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.
RELATED ITEMS:
John Dickerson / Slate:
Building a Better Press Secretary — Suggestions for Scott McClellan's successor. — The generals aimed at Donald Rumsfeld and hit Scott McClellan. President Bush is standing by his secretary of defense despite the complaints from retired brass, but today he did accept his press secretary's resignation.
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 …
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?
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway, PunditGuy, Drudge Report, NewsBusters.org, RConversation, Gateway Pundit, Peaktalk, Hyscience, Riehl World View and Blogs for Bush
RELATED ITEMS:
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??
RELATED ITEMS:
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 …
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."
Discussion:
Winds of Change.NET, LA Observed, Hugh Hewitt, Independent Sources, Blue Crab Boulevard, Cold Fury, lgf and Carol Platt Liebau
RELATED ITEMS:
Michael Hiltzik / Golden State:
On Anonymity in Blogland — Some years ago, the New Yorker ran an amusing cartoon about one of the supposed virtues of the Internet, its anonymity. It showed two dogs in front a computer. One was saying to the other (I am working from memory), "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog."
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?
RELATED ITEMS:
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, Demagogue and Economist's View
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, The Real Ugly American.com, Donklephant, PoliBlog, PrairiePundit, Outside The Beltway and The Heretik
RELATED ITEMS:
Dana Blanton / Fox News:
04/20/06 FOX Poll: Gloomy Economic Views; Bush Approval at New Low — NEW YORK — More Americans disapprove than approve of how George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Congress are doing their jobs, while a majority approves of Condoleezza Rice. President Bush's approval hits a record low …
CNN:
Immigration arrests 9 bosses along with 1,000 workers — Strategy to focus more on companies that employ illegal workers — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Federal immigration authorities arrested nine people linked to the firm IFCO Systems and rounded up more than 1,000 illegal immigrants in multistate raids …
RELATED ITEMS:
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 …
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 …
Samantha Levine / Houston Chronicle:
Some activists fear migrants' boycott, strike may backfire — In Houston, organizers say they are neither for nor against joining the May 1 plans — WASHINGTON - A nationwide boycott and general strike planned for May 1 to push for immigrant rights is falling out of favor with many advocacy groups …
Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Unforeseen Spending on Materiel Pumps Up Iraq War Bill — Senate to Take Up Measure as Military Fights to Keep Guns, Tanks Working — With the expected passage this spring of the largest emergency spending bill in history, annual war expenditures in Iraq will have nearly doubled since the U.S. invasion …