Top Items:
Jerusalem Post:
PM Olmert declares Hizbullah attack 'act of war' by Lebanon — Seventeen days after IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped in Gaza, a second front was opened on Israel's northern border Wednesday morning as Hizbullah, under cover of a barrage of Katyusha rockets and mortar shells, kidnapped two more army troops.
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Haaretz:
3 soldiers killed, 2 seized in Hezbollah border strike — Three Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed and two others were abducted Wednesday morning in an attack by guerillas from the militant Hezbollah organization. — The militants attacked two IDF armored Hummer jeeps patrolling along …
Joseph Panossian / Associated Press:
Hezbollah Captures 2 Israeli Soldiers — BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - The Hezbollah militant group captured two Israeli soldiers during clashes along the Lebanese border on Wednesday, triggering an Israeli assault with warplanes, tanks and gunboats as Israeli troops crossed the frontier to hunt for the captives.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Yourish.com, Wizbang, QandO, Mere Rhetoric and RS National Affairs Daily
Karamallah Daher / Reuters:
Israel calls Hizbollah capture of soldiers act of war — MARJAYOUN, Lebanon (Reuters) - Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers and killed up to seven Israelis in violence on either side of the Lebanese border on Wednesday, further inflaming Middle East tensions.
Washington Post:
Hezbollah Captures 2 Israeli Soldiers — 7 Troops Killed as Israeli Forces Enter Lebanon to Conduct Search — SIDON, Lebanon, July 12 — The militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers along the Israel-Lebanon border Wednesday morning.
Jerusalem Post:
Israel rejects Lebanese cease-fire call — IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz concluded his security briefings in the Kiryah in Tel Aviv on Wednesday afternoon and was on his way to consult with Defense Minister Amir Peretz. — A senior IDF officer said the military was preparing …
Joseph Panossian / Associated Press:
2 Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah
2 Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah
Discussion:
Blue Crab Boulevard
Robert Novak / Chicago Sun Times:
My role in the Plame leak probe — WASHINGTON — Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has informed my attorneys that, after 2-1/2 years, his investigation of the CIA leak case concerning matters directly relating to me has been concluded. That frees me to reveal my role in the federal inquiry that …
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The Raw Story:
Video: 50 year study says conservatives 'followers' — In an interview with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, former Nixon counsel John Dean explained a largely unknown 50 year academic study. The data shows that conservatives are much more likely to follow authoritarian leaders.
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John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
John Dean on Countdown: Conservatives Without Conscience — John Dean joined Keith Olbermann Monday to explain the theories in his new book, "Conservatives Without Conscience," which explains a lot of the behavior we see today. — Video -WMP Video -QT — To put it simply, Dean makes the case …
Amanda / Think Progress:
Justice Department Lawyer To Congress: 'The President Is Always Right' — The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday heard testimony from Steven Bradbury, head of the Justice Department's office of legal counsel. When questioned by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on whether the President's interpretation …
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Kirk Semple / New York Times:
Wave of Violence in Baghdad Puts 3-Day Death Toll Past 100 — BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 11 — More than 50 people were killed in Baghdad on Tuesday in violence that included a double suicide bombing near busy entrances to the fortified Green Zone, scattered shootings, mortar attacks …
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Griff Witte / Washington Post:
Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal — Logistics Contract to Be Open for Bidding — The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply …
Harold Meyerson / Washington Post:
Lieberman's Real Problem — I am about to become a traitor to my class. Among my estimable colleagues in the Washington commentariat, the idea that Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman is facing a serious challenge from a fellow Democrat over Lieberman's support for the Iraq war seems to evoke incredulity and exasperation.
Eric Lipton / New York Times:
U.S. Terror Targets: Petting Zoo and Flea Market? — WASHINGTON, July 11 — It reads like a tally of terrorist targets that a child might have written: Old MacDonald's Petting Zoo, the Amish Country Popcorn factory, the Mule Day Parade, the Sweetwater Flea Market and an unspecified "Beach at End of a Street."
Discussion:
Homeland Security Watch, The Huffington Post, Jesus' General, Obsidian Wings, Outside The Beltway, The Gun Toting Liberal, Suitably Flip, The Carpetbagger Report, Wonkette, Below The Beltway, Preemptive Karma, Brilliant at Breakfast, Feministe, The Green Knight, Think Progress, Blah3, The Reality-Based Community, Suburban Guerrilla and BlondeSense
Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
Political Strategists to Launch Web Site — A bipartisan group of prominent political strategists on Tuesday announced an Internet information venture designed to interact with America's opinion leaders and serve as an antidote to the right-left clash that typifies political discourse on the Web.
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James Horney / cbpp.org:
A SMOKING GUN: PRESIDENT'S CLAIM THAT TAX CUTS PAY FOR THEMSELVES REFUTED BY ADMINISTRATION'S OWN ANALYSIS — In remarks on July 11 touting revised deficit projections in the Mid-Session Review of the Budget, President Bush once again claimed that tax cuts pay for themselves:
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Washington Post:
Dan Rather's Carry-On Baggage — Former CBS newsman Dan Rather says he'll have complete editorial control over the content of the weekly newsmagazine he will kick off for Mark Cuban's HDNet in October. — "News at its best is a wake-up call, not a lullaby, and I'm not in the lullaby business …
Matt Stoller / MyDD:
Losing the Next Alito Fight — I've been meaning to blog about what we should in the event of a new Supreme Court opening. I wrote a prescription for what the anti-Alito forces could have done better. I know it was forwarded around to various leaders, but apparently these leaders have learned very little.