Top Items:
Dexter Filkins / New York Times:
Split Between Secular and Islamist Parties Is Seen in Election — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 15 - Iraqi voters began streaming to the polls Thursday morning in nationwide elections as Iraqi leaders predicted that the vote would split almost evenly between secular and Islamist parties and usher in lengthy political maneuvering.
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Dexter Filkins / New York Times:
Large Turnout Reported as Iraqis Vote Under Tight Security — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 15 - In a day remarkable for the absence of large-scale violence, millions of Iraqi voters, many of them dressed in their best and traveling with other family members, streamed to the polls today to cast ballots …
Discussion:
Air America Radio
Eric Schmitt / New York Times:
House Defies Bush and Backs McCain on Detainee Torture — WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 - In an unusual bipartisan rebuke to the Bush administration, the House on Wednesday overwhelmingly endorsed Senator John McCain's measure to bar cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners in American custody anywhere in the world.
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Washington Post:
House Supports Ban on Torture — Measure Would Limit Interrogation Tactics — The House gave strong support yesterday to a measure that would ban torture and limit interrogation tactics in U.S. detention facilities, agreeing with senators that Congress needs to set uniform guidelines …
Associated Press:
Ford will again advertise in gay publications — Ads resume after criticism from gay rights groups — WASHINGTON (AP) — Advertisements featuring Ford Motor Co.'s eight vehicle brands will run in gay publications, the automaker said Wednesday, acting after gay rights groups complained when Jaguar and Land Rover pulled their spots.
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Sholnn Freeman / Washington Post:
Ford to Advertise In Gay Press — Ford Motor Co. yesterday said it will resume advertising Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles in gay-themed publications, following an outpouring of fury from gay groups that said Ford's recent decision to pull the ads fed anti-gay sentiment and emboldened enemies of gay rights.
Jim VandeHei / Washington Post:
President Says DeLay Is Not Guilty of Money Laundering — President Bush said yesterday he is confident that former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) is innocent of money-laundering charges, as he offered strong support for several top Republicans who have been battered by investigations …
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Ira Stoll / New York Sun:
Saddam's WMD Moved to Syria, An Israeli Says — Saddam Hussein moved his chemical weapons to Syria six weeks before the war started, Israel's top general during Operation Iraqi Freedom says. — The assertion comes as President Bush said yesterday that much of the intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was incorrect.
Discussion:
Unclaimed Territory
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Peter Baker / Washington Post:
In Four Speeches, Two Answers on War's End — As Bush Tries to Recast Debate, Definitions of Victory and Iraqi Security Diverge — As President Bush wrapped up a series of speeches on the war yesterday, he once again gave a clear answer to when U.S. troops would come home from Iraq …
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Frank Phillips / Boston Globe:
Romney to announce he won't seek re-election — Governor is expected to seek GOP presidential nomination in 2008 — Governor Mitt Romney will announce at 6 p.m. that he will not seek re-election to a second term, setting the stage for an expected campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination …
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Michael J. Totten / LA Weekly:
Guess Who's Coming to Iftar — A meal to remember with Hezbollah — BEIRUT — Syrian occupation troops have withdrawn from Lebanon, but the country has not yet regained its full sovereignty. The radical Shiite Hezbollah militia still controls its own territory in the suburbs south of Beirut and along the border with Israel.
Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:
Columnist Says Bush Knows Who Leaked Name — Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak, who has repeatedly declined to discuss his role in disclosing the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame, said in a speech this week that he is certain President Bush knows who his mystery administration source is.
ThreatsWatch.Org:
Voting in Barwana — BARWANA, IRAQ: The polls have been open for six hours in the town of Barwana, one of the three Triad cities which include Haqlaniyah and Haditha. The poll site sits right beneath the now-destroyed Barwana bridge, where Zarqawi terrorists routinely executed residents …
Mark Leon Goldberg / American Prospect:
The Arsonist — From our January issue: In his first six months at the UN, John Bolton has offended allies, blocked crucial negotiations, undermined the Secretary of State — and harmed U.S. interests. We expected bad; we didn't expect this bad. — There is an excellent coffee shop …
Discussion:
Steve Clemons
Karl Vick / Washington Post:
Iran's President Calls Holocaust 'Myth' in Latest Assault on Jews — ISTANBUL, Dec. 14 — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday called the extermination of 6 million Jews during World War II a "myth," bringing a new cascade of international condemnation onto a government …
