Top Items:
James Wolcott:
CIRCLE JERKS — After reading this—and this—and this, I've come to a couple of conclusions. — 1) So-called reputable journalists have completely forfeited their high horse when it comes to complaining about bloggers as a species of riffraff—they no longer have the right …
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Empty Wheel / The Next Hurrah:
What Vivnovka Tells Us — I don't know whether Rove and Libby will ever go to jail for outing Valerie Plame. But the investigation has already done one important thing—it has demonstrated in stark terms the pathetic state of political journalism. Judy Miller has been exposed as a sycophantic liar.
Jane Hamsher / firedoglake:
Vivac — Well I will give Viveca Novak one thing. Unlike the brazen and unapologetic explanations written by Bob Woodward and Judy Miller following their quality time with Patrick Fitzgerald, she does have the good sense to be contrite in tone for her account in today's Time Magazine.
Greg Mitchell / Editor and Publisher: Viveca Novak: Another Plame Journo Kept Her Editor in the Dark
ReddHedd / firedoglake:The Penitent — Vivaca Novak's article is up at Time.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Reuters:
Iraqi insurgents urge Sunnis to vote, warn Zarqawi — FALLUJA/RAMADI Iraq (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein loyalists who violently opposed January elections have made an about-face as Thursday's polls near, urging fellow Sunni Arabs to vote and warning al Qaeda militants not to attack.
Newsweek:
Bush in the Bubble — He has a tight circle of trust, and he likes it that way. But members of both parties are urging Bush to reach beyond the White House walls. How he governs-and how his M.O. stacks up historically. — Dec. 19, 2005 issue - Jack Murtha still can't figure out why the father and son treated him so differently.
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Time:
His Search For A New Groove — The President has had a dreadful year, and his approval ratings are anemic. What Bush is doing to try to reverse his second-term slump — The Yuletide decorations at the White House are simpler this year. The gaudy tinsel and the 155,000 lights of 2004 …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Times of London:
Israel readies forces for strike on nuclear Iran — Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv, and Sarah Baxter, Washington — ISRAEL'S armed forces have been ordered by Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, to be ready by the end of March for possible strikes on secret uranium enrichment sites in Iran, military sources have revealed.
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Nasser Karimi / Associated Press:
Iran Offers U.S. Share in Nuclear Plants — TEHRAN, Iran - Iran opened the door Sunday for U.S. help in building a nuclear power plant — a move designed to ease American suspicions that Tehran is using its nuclear program as a cover to build atomic weapons.
Associated Press:
China shooting: Commander detained — DONGZHOU, China (AP) — The commander of forces that shot and killed people protesting land seizures in a southern village has been detained, the Chinese government said Sunday, as police in riot gear patrolled the community and appealed for order.
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Michelle Malkin:
CANDIDATE FOR DUMBEST NYTIMES PIECE EVER — On Friday, Editor and Publisher hyped this Sunday NYTimes magazine piece by Michael Crowley about the influence of conservative vs. liberal blogs. — Maureen Dowd and Paul Krugman offer stiff competition on a weekly basis, but Crowley's embarrassing little squib …
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Roger L. Simon / OSM:
Remembering Richard — Some time in 1979, shortly after I had done The Big Fix for Universal, the studio called to ask if I would like to write a movie for Richard Pryor. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Pryor was at the top of his game then, acknowledged by many to be possibly the greatest standup comic of all time.
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Angelica / Battlepanda:
Outrage — The Cory Maye case is just about the ugliest nexus of race, civil rights violations, southern juries and our criminal justice system that I can think of. … Cory Maye is now on death row in Mississippi. — When the Instapundit and I both agree that something is wack.
Discussion:
The Reaction, The Liberal Avenger, Balloon Juice, Silent Running, The Peking Duck and Running Scared
Ron Fournier / Associated Press:
Democrats Test Themes for `06 and `08 — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - To hear Democrats tell it, an anxious and isolated public craves a sense of national community and would galvanize behind a leader who asks people to sacrifice for the greater good. John Edwards says he's that leader.
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Henry A. Kissinger / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Moving toward a responsible exit strategy in Iraq — Since every turning point occurs in some finite time period, a key test of policy-making is when to schedule the seminal decisions. The debate over withdrawal from Iraq hinges on such a question. The administration and its critics seem …
David Kravets / Associated Press:
Calif. High Court Refuses Williams' Stay — SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The California Supreme Court late Sunday refused to grant a stay of execution for convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams, meaning the former gang leader who became an outspoken critic of gang violence will be executed early Tuesday unless …
Discussion:
TalkLeft
US News:
Washington Whispers — Hastert's helper — House Speaker Dennis Hastert is a last-minute shopper. But this Christmas won't end with a mad dash to the mall for impersonal gift cards. That's because he's getting help from a shopaholic: Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. And it's all in a day's work.
Marc Horne / Times of London:
Three drinks and you're out: the pub rationing plan — ONE of Britain's leading surgeons has called on the government to introduce curbs on the sale of alcohol, limiting the amount that customers can consume per visit to a pub or bar. — John Smith, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh …
