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Michelle Malkin:
Back from Baghdad — My HotAir.com colleague Bryan Preston and I are back from Iraq. Thanks to Allah and Ian for holding down the fort at HA and thanks much to guest-bloggers Mary Katharine Ham, See-Dubya, and the Big Lizards for filling in here during my absence. Be sure to bookmark their blogs.
Bryan / Hot Air:
Assessing Iraq — Michelle and I spent four days patrolling the environs around Forward Operating Base Justice in north and west Baghdad last week. FOB Justice is near one functional neighborhood, Khadimiyah, one mostly recovered neighborhood, Al Salam, one dysfunctional neighborhood …
Washington Post:
An Apology to Detainees' Attorneys — During a radio interview last week, I brought up the topic of pro bono work and habeas corpus representation of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Regrettably, my comments left the impression that I question the integrity of those engaged in the zealous defense of detainees in Guantanamo.
Discussion:
Public Defender Stuff, Is That Legal?, Abovethelaw.com, Concurring Opinions, PrawfsBlawg and Kiko's House
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Josh White / Washington Post:
U.S. Official Apologizes for Guantanamo Remarks — A Pentagon official who criticized large U.S. law firms for representing terrorism suspects at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has apologized for his comments, saying that his discussion on a local radio program does not reflect his "core beliefs."
Discussion:
TPMCafe blogs
Scott Shane / New York Times:
As Trial Begins, Cheney's Ex-Aide Is Still a Puzzle — Paradox seems to define I. Lewis Libby Jr., who remains a bit mysterious even to close colleagues. He is the White House policy enforcer who also wrote a literary novel; a buttoned-down Washington lawyer who likes knocking back tequila shots …
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New York Times:
Anti-Buildup Measure to Have Bipartisan Stamp — Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, an outspoken Republican critic of the administration's Iraq policy, will join two leading Democrats in introducing a resolution opposing President Bush's buildup of troops in Iraq, putting a bipartisan stamp …
Discussion:
Think Progress, DownWithTyranny!, The Left Coaster, AMERICAblog, The Moderate Voice and The Corner
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Liang Youchang / Xinhua News Agency:
Iran shoots down U.S. spy drone amid growing military pressure — TEHRAN, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) — Iranian troops have shot down a U.S. pilotless spy plane recently, an Iranian lawmaker announced on Tuesday as the Islamic Republic was facing increasing military pressure from its arch rival — the United States.
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Donald Stoker / Foreign Policy:
Insurgencies Rarely Win - And Iraq Won't Be Any Different (Maybe) — Vietnam taught many Americans the wrong lesson: that determined guerrilla fighters are invincible. But history shows that insurgents rarely win, and Iraq should be no different. Now that it finally has a winning strategy …
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Outside The Beltway
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Online NewsHour:
President Bush Defends Decision to Send Additional Troops to Iraq — JIM LEHRER: Mr. President, welcome. — PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Thank you, sir. — MR. LEHRER: How do you feel about the way the Iraqi government handled the hangings of Saddam Hussein, and now more recently, two of his top aides?
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USA Today:
The big question about Barack Obama — CHICAGO — Two years in the U.S. Senate. Seven years in the Illinois Senate. One loss in a primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives. One stirring keynote address at a Democratic National Convention. Two best-selling books.
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Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Frist looking at governor run in 2010 — Former Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is seriously considering a gubernatorial run in Tennessee in 2010, possibly setting up a White House bid further down the road. — Sources in Washington and Tennessee say Frist, who will turn 55 next month …
Discussion:
The Influence Peddler, Redstate, The Moderate Voice, Tennessee Guerilla Women and No Silence Here
John Hawkins / Right Wing News:
Misc Commentary For Jan 17, 2007 — According to Dick Morris, none of the top tier Republican contenders for the nomination in 2008 are going to make it to the finish line: … Could Morris be right, yes. Would I like for Morris be right? Yes, because the guy who would make it out of that 2nd tier …
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
What $1.2 Trillion Can Buy — The human mind isn't very well equipped to make sense of a figure like $1.2 trillion. We don't deal with a trillion of anything in our daily lives, and so when we come across such a big number, it is hard to distinguish it from any other big number.
John Solo / Washington Post:
Lawmakers' Lobbying Spouses Avoid Hill Reforms — When Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) rose to the Senate floor last summer and passionately argued for keeping the federal estate tax, he left one person with an interest in retaining the tax unmentioned. — The multibillion-dollar life-insurance industry …