Top Items:
John M. Broder / New York Times:
Lawmaker Quits After He Pleads Guilty to Bribes — LOS ANGELES, Nov. 28 - Representative Randy Cunningham, a Republican from San Diego, resigned from Congress on Monday, hours after pleading guilty to taking at least $2.4 million in bribes to help friends and campaign contributors win military contracts.
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Washington Post:
Congressman Admits Taking Bribes, Resigns — Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) resigned from Congress yesterday after tearfully confessing to evading taxes and conspiring to pocket $2.4 million in bribes, including a Rolls-Royce, a yacht and a 19th-century Louis-Philippe commode.
Jeffrey H. Birnbaum / Washington Post:
A Growing Wariness About Money in Politics — For several years now, corporations and other wealthy interests have made ever-larger campaign contributions, gifts and sponsored trips part of the culture of Capitol Hill. But now, with fresh guilty pleas by a lawmaker and a public relations executive …
Elliot Spagat / Associated Press:San Diego-area Rep. Cunningham pleads guilty to bribery, resigns
Discussion:
Nitpicker
Dr. Rusty Shackleford / The Jawa Report v3.0 Beta:
Hostage Video Released, Hostages Identified (Images/Video) — **Jawa Report Exclusive** — ***The Jawa Report releases name of four Western hostages. A hostage video has been released of the four Western peace activists taken hostage in Iraq. The Jawa Report has obtained a copy of the video.
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Robert H. Reid / Associated Press:
Video Shows Activists Kidnapped in Iraq — Al-Jazeera broadcast an insurgent video Tuesday showing four peace activists taken hostage in Iraq, with a previously unknown group claiming responsibility for the kidnappings. — The Swords of Righteousness Brigade said the four were spies working undercover …
Discussion:
The LLama Butchers
Washington Post:
'86 Alito Memo Argues Against Foreigners' Rights — Work for Justice Dept. Points to Views That May Affect Anti-Terrorism Rulings on High Court — As a senior lawyer in the Reagan Justice Department, Samuel A. Alito Jr. argued that immigrants who enter the United States illegally …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
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David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:Alito Memos Supported Expanding Police Powers
Discussion:
Wonkette
Solomon Moore / Los Angeles Times:
Killings Linked to Shiite Squads in Iraqi Police Force — With loyalties to banned paramilitary groups, the fighters have kidnapped, tortured and slain Sunnis, officials and witnesses say. — BAGHDAD — Shiite Muslim militia members have infiltrated Iraq's police force and are carrying …
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Dexter Filkins / New York Times:Sunnis Accuse Iraqi Military of Kidnappings and Slayings
Discussion:
The Washington Monthly, Roger Ailes, www.AndrewSullivan.com, War and Piece, AMERICAblog and Daily Kos
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
Bush Tackles Immigration Reform — But Will It Tackle Him? — President George W. Bush is moving to an item on his agenda that he has tried to deal with before but postponed due to opposition within the Republican Party itself: the thorny issue of immigration reform. The Washington Post reports:
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bloomberg, PrawfsBlawg, Michelle Malkin, Booker Rising and Instapundit.com
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Anne Gearan / Associated Press:
Ex-Powell Aide Criticizes Detainee Effort — WASHINGTON - A top aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that wrongheaded ideas for the handling of foreign detainees arose from White House and Pentagon officials who argued that "the president of the United States is all-powerful" and the Geneva Conventions irrelevant.
Discussion:
Shakespeare's Sister
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Fred Kaplan / Slate:
Bush's Can't-Lose Reversal — Wednesday's speech will set the agenda for withdrawal from Iraq. — Brace yourself for a mind-bog of sheer cynicism. The discombobulation begins Wednesday, when President George W. Bush is expected to proclaim, in a major speech at the U.S. Naval Academy …
Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:
Case Reopens Abortion Issue for Justices — WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 - When the Supreme Court meets on Wednesday to hear its first abortion case in five years, the topic will be familiar: a requirement that doctors notify a pregnant teenager's parent before performing an abortion.
E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
Labor's Lost Story — Decades ago, Walter Reuther, the storied head of the United Auto Workers union, was taken on a tour of an automated factory by a Ford Motor Co. executive. — Somewhat gleefully, the Ford honcho told the legendary union leader: "You know, not one of these machines pays dues to the UAW."
Christopher Lee / Washington Post:
Vice President's Office Keeps Travel Expenses Under Wraps — Open-government advocates say that Vice President Cheney is to executive branch secrecy what darkness is to the night. — In 2001, Cheney famously refused to disclose the names of oil company executives and others who attended meetings …
Laura / War and Piece:
"The Salvador Option." Reader MV writes, "Long story why I'm so emotionally involved in this, but please read this Newsweek piece from January about internal DoD debates regarding the 'Salvador Option,' showing internal debate within the DoD about the formation of Salvador- style 'death squads …
New York Times:
Shake and Bake — Let us pause and count the ways the conduct of the war in Iraq has damaged America's image and needlessly endangered the lives of those in the military. First, multilateralism was tossed aside. Then the post-invasion fiasco muddied the reputation of military planners and caused unnecessary casualties.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Slow-Motion Disaster — For once, I don't think I can blame the media. — Journalists keep writing stories about how awful things are in New Orleans. Time did a cover story last week: "It's Worse Than You Think." And yet three months after Katrina struck, the administration hasn't done much …
