Top Items:
speaker.gov:
Congressional Leaders Call on President to Reject Flawed Iraq Troop Surge — Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi today sent the following letter to President Bush urging him to reject his reported plan to escalate the war in Iraq by increasing troop levels …
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway, DownWithTyranny!, Wake up America, Macsmind, The Carpetbagger Report, BobGeiger.com and AMERICAblog
RELATED:
Tom Curry / MSNBC:
McCain calls for substantial, sustained surge — Cites Lieberman's re-election as proof Americans don't want Iraq exit — WASHINGTON - The 2006 election has not changed Sen. John McCain's support for victory in Iraq one iota. — While some Democrats have interpreted their party's triumphs …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, TPMmuckraker, The Reaction, Taylor Marsh, Brilliant at Breakfast and jules crittenden
David Stout / New York Times:
Top Democrats Oppose More Troops in Iraq — As President Bush prepares to present his new strategy on Iraq to the American people, Democratic Congressional leaders said today they will fight any approach that calls for deploying more United States troops there.
Bill Brubaker / Washington Post:
Democrats Urge Bush Not to Increase Troops in Iraq — A day after Democrats took control of Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today urged President Bush not to prolong the 46-month-old Iraq war by increasing the number of U.S. troops in the country.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
AJStrata / The Strata-Sphere:
Democrats Complete First Item On Their Contract With Al Qaeda - Surrender Iraq
Democrats Complete First Item On Their Contract With Al Qaeda - Surrender Iraq
Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com:
ARE TODAY'S ELECTRONIC GADGETS WORTH THE MONEY? USA Today says that some are and some aren't: … I'm going to be attending the Consumer Electronics Show myself, as part of the Popular Mechanics contingent — and yes, it was awfully nice of the PM folks to invite me along.
RELATED:
Bryan / Hot Air:
The Lonely Senator, Update — Via InstaPundit, the intrepid reporter whose site insinuated that the photo of John Kerry sitting alone in a chow hall in Iraq was itself bogus, has now verified that the photo is real, but the absence of troops in it is misleading: … And he backs it up by talking to the reporters involved.
Ann Althouse / Althouse:
In which I annoy you once again with the asssertion that I'm a moderate. — I took this test — recommended by Andrew Sullivan — and scored a 21 on a political scale that ran from 0 (100% liberal) to 40 (100% conservative). Sullivan scored 26, by the way. — UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds takes the test and, like me, gets a 21.
Hindrocket / Power Line:
SURGE LITE? — There has been considerable speculation that President Bush's new strategy for Iraq, to be announced in a televised speech next week, will feature a "surge" of additional troops on a temporary basis. This Associated Press story suggests that the increment will be far fewer …
RELATED:
Rasmussen Reports:
Pelosi: 43% Have Favorable Opinion of New House Speaker — Forty-three percent (43%) of Americans have a favorable opinion concerning the nation's new Speaker of the House. The first woman to serve in that role, Nancy Pelosi (D) earns favorable reviews from 45% of women and 41% of men.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Volokh Conspiracy, The RBC, The World Wide Rant, Wake up America and SevenStripes.com
Pete Yost / Associated Press:
White House visitor records closed — WASHINGTON - The White House and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal declaring that records identifying visitors to the White House are not open to the public.
Hassan M. Fattah / New York Times:
Images of Hanging Make Hussein a Martyr to Many — In the week since Saddam Hussein was hanged in an execution steeped in sectarian overtones, his public image in the Arab world, formerly that of a convicted dictator, has undergone a resurgence of admiration and awe.
Newsweek:
The Next Top Spy — Negroponte's likely replacement makes civil libertarians nervous. — Hand Off: Bush nominates McConnell (right) to replace Negroponte as director of national intelligence — John Michael McConnell, the retired vice admiral slated to become America's new top spy, is known as a consummate team player.
RELATED:
Joe Strupp / Editor and Publisher:
AP's Editor Criticizes Those Who Questioned Iraq Source — NEW YORK Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll on Friday criticized those who questioned the existence of an AP Iraq source, who was proven this week to be real, saying the scrutiny has now endangered the man's life.
RELATED:
Ralph Peters / New York Post:
KING DAVID RETURNS — GEN. PETRAEUS' NEW IRAQ TEST — IT'S official: Dave Petraeus, one of the U.S. Army's most- impressive leaders, is headed back to Baghdad to take charge. The assignment means a fourth star and the chance to save a desperate situation - or preside over a grim strategic failure.
Alexis Debat Reports / The Blotter:
American Passports Found on Bodies of Al Qaeda Fighters in Somalia — Alexis Debat Reports: — A senior official in the Somali government's new Ministry of the Interior told ABC News government forces had recovered "dozens of foreign passports," including several American passports …
Associated Press:
AP employee found shot to death in Iraq — BAGHDAD, Iraq - The body of an Associated Press employee was found shot in the back of the head Friday, six days after he was last seen by his family leaving for work. Ahmed Hadi Naji, 28, was the fourth AP staffer to die violently in the Iraq war …
John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Scarborough challenges O'Reilly to a debate — O'Reilly has been trashing NBC news lately because he's mad at Olbermann and doesn't want to say his name on the air. How does Billy get back at Keith? He says everybody hates George on NBC. I know, it's stupid.
Discussion:
MSNBC