cole: However, the implications, if accurate, are chilling: [snipped quote] I have no idea how reliable this story or the G2...

Ruling on Property Seizure Rallies Christian Groups
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Conservative Christian groups seeking to galvanize support for a battle over a Supreme Court nomination are rallying around the unlikely symbol of a mega-church in Los Alamitos, Calif., one of a handful of houses of worship that have tangled with towns over the use of eminent domain to take their properties.
Donald Sensing: Citing the NYT, "… many Christian groups are warning supporters that the tax-exempt status of churches may make them targets …" .
Orrin Judd: PELOSI VS CHURCHES: Ruling on Property Seizure Rallies Christian Groups (DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, 7/11/05, NY Times)...
Robert Tagorda: First, the religious right fears for their places of worship: Ruling on Property Seizure Rallies Christian Groups (NYT |...

D.A. Pursuing Criminal Probe of Aide at U.N.
  By / New York Sun   —   Permalink 
The Manhattan District Attorney's office has opened a criminal investigation into the former head of the U.N. oil-for-food program, Benon Sevan, the DA's office has just confirmed for the first time to The New York Sun.
Marc @USSNeverdock: The New York Sun reports on possible criminal charges against UN officials.
Larry Kudlow: Follow the Money — According to the New York Sun's Josh Gerstein, [snipped quote] This is good. Follow the money.
Roger L. Simon: According LaRosett writing in this morning's NY Sun (subscription only): The Manhattan District Attorney's office has...

'They Put Us in a Cell and Forgot Us'
  LAT   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD — The wiry Los Angeles aspiring filmmaker was an unlikely prisoner inside a cell block that included Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein's deputy, and other high-level officials of the former regime.
Dr. Steven Taylor: Detained Filmkers Freed in Iraq — Via the LAT: 'They Put Us in a Cell and Forgot Us' [quote] Kar called the circumstances of their May 17 arrest in the city of Balad "quite bizarre."[end quote]
TChris: Cyrus Kar Released — Update: Kar discusses his confinement: [quote] "I don't hold anything against them for holding us," he said.[end quote]
Pudentilla: more penal planning problems?

REPUBLICANS NIX 'APPRENTICE'
  New York Post   —   Permalink 
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Cookie Jill: apprentice booted from young republican convention for..well...acting like a young republican i didn't like anyone on...
Atrios: Republican Chickenhawk "Disinvites" Apprentice Winner — This is funny: [snipped quote] Ah, "fame."
Jo Fish: Too Funny — First thing I see on Atrios today from the New York Post: [snipped quote] Perdew was probably figuring a...

Prisoners escape US Afghan base
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Four "dangerous enemy combatants" have escaped from the main US base in Afghanistan, the US military has said.
A huge manhunt was launched around the Bagram air base north of the capital Kabul, after the men, said to be Arabs, escaped at about 0500 (0030 GMT).
John Cole: Rife With Possibility — Also via Drudge, it seems a few thugs escaped from the detention facility at Bagram Air Base
Jeralyn Merritt: Four Prisoners Escape From Baghram — The BBC reports that a manhunt is on as four Arab prisoners in U.S. custody at the Baghram Air Force Base prison in Afhanistan have escaped.

Why Bush Has To Fire Rove
  The Nation   —   Permalink 
In a weekend posting I asked if it was time to get ready for the Karl Rove frog-march? The question was prompted by a Newsweek article by reporter Michael Isikoff that disclosed the first documentary evidence showing that Rove revealed to a reporter that former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife worked at the CIA.
Chris Bowers: David Corn has perhaps the best summary of what this means: "This email demonstrates that Rove committed a firing offense.
Jeralyn Merritt: But, David Corn makes a good argument for why he should. [snipped quote] I don't think that whether Plame was undercover at the time of the leak is the determinative issue.

What I need to know
  By / NY Daily News   —   Permalink 
Sandra Day O'Connor's announcement 10 days ago that she will retire offers an opportunity for President Bush to bring the country together; to unite rather than divide, and to allow the Senate to move on to addressing the bread-and-butter issues facing average Americans.
Jeff Goldstein: Forty-third in a series of real-time empirical observations — In the time it takes you to read this post, New York...
Paul @PowerLine: Here is what Schumer says he needs to know (see if you can find what the title of his piece promises to disclose mixed...

Part-Time Forces on Active Duty Decline Steeply
  NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 10 - The number of Reserve and National Guard troops on domestic and overseas missions has fallen to about 138,000, down from a peak of nearly 220,000 after the invasion of Iraq two years ago, a sharp decline that military officials say will continue in the months ahead.
Steve Soto: The New York Times reported this morning that the reserves and guard units have fallen to almost half their strength from just two years ago.
Michael @AmericaBlog: Here's the latest report, a front page New York Times story that highlights the dramatic decline in available Guard and...
Kevin Drum: PROBLEMS AT THE NATIONAL GUARD....Here's the serious news: [snipped quote] On the right, courtesy of reader Bryrock from Murfreesboro, is the not-so-serious news.
James Joyner: Part-Time Forces on Active Duty Decline Steeply (NYT | RSS) [snipped quote] Aside from reinstituting the draft, a...
Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the New York Times notes the number of Reserve and National Guard troops "on domestic and overseas missions...
Pudentilla: rummy and awol are gutting guards and reserves the good news is that more and more guard and reserve are coming home.
Also: Jo Fish

