Top Items:
Associated Press:
Iranian President Hopes Sharon Perishes — TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's president said Thursday he hoped for the death of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the latest anti-Israeli comment by a leader who has already provoked international criticism for suggesting that Israel be "wiped off the map."
Discussion:
Kesher Talk, Liberty Street, Centerfield, Cold Fury, damnum absque injuria, BillHobbs.com and Thomas Joscelyn
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BREITBART.COM:
US Christian broadcaster says Sharon's stroke divine retribution — US evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution for "dividing God's land" of Israel, igniting his latest trademark controversy. — As the Israeli prime minister battled for life …
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
A Calamity for Israel — The stroke suffered by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could prove to be one of the great disasters in the country's nearly 60-year history. As I write this, Sharon's condition remains uncertain, but the severity of his stroke makes it unlikely that he will survive, let alone return to power.
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:Separated At Birth?
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, kare11.com, Right Wing Nut House, David Corn, The Next Hurrah and The American Mind
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Bush and Former Cabinet Members Discuss Topic No. 1: Iraq — WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 - Colin Powell said nothing - a silence that spoke volumes to many in the White House today. — His predecessor, Madeleine Albright, was a bit riled after hearing an exceedingly upbeat 40-minute briefing …
Discussion:
Amygdala, BAGnewsNotes, The Heretik, The Next Hurrah, Brad DeLong's Semi … and Dependable Renegade
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Washington Post:
After Abramoff, a GOP Scramble — DeLay's House Colleagues Anticipate a Leadership Shake-Up — An internal battle is underway among House Republicans to permanently replace Rep. Tom DeLay (Tex.) as majority leader and put in place a new leadership lineup that is better equipped to deal with the growing corruption scandal.
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R. Jeffrey Smith / Washington Post:
Prosecutor Broadens DeLay Inquiry — Data on GOP Donation to U.S. Family Network Demanded — The Texas prosecutor who secured an indictment of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) on money-laundering charges broadened the scope of his inquiry into election spending yesterday, demanding documents related …
Discussion:
AMERICAblog
Eric Schmitt / New York Times:
Iraq Facing Hurdles, U.S. General Warns — CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Jan. 4 - The top American operational commander in Iraq has offered a sober assessment of the hurdles facing a new Iraqi government, voicing concerns that sectarian rivalries and incompetence could cripple major ministries …
Discussion:
Rantingprofs
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Richard A. Oppel Jr / New York Times:
Up to 130 Killed in Iraq, Drawing a Shiite Warning — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 5 - Attacks by suicide bombers killed as many as 130 people in Karbala and Ramadi on Thursday, rekindling fears of a return to mass sectarian killings after a relative lull and prompting Iraq's most powerful Shiite political faction …
Ylan Q. Mui / Washington Post:
Wal-Mart Web Site Makes Racial Connections — Wal-Mart apologized yesterday after its retail Web site directed potential buyers of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Planet of the Apes" DVDs to also consider purchasing DVDs with African American themes.
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Charles Babington / Washington Post:
Senators to Demand Full Answers From Alito — Democrats Signal Willingness to Delay Final Vote on Supreme Court Confirmation — Senate Democrats warned Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. yesterday to expect pointed questions at next week's hearing, and said they may postpone …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
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David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:At Hearings, Democrats Plan to Call Critics of Alito's Integrity
Scott Shane / New York Times:
Republican Senator Defends Briefings on Domestic Spying — WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 - In a sign of growing partisan division over domestic eavesdropping, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday defended the Bush administration's limited briefings for Congress …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
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Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
Let Me Help With This Non-Denial — Was Christiane Amanpour spied upon? Andrea Mitchell asked James Risen the following question, which later disappeared from the NBC transcript: … CNN has followed up, and this is at their website: … Let me help - even though Ms. Amanpour was not …
National Review:
FISA Gotcha! — What if President Bush had actually gone to the court created by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act? — Imagine if, instead of relying on his own constitutional authority, he had done the thing his detractors now insist he should have done.
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John Noonan / The Officers' Club:
Iran Ditches the UN...Now What? — Iranian delegates assigned to UN-sponsored talks over their nuclear development program failed to show for today's meeting in Vienna. — By playing hooky, the Iranians have sent a crystal-clear message to the Western governments and the UN …
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Christian Science Monitor:
Sago raises red flags for mine oversight — 'Serious and substantial' violations quadrupled at the coal mine last year. — BOSTON AND TALLMANSVILLE, W.VA. - Nearly half of the 208 safety citations levied in 2005 against the Sago coal mine where 12 men died this week were "serious and substantial."
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Michael Hiltzik / Golden State:
On Partisan Criticism of the Press (Part One) — Over the weekend, the conservative blogger who calls himself Patterico (and is, behind the curtain, a Los Angeles county prosecutor named Patrick Frey) posted a remarkable 11,000-word work of propaganda in the guise of his annual review …
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David Oscar Markus / Southern District of Florida Blog:
Jose Padilla's First Appearance — I attended Jose Padilla's first appearance today in the Southern District of Florida. Magistrate Judge Barry Garber presided. The lead Miami prosecutor on the case is Russell Killinger, a well-respected veteran in the Southern District of Florida.
Torie Bosch / Slate:
Where Are the USC Championship T-Shirts? — They might be going to Haiti. — Listen to this story on NPR's Day to Day. — On Wednesday night, Texas beat USC 41-38 to win the Rose Bowl and college football's national championship. After the game, Longhorns players paraded around …
George F. Will / Washington Post:
Chief Among the Silliness — The University of Illinois must soon decide whether, and if so how, to fight an exceedingly silly edict from the NCAA. That organization's primary function is to require college athletics to be no more crassly exploitative and commercial than is absolutely necessary.
