Top Items:
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.
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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.
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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.
Marc Santora / New York Times:
Rape Accusation Reinforces Fears in a Divided Iraq — The most wicked acts are spoken of openly and without reserve in Iraq. Torture, stabbings and bodies ripped to pieces in bombings are all part of the daily conversation. — Rape is different. — Rape is not mentioned by the victims, and rarely by the authorities.
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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.
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Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Justice Dept. Statistics On Terrorism Faulted
Justice Dept. Statistics On Terrorism Faulted
Discussion:
Counterterrorism Blog
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 …
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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.) …
Andy Soltis / New York Post:
AMERICA SAYS LET'S WIN WAR — POLL SUPPORTS KEEPING U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ — In a dramatic finding, a new poll shows a solid majority of Americans still wants to win the war in Iraq - and keep U.S. troops there until the Baghdad government can take over. — Strong majorities also say victory …
Discussion:
PrairiePundit
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James Joyner / Outside The Beltway:
Iraq War Attitudes
Iraq War Attitudes
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, protein wisdom, Redstate, Blue Crab Boulevard, Jules Crittenden, Daily Pundit, Power Line and QandO
Faiz / Think Progress:
Tony Snow and White House Reporters Slam The 'Hateful,' 'Polarized' Blogosphere — In a press roundtable at the National Press Club tonight, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow led a discussion with White House correspondents about the impact of the internet on their respective jobs. Their conclusion?
Discussion:
Shakespeare's Sister, The Politico, Alternate Brain, Fact-esque, Daily Kos, Suburban Guerrilla, QandO, The Agonist, The Heretik and State of the Day
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 …
Gary Kamiya / Salon:
Is there life after Bush? — We've been hating him forever, but he's leaving. Now we have to decide what to do with the rest of our lives. — Hating George W. Bush sometimes feels like a full-time job. I get up in the morning, open the paper, and it's Bush World.
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
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.
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
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.
Josh White / Washington Post:
Guantanamo Detainees Lose Appeal — Habeas Corpus Case May Go to High Court — A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that hundreds of detainees in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, do not have the right to challenge their imprisonment in federal courts, a victory for the Bush administration …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, the talking dog, Obsidian Wings, Gun Toting Liberal ™, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Daily Kos
Matthew Yglesias / American Prospect:
Fitting the Bill — Why isn't Bill Richardson's presidential candidacy taken seriously? — On Thursday, February 8, Bill Richardson delivered a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on "The New Realism and the Rebirth of American Leadership," laying out the foreign policy vision …