Top Items:
Eli Lake / New York Sun:
Leading Saudi Sheik Pronounces Fatwa Against Hezbollah — CAIRO, Egypt — One of Saudi Arabia's leading Wahhabi sheiks, Abdullah bin Jabreen has issued a strongly worded religious edict, or fatwa, declaring it unlawful to support, join or pray for Hezbollah, the Shiite militias lobbing missiles into northern Israel.
Discussion:
Rantingprofs, All Things Beautiful, Captain's Quarters, Security Watchtower, USS Neverdock, Vital Perspective and Solomonia
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New York Times:
Iraqi Prime Minister Denounces Israel's Actions — BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 19 — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq on Wednesday forcefully denounced the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, marking a sharp break with President Bush's position and highlighting the growing power of a Shiite Muslim identity across the Middle East.
Discussion:
CNN, The Corner on National …, FP Passport, Happy Furry Puppy Story …, THE NEWS BLOG, The Angry Arab News … and Truthdig
Washington Post:
Diplomatic Traps — AS FIGHTING in the Middle East continues, the Bush administration is coming under pressure to launch some sort of diplomatic initiative. These calls sound reasonable; the loss of innocent life in Lebanon and Israel is tragic, the dangers of further escalation are real …
Victor Davis Hanson / Real Clear Politics:
Patience is Wearing Thin — The conventional wisdom is that the United States is so tied down that it can't do much about the rocket attacks on Israel, the blatant sponsorship of terrorists by Iran and Syria, or the Iranian nuclear program. — Oil prices are already sky-high.
New York Times:
Death Toll Rises in Mideast Fight; Bunker Bombed
Death Toll Rises in Mideast Fight; Bunker Bombed
Discussion:
Rantingprofs, The Belgravia Dispatch, Defense Tech, TigerHawk, A Blog For All, Brilliant at Breakfast, Left I on the News and CNN
Ignacio Russell Cano / Ynetnews:
In Spain, anti-Semitism is new leftist trend — Spanish Jews knew there were hard times ahead. Prime Minister Zapatero has not disappointed them — Madrid: Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain and Secretary General of the Socialist Party, arrived to power at a time nobody expected, not even inside the Party.
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Reuters:
Israel: Spain relations hurt by PM's accusation IDF uses 'abuses force' — Israel's envoy to Spain said on Thursday the two countries' relations had been damaged after the Spanish prime minister accused Israel of using "abusive force" during an event at which he also wore a Palestinian scarf.
Associated Press:
Lamont Pulls Even With Lieberman In Latest Poll — HAMDEN, Conn. — Democratic challenger Ned Lamont has pulled into a dead heat in his U.S. Senate race with incumbent Joe Lieberman, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. — The poll shows Lamont ahead 51-47 percent …
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Patterico / Patterico's Pontifications:
Devoted Fans of Glenn Greenwald Emphasize the Same Points About His Resume — From the Same IP Address!! — Read on, Gentle Reader. I promise you, this will be worth your time. — See if you see any similarities between the following comments, from three completely different people. (Or are they?)
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George V. Voinovich / Washington Post:
Why I'll Vote for Bolton — As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have had the rare opportunity to witness firsthand how the diplomatic process works and, in some cases, how it fails. Recently, despite our nation's best efforts, the world — and particularly the Middle East …
Hussein Dakroub / Associated Press:
New Israeli-Hezbollah fighting breaks out — BEIRUT, Lebanon - A large fight between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas broke out Thursday evening on the Lebanese side of the border, the Israeli army said, adding that its troops suffered casualties but did not elaborate.
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
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Washington Post:
GOP Lawmakers Edge Away From Optimism on Iraq — Faced with almost daily reports of sectarian carnage in Iraq, congressional Republicans are shifting their message on the war from speaking optimistically of progress to acknowledging the difficulty of the mission and pointing up mistakes in planning and execution.
Discussion:
Cato-at-liberty, The Carpetbagger Report, The Next Hurrah, Macsmind, WTF Is It Now??, Blah3, Middle Earth Journal and AMERICAblog
Chicago Tribune:
Experts rip Rove stem cell remark — Researchers doubt value of adult cells — When White House political adviser Karl Rove signaled last week that President Bush planned to veto the stem cell bill being considered by the Senate, the reasons he gave went beyond the president's moral qualms with research on human embryos.
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Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
First Bush Veto Maintains Limits on Stem Cell Use
First Bush Veto Maintains Limits on Stem Cell Use
Discussion:
CNN, The Anchoress, Sister Toldjah, US Politics, Flopping Aces, Elevated Voices at 5280.com and enrevanche
rasmussenreports.com:
Middle East: Hezbollah to Blame for Current Strife, 56% Say — Many Fear a Wider Regional Conflict to Come — A week into the renewed violence between Israel and Lebanon triggered by the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers, 56% of Americans say that Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah is to blame for the conflict.
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:
In Neutral Switzerland, A Rising Radicalism — Islamic Extremists Newly Seen as Threat — BERN, Switzerland — For centuries, this Alpine nation has successfully relied on a strict policy of political neutrality to insulate it from the wars, invasions and revolutions that have raged outside its borders.
Reuters:
U.S.: Iranians witnessed N. Korea missile test — WASHINGTON (Reuters) — One or more Iranians witnessed North Korea's recent missile tests, deepening U.S. concerns about growing ties between two countries with troubling nuclear capabilities, a top U.S. official said Thursday.