Top Items:
T. Christian Miller / Los Angeles Times:
Private Security Guards in Iraq Operate With Little Supervision — BAGHDAD — Private security contractors have been involved in scores of shootings in Iraq, but none have been prosecuted despite findings in at least one fatal case that the men had not followed proper procedures …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars
RELATED ITEMS:
Dana Priest / Washington Post:
Wrongful Imprisonment: Anatomy of a CIA Mistake — German Citizen Released After Months in 'Rendition' — In May 2004, the White House dispatched the U.S. ambassador in Germany to pay an unusual visit to that country's interior minister. Ambassador Daniel R. Coats carried instructions …
Hilzoy / Obsidian Wings: Oops; Our Bad. — There's a new story about rendition in the Washington Post.
Gateway Pundit:
Massive Democracy Protest in Hong Kong — THE MASSIVE TURNOUT IS SEEN AS AN EMBARASSMENT TO HONG KONG LEADERS, — VIDEO HERE — Thousands take to the streets in Hong Kong to protest for democracy. — Protesters march as others gather at Victoria Park to demand universal suffrage in Hong Kong December 4, 2005.
RELATED ITEM:
Zbigniew Brzezinski / Washington Post:
Do These Two Have Anything in Common? — President Bush has equated Islamic radicalism with communism. Is the comparison sound? Is it wise? — In a series of recent speeches to the American people, President Bush has sought to equate the current terrorist threat with the 20th-century menace of communist totalitarianism.
RELATED ITEM:
Cori Dauber / Rantingprofs:Deep Thinking — In a piece in today's Post, President Carter's …
Discussion:
Dr. Sanity
James Wolcott:
PAJAMA BOTTOMS (III) — With all the kindness in my heart that I could scrape together on short notice, I tried to warn The Nation's David Corn that by lending his name to the blog roster of Pajamas Media, he risked being associated with the worst sort of wharf rats and riffraff.
Times of London:
Condi goes on offensive over secret CIA jails — Sarah Baxter, Washington and Nicola Smith, Brussels — UNDER siege over allegations of secret CIA detention centres in Europe, Condoleezza Rice, the American secretary of state, is to go on the offensive when she meets European allies this week.
RELATED ITEM:
Rebecca Weisser / The Australian:
The big black book of horrors — WITH the trial of Saddam Hussein under way, those in the God-damn-America camp find themselves uncomfortably wedged. Should they justify their opposition to the war by downplaying Saddam's crimes while sheeting home blame for the present turmoil to the US and its allies?
Discussion:
Biased BBC
David Wharton / Los Angeles Times:
USC Bowls Over UCLA — The Trojans, looking for an unprecedented third straight championship, will meet the Texas Longhorns on Jan. 4 in a Pasadena showdown. — Forget all the hyperbole that swirled around the USC-UCLA football game last week, all the talk of a fierce battle between highly ranked rivals.
Discussion:
L.A. Observed
Peter Schneider / New York Times:
The New Berlin Wall — On the night of Feb. 7, 2005, Hatun Surucu, 23, was killed on her way to a bus stop in Berlin-Tempelhof by several shots to the head and upper body, fired at point-blank range. The investigation revealed that months before, she reported one of her brothers to the police for threatening her.
Digby / Hullabaloo:
Credibility Gap — A few people have e-mailed me today to tip me to this story in the NY Times about the NSC pollster who wrote the first draft of the president's "victory" speech last week. — I try not to do this too much because, well, it's stupid, but I can't help but point out that I've …
Guardian:
'Narnia represents everything that is most hateful about religion' — Children won't get the Christian subtext, but unbelievers should keep a sickbag handy during Disney's new epic, writes Polly Toynbee — Aslan the lion shakes his mighty mane and roars out across Narnia and eternity.
Bashirullah Khan / Associated Press:
U.S. Missile, al-Qaida Death May Be Linked — MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan - Shrapnel that appeared to be from an American-made missile was found Sunday at the house where Pakistan said a top al-Qaida operative was killed in an explosion, although President Bush's national security adviser declined to confirm the death.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
RELATED ITEM:
John Amato / The Huffington Post:
David Corn, I'm confused. — I just read your latest on the Huffington Post about your friend Viveca Novak, and I have a couple of questions to ask you (if you don't mind). — On Dec. 3rd, you wrote this: — Luskin, according to sources close to Viveca Novak, was a longtime source of hers …
Jonathan Rauch / Washington Post:
All Over but the Pullback — On June 8, 1969, President Richard M. Nixon announced the withdrawal of 25,000 American troops from Vietnam. Within the next few months, he would declare that tens of thousands more were coming home. "He was reluctant to withdraw," says John Mueller …
Discussion:
The Corner on National …
Scott Lemieux / Lawyers, Guns and Money:
False Statement? — Shakes Sis and Media Girl have excellent posts about a very disturbing case. I don't know enough about the evidence to speak definitively about the decision of the prosecution not to go forward with her charges. But a false statement charge?
Discussion:
The Heretik, Majikthise, Vox Popoli, Shakespeare's Sister, Pam's House Blend and Feministe
RELATED ITEMS:
Jazz / Running Scared:Alleged gang rape victim convicted of making false charges
Discussion:
Demagogue, Hullabaloo, The Y Files, The Green Knight, The Left Coaster and Middle Earth Journal
Mark Steyn / Chicago Sun Times:
Dems determined to ignore progress in Iraq — Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, came out with a big statement on Iraq last week. Did you hear about it? Probably not. Everyone was still raving about his Democrat colleague, Rep. Jack Murtha, whose carefully nuanced position on Iraq is …
Chris L. Jenkins / Washington Post:
Allen Gives GOP Reason To Dry Tears — Senator Urges Loyalty To Conservative Ideals — HOT SPRINGS, Va., Dec. 3 — Sen. George Allen rallied fellow Virginia Republicans to his 2006 reelection campaign Saturday, telling them that he would stand for low taxes, energy independence and opposition to …
Cori Dauber / Rantingprofs:
The 22nd Paragraph — Apparently Gov. Blanco's office has released 100,000 pages or so of documents regarding the state's response to Katrina (just to "set the record straight," mind you) and, what do you know, although all that paper has only been available for less than 72 hours …
RELATED ITEM:
