Top Items:
Will / Attytood:
They have learned nothing — MR. McCLELLAN: Sure. A couple of things — one, the President is focused on making sure we have the strongest possible coordination with state and local governments in the path of Hurricane Rita. We hope Rita is not devastating, but we must be prepared for the worst.
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Houston Chronicle:
Leaving Houston? Good luck — From staff and wire reports — Sixteen hours to San Antonio and Dallas. Eleven hours to Austin. With over a million people trying to flee vulnerable parts of the Houston area, Hurricane Rita will be a nightmare even if Galveston doesn't take a direct hit. .
Rhea Davis / Hurricane Rita:
'So many people, so few buses' — Hortense Davis, 73, waits at the downtown Greyhound station for someone to help her evacuate. — Hortense Davis is waiting at the Houston Greyhound station for a bus that may not be coming. — The 73-year-old woman called the Red Cross today to find out what she should do about the storm.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
I knew the House Republicans couldn't be trusted managing the federal budget. But I had no idea it was this bad. — To great fanfare a group of House Republicans has announced what they call Operation Offset, an effort to make up for new Katrina spending and save the president's tax cuts …
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Kevin Drum / The Washington Monthly:
THE REPUBLICAN WAR ON THE POOR....As it turns out, the Republican Study Committee's list of proposed spending cuts is — aside from some humorous arithmetic errors — mostly just a standard conservative wish list, and not a very serious one at that. What's more, as Joel Achenbach points out …
Fred Barbash / Washington Post:
Judiciary Committee Votes to Recommend Roberts's Confirmation — John G. Roberts Jr. moved a step closer to becoming chief justice of the United States today as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send his nomination to the full Senate with a recommendation for confirmation.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, RedState.org, Wizbang, Power Line, Gay Patriot, Don Surber, Demagogue and Scared Monkeys
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Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal:
'Whatever It Takes' — Is Bush's big spending a bridge to nowhere? — George W. Bush, after five years in the presidency, does not intend to get sucker-punched by the Democrats over race and poverty. That was the driving force behind his Katrina speech last week.
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R. Jeffrey Smith / Washington Post:
Tyco Exec: Abramoff Claimed Ties to Administration — Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff bragged two years ago that he was in contact with White House political aide Karl Rove on behalf of a large, Bermuda-based corporation that wanted to avoid incurring some taxes and continue receiving federal contracts …
Donna Cassata / Associated Press:
Political Bloggers Demand Speech Freedoms — WASHINGTON - Political bloggers who offer diverse views on Republicans and Democrats, war and peace argued on Thursday that they should be free of government regulation. — The notion was echoed by some members of the government agency trying …
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Patterico / Patterico's Pontifications:McCain Clueless on Impact of McCain/Feingold
Discussion:
Power Line
thewbalchannel.com:
Feds Investigate Dems' Obtaining Steele's Credit Report — Lieutenant Governor Expects Recipients To Face Prosecution — BALTIMORE — Federal prosecutors have opened an inquiry into allegations that two Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee employees illegally tapped into Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's credit history.
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NewsMax.com:
Hillary, McCain to Meet with Cindy Sheehan — 2008 presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and John McCain have agreed to meet with anti-American war protester Cindy Sheehan when Sheehan travels to Washington, D.C. this weekend to cap her national tour. — Sheehan has meetings scheduled …
Discussion:
The Anchoress
John J. Miller / The Corner on National Review Online:
MCCAIN ABLE — I probably share every criticism NR has ever made of John McCain. Heck, I criticized him on NRO just a few days ago. Having said that, three quick thoughts on his dinner presentation last night: — 1. If wasteful spending continues to grow as a major internecine issue among Republicans …
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Steve Bainbridge / ProfessorBainbridge.com:McCain Buzz: Just Say No — Lots of buzz over at the Corner …
White House:
President Discusses War on Terror and Hurricane Preparation — THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate being back at the Pentagon. I just finished a briefing with Secretary Rumsfeld and General Myers, and, obviously, members of my national security team, along with Generals Abizaid and Casey …
Robert Novak / Townhall.com:
Bashing Bush in Aspen — ASPEN, Colo. — For two full days, George W. Bush was bashed. He was taken to task on his handling of stem cell research, population control, the Iraq war and, especially, Hurricane Katrina. The critics were no left-wing bloggers.
Eli Lake / New York Sun:
Hamas To Convert Synagogue to Weapons Museum — WASHINGTON - Emboldened by Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and part of the West Bank, Hamas yesterday announced its plan to turn a synagogue in Netzarim into a museum that would display weapons employed by the terrorist group's members against Israeli civilians.
Discussion:
lgf
Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Speaking Of The Usual Suspects — The groups that will gather in Washington DC for a major anti-war protest this weekend have financial ties to major leftist fundraisers like George Soros and Theresa Heinz Kerry, and beyond them to communist organizations and radical left-wing groups, the Washington Times reports today.
