Top Items:
The Nation:
A CIA-Did-It Defense for Scooter in the Plame Leak Case? — When you already have a fall guy, use him—especially if he's a dead man. — Could that be the legal strategy of I. Lewis Libby (a.k.a. Scooter), Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, in the Plame/CIA leak case?
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Arianna Huffington / huffingtonpost.com:
Miller Walks: The Plot Thickens — It's time for Judy Miller and Arthur Sulzberger to change their talking points. — The claim that Miller "has finally received a direct and uncoerced waiver" is laughable... and, indeed, has already been laughed at by 1) my increasingly frustrated sources within …
Dan Froomkin / Washington Post:
Miller's Big Secret — Can it be? That after all that, New York Times reporter Judith Miller sat in jail for 12 weeks to protect the confidentiality of a very senior White House aide — even though the aide repeatedly made it clear he didn't want protecting?
Empty Wheel / The Next Hurrah:I may not know why a caged bird sings—but I've got my guesses
Discussion:
Eschaton, Hullabaloo, firedoglake, The Washington Monthly, irishpennants.com and Michelle Malkin
Steven D. Levitt / Freakonomics:
Bill Bennett and Freakonomics — Bill Bennett and I have a fair amount in common. We've both written about crime (his "superpredator" theory gets a quick discussion in Freakonomics), we have both thought a lot about illegal drugs and education (he was the original "drug czar" …
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Associated Press:
Bennett: Black Abortions Would Lower Crime — WASHINGTON - The White House on Friday criticized former Education Secretary William Bennett for remarks linking the crime rate and the abortion of black babies. — "The president believes the comments were not appropriate," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
Brad DeLong / Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal:
In Defense of Bill Bennett — Bill Bennett is a hypocrite, a loathsome fungus on the tree of American politics, a man who has worked unceasingly to make America a worse place—when he's not publishing the work of others under his own name, or rolling the dice at Las Vegas while claiming …
Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:William Bennett Defends Comment on Abortion and Crime
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, cut on the bias, The Corner on National …, Pam's House Blend and Crooks and Liars
Janet Elliott / Houston Chronicle:
Others deny DeLay didn't get chance to tell his side — AUSTIN - The day after U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's grand jury indictment, his lawyer and the jury foreman on Thursday appeared to contradict the Texas politician's assertions that he was not given a chance to speak before the jury.
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Hermelinda Vargas / news8austin.com:
Grand jury foreman defends DeLay indictment — The 12-member grand jury that indicted U.S. Rep. Tom Delay, R-Sugar Land, faces scrutiny from critics who say they are lackeys for Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle. — Foreman William Gibson lives in a Northeast Austin neighborhood.
Robert Burns / apnews.excite.com:
Army Faces Worst Recruiting Slump in Years — WASHINGTON (AP) - The Army is closing the books on one of the leanest recruiting years since it became an all-volunteer service three decades ago, missing its enlistment target by the largest margin since 1979 and raising questions about its plans for growth.
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Aoife White / Associated Press:
EU Wants Shared Control of Internet — The European Union insisted Friday that governments and the private sector must share the responsibility of overseeing the Internet, setting the stage for a showdown with the United States on the future of Internet governance.
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Matt Margolis / Blogs for Bush:
With Love, From Air America — An alert B4B reader and blogger, Jeff, alerted us last night that Mark Noonan's piece Do the Democrats Want a Civil War? caught the attention of Air America host Mike Malloy. Jeff told Mark that Malloy "recommended that his listeners physically assault you several times.
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Martha Neil / abanet.org:
HALF OF U.S. SEES 'JUDICIAL ACTIVISM CRISIS' — ABA Journal Survey Results Surprise Some Legal Experts — More than half of Americans are angry and disappointed with the nation's judiciary, a new survey done for the ABA Journal eReport shows. — A majority of the survey respondents agreed …
Discussion:
irishpennants.com
Washington Post:
Decline in Iraqi Troops' Readiness Cited — Generals Tell Lawmakers They Cannot Predict When U.S. Forces Can Withdraw — The number of Iraqi army battalions that can fight insurgents without U.S. and coalition help has dropped from three to one, top U.S. generals told Congress yesterday …
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Jonathan Chait / Los Angeles Times:
Taking sleaze to a new level — DeLay and his successor are symbols of how today's Republican Party gains, and keeps, power. — WHEN A POLITICIAN is enmeshed in scandal, it usually has little to do with the regular way he conducts himself in office. Despite all the heroic attempts …
Associated Press:
Gingrich says scandal, Katrina could liberate GOP — GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich says Republicans can turn the indictment of House Speaker Tom DeLay and the criticism over the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina to their advantage.