U.K. Memo Cites Plans For Troop Reduction
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
LONDON, July 10 — The United States and Britain are drawing up plans to withdraw the majority of their troops from Iraq by the middle of next year, according to a secret memo written for British Prime Minister Tony Blair by Defense Secretary John Reid.
Steve Soto: White House Plans To Cut And Run From Iraq — There were reports out of Great Britain late yesterday on this, and now it...
Rich Lowry: IRAQI WITHDRAWAL — I'm out of touch on this boat, so haven't been able to talk to anyone about this latest British memo...

Rove Told Reporter About Plame But Didn't Name Her, Attorney Says
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove spoke with at least one reporter about Valerie Plame's role at the CIA before she was identified as a covert agent in a newspaper column two years ago, but Rove's lawyer said yesterday that his client did not identify her by name.
Michelle Malkin: The Washington Post follows up; Pavlovian salivation ensues. For a non-heavy-breathing perspective, read: Betsy Newmark on the "scandalette."
Riggsveda @Corrente: Further, to quote this morning's WaPo article by Josh White: "To be considered a violation of the law, a disclosure by a...
Hugh Hewitt: This incredible sacrifice, coupled with the carnage in London and in Baghdad, provides the backdrop for my comments on...
James Joyner: Update: WaPo weighs in with a story that will clarify what I mean by "his version of events:" Rove Told Reporter of Plame's Role But Didn't Name Her, Attorney Says (p.
Avedon Carol: Rove's latest story on how he did it but he didn't really: White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove spoke with at...
Susie Madrak: It All Depends On What You Mean By the Word 'Actively' From WashPo:White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove spoke...
Also: Faiz @ThinkProgress, Pudentilla, Jo Fish, Jim Romenesko, Barbara O'Brien, Jeralyn Merritt, Josh Marshall, Laura Rozen

Rove Told Reporter of Plame's Role But Didn't Name Her, Attorney Says
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove spoke with at least one reporter about Valerie Plame's role at the CIA before she was identified as a covert agent in a newspaper column two years ago, but Rove's lawyer said yesterday that his client did not identify her by name.
Tim Cavanaugh: According to Michael Isikoff's assessment of the leaked Matt Cooper email, pretty bad: [snipped quote] Rove's lawyer's...
Tom Maguire: The WaPo adds little to the fray, although I would exhort Mr. Luskin, Karl Rove's attorney, to end the drip, drip, drip...
Attaturk: 36 Hours and Counting... Since it was admitted by his lawyer, "I'm NOT Donald" Luskin, that Karl Rove was Matt Cooper's...
Digby: Still Covering For Dick [quote] Rove did not mention her name to Cooper," Luskin said. " This was not an effort to encourage Time to disclose her identity.[end quote]
John Hawkins: It was designed to counter incorrect information that Cooper had. ...Which puts me in a bit of a pickle.
Orrin Judd: THE SCIENTER CAN NOT HOLD: Rove Told Reporter About Plame But Didn't Name Her, Attorney Says (Josh White, July 11, 2005,...

With No Leads, British Consult Allies on Blasts
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
LONDON, July 10 - British intelligence officials, frustrated by their failure to quickly crack the worst terrorist attack here since World War II, have sought help from counterparts in the United States and two dozen European allies to develop possible leads, European counterterrorism officials said Sunday.
James Wolcott: See, I would have thought that three compact synchronized explosives (a fourth—the one one the double-decker bus—was...
Robert Tagorda: British Investigations Yield Few Clues Thus Far — As Londoners returned to work today, they found little encouraging...

Do not adjust your picture ...
  By / Chicago Tribune   —   Permalink 
There are signs of uneasiness throughout the net-work news business.
ABC, troubled by a ratings falloff and facing the departure of Ted Koppel, is tinkering (awkwardly) with the legendary "Nightline," dropping the signature theme music and, many nights, the signature single-story format.
Brian Stelter: One Thing Hasn't Changed About The Network Evening Newscasts: The Viewers — A great story from the Chicago Tribune's...
Jim Romenesko: Additional items for July 11, 2005 > "60M's" Simon has been everywhere and seen everything (Philly Inquirer) > Russia...

Most Editors Say They'd Publish Articles Based on Leaks
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
In the wake of a decision by the editor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer to withhold two articles based on leaked government documents for fear of criminal prosecution, editors of major newspapers said last week they saw no reason to back off such stories.
Tom Biro: Fortunately, the most other editors and journalists don't agree with the move, reports the New York Times' David Cay Johnston.
Jim Romenesko: Editors puzzled by Plain Dealer's decision to hold articles — New York Times David Cay Johnston reports some editors...

