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Christopher Bodeen / Associated Press:
Shiite militia takes over Iraqi city — BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Shiite militia run by the anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr seized control of a southern Iraqi city on Friday in one of the boldest acts of defiance yet by the country's powerful, unofficial armies, witnesses and police said.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, All Spin Zone, AMERICAblog, Shakespeare's Sister and The Glittering Eye
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Christine Hauser / New York Times:
Shiite Militia Seizes Control of Iraqi City — A Shiite militia that has been accused of a wave of sectarian attacks on Iraq's Sunni minority has seized control of the city of Amara in southeastern Iraq, attacking police stations and erecting checkpoints, witnesses in the city said today.
Bill Roggio / The Fourth Rail:
Iraqi Army, Sadr's Mahdi Army Battle in Amara — Sheikh Mazen Saedi, Muqtada al-Sadr's aide in Baghdad. Photo from AFP. Click image to view. — Sadr's Mahdi Army attacked Iraqi police in Amara "after police arrested a member of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia …
Washington Post:
Major Change Expected In Strategy for Iraq War — The growing doubts among GOP lawmakers about the administration's Iraq strategy, coupled with the prospect of Democratic wins in next month's midterm elections, will soon force the Bush administration to abandon its open-ended commitment to the war …
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New York Times:
Bush Faces a Battery of Ugly Choices on War — The acknowledgment by the United States Army spokesman in Iraq that the latest plan to secure Baghdad has faltered leaves President Bush with some of the ugliest choices he has yet faced in the war. — He can once again order a rearrangement …
Kevin Tillman / Truthdig:
After Pat's Birthday — Editor's note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, Andrew Sullivan, DownWithTyranny!, Lean Left, Nitpicker and Shakespeare's Sister
Associated Press:
Poll: Lieberman's Lead Growing in Conn. — HAMDEN, Conn. (AP) — Sen. Joe Lieberman has built a 17-point lead over Democratic challenger Ned Lamont, according to the first Quinnipiac University poll since the two faced off in a debate this week. — Lieberman, running as an independent …
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Beltway Blogroll, Scared Monkeys, The Strata-Sphere, In From the Cold and Roger L. Simon
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quinnipiac.edu:
Polling Results — October 20, 2006 - Lieberman Opens 17-Point Lead In Connecticut, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Dem Challenger Gains Slightly On Rell — Candidate debates this week did not help the two principal challengers in the Connecticut Senate race, as Sen. Joseph Lieberman now holds a 52 …
Discussion:
MyDD, Daily Kos, Bull Moose, Colin McEnroe, Connecticut Local Politics and Blue Crab Boulevard
Richard Spencer / Telegraph:
China tells Kim not to carry out second nuclear test — China delivered a blunt message to North Korea yesterday when it told its leader, Kim Jong-il, that he must not proceed with a second nuclear weapons test. — After China's state media suggested for the first time that Beijing might …
Discussion:
PR Newswire, The Moderate Voice, The Mahablog, Ace of Spades HQ, The Political Pit Bull, AMERICAN FUTURE and Pajamas Media
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Jeffrey Zaslow / Wall Street Journal:
America's Next Top Pundit — What does it take to be a talking head? — Whenever news breaks — on the fall campaign trail, in North Korea, in the most trivial corners of Hollywood — thousands of pundits have something to say. What most of them don't have is somewhere to say it.
Discussion:
FishBowlDC, The American Street, Vox Popoli, Outside The Beltway, CBS News, The Glittering Eye and The Mahablog
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
During National Character Counts Week, Bush Stumps for Philanderer — So it has come to this: Nineteen days before the midterm elections, President Bush flew here to champion the reelection of a congressman who last year settled a $5.5 million lawsuit alleging that he beat his mistress during a five-year affair.
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The News Blog
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Agence France Presse:
Top US general says Rumsfeld is inspired by God — MIAMI (AFP) - The top US general defended the leadership of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, saying it is inspired by God. — "He leads in a way that the good Lord tells him is best for our country," said Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Discussion:
Confederate Yankee, NewsHog, Balloon Juice, Andrew Sullivan, The Agonist and Shakespeare's Sister
BBC:
Putin's 'rape joke' played down — Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been overheard joking about the virility of his Israeli counterpart, who is accused of multiple rape. — A Russian journalist said Mr Putin joked that President Moshe Katsav was a "mighty man", adding "we all envy him".
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Steven Lee Myers / New York Times:Putin's Flippant Comments on Israeli Scandal Are Heard
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Publius Pundit
Justin Rood / TPMmuckraker:
CQ: Facing Fed Probe, House GOP Spending Chief Axes Investigative Staff — My goodness. As TPMm readers know well, House Appropriations chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is under federal investigation for possible improprieties in how he oversaw Congress' spending of $900 billion annually.
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David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
Republican Woes Lead to Feuding by Conservatives — Tax-cutters are calling evangelicals bullies. Christian conservatives say Republicans in Congress have let them down. Hawks say President Bush is bungling the war in Iraq. And many conservatives blame Representative Mark Foley's sexual messages to teenage pages.
Discussion:
TAPPED, Balloon Juice, LiberalOasis, The Corner, Andrew Sullivan, Bull Moose, PoliPundit.com, Air America Radio, Hit and Run and AMERICAblog
Frances D'Emilio / Associated Press:
Priest: I was nude with young Foley — But says naked massage didn't count as sex — ROME — A priest acknowledged Thursday that he was naked in saunas and went skinny-dipping with Mark Foley decades ago when the former congressman was a boy in Florida, but denied that the two had sex.
Sonya Geis / Washington Post:
Calif. Campaign in Turmoil Over Letters — Aide to GOP Candidate Sent Mailing Saying Immigrants Are Barred From Voting — A California Republican's congressional campaign went into meltdown Thursday after he said a staff member was responsible for sending thousands of letters to new voters …
William Bender / zwire.com:
Weldon's FBI 'informant' on Curt's payroll — A scan of the latest Federal Election Commission filings reveals two interesting facts about the 7th District race: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee finally plunked down the big bucks — $1.58 million worth of TV ad time on Tuesday alone …
Discussion:
War and Piece
Charles Hurt / Washington Times:
Pelosi no shoo-in for job as speaker — Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's prospects for becoming the nation's first female House speaker depend not only on a Democratic victory in November but also on her ability to prevent any Democrats from voting against her — primarily centrists opposed to her liberal stances.
John Keegan / Telegraph:
Bush is wrong: Iraq is not Vietnam — President Bush has for the first time conceded a similarity between events in Iraq and those in Vietnam 40 years ago. Asked in a television interview on Wednesday if he now saw a similarity between the recent escalation of American losses in Iraq …
Discussion:
AMERICAN FUTURE, Dinocrat, EU Referendum, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Corner and Kesher Talk
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: GOP's version of LBJ's "Daisy" ad debuts — There's something sooo familiar about this... Before you watch, here's the McCaul Report. Click and scroll down to page 28 and read the short section on terrorist infiltration across the Mexican border.
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