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.
Discussion:
Secular Blasphemy, No End But Victory, AMERICAN FUTURE, BAGnewsNotes, Kesher Talk and Althouse
RELATED ITEMS:
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 …
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.
RELATED ITEMS:
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 …
RELATED ITEM:
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.
RELATED ITEM:
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
RELATED ITEM:
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Guess Who's Coming to Iftar — A meal to remember with Hezbollah — BEIRUT — Syrian occupation troops have withdrawn from Lebanon, but the country has not yet regained its full sovereignty.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.
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 …
RELATED ITEM:
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 …
RELATED ITEM:
Omar / IRAQ THE MODEL:
We got our purple fingers! `(Updated) — 10:30 am Baghdad time (Also available on Pajamas Media). — *This post will be updated many times, so keep refreshing and scrolling! — We have noticed on our way to the polling station that the streets are much quieter this time than they were back in January.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, tapscottscopydesk.blogspot.com, The Glittering Eye, Roger L. Simon and Barcepundit
RELATED ITEM:
W. Thomas Smith Jr / National Review:
It's Electric — As Iraqis queue up at polling stations, some of the scenes look more like a series of regional block parties than what most Westerners would associate with an election day. Children can be seen waving flags or playing soccer. Adults are cheering, clapping hands …
Miami Herald:
New tests fuel doubts about vote machines — A top election official and computer experts say computer hackers could easily change election results, after they found numerous flaws with a state-approved voting-machine in Tallahassee. — mcaputo@herald.com
Tom Shales / Washington Post:
'Nightline' Ups the Star Power but Delivers Less Wattage — ABC's "Nightline" might as well be retitled "Night Light," but not because it's illuminating. No. The late-night news program now is simply more about style than content, and the style isn't all that special.
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 …
Desi / Mia Culpa:
Feelin' Blue — From the WSJ: — By a 65%-19% margin, Americans age 65 and above disapprove of the performance of Congress; those under 65 are also negative but less lopsidedly, 58%-27%. Moreover, senior citizens say by 47%-37% that they want Democrats rather than Republicans to win control of Capitol Hill.
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.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Needlenose, Unclaimed Territory, The Strata-Sphere, Macsmind, Prometheus 6 and firedoglake
