Top Items:
Christopher Torchia / Associated Press:
U.S. toll in Iraq surpasses that of 9/11 — BAGHDAD, Iraq - At least 36 Iraqis died Tuesday in bombings, officials said, including a coordinated strike that killed 25 in western Baghdad. Separately, the deaths of six U.S. soldiers pushed the American toll beyond the number of victims in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
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Associated Press:
Military Deaths in Iraq Exceed 9 / 11 Toll — NEW YORK (AP) — In a span of a few hours, 2,973 people were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In a span of 45 months, the number of American troops killed in Iraq exceeded that grim toll as the war continues.
Marc Santora / New York Times:
Abuse Seen at Iraqi Jail Puts New Focus on Rogue Police — Hundreds of British and Iraqi soldiers assaulted a police station in the southern city of Basra on Monday, killing seven gunmen, rescuing 127 prisoners from what the British said was almost certain execution and ultimately reducing the facility to rubble.
Salad Duhul / Associated Press:
Islamic forces on the retreat in Somalia — MOGADISHU, Somalia - Islamic fighters were in a tactical retreat Tuesday, a senior Islamic leader said, as government and Ethiopian troops advanced on three fronts in a decisive turn around in the battle for control of Somalia.
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Michael van der Galien / The Moderate Voice:
Brave Islamists Withdrawing — The brave and strong Islamist forces who took over in Somalia are, a few days after Ethiopia joined the fight, on the run. … Obviously, the war isn't over yet. Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed (I wonder how his friends call him... 'triple s'?) refuses to give up:
Salad Duhul / Associated Press:
Islamic Fighters Quitting Somalia Front — MOGADISHU, Somalia — Islamic fighters attempting to wrest power from Somalia's internationally recognized government retreated from the main front line early Tuesday, witnesses said, a day after Ethiopian fighter jets bombed the country's two main international airports.
Discussion:
Blue Crab Boulevard
Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Islamist Forces Retreating In Somalia
Islamist Forces Retreating In Somalia
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog
Stephanie McCrummen / Washington Post:
Ethiopia Steps Up Attacks on Somalia
Ethiopia Steps Up Attacks on Somalia
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
War Critics See New Resistance by Bush — Immediately after the beating his party took in November, President Bush indicated that he had received the message that voters wanted change, and that he would serve some up fast. He ousted his defense secretary, announced a full-scale review …
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Ezra Klein / Los Angeles Times:
Going universal — The American healthcare system is, simply put, a mess, but we may finally be ready to fix it. — THE STATISTICS, by now, are well known. Forty-seven million uninsured Americans. Premium increases of 81% since 2000. Small businesses failing, big businesses foundering …
Nancy Trejos / Washington Post:
Court Upholds Saddam's Death Sentence — An Iraqi appeals court on Tuesday upheld a ruling to execute deposed leader Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity and said he could hang within 30 days. — "From tomorrow, any day could be the day of implementation," chief judge Aref Abdul-Razzaq al-Shahin …
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John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
The 20 Biggest Stories Of 2006 — Honorable Mention) Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Suffered A Stroke And Cerebral Hemorrhage: Israel's Prime Minister is laid low by health problems after he formed a new party. Would Hezbollah have been picking fights and Iran talking so tough if the old soldier were still running the show?
Discussion:
Townhall.com Blog's …
Rachel L. Swarns / New York Times:
Bipartisan Effort to Draft Immigration Bill — Counting on the support of the new Democratic majority in Congress, Democratic lawmakers and their Republican allies are working on measures that could place millions of illegal immigrants on a more direct path to citizenship than would a bill that the Senate passed in the spring.
Robert Patrick / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
St. Louis judge's outspoken book causing controversy — A liberal-bashing book by a veteran St. Louis judge is to become available publicly this week, but it is already causing a stir in political and legal circles — and prompting some to say it could cost him his job.
Alan Sipress / Washington Post:
Where Real Money Meets Virtual Reality, The Jury Is Still Out — Veronica Brown is a hot fashion designer, making a living off the virtual lingerie and formalwear she sells inside the online fantasy world Second Life. She expects to have earned about $60,000 this year from people who buy …
Katharine Q. Seelye / New York Times:
Flash! President Bush Says He Reads Papers — Is there hope for newspapers after all? Readers may be abandoning the printed versions, but over the last couple of years, at least one person seems to have started reading them, at least sometimes. He lives in the White House.
Jeff Sessions / Washington Post:
A Bipartisan Fix for Retirees — In the aftermath of their November election victory, Democratic leaders have pledged to work on a bipartisan basis to solve the problems facing our nation. In that spirit, I suggest that Democrats and Republicans can successfully work together …
Michael B. Oren / Opinion Journal:
A Religious Problem — Jimmy Carter's book: An Israeli view. — Several prominent scholars have taken issue with Jimmy Carter's book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," cataloguing its historical inaccuracies and lamenting its lack of balance. The journalist Jeffrey Goldberg also critiqued …