Body of U.S. Commando Found in Afghanistan
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
KABUL, Afghanistan - The body of a missing U.S. commando has been located in eastern Afghanistan, the military said Monday, bringing an end to the desperate search for the last member of an ill-fated, four-man special forces unit that disappeared last month.
James Joyner: Body of U.S. Commando Found in Afghanistan (AP) [snipped quote] This should bring closure to the man's family, at least.
Gateway Pundit: 4th Commando Found — The body of the 4th missing Navy Seal was found yesterday in Afghanistan.

Luxembourg says Yes in vote for EU constitution
  By / Financial Times   —   Permalink 
LuxembourgLuxembourg on Sunday threw the slimmest of lifelines to the European Union's ailing constitution, when the tiny grand duchy voted in favour of the treaty resoundingly rejected by France and the Netherlands.
Norbizness: 4. Luxemborg rising. 5. The fact that Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo is only a month away from becoming the highest-grossing, Academy Award-winningest movie of all time.
Dr. Steven Taylor: The EU Constitution Lives! Well, kinda. Via the FT: Luxembourg says Yes in vote for EU constitution . Ok, never mind.
Chris Lawrence: You can tell someone's suffering from Joementum when they're making plans based on things that aren't going to happen:...
Daniel Drezner: Sarah Laitner explains in the Financial Times: [snipped quote] Given that neither the French nor the Dutch seem to be...

Body of missing SEAL recovered
  CNN   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The body of a U.S. Navy SEAL has been found and recovered in Afghanistan, a senior defense official said Sunday.
This would account for the fourth member of a reconnaissance team that disappeared two weeks ago in Afghanistan.
Michael Ledeen: [quote]CNN reports: "The body of a U.S. Navy SEAL has been found and recovered in Afghanistan, a senior defense official said Sunday.[end quote]
Smash: Body of Missing SEAL Recovered — THE LAST of four missing Navy SEALs has been found dead in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, CNN reports.
John Cole: Damnit — They found the missing SEAL's body. Smash has the details.

For Time Reporter, Decision to Testify Came After Frenzied Last-Minute Calls
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 10 - Matthew Cooper, a reporter for Time magazine, stood before a federal judge on Wednesday, facing up to four months in jail for refusing to testify about a confidential source.
Tom Maguire: From Mark Kleiman, who has been following this forever: "Clear as mud Adam Liptak has a blow-by-blow of the Cooper/Rove...
Mark Kleiman: Clear as mud — Adam Liptak has a blow-by-blow of the Cooper/Rove negotations and related matters that leaves me more confused than I was before.
Laura Rozen: Two more from tomorrow's papers on Rove/Plame, from the WaPo and the NYT.
Barbara O'Brien: However, this story by Adam Liptak in the NY Times says otherwise. Cooper went to court last week prepared to go to jail.
Kevin Drum: This story is so weird that I'm not even going to try to summarize it, but apparently the answer is murkier than we've been led to believe.

A Drug Scourge Creates Its Own Form of Orphan
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
TULSA, Okla., July 8 - The Laura Dester Shelter here is licensed for 38 children, but at times in the past months it has housed 90, forcing siblings to double up in cots.
Avedon Carol: I dunno, I have long experience of drug hype, so when I get someone telling me about an explosion of foster kids caused by meth, I gotta wonder.
Mark Kleiman: Meth, again — This New York Times story about "meth orphans" is enough to make you weep.
Brad Plumer: In the wake of this story in the Monday Times—on the horrific effects of methamphetamine abuse on the children of...
Atrios: But, I think I can handle this one: TULSA, Okla., July 8 - The Laura Dester Shelter here is licensed for 38 children,...

Reporters aren't above the law
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
The courts have spoken in the Plame case. Why does the New York Times think it doesn't have to listen?
When Robert Novak first reported that people in the Bush White House had identified Valerie Plame as an undercover CIA operative, the New York Times was in high dudgeon.
Jim Romenesko: > Kinsley writes: "So the noble principle for which New York Times reporter Judith Miller — egged on by her employer —...
Kevin Roderick: There is news in the section, however.

Bush aide Rove was Time reporter's source-Newsweek
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top White House advisor Karl Rove was one of the secret sources that spoke to reporters about a covert CIA operative whose identity was leaked to the media, Newsweek magazine reported in its latest edition.
Faiz @ThinkProgress: Karl Rove: Not As Careful As You Think — Reuters' write-up of Rove's involvement in the leak scandal captures the...
John @AmericaBlog: It depends on what your definition of "name" is — Reuters: [snipped quote] Sure sounds to me like someone was trying to mislead the investigation here.
Matthew Yglesias: It seems that Karl Rove's defense strategy in the Plame leak case is going to be that he said something like "Joe...

Downed US Seals may have got too close to Bin Laden
  Times of London   —   Permalink 
Trouble turned to disaster when a US special forces helicopter carrying 16 men was shot down as it landed at the scene, killing all on board. Almost two weeks later, a mission that led to the worst US combat losses in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001 has turned into an extraordinary manhunt.
WoW Team Monday: The Times Online reports the SEALs may have been close to a high-value target.
Michelle Malkin: The Times of London over the weekend had a detailed story on the Navy SEALs' mission, Operation Red Wing, and...

