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Drudge Report:
EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY: ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION — Good evening. Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror - and our safety here at home.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Michelle Malkin, Outside The Beltway, The Political Pit Bull, A Blog For All, Don Surber, The Swamp, PoliBlog (TM), PoliPundit.com, Blue Crab Boulevard, Blogs for Bush, The American Mind, Stop The ACLU, Wake up America, Tammy Bruce, Daimnation!, BlueOregon, Instapundit.com, Daily Pundit, Unqualified Offerings and State of the Day
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Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
Troop Surge Already Under Way — 90 Advance Troops from 82nd Airborne Arrive in Baghdad — President Bush's speech may be scheduled for tonight, but the troop surge in Iraq is already under way. — ABC News has learned that the "surge" Bush is expected to announce in a prime time speech tonight has already begun.
Discussion:
Sirotablog, Taylor Marsh, Hardblogger, Larisa Alexandrovna's …, TalkLeft, Firedoglake, Wake up America, Wonkette and Donklephant
White House:
The President's New Iraq Strategy Is Rooted In Six Fundamental Elements: — Create space for political progress; — Diversify political and economic efforts; and — Iraq Could Not Be Graver - The War On Terror Cannot Be Won If We Fail In Iraq. Our enemies throughout the Middle East are trying to defeat us in Iraq.
Newsweek:
Don't believe all the hype. What Bush really hopes to accomplish in his Iraq speech. — After all the hype, all the leaks, and all the punditry, what more can the president say on Wednesday night that hasn't been said already? — The answer, according to senior Bush aides, is quite a lot.
Dan Froomkin / Washington Post:
A Change in Tactics, Not Strategy — As Washington journalists debate whether to call President Bush's plan to send 20,000 more American troops into Iraq a "surge" or an "escalation," they are letting the White House get away with a much more momentous semantic scam.
Deacon / Power Line:
A PREVIEW OF TONIGHT'S PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS ON IRAQ — Tony Snow conferred by telephone with conservative bloggers this afternoon to preview what President Bush will say tonight. Essentially, the president plans to send an additional 20,000 troops or so troops to Baghdad and about 4,000 additional troops to Anbar province.
John O'Neil / New York Times:
Troops Sent in Surge to Have Limited Role, Bush Aide Says — President Bush will announce tonight that the additional American troops he plans to send to Baghdad will act only in support of Iraqi forces, and that they are being sent only because the Iraqi government has promised a "fundamental" …
Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
Everything after May 2003 doesn't count — I'll post the transcript when it's available, and link to the video if someone posts it, but Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was part of a bizarre interview on MSNBC this afternoon with Tim Russert that might come back to haunt him. — The topic, of course, was Iraq.
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San Francisco Chronicle:
MATIER AND ROSS — New Year's nightmare for visiting Yale singers — How's this for an only-in-San Francisco story: — Members of the Baker's Dozen, the renowned, all-male a cappella singing group from Yale, are pummeled outside a New Year's Eve party after singing "The Star-Spangled Banner."
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David Wood / Baltimore Sun:
Better armor lacking for new troops in Iraq — WASHINGTON // The thousands of troops that President Bush is expected to order to Iraq will join the fight largely without the protection of the latest armored vehicles that withstand bomb blasts far better than the Humvees in wide use, military officers said.
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: Impassioned, articulate case for abortion made by ... Mitt Romney — This was posted on YouTube yesterday. McCain staffer, do you think? Or one of Rudy's boys? — He says his views have "evolved" in the past 12 years. Compare his point in the clip about not imposing his beliefs …
Discussion:
Townhall.com Blog's …, The Political Pit Bull, Suitably Flip, Balloon Juice and Redstate
Media Matters for America:
Bash: Bush "very, very popular" in Montana — On the January 10 edition of CNN Newsroom, CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash, discussing senators who have recently expressed opposition to President Bush's expected proposal to increase troop levels in Iraq, baselessly asserted that …
John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Spocko/ABC story on CBS 5 — The heat is raining down on KSFO and their crew over the hate speech that permeates the airwaves. Already almost 15,000 people have listened to this audio that typifies what we're talking about. Morgan, Sussman and Lee tried to get Spocko's site closed down by ABC.
Bryan / Hot Air:
On Patrol in Baghdad — Michelle and I are embedded with a unit in Baghdad that's responsible for the "standing up" part of the US plan to get Iraq ready to become master of its own destiny. This unit trains Iraqi army and police, which are co-located on the base here …