Top Items:
Bassem Mroue / Associated Press:
Heavy Turnout Reported in Iraqi Election — BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqis voted in a historic parliamentary election Thursday, with strong turnout reported in Sunni Arab areas and even a shortage of ballots in some precincts. Several explosions rocked Baghdad throughout the day, but the level of violence was low.
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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.
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 …
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 …
Discussion:
Mark in Mexico, The Political Pit Bull, The Jawa Report v3.0 Beta, Diggers Realm and BLACKFIVE
mudvillegazette.com:
DAWN PATROL — Mrs Greyhawk — Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories …
Discussion:
neo-neocon
Washington Post:
A Lack of Violence as Iraqis Vote to Choose New Government — BAGHDAD, Dec. 15 — Iraqi voters turned out in force countrywide Thursday to elect a parliament to remake their troubled nation, with Sunni-led Iraqi insurgent movements suspending attacks for a day so that Sunni Arabs could vote en masse for the first time.
Discussion:
BBC, New York Times, Secular Blasphemy, AMERICAN FUTURE, Decision '08, The Indepundit, Opinion and Hugh Hewitt
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 …
Austin Bay Blog:UPDATED: Pajamas' Direct Reports From Iraq/NY Times institutionalized pessimism
Discussion:
Joust The Facts
Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:
White House Closer on McCain Torture Ban — WASHINGTON - After months of resistance, the White House has agreed to accept Sen. John McCain's call for a law specifically banning cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of foreign suspects in the war on terror, several congressional officials said Thursday.
Discussion:
Think Progress, www.AndrewSullivan.com, The Carpetbagger Report, TAPPED, Body and Soul and Balloon Juice
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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 …
Discussion:
Donklephant, Middle Earth Journal, The Heretik, Crooked Timber, Bark Bark Woof Woof, AMERICAblog, Fired Up! Missouri and Demagogue
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Ron Hutcheson / Knight Ridder:
Bush defends Iraq invasion, acknowledges faulty prewar intelligence — WASHINGTON - In the latest example of a broader White House campaign to rescue his presidency, George W. Bush wrapped up a series of speeches about Iraq on Wednesday by defending the 2003 invasion despite erroneous prewar intelligence …
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moxie:
slip sliding away...we be pajammin — Alternate title: how to waste 7 million dollars of investor's money. — Steve H. mentioned that Pajamas Media didn't have their doubleclick ads on Michelle Malkin's site yesterday. Malkin is one of maybe 5 valuable writers attached to the mess.
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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.
Chuck Lindell / Austin American-Statesman:
Abramoff charity's claims disputed — Groups listed as beneficiaries of more than $330,000 in gifts say they never got them — Capital Athletic Foundation, a charity run by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff now at the center of an influence-peddling investigation on Capitol Hill …
Dwight Meredith / Wampum:
The 2005 Koufax Awards — Nominations Are Open — Nominations are now open for the 2005 Koufax Awards. This is the fourth year of the awards, which in internet time, makes us old and venerable (or perhaps decrepit). The 2002 winners may be found here. The 2003 winners are listed here, and the 2004 winners are here.
Fox News:
Transcript: Bush Talks With Brit — This is a partial transcript of "Special Report With Brit Hume" from Dec. 14, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. — BRIT HUME, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Mr. President, thank you for doing this. — GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes, thanks.
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
