Top Items:
Nawaf Obaid / Washington Post:
Stepping Into Iraq — Saudi Arabia Will Protect Sunnis if the U.S. Leaves — In February 2003, a month before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, warned President Bush that he would be "solving one problem and creating five more" if he removed Saddam Hussein by force.
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Washington Post:
Bloc Led by Shiite Cleric Quits Iraqi Government — Lawmakers Loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr Protest Prime Minister's Summit With Bush — A bloc of Iraqi lawmakers allied with militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr announced Wednesday that they were suspending their involvement in the government …
Washington Post:
As Iraq Deteriorates, Iraqis Get More Blame — From troops on the ground to members of Congress, Americans increasingly blame the continuing violence and destruction in Iraq on the people most affected by it: the Iraqis. — Even Democrats who have criticized the Bush administration's conduct …
Associated Press:
Bush to meet with Iraqi PM as gloomy memo surfaces … RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Reports circulated Wednesday that one of President Bush's top advisers has serious doubts about the Iraqi prime minister's ability to stem the violence in his country, as President Bush headed for a meeting with embattled Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:
In Following His Own Script, Webb May Test Senate's Limits — At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken …
Discussion:
commonsensepoliticalthought …, Shakespeare's Sister, The News Blog, The Carpetbagger Report, Sunlight Foundation blogs, BLACKFIVE, Sirotablog, Sister Toldjah, Middle Earth Journal, Riehl World View, The Mahablog, The Caucus, CorrenteWire, Daily Kos, AMERICAblog, On Deadline and The Corner
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Brad R. / Sadly, No!:
Raise a Glass for the Ole Perfesser — If someone from another planet came to earth and asked me to find two sentences that summarized the insanity of Glenn Harlan Reynolds, I'd probably choose these two: … Is America in danger of being invaded by the Mole People?
Discussion:
Eschaton
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Josh Gerstein / New York Sun:
Gingrich: Free Speech Should Be Curtailed To Fight Terrorism — A former House speaker, Newt Gingrich, is causing a stir by proposing that free speech may have to be curtailed in order to fight terrorism. — "We need to get ahead of the curve rather than wait until we actually literally lose a city …
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Washington Wire:
Frist Decides Against '08 Presidential Bid — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said he has put aside plans to run for the White House in 2008, and instead will return to medicine and the health-care field that helped launch his political career 12 years ago.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
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David Espo / Associated Press:
Frist will not seek presidency in 2008 — WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Wednesday he will not run for president in 2008, a high-profile campaign dropout more than a year before the first convention delegates are chosen. — "In the Bible, God tells us for everything there is a season …
Washington Post:
Economics Experts Join Romney's PAC — He hasn't even formed his presidential exploratory committee, but Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has already signed up an economic brain trust to advise him, led by two former chairmen of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers.
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New York Times:
Pelosi Won't Pick Tainted Lawmaker for Key Post — Representative Nancy Pelosi announced on Tuesday that she would not award the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee to Representative Alcee L. Hastings of Florida, who was a leading contender for the post.
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Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
The end of the Epic Harman-Hastings Drama
The end of the Epic Harman-Hastings Drama
Discussion:
Washington Post, TAPPED, Eschaton, Balloon Juice, Dick Polman's American Debate and CorrenteWire
Patterico / Patterico's Pontifications:
Libertarian Calls for Federal Oversight of Local Police Techniques; Patterico's Devil and Angel Dispute How Best to Respond — I have two little guys, one sitting on each shoulder, when I blog. On one shoulder is the little guy in the devil outfit. He's the one who is forever imploring …
Steven R. Hurst / Associated Press:
Witnesses detail Iraq burning deaths — BAGHDAD, Iraq - The attack on the small Mustafa Sunni mosque began as worshippers were finishing Friday midday prayers. About 50 unarmed men, many in black uniforms and some wearing ski masks, walked through the district chanting "We are the Mahdi Army, shield of the Shiites."
Discussion:
Flopping Aces, JunkYardBlog, CBS News, Classical Values, Riehl World View, PrairiePundit, Oliver Willis and The Huffington Post
Michael Calderone / New York Observer:
Washington Post Class Gets Graded — Welcome to corporate America, journos! Reporters at The Washington Post will now be ranked with a multiple-choice job-performance assessment each year. — Accompanying an annual written evaluation, each reporter will be described as …
Kirk Johnson / New York Times:
Pro-Peace Symbol Forces Win Battle in Colorado Town — Peace is fighting back in Pagosa Springs. — Last week, a couple were threatened with fines of $25 a day by their homeowners' association unless they removed a four-foot wreath shaped like a peace symbol from the front of their house.
Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Judge Strikes Down Parts of Executive Order on Terrorism — A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that key portions of a presidential order blocking financial assistance to terrorist groups are unconstitutional, further complicating the Bush administration's attempts to defend its aggressive anti-terrorism tactics in federal courts.
Victor Davis Hanson / Opinion Journal:
Losing the Enlightenment — A civilization that has lost confidence in itself cannot confront the Islamists. — Our current crisis is not yet a catastrophe, but a real loss of confidence of the spirit. The hard-won effort of the Western Enlightenment of some 2,500 years that …
Dennis Prager / Townhall.com:
America, Not Keith Ellison, decides what book a congressman takes his oath on — Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.
Shmuel Rosner / Reuters:
Chirac: France, U.S. agree there is no point talking to Syria — France and the United States agree there is no point in talking to Syria because the conditions for an honest dialogue do not exist, French President Jacques Chirac said Wednesday. — Chirac's comments come …
Discussion:
Hot Air
Ali Waked / Ynetnews:
Report: Syrian network planned to kill Lebanese officials — Al-Mustaqbal newspaper reports Lebanese security forces exposed network of 200 members which trained in refugee camps in Lebanon, planned to assassinate 36 senior Lebanese officials — The Lebanese security forces exposed a network …