Top Items:
Larry Margasak / Associated Press:
DeLay Probe Winds Down; Charges May Loom — WASHINGTON - A Texas grand jury's recent interest in conspiracy charges could lead to last-minute criminal indictments — possibly against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay — as it wraps up its investigation Wednesday into DeLay's state political organization …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, MyDD, The Left Coaster, TalkLeft, Talking Points Memo, Mathew Gross, Hellblazer and The Carpetbagger Report
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Washington Post:
Arrests Made in Case Connected to Abramoff — Three Men Allegedly Killed 'Gus' Boulis, Who Sold A Casino Cruise Line to the Embattled Washington Lobbyist — Fort Lauderdale police have arrested three men on murder and conspiracy charges in the 2001 gangland-style killing of a South Florida businessman …
Christian Science Monitor:
US is logging gains against Al Qaeda in Iraq — The US military says improved intelligence led to the killing of two key leaders of the group. — BAGHDAD AND CAIRO - In a succession of intelligence breaks, the US says it has killed two key members of Al Qaeda in Iraq in recent days …
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David Morgan / Reuters:
Zarqawi emerging as self-sustained force-US intel — WASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's network of al Qaeda-linked insurgents is emerging as a self-sustaining force, despite repeated blows by U.S. forces and the reported death of his second-in-command, U.S. intelligence officials and other experts say.
Washington Post:
Frist Says He Had No Inside Data On Stock — Senator Calls Sale An Effort to Avoid Conflict of Interest — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, facing federal inquiries into his sale of hospital company stock, said yesterday that he had no inside information about the stock's likely performance …
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Ruth Gledhill / Times of London:
Societies worse off 'when they have God on their side' — RELIGIOUS belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide, according to research published today. — According to the study, belief in and worship of God …
Kevin Aylward / Wizbang:
"ASHAMED REPUBLICAN" IS AN EMBARRASSED DEMOCRAT — This guy is quite the media darling in California... Jeb Eddy joins thousands of demonstrators to protest the war in Iraq on Saturday. — The only problem is that he's a complete fraud. Here's the information on his political contributions, from the FEC (via Freshmeat):
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E. J. Dionne Jr / Opinions:
Democrats In Disarray — Democrats and liberals are ecstatic that President Bush has finally faced his moment of accountability. The travails of Hurricane Katrina followed a bad summer for the president and have called into question his leadership style, competence and intense partisanship.
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John Podhoretz / The Corner on National Review Online:
THE KATRINA REPORTING SCANDAL — So we now have two major reports — one on the New Orleans Times Picayune website and the other in the L.A. Times — about the way in which the major media spread all sorts of hysteria about the conditions inside flooded New Orleans.
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Washington Post:
Former FEMA Director Blames La. Officials for Katrina Response Failures — Michael D. Brown, the ousted director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, appeared before a House panel this morning and blamed Louisiana officials for "serious problems" in the government's response to Hurricane Katrina …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Blanton's and Ashton's, Don Surber, Middle Earth Journal and Martini Republic
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William M. Arkin / Early Warning:
The Secret History of Able Danger — Ever since Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) claimed in August that Pentagon analysts had identified 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta in early 2000, a secret intelligence operation code named Able Danger has become the latest fantasy of left and right wing conspiracy theorists.
Discussion:
Secular Blasphemy
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Kevin Drum / The Washington Monthly:
RATHERGATE UPDATE....I don't know what the rest of the book says, but if the first chapter of Mary Mapes's new book is any indication, she's still clinging to the notion that the infamous Killian memos that were broadcast on 60 Minutes last September are real.
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Deb Riechmann / Associated Press:
High Court Selection Process Winds Down — President Bush, close to nominating a successor to retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, has narrowed his list to a handful of candidates that outside advisers say includes federal judges and two people who have never banged a gavel _ corporate …
Beth / MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy:
Email from Iraq — I've been corresponding recently with one of my readers, who's a Marine serving in Iraq; they've been reading my crappy little blog! He's sent the following-please read it, it's important! … Did you get that? Peace rallies serve THE INSURGENTS.
Discussion:
Don Surber, The Anchoress, Basil's Blog, Conservative Thinking, Atlas Shrugs and The Politburo Diktat
Opinions:
Louisiana's Looters — THE NATION is at war. It is mired in debt. It has been hit by floods and hurricanes. In the face of this adversity, congressional leaders have rightly dropped proposals for yet more tax cuts, and some have suggested removing the pork from the recently passed transportation bill.
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Michael Crowley / The New Republic:
Second Coming — It was almost midnight at the Manhattan sushi hotspot Nobu Fifty Seven, and Bill Clinton was briefing Elvis Costello on the future of New Orleans. "First you've got to flush the lake. Just flush it," Clinton explained. Between the low thrum of club music …
Faye Fiore / Los Angeles Times:
Laura Bush to appear on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" — WASHINGTON — Facing criticism that he appeared disengaged from the disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina, President Bush has been looking for opportunities to show his concern. But the White House will take the effort a step further Tuesday …
Discussion:
The Reaction, Fact-esque …, Hullabaloo, The Talent Show, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and The Wide Awake Cafe
Hindrocket / Power Line:
BROWNIE KICKS BUTT — I've just watched the entire appearance of Michael Brown before the House committee investigating Hurricane Katrina—OK, not the whole thing, but they're taking a break now and it's all I can stand. On the whole, Brown did an excellent job.