Top Items:
Washington Post:
But It's Thomas Jefferson's Koran! — Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, found himself under attack last month when he announced he'd take his oath of office on the Koran — especially from Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode, who called it a threat to American values.
Lois Romano / Washington Post:
Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to Be Seen — Senator Admitted Trying Cocaine in a Memoir Written 11 Years Ago — Long before the national media spotlight began to shine on every twist and turn of his life's journey, Barack Obama had this to say about himself: "Junkie. Pothead.
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New York Times:
Iraq to Review Abusive Acts at Hussein's Execution — Iraq's Shiite-led government said Tuesday that it had ordered an investigation into the abusive behavior at the execution of Saddam Hussein, who was subjected to a battery of taunts by official Shiite witnesses and guards as he awaited his hanging.
Discussion:
Attytood, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post, LiberalOasis, AMERICAblog, Brilliant at Breakfast, Eschaton and Rising Hegemon
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George W. Bush / Opinion Journal:
What the Congress Can Do for America — Let them say of these next two years: We used our time well. — Tomorrow, members of the 110th Congress will take their oaths of office here in Washington. I will have the privilege of working with them for the next two years—one quarter of my presidency …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Guardian, AMERICAblog, Firedoglake, Captain's Quarters, Angry Bear, NewsHog, Matthew Yglesias, The Moderate Voice, Wake up America, Right Voices, The Democratic Daily, Economist's View, The Heretik, The Right Angle, TBogg, The Caucus, State of the Day, Patrick Ruffini, Middle Earth Journal, Brendan Nyhan, jules crittenden, Althouse and Sister Toldjah
Michelle Malkin:
Going to Iraq — My blogging has been lighter than usual the past few weeks due to family time, Fox News duties, holiday chaos, holiday illness—and, yes, planning for a trip to Iraq. As you know, ex-CNN newsman Eason Jordan extended an invitation to me three weeks ago to go to Iraq …
Washington Post:
A Fairer House — THE NEW Democratic House majority has an ambitious plan for its first 100 hours in power, from increasing the minimum wage to strengthening ethics rules to having the federal government negotiate prescription drug prices. Unfortunately, its plans don't include getting …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, CorrenteWire, The Strata-Sphere, PrairiePundit, Cold Fury and Blue Crab Boulevard
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The Hill:
Dems finalize new rules — House Democrats hurried yesterday to put the finishing touches on ethics reforms that would ban lawmakers and staffers from accepting trips, gifts and meals from lobbyists and prevent the new majority from holding votes open to change the outcome.
Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
Lobbyists hired to align with Congress — WASHINGTON - New Democratic lawmakers aren't the only ones measuring for drapes and unsealing boxes. — In a job swapping cycle unseen for some time, Democratic congressional aides and former members are leaping to lucrative lobbying posts …
Associated Press:
Pat Robertson: God told me of 'mass killing' in 2007 … VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia (AP) — Evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson said Tuesday that God has told him that a terrorist attack on the United States would cause a "mass killing" late in 2007. — "I'm not necessarily saying it's …
Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
FBI Reports Duct-Taping, 'Baptizing' at Guantanamo — FBI agents witnessed possible mistreatment of the Koran at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including at least one instance in which an interrogator squatted over Islam's holy text in an apparent attempt to offend a captive …
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Maggie Haberman / New York Post:
RUDY'S TRAITORS — 'LEAKER' AIDES TO GOV HE HELPED — Suspicion ran high yesterday that Rudy Giuliani's lost White House campaign playbook was swiped by aides to Florida's new governor - while the ex-mayor was helping him win election, sources told The Post.
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Michael Calderone / New York Observer:
Will Bill Keller End 'Public Editor' Slot at The Times? — Dan Okrent Protests; Faithful Barney Calame Sputters Weary Defense — The New York Times will soon decide whether it will do away with its public editor. — The two-year term of the current public editor, Byron (Barney) Calame, will conclude in May.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Redstate, Michelle Malkin, The Sideshow, A Blog For All, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Corner and Brendan Nyhan
Cara Buckley / New York Times:
A Man Down, a Train Arriving, and a Stranger Makes a Choice — It was every subway rider's nightmare, times two. — Who has ridden along New York's 656 miles of subway lines and not wondered: "What if I fell to the tracks as a train came in? What would I do?" — And who has not thought: "What if someone else fell?
Jan Crawford Greenburg / ABCNEWS:
Justice Appointed by Ford Remembers the Late President — Exclusive Interview: John Paul Stevens Recalls Ford's Selection Over Conservative Favorite — Today Justice John Paul Stevens remembered the president who nominated him to the Supreme Court more than three decades ago …
Eli Lake / New York Sun:
Iran's Secret Plan For Mayhem — WASHINGTON — Iran is supporting both Sunni and Shiite terrorists in the Iraqi civil war, according to secret Iranian documents captured by Americans in Iraq. — The news that American forces had captured Iranians in Iraq was widely reported last month …
Weekly Standard:
Al Qaeda TV — A new 24-hour insurgent station reveals al Qaeda's increasing sophistication, and our continuing confusion. — AL QAEDA AND its allies now have their own 24-hour television station. Based at a secret studio in Syria, its signal is broadcast to the entire Arab world from a satellite owned by the Egyptian government.