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 …
Deb Riechmann / Associated Press:
U.S.-Iraq summit put off until Thursday — AMMAN, Jordan - President Bush's high-stakes summit with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was put off Wednesday after public disclosure of U.S. doubts about his capacity to control sectarian warfare. The White House said the two leaders would meet on Thursday.
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.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Bush Declines to Call Situation in Iraq Civil War — On the eve of a high-profile trip to Jordan to meet Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq, President Bush on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that Iraq had descended into civil war, blamed Al Qaeda for the latest wave of sectarian violence …
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 …, Hullabaloo, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, Power Line, Townhall.com Blog's …, Shakespeare's Sister, Taylor Marsh, The Hill, Iowa Voice, Unclaimed Territory, The News Blog, Sunlight Foundation blogs, Sirotablog, The Carpetbagger Report, BLACKFIVE, clarkstooksbury, Middle Earth Journal, Volunteer Voters, Sister Toldjah, Riehl World View, The Caucus, CorrenteWire, Daily Kos, The Mahablog, Think Progress, The Heretik, Kesher Talk, Wonkette, Althouse, AMERICAblog, On Deadline and The Corner
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 …
Discussion:
The Fix, Hot Air, Democrats.com, The Political Pit Bull, Outside The Beltway and The Democratic Daily
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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
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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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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Eli Lake / New York Sun:
Baker Panel Aide Expects Israel Will Be Pressed — WASHINGTON — An expert adviser to the Baker-Hamilton commission expects the 10-person panel to recommend that the Bush administration pressure Israel to make concessions in a gambit to entice Syria and Iran to a regional conference on Iraq.
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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.
Noble Americans / CNN:
Ahmadinejad's letter to Americans — [Editor's note: This is the full text of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's open letter to "the American People," as supplied to CNN.] — (CNN) — In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful — O, Almighty God, bestow upon humanity …
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 …
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, CBS News, JunkYardBlog, Classical Values, Wizbang, 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 …
New York Times:
Protecting Reporters' Phone Records — A journalist's ability to protect the identity of confidential sources has been further eroded by the Supreme Court's refusal this week to stop a prosecutor from reviewing the telephone records of two New York Times reporters.
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.
Los Angeles Times:
Controversy over Pentagon's war-spending plan — The emergency request of at least $127 billion is criticized as a wish list. The military cites a big need to buy equipment. — WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is preparing an emergency spending proposal that could be larger and broader …