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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.
Julie Hirschfeld Davis / Baltimore Sun:
Bush is bracing for new scrutiny … WASHINGTON // President Bush is bracing for what could be an onslaught of investigations by the new Democratic-led Congress by hiring lawyers to fill key White House posts and preparing to play defense on countless document requests and possible subpoenas.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Booman Tribune, DownWithTyranny!, The Carpetbagger Report and Political Animal
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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 …
Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Forget Polls, Long Shots Say It's About the Message
Forget Polls, Long Shots Say It's About the Message
Discussion:
The Carpetbagger Report
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.
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, Gateway Pundit, A Blog For All, Outside The Beltway and jules crittenden
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Salad Duhul / Associated Press:
Islamic Fighters Quitting Somalia Front
Islamic Fighters Quitting Somalia Front
Discussion:
Blue Crab Boulevard
Jeffrey Gettleman / New York Times:
Islamist Forces in Somalia Are on the Retreat
Islamist Forces in Somalia Are on the Retreat
Discussion:
Hot Air
Stephanie McCrummen / Washington Post:
Ethiopia Steps Up Attacks on Somalia
Ethiopia Steps Up Attacks on Somalia
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Matthew Yglesias
CNN:
Iraqi appeals court upholds Hussein death sentence … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The Iraqi High Tribunal's appellate chamber on Tuesday upheld Saddam Hussein's death sentence in the Dujail massacre case, Judge Aref Shaheen announced. — Shaheen said the court's decision was the final word in the case.
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Qassim Abdul-Zahra / Associated Press:
Court: Execute Saddam within 30 days
Court: Execute Saddam within 30 days
Discussion:
A Blog For All
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.
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 …
David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
Consultant Helps Democrats Embrace Faith, and Some in Party Are Not Pleased — As Democrats turn toward the 2008 presidential race, a novice evangelical political operative is emerging as a rising star in the party, drawing both applause and alarm for her courtship of theological conservatives in the midterm elections.
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 …
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 …
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.
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 …
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.
Discussion:
Shakespeare's Sister, Political Animal, The Heretik, DownWithTyranny!, Liberal Values and Liberty Street
Jim Wolf / Reuters:
U.S. highlights Iran-meddling charge in Iraq — Source: Reuters — The Bush administration said on Monday the arrest in Iraq of alleged Iranian provocateurs, including two diplomats, underscored U.S. concerns about "meddling" amid rising U.S.-Iranian strains.
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
Democrats Pledge to Restrain Spending — Critics Say Party's Goals Are Too Lofty — Determined to banish their old tax-and-spend image, Democrats want to shrink the federal deficit, preserve tax cuts for the middle class and challenge the president to raise money for the Iraq war when they take control of Congress next week.