Top Items:
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 …
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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."
Clark Kent Ervin / New York Times:
Strangers at the Door — WHO could have imagined that, in the post-9/11 world, the United States government would approve a deal giving control over six major American ports to a country with ties to terrorism? But this is exactly what the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has done.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Democrat Taylor Marsh …, The Liquid List and The Reality-Based Community
Alan Elsner / Reuters:
U.S. terror fears, stoked by Bush, now bite him — WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - For almost five years U.S. President George W. Bush has warned Americans to fear terrorism, but now those words may come back to bite him. — The president, who has cast himself as America's protector …
Media Blog on National Review Online:
"There Are So Many Misstatements It's Breathtaking" — In his "analysis" of the port issue, the NYT's David Sanger writes: … But Sanger doesn't really provide enough experts to justify that claim. He quotes one Dr. Irwin Redlener of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness …
Discussion:
NewDonkey.com, Thoughts from Kansas, Outside The Beltway, Democrat Taylor Marsh … and Say Anything
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 …
Discussion:
neo-neocon, The Glittering Eye, Reuters, Associated Press, Big Lizards, Healing Iraq, The Belmont Club, BBC and Andrew Sullivan
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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.
Bill Roggio / The Fourth Rail:Looking for Signs of Civil War in Iraq
Discussion:
Reuters, 24 Steps to Liberty, Gateway Pundit, Hullabaloo, ShrinkWrapped, Booman Tribune, sisu and CALIFORNIA YANKEE
New York Times:Sectarian Fury Turns Violent in Wake of Iraq Shrine Blast
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, State of the Day, Body and Soul, Crescat Sententia, Captain's Quarters, Obsidian Wings, Outside The Beltway, The Moderate Voice, CALIFORNIA YANKEE, A Blog For All, Prometheus 6, Dean's World, Martini Republic, Flopping Aces, Back to Iraq 3.0, Democrat Taylor Marsh …, Prairie Weather and Decision '08
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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Emilio Morenatti / Associated Press:
Israeli Army Kills Top Militant — BALATA REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank - Israeli troops on Thursday killed five Palestinians, including a top militant who said just a day earlier that he would never be caught, in the largest West Bank military operation since Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip last summer.
Ruth R. Wisse / Opinion Journal:
Coup d'Ecole — Harvard professors oust Larry Summers. Now they must face their students. — CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The resignation of Lawrence Summers as president of Harvard turns the spotlight on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), which has consecrated more time and energy to his ouster …
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Murray Waas / whatever already!:
Did the Bush administration "authorize" the leak of classified information to Bob Woodward? And did those leaks damage national security? — The vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) made exactly that charge tonight in a letter to John Negroponte, the Director of National Intelligence.
Kevin Sites / Reuters:
German court convicts man for insulting Islam — DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) - A German court on Thursday convicted a businessman of insulting Islam by printing the word "Koran" on toilet paper and offering it to mosques. — The 61-year-old man, identified only as Manfred van H. …
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 …
Michael Kranish / Boston Globe:
Abramoff ties to Russians probed — US inquiry widens to energy concerns — WASHINGTON — The federal investigation into the lobbying activities of Jack Abramoff has broadened to examine his dealings with the Russian government and a pair of high-profile Russian energy company executives …
Byron York / The Corner on National Review Online:
PATRICK FITZGERALD, UNCONSTITUTIONAL? — Lawyers for Lewis Libby have just filed a motion to dismiss the perjury, obstruction, and false statement charges against him in the CIA leak case. That is standard procedure, and to be expected, but what is interesting about the motion is that it is based …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
Bush followers masquerade as free press advocates while attacking freedom of the press — On the list of threats to our constitutional liberties, the fact that we have a President who has literally seized the power to violate our laws is at the top. But immediately underneath it on the list …
Discussion:
Hit and Run, The Sideshow, TigerHawk, Austin Bay Blog, AMERICAN FUTURE, Washington Post and The Impolitic
Ralph Z. Hallow / Washington Times:
Democrat voters low on enthusiasm — Democrats, after 11 years as the minority party in Congress, still can't get it right with their own voters, a poll shows. — By objecting to virtually every initiative and proposal of the Bush administration and congressional Republican majority …
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 …
Jeff Goldstein / protein wisdom:
Fifth Calumny? — From "A Failure of the Press," today's WaPo oped from Bill Bennett and Alan Dershowitz: … [my emphases] — Note again the initial bolded passage, which was first brought to my attention by Allah, who sent along the link: … Quips Allah:
