Top Items:
Ellen Knickmeyer / Washington Post:
Shiite Urges U.S. to Give Iraqis Leeway In Rebel Fight — Americans Have Blocked Tougher Tactics, Cleric Says — BAGHDAD — The leader of Iraq's most powerful political party has called on the United States to let Iraqi fighters take a more aggressive role against insurgents …
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Edward Wong / New York Times:
Shiite Cleric Increases His Power in Iraq — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 26 - Men loyal to Moktada al-Sadr piled out of their cars at a plantation near Baghdad on a recent morning, bristling with Kalashnikov rifles and eager to exact vengeance on the Sunni Arab fighters who had butchered one of their Shiite militia brothers.
Peter Beaumont / Observer:Abuse worse than under Saddam, says Iraqi leader
Discussion:
Unclaimed Territory, blogenlust, AMERICAblog, Running Scared, The Washington Monthly, Today in Iraq and onegoodmove
Sarah Baxter / Times of London:
Bruce Willis comes out fighting for Iraq's forgotten GI heroes — ANGERED by negative portrayals of the conflict in Iraq, Bruce Willis, the Hollywood star, is to make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy.
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Lorie Byrd / PoliPundit.com:A Reason To Cheer! — This is wonderful, incredible news (via Michelle Malkin).
Discussion:
Dinocrat
Agence France Presse:
White House claims 'strong consensus' on Iraq pullout — WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House has for the first time claimed ownership of an Iraq withdrawal plan, arguing that a troop pullout blueprint unveiled this past week by a Democratic senator was "remarkably similar" to its own.
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T. Christian Miller / Los Angeles Times:
A Journey That Ended in Anguish — Col. Ted Westhusing, a military ethicist who volunteered to go to Iraq, was upset by what he saw. His apparent suicide raises questions. — "War is the hardest place to make moral judgments." — Col. Ted Westhusing, Journal of Military Ethics
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt, No More Apples, The American Street, Just a Bump in the Beltway, Rising Hegemon and CorrenteWire
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Arthur Silber / Once Upon a Time:
When Honor Is No Longer Possible: A Nation Beyond Forgiveness — Some stories are almost impossible to contemplate. This is one of them. — In June, Col. Ted Westhusing was found dead near the Baghdad airport. His death was most likely a suicide, a single gunshot wound to the head.
Washington Post:
Sympathetic Vibrations — Democrats fumed last week at Vice President Cheney's suggestion that criticism of the administration's war policies was itself becoming a hindrance to the war effort. But a new poll indicates most Americans are sympathetic to Cheney's point.
Associated Press:
Second Reporter Asked to Testify on Leak — WASHINGTON - A second Time magazine reporter has been asked to testify in the CIA leak case, this time about her discussions with Karl Rove's attorney, a sign that prosecutors are still exploring charges against the White House aide.
New York Times:
Look Who's Talking About Making a Comeback in the Senate — WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 - Trent Lott is talking again - and again and again and again. — It has been three years since White House officials and some Senate Republicans orchestrated Mr. Lott's ouster as Senate majority leader amid an uproar over racially insensitive remarks.
Stephen Moore / Opinion Journal:
'Reform. Reform. Reform.' — John McCain explains his eclectic—and troubling—economic philosophy. — WASHINGTON—The more Republicans stumble in Washington, the higher Sen. John McCain climbs in the polls. His political fortunes seem to run countercyclical to those of the party whose nomination …
Judd / Think Progress:
Fox News Host Chris Wallace Claims President Bush "Never" Linked Saddam and al-Qaeda — In a stunning display of historical revisionism, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace argued this morning that President Bush never tried to link al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein:
Frank Rich / truthout.org:
Dishonest, Reprehensible, Corrupt ... George W. Bush is so desperate for allies that his hapless Asian tour took him to Ulan Bator, a first for an American president, so he could mingle with the yaks and give personal thanks for Mongolia's contribution of some 160 soldiers to "the coalition of the willing."
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Hilzoy / Obsidian Wings:
Someone Is Watching You... From the WaPo: … This is serious. — Until 9/11, there was the now-famous "wall" separating intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies. The reason for this was simple. Originally, the intelligence agencies operated abroad, and law enforcement agencies operated in this country.
Discussion:
Seeing the Forest
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James Glanz / New York Times:
Saving Face and How to Say Farewell — IN the old popular song about the rout by Americans at New Orleans during the War of 1812, the British "ran so fast the hounds couldn't catch 'em." Even allowing for patriotic hyperbole, it can hardly be argued that the British extricated themselves …
Con Coughlin / Telegraph:
Teheran 'secretly trains' Chechens to fight in Russia — Iran is secretly training Chechen rebels in sophisticated terror techniques to enable them to carry out more effective attacks against Russian forces, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal. — Teams of Chechen fighters are being trained …
Editor and Publisher:
Macon Paper Breaks News on Congressmen Hurt in Iraq — NEW YORK The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph was apparently the first newspaper to carry news today that a military vehicle carrying U.S. politicians overturned on the way to the Baghdad airport on Saturday and injured two members of Congress.
Discussion:
AMERICAblog
Jazz / Running Scared:
Now we know where Bill O'Reilly Gets His "War on Christmas" Drivel — Why, from none other than his dark lord, the big cheese at Faux News himself.. Roger "We don't run ads against Alito" Ailes has posted a breathless tale of the continuing assault on Christmas by terrorists.
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Philip Sherwell / Telegraph:
Bolton loses British backing for UN tactics — Britain has angered John Bolton, America's combative ambassador to the United Nations, by breaking ranks with him over the need for reform. — The rare public disagreement between the two close allies comes as the showdown over reforms …