Specter Offers a Suggestion for Chief Justice: O'Connor
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 10 - Senator Arlen Specter, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, suggested on Sunday that President Bush could name Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring from the Supreme Court, to the position of chief justice if it opens up.
Ken Masugi: We pundits don't need to deal with Arlen Specter's shenanigans (David Kirkpatrick, NYT)
Dr. Steven Taylor: Chief Justice O'Connor? Via the NYT: Specter Suggests a Chief Justice: O'Connor [snipped quote] Huh?

Suicide Attacks Kill at Least 48 in Iraq
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
(07-10) 15:55 PDT BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) —
A man strapped with explosives blew himself up Sunday at an Iraqi military recruiting center in Baghdad, one of a series of suicide attacks that killed at least 48 people and ended a relative lull in violence in recent days.
Billmon: Stupid Is As Stupid Does — Pat Lang, former Middle East expert at the Defense Intelligence Agency, receives some tactical intelligence from the field.
Juan Cole: Guerrilla Violence Kills 48 — Jaafari Criticizes US Rules of Engagement Guerrillas launched a new wave of bomb attacks...
Attaturk: However, in Iraq yesterday at least 48 people were killed in bombings. Yet, I heard nothing from big Russ about "Whether Baghdad will pull a Madrid?"
John @AmericaBlog: Uh, huh? From AP: [snipped quote] Uh, what do you mean TERRORISTS have caused this predicament?

A defiant Islam rises among young Britons
  By / Christian Science Monitor   —   Permalink 
LONDON - Thursday's coordinated terrorist attacks that killed at least 49 people have underscored competing forces within Britain's Muslim community: a minority that advocates violence against Western targets, and those who want to coexist peacefully with Britain's multifaith, multiethnic society.
Marc @USSNeverdock: Britain - Defiant Muslims — The Christian Science Monitor has a very revealing article.
Orrin Judd: BITTER FRUIT OF THE TREE OF REASON: A defiant Islam rises among young Britons: Thursday's attacks turn attention to a group alienated from British society.

Media Coverage of the London Bombings
  Fox News   —   Permalink 
As we promised you Thursday night, we took a hard look at the media this morning to see who was sanitizing the London (search) terror attack or terrorism in general. And here's what we saw:
Scott @PowerLine: UPDATE: Bill O'Reilly has had his eye on the Duncan story over the past week.
Gateway Pundit: Pape said on "The O'Reilly Factor" that there are no suicide bombers in Iran.

Terror alert highest ever as police fear new attack
  Times of London   —   Permalink 
BRITAIN'S terrorist alert has been raised to its highest-ever level because the London rush-hour bombers are alive and planning another attack, The Times has learnt.
Marc @USSNeverdock: Now the Times (UK) reports: "The Times understands that the country's biggest manhunt is focusing on evidence being...
Roger L. Simon: UPDATE: The UK is evidently on "highest-ever" alert because the Al Qaeda killers are still at large.

Matt Cooper's Source
  By / Newsweek   —   Permalink 
July 18 issue - It was 11:07 on a Friday morning, July 11, 2003, and Time magazine correspondent Matt Cooper was tapping out an e-mail to his bureau chief, Michael Duffy. "Subject: Rove/P&C," (for personal and confidential), Cooper began.
Tim Cavanaugh: The hope out there that federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is closing in on Karl Rove is so strong you can...
Chris Bowers: Rove and the Right-Wing Power Grab — In case you somehow haven't seen it yet, here is an excerpt from the piece that...
Michelle Malkin: STARK ROVE-ING MAD — Bush-bashers have been in a tizzy all weekend over the latest Rove revelations.
Heather Hurlburt: According to Newsweek's account, Karl Rove had a "double super secret background" conversation with Matt Cooper to tell...
Fafnir: secret agent, shmecret shmagent — I dunno what the big deal is with the whole Karl Rove CIA thing.
James Joyner: Matt Cooper's Source - What Karl Rove told Time magazine's reporter (Newsweek) "It was 11:07 on a Friday morning, July...
Also: Riggsveda @Corrente, Avedon Carol, Mark Kleiman, Steve Soto, Lorie Byrd, Tom Maguire, Rep. John Conyers, Betsy Newmark, Barbara O'Brien, Dafydd, Arthur Silber, John @PowerLine, Susie Madrak, Rob @Wizbang, Atrios, Joe @AmericaBlog, Joe Gandelman, Matthew Sheffield, Attaturk, Roger Ailes, Andrew Sullivan, RJ Eskow, David Corn, Digby, Captain Ed, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Stirling Newberry, Hunter @DailyKos, Garance Franke-Ruta, Cookie Jill, Tbogg, Jim Romenesko, Echidne, Craig Crawford, Billmon, Kevin Drum, Richard TPD, Taegan Goddard, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, Chris Lawrence, Laura Rozen, Judd @ThinkProgress, Skippy, Josh Marshall, Gateway Pundit

