Top Items:
New York Times:
Things Change, and Stay the Same — President Bush wants to show the nation he's shaking things up in his administration, but it is clear that the people who messed everything up will remain in place. The press secretary goes; the political-and-domestic-policy adviser is losing half his portfolio.
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Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
The Un-Spokesman — Scott McClellan's Performance Reflected the White House's Strained Press Relations — He was painful to watch at times, gamely repeating the same stock phrases under a barrage of hostile media fire, grasping for new ways to deliver the same non-answers.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Norwegianity, NewsBusters.org, Wonkette, The Heretik and Media Blog on National …
Dan Balz / Washington Post:
White House Shifts Into Survival Mode — In a White House known for both defiance and optimism, yesterday's senior staff changes represent a frank acknowledgment of the trouble in which President Bush now finds himself. They are also a signal of how starkly Bush's second-term ambitions …
Michelle Malkin:
VIDEO: SHOUTING DOWN A TYRANT — Drudge flash: … I have video coming...stay tuned. — Update: Here's the clip (thanks to Allah Pundit). — Download and watch the video (.wmv file). — Photos from Yahoo!... News coverage from AP: … Question: Will these photos and video be available on a Google search?
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Richard A. Oppel Jr / New York Times:
Iraqi Premier's Offer to Step Aside Is Seen as Breakthrough — BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 20 - In a sudden reversal, embattled Iraqi prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said today that he was willing to relinquish his job, a move that was hailed by the country's other leaders as a breakthrough …
Discussion:
Informed Comment, Needlenose, Donklephant, PoliBlog, PrairiePundit, Outside The Beltway, The Heretik and The Real Ugly American.com
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Qassim Abdul-Zahra / Associated Press:
Al-Jaafari's Move Could Be Breakthrough — BAGHDAD, Iraq - Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, under intense pressure to give up plans for a second term, agreed Thursday to let Shiite leaders reconsider his nomination, a step that could mark a breakthrough in the months-long effort to form a new government.
Dave Newbart / Chicago Sun Times:
Novak: Feds know who outed CIA agent — Robert Novak said Wednesday that special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald knows who outed a CIA agent to the Chicago Sun-Times columnist but hasn't acted on the information because Novak's source committed no crime. — Novak also hinted that he personally …
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Jason Leopold / truthout.org:
Grand Jury Hears Evidence Against Rove — Just as the news broke Wednesday about Scott McClellan resigning as White House press secretary and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove shedding some of his policy duties, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald met with the grand jury hearing evidence …
Discussion:
WTF Is It Now??
Greg Mitchell / Editor and Publisher:
A Crisis Almost Without Equal — Republicans and Democrats alike are starting to face the prospect of what it means to have George W. Bush as their commander in chief for another 33 months — in a time of war, terrorism, and nuclear intrigue. How can the press contribute to confronting the crisis?
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Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal:
Don't Wait, Calibrate — Learn to bend, Mr. Bush. You won't break. — There have been, and apparently will be, personnel changes in the administration. The charmless and much-abused Scott McClellan is out; the focus of Karl Rove's portfolio has shifted back to hardball politics …
Discussion:
The Carpetbagger Report, Angry Bear, TAPPED, No More Mister Nice Blog and Economist's View
Jeff Goldstein / protein wisdom:
Bravo — And bravo again. — Whether or not you care for Michelle Malkin's political positions, you should be honest enough to admit that this crusade to try to intimidate her and her family—a crusade being waged by mostly anonymous cowards who no person in the blogosphere, left OR right …
Discussion:
The Peking Duck, Preemptive Karma, PoliPundit.com, Ace of Spades HQ, Right Wing Nut House, Outside The Beltway, Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, Right Wing News, TBogg, The Sundries Shack, AMERICAblog, JunkYardBlog, Confederate Yankee, The Radio Equalizer, Sister Toldjah, Blue Crab Boulevard, Sadly, No!, Vodkapundit, Brainster's Blog, The Rude Pundit, chez Diva, The Jawa Report v3.0 Beta, Flopping Aces and Six Meat Buffet
Michelle Malkin:
POLITICALLY-TIMED IMMIGRATION RAIDS — I speak regularly with dedicated men and women who work for the Department of Homeland Security, and especially agents from across the country who work for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. — I can tell you based on my reporting …
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Patterico / Patterico's Pontifications:
Three in One: Michael Hiltzik, Mikekoshi, and Nofanofcablecos — Is an L.A. Times columnist leaving comments on the Internet under assumed "sock puppet" identities — identities which he pretends is someone other than himself? — Read on and judge for yourself. As for me, I've made up my mind, and the answer is "yes."
Ken Silverstein / Harpers.org:
The Curt Weldon Employment Agency — Representative Curt Weldon (R., Penn.), a powerful member of the House Armed Services Committee, has been a good friend to the Italian firm Finmeccanica, and it appears that his good deeds on its behalf have been rewarded.
Discussion:
Middle Earth Journal, Attytood, Talking Points Memo, War and Piece, TPM Muckraker and The Left Coaster
Associated Press:
Reid blasts Bush during Reno visit — RENO, Nev. (AP) - The Bush administration is relying too heavily on other countries in the international effort to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, according to Sen. Harry Reid. — Reid, D-Nev., said the administration should be taking the lead …