memeorandum: Free Will: Now You Have It, Now You Don't — I was a free man … (Dennis Overbye/New York Times)

6:25 PM ET, January 2, 2007

Top Items:

AP Again Challenged on Iraqi Source — Continues to Stand By Reporting — NEW YORK A long-running dispute between The Associated Press and critics over one of its Iraqi sources show no signs of abating, despite at least two lengthy rebuttals by the news organization.

Discussion: Flopping Aces, Democracy Project, Patterico's Pontifications, Don Surber, A Blog For All, Wake up America, BizzyBlog, Ace of Spades HQ and Bill's Bites

Confederate Yankee:

Gone in 60 Stories: The Grunt Work — It has long needed to be done, and I kept hoping someone else would do it: checking out the list of 61 Associated Press stories ferreted out by Curt at Flopping Aces, where the AP used Iraqi Police Captain Jamil Hussein as a source.

Discussion: Hot Air, Redstate, Townhall.com Blog's …, Ed Driscoll.com, jules crittenden, Ace of Spades HQ, The Strata-Sphere, Wizbang and Flopping Aces

Armed Liberal / Winds of Change.NET:

"It's Just A Scratch" — In a display of clueless arrogance unmatched since the Black Knight refused to yield to King Arthur, the AP replies to its critics on l'affaire Jamail Hussein: … Here's the problem, Ms. Carroll. We don't believe he exists. If he doesn't exist, much of your reporting from Iraq is subject to dispute.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Confederate Yankee:
Gone in 60 Stories

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, Wizbang, The Strata-Sphere, Power Line and PrairiePundit

Justin Rood / TPMmuckraker:

House GOP: Don't Hurt Us — Please — Republicans aren't yet an official minority in the House, but they're already beginning a campaign to portray themselves as victims of a heartless Democratic majority. — In a "Dear Colleague" letter circulated to fellow Republicans …

Discussion: Political Animal, Shakespeare's Sister, The Carpetbagger Report and Reason Magazine

Examiner:
Is Pelosi serious about cleaning up the House?

Discussion: Sunlight Foundation blogs, Captain's Quarters, Power Line and Wake up America

Digby / Hullabaloo:
When Time Stood Still — I've noticed something interesting among …

Discussion: MyDD, Alternate Brain and Shakespeare's Sister

Noam N. Levey / Los Angeles Times:
Democrats to tackle modest proposals

Discussion: Political Animal and PoliBlog (TM)

NY Daily News:

Revealed: Rudy's '08 battle plans — It's clearly laid out in 140 pages of printed text, handwriting and spreadsheets: The top-secret plan for Rudy Giuliani's bid for the White House. — The remarkably detailed dossier sets out the budgets, schedules and fund-raising plans that will underpin …

Discussion: Agence France Presse, The Carpetbagger Report, Outside The Beltway, Political Animal, Shakespeare's Sister, The New York Observer …, TIME, Ankle Biting Pundits, Hot Air, On Deadline, The Right Angle, Donklephant, Daily Kos, Daily Pundit and The Democratic Daily

Deacon / Power Line:
THE SECRET CODE AND TWO PAIR OF PLANS

Discussion: BluegrassReport.org and The Moderate Voice

Ynetnews:

Iran: Hitler was a Jew — Advisor to President Ahmadinejad claims Nazi leader was Jew who conspired with USSR and Britain to establish Jewish state — Just when you thought the Iranian leadership could stoop no further: A top advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Secular Blasphemy, jules crittenden, Wake up America, Blinq, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, AMERICAN FUTURE, Clarity & Resolve, Hot Air, PrairiePundit and Ace of Spades HQ

Associated Press:

Iran vows to 'humiliate' U.S. — TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad scorned U.N Security Council sanctions imposed against Iran, telling a crowd Tuesday that Iran had humiliated the United States in the past and would do so again. — Speaking in the southwestern provincial capital …

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs and JOSHUAPUNDIT

Virgil Goode / USA Today:

Save Judeo-Christian values — Immigration leaves USA vulnerable to Muslim extremists' infiltration. — A letter I sent in early December was written in response to hundreds of e-mails from constituents upset about Rep.-elect Keith Ellison's decision to use the Quran in connection with his congressional swearing-in.

Discussion: Think Progress, The Carpetbagger Report, Reason Magazine, TPMCafe blogs, No More Mister Nice Blog, Liberty Street, Right Wing Nut House, The Sundries Shack, The Heretik, The Moderate Voice, Political Animal, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Daily Kos and SOTUblog

USA Today:
Ugly voices tarnish debut of Congress' first Muslim

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister

Michael Roston / The Raw Story:

CNN apologizes for Obama gaffe in Bin Laden graphic — Print page sponsored by Velvet Revolution. — Update: Senator Obama's office called RAW STORY to comment on the incident and CNN's apology, which can be found at the end of the story. — A Monday night broadcast of CNN's Situation Room …

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, The Radio Equalizer, Shakespeare's Sister and BobGeiger.com

John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
CNN apologizes to Barack Obama

Discussion: The Raw Story, Wonkette and HACKED

Bill Roggio / The Fourth Rail:

Pursuing the Islamic Courts — The Somalia Battlefield on 1/2/2007 [No changes]. — Light blue - Ethiopian & TFG advances. — Green - ICU territory. — Orange - recent clashes. — Click image to view. — Islamic Courts leadership unaccounted for; foreign fighters captured fleeing to Kenya

Discussion: shabelle.net, Stars & Stripes, Counterterrorism Blog and PrairiePundit

CBC News: Kenya arrests as many as 2 men with Canadian passports: reports

Lauren Frayer / Associated Press:

Iraqi Government to Investigate Saddam Hanging, Leak of Video — BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — The prime minister on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the conduct of Saddam Hussein's execution in a bid to learn who among the witnesses taunted the former Iraqi leader in the last minutes of his life, then leaked a cell phone video.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Talking Points Memo

Christopher Hitchens / Slate:
Lynching the Dictator — ON SATURDAY MORNING, THE UNITED STATES HELPED …

Discussion: Associated Press, Decision '08 and Bill's Bites

Andrew Ward / Financial Times:

Jeb Bush quiet about long-term plans — When Jeb Bush was asked recently how he planned to spend his first day after stepping down as governor of Florida, he reeled off a checklist of things he wanted to do: "I hope to wake up. Work out. Maybe read the local paper. Sports page probably.

Discussion: PoliPundit.com and Daily Pundit

Abby Goodnough / New York Times:
Jeb Bush Ponders Future, Not Knowing What It Holds

Discussion: MyDD and Outside The Beltway

Mark Bowden / Opinion Journal:

So, Saddam Is Dead . . . But the way of the world remains Saddam's. — Now that they have hanged Saddam Hussein, perhaps we can begin to appreciate the irony and the lessons of his demise. — Any nation is, at heart, an idea. Once people started organizing themselves in groups larger …

John M. Shalikashvili / New York Times:

Second Thoughts on Gays in the Military — TWO weeks ago, President Bush called for a long-term plan to increase the size of the armed forces. As our leaders consider various options for carrying out Mr. Bush's vision, one issue likely to generate fierce debate is "don't ask, don't tell …

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, DownWithTyranny!, Gun Toting Liberal ™, Shakespeare's Sister, Reason Magazine, JustOneMinute, Demagogue, It Shines For All and Daily Kos

New York Times:

Few Iraqis Are Gaining U.S. Sanctuary — With thousands of Iraqis desperately fleeing this country every day, advocates for refugees, and even some American officials, say there is an urgent need to allow more Iraqi refugees into the United States. — Until recently the Bush administration …

Discussion: TAPPED, The Carpetbagger Report, rubber hose, Prairie Weather, Air America Radio, No More Mister Nice Blog, War and Piece, CorrenteWire, The Democratic Daily and On Deadline

Scott Burgess / The Daily Ablution:

Happy New Year! — It may not be true for most mammals, but the New Year seems a good time for me to emerge from hibernation and revisit regular posting at the Ablution. — It will probably take a bit of time to get back up to speed - to be honest, I've been a bit out of touch with stories …

Discussion: The Corner