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Archive Edition for   Friday, July 29, 2005Go to Current Page
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Quoted in this edition:

Ace of Spades HQ
  Ace
alicublog
  Roy @Alicublog
Althouse
  Ann Althouse
AMERICAblog
  Michael @AmericaBlog
  John @AmericaBlog
  Chris @AmericaBlog
Amygdala
  Gary Farber
The Anchoress
  TheAnchoress
www.AndrewSullivan.com
  Judith @AndrewSullivan
Angry Bear
  PGL
Associated Press
  H. Josef Hebert
  Jennifer Loven
  Jill Lawless
  John J. Lumpkin
  Mark Sherman
  Tom Raum
  Ed Johnson
  Mark Thiessen
baldilocks
  Baldilocks
BBC
Begging to Differ
  Tom @BeggingToDiffer
Betsy's Page
  Betsy Newmark
Billmon
  Billmon
The Blogging of the President
  Stirling Newberry
Bloomberg
Boston Globe
  Rick Klein
Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal
  Brad DeLong
Brendan Nyhan
  Brendan Nyhan
BrothersJudd Blog
  Orrin Judd
BuzzMachine
  Jeff Jarvis
Captain's Quarters
  Captain Ed
Centerfield
  Tully @Centerfield
Chris C Mooney
  Chris Mooney
Cincinnati Enquirer
CNN
The Corner
  Cliff May
  Kathryn Jean Lopez
  Andrew Stuttaford
  Iain Murray
  Tim Graham
The Counterterrorism Blog
  Andrew Cochran
Crooked Timber
  Kieran Healy
Daily Kos
  DavidNYC @DailyKos
  Hunter @DailyKos
Daimnation!
  Damian Penny
Daly Thoughts
  Gerry Daly
Dean's World
  Dean Esmay
Demagogue
  Frederick Maryland
Donklephant
  Justin Gardner
EdCone.com
  Ed Cone
Eschaton
  Atrios
etc.
  Spencer Ackerman
Ezra Klein
  Ezra Klein
Fox News
  Claudia Rosett
  Radley Balko
Gallup
  Jeffrey M. Jones
Gateway Pundit
  Gateway Pundit
Gut Rumbles
  Acidman
The Hill
  Bob Cusack
Hit and Run
  Daniel Koffler
The Huffington Post
  Carl Pope
  Arianna Huffington
Hugh Hewitt
  Hugh Hewitt
Hullabaloo
  Digby
In the Agora
  Joshua Claybourn
  Eric Seymour
The Indepundit
  Smash
Instapundit.com
  Glenn Reynolds
Israel news and commentary from IsraPundit
  Ted Belman
Jewish World Review
  Binyamin L. Jolkovsky
  Michael Graham
JustOneMinute
  Tom Maguire
L.A. Observed
  Kevin Roderick
La Shawn Barber’s Corner
  La Shawn Barber
LA Weekly
  Michael Kinsley
The Left Coaster
  Mary @LeftCoaster
  Steve Soto
The Liquid List
  Oliver @LiquidList
Los Angeles Times
  David G. Savage
  Paul Watson
The Mahablog
  Barbara O'Brien
Majikthise
  Lindsay Beyerstein
Mark in Mexico
  MarkInMexico
mediabistro
  Brian Stelter
  Garrett M. Graff
Michelle Malkin
  Michelle Malkin
Minneapolis Star Tribune
  Cheri Pierson Yecke
The Moderate Voice
  Michael Stickings
  Joe Gandelman
MSNBC
MyDD
  Chris Bowers
  Scott Shields
National Geographic News
  Brian Handwerk
National Review
New York Magazine
  Franklin Foer
New York Post
  Roger Pilon
New York Times
  Edmund L. Andrews
  Sheryl Gay Stolberg
  Paul Krugman
  Thomas L. Friedman
  Abby Goodnough
  David D. Kirkpatrick
  Richard W. Stevenson
  Elisabeth Bumiller
  Brian Lavery
  Paul Sperry
  Daniel J. Wakin
  Bob Herbert
NewDonkey.com
  New Donkey
NewsHog
  Cernig
Obsidian Wings
  Edward _
Oh, That Liberal Media
  Jim Miller
Opinion Journal
  Brendan Miniter
Outside The Beltway
  James Joyner
OxBlog
  David
Pandagon
  Amanda Marcotte
  Jesse Taylor
Patterico's Pontifications
  Patterico
Pejmanesque
  Pejman Yousefzadeh
The Peking Duck
  Richard TPD
PoliBlog
  Dr. Steven Taylor
PoliPundit.com
  Alexander K. McClure
  Jayson @PoliPundit
Politics from Left to Right
  Chris Nolan
Power Line
  Scott @PowerLine
  John @PowerLine
ProfessorBainbridge.com
  Steve Bainbridge
protein wisdom
  Jeff Goldstein
QandO
  Mcq
Rantingprofs
  Cori Dauber
RedState.org
  Augustine @RedState
Reuters
  Joanne Kenen
  Romney Willson
  Jodie Ginsberg
Right Wing News
  John Hawkins
Rising Hegemon
  Attaturk
Rocky Mountain News
  Ann Imse
Roger L. Simon
  Roger L. Simon
Romenesko
  Jim Romenesko
San Diego Union-Tribune
  Marcus Stern
Schneier on Security
  Bruce Schneier
Secular Blasphemy
  Jan Haugland
Shot In The Dark
  Mitch Berg
The Sideshow
  Avedon Carol
Silflay Hraka
  Bigwig
skippy the bush kangaroo
  Cookie Jill
  Pudentilla
Sky News
Southern Appeal
  Adam White
  Michael DeBow
Steve Clemons
  Dave Meyer
Suburban Guerrilla
  Susie Madrak
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
  Taegan Goddard
Talking Points Memo
  Josh Marshall
TalkLeft
  Jeralyn Merritt
  TChris
TAPPED
  Matthew Yglesias
»«TBogg»«
  Tbogg
TheAgitator.com
  Radley Balko
Think Progress
  Mipe @ThinkProgress
  Guest @ThinkProgress
  Judd @ThinkProgress
This Modern World
  Tom Tomorrow
TPMCafe
  Matthew Yglesias
Unfogged
  Fontana Labs
Unqualified Offerings
  Jim Henley
USS Neverdock
  Marc @USSNeverdock
Village Voice
  Rick Perlstein
The Volokh Conspiracy
  Eugene Volokh
  Randy Barnett
War and Piece
  Laura Rozen
The Washington Monthly
  Kevin Drum
Washington Post
  David Ignatius
  Paul Farhi
  Lexie Verdon
  Michael A. Fletcher
  Shailagh Murray
  Laila El-Haddad
  Lisa De Moraes
Washington Times
  Charles Hurt
  Stephen Dinan
Winds of Change.NET
  Armed Liberal
Wired News
  Kim Zetter



Madrassa foreigners 'must leave'
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says all foreign students at madrassas, or religious schools, some 1,400 pupils, must leave the country.
"Any (foreigners) in the madrassas - even dual nationality holders - will leave Pakistan," Gen Musharraf said.
Jeff Goldstein: Creating new terrorists: Chimpy McHitlerBurton's smirky rodeo ride through history continues, #13 — From BBC News,...
Jan Haugland: Musharraf throws out foreign madrassas students — Pakistan is forcing all foreigners to leave the madrassas.
Dr. Steven Taylor: No More Foreign Students in Pakistani Madrassas — Via the BBC: Madrassa foreigners 'must leave' [snipped quote] Interesting.
MarkInMexico: The BBC is reporting that Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, has ordered all foreign students in Pakistan's extremist madrassas to leave the country.
Cernig: See No Evil, Report No Evil — From the BBC: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says all foreign students at...
Ace: Pakistan To Eject Foreign Students From Madrassas — Lately I'm more worried about the Pakistanis than anyone else, but it's a start.
Also: Kathryn Jean Lopez

How Cafta Passed House by 2 Votes
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 28 - It was just before midnight on Wednesday when Representative Robin Hayes capitulated.
Mr. Hayes, a Republican whose district in North Carolina has lost thousands of textile jobs in the last four years, had defied President Bush and House Republican leaders by voting against the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or Cafta.
Carl Pope: CAFTA passed 215-217, after the House Leadership and the White House held the vote open for an hour so they could pass out enough boodle to squeak through.
Joe Gandelman: On the other hand, as this news story is sweeping the news cycle, another story reports that Frist is angering Democrats by refusing to bring the bill up now.
Justin Gardner: It worked, but barely… More on CAFTA, from the NY Times: "WASHINGTON, July 28 - It was just before midnight on Wednesday when Representative Robin Hayes capitulated.
Jim Miller: And the Times article on the vote mentions only Republican Congressmen, when it discusses those who might be endangered.
Guest @ThinkProgress: And even if one ignores the coercive way in which Republicans kept the vote open more than an hour, or the backroom...
PGL: CAFTA: Trade Diversion — With hat tip to Brad Setser, Edmund Andrews reports: [snipped quote] Let's imagine that Speaker...
Also: Matthew Yglesias, Ezra Klein

Iraq Can Survive This
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Two weeks ago, I received a bleak message from an Iraqi Sunni friend named Talal Gaaod. It worried me because Gaaod has been working hard for the past two years to rally Sunnis to support a new Iraqi government.
Cernig: But now I am dumbfounded by the gall of the rightwing hawk, David Ignatius, writing in the Washington Post.
Matthew Yglesias: David Ignatius says maybe Iraq will descend into Lebanon-esque civil war, but even that wouldn't indicate that our efforts there had been ill-advised.
Michael Stickings: The Iraqi nightmare: What to do, when to get out — I've come across two must-reads on the situation in Iraq, one by...
Justin Gardner: David Ignatius worries about Iraq's stability after he gets a letter from a Sunni friend who has been pushing for cooperation, but is seeing chaos.
Spencer Ackerman: Ignatius's contention is that civil war—which, only months ago, hawks argued would never come about—wouldn't be the...
Cori Dauber: Optimistic Pessimism — How down is David Ignatius if he's arguing that Lebanon wasn't all that bad?

Bush Approval at 44%
  By / Gallup   —   Permalink 
PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds a decline in George W. Bush's job approval rating. After standing at 49% approval in the prior two CNN/USA Today/Gallup polls conducted this month, now just 44% of Americans say they approve of Bush, a new low mark for the president.
Steve Soto: Gallup's latest poll, done through last night, shows that Bush's job approval rating has fallen to its lowest level in a Gallup poll, now down to only 44%.
Richard TPD: Good news — And good news is hard to come by nowadays. [snipped quote] Don't you see? Bush's popularity with the masses is a myth.
Atrios: Bad President, Unpopular Guy — Okay, now can we stop saying that people like the guy?
Taegan Goddard: Bush Approval Drops Further — A new Gallup Poll finds a decline in President Bush's job approval rating to just 44%.

Robin Hood and Air America
  Washington Times   —   Permalink 
Did Al Franken's liberal radio network Air America divert city money for the elderly and inner-city children to itself? That's the question people should be asking this week after the revelation that the New York Department of Investigation is looking into...
Justin Gardner: The Washington Times editorializes about Air America and how they could be in hot water if allegations that they siphoned money from non-profits to fund their launch prove true.
Hugh Hewitt: Air America is fingered as looting public funds from kids' programs. Air America responds by saying the fingerees left a year ago.
Captain Ed: The only mention it gets comes from the editorial pages of the Washington Times.
TheAnchoress: UPDATE: I stand corrected. The Washington Times has a piece. But then, I don't know that I'd call them part of the MSM.
Bigwig: It appears the liberal radio network Air America may have a similar blind spot. (lvtc) In late June, city officials...
La Shawn Barber: Related: Air America Allegedly Stole Money From Poor Black Kids in New York (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin) Also see Robin Hood and Air America.
Also: Michelle Malkin, Scott @PowerLine, Betsy Newmark, Jonah Goldberg, Matt Murphy

Senate's Leader Veers From Bush Over Stem Cells
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 28 - In a break with President Bush, the Senate Republican leader, Bill Frist, has decided to support a bill to expand federal financing for embryonic stem cell research, a move that could push it closer to passage and force a confrontation with the White House, which is threatening to veto the measure.
Ace: Frist Splits With Bush On Stem Cells — And a lot of conservatives are pissed.
Hugh Hewitt: Senator Frist's position on stem cell research hurts him with the evangelical base he was said by the left to be playing...
James Joyner: Senate's Leader Veers From Bush Over Stem Cells (NYT | RSS) [snipped quote] It may well be that politics, electoral or otherwise, was not central to Frist's thinking here.
Joe Gandelman: Bill Frist Breaks With Bush On Stem Cell Research — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is breaking with President George...
Brendan Nyhan: Bill Frist's stem cell decision — Bill Frist's decision to back an expansion of stem cell research is fascinating.
Chris Mooney: Everyone wants to know what is up today with Bill Frist apparently flip-flopping on stem cells and moving back to his more reasonable, medically informed position of 2001.
Also: Roger L. Simon, Plutonium Page, Justin Gardner, Rob @AmericaBlog, Kathryn Jean Lopez, Glenn Reynolds, Feddie @SouthernAppeal

Frist Breaks With Bush on Stem-Cell Bill
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Friday threw his support behind House-passed legislation to expand federal financing for human embryonic stem cell research, breaking with President Bush and religious conservatives in a move that could impact his prospects for seeking the White House in 2008.
Amanda Marcotte: Put a little spit polish on that medical degree, Dr. Frist — Apparently Bill Frist is tired of people putting his honorific "Dr." in scare quotes.
John @AmericaBlog: Bill Frist caves on stem cells, screws religious right and Bush — Not to mention, read the article, you don't see...
Mipe @ThinkProgress: McClellan took issue with a reporter's characterization of Frist's release: "the president is stuck in a 2001 decision when the science is passing him by."
Frederick Maryland: We'll eventually learn the answer to that question because, according to the Associated Press: "Senate Majority Leader...

Money pouring into race
  Cincinnati Enquirer   —   Permalink 
• Ex-Sen. Cleland lauds fellow veteran Hackett
In a sign that the 2nd Congressional District race might be tight, the National Republican Congressional Committee has dumped more than $500,000 into a TV ad campaign attacking Democrat Paul Hackett.
Justin Gardner: The GOP pours 500K into the race against Iraq War veteran and Ohio democrat Paul Hackett.
Chris Bowers: First, on the paid media front, the DCCC is in: [snipped quote] I think the size of the DCCC buy is only about $115K, much less than the NRCC's $500K+, but it is still helpful.
Billmon: Under the circumstances, the GOP's decision to throw $500,000 in slime ads at Hackett in the closing days of the race...
DavidNYC @DailyKos: Now, they are being forced to spend over $500,000 to save their candidate's ass in a district Bush won by more than 30 percent.

WMAL Suspends Talk-Show Host for Comment on Islam
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Radio talk-show host Michael Graham was suspended by station WMAL-AM yesterday for repeatedly describing Islam as a "terrorist organization" on his program.
Scott @PowerLine: Beware of fatwa, take 2 — Today's Washington Post reports: "WMAL suspends talk-show host for comment on Islam."
Justin Gardner: This next to liken all of Islam to a terrorist organization is talk show host Michael Graham, who was promptly suspended by his station indefinitely.
Michelle Malkin: CRITICIZING ISLAM ON THE AIRWAVES — Conservative radio talk show host and NRO contributor Michael Graham has been...
La Shawn Barber: He was suspended for calling Islam a terror organization. As long as the radio station isn't run by the government, WMAL...

U.N. Mystery Man: Who Is Jean-Bernard Merimee and What's His Oil-for-Food Tie?
  By / Fox News   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK — As investigations proliferate into the United Nations Oil-for-Food scandal, one of the more intriguing mysteries involves a former French diplomat with a direct link to the U.N.'s executive suite: Jean-Bernard Merimee (search).
Roger L. Simon: Joltin' Bolton — A gaggle of supposedly "progressive" Democrats is continuing to oppose the nomination of John Bolton...
Kathryn Jean Lopez: For more, see here.
Captain Ed: This time, she focuses on the former French ambassador to the UN Jean-Bernard Merimee, who served as Kofi Annan's...
Glenn Reynolds: UNSCAM UPDATE: Claudia Rosett has more on the ever-expanding oil-for-food scandals: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing.

London bomb suspects reportedly caught
  MSNBC   —   Permalink 
LONDON - Two of the three suspected London bombers being hunted by police over a failed attempt to attack the city's transport system were arrested Friday after several raids, Sky Television reported, citing police sources. Another suspect was believed to be holed up in a west London apartment.
Justin Gardner: More london bomb suspects have been caught, as reported by MSNBC. Paul Krugman takes a look at French Family Values and notes the French spend more time with their families.
MarkInMexico: Sky News, the BBC and MSNBC are reporting that 2 of the 3 London bombers still on the loose have been caught in London and Sky reports that the fourth is in custody in Italy.
Andrew Cochran: MSNBC: "In Rome, Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said that Somali-born Osman Hussain, a naturalized British citizen, was picked up by Italian police."
Laura Rozen: Two London bomber suspects arrested. More. And a US fatwa against terrorism.

More Daylight Savings: Energy Boon or Scheduling Snafu?
  By / National Geographic News   —   Permalink 
This week the U.S. Congress is expected to pass a mammoth new energy bill that includes subsidies to oil and gas companies and encourages nuclear power. Yet the bill's most controversial aspect may be its monthlong extension of daylight saving time.
Justin Gardner: Will changing daylight savings time save energy but mess up the economy? National Geographic writes about it.
Smash: Resetting the Clock — NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC looks at the pros and cons of extending Daylight Savings Time. (Hat tip: James Joyner)
James Joyner: More Daylight Savings: Energy Boon or Scheduling Snafu?

Bush plans to sidestep Senate on Bolton
  MSNBC   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - President Bush intends to announce next week that he is going around Congress to install embattled nominee John Bolton as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, senior administration officials said Friday.
Josh Marshall: AP has the story: Bush to make the recess appointment next week.
Laura Rozen: Bolton to get recess appointment. Writes reader J, [snipped quote] Silver lining? Well, his term has an expiration date of a year and a half.

Pact aided by Cunningham is challenged
  By / San Diego Union-Tribune   —   Permalink 
A Florida software company will ask a San Diego receivership judge today to order an accounting of $3.5 million in federal money that Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham helped a small group of political contributors and constituents obtain through a contract with the Internal Revenue Service.
Mary @LeftCoaster: Here's a perfect example of what sort of honorable man Duke Stir is. Okay, maybe he's not, maybe he's just a thug and a bully and a crook.
Josh Marshall: The Union-Tribune's Marcus Stern, who broke the story that began Duke's downfall, has the details. PS.

'Two bomb suspects' held in raids
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Two more of the failed London bombing suspects are believed to have been arrested as police carried out a number of armed operations in west London.
They were thought to be the men wanted for the Oval Tube and No 26 bus attacks of 21 July, said a BBC correspondent.
Jan Haugland: Update: Eager, but not able. London police says all the four suspects are now caught.
Iain Murray: GOT 'EM — All four of the July 21 bombing suspects are now reportedly in police custody.
Captain Ed: More ... UPDATE II: The BBC now reports that police arrested two more of the July 21 bombers in this raid: "Two more...
Tully @Centerfield: Busted? 'All four' July 21 suspects held If true, very good news indeed.

Sources: Bush to Appoint Bolton on Recess
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - President Bush intends to announce next week that he is going around Congress to install embattled nominee John Bolton as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, senior administration officials said Friday.
Attaturk: Sources: Bush to Appoint Bolton on Recess [snipped quote] Sure he's a lying son-of-a-bitch that is the last person who should ever be in place.
Jayson @PoliPundit: Bolton Update — If the recess-appointment aspect of this media self-therapy session is accurate, then it's about to get much colder on Planet Moonbat Liberal.

Frist Backs Stem Cell Research
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) today announced that he will support a bill that loosens federal prohibitions on human embryonic stem cell research, a decision that puts him at odds with the Bush administration.
Augustine @RedState: In doing so, he effectively ended his brief flirtation with the Presidential nomination of the GOP - and if this is a...
Tom @BeggingToDiffer: THE HARD CELL — In what is no doubt a carefully considered ethical decision, and not at all a transparent political...

Astronomers Find Another Planet in Solar System
  NYT   —   Permalink 
Add a 10th planet to the solar system - or possibly subtract one.
Astronomers announced today that they had found a lump of rock and ice that is larger than Pluto and the farthest known object in the solar system.
Gary Farber: IT'S NOT EVERY DAY that you find a planet bigger than Pluto in this solar system. My apartment often feels like that, though.
Stirling Newberry: Planet X Discovered — May be declared the largets of KBOs On the same day a smaller object was also annouced.

Parting Shot
  By / LA Weekly   —   Permalink 
I knew that Nikki Finke is an idiot, of course, but I had no idea that she was such a fuddy-duddy. Among the malevolent non-sequiturs and damned-if-you-do-or-don't accusations in Nikki Finke's appreciation of my tenure at the LA Times ["The Michael Kinsley...
Patterico: Turns out Kinsley himself is upset (no surprise there), in part for the same reasons I found her piece unfair: Finke is hard to please.
Kevin Roderick: Full text: In the unedited version at the LA Weekly website, Kinsley calls Finke an idiot and a fuddy-duddy.

French Family Values
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Americans tend to believe that we do everything better than anyone else. That belief makes it hard for us to learn from others. For example, I've found that many people refuse to believe that Europe has anything to teach us about health care policy.
Justin Gardner: Paul Krugman takes a look at French Family Values and notes the French spend more time with their families.
Brad DeLong: French Family Values — Paul Krugman writes about France: French Family Values - New York Times: [G]iven all the...
Tom Maguire: Not Exactly A Contradiction, But... The latest Krugman column, "The French Choice", provides a fascinating counterpoint...
Ace: Krugman: The French Live Better — Okay, it's Liberal Day here at Ace of Spades, but Paul Krugman makes a few good...
Matthew Yglesias: Well, now Paul Krugman's read the Alesina, Glaeser, and Sacerdote paper and makes the same point in his column today, but then adds a twist: [snipped quote] An interesting point.
Susie Madrak: French Family Values Krugman: I've been looking at a new study of international differences in working hours by...

No charges in Denver 3 ouster
  By / Rocky Mountain News   —   Permalink 
Federal prosecutors have declined to press charges of impersonating a Secret Service agent against a White House volunteer who forcibly ousted three people from a speech by President George W. Bush in Denver on March 21.
Jeralyn Merritt: No Charges Against Imposter in Denver Three Case — The Secret Service has responded to an inquiry by Sen. Ken Salazar and Reps.
Josh Marshall: Scot-Free Watch, from the Rocky Mountain News: "Federal prosecutors have declined to press charges of impersonating a...

'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for July 28th
  MSNBC   —   Permalink 
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Will the fight come from the right on Roe v. Wade in the upcoming Senate confirmation hearings? And the first Iraq veteran runs for Congress, but is he in the battle for his life? Let's play HARDBALL. Good evening. I'm Chris Matthews.
Chris Bowers: Sweeet—this doesn't even count the nice free media from MSNBC (also here, here and here) and others (here and here).
Dave Meyer: MSNBC's Shuster Retracts Bolton/Fitzgerald Allegation — I missed this, but Robert George pointed it out in comments, and gail helpfully supplied the transcript.

JWR COLUMNIST OFF THE AIR AFTER ABC/DISNEY IS INTIMIDATED BY CAIR
  By / Jewish World Review   —   Permalink 
Yesterday Michael Graham wrote in his column: "I take no pleasure in saying it. It pains me to think it. I could very well lose my job in talk radio over admitting it. But it is the plain truth: Islam is a terror organization."
And then his fears came true.
Scott @PowerLine: If WMAL doesn't feel embarrassed and doesn't want to defend its reputation in the face of anti-Muslim bigotry, then there's not much we can do about it."
MarkInMexico: Michael Graham is suspended — The Jewish World Review reports that Michael Graham, whose column I detailed previously,...
Michelle Malkin: [quote]Certainly not the group of "moderate" Muslim clerics and imams who gathered in London last week to issue a statement on terrorism and their faith.[end quote]
Dean Esmay: Firing Islam's Critics by Dean Hmmmm.... Should this guy be fired?

Bolton Failed to Disclose Investigator's Interview (Update3)
  Bloomberg   —   Permalink 
July 29 (Bloomberg) — John Bolton's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations may face fresh obstacles in the Senate after the State Department said Bolton failed to tell lawmakers he was interviewed about faulty intelligence on Iraq.
Roger L. Simon: The latest Bolton "malfeasance" that has these reactionary progressives jumping up and down is that the State Department...
Laura Rozen: This latest Bloomberg piece has a few details on a State-CIA Inspector General investigation of the Niger docs fiasco.

Report: All Four 7/21 London Suspects in Custody
  Fox News   —   Permalink 
LONDON — All four men suspected of trying to plant bombs in London's transit system on July 21 are now in police custody, several media outlets reported Friday.
Two of the men were arrested by British police following a major raid Friday in west London's Notting Hill.
Cori Dauber: The Notting Hill raid was apparently quite dramatic, and I'm told by email that Fox has aired footage of one raid (sounds by the description that it's this one.)
Jeff Goldstein: Four 7/21 London Suspects in Custody — From FOXNews: [snipped quote] The latest reporting suggests that a fifth bomber may still be at large.
Ace: Collect The Set: All Four London Bombing Suspects Nabbed — I'm sure dogmatic libertarian-types will now tell us that...

Privilege Claim May Not Apply to Roberts Papers
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — The White House is citing the attorney-client privilege as the basis for refusing to reveal memos written by Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. when he was representing the government before the high court.
Justin Gardner: The LA Times looks at the papers the White House doesn't want to release about John Roberts, and notes they might not be covered by attorney client privilege.
Patterico: Still More Misleading Claptrap from the L.A. Times on the Roberts Memos There is more shoddy analysis from David...
Eugene Volokh: Privilege Claim and Roberts Memos: An L.A. Times article says: [snipped quote] Two questions for our readers: 1.
Betsy Newmark: The LA Times says that the Bush administration claim that John Roberts' papers from when he worked in the Solicitor...

With new book, radio program, Williams is making a comeback
  By / The Hill   —   Permalink 
Armstrong Williams says he has changed.
Nearly seven months after his controversial contracts with the federal government came close to destroying his career, the conservative pundit says the experience has prompted him to make adjustments in his life.
Captain Ed: Armstrong Williams: Many Apologies, Light On Remorse — The Hill reports today that Armstrong Williams has positioned...
Jim Romenesko: Payola pundit Williams credits NYT with saving his career — The Hill williams Armstrong Williams says the New York...

What the Federalist Society Stands For
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
After President Bush tapped John G. Roberts Jr. for the Supreme Court, the nominee was widely reported to be a member of the Federalist Society — an assertion that White House officials vigorously disputed.
Adam White: Like today, when I read the feature article on the Federalist Society: [snipped quote] So, the Federalist Society is for...
Taegan Goddard: As the Washington Post notes, the "eagerness of the White House to distance Roberts from the Federalist Society baffled many conservatives."

All Fall Down
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
In visiting Gaza and Israel a few weeks ago, I realized how much the huge drama in Iraq has obscured some of the slower, deeper but equally significant changes happening around the Middle East.
Judith @AndrewSullivan: TOM FRIEDMAN HAS A MAJOR BLIND SPOT: He fails to understand the differences between democracies and tyrannies and,...
Ed Cone: Reading Friedman for Greensboro — Reading Friedman for Greensboro: Today, the columnist formally located on the N&R...
John @PowerLine: In today's New York Times, Friedman writes: [snipped quote] In other words, the Bush administration's strategy for the region is working.

Miami Paper Fires Columnist, Adding Own Twist to Tale of Sex, Politics and Suicide
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
MIAMI, July 28 - It seemed like a throwback to "Miami Vice": an eccentric politician, recently accused of money laundering and soliciting male prostitutes, fatally shoots himself in the lobby of The Miami Herald after an anguished phone conversation with a star columnist.
Captain Ed: The Miami Herald may need to adjust that for journalism after a bizarre set of circumstances led to the firing of star...
Jim Romenesko: (Washington Post) > Some Herald staffers suspect KR had something to do with firing (NYT) > Prosecutors reviewing...
MarkInMexico: The New York Times says that a reporter for The Miami Herald, Jim DeFede, was fired for recording, without permission,...

Veering From Bush, Frist Backs Funding for Stem Cell Research
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 29 - In a break with President Bush, the Senate Republican leader, Bill Frist, has decided to support a bill to expand federal financing for embryonic stem cell research, a move that could push it closer to passage and force a confrontation with the White House, which is threatening to veto the measure.
Chris Nolan: But Frist always wants to have it both ways. The kicker comes near the end of this New York Times story.
Ed Cone: Frist on stem cells — Frist breaks with Bush on stem cell research. A bold move for the physician who would be President.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: FRIST'S CALCULATIONS — From the NYTimes: [snipped quote] If he spent the month polling, I'd fire the pollster.

Arrests in terror police swoops
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Armed police investigating the 21 July attempted bombings have made a number of arrests and surrounded flats in west London in "significant" operations.
At least two properties are believed to have been raided, in Notting Hill and North Kensington, and residents moved.
Steve Soto: Gee, using quick investigative work, cooperation with other nations, and immediate interrogation of known associates,...
Dr. Steven Taylor: Police Raids and Arrests in London Bombing Investigation — Via the BBC: Arrests in terror police swoops [snipped quote] Many details in the piece itself.

Cisco Security Hole a Whopper
  By / Wired News   —   Permalink 
LAS VEGAS — A bug discovered in an operating system that runs the majority of the world's computer networks would, if exploited, allow an attacker to bring down the nation's critical infrastructure, a computer security researcher said Wednesday against threat of a lawsuit.
Gary Farber: Read about the revelation of the huge Cisco routing security flaw, and their harassment of the whistle-blowing...
Susie Madrak: Priorities See how the free market is keeping us safe?
Bruce Schneier: ISS didn't come out of this looking very good, either: [quote] "A few years ago it was rumored that ISS would hold back on...[end quote]
Cookie Jill: who needs bombs? when you got bugs? [snipped quote] why do we even have countries anymore? it's seems to be "shareholder...

'LONDON BOMBER TARGETED'
  Sky News   —   Permalink 
A siege has developed in west London as part of a major armed operation connected to the London terror attacks, with one of the suspected would-be bombers reported to be the target.
Police say they are in a "challenging" situation and security cordons have been moved far from the property.
Cori Dauber: Their web site is a bit behind that, and Fox is also reporting the London Metropolitan Police will soon have a press conference.
Smash: Two London Bombers Captured (updated) THREE DOWN, ONE TO GO: [snipped quote] I'm sure Amnesty is poised and ready to ensure these gentlemens' rights aren't violated.

Democrats Request Files Involving Court Pick
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 28 - In the first specific challenge to the White House over access to papers involving John G. Roberts, Democratic senators are asking for files covering about 20 matters Mr. Roberts handled in the first Bush administration.
Michael @AmericaBlog: The Dems — led by Sen. Kennedy — get serious and make a formal request for documents on 20 issues that Roberts dealt with in the first Bush administration.
Orrin Judd: QUOTA KING: Democrats Request Files Involving Court Pick (DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, 7/29/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] Which...

In shift, Frist to back more stem cell funding
  By / Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Senate majority leader Bill Frist today will declare his support for expanding funding of embryonic stem cell research, in a break with President Bush and other conservative Republicans that could change the political dynamics around the controversial and promising form of research.
Joe Gandelman: MORE READING The Boston Globe Our post On Bill Frist's alliance with a controversial social conservative group Washington Post: Is Frist Up to Task Of Being President?
Taegan Goddard: Frist Flops With Eye Towards 2008 — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) will announce his support for "expanding...

Senate leader backs expanded stem cell research
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare break with President Bush and anti-abortion conservatives, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Friday endorsed legislation that would expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research.
Susie Madrak: I no more believe Bill Frist had a principled change of heart than that the moon is made of green cheese. But whatever.
Jayson @PoliPundit: Frist on Stem Cells — This article contains some interesting quotes from Sen. Frist regarding the stem-cell debate.

London Arrests Three in July 21 Bombings
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
LONDON - Heavily armed police wearing gas masks and reportedly using stun grenades raided two west London apartment blocks Friday, and officials said they arrested three people connected to the failed July 21 transit bombings.
Captain Ed: UPDATE III: Now police are saying that they arrested three men in this raid: "Heavily armed police wearing gas masks...
Roger L. Simon: Scotland Yard on the case, mate... Sounds like Sir Carol Reed at his best... or was it just because there are now video...

State Dept admits Bolton gave inaccurate answers
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department reversed itself on Thursday night and acknowledged that President Bush's U.N. ambassador nominee gave Congress inaccurate information about an investigation he was involved in.
Steve Soto: Bush Will Poison Roberts Battle By Installing Bolton Next Week — Obviously, Condi Rice doesn't have control over her...
Barbara O'Brien: This surprises me, especially considering today's news that the State Department admitted that Bolton lied to Congress.
Cernig: In probably related news (via Fat Karl) Joe Biden has discovered that John Bolton lied to Congress on an official form during the Senate confirmation process.
Jim Henley: That Administration Is Inoperative — Gosh, John Bolton forgot that he answered official questions regarding the Burning...
Dr. Steven Taylor: Bolton Drama Resurfaces — Via Reuters: State Dept admits Bolton gave inaccurate answers [snipped quote] I don't have...
John @AmericaBlog: Bush again threatening recess appointment of Bolton to UN — Because lying to Congress means nothing to a guy who has just spent the past five years lying to an entire nation.
Also: Tom Maguire, Lambert @Corrente, James Joyner, Laura Rozen, Jeralyn Merritt

MCCARTHY LIBERALS
  By / New York Post   —   Permalink 
'ARE you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Federalist Society? "There the question was, all but literally, on Page One of Monday's Washington Post.
Early reports that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts belonged to the Federalist Society were denied by both Roberts and the...
Gerry Daly: QH: Roger Pilon cuts to the chase on the Federalist Society- "So what?"
Betsy Newmark: Roger Pilon has a great defense of the Federalist Society.
Scott @PowerLine: Roger Pilon calls out the McCarthyite left in a New York Post column that recapitulates much that we have had to say on...

Reformation or Civil War?
  NRO   —   Permalink 
The jihadists cannot be reasoned with, only defeated.
Remember how shortly after September 11 Mohammed Atta's lawyer father sounded worried in his cozy apartment? He stammered that his son did not help engineer the deaths of 3,000 Americans.
Mitch Berg: Victor Davis Hanson notes, there are some currents in Arab culture that could be of some help in waging the war.
MarkInMexico: Main Page Defeat the -isms, one by one Victor Davis Hanson, writing in NRO Online, says Islamists are cowardly, fickle, and attuned to the current political pulse.

Senators demand Roe be upheld
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
A group of female Democratic senators said yesterday that they will vote against Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. unless he vows to uphold abortion rights.
They also come closer than ever to establishing a single-issue "litmus test" for his confirmation.
Scott @PowerLine: "The Washington Times reports that the six were asked whether any of them could vote in favor of Judge Roberts if he said Roe was wrongly decided."
Betsy Newmark: Well, who does it sound like who has a litmus test now?

Iraq Affecting Mental Health of Troops
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Thirty percent of U.S. troops surveyed have developed stress-related mental health problems three to four months after coming home from the Iraq war, the Army's surgeon general said Thursday.
TChris: Many who return with no physical harm have nonetheless been damaged.
Susie Madrak: Legacy Let's give credit where credit is due.

Despite Problems, Bush Continues to Make Advances on His Agenda
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 28 - His problems remain many, and include the relentless violence in Iraq, the leak investigation that has ensnared some of his top aides and poll numbers that suggest substantial dissatisfaction with both his foreign and domestic policies.
Ezra Klein: Lame Duck? The Times has a piece lauding the enormous efficiency of the Bush machine on Capitol Hill.
James Joyner: Update: NYT's Richard Stevenson offers a story very similar to AP's: Despite Problems, Bush Continues to Make Advances on His Agenda (RSS)
Captain Ed: Democrats Eat Crow Over Lame Duck Claims — After declaring George Bush a lame duck in the opening months of his second...
Hugh Hewitt: From this morning's New York Times: The president's record over the past few weeks, combined with generally good...
Orrin Judd: WELL, THE GRAY LADY WAS SURPRISED ANYWAY: Despite Problems, Bush Continues to Make Advances on His Agenda (RICHARD W...

U.N. Nominee Omitted Data at Hearings in the Senate
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, July 28 - John R. Bolton, President Bush's nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations, failed to tell the Senate during his confirmation hearings that he had been interviewed by the State Department's inspector general looking into how American...
Captain Ed: At first this resulting in an unequivocal denial, but by the end of the day, the denial had transformed into a grudging admission: [snipped quote] I'm not naive.
Josh Marshall: Of all the things for John Bolton to forget about, he forgets that he was interviewed for the Joint State-CIA IG Report on the Niger forgeries.
Tom Maguire: Defining Deviancy Down — In their review of "Live at the State Department", the new comedy improv about John Bolton's...
Laura Rozen: More here and here: "John R. Bolton...failed to tell the Senate during his confirmation hearings that he had been...

UK 'blocked bomb plotter' arrest
  CNN   —   Permalink 
(CNN) — About a month before the July 7 bombings in London, British authorities balked at giving U.S. officials permission to apprehend a man now believed to have ties to the bombers, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
John Hawkins: Daily News For July 29, 2005 — Foreign "UK 'Blocked Bomb Plotter' Arrest" "Claim: North Korea May Have No Nuclear...
Andrew Stuttaford: HMMM "(CNN) — About a month before the July 7 bombings in London, British authorities balked at giving U.S. officials...

Liability Shield for Gunmakers Near Passage
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
The nation's gun lobby is close to realizing a long-sought goal of protecting firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held legally responsible for violent crimes committed with their handguns and automatic weapons.
John Hawkins: , Hates To Go Home (Free NYT Reg Req — Sad)" Domestic "Text Of A U.S. Muslim Religious Council Fatwa Against Terrorism...
Susie Madrak: Responsibility Score another one for the "personal responsibility for thee but not for corporate me" crowd: The...

State Dept. Now Says Bolton Interviewed
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - John Bolton, President Bush's nominee for U.N. ambassador, mistakenly told Congress he had not been interviewed or testified in any investigation over the past five years, the State Department said Thursday.
Susie Madrak: Hey, I Just FORGOT Johnny Bolton makes it right: John Bolton, the nominee for U.N. ambassador, inaccurately told...
John @AmericaBlog: AP: Bolton lied to Congress, he WAS interviewed in an investigation — See Bolton sink. Sink, Bolton, sink.

Newsview: Bush Gets Wins Under His Belt
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - After a rocky start, President Bush is scoring legislative wins that could be important tests of his ability to push laws through Congress in his second term.
James Joyner: Newsview: Bush Gets Wins Under His Belt (AP) [snipped quote] Aside from wars, most people pay scant attention to matters of foreign policy.
Alexander K. McClure: Well, the lame duck is getting a lot done, and it looks like the duck is serving the media some crow.
Captain Ed: Instead of being a lame duck and despite sagging poll numbers, two separate media analyses now acknowledge that Bush has done remarkably well in pushing his legislative agenda.

Arts, Briefly
  NYT   —   Permalink 
Peter Liguori, the Fox Broadcasting president for entertainment, said yesterday that the network had asked an "independent counsel" to investigate claims by a former contestant on "American Idol" that he had a sexual relationship with Paula Abdul, one of the judges on the show.
Garrett M. Graff: "Mr. Goldston is being asked to undertake one of the toughest assignments in television news: to widen the appeal of...
Brian Stelter: Goldston: Notes About New Nightline EP > New York Times: "Goldston is being asked to undertake one of the toughest...

The Source of the Trouble
  By / New York Magazine   —   Permalink 
For critics of the Iraq war, the downfall of Ahmad Chalabi occasioned a hearty, unapologetic outpouring of Schadenfreude—a loud cheer for a well-deserved knee to the administration's gut. In fact, it was possible to detect a bit of this spirit on the front page of the New York Times.
Arianna Huffington: As extensively reported by both Kurtz and New York Magazine's Franklin Foer, Miller's time with the unit was highly unusual.
Jeralyn Merritt: Many of Arianna's assertions are confirmed in this June, 2004 New York Magazine article. Arianna, graciously, left out the worst of the dirt.

State Dept. Says Bolton Was Interviewed
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) -John Bolton, the nominee for U.N. ambassador, inaccurately told Congress he had not been interviewed or testified in any investigation over the past five years, the State Department said Thursday, responding to a Democratic critic.
Arianna Huffington: Arianna Huffington: Things to Do On Vacation: Keep Bolton from Being Recess Appointed — Okay, so now we can add...
Judd @ThinkProgress: Apparently, before the day was out, the State Department has completely changed it's story: [snipped quote] What a difference a few hours makes.
Gary Farber: ALSO, HIS DOG ATE THOSE OTHER DOCUMENTS. You can't make this stuff up. [snipped quote] Res ipsa loquitur.
Tom Maguire: UPDATE: Is this a State Department press briefing, or have I blundered into a comedy club?
Josh Marshall: Apparently, according to the AP, the State Department is confirming Sen. Biden's claim that John Bolton failed to tell...

U.S. Muslims issue anti-terrorism 'fatwa'
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. Muslim scholars issued a "fatwa," or religious edict, against terrorism on Thursday and called on Muslims to help authorities fight the scourge of militant violence.
Jesse Taylor: Won't Be Expecting An Apology For The "Islam Is Terror" Thing Any Time Soon — U.S. Muslims issue an anti-terror fatwa, and I'm both happy and sad at the same time.
Joe Gandelman: U.S. Muslims Blast Terrorism In Fatwa — A group of U.S. Muslims have taken an unequivocable stand against terrorism by...
Justin Gardner: Top Muslim Leaders Say "Not In Our Name" — I love to read news like this.
Jan Haugland: American Muslims issue fatwa against terrorism — Leading US Muslim scholars have issued a fatwa against terrorism.
Edward _: US Muslims Make it Clear by Edward we interrupt our self-imposed hiatus to bring you the following rant: Despite the...
John @PowerLine: American Muslims Condemn Terrorism — This seems like really, really good news: "Top U.S. Muslim scholars issued a...
Also: Gary Farber, McQ

Attacked for their looks
  By / Minneapolis Star Tribune   —   Permalink 
When I was a seventh-grade teacher, I confiscated a note written by a girl named Jennifer. It was titled "Everyone Hates Melissa," and Jennifer was collecting signatures.
Melissa, a quiet and gentle girl who was the smartest in the class, was described as "a nerd,"ugly" and "weird.
Ann Althouse: Here's a piece — via Memeorandum — saying we shouldn't make witty observations about the way public figures look.
Cernig: Here's Cheri Pierson Yecke getting all righteous about those who attack other's looks and saying "Sad to say, with few exceptions, the circling vultures are left-leaning women."
TheAnchoress: In which case I highly recommend you go read this article by Cheri Pierson Yecke which points out that some people do grow up, and some do not.
Tbogg: The two faces of Cheri Pierson Yecke — We will start with Cheri Pierson Yecke's article decrying mean old liberals...
Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: Victim Ladies of the Right — Strib columnist Cheri Yecke is upset because nasty liberals make fun of poor wittle conservatives' looks.
Michelle Malkin: STICKS AND STONES... Cheri Pierson Yecke writes about pathetic leftist attacks on conservatives' physical appearance.

THE TRAGEDY OF ISLAM
  By / Jewish World Review   —   Permalink 
I take no pleasure in saying it. It pains me to think it. I could very well lose my job in talk radio over admitting it. But it is the plain truth:
Islam is a terror organization.
Judith @AndrewSullivan: THERE MUST BE LIMITS: Yesterday Michael Graham wrote in his column: "I take no pleasure in saying it. It pains me to think it.
Justin Gardner: Graham also wrote a column this week describing his position in the Jewish World Review. "I take no pleasure in saying it.
MarkInMexico: Main Page If Boy Scouts were Terrorists Michael Graham is a talk show host and author of "Redneck Nation: How the...
Ted Belman: We must be able to speak out against Islam THE TRAGEDY OF ISLAM By Michael Graham (JWR contributor Michael Graham is a...
La Shawn Barber: Read the column that started it all. Michael and I chatted briefly at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, and I was impressed that he knew who was.
Jesse Taylor: I Want This Man's Job — Listen, I know jack s**t about Islam, but it's a terror organization. It just is.
Also: Marc @USSNeverdock

Unfucking the Donkey
  By / Village Voice   —   Permalink 
The centrist Democratic Leadership Council meets this week in Columbus, Ohio, with Senator Hillary Clinton the newly named chair of their newly launched yearlong "American Dream Initiative." Her mission: to come up with a new idea agenda for the Democrats.
Avedon Carol: Anyway, the hot thing going on in Blogtopia(y!sctp) last night was Rick Perlstein's article from The Village Voice with...
Ezra Klein: The Long-Term Politics of Health Care (Or Why We Shouldn't Compromise) Rick Perlstein has written the sort of column I...
Gerry Daly: Doing something with the Donkey On Memeorandum, I noticed this Rick Perlstein article percolating up the buzz chart.
Digby: Point Break — Atrios points today to this article in the Village Voice by Rick Perlstein which I encourage you to read.
Susie Madrak: Get Back to Where You Once Belonged I do love me some Rick Perlstein, and he really hones in on what Democrats need to...
Laura Rozen: Rick Perlstein on a plan for Dems.
Also: Atrios

IRA says armed campaign is over
  BBC   —   Permalink 
The IRA has formally ordered an end to its armed campaign and says it will pursue exclusively peaceful means.
In a long-awaited statement, the republican organisation said it would follow a democratic path ending more than 30 years of violence.
MarkInMexico: The BBC, Reuters, NYT and many others are reporting the standown of the IRA, as announced by Senn Fein.
Kieran Healy: IRA says its armed campaign is over The IRA has announced that its armed campaign is over.
Orrin Judd: LAST YEAR'S AL QAEDA: IRA says armed campaign is over (BBC, 7/28/05) [snipped quote] Thirty years ago the three...
Jan Haugland: IRA ends armed campaign — IRA has officially declared the armed conflict over.
Armed Liberal: IRA Dumps Weapons — I'm sitting in my hotel room in Derby (pronounced "Dahby"), listening to the BBC News discuss...
Steve Bainbridge: IRA — The IRA says it is renouncing the use of armed force. I say it's about time and I'm sure St Patrick would agree.
Also: FrancoAlemán

I.R.A. Renounces Violence in Potentially Profound Shift
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
BELFAST, Northern Ireland, July 28 The Irish Republican Army declared an end on Thursday to a 36-year campaign of violence against Britain that was aimed at unifying Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic.
Michael Stickings: The Times reports here: "The Irish Republican Army declared an end on Thursday to a 36-year campaign of violence...
Frederick Maryland: The New York Times reports: [snipped quote] If that reference to beer bothered anyone who felt it played to ethnic...
Fontana Labs: Wow— another big victory in the GWOT! Apparently the IRA has renounced violence.

Defense bill shelving seen as face-saver for Bush
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
Senate Republican leaders pulled the plug on the defense bill yesterday, rather than face a host of votes on base closings, veterans benefits and the administration's detainee policy that could have embarrassed President Bush.
Cernig: "Senate Republican leaders pulled the plug on the defense bill yesterday, rather than face a host of votes on base...
Scott Shields: Update: So this is what I get for not reading the Washington Times.
Hunter @DailyKos: From the Washington Times, of all places, since it humors me greatly to cite them: "Senate Republican leaders pulled...
Justin Gardner: From The Washington Times: [snipped quote] Again, does anybody have a problem with Senate Republicans trying to...

IRA says ceasing all armed activity in N.Ireland
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
DUBLIN (Reuters) - The Irish Republican Army announced an end to its armed campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland on Thursday, in a move British leader Tony Blair said could mark the day "politics replaces terror" there.
Cernig: Like that's a surprise. The IRA has made a historic statement renouncing violence.
Mcq: As noted, whether this is permanent or temporary is hard to tell, especially with the rather harsh statement that...
Dr. Steven Taylor: IRA Announces End to it Armed Campaign — Via Reuters: IRA says ceasing all armed activity in N.Ireland
Eric Seymour: The IRA today announced the end of its armed (terroristic) campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland.
Gary Farber: GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT. The IRA claims it is renouncing all violence; war's all over, mates. We'll see. Nice thought, at least.

When the Profile Fits the Crime
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
IN response to the serial subway bombings in London, Mayor Michael Bloomberg prudently ordered the police to start searching the bags of New York's subway riders.
La Shawn Barber: NYC's Random Searches — As ridiculous as it sounds, NYC is searching one out of every five subway riders for explosives in their backpacks.
Ace: More Seriously: Paul Sperry points out the bleedin' obvious in a NYT editorial.
MarkInMexico: Main Page Racial Profiling - Politicians are cowards In a New York Times op/ed, Paul Sperry wonders how stopping...
Edward _: There are folks who've been chomping at the bit to get dangerously binary about the issue, including this hack, arguing...
Ann Althouse: Here's a NYT op-ed that makes a compelling argument for a very specific kind of profiling: [snipped quote] The op-ed...
Orrin Judd: BLAME THE RIGHT (via Gene Brown): When the Profile Fits the Crime (PAUL SPERRY, 7/28/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] Part...

Disengagement From Justice
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
I spent eight hours at Gaza's Erez border crossing with Israel last month, waiting for Israeli approval to attend a reception in the West Bank, only to be denied entry based on dubious "security reasons."
I'm a Palestinian mother of a stir-crazy 16-month-old boy, a journalist and a Harvard graduate.
Captain Ed: Disengagement From Reality — Today's Washington Post publishes a column from an Al-Jazeera reporter who got miffed that...
Cliff May: CLUELESS IN GAZA — The Washington Post today gives op-ed space to Aljazeera.net reporter Laila El-Haddad.
David: AN EDUCATED PALESTINIAN MASTERS THE ART OF DENIAL: Yesterday morning's Post carried an op-ed expressing great...

Justice Often Served By Jury Nullification
  By / Fox News   —   Permalink 
In February of 2003, a California jury convicted marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal of growing marijuana, in violation of federal law.
What the jury didn't know — and wasn't allowed to hear — was that Rosenthal was not only growing the marijuana for medical patients, he was growing the stuff for the city of Oakland.
Acidman: radley Balko. I haven't been called for jury duty in several years now, and the last couple of times I was, I was thrown off.
Patterico: Radley Balko on Jury Nullification Radley Balko says of jury nullification: "Not only is this your right as a juror, some would say it's your obligation."
Glenn Reynolds: RADLEY BALKO HAS THOUGHTS ON JURY NULLIFICATION: [snipped quote] He references Clay Conrad's book, Jury Nullification:...
Randy Barnett: Jury Nullification: There is an interesting column on FoxNews.com by Radley Balko on the provocative subject of jury nulification.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: I was going to write something in response to this column by Radley Balko, but I see that Patterico has already beaten...
Radley Balko: Nullify — My Fox column this week is a primer on jury nullification.

IRA Announces End to Armed Campaign
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
LONDON, July 28 — The Irish Republican Army, which waged a three-decade-long paramilitary struggle against British rule in Northern Ireland, formally ordered an end to its armed campaign Thursday and pledged to pursue its political aims through "exclusively peaceful means."
Michael Stickings: The Post offers more: "In Northern Ireland, Protestant politicians who have led the fight to keep the province part of...
Matthew Yglesias: Today it seems that the IRA is promising to renounce violence, thus rendering this insight moot.
New Donkey: When Endless Struggles End — The big news today was from Northern Ireland, where the Irish Republican Army announced it...

British Request Fails to Stop ABC Report on Bomb Investigation
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
The British police asked ABC News on Tuesday to withhold a report showing images of what were said to be unexploded bombs found in a car used by the July 7 bombers and of the inside of a subway train mangled in the attacks, a network official said yesterday.
Baldilocks: (Thanks to ABC, who are definitely not receiving any gratitude from the British) UPDATE: Strange Fruit: see this link to...
Cori Dauber: Update: I just read Memeorandum, and found this Times article that the British authorities asked ABC and some British outlets not to air the pictures.
Jeff Jarvis: And I think ABC probably went over the line when it aired pictures of the London terrorists' bombs and the damage they caused over the strong objections of British authorities.
Damian Penny: Turns out they would: The British police asked ABC News on Tuesday to withhold a report showing images of what were said...
Brian Stelter: Scotland Yard Asks ABC Not To Show Unexploded Bomb Images, But "We Decided It Was Newsworthy," EP Jon Banner Says —...
Jim Romenesko: Additional items for July 28, 2005 > Wired News lays off seven of 17 staffers in SF office (SF Chronicle) > Police in...

