Top Items:
New York Times:
Senator Obama's Announcement — Following is the prepared text of Senator Barack Obama's announcement for president on Saturday in Springfield, Ill., as provided by his campaign: — Let me begin by saying thanks to all you who've traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today.
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Washington Post:
Obama Joins Race With Goals Set High — Now-Official Presidential Candidate Talks of Universal Health Care, Leaving Iraq — Illinois Sen. Barack Obama formally opened his campaign for president here Saturday, evoking memories of Abraham Lincoln and challenging a new generation to help him transform the nation.
Chicago Tribune:
Obama: I'm running for president — SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Sen. Barack Obama formally entered the 2008 race for the presidency today, contending he has the experience to know that "Washington must change" and billing himself as the leader who will bring a new generational attitude to address the nation's challenges.
New York Times:
The Build-a-War Workshop — It took far too long, but a report by the Pentagon inspector general has finally confirmed that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's do-it-yourself intelligence office cooked up a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda to help justify an unjustifiable war.
Discussion:
Jules Crittenden
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Tristero / Hullabaloo:
Talking About "Cooked Links" Won't Cut It — On the day of the week when the fewest people read the Times, the brave, brave editors got around to opining on the unbelievably filthy activities of Douglas Feith: … Now let's shake off the lulling effect of their deliberately dispassionate language …
David S. Cloud / New York Times:
Inquiry on Intelligence Gaps May Reach to White House — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Friday that he would ask current and former White House aides to testify about a report by the Pentagon's inspector general that criticizes the Pentagon for compiling …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Booman Tribune, The Heretik, The Impolitic, Think Progress and Washington Post
New York Times:
Putin Says U.S. Is Undermining Global Stability — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia accused the United States on Saturday of provoking a new nuclear arms race by developing ballistic missile defenses, undermining international institutions and making the Middle East more unstable through its clumsy handling of the Iraq war.
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Washington Post:
Putin Hits U.S. Over Unilateral Practices — Russian President Vladimir Putin, in some of his harshest criticism of the United States since he took office seven years ago, said Saturday that Washington's unilateral, militaristic approach had made the world a more dangerous place than at any time during the Cold War.
Jason Steck / The Moderate Voice:
Plans vs. Intentions — Speculation is running hot that the dreaded "neocons" in the White House will attack Iran sooner rather than later. The British Guardian newspaper reports today that plans are advanced and that an attack could be ready as soon as Spring, 2007.
David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
Congress Finds Ways to Avoid Lobbyist Limits — The 110th Congress opened with the passage of sweeping new rules intended to curb the influence of lobbyists by prohibiting them from treating lawmakers to meals, trips, stadium box seats or the discounted use of private jets.
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Michael Yon:
Roughnecks — Mosul, Iraq — There is a hidden passion for Chuck Norris among some of the troops. His name seems to appear in every corner of Iraq—especially in outhouses. Sometimes lurid, mostly unprintable, always funny. — The Latest: … Chuck Norris, the workingman of action movies, remains an improbable icon.
Telegraph:
Cosmic rays blamed for global warming — Man-made climate change may be happening at a far slower rate than has been claimed, according to controversial new research. — Scientists say that cosmic rays from outer space play a far greater role in changing the Earth's climate than global warming experts previously thought.
New York Times:
Harvard Plans to Name First Female President — Harvard, the nation's oldest university, plans to name Drew Gilpin Faust, a historian of the Civil War South, to be the first female president in its 371-year history, university officials said Friday. — Her selection by a search committee …
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Washington Post:
Death Penalty Bears Down on O'Malley, Kaine — Legislatures Are Preparing to Debate Bills on Repealing or Expanding Executions — The governors of Maryland and Virginia have much in common: Both Martin O'Malley and Timothy M. Kaine are considered rising stars in the Democratic Party.
Los Angeles Times:
Bush's uncle linked to options lawsuit — Defendants' backdating benefited a board he was on, the SEC alleges. — WASHINGTON — President Bush's uncle William H.T. "Bucky" Bush was among directors of a defense contractor who together reaped $6 million from what federal regulators …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars
Lindsay Beyerstein / Majikthise:
Tucker Carlson says Obama's Black church isn't really Christian — Right wing TV host Tucker Carlson claims that presumptive presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama(D-IL) isn't a real Christian because he goes to a Black church. — Obama belongs to the "Unashamedly black and Unapologetically Christian" …