Top Items:
Washington Post:
What Next? — The debate is over: By any definition, Iraq is in a state of civil war. Indeed, the only thing standing between Iraq and a descent into total Bosnia-like devastation is 135,000 U.S. troops — and even they are merely slowing the fall. The internecine conflict could easily spiral …
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Peter Baker / Washington Post:
Pundits Renounce The President — For 10 minutes, the talk show host grilled his guests about whether "George Bush's mental weakness is damaging America's credibility at home and abroad." For 10 minutes, the caption across the bottom of the television screen read, "IS BUSH AN 'IDIOT'?"
Daily Mail:
Mutiny on Flight 613 — Passengers refuse to allow holiday jet to take off until two Asian men are thrown off plane — British holidaymakers staged an unprecedented mutiny - refusing to allow their flight to take off until two men they feared were terrorists were forcibly removed.
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Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Market-Based Profiling — The Daily Mail reports on a flight …
Market-Based Profiling — The Daily Mail reports on a flight …
Discussion:
The Mahablog
Jerusalem Post:
Arab media slam Syrian president — BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syria's president sparked a wave of anger after he knocked Mideast leaders as "half men" in a televised speech, underlining the divisions as Arab nations try to form a unified front in the wake of the Lebanon crisis.
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Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Arab Media Take Aim At Assad — After Bashar Assad called Arab leaders "half men" for failing to rally to Hezbollah's support, state-sponsored media in Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia have castigated Assad in terms usually reserved for infidels. His critics have called him a coward and a dead rosebud, among other epithets:
Sam F. Ghattas / Associated Press:
Annan: Israeli raid violates cease-fire — BEIRUT, Lebanon - Israeli commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold deep in Lebanon on Saturday, engaging in a fierce gunbattle, and the Lebanese government threatened to halt further troop deployments in protest as the 6-day-old U.N.-brokered cease-fire was put to a critical test.
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BBC:
Hamas plea over seized deputy PM — Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya has appealed to the international community for help to secure the release of his deputy. — Nasser al-Shaer was detained by the Israeli army early on Saturday. — The Israeli army said it had detained Mr Shaer …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
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Timothy Egan / New York Times:
The Rise of Shrinking-Vacation Syndrome — In August, when much of the world is hard at work trying to do nothing, Jeff Hopkins and his wife, Denise, usually take a week to chase fish in Olympic National Park — a ferry ride and two tanks of gas from here with a boat in tow.
Discussion:
politburo diktat 2.0
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Associated Press:
Democrats Add January Voting in 2 More States — Democrats agreed to shake up tradition Saturday by wedging Nevada between Iowa's leadoff caucuses and the New Hampshire primary in the 2008 presidential nominating calendar and adding South Carolina soon afterward.
Discussion:
Norwegianity
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Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Democrats Set Primary Calendar and Penalties
Democrats Set Primary Calendar and Penalties
Discussion:
Hotline On Call
Jules Crittenden / Boston Herald:
With doublespeaking France, honor gets lost in translation — French is the traditional language of diplomacy. Diplomacy is the art of saying one thing while doing another. — In recent weeks, France stepped forward to act as a broker of peace in Lebanon.
Michael Slackman / New York Times:
And Now, Islamism Trumps Arabism — SHE grew up in Cairo with the privileges that go to the daughter of a military officer, attended a university and landed a job in marketing. He grew up in a poor village of dusty unpaved roads, where young men work long hours in a brick factory while dreaming …
Eleanor Clift / Newsweek:
The Osama Card — Expect the Republicans to use the specter of the terror leader to frighten voters ahead of the elections. — It will soon be five years since the 9/11 attacks thrust America into a state of perpetual anxiety, and the man who inspired and masterminded the carnage that awful day remains at large.
Jennifer Loven / Associated Press:
Bush: Iraq War keystone in terror fight — WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday that his administration's determination to remain in Iraq and its efforts to end violence in Lebanon are key to protecting the U.S. from future terrorist attacks. Democrats countered that Americans …
Steven Erlanger / New York Times:
Israel Committed to Block Arms and Kill Nasrallah — French troops arrived at a United Nations base in southern Lebanon Saturday. Israel says it will still pressure Hezbollah despite a cease-fire deal. — Despite a cease-fire agreement, Israel intends to do its best to keep Iran and Syria …
Discussion:
AMERICAN FUTURE
Matt Crenson / Associated Press:
Gov't fulfills few Katrina promises — Nearly half of New Orleans was still under water when President Bush stood in the Crescent City's historic Jackson Square and swore he would "do what it takes" to rebuild the communities and lives that had been laid to waste two weeks before by Hurricane Katrina.
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily
Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
GOP's Financial Edge Shrinks — The traditional fundraising advantage held by incumbent lawmakers — which Republicans have regarded as a safety wall in their effort to keep control of Congress — has eroded in many closely contested House races, as many Democratic challengers prove competitive in the race for cash.
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily