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
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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.
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Mike Allen / Time:
Tax Reform: A Balk? — President Bush may have drawn cheers at campaign rallies last year by calling the federal income tax code "a complicated mess" and promising to make its "million pages" simpler and fairer. But H&R Block can breathe easy for another season.
Discussion:
MyDD
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.
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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.
Kevin Drum / The Washington Monthly:
STANDARD OF PROOF....The Oregonian has a story today about a young woman who reported last year that she had been raped by her boyfriend and two other men. However, because of disputes over the facts, prosecutors decided not to charge the men, an action that even the victim's lawyer says he understands.
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Scott Lemieux / Lawyers, Guns and Money:False Statement? — Shakes Sis and Media Girl have excellent posts …
Discussion:
The Heretik, Majikthise, Vox Popoli, Shakespeare's Sister, Pam's House Blend and Feministe
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.
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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
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 …
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.
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 …
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.
Drudge Report:
SPIELBERG HOPES MOVIE CAN BREAK MID-EAST STALEMATE — Steven Spielberg, IN ONLY INTERVIEW WORLDWIDE BEFORE 'MUNICH' RELEASE Discusses CONTROVERSIAL New Film to Open Dec. 23. — 'There has never been an adequate tribute paid to the Israeli athletes who were murdered in '72,' Spielberg says.
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 …
Mohammad Zargham / Reuters:
Bush seeking compromise on CIA torture ban -aide — WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The White House is seeking a compromise with a leading Senate Republican over its efforts to exempt the CIA from a proposed ban on torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners, President George W. Bush's national security adviser said on Sunday.
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 …
