Top Items:
Stuart Elliott / New York Times:
Super Bowl Ads of Cartoonish Violence, Perhaps Reflecting Toll of War — No commercial that appeared last night during Super Bowl XLI directly addressed Iraq, unlike a patriotic spot for Budweiser beer that ran during the game two years ago. But the ongoing war seemed to linger just below …
Discussion:
Blue Crab Boulevard, The Corner, The Moderate Voice, Brainster's Blog and Done With Mirrors
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Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Super Bowl XLI; Update: Commercials galore; Update: NYT: Violent ads = Iraq metaphor — Two hours until kickoff and the pre-game show's already two and a half hours old. Consider this your official HA SBXLI open thread, although its real purpose is to act as a repository for commercials I'll be posting throughout the game.
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, Los Angeles Times, Wizbang, Michelle Malkin, New York Times, Oliver Willis and Ace of Spades HQ
Julia Preston / New York Times:
U.S. Set to Begin a Vast Expansion of DNA Sampling — The Justice Department is completing rules to allow the collection of DNA from most people arrested or detained by federal authorities, a vast expansion of DNA gathering that will include hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, by far the largest group affected.
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Washington Post:
Iraq Vote Could Resonate In 2008 — Resolution Against Adding Troops Is Set for a Showdown — When Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.) saw reporters approaching him last week, he took off in a sprint, determined to say as little as possible about a nonbinding resolution opposing President Bush's …
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Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
Mavericks Both, but Different Iraq Paths — WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 — The first time Senator John McCain ran for president, few allies were more loyal than Senator Chuck Hagel, a fellow Vietnam veteran and co-chairman of his campaign, whose independent streak ran nearly as thick as Mr. McCain's.
Mohammed / IRAQ THE MODEL:
More violence in Baghdad as the city braces for the security plan. — I was with a friend on our way home yesterday when we were shocked by the sound of a powerful explosion. We looked in all directions trying to figure out where it was but there was nothing to indicate where the bomb, or whatever it was, went off.
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New York Times:
Iraqis Fault Delayed U.S. Plan in Attack — A growing number of Iraqis blamed the United States on Sunday for creating conditions that led to the worst single suicide bombing in the war, which devastated a Shiite market in Baghdad the day before. They argued that slowness in completing …
Discussion:
Liberty Street
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Associated Press:
U.S. general: Insurgent gunners shot down helicopters — BAGHDAD, Iraq - The four U.S. helicopters that have crashed in Iraq since Jan. 20 were apparently shot down, the chief American military spokesman said Sunday — the first time the U.S. command has publicly acknowledged that the aircraft were lost to enemy fire.
Reuters:
Nader leaves '08 door open, slams Hillary — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former presidential candidate Ralph Nader on Sunday left the door open for another possible White House bid in 2008 and criticized Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton as "a panderer and a flatterer."
Thers / Whiskey Fire:
Bitter Fish in Crude Oil Sea — Heh. Michelle Malkin is fixin' to destroy Amanda Marcotte, 'cause Amanda uses naughty words. — Michelle Malkin wrote this book: — So Amanda wins. — And it ain't even close. — UPDATE: Auguste takes care of the other nonsense.
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Dave Montgomery / Real Cities:
Dick Armey takes aim at GOP, war in Iraq — WASHINGTON - When he was the GOP leader in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Dick Armey was never known to be a shrinking violet. But now that he's out of politics, Armey is indisputably even more plainspoken as the leader …
Reuters:
Edwards: raise taxes for healthcare — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. presidential candidate John Edwards on Sunday said that he would raise taxes, chiefly on the wealthy, to pay for expanded healthcare coverage under a plan costing $90 billion to $120 billion a year to be unveiled on Monday.
Anne E. Kornblut / Washington Post:
Obama Confronts 'Outsider' Dilemma — In the nearly three weeks since Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made his unofficial debut as a presidential candidate, his senior advisers have been holed up in a temporary office on Connecticut Avenue NW, feverishly working to translate the huge excitement about his candidacy into a political strategy.
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily
Robert Schwaneberg / New Jersey Online:
When life without parole is worse than death — Analysis finds more than 100 murderers who might one day go free would face certainty of dying in prison — When a state commission recommended last month that New Jersey abolish the death penalty in favor of life imprisonment without parole …
Discussion:
Sentencing Law and Policy