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John F. Burns / New York Times:
It's Still a Mystery — Photograph by Christoph Bangert/Polaris, for The New York Times; illustration by Brian Rea — AT a lunch with a senior American commander here last week, the raid that uncovered a secret Interior Ministry torture center in Baghdad prompted a question …
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The Heretik
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Andrew / www.AndrewSullivan.com:
LOST? John Burns has been a pretty reliable guide to reality in Iraq. His piece today makes sobering reading. The next phase looks messy, but not necessarily more disastrous than what has happened up till now. (Yeah, I know that's not exactly a high standard). I'm hanging in there with David Brooks.
Edward Wong / New York Times:
Widespread Violence Kills Dozens Across Iraq — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 20 - The Marine Corps said today that 15 Iraqi civilians and a United States marine were killed on Saturday when a roadside bomb exploded in the town of Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad.
Robert H. Reid / Associated Press:
Al-Zarqawi May Be Among Dead in Iraq Fight — BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces sealed off a house in the northern city of Mosul where eight suspected al-Qaida members died in a gunfight — some by their own hand to avoid capture. A U.S. official said Sunday that efforts were under way to determine …
Washington Post:
Officials Probing Whether Raid in Mosul Killed Zarqawi — BAGHDAD, Nov. 20 — An Iraqi police commander said Sunday that U.S. and Iraqi officials were certain that seven men who fought to the death in a house in northern Iraq were members of al Qaeda but were still trying to determine whether …
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Ace of Spades HQ, bRight & Early, Decision '08, The Jawa Report v3.0 Beta, PoliPundit.com and Six Meat Buffet
David Adesnik / OxBlog:SULLIVAN ON MURTHA: Given that Andrew's stance on the both the war …
Discussion:
Shakespeare's Sister
Evan Kohlmann / The Counterterrorism Blog:
Al-Qaida Takes Casualties in Iraq — But Apparently Not Zarqawi — Despite recent reports to the contrary, Al-Qaida's Committee in Iraq has suffered numerous casualties during recent combat operations in northern and western Iraq — including both native and foreign fighters.
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Los Angeles Times:
How U.S. Fell Under the Spell of 'Curveball' — The Iraqi informant's German handlers say they had told U.S. officials that his information was 'not proven,' and were shocked when President Bush and Colin L. Powell used it in key prewar speeches. — BERLIN — The German intelligence officials responsible …
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The American Street
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Peter Baker / Washington Post:
The China Opening Of 2005: Don't Ask — For Bush in Beijing, It's Hard to Get Out — BEIJING, Nov. 20 — After all the pomp and circumstance, after all the mind-numbing statements in all the mind-numbing meetings, President Bush finally seemed happy. — He slipped into athletic shorts …
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CNN:
Powell aide: Torture 'guidance' from VP — Former staff chief says Cheney's 'flexibility' helped lead to abuse — WASHINGTON (CNN) — A former top State Department official said Sunday that Vice President Dick Cheney provided the "philosophical guidance" and "flexibility" that led to the torture of detainees in U.S. facilities.
Ellen Knickmeyer / Washington Post:
Under U.S. Design, Iraq's New Army Looks a Good Deal Like the Old One — TAJI, Iraq, Nov. 20 — Clad in the olive-green uniform of old, his heart rising to the sound of the lilting march to which he once went to war for President Saddam Hussein, Sgt. Bashar Fathi, a veteran …
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
Bush Tries To Cool Fiery Iraq Debate A Few Notches — TMV NOTE: We often repost posts done the night before on the next day's blog, to make sure they get maximum readership. The post below ran mid-day yesterday — but we're reposting it today due to some of the important issues involved.
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CNN:
CNN LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER — Interview With Donald Rumsfeld; Interview With Lawrence Wilkerson — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. — WOLF BLITZER, HOST: It's 11 a.m. in Washington, 8 a.m. in Los Angeles, 7 p.m. in Baghdad, and midnight in Beijing.
Discussion:
Think Progress
Reuters:
Washington Post rebukes Bob Woodward — Programming Note: Bob Woodward discusses the CIA leak probe and his silence, Monday on Larry King Live at 9 p.m. ET — WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The Washington Post's ombudsman rebuked journalist Bob Woodward on Sunday for withholding what he knew …
New York Times:
In the Senate, a Chorus of Three Defies the Line — WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 - On a July evening in the Capitol, Vice President Dick Cheney summoned three Republican senators to his ornate office just off the Senate chamber. The Republicans - John W. Warner of Virginia, John McCain of Arizona …
Discussion:
The Reality-Based Community
The Australian:
Muslim fanatics terrorise a nation — Islamist murders and threats have transformed the once-tolerant Netherlands into a place of armed bodyguards and fear, writes Anthony Browne — A FILM about gay rights should hardly raise an eyebrow in The Netherlands, which for centuries has prided itself …
Kristen Hays / Associated Press:
Jewish Leader Blasts 'Religious Right' — HOUSTON - The leader of the largest branch of American Judaism blasted conservative religious activists in a speech Saturday, calling them "zealots" who claim a "monopoly on God" while promoting anti-gay policies akin to Adolf Hitler's.
Neil A. Lewis / New York Times:
Alito Often Ruled for Religious Expression — WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 - Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. has compiled a brief but unmistakable record, lawyers and analysts say, that makes him a leader in the camp of conservative theorists and judges who believe federal courts have been too quick to limit religious activities in public life.
TalkLeft:
Iskikoff: Novak and Woodward's Source May Be the Same — Michael Isikoff and Evan Thomas, writing for Newsweek, suggest that Novak's source and Woodward's source are the same, and that former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is the likely suspect. Their reasoning:
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