Top Items:
Jonathan Karl / ABCNEWS:
EXCLUSIVE: Cheney Says British Troop Withdrawal Is Positive Sign — Vice President Tells Soldiers in Tokyo the U.S. Will Not Withdraw Until the Job Is Done — British Prime Minister Tony Blair's announcement that British troops will begin withdrawing from Iraq would appear to be bad news for the Bush administration.
Discussion:
Salon, Guardian, Gun Toting Liberal ™, Don Surber, The Moderate Voice, Captain's Quarters and The Daily Dish
RELATED:
David Stringer / Associated Press:
Blair announces Iraq withdrawal plan — LONDON - Britain will withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq in the coming months and aims to further cut its 7,100-strong contingent by late summer if Iraqi forces can secure the country's south, Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday.
Michael Finnegan / Los Angeles Times:
Obama sees 2 sides of L.A. — The Democrat draws fans among Hollywood's elite and in Crenshaw in an early bid for support and money for his presidential campaign. — Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama wrapped up his first California campaign swing Tuesday by invoking …
RELATED:
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
Hillary Clinton Facing Hollywood Defections — And "Clinton Fatigue"?
Hillary Clinton Facing Hollywood Defections — And "Clinton Fatigue"?
Discussion:
Hotline On Call
R. Jeffrey Smith / Washington Post:
Berger Case Still Roils Archives, Justice Dept. — In a chandeliered room at the Justice Department, the longtime head of the counterespionage section, the chief of the public integrity unit, a deputy assistant attorney general, some trial lawyers and a few FBI agents all looked down at their pant legs and socks.
Discussion:
Right Wing Nut House, TIME, The Volokh Conspiracy, Blue Crab Boulevard and PrairiePundit
RELATED:
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
The Defense Rests, and Not a Minute Too Soon — For a brief moment yesterday, Scooter Libby was not a former White House aide on trial for perjury. He was an orphan in need of a loving home. — "He's been under my protection for the last month; now I'm entrusting him to you," defense lawyer Ted Wells told the puzzled jurors.
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Swift Action Promised at Walter Reed — Investigations Urged as Army Moves to Make Repairs, Improve Staffing — The White House and congressional leaders called yesterday for swift investigation and repair of the problems plaguing outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center …
Norm / normblog:
Open Letter on Iranian Holocaust Denial Conference — [This has been sent to me by an Iranian reader, with with a request that I post it.] — An open letter by a group of Iranian academics, writers, and artists regarding the Tehran Conference on Holocaust Denial
Associated Press:
Ex-GOP Rep. Kasich considers run for governor — COLUMBUS - Former U.S. Rep. John Kasich is contemplating a run for Ohio governor 2010, prompting him to begin speaking regularly at Republican functions around the state. — "I've made it clear to people that I'm going to look at the governor's office …
Washington Post:
The 'Crime' Of Blogging In Egypt — A former college student, Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, is sitting in an Egyptian prison, awaiting sentencing tomorrow. His alleged "crime": expressing his opinions on a blog. His mistake: having the courage to do so under his own name.
Bloomberg:
Merck Stops Campaign to Mandate Gardasil Vaccine Use (Update3) — Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) — Merck & Co. will stop lobbying state officials to require that girls receive the company's Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine before they can attend school. — Merck made the decision after groups including …
Washington Post:
The Woman in the Middle — Moderate Democrat Is New Target of Liberal Bloggers — The Democratic majority was only three weeks old, but by Jan. 26, the grass-roots and Net-roots activists of the party's left wing had already settled on their new enemy: Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.) …
Peter Allen / Telegraph:
Hornets hit France and could reach Britain — Swarms of giant hornets renowned for their vicious stings and skill at massacring honeybees have settled in France. — And there are now so many of the insects that entomologists fear it will just be a matter of time before they cross to Britain.
Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
Mitt Romney's Extreme Makeover — Precisely two years ago, Mitt Romney, then the governor of Massachusetts but already eyeing a 2008 presidential bid, sat in the coffee shop of a Washington hotel, doing his best not to explain his views on abortion. — Romney was speaking to a few of us from The Post …
Christopher Drew / New York Times:
Lower Voter Turnout Is Seen in States That Require ID — States that imposed identification requirements on voters reduced turnout at the polls in the 2004 presidential election by about 3 percent, and by two to three times as much for minorities, new research suggests.
Milt Freudenheim / New York Times:
Some Employers Are Offering Free Drugs — For years, employers have been pushing their workers to pay more for health care, raising premiums and out-of-pocket medical expenses in an effort to save money for the company and force workers to seek only the most necessary care.
Discussion:
Swords Crossed
Nigel Bunyan / Telegraph:
Father killed family for being too western — A father killed his wife and four daughters in their sleep because he could not bear them adopting a more westernised lifestyle, an inquest heard yesterday. — Mohammed Riaz, 49, found it abhorrent that his eldest daughter wanted to be a fashion designer …