memeorandum: With Rumsfeld Gone, Critics of War Look to Rice (Helene Cooper/New York Times)

5:05 PM ET, February 4, 2007

Top Items:

Al-Qaeda tells British cells to carry out wave of beheadings — ISLAMIC terror cells in Britain have been instructed to carry out a series of kidnappings and beheadings of the kind allegedly planned by the nine terrorist suspects arrested in Birmingham last week.

Discussion: Don Surber and Outside The Beltway

Jeff Goldstein / protein wisdom:

"Battlefied Shifts Westward"? — From Jules Crittenden: … I think Crittenden is absolutely correct—just as I was convinced by Bernard Lewis before him—that many countries in Europe are on the verge of internal "wars" with Islamic radicals (though many will probably fight them with law enforcement …

Jules Crittenden:

Battlefield Shifts Westward — The war with extremist Islam has just entered a new phase. Times of London: Al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan and Iraq have issued orders for British cells to conduct a "low-tech" campaign of abductions and beheadings. … In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, I was puzzled by the lack of follow-on.

Discussion: Riehl World View, Wizbang and Little Green Footballs

Observer:
MI5, police and SAS practise for a 'Beslan' siege

Discussion: Secular Blasphemy

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Good news: UK commandos preparing for British Beslan

Discussion: Telegraph

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters: AQ To British Cells: Let The Beheadings Begin

Larisa Alexandrovna / Larisa Alexandrovna's At Largely:
Terra Propaganda in London

Discussion: The American Street

Telegraph:
Muslim unrest as police carry out new raids

Discussion: Jules Crittenden

Sarah Baxter / Times of London:

Iranian nuclear scientist 'assassinated by Mossad' — A PRIZE-WINNING Iranian nuclear scientist has died in mysterious circumstances, according to Radio Farda, which is funded by the US State Department and broadcasts to Iran. — An intelligence source suggested that Ardeshire Hassanpour …

Discussion: Flopping Aces, The Political Pit Bull, Secular Blasphemy, Yourish.com, Kesher Talk and Little Green Footballs

New York Times:

Iranian Boast Is Put to Test — After decades of largely clandestine efforts, Iran is expected to declare in coming days that it has made a huge leap toward industrial-scale production of enriched uranium — a defiant act that the country's leaders will herald as a major technical stride …

Discussion: The Washington Note, TigerHawk and Hot Air

Faiz / Think Progress:

Kristol: Iraq Chaos Shows That Insurgents Are 'Worried,' Recent News Is 'Slightly Optimistic' — Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol said on Fox News this morning that the recent surge in Iraqi violence is a sign that the extremists are "worried." Kristol said, "If I were a Sunni extremist and was worried …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, St. Petersburg Times and Associated Press

Ernesto Londoño / Washington Post: At Least 125 Killed in Blast at Baghdad Market

Reuters:
Suicide bomber kills at least 135 in Baghdad market

Discussion: Sic Semper Tyrannis 2007

New York Times:
At Least 130 Die as Blast Levels Baghdad Market

Discussion: Andrew Sullivan, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Hot Air

Washington Post:

Vice President's Shadow Hangs Over Trial — Testimony Points Out Cheney's Role in Trying to Dampen Joseph Wilson's Criticism — Vice President Cheney's press officer, Cathie Martin, approached his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, on Air Force Two on July 12, 2003 …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, OxBlog and Middle Earth Journal

Tim Rutten / Los Angeles Times:
Breeding ground for a new cynicism?

Discussion: Firedoglake and Bench Conference

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo: In a piece headlined "Vice President's Shadow Hangs Over Trial …

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

Edwards continues swipes at Senate White House rivals — Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards continued to move to the left of his leading presidential rivals Friday, saying Senate Democrats' efforts at passing a non-binding resolution are "not enough." — Saying repeatedly that …

Discussion: workingforchange.com …

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Democrats Split on How to End the War

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, Liberal Values, The Democratic Daily, The Impolitic and Daily Pundit

New York Times:
Democratic Hopefuls Split Over the Best Path to Peace

Discussion: The Democratic Daily and Liberal Values

Faiz / Think Progress:

McCain Flip-Flops In 47 Seconds: Claims Success Is Not Realistic In 'A Few Months,' Then Says It Is — On ABC's This Week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said it is unrealistic to expect the escalation strategy to change the situation in Iraq in "a few months":

Discussion: The Heretik and DownWithTyranny!

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

The polar-bears-on-the-melting-ice- cap photo. — You've all seen it. This photo atop all the articles about the new report on global warming. — (Go to the article to see the larger size.) — Here's my question. How many people look at that picture and think the polar bears were living …

Discussion: Riehl World View, Sister Toldjah and New York Times

Matthew Yglesias:

The Trouble With Contracting — The trouble with government work, as opposed to the private sector is that there's a lack of efficiency. It's important to understand, however, that there's nothing intrinsically efficient about private sector work. No magical "it's the free market" …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, NewsHog, New York Times and Prairie Weather

Lynne Duke / Washington Post:

No I-Told-You-Sos — Opponents of the Iraq War Voice Pain, Not Vindication, At Predictions They Could Only Hope Would Be Wrong — Sweet vindication. Who wouldn't want it? To be right. To be free of criticism and upheld by evidence, by actual proof, that one's predictions about a controversial war were correct.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Unqualified Offerings and Amygdala

Noemie Emery / Weekly Standard:

Irresolution — The Congressional Democrats' misstep. — Giddy with joy at their sudden good fortune, the Democrats have set out to embarrass the president, pushing resolutions of less-than-no-confidence, clubbing his Iraq surge plan as it lies in its cradle, and declaring defeat in advance.

Discussion: Political Animal, Angry Bear and Unqualified Offerings

CNN:

Iraqi Interior Ministry estimates 1,000 killed in one week … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The Iraqi Interior Ministry estimates that about 1,000 people have been killed throughout Iraq in the past week due to gunbattles, drive-by shootings and bomb attacks, a ministry official said Sunday.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and Suburban Guerrilla

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:

U.S. Attorney Firings Set Stage for Congressional Battle — H.E. "Bud" Cummins III had served for five years as the U.S. attorney in Little Rock — a job he obtained in large part because of his credentials as a longtime GOP lawyer and avid supporter of President Bush.

Discussion: TPMmuckraker and Talking Points Memo

Mark Steyn / Associated Press:

What's so hot about fickle science? — From the "Environmental News Network": "Science Is Solid on Climate Change, Congress Told." "The science is solid," says Louise Frechette, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations. — "The science is solid," says Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard