Top Items:
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 …
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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 …
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.
ABCNEWS:
Al Sadr Fled Iraq, Fearing U.S. Bombs
Al Sadr Fled Iraq, Fearing U.S. Bombs
Discussion:
Reuters, Right Wing Nut House, Associated Press, Captain's Quarters, AMERICAblog, MSNBC, Wizbang, The Strata-Sphere, Flopping Aces, The Belmont Club, alphabet city, Hot Air, NewsHog, Outside The Beltway, Kesher Talk, The Reaction, The Heretik, Blue Crab Boulevard, Decision '08, Middle Earth Journal, Power Line, Redstate, State of the Day, On Deadline, BLACKFIVE and Gay Patriot
Juan / Informed Comment:
On the Mystery of Muqtada al-Sadr's Disappearance
On the Mystery of Muqtada al-Sadr's Disappearance
Discussion:
Political Animal
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.
Discussion:
The Strata-Sphere, Hot Air, Bill's Bites, The Caucus, QandO, Chicago Boyz, The Huffington Post, Power Line, Blue Crab Boulevard and First Read
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Matt Stoller / MyDD:
Grace Time is Over — It's pretty obvious at this point …
Grace Time is Over — It's pretty obvious at this point …
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
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:
Discussion:
Yourish.com
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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 …
Douglas J. Feith / Washington Post:
Tough Questions We Were Right to Ask — Promoters of the "Bush Lied, People Died" line claim that the recent Pentagon inspector general's report concerning my former office's work on Iraq intelligence supports their cause. What the IG actually said is a different story.
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Neoconservatives hate liberty as much as they love war
Neoconservatives hate liberty as much as they love war
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
Frank J. Gaffney Jr / Washington Times:
Truly 'inappropriate' behavior
Truly 'inappropriate' behavior
Discussion:
The Strata-Sphere, Gateway Pundit, If I Ran the Zoo, The Carpetbagger Report, Roger Ailes and Rising Hegemon
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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White House:
Press Briefing by Tony Snow — White House Conference Center Briefing Room — MR. SNOW: Let me begin with a statement by the President: — "I am pleased with the agreements reached today at the six-party talks in Beijing. These talks represent the best opportunity to use diplomacy to address North Korea's nuclear programs.
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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 …
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Dan Collins / protein wisdom:
HuffPo: Donohue's Remarks Threaten Bloggers Lives
HuffPo: Donohue's Remarks Threaten Bloggers Lives
Discussion:
Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, Darleen's Place, Patterico's Pontifications, The Mahablog, PSoTD and The Caucus
Associated Press:
Newspaper: Questions in death of ground zero worker — NEW YORK Questions are being raised about the story of a New York City police officer whose death sparked wide interest in the plight of ailing September Eleventh first responders. — The New York Times says Officer Cesar Borja …
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, TalkLeft, democracyarsenal.org, UrbanGrounds, Wonkette, Brilliant at Breakfast and ParaPundit
Betsy Rothstein / The Hill:
Rep. Ellison calls the cops to snuff Tancredo's cigar — Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) believes it is his right as a Muslim to be sworn into Congress with the Quran. But apparently, the freshman lawmaker doesn't believe it's Rep. Tom Tancredo's (R-Colo.) right to smoke a cigar in his congressional office.
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
Walter Olson / Reason:
Dangerous When in Power — Does government protect us from hazardous products, or does it put us in harm's way? — George Barnes worked as a shipfitter at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for 25 years, from 1967 to 1992. In 2005 he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, a condition he blamed on exposure to asbestos at the yard.
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Dr. Steven Taylor / PoliBlog (TM):
Colliding Wars: Drugs and Terror (and the Utter Folly of US Policy) — When I saw this week's Time cover, my response was, no joke-I knew that years ago. — Beyond that, however, I found a remarkable story in the magazine's pages that is the kind of stuff that drives me crazy …