Pakistan Connection Seen in Taliban's New Tactics
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
ASADABAD, Afghanistan — Telephone and power lines haven't reached the villages clinging to the craggy mountainsides of Kunar province. Digital phones and computer chips are even further beyond the shepherds' imaginations.
Jan Haugland: Pakistan trains and equips the Taliban Afghan intelligence accuses Pakistan of training and equipping the Taliban.
Kevin Drum: PAKISTAN AND THE TALIBAN...In the LA Times, Paul Watson reports that Pakistan's military is actively engaged in...
Gary Farber: PAKISTAN CONTINUES WARRING ON AFGHANISTAN with details here. [snipped quote] Say, possibly we should do something about this?
Michael @AmericaBlog: Now it turns out Pakistan is very likely back to training and arming the Taliban and helping them attack US troops.
Pudentilla: at least they're not french — [snipped quote] would pakistanis have had the time to develop graduate programs for the...

9 More Arrested in Botched London Attacks
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
LONDON - Anti-terrorist officers arrested nine men in dawn raids Thursday in connection with the botched July 21 attacks on London's transit system, bringing to 20 the number of people police have in custody, including one of the alleged bombers.
Captain Ed: Further Collapse Of AQ Bombing Cell — British investigators have now added nine more people to the list of those...
Gateway Pundit: Police made nine more arrests this morning in connection with the botched bombing attempts from last week: ...
John @PowerLine: Progress in Britain — The arrest of one of the failed London bombers apparently has been a breakthrough, as nine more people were arrested earlier today, all in south London.
Jan Haugland: And the police are out in force to reassure the public on what must have been a day when lots of Londoners were anxious about public transportation.
Hugh Hewitt: Yesterday a Somalian national was nabbed, today a trio of Turks: Residents in Tooting said police had arrested three...
Glenn Reynolds: MORE LONDON BOMBING ARRESTS: [snipped quote] Stay tuned.

Oil and Blood
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
It is now generally understood that the U.S.-led war in Iraq has become a debacle. Nevertheless, Iraqis are supposed to have their constitution ratified and a permanent government elected by the end of the year. It's a logical escape hatch for George W. Bush.
Barbara O'Brien: (Although, as Bob Herbert argues, there is a product, just not the one advertised.)
Susie Madrak: It's the Oil Bob Herbert: But dreams of empire die hard. American G.I.'s are dug into Iraq, and the bases have been built for a long stay.
Pudentilla: he says, "it's the oil, stupid."
Avedon Carol: He has come to the conclusion that, "It's the oil, stupid." We keep being told that we can't withdraw until we've taught the Iraqis to take care of security themselves.
Tom Tomorrow: Tom Tomorrow: Bob Herbert points out the obvious Occasionally someone needs to: [snipped quote] You'd think it would be...
Atrios: Iraq — Herbert has an excellent read in the Times today. But, let me add in the political dimension.

London Bombing Suspect Arrested in Zambia
  Fox News   —   Permalink 
LONDON — The South African government has detained Haroon Rashid Aswat (search) in connection with the July 7 London bombings that killed 56 people and injured many more, FOX News has learned.
Aswat, a British citizen of Indian descent, has been detained in Zambia.
Jeff Goldstein: Related: "Sources: July 7 London Bomb Plot May Have Been Much Larger" See also, "7/7 Suspect Nabbed" **** update:...
Cori Dauber: Going Global — Fox reports that the South Africans have nabbed one of the men wanted as part of the London cell in...

Uncle Sam's Tuition Bill
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
Though parents may wonder if their kids learn anything in college economics classes, Uncle Sam certainly has gained an education in market economics from lending to them.
Roy @Alicublog: The Republican solution: remove students' protection from interest fluctuations on student loans.
Michael DeBow: Brendan Miniter explains the irony of federal guarantees of education loans: "Unfortunately, by footing these bills and...

Brazilian's visa expired in 2003
  BBC   —   Permalink 
The visa of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes expired two years before he was shot by police, the Home Office says.
A passport stamp apparently giving him indefinite leave to remain "was not in use" on that date, added officials.
Captain Ed: The British Home Office released a statement that his visa had expired, and that the indefinite-leave stamp entered into...
Marc @USSNeverdock: UPDATE The BBC report is now up and it seems Menezes's indefinite leave stamp to remain in the UK was forged.

Feeling of helplessness in Niger camp
  CNN   —   Permalink 
MARADI, Niger (CNN) — The aid agencies caring for more than a thousand starving children at a refugee camp in southern Niger will believe reports of food airlifts when the help actually arrives.
Brian Stelter: "Heart-Wrenching" Experience In Niger koinangejuly27.jpgIn a CNN.com column, correspondent Jeff Koinange describes a...
Gary Farber: FEELING HELPLESS IN NIGER is how one CNN correspondent feels. [snipped quote] You can donate to Doctors Without Borders here.
Chris @AmericaBlog: Food aid starting to arrive in Niger — Yes, it's too late for many since they have already died of starvation but food shipments are starting to arrive in Niger.

Woman Wins Appeal for 'GAYSROK' Car Tag
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
SALT LAKE CITY — The state of Utah can't block a woman from using her license plate to tell the world "GAYSROK," a judge has ruled.
The state has no good reason to prevent Elizabeth Solomon from having that plate — which can be read "Gays are OK" or...
Daniel Koffler: Story here; link via Lindsay Beyerstein.
Lindsay Beyerstein: GAYSROK — License_20050728102424_18 230 A judge has ruled that the state of Utah can't prevent Elizabeth Solomon from...

ABC's 'Chief,' Politicked Off
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Critics at Summer TV Press Tour 2005 demanded to know the politics of everyone on stage Wednesday at the Q&A session for ABC's new drama "Commander-in-Chief," about a set of plump red lips that take over the Oval Office after the president has a massive stroke and croaks.
TheAnchoress: The Washington Post reports today on a press conference with Rod Lurie, the show's creator.
Betsy Newmark: ABC's new show with Geena Davis as the first woman president sounds tedious in the extreme.
Tim Graham: THE PRESIDENT FROM "EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY" — TV writer Lisa DeMoraes reports today that no one would admit to being a...

Dogs, Cadets Search for Missing Pregnant Mom
  Fox News   —   Permalink 
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police were intensively searching the area of Cobb's Creek Park Thursday for clues to the whereabouts of a pregnant woman missing since early last week.
LaToyia Figueroa (search), 24, is five months pregnant and has a 7-year-old daughter.
Justin Gardner: Especially since this woman went missing on July 18th! Read the story for yourself and tell us what you think.
Joshua Claybourn: Media Coverage — LaToyia Figueroa, a 24 woman that is five months pregnant, has been missing for almost ten days.

Bill to Restrict Cold Medicines Progresses
  AP   —   Permalink 
Sales of cold medicines used to make methamphetamine would be restricted under a bill that cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday after lawmakers forged a compromise protecting state prerogatives.
TChris: Now the federal government wants to get into the act (doesn't it always?), by requiring stores that sell Sudafed, Nyquil...
Cookie Jill: sue da feds better stock up for those sick days... [snipped quote] so...there's an exemption for stores without a...