memeorandum: WHAT I'VE LEARNED: James Watson (Esquire)

3:50 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: The Jawa Report, Flopping Aces, Patterico's Pontifications, BizzyBlog, Wake up America and Ace of Spades HQ

Confederate Yankee:

Gone in 60 Stories — On December 5 of this year, I wrote a blog post entitled 60 Billion Minutes, where I wrote: … In the weeks since that date, the Associated Press has maintained that the stories they originally reported on November 24-25 of burning mosques and burning men is true …

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard and PrairiePundit

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: Redstate, jules crittenden, The Strata-Sphere 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

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Jamilgate: Eason Jordan goes nuclear on the AP; Update: AP responds to Eason Jordan

Discussion: Democracy Project, Townhall.com Blog's …, Wizbang, Ace of Spades HQ, Daily Pundit, A Blog For All, Bill's Bites and Power Line

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, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Sundries Shack, The Heretik, Political Animal, The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

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

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister

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: Power Line, The New York Observer …, Ankle Biting Pundits, TIME, Outside The Beltway, The Right Angle, Shakespeare's Sister, Daily Kos, Daily Pundit, On Deadline and The Democratic Daily

Agence France Presse:
Presidential hopeful Giuliani leaves battle plans in hotel: report

Discussion: Hot Air

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, Wake up America, jules crittenden, Secular Blasphemy, Hot Air, Blinq, AMERICAN FUTURE, Clarity & Resolve, PrairiePundit and Ace of Spades HQ

Associated Press:
Iran vows to 'humiliate' U.S.

Discussion: JOSHUAPUNDIT

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, The Carpetbagger Report and Reason Magazine

Washington Post:

Democrats To Start Without GOP Input — As they prepare to take control of Congress this week and face up to campaign pledges to restore bipartisanship and openness, Democrats are planning to largely sideline Republicans from the first burst of lawmaking. — House Democrats intend to pass …

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
As New Congress Nears, House Democrats Could Be Headed for Own Divide

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, TAPPED and The Strata-Sphere

Editor and Publisher:

AP Asks: Why So Many Upset by Iraq Death Toll? — PHILADELPHIA The country largely kept the faith during World War II, even as about 400,000 U.S. forces died - 20,000 just in the month long Battle of the Bulge. Before turning against the wars in Korea and Vietnam, Americans tolerated thousands more deaths than in Iraq.

Discussion: American Footprints, Larisa Alexandrovna's … and Attytood

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

Discussion: Associated Press, Needlenose and Bill's Bites

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Offensive against al-Sadr coming soon?

Discussion: MSNBC

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

Associated Press:
Islamist fighters offered amnesty

Discussion: Reuters and DEBKAfile

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: Outside The Beltway

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 Radio Equalizer, Shakespeare's Sister and BobGeiger.com

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: Andrew Sullivan, TAPPED, rubber hose, Prairie Weather, No More Mister Nice Blog, Air America Radio, CorrenteWire and The Democratic Daily

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, Gun Toting Liberal ™, Shakespeare's Sister, Reason Magazine, JustOneMinute, Demagogue, It Shines For All and Daily Kos

Examiner:

Is Pelosi serious about cleaning up the House? — The Washington DC Examiner Newspaper, The Examiner — WASHINGTON - Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will make history this week when she becomes the first woman elected as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Power Line

Patterico / Patterico's Pontifications:

Patterico's Los Angeles Dog Trainer Year in Review 2006 — It is time for this blog's fourth annual review of the performance of the Los Angeles Times, which long-time Patterico readers know as the Los Angeles Dog Trainer. The first annual review was posted here.

Discussion: Don Surber, Winds of Change.NET and LA Observed

New York Times:

Chaos Overran Iraq Plan in '06, Bush Team Says — WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 — President Bush began 2006 assuring the country that he had a "strategy for victory in Iraq." He ended the year closeted with his war cabinet on his ranch trying to devise a new strategy, because the existing one had collapsed.