Top Items:
Jim VandeHei / Washington Post:
Blogs Attack From Left as Democrats Reach for Center — Democrats are getting an early glimpse of an intraparty rift that could complicate efforts to win back the White House: fiery liberals raising their voices on Web sites and in interest groups vs. elected officials trying to appeal to a much broader audience.
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
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Glenn Thrush / Newsday:
Clinton to support Alito filibuster — Says she'll join Sen. Kerry in blocking Alito's nomination, putting her at odds with top Democrats — WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday announced she'll join potential 2008 presidential rival John Kerry in voting to filibuster …
James Taranto / Opinion Journal:
Best of the Web — Best of the Tube This Weekend — We'll be appearing this weekend on "The Journal Editorial Report," in its new, faster-paced Fox News Channel incarnation. Topics are the kerfuffle over the terrorist surveillance program and the Alito confirmation.
Bob Fertik / Democrats.com:
WE CAN STOP ALITO THIS WEEKEND — The last two days have been amazing. — Early Thursday afternoon, we broke the news that Senator John Kerry would lead a filibuster against Judge Sam Alito if he could get 41 Senators to sustain the filibuster. Three hours later, CNN confirmed our story.
Discussion:
AMERICAblog, THE BRAD BLOG, The Heretik, Decision '08, Outside The Beltway and Booman Tribune
CNN:
Kerry appears to lack votes for Alito filibuster — Vote to stop debate scheduled for Monday — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has urged his Democratic colleagues to unite and filibuster Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court, but senators from both sides …
Bob Fertik / Democrats.com:
The Alito 48 — Update 11:55 a.m. Senator Clinton's Chief of Staff confirms she WILL support the filibuster. Thank you Senator Clinton!!!!!! — We need to stop George Bush from getting 60 Senators to end the filibuster on Monday at 4:30 p.m. — That means we must convince 41 Senators …
blogometer.nationaljournal.com:
BLOGS VS. THE MSM: Howell's Moving Castle — Last p.m. we had the unique experience of attending an Nat'l Press Club luncheon and discussion hosted by Alex S. Jones, dir. of the Shorenstein Center at the Kennedy School of Gov't at Harvard. Also in attendance were bloggers representing Power Line …
Discussion:
Open Letter …
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Charles J. Hanley / Associated Press:
Documents Show Army Seized Wives As Tactic — The U.S. Army in Iraq has at least twice seized and jailed the wives of suspected insurgents in hopes of "leveraging" their husbands into surrender, U.S. military documents show. — In one case, a secretive task force locked up the young mother …
Greg Sargent / American Prospect:
Dems Don't Know Jack — A Prospect exclusive: A new analysis of Abramoff tribal money by a nonpartisan firm shows it's a Republican scandal. — A new and extensive analysis of campaign donations from all of Jack Abramoff's tribal clients, done by a nonpartisan research firm …
Reuters:
Hamas, Fatah battle over election results — GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas and Fatah gunmen exchanged fire on Friday in political turmoil as the long-dominant Fatah faction was threatened with a violent backlash from within after its crushing election defeat by the Islamic militant group.
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Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
Maybe that Kerry guy knew what he was talking about — In the 2004 presidential race, John Kerry offered a very clear approach as to how the United States should deal with Iran: have the international community offer Iran nuclear fuel to be used in a peaceful nuclear energy program.
Discussion:
The Reaction
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Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Bush to Face His Toughest Audience for State of the Union — Americans more downbeat today than in previous January polls — PRINCETON, NJ — President George W. Bush will face a mostly disgruntled public next Tuesday when he delivers his State of the Union address, in which he will reportedly focus …
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Editor and Publisher:
Ann Coulter 'Jokes' That a Supreme Court Justice Should Be Poisoned—And is Compared to Lil' Kim — NEW YORK Universal Press Syndicate columnist Ann Coulter "joked" during a Thursday speech that liberal Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens should be poisoned.
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U.S. Newswire:
THE NSA PROGRAM TO DETECT AND PREVENT TERRORIST ATTACKS MYTH V. REALITY — Myth: The NSA program is illegal. — Reality: The President's authority to authorize the terrorist surveillance program is firmly based both in his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief …
Digby / Hullabaloo:
Flower Shops and Bodegas — What planet does this man live on? … Is he drunk? The State of the Union response will sound more romantic in spanish? Jesus H.Christ. Maybe we can get Marc Antony and J-Lo to sing the motherf**ker, Chris. With a taco in one hand and a pinata in the other.
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
The Administration's humiliation of Congress — Since the NSA scandal began, one of the most bizarre aspects of the story is that the Administration has been claiming that Congress authorized it to eavesdrop in violation of FISA, but the Congress which is said to have done so had no idea …
Waltisfrozen / The Talent Show:
Full Of Sound And Fury, Signifying Nothing — Matt Stoller's got this interesting bit of context to add to the Kerry filibuster : … If Kerry was serious about mounting a filibuster, why didn't he get Reid on board? Why did he wait until he was in Switzerland to announce it?
Daniel Henninger / Opinion Journal:
Whence Abramoff? — The Spend and Collect Beltway Party really knows Jack. — Jack Abramoff. Jack Abramoff. Jack Abramoff. Once the hunt's on, some names sound to the scandal born. Tongsun Park, Charles Keating, Elizabeth Ray, Fannie Fox, Susan McDougal.
Greg Miller / Financial Times:
57% Americans support military action in Iran — Los Angeles TimesWASHINGTON — Despite persistent disillusionment with the war in Iraq, a majority of Americans supports taking military action against Iran if that country continues to produce material that can be used to develop nuclear weapons …
Scott Shane / New York Times:
An Exotic Tool for Espionage: Moral Compass — WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 — Is there such a thing as an ethical spy? — A group of current and former intelligence officers and academic experts think there is, and they are meeting this weekend to dissect what some others in the field consider a flat-out contradiction in terms.
