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United States Institute of Peace:
Iraq Study Group Report Released — Download the official report just released by the Iraq Study Group titled The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward - A New Approach. USIP is the facilitating organization for the Iraq Study Group (ISG), co-chaired by James A. Baker, III, and Lee H. Hamilton.
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Washington Post:
Iraq Panel Calls Conditions 'Grave and Deteriorating' — Conditions in Iraq are "grave and deteriorating," with the prospect that a "slide toward chaos" could topple the U.S.-backed government and trigger a regional war unless the United States changes course and seeks a broader diplomatic …
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CNN, Firedoglake, The Moderate Voice, The Sundries Shack, Outside The Beltway, Riehl World View, The Strata-Sphere, ABCNEWS, AMERICAN FUTURE, Right Wing Nut House, The Carpetbagger Report, The Glittering Eye, Townhall.com Blog's …, No More Mister Nice Blog, Blue Crab Boulevard, liberal catnip, On Deadline and Daimnation!
David S. Broder / Washington Post:
A Study In Comity — Whatever the final impact of the Iraq Study Group report being issued today, for the 10 commission members this was an exhilarating experience, a demonstration of genuine bipartisanship that they hope will serve as an example to the broader political world.
Spencer Ackerman / American Prospect:
No Middle Ground — The Iraq Study Group calls its prescription "responsible transition;" there's nothing responsible about it. — Given the specific lineup of the 10 wise men and women serving on the Iraq Study Group, the most conspicuous absence is that of supermodel Heidi Klum.
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Defense Tech
Matthew Yglesias:
Lost in the Pony Fields — Now that I've read the whole thing, the good news about the Iraq Study Group report is that it's filled with accurate observations about the situation in Iraq. As Kevin Drum writes it's "more reality-based than the Bush administration, which represents at least a little bit of progress."
New York Times:
Panel Backs Overhaul of Iraq Policy — Saying that "the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating," a bipartisan commission today urged stepped-up diplomatic and political efforts to stabilize that country, coupled with a shift in the mission of the American military to allow the United States to …
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The American Street, AMERICAblog, Gun Toting Liberal, I think ^(link) …, JustOneMinute, First Draft and Reason Magazine
Kevin Drum / Political Animal:
PRO FORMA REMARKS ON THE BAKER COMMISSION REPORT.....I can't very well say nothing about the Baker-Hamilton report, can I? On the other hand, I'm sort of shaking my head trying to figure out anything I ought to say about it. But let's take a look anyway. — It calls for a five-fold increase …
Associated Press:
Excerpts of Iraq Study Group Report — Here are excerpts from portions of the Iraq Study Group report, which was being released Wednesday: — ''The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved.''
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neo-neocon, Redstate, A Blog For All, Little Green Footballs, Macsmind, Matthew Yglesias and Ezra Klein
Deacon / Power Line:
ABOUT AS BAD AS ADVERTISED — I've read the executive summary of the Iraq Study Group report. That's probably all I'll have time to read today. — According to the summary, the ISG is making two recommendations. First, it's recommending that the U.S. actively engage Iraq's neighbors …
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Washington Post, Daily Kos, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, TPMmuckraker, Tammy Bruce and TigerHawk
White House:
President Bush Receives Report from the Iraq Study Group — THE PRESIDENT: I just received the Iraq Study Group report, prepared by a distinguished panel of our fellow citizens. I want to thank James Baker and Lee Hamilton and the panel members for spending a lot of time on this really difficult issue.
Khaled Abu Toameh / Jerusalem Post:
Hamas smuggled $66 million in 8 months — Hamas officials have managed to smuggle more than $66 million in cash through the Rafah border crossing in the past eight months, a member of the Hamas-led government revealed Wednesday. — Meanwhile, sources close to the Hamas-led government claimed …
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Aaron Klein / WorldNetDaily:
Report: Hamas met delegation of Democrats — Source claims U.S. party willing to hold dialogue with terror group — JERUSALEM - Hamas met with a delegation of "important Democrats" who expressed interest in relations with the Palestinian terror group even if it doesn't recognize the right …
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The American Pundit
Daily Mail:
Does water STILL flow on Mars? — Dramatic new photographs of Mars have revealed the possible existence of water on its surface. — The images - released for the first time on Wednesday by the US space agency NASA - were taken earlier this year in an attempt to unlock the secrets of the Red Planet.
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MSNBC:
NBC: 10 U.S. service members killed in Iraq — Meanwhile, mortar attack kills 8 Iraqis, wounds 40 in Sadr City district — Residents look at a minibus destroyed in a suicide bomb attack in Baghdad's Sadr City on Wednesday. — BAGHDAD, Iraq - Ten American service members were killed …
Carlotta Gall / New York Times:
From Ruins of Afghan Buddhas, a History Grows — BAMIYAN, Afghanistan — The empty niches that once held Bamiyan's colossal Buddhas now gape in the rock face — a silent cry at the terrible destruction wrought on this fabled valley and its 1,500-year-old treasures, once the largest standing Buddha statues in the world.
Darshak M. Sanghavi, M.D. / New York Times:
Wanting Babies Like Themselves, Some Parents Choose Genetic Defects — Wanting to have children who follow in one's footsteps is an understandable desire. But a coming article in the journal Fertility and Sterility offers a fascinating glimpse into how far some parents may go to ensure …