Top Items:
Sharon Bernstein / Los Angeles Times:
Large Portion of Los Angeles Loses Power — A wide-ranging power outage, set off when a cable was accidentally cut, darkened large sections of downtown Los Angeles and many parts of the San Fernando Valley for a couple hours shortly after noon, authorities said.
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Laura Wides / Associated Press:
Worker Error Blamed for L.A. Blackout — LOS ANGELES - An error by utility workers caused a blackout across major portions of Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, trapping people in elevators and snarling traffic at intersections, authorities said. — About 2 million people were affected …
Discussion:
The Corner on National …, Wizbang, Donklephant, Patrick Ruffini '05, Outside The Beltway and Pandagon
Laura Wides / Associated Press:Blackout Hits L.A.; Terrorism Ruled Out
Discussion:
Fox News, BoiFromTroy, The Counterterrorism Blog, PunditGuy, California Conservative, Clarity & Resolve and Wonkette
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
A Day of Firsts, Overshadowed — Yesterday's opening of the John Roberts confirmation hearings was a time for historic firsts. — Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) made 49 first-person references in a 10-minute statement that was, ostensibly, not about himself.
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Dan Balz / Washington Post:
As Battlefield Shrinks, Democrats Mute Their Attacks — The first day of confirmation hearings for Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to become the 17th chief justice of the United States proved to be a tepid opening to what once was billed as a battle of monumental proportions between left and right.
Washington Post:
Embattled FEMA Director Michael Brown Resigns — Director Says Focus Has to Be on Agency, Not Him — Michael D. Brown resigned this afternoon as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, becoming the first high-profile Bush administration official to step down amid public criticism …
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Ron Fournier / Associated Press:Firefighter to Replace Brown As FEMA Chief
Discussion:
Brutally Honest
Daily Kos:
Umpire: Roberts' Opening Statement — In his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Bush nominee to replace the late Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, John Roberts, drew an analogy between the Supreme Court and umpires in baseball: … It is an interesting analogy Judge Roberts draws.
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Associated Press:
Palestinians torch four Gaza synagogues — Thousands of triumphant Palestinians poured into abandoned Jewish settlements early Monday, setting empty synagogues on fire and shooting in the air, as the last Israeli soldier rolled out of the Gaza Strip, completing the Israeli pullout from the territory after a 38-year presence.
Discussion:
Roger L. Simon
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Chrenkoff:
The last post — Here we go - as foreshadowed a few week ago, it's the time to say good-bye. — I'm not one for making speeches (at least not for myself), so let me just say: thank you. Thank you for all your support and encouragement, for reading and linking to my stuff, and for coming back.
Discussion:
California Conservative
Mark Steyn / Telegraph:
Bush kept his head and the danger's passed — 'Flood That Released America's Demons", said the Sun on Saturday. Underneath the arresting headline was a column by Jeremy Clarkson, and, after the usual good-natured knockabout - "Most Americans barely have the brains to walk on their back legs" …
Wretchard / The Belmont Club:
The Flight 93 Memorial — The design of the Flight 93 memorial is being criticized for resembling a Red Islamic Crescent. Michelle Malkin, Real Clear Politics and Little Green Footballs point out the uncanny similarity. One poster at the FreeRepublic claimed that the "Crescent of Embrace" …
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Kevin Drum / The Washington Monthly:
TRENCH POLITICS....Ross Douthat writes today that conservatism hasn't accomplished much since taking over the country four years ago (or 10 years or 25 years ago depending on how you count). You know what? Despite all the griping that liberals do about George Bush, Ross is right.
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Ross Douthat / The American Scene:Triumphalism: In the Standard's tenth anniversary issue …
Discussion:
The Corner on National …
Richard Morin / Washington Post:
Bush Approval Rating at All-Time Low — President Bush's public standing has hit record lows amid broad support for an independent investigation of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina and calls for postponing congressional action on $70 billion in proposed tax cuts to help pay for storm recovery …
Michael J. Totten:
From Portland to Beirut - and Beyond — At the end of September I'm moving from Portland, Oregon to Beirut, Lebanon for six months. I'll rent an apartment and use the city as a base to visit the rest of the region, starting with Syria, Iran, Egypt, and Jordan. — I need a break from domestic politics.
Christopher Hitchens / Slate:
George Galloway Is Gruesome, Not Gorgeous — Now, watch me debate him. — My old friend and frequent critic Geoffrey Wheatcroft once tried to define a moment of perfect contentment and came up with the idea of opening a vintage wine while settling down to read an undiscovered work by P.G. Wodehouse.
James Taranto / Opinion Journal:
Best of the Web — Ship of Fools — As we've heard ad nauseam the past couple of weeks, the Katrina disaster raises serious questions about race in America. Just how serious became clear Saturday afternoon, when Fox News Channel's Alicia Acuna conducted a live interview with a frustrated …
John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
The 20 Most Obnoxious Hurricane Katrina Quotes — "You 60 million losers who voted for this loser open YOUR wallets. This president declared war on the poor long ago, and while some of us cared enough to vote for someone who gave a d@mn, you buried your heads in the sand …
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Jonathan E. Kaplan / The Hill:
Rep. Reynolds's frustration boils over at Dem criticism of Bush, GOP ethics — Republicans began last week by absorbing blistering attacks on President Bush's management of disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina and the massive flooding of New Orleans and ended the week …