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Los Angeles Times:
U.S. Starts Laying Groundwork for Significant Troop Pullout From Iraq — WASHINGTON — Even as debate over the Iraq war continues to rage, signs are emerging of a convergence of opinion on how the Bush administration might begin to exit the conflict. — In a departure from previous statements …
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James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:
Why Iraq Has No Army — The Bush administration doesn't take the problem seriously—and it never has — W hen Saddam Hussein fell, the Iraqi people gained freedom. What they didn't get was public order. Looting began immediately, and by the time it abated, signs of an insurgency had appeared.
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:Bush Administration Reportedly Plans Major Iraq Withdrawals In 2006
Joseph R. Biden Jr / Washington Post:
Time for An Iraq Timetable — The question most Americans want answered about Iraq is this: When will our troops come home? — We already know the likely answer. In 2006, they will begin to leave in large numbers. By the end of the year, we will have redeployed about 50,000.
Discussion:
Middle Earth Journal
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Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Biden, Democrats Ask The Wrong Question — Senator Joe Biden writes an op-ed for today's Washington Post that gets the entire war on terror fundamentally wrong — and demonstrates why the Democrats have entirely failed to provide any leadership on Iraq and the wider war.
Discussion:
The Heretik
Alexandra von Maltzan / All Things Beautiful:The Thanksgiving Gift From Al-Qaeda
Discussion:
The Heretik
Gateway Pundit:Toy Stories
Discussion:
The Y Files, A Blog For All, Free Thoughts, Balloon Juice, Clarity & Resolve, Sister Toldjah and Nickie Goomba
Kate Zernike / New York Times:
Even Supporters Doubt President as Issues Pile Up — COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 22 - Leesa Martin never considered President Bush a great leader, but she voted for him a year ago because she admired how he handled the terrorist attacks of 2001. — Then came the past summer …
Discussion:
Rantingprofs, The American Street, War and Piece, Bark Bark Woof Woof, NewsBusters.org and Dohiyi Mir
Charles Moore / Telegraph:
How did we forget that Israel's story is the story of the West? — Sometimes Private Eye runs a spoof "Apology - printed in all newspapers", which says something like: "We used to say that X was a disgusting, brutal pig, unworthy to hold public office. We now recognise that X is a living saint."
Discussion:
Power Line
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Associated Press:
Jailed Palestinian Leader Wins Primaries — RAMALLAH, West Bank - Jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti and other younger activists swept Fatah primaries, signaling a change of generations that could make the corruption-tainted ruling party more attractive to voters …
Lance Mannion:
The true meaning of Christmas — They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming. /They're just waking up, I know just what they'll do. / Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,/then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry, "Boo Hoo.' — That's a sound, said the Grinch, that I simply must hear.
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Daniel Cooney / Associated Press:
Troops Who Burned Taliban Face Discipline — KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Four U.S. soldiers face disciplinary action for burning the bodies of two Taliban rebels — a videotaped incident that sparked outrage in Afghanistan — but they will not be prosecuted because they their actions were motivated …
Charles Krauthammer / Weekly Standard:
The Truth about Torture — DURING THE LAST FEW WEEKS in Washington the pieties about torture have lain so thick in the air that it has been impossible to have a reasoned discussion. The McCain amendment that would ban "cruel, inhuman, or degrading" treatment of any prisoner by any agent …
Will Knight / newscientist.com:
Holographic-memory discs may put DVDs to shame — A computer disc about the size of a DVD that can hold 60 times more data is set to go on sale in 2006. The disc stores information through the interference of light - a technique known as holographic memory.
Angela K. Brown / Associated Press:
Sheehan Back in Texas for War Protest — The mother of a fallen soldier who led a vigil against the war in Iraq outside President Bush's ranch returned to Texas, saying she is "heartbroken" that the troops are not home. — When Cindy Sheehan arrived at the Waco airport Thursday …
James Bone / Times of London:
Why the middle classes go scavenging in dustbins — THE Thanksgiving holiday is over and the frenzied Christmas shopping season has begun. This is bonanza time for the tribe of rummaging Americans known as "freegans". — The anti-capitalist freegans — the name combines "free" and …
Austin Bay Blog:
UPDATED: Will Iraqi realists win? Will American realists win? — Fascinating questions. AINA (an Assyrian Christian website) publishes an essay by Saudi journalist Mshari Al-Zaydi opinion page editor of Asharq Al-Awsat) which discusses the Iraqi context, with an eye on the trend toward realism Al-Zaydi …
Discussion:
The Strata-Sphere
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Kathy / Liberty Street:
The Bush Administration's Use of Torture Means Padilla Cannot Be Prosecuted on Original Charges — The U.S. Justice Department has decided not to charge Jose Padilla with trying to build a "dirty bomb" or with having ties to Al Qaeda — both of which were supposedly why he was arrested in the first place …
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