Top Items:
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Why Not a Strike on Iran? — DIPLOMATS around the world keep repeating the mantra: There is no military option when it comes to slowing, much less stopping, Iran's presumed ambitions to get the Bomb. The Europeans say so. The Chinese, who need Iran's oil, and the Russians …
Discussion:
Asymmetrical Information
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Fareed Zakaria / Newsweek:
Time to Face Reality on Iran — At best, a military strike would set back Iran's program a few years, inflame public opinion there and unify the nation in its bid to go nuclear. — Jan. 30, 2006 issue - The huffing and puffing in Washington is so strong these days, it could start a gale.
Discussion:
Decision '08
Josef Federman / Associated Press:
Israeli Hints at Preparation to Stop Iran — JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's defense minister hinted Saturday that the Jewish state is preparing for military action to stop Iran's nuclear program, but said international diplomacy must be the first course of action.
Discussion:
A Blog For All, GOP Bloggers, Outside The Beltway, Stop The ACLU, BrothersJudd Blog, PunditGuy, BlondeSense and Clayton Cramer's BLOG
Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
NY Times Talks Pre-Emption Against Iran — In a strange coincidence, right after Senator Hillary Clinton criticized the Bush administration for its lack of unilateral, imperial action against Iran, the New York Times has suddenly developed an interest in the possibility of a pre-emptive attack …
Time:
When George Met Jack — White House aides deny the President knew lobbyist Abramoff, but unpublished photos shown to TIME suggest there's more to the story … As details poured out about the illegal and unseemly activities of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, White House officials sought …
Discussion:
Shakespeare's Sister, IntoxiNation-News …, Democrats.com, Middle Earth Journal, Classical Values and Roger Ailes
Los Angeles Times:
States Step Up Fight on Abortion — Anticipating a more conservative Supreme Court, lawmakers are proposing bans in hope of forcing the justices to revisit Roe vs. Wade. — INDIANAPOLIS — Taking direct aim at Roe vs. Wade, lawmakers from several states are proposing broad restrictions on abortion …
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ReddHedd / firedoglake:
Oh, Look — Bloomberg Gets It Right — Ooooh, lookie. An example of real, honest factual reporting. With follow-up. And numbers to back things up. Good on ya, Bloomberg. First, there's this: … The article goes on to say this: … Um, yeah. He's a Republican lobbyist …
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
Saddam copying Bush's talking points? — There are a few Bush-loving sites which are vehemently denying that GOP commentators compared Bush opponents with bin Laden by "pointing out" that bin Laden's latest message "sounds like" Democrats. I am currently have a mini-debate with a couple …
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Zachary Goldfarb / Washington Post:
As Elections Near, Officials Challenge Balloting Security — In Controlled Test, Results Are Manipulated in Florida System — As the Leon County supervisor of elections, Ion Sancho's job is to make sure voting is free of fraud. But the most brazen effort lately to manipulate election results …
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Newsweek:
The Other Big Brother — The Pentagon has its own domestic spying program. Even its leaders say the outfit may have gone too far. — Jan. 30, 2006 issue - The demonstration seemed harmless enough. Late on a June afternoon in 2004, a motley group of about 10 peace activists showed …
Discussion:
TalkLeft
Peter Beinart / Washington Post:
The Isolation Pendulum — Expect a Cyclical U.S. Retreat From World Affairs After the Iraq War — When Americans think about foreign policy, they often think in cycles. In 1952 an academic named Frank Klingberg divided America's relations with the world into periods of "extroversion" …
RJ Eskow / The Huffington Post:
Found! Al-Zawahiri's Poetry Notebooks — The world learned today that Al-Zawahiri writes poetry, but it was old news at the CIA. They've known ever since a set of spiral notebooks was found on a park bench in Kandahar. You know the kind: black and white speckles on the front, with a white box in the middle that says "My Notes."
John Cole / Balloon Juice:
Last Thoughts on Haleigh — In a long post/update on the sad case of Haleigh Poutre, Michelle Malkin laments the fact that no talk-show hosts or big media types have taken up the cause, and then dishonestly singles me out: … Some days, Michelle seems to exist only to make Bill O'Reilly look like a straight shooter.
Discussion:
Malkin(s)Watch
Dan Gerstein / Opinion Journal:
Base Dogma — Left-wing bloggers observe the Alito hearings from an alternative universe. — It's hard not to listen to the reviews of the Democrats' performance in the Alito hearings and come away thinking that much of our party is living in a parallel universe.
Denise Grady / New York Times:
Struggling Back From War's Once-Deadly Wounds — PALO ALTO, Calif. - It has taken hundreds of hours of therapy, but Jason Poole, a 23-year old Marine corporal, has learned all over again to speak and to walk. At times, though, words still elude him. He can read barely 16 words a minute.
Discussion:
Mudville Gazette
MSNBC:
'The Situation with Tucker Carlson' for Jan. 19th — Read the transcript to the Thursday show — Guest: Jeb McMahon, H. Alexander Robinson, Michael Jacobson — JOE SCARBOROUGH, HOST, "SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY": That is all the time we have. THE SITUATION with Tucker Carlson starts right now.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars
Jane Hamsher / firedoglake:
Late-Nite FDL: C-Team To the Rescue — I was going to post last night about Unrequited Bush Virgin K-Lo's threnody at the NRO about the sacking of Kato's book, but alas Jim Brady shared precious moments with Hugh Hewitt and it had to wait 'til tonight. All's the better, because in the meantime …
Brendan Smialowski / Newsweek:
Politics: No Longer Lying Low, 'Rove Is in the House!' — After months out of the limelight, Karl Rove is back and circulating — Jan. 30, 2006 issue - The Republican National Committee organized a forum for conservative bloggers earlier this month, telling attendees they'd be briefed …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
AMERICAN DIGEST:
The Kos is Either at Your Throat or at Your Knees — A NEW ARRIVAL IN THE SYCOPHANTS' HALL OF FAME TODAY IS Markos Alberto Moulitsas ("Screw 'Em") Zuniga, the hyperthyroid Janitor and lead ranter at The Daily Kos. (Am I the only one who thinks that "The Daily 'Koz' " sounds like some sort of rough and clensing Serbian high colonic? )
Discussion:
Mudville Gazette
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Jeff Goldstein / protein wisdom:
BeKos Kerry Says So — Massachusetts Senator and failed …
BeKos Kerry Says So — Massachusetts Senator and failed …
Discussion:
The Next Hurrah, Left I on the News, Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, Dr. Sanity and Dean's World
Verena Dobnik / Associated Press:
Belafonte Continues Tirade Against Bush — NEW YORK — Entertainer Harry Belafonte, one of the Bush administration's harshest critics, compared the Homeland Security Department to the Nazi Gestapo on Saturday and attacked the president as a liar. — "We've come to this dark …
Pieter Dorsman / Peaktalk:
TIRED CLICHÉS, WEAK REPORTING, POOR CONCLUSIONS … This is Jasper Emmering at his Hollandaise blog. He's right and his comments capture exactly my sentiments which I've been expressing here and elsewhere for quite a while now. North American mainstream media dived into The Netherlands …
Discussion:
The Corner on National …