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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:
Reuters, Associated Press, Right Wing Nut House, AMERICAblog, MSNBC, The Strata-Sphere, Hot Air, alphabet city, Flopping Aces, The Belmont Club, NewsHog, The Reaction, Kesher Talk, Outside The Beltway, The Heretik, Blue Crab Boulevard, Power Line, Middle Earth Journal, Redstate, 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 …
Dr. Rusty Shackleford / The Jawa Report:
Video: American Soldier Held Hostage in Iraq Alive — A video posted on a Shiite Islamist website has emerged of an American soldier being held hostage, Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie. The Jawa Report has obtained a copy of the video. It is posted below. — Right after Altaie was captured …
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 …
Amanda Marcotte / Pandagon:
People who claim to love Jesus write me — Update: To correct misinformation in the comments, I was not "fired". I offered my resignation and it was accepted. — Because I had the nerve to be critical of the Catholic church's stance on birth control and abortion—nevermind …
Discussion:
MyDD, FRAMESHOP, Pen-Elayne on the Web, Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, culturekitchen and If I Ran the Zoo
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Shakespeare's Sister:
Announcement — I regret to say that I have also resigned from the Edwards campaign.
Announcement — I regret to say that I have also resigned from the Edwards campaign.
Discussion:
My Left Wing, Confederate Yankee, Salon, Associated Press, MyDD, Hot Air, Patterico's Pontifications, NewsHog, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Beltway Blogroll, Balloon Juice, The Caucus, The Navel of the Internet, The Heretik, The Mahablog, Vox Popoli, Althouse, Riehl World View, Alternate Brain, Pen-Elayne on the Web, The American Street, Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, Ace of Spades HQ, Bill's Bites, Majikthise, All Spin Zone, Wizbang, The Jawa Report, The Democratic Daily, Liberal Values, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, On Deadline, Pinko Feminist Hellcat, UrbanGrounds, Done With Mirrors, QandO, The Fix, Blue Crab Boulevard and State of the Day
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 …
Discussion:
The Strata-Sphere, Gateway Pundit, If I Ran the Zoo, The Carpetbagger Report, Roger Ailes and Rising Hegemon
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Neoconservatives hate liberty as much as they love war — Frank Gaffney, one of the country's most influential and well-connected neoconservatives, has a column in today's Washington Times in which he argues that the debate taking place in Congress over the war in Iraq constitutes treason.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
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 …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Caucus, CNN Political Ticker, Opinion Journal and No More Mister Nice Blog
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New York Times:
Libby and Cheney Won't Testify, Says the Defense — Lawyers defending I. Lewis Libby Jr. against perjury charges surprised the courtroom on Tuesday by saying that they would rest their case this week and do so without putting on the stand either Mr. Libby or Vice President Dick Cheney.
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Independent:
Explosion kills 18 in Iran — A car loaded with explosives blew up near a bus carrying members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards in southeastern Iran, killing 18 of them, the state-run news agency reported today. — The car stopped in front of the bus near Zahedan …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
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Gateway Pundit:
Explosion in Iran Kills Busload of Al Quds Members!! — An explosion today killed a reported 18 Al Quds members traveling in a bus in southeastern Iran. — Fars News is carrying this picture of one of those arrested after the blast earlier today — A car bomb exploded killing 18 Al Quds members today in Zahedan, Iran:
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.
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
For the GOP, Taking the War Out of the War Debate — Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida, the man in charge of Republican strategy in this week's great debate on Iraq, was a study in nervous energy as he waited to speak on the House floor yesterday. — He paced behind the back row.
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New York Times:
Pact With North Korea Draws Fire From a Wide Range of Critics in U.S. — The deal that could lead North Korea to shut its main nuclear reactor came under criticism from both ends of the political spectrum immediately after it was announced on Tuesday. — From the right, hardliners argued …
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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 …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, democracyarsenal.org, UrbanGrounds, ParaPundit and Brilliant at Breakfast
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.
Discussion:
The Reference Frame, The Carpetbagger Report, Tim Blair, Sister Toldjah and The Jawa Report
Robert VerBruggen / Washington Times:
Ready to aim — ARMED AMERICA: THE STORY OF HOW AND WHY GUNS BECAME AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE — By Clayton E. Cramer, Nelson Current, $26.99, 320 pages — In 1996, Michael Bellesiles published a paper in the Journal of American History. The thesis: Early Americans rarely owned firearms …
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 …
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
In 1993 Memo, Giuliani Staff Gave Harsh Assessment of Flaws — Sometimes in politics, the most damaging accusations come from your own staff. — Rudolph W. Giuliani learned that lesson again yesterday when a "vulnerability study," including warnings about his "weirdness factor" …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
Mary Katharine Ham / Townhall.com:
A Tale of Two Rapes in Durham — There's another accusation of rape floating around Durham this week. The accuser was allegedly attacked at a house party this Saturday. — The accuser is white. The suspect is black. — Heard anything about that? Yeah, I didn't think so.
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 …