Top Items:
Mohammed / IRAQ THE MODEL:
In the aftermath of the shrine attack... Today is a day off in Iraq, emergency situation now officially declared with extended curfews 8pm-6am. — Sistani has been calling for restraint and calm but it seems that some Shia factions are not listening to him but instead they are listening …
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New York Times:
Sectarian Fury Turns Violent in Wake of Iraq Shrine Blast — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 23 - At least 95 people, some of them prominent Sunni Arab clerics, were killed in revenge in Baghdad and the surrounding areas in the chaotic 24 hours following the bombing Wednesday morning …
Bill Roggio / The Fourth Rail:
Looking for Signs of Civil War in Iraq — Reviewing the leading indicators that Iraq is sliding into a full scale civil war. — After the destruction of the dome of the Golden Mosque Samarra, the fashionable meme in the media is to declare Iraq is on the verge of a full civil war - if not already in the midst of one.
Discussion:
Reuters, 24 Steps to Liberty, Gateway Pundit, Hullabaloo, ShrinkWrapped, Healing Iraq, sisu and CALIFORNIA YANKEE
Juan / Informed Comment:
Sistani threatens to turn to Militia — Sadr Calls for Calm — The shoe seems to be on the other foot now, with Muqtada al-Sadr attempting to cool Iraq's Shiites down and Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani threatening to create a paramilitary to protect Shiites.
CNN:
Sunni party quits Iraq government talks after mosque bombing — More than 100 dead in revenge attacks; 7 U.S. soldiers killed — BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Iraq's most powerful Sunni Muslim party quit talks to form a new government Thursday after reprisal attacks for the bombing of an important Shiite mosque.
CNN:
Bush: No need to worry about port security — President tries to calm uproar over planned UAE takeover — WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush on Thursday defended his administration's decision to allow a company from an Arab country to operate six major U.S. ports, saying, "People don't need to worry about security."
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David Stout / New York Times:
At Senate Briefing on Port Deal, Bush Aides Stand Firm — WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 — Bush administration officials insisted today, in the face of deep skepticism and resentment from Democratic senators, that the deal to turn over American port operations to a Dubai company was closely studied beforehand …
New York Times:
Panel Saw No Security Issue in Port Contract, Officials Say — WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 — The Bush administration decided last month that a deal to hand over operations at major American ports to a government-owned company in Dubai did not involve national security and so did not require a more lengthy review …
Heritage Foundation:
Security and the Sale of Port Facilities: Facts and Recommendations — The sale of facilities at six U.S ports by a British-based company to Dubai World Ports, a government-owned company in the United Arab Emirates, has raised concerns among many in the homeland security community.
Michelle Malkin:
PORTGATE AND THE RUBBER-STAMPERS — After a rather rude (and criminal) disruption, I'm back. Let's return to the ports, shall we? — Lesson One of Portgate: Scream "Islamophobia/xenophobia" often enough, and people will start to back down. — Lesson Two of Portgate …
Discussion:
irishpennants.com, Macsmind, History News Network, The Counterterrorism Blog and Gina Cobb
strategypage.com:
Signs That the United States is About to Bomb Iran — Before any major military operation, there are always tell tale signs. With all the talk about Israel or the United States bombing Iran's nuclear weapons program, it would be wise to check for the signs before taking the pundit prattle too seriously.
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Washington Post:
A Failure of the Press — There was a time when the press was the strongest guardian of free expression in this democracy. Stories and celebrations of intrepid and courageous reporters are many within the press corps. Cases such as New York Times v. Sullivan in the 1960s were litigated …
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Michelle Malkin / Pajamas Media:
Internet Islamists on the hunt — [Editor's Note: Michelle Malkin is experiencing problems with her weblog after being the target of cyberattacks. While they last, Pajamas Media will host her posts here] — The cyberjihad continues. Zone-H, which monitors Internet hackers, reports that …
James Traub / Slate:
School of Hard Knocks — What President Summers never learned about Harvard. — I have a soft spot for Larry Summers, who resigned yesterday as president of Harvard rather than face the humiliation of being fired. I admit that I develop a soft spot for almost everyone I spend 25 …
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Doug Thompson / Capitol Hill Blue:
Secret Service agents say Cheney was drunk when he shot lawyer — Secret Service agents guarding Vice President Dick Cheney when he shot Texas lawyer Harry Whittington on a hunting outing two weeks ago say Cheney was "clearly inebriated" at the time of the shooting and a written report outlining details …
George F. Will / Washington Post:
Smile if (and Only if) You're Conservative — To bemused conservatives, it looks like yet another example of analytic overkill by the intelligentsia — a jobs program for the (mostly liberal) academic boys (and girls) in the social sciences, whose quantitative tools have been brought to bear to prove the obvious.
New Scientist:
Quantum computer works best switched off — From New Scientist Print Edition — Even for the crazy world of quantum mechanics, this one is twisted. A quantum computer program has produced an answer without actually running. — The idea behind the feat, first proposed in 1998 …
consortiumnews.com:
Security Skills — While not spelling out the precise status of the investigation in the UAE, the Dec. 10 report said U.N. investigators had sought help from "UAE authorities to trace the movements of this vehicle, including reviewing shipping documents from the UAE and …
Philip Kennicott / Washington Post:
What Was and Never Shall Be — In the Destruction of a Golden Dome, the Debris of Certainty — Again and again, it's distressing how little we know about how Iraq looked before destruction became an everyday occurrence. And so the first glimpse, for many, of the Askariya shrine …
R.J. Rummel / Democratic Peace:
So, How's the Iraq War going? — While democracy is coming along better than expected in Iraq, the war on this democratization by terrorist and Sunni insurrectionists will determine the country's future. So, how is the war going? The Saban Center for Middle East Policy …
Ezra Klein:
Won't Somebody Please Think of the Puppies!? — I think Digby goes a little far here. Confused polling on abortion is evidence that Americans have confused views on abortion, not that the cover story obscuring their Handmaid's Tale instincts is insufficiently clever.
