Top Items:
ABCNEWS:
Al Sadr Fled Iraq, Fearing U.S. Bombs — Insurgent Leader Reportedly Moved to Iran With Members of Mahdi Army — The story tonight in Iraq is not the arrival of more U.S. troops, but the departure of one of the country's most powerful men, Moqtada al Sadr and members of his army.
Discussion:
MSNBC, AMERICAblog, Hot Air, Right Wing Nut House, The Belmont Club, Flopping Aces, The Reaction, alphabet city, NewsHog, Blue Crab Boulevard, Power Line, Kesher Talk, Redstate, Middle Earth Journal, Outside The Beltway, Decision '08, State of the Day, On Deadline, Gay Patriot and BLACKFIVE
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Qassim Abdul-Zahra / Associated Press:
Officials linked to al-Sadr deny he fled — BAGHDAD, Iraq - Supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr said Wednesday that the radical Shiite cleric was still in Iraq, denying a report that he fled to Iran ahead of a security crackdown targeting his militia. — An Iraqi government official said al-Sadr …
Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
ABC: Sadr Bugs Out — Well, so much for the whole 72 virgins thing and the radical Islamist desire to die in martyrdom: … This couldn't have come at a better time. Congress has tied itself in knots trying to opine on what a disaster the surge will be, and before they can vote …
Anne Gearan / Associated Press:
Anti-American cleric flees Iraq for Iran
Anti-American cleric flees Iraq for Iran
Discussion:
theneweditor.com
Shakespeare's Sister:
Announcement — I regret to say that I have also resigned from the Edwards campaign. In spite of what was widely reported, I was not hired as a blogger, but a part-time technical advisor, which is the role I am vacating. — I would like to make very clear that the campaign did not push me out …
Discussion:
Beltway Blogroll, My Left Wing, Lawyers, Guns and Money, MyDD, The Caucus, Patterico's Pontifications, Althouse, The Navel of the Internet, Riehl World View, The American Street, Alternate Brain, Majikthise, All Spin Zone, Wizbang, Vox Popoli, The Democratic Daily, The Jawa Report, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Pinko Feminist Hellcat, Liberal Values, Done With Mirrors, QandO, The Fix and State of the Day
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Lane Hudson / The Huffington Post:
Right-Wing Attack Puts Bloggers' Lives in Danger — The ramifications of Bill Donohue and the Catholic League's reckless rhetoric has materialized in the form of death threats to bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan. This is what happens when the ultra-right wing is given the megaphone of mainstream media.
Carpetbagger / The Carpetbagger Report:
GOP leaders admit they 'lose' the Iraq debate if they stick to the issue — The resolution the House is debating this week is surprisingly straightforward; House Dems even managed to keep the whole thing to just 58 words. Point #1 says we support the troops; point #2 says Congress "disapproves" of Bush's escalation strategy.
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Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
For the GOP, Taking the War Out of the War Debate
For the GOP, Taking the War Out of the War Debate
Discussion:
CorrenteWire
CNN:
Uncle: Abducted U.S. soldier appears in video … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The uncle of an Iraqi-American U.S. soldier abducted last October in Baghdad identified his missing nephew Wednesday in a video posted on a militant Shiite Web site. — U.S. Army Sgt. Ahmed K. Altaie was kidnapped October 23 …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
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Frank J. Gaffney Jr / Washington Times:
Truly 'inappropriate' behavior — Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged. — It is, of course, unimaginable that the penalties proposed by one of our most admired presidents …
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Nico / Think Progress:
The Davy Crockett defense of escalation. — During today's House debate on Iraq, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) debuted the Davy Crockett defense: … UPDATE: From commenter Mike:
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Drudge Report:
HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER SNOW/ICE STORM HEARING NOTICE — The Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality hearing scheduled for Wednesday, February 14, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building has been postponed due to inclement weather.
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Shooter, Say It Ain't So! — When Ted Wells came back from lunch today and announced that he had released Dick Cheney as a witness I was damn near brokenhearted. After all that, and Shooter lets me down. Did he not want to testify on Libby's behalf, did Team Libby decide he could do more harm than good …
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Linda Thomson / Deseret News:
Police identify gunman as 18-year-old Bosnian — Police Tuesday identified the gunman accused in Monday night's Trolley Square shooting as Sulejman Talovic, an 18-year-old Bosnian refugee who lived in Salt Lake City. — Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said Talovic drove his car to the mall …
Lizette Alvarez / New York Times:
Army Giving More Waivers in Recruiting — The number of waivers granted to Army recruits with criminal backgrounds has grown about 65 percent in the last three years, increasing to 8,129 in 2006 from 4,918 in 2003, Department of Defense records show. — During that time …
Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Obama Apologizes for Saying Troops' Lives 'Wasted' — Senator Enters Race for White House Highlighting Iraq Stance, But Stirs Controversy with Comment — Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., entered the race for the White House over the weekend and is immediately feeling the hot spotlight …
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Marc Santora / New York Times:
Iraqis Announce New Crackdown Across Baghdad — The Iraqi government on Tuesday ordered tens of thousands of Baghdad residents to leave homes they are occupying illegally, in a surprising and highly challenging effort to reverse the tide of sectarian cleansing that has left the capital bloodied and Balkanized.
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Peter Whoriskey / Washington Post:
On Fla. Menus, a Favorite Fish Experiences Identity Theft — MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — What the undercover agents ordered, over and over, was the grouper. — What wound up on their plates could stifle anyone's appetite. — The alleged grouper at 17 of 24 area restaurants sampled …
Nancy Vogel / Los Angeles Times:
Senate agrees to move '08 vote to Feb. — Legislators say shifting the primary would give California more clout in the presidential race. But if more states follow, the benefit may be nil. — SACRAMENTO — The California Senate voted Tuesday to move the state's presidential primary …
Discussion:
PoliPundit.com
Nathan Gonzales / Opinion Journal:
The Ever-'Present' Obama — Barack has a along track record of not taking a stand. — Finally and officially, Barack Obama is running for president. His symbolic announcement, in the Land of Lincoln, called for a new era in politics. Obama downplayed his thin federal experience …
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
John Bresnahan / The Politico:
House Democrats' New Strategy: Force Slow End to War — Led by Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Pa., and supported by several well-funded anti-war groups, the coalition's goal is to limit or sharply reduce the number of U.S. troops available for the Iraq conflict, rather than to openly cut off funding for the war itself.
USA Today:
Poll shows Clinton, Giuliani pull ahead ias campaigns kick off — WASHINGTON — New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani have widened leads over their rivals in recent weeks as they began to openly campaign for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations …