Top Items:
Michael R. Gordon / New York Times:
U.S. Central Command Charts Sharp Movement of the Civil Conflict in Iraq Toward Chaos — A classified briefing prepared two weeks ago by the United States Central Command portrays Iraq as edging toward chaos, in a chart that the military is using as a barometer of civil conflict.
Discussion:
Dick Polman's American Debate, Firedoglake, The Moderate Voice, Riehl World View, TAPPED, Political Animal, Outside The Beltway, The Belgravia Dispatch, Bring it On!, The Agonist, The Peking Duck, Daily Kos, Matthew Yglesias, Global Guerrillas, The Heretik, Donklephant, Needlenose, A Chequer-Board of Nights … and On Deadline
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The Daily Dish:
Abandoning An American Soldier — While the media is obsessed parsing the ad libs of someone on no ballot this fall, something truly ominous has just happened in Iraq. The commander-in-chief has abandoned an American soldier to the tender mercies of a Shiite militia.
Kirk Semple / New York Times:
Iraqi Demands Pullback; U.S. Lifts Baghdad Cordon — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki demanded the removal of American checkpoints from the streets of Baghdad on Tuesday, in what appeared to be his latest and boldest gambit in an increasingly tense struggle for more independence from his American protectors.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Political Animal, Informed Comment, AMERICAblog, Bull Moose, the talking dog, FP Passport, Democrats.com and The Heretik
The Free Press, Mankato, MN:
Kerry cancels Mankato appearance — The dueling rallies scheduled for Mankato today on behalf of Republican congressman Gil Gutknecht and Democratic challenger Tim Walz lost some of their pizzaz Tuesday night when Sen. John Kerry pulled out of the Democratic rally.
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MSNBC:
Kerry cancels 3 campaign events after remarks
Kerry cancels 3 campaign events after remarks
Discussion:
Early Warning, ABCNEWS, Time, Pajamas Media, Daily Kos, Macsmind, Redstate, Suitably Flip, Barking Moonbat Early …, NewsBusters.org, Alabama Liberation Front and On Deadline
Andy Sher / tfponline.com:
Ford asks Kerry to apologize
Ford asks Kerry to apologize
Discussion:
Hot Air, MyDD, RightWinged.com, The Caucus, Volunteer Voters, Power Line and On Deadline
Baltimore Sun:
Governor race a tossup … The Maryland governor's race is a virtual tie less than a week before Election Day, as Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s relentless attacks on Mayor Martin O'Malley's record on crime and schools have eroded the Democrat's support in the Baltimore suburbs, a new poll for The Sun shows.
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rushlimbaugh.com:
Rush's Interview with President George W. Bush — RUSH: Mr. President. — THE PRESIDENT: Hey, Rush, how are you? — RUSH: Never better. It's a thrill to have you on the program today and many thanks for making time for us. — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, sir, for giving me a chance to visit with you.
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Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Letter from Mike Stark — The following is a letter to NBC29 from Mike Stark, the man who was tackled for a comment he made at Senator Allen's campaign stop in Charlottesville on Tuesday. — My name is Mike Stark. I am a law student at the University of Virginia, a marine, and a citizen journalist.
Discussion:
Dependable Renegade
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Hindrocket / Power Line:
WHY DID HE DO IT? — John Kerry's gaffe yesterday was a self-inflicted wound, greatly compounded by his refusal to apologize and his bizarre attack on the Republicans, as if they had somehow made him stick his foot in his mouth. One wonders what possessed Kerry to say that soldiers are both dumb and lazy …
John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
Polling Right-Of-Center Bloggers On The 2006 Election — Right Wing News emailed more than 230 right-of-center bloggers to ask them about the 2006 election. The following 62 blogs responded. — The Absurd Report, Ankle Biting Pundits (Patrick Hynes), Annika's Journal, The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler …
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Lazy and uneducated photo of the day! — Someone just sent me this. I think it's too good to be true, but you can inspect the full-sized version yourself by clicking the image. — If it is a photoshop, it's awfully well done. — Update: Readers think it's real. I concur.
Ezra Klein:
What's Wrong With The Press Corps? — This. Greenwald comments: … It's not just unseemly, it's unprofessional. The point of journalism, of punditry, of analysis, is that it's independent. That doesn't mean it's not ideological, or even totally non-partisan, but that it's not written to attract external approval.
Discussion:
Unclaimed Territory, Crooks and Liars, Outside The Beltway, Eschaton, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Daily Kos and Media Blog
Brad Wilmouth / NewsBusters.org:
Olbermann: 'Stupid' Bush Team Misinterpret Kerry, Laura Bush in 'Gutter' over Fox Ads — On Tuesday's Countdown, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann came to the defense of Senator John Kerry in the aftermath of the Democratic Senator's comment that those who don't study and get an education …
Rick Pearson / Chicago Tribune:
Blagojevich holds steady despite latest allegations — Gov. Rod Blagojevich maintained a sizable advantage over Republican Judy Baar Topinka even as new corruption allegations surfaced involving his close supporters, a new Tribune/WGN-Ch. 9 poll shows. — A week before the election …
Rasmussen Reports:
Partisan Trends: Dems Peaking at the Right Time — In the final full month before Election 2006, the number of people identifying themselves as Republicans has fallen to its lowest level since we began reporting this measure of partisan trends in January 2004.
John Whitesides / Reuters:
House control in range for Democrats-Reuters poll — WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Democrats are ahead in races for 12 of 15 key Republican-held seats in the U.S. House one week before the Nov. 7 elections, placing them within striking range of winning control of the chamber, according to Reuters/Zogby polls released on Wednesday.
Robert J. Samuelson / Washington Post:
What if We're to Blame? — "Towering over Presidents and [Congress] . . . public opinion stands out, in the United States, as the great source of power, the master of servants who tremble before it." — James Bryce, "The American Commonwealth," 1888 — The problem of American democracy is (of course) democracy.
Discussion:
Blue Crab Boulevard
Agence France Presse:
Nearly half of Americans uncertain God exists: poll — Nearly half of Americans are not sure God exists, according to a poll that also found divisions among the public on whether God is male or female or whether God has a human form and has control over events.
Washington Post:
House Democrats Propose More Spending for Military and Education — GOP Says Plan Would Imperil Efforts to Balance Budget — As part of their midterm election push, House Democrats are promoting a wide-ranging legislative agenda that would add tens of billions of dollars a year …
John Cole / Balloon Juice:
This Is No Fun — I just thought I would go on record stating that the last few weeks and months have really sucked for me. I spent my whole life in the GOP- starting in 1984 with county meetings, going to Teenage Republican camp (my friends called it Hitler Youth Camp …