British Memo: U.S. Hopes to Cut Force in Iraq in Half by Early 2006
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
LONDON, July 10 — The United States and Britain are drawing up plans to withdraw the majority of their troops from Iraq by the middle of next year, according to a secret memo written for British Prime Minister Tony Blair by Defense Secretary John Reid.
Chris Bowers: In 2006, we could get beaten down because we failed to support withdrawal enough: [snipped quote] Make no mistake: if...
Lambert @Corrente: [quote]But there is a strong U.S. military desire for significant force reductions to bring relief to overall U.S. commitment levels." (via WaPo [end quote] "Strong military desire"?
Taegan Goddard: Secret Memo Says Bush Planning Troop Reduction — "The United States and Britain are drawing up plans to withdraw the...
Avedon Carol: Front page drivin' news — The big front-page story at The Washington Past is U.K. Memo Cites Plans For Troop Reduction.
Baldilocks: A Little More Treachery — Right on cue for Mondayâ U.K. Memo Cites Plans For Troop Reduction "LONDON, July 10 —...
Sadly, No!: "President rejects timetable for withdrawal, saying the struggle 'is worth it'" Meanwhile, back in the jungle...
Also: James Joyner, Jesse Taylor, Laura Rozen, Kevin Drum, Attaturk, Jo Fish, Josh Marshall

SAN FRANCISCO
  San Francisco Chronicle   —   Permalink 
A San Francisco police officer was in serious condition with a head injury and three suspects were in custody Saturday following a demonstration by anarchists who broke windows in the Mission District to protest the gathering of the Group of 8 leaders in Scotland.
Smash: Cop-Bashing — ANARCHISTS IN SAN FRANCISCO put a cop in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, then brag about it on Indymedia.
Jeff Goldstein: Peter Fonda comments on San Francisco's Mission District G8 protest that left one police officer in serious condition —...
Michelle Malkin: The officer remains in the hospital in serious condition with brain swelling. He has developed a blood clot as a result of his injuries.
Will Franklin: San Francisco Chronicle: A San Francisco police officer was in serious condition with a head injury and three suspects...

Box office blues stem from blue-state bigotry
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
Hollywood's box office has hit the skids, and the entertainment media are in overdrive trying to explain why. The most obvious explanation for box office malaise is consistently overlooked: Hollywood's ruling liberal elites keep going out of their way to offend half their audience.
Avedon Carol: I wonder who they're doing it for... "Somebody call Jon Stewart," is Kevin Drum's reaction to changes to the opinion...
Ed Driscoll: Writing in the L.A. Times, she has the cure for Hollywood's box office blues. Think anyone in Tinseltown will listen?
Kevin Drum: Here's the rundown: this week's section features a piece about how Jews really are the chosen people and only idiot...
Roger Ailes: In yesterday's edition of the L.A. Times, wingnut actor Govindini Murty, best known for her role as "Don Quixote's...
Kevin Roderick: This week there's an Outside the Tent by Jamie Court, an op-ed piece by local conservative blogger Govindini Murty, and...
Michelle Malkin: CURE FOR BOX-OFFICE BLUES — The lovely and talented Govindini Murty has an op-ed in the LA Times on Hollywood's blue-state bigotry.

Lawmaker prods court, raises brows
  By / Chicago Tribune   —   Permalink 
In an extraordinary move, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee privately demanded last month that the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago change its decision in a narcotics case because he didn't believe a drug courier got a harsh enough prison term.
Digby: Congressman Sensenbrenner of Illinois Wisconsin is involving himself in an obscure drug case by outright telling the...
Jeralyn Merritt: This article on Rep. James Sensenbrenner by Maurice Possley in the Chicago Tribune is a must.
Radley Balko: Not Much Sensenbrenner — Separation of powers, be damned: [snipped quote] This is the same guy who wanted to jail Janet...
Cookie Jill: james sensenbrenner wants to stick it to the judicial system...and be both judge and jury we have more to fear from this "activist" congressman than any "activist" judge.
LeanLeft: Sensenbrenner Attempts to Dictate Court Sentences Unilaterally

A note about Current
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
Blather, Hank, Head-on, Nerve, Pearls, Prattle, Slant, Spout, Think and Thrust.
Those are among the dozens of suggestions that didn't make it as the new name of this section. Clash made a vigorous coup attempt. It was gently fended off by such heartfelt suggestions as Hugs, Wimp and Kumbaya.
Patterico: Editor Bob Sipchen had a number of explanations yesterday, but I think the most telling was this one: We want Times staff writers to offer analysis in these pages.
Kevin Drum: BOLD. NEW. LOOK...The LA Times Sunday opinion section now sports a bold new look that features breathtakingly...
Kevin Roderick: Content-wise, it's essentially the same section Bob Sipchen has been rolling out for much of this year (here's his editor note.)

For a Decade, London Thrived as a Busy Crossroads of Terror
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
LONDON, July 9 - Long before bombings ripped through London on Thursday, Britain had become a breeding ground for hate, fed by a militant version of Islam.
Abu Hamza al-Masri preached violence until his arrest in 2004.
Mustafa Setmarian Nasar operated in London for years.
Mary Madigan: The Washington Post and the New York Times have both run front page articles about Britain's history as a haven for Islamist hate.
Michelle Malkin: PT III The NY Times echoes what I noted on the 7th, and what many other War on Terror watchdogs have warned about for...
Marc @USSNeverdock: For far too long Britain has been too tolerant of the enemy within as this Washington Post and New York Times articles point out.
Kim Lane Scheppele: Exhibit A: Today's New York Times featured a story by Elaine Sciolino and Don van Natta that reported: "For example,...
Jan Haugland: PS: A NYT article makes very much the same point: For a Decade, London Thrived as a Busy Crossroads of Terror.
Glenn Reynolds: Here's more on the subject from the New York Times, which is now only about 3 years behind, say, Charles Johnson on this topic .
Also: Mediacrity, Charles Paul Freund, Maria @CrookedTimber, Orrin Judd, Rich Lowry

Allawi: this is the start of civil war
  Times of London   —   Permalink 
IRAQ'S former interim prime minister Iyad Allawi has warned that his country is facing civil war and has predicted dire consequences for Europe and America as well as the Middle East if the crisis is not resolved.
Steve Soto: And then there's this: when your former ally and bagman turns on you and tells his countrymen that the United States has...
Atrios: Turning the Corner — Allawi: IRAQ'S former interim prime minister Iyad Allawi has warned that his country is facing...
Norbizness: Oh, it was our former CIA asset and interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi? I wonder what made him start hating goodness and light?
John @AmericaBlog: Iraq's former Interim PM says this is the beginnings of civil war — Last throes, indeed.

In London, Islamic Radicals Found a Haven
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
LONDON, July 9 — On the morning after bombs ripped through the London Underground and crumpled a double-decker bus, four security guards escorted a one-eyed, Egyptian-born cleric, his arms amputated below the elbows from Afghan war injuries, onto the elevated dock of Courtroom No. 1 in Old Bailey, the capital's principal criminal court.
Jan Haugland: However, given the degree with which even outspoken terrorist ideologues have made London their home, it will be prudent...
Michelle Malkin: The Washington Post runs a similar story: "In London, Islamic Radicals Found a Haven."
Glenn Reynolds: THIS IS OLD NEWS TO MOST BLOG READERS, but the Washington Post has a lengthy article on how London has become a haven for radical Islamists.
Cori Dauber: A spectacular front page article from the WaPo detailing the community of Islamists London has been harboring, the links...
Dan Darling: The <Washington Post also points out that throughout the 1990s London has been such a major hub for al-Qaeda and its...
Charles Paul Freund: Londonistan — The Washington Post this morning offers a lengthy piece about the "sprawling shape and deep history of al Qaeda and related extremist groups in London."
Also: Maria @CrookedTimber, Rich Lowry

Danger: complacency
  Times of London   —   Permalink 
Until Thursday morning this weekend's events seemed to be well choreographed. There would be discussion of whether Tony Blair had successfully corralled the G8 summit into agreements on Africa and climate change. There would be yet more euphoria over the successful Olympic bid.
Betsy Newmark: The London Times begins a debate that I think a lot of countries are going to have to have.
Stanley Kurtz: SECOND THOUGHTS — Britain begins to reconsider?
Marc @USSNeverdock: Britain - Danger: Denial — The Times (UK) headline read "Danger: complacency". No. The danger is denial.

Right Principle, Wrong Context
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
When Robert D. Novak first reported that people in the Bush White House had identified Valerie Plame as an undercover CIA operative, the New York Times reacted with high dudgeon.
Josh: NYT Executive Editor Keller, responding to the LAT Op-Ed Editor's suggestion that Judy Miller debate Mike Kinsley on...
Andrew Sullivan: Kinsley differs from the NYT in an interesting piece of counter-intuitive reasoning here.
Barbara O'Brien: Related links: Michael Kinsley, "Right Principle, Wrong Context" Frank Rich, "We're Not in Watergate Any More" Update:...

The hate
  Times of London   —   Permalink 
Who planted the London bombs? Experts believe a new generation of angry young British Muslims has spawned its own terrorists. David Leppard and Nick Fielding report
Early last year, as Tony Blair struggled through the long and bitter political aftermath of the Iraq war, yet another bit of disturbing news turned up in his red boxes.
Andrew Stuttaford: As ye sow... More on the situation in the UK here and here.
Stanley Kurtz: The London Sunday Times has a particularly long, fascinating, and frightening version.
Scott @PowerLine: For the breadth and depth of the mania confronting Great Britain from within, see this lengthy London Times article: "The hate."

A Guantánamo Exit Strategy
  By / Foreign Policy   —   Permalink 
The U.S. facility at Guantánamo Bay is hurting the American-led war on terror. It's time to put U.S. detention facilities on the moral high ground—and out of Guantánamo.
Camp X-Ray at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba in 2002.
WoW Team Monday: AMERICAN DOMESTIC SECURITY Phil Carter proposes a Gitmo exit strategy. An Air France flight is denied entry into the United States.
Phillip Carter: If it's broke, fix it — Foreign Policy just published a new essay of mine on their website titled "A Guantánamo...

Markets factor in acts of terror
  By / The Australian   —   Permalink 
FOR Tobias Levkovich, chief US portfolio strategist at Citigroup Smith Barney in New York, the timing of last Thursday's terrorist attacks in London could hardly have been better.
That's not to suggest for even a moment that Levkovich welcomed the attacks.
Steve Verdon: Now Tobias Levkovich has argued that markets have adapted and now acts of terror are likely to have far less impact than they did on 9/11.
Don: HE EVEN GOT MY NAME RIGHT — David Nason in The Australian:...last year Don Luskin, writing in Capitalist Magazine,...

'Foreign terrorist cell' was behind London bombings
  Telegraph   —   Permalink 
Police were last night searching for a foreign-based Islamic terrorist cell after it was disclosed that three of the four bombs that hit London last Thursday exploded "almost simultaneously".
Marc @USSNeverdock: While The Telegraph (UK) reports "Police were last night searching for a foreign-based Islamic terrorist cell."
Michelle Malkin: The Telegraph points to a "foreign terror cell:" "Both ministerial and Whitehall officials stressed the similarities...
Scott @PowerLine: London calling — The Telegraph reports the conclusion of British authorities that Thursday's terrorist bombings were the work of a foreign terrorist cell.

Vigil sends 'message of commiseration'
  By / BBC   —   Permalink 
In the shadow of the London bombings, hundreds of anti-war protesters and Muslims came together to send a "message of commiseration" to the victims and their families.
Gene @HarrysPlace: Hypocrite II — From a BBC report on a vigil called by the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament...
Avedon Carol: Oh, but we do, and we understand that this is not a moment for flexing our muscles and drumming up new rationalizations...
Jan Haugland: If Muslims in Britain want to reassure people that they are firmly reject terrorism, marching with George Galloway and the appeasers is hardly a wise move.
David T: Hypocrite — The Socialist Workers Party, in coalition with the Muslim Brotherhood/Muslim Association of Britain has...
Marc @USSNeverdock: Not only does this show just how sick these people are, it also shows whose side they are on. BBC Report here.

Matt Cooper's Source
  By / MSNBC   —   Permalink 
July 18 issue - It was 11:07 on a Friday morning, July 11, 2003, and Time magazine correspondent Matt Cooper was tapping out an e-mail to his bureau chief, Michael Duffy. "Subject: Rove/P&C," (for personal and confidential), Cooper began.
Eriposte @LeftCoaster: Treasongate (Part V): Flashback on Uranium and Africa — Newsweek has the bombshell Rove-related story in Treasongate,...
Jeralyn Merritt: Reactions to Newsweek's Latest on Karl Rove — Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) reacts to today's Newseek column confirming that Karl Rove was one of Matthew Cooper's sources.
John Cole: The Plame Game Continues — Talkleft links to this Newsweek piece stating Karl Rove was Matt Cooper's source:...
Garrett M. Graff: Lots of Miller/Cooper news out today, including a NYT tick-tock on Cooper's "surprise" decision to testify last week, a...
Orrin Judd: CIA VS WH: Matt Cooper's Source: What Karl Rove told Time magazine's reporter.

Iran, Iraq to OK Military Pact, Including Troop Training Help
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
TEHRAN — Former foes Iran and Iraq said Thursday that they would sign a military cooperation agreement that would include Iranian help in training Iraq's armed forces, despite likely U.S. opposition.
The agreement marks a breakthrough in relations between the two countries, which fought a bitter 1980-88 war.
Norbizness: By the way, he predicts civil war. That's extra good. (3) Do what now?
Bob Dreyfuss: Specifically, the Iraqi defense minister made a high profile visit to Teheran last week, during which he concluded a deal with the mullahs.

The face of terror
  By / NY Daily News   —   Permalink 
LONDON - The man believed to have masterminded last year's Madrid train bombings is emerging as the prime suspect in the devastating terror attacks on London's transit system.
WoW Team Monday: Mustafa Setmarian Nasar and Mohammed al Qarbouzy are believed to be suspects. Three suspects were arrested at Heathrow Airport, but later released.
Andrew Cochran: 'I AM NOT ON THE RUN' - Mohammed al Qarbouzy, Moroccan named early as possible suspect, claims innocence The face of...

We're Not in Watergate Anymore
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WHEN John Dean published his book "Worse Than Watergate" in the spring of 2004, it seemed rank hyperbole: an election-year screed and yet another attempt by a Nixon alumnus to downgrade Watergate crimes by unearthing worse "gates" thereafter.
Al Rodgers: "Meet the Establishment: Chertoff; ex-TSA chief James Loy and security author Steve Flynn; The Blithering, Lying Idiot..."
Scott @PowerLine: This is Rich — In today's New York Times Frank Rich engages in another installment of the apparently endless series of...
Orrin Judd: NO FAIR, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO WIN: We're Not in Watergate Anymore (FRANK RICH, 7/10/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] Because,...
Stirling Newberry: Normally I like Frank Rich's columns, but he too has been swallowed up by the press' wallowing in vain.
Richard TPD: For anyone who wants to understand why this story is so significant and why it is truly "worse than Watergate," today's column by Frank Rich is a must-read.

'The Prince of the City': Cut Out for the Job
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
A SWEDISH diplomat recently announced that he was nominating Rudy Giuliani, New York's famously bellicose former mayor, for the Nobel Peace Prize. My first thought was: He won't accept! But then, even better: If he wins, he could use his speech to denounce peace.
Steve M.: It is also a perfect artifact of a cultural climate in which gossip and innuendo thrive on the Internet; more and more...
Josh: IN THE NYT, James Traub has an interesting review of Fred Siegel's new book on Rudy Giuliani, The Prince Of The City.

The Enigma of Damascus
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
The opera house in Damascus was a long time coming. Hafez al-Assad, the iron-willed military man who ruled Syria for three decades, was in power just a few years when he laid the cornerstone. But lack of materials and equipment, hard economic times and a devastating fire delayed the project year after year.
Atrios: Ridiculous New York Times Anonymous Source of the Day — James Bennet, A candidate for the Gucky: "By ideology,...
Gregory Djerejian: Meantime, more on the Syrian leader in the current NYT magazine.

Waves Pound Beaches As Dennis Nears Coast
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - Hurricane Dennis closed in on the Gulf Coast on Sunday with battering waves and high wind after strengthening into a dangerous Category 4 storm, roaring toward a region still patching up damage from a hurricane 10 months ago.
Acidman: I was pretty sure that they left in plenty of time to avoid Hurricane Dennis, but I didn't stop to think about other people running, too.
Susie Madrak: Quote of the Day Jeb Bush on hurricanes as a sign of God's wrath: "I think there is a legitimate feeling, 'Why me?

Longtime Haven for Arabs Now Must Ask: Why Us?
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
LONDON, July 9 - A makeshift corrugated-iron fence now blocks the view of the bombed Edgware Road subway station. The blare of sirens has grown more sporadic, and the trappings of normalcy are slowly coming back to this central business district, with shoppers and diners filing back into the cafes and onto the sidewalks.
Michelle Malkin: Mediacrity takes a closer look at one of the Times' clueless pieces on the 7/7 attacks by "the feckless Hassan Fattah," a Hezbollah sympathizer.
Mediacrity: Nice piece. Inside, however, we get one of the most idiotic stories I have read in the Times in quite a while.

Under the Microscope Longer Than Most
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — The period during which a court's membership remains unchanged is known to political scientists as a natural court. It is useful as a kind of controlled experiment that permits study of the institution itself without the distraction of judges coming and going.
Ann Althouse: Linda Greenhouse writes of the recently concluded 11-year-long "natural court" — a court with unchanged membership:...
Orin Kerr: Greenhouse on the Rehnquist Court: In today's New York Times, Linda Greenhouse points out that while many expected the...

Unfinished Balkan Business
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Ten years ago this month, United Nations peacekeepers in Bosnia were chained to bridges by Bosnian Serbs, humiliated and unable to do anything to defend a helpless population. The entire international community was held hostage, incapable of summoning the will to stop the carnage.
Robert Tagorda: R. Nicholas Burns, the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, explains what must now be done to close this...
Cori Dauber: Another Anniversary — And we're still waiting for the criminals to be brought to justice.

UK draws up Iraq 'pull-out plan'
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Plans have been drawn up to withdraw thousands of UK and US troops from Iraq by the spring of 2006.
The paper, by Defence Secretary John Reid, suggests the UK's 8,500 troops in Iraq could be cut to 3,000, saving around 500m a year.
Norbizness: This may explain draw-down contingency plans being leaked. (7) A brief history of how the insurgency was allowed to flourish in Iraq: Why did this happen?
Marc @USSNeverdock: UK draws up Iraq 'pull-out plan' — Is the headline for this BBC story. But the BBC miss the real story here.

Analysis: Al-Qaida's G8 mistake
  By / UPI   —   Permalink 
LONDON, July 7 (UPI) — While al-Qaida showed their customary ruthless skill in planning the London bombings, their choice of target may become a major strategic mistake.
London was not the only victim of the spate of bombings of the trains and buses of the London transit system.
Steve Verdon: "The London markets — which did not close — quickly sank 3 percent, but then recovered.—link [snip] Written between..."
James Joyner: Al Qaeda's G8 mistake — UPI editor-in-chief Martin Walker, a Briton by birth though he has resided in America for...

Stop giving to charities that back jihad, says Muslim editor
  By / Telegraph   —   Permalink 
The editor of the world's leading Arab newspaper has launched a scathing attack on Muslims in Britain for turning a blind eye to terrorist fund-raising activities on their own doorstep.
Andrew Cochran: Terror At Rush Hour Four New Zealand Muslim mosques attacked in wake of London terror bombings U.S. lacks outline of...
David T: Hat Tip: Logan Gene adds: By contrast, the editor of the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat...