Top Items:
Julian E. Barnes / Los Angeles Times:
Generals: More troops needed in Iraq — Commanders made their decision before meeting with Defense Secretary Gates. — WASHINGTON — Top U.S. military commanders in Iraq have decided to recommend a "surge" of fresh American combat forces, eliminating one of the last remaining hurdles …
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Kevin Drum / Political Animal:
ONE LAST PUSH....Guess what? Our commanders on the ground have met with their superiors and decided that we do need more troops in Iraq after all. They're now backing the "surge" plan: … So we're not quite sure what we're going to do with them, but after meeting with the new SecDef we're suddenly quite sure we need them.
Atrios / Eschaton:Wrong — I'm sympathetic to Kevin's thinking about this stuff …
Discussion:
Political Animal
Jason Straziuso / Associated Press:
U.S. strike kills Afghan Taliban leader — KABUL, Afghanistan - A top Taliban military commander described as a close associate of Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Omar was killed in an airstrike this week close to the border with Pakistan, the U.S. military said Saturday.
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Randy Hall / CNSNews:
Islamic Group Has Mastered Victimization Game, Critic Says — (CNSNews.com) - The Republican lawmaker who sparked a storm with comments about Muslims and the need to tighten immigration laws is the latest target of an Islamic advocacy group's "victimization game," a political analyst said Thursday.
Discussion:
Jihad Watch
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The Big Trunk / Power Line:
THE MULLAHS AT WAR — Yesterday Michael Ledeen posted another installment of his continuing comments on the Iranian war against the West in general and the United States in particular: "The mask comes off the mullahs. Again." This installment is based on Con Coughlin's Telegraph column: "War on two fronts in Afghanistan."
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Associated Press:
5 Soldiers Killed by Iraqi Insurgents — BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Insurgent attacks killed five more American troops west of the Iraqi capital, the military said Friday, making December the second deadliest month for U.S. servicemen in 2006. — So far this month, 76 American troops have died in Iraq …
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
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Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:Sistani Balks — The carefully-laid plans to form …
Discussion:
ABCNEWS
Robin Wright / Washington Post:
Royal Intrigue, Unpaid Bills Preceded Saudi Ambassador's Exit — Policy Dispute Regarding Iran Loomed Large — For more than a year, Saudi Arabia's ambassador journeyed to college campuses, chambers of commerce, town halls and world affairs councils across the United States in an ambitious campaign to improve his country's image.
Independent:
Independent Appeal: 'What would happen if the Virgin Mary came to Bethlehem today?' — Johann Hari on the plight of pregnant women in the West Bank, where babies are dying needlessly — In two days, a third of humanity will gather to celebrate the birth pains of a Palestinian refugee in Bethlehem …
Washington Post:
How Free Trade Hurts — Fewer and fewer Americans support our government's trade policy. They see a shrinking middle class, lost jobs and exploding trade deficits. — Yet supporters of free trade continue to push for more of the same — more job-killing trade agreements …
Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:
Shiites Remake Baghdad in Their Image — As the United States debates what to do in Iraq, this country's Shiite majority has been moving toward its own solution: making the capital its own. — Large portions of Baghdad have become Shiite in recent months, as militias press their fight …
Times of London:
Christians suffer for Iraq, says archbishop — Christians in the Middle East are being put at unprecedented risk by the Government's "shortsighted" and "ignorant" policy in Iraq, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, says today. — In an extraordinary attack …
Media Matters for America:
Misinformer of the Year: ABC — In October 24 appearances on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes, ABC News political director Mark Halperin claimed that the "old media" — broadcast news outlets and major newspapers — were "biased against conservatives; there's no doubt about it."
Discussion:
Liberal Values
Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Flurry of Calls About Draft, and a Day of Denials — As the de facto media contact for the Selective Service System, Dick Flahavan is the Maytag repairman of government press people. With the military draft out of business since 1973, the Selective Service just doesn't get a lot of calls these days.
David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
Democrats' Pledge to End Individual Financing of Pet Projects May Change Little — The Democrats taking over the Congressional appropriations committees next year have boldly pledged to place a moratorium on earmarks, the pet spending items that individual lawmakers insert into major spending bills behind the scenes.
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