Top Items:
ABCNEWS:
EXCLUSIVE: Hillary Clinton Calls for Gonzales' Resignation — Senator Tells ABC News 'Buck Should Stop Somewhere' Over Issue of Fired Attorneys — In an exclusive interview to air Wednesday morning, March 14, on "Good Morning America," Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., the front-runner …
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New York Times:
'Mistakes' Made on Prosecutors, Gonzales Says — Under criticism from lawmakers of both parties for the dismissals of federal prosecutors, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales insisted Tuesday that he would not resign but said, "I acknowledge that mistakes were made here."
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Swamp, Brilliant at Breakfast, PoliBlog (TM), Is That Legal? and The BLT
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
The Grand Elusion — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced the cameras for all of nine minutes yesterday, but he managed to contradict himself at least four times as he fought off calls to resign over the firing of U.S. attorneys. — "Mistakes were made," he said in fluent scandalese, but "I think it was the right decision."
New York Times:
'Loyalty' to Bush and Gonzales Was Factor in Prosecutors' Firings, E-Mail Shows — Late in the afternoon on Dec. 4, a deputy to Harriet E. Miers, then the White House counsel and one of President Bush's most trusted aides, sent a two-line e-mail message to a top Justice Department aide.
New York Times:
Politics, Pure and Cynical — We wish we'd been surprised to learn that the White House was deeply involved in the politically motivated firing of eight United States attorneys, but the news had the unmistakable whiff of inevitability. This disaster is just part of the Bush administration's sordid history …
Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:
Senate Passes Bill Containing Proposals of 9/11 Panel — The Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation yesterday to implement many of the remaining reforms suggested by the Sept. 11 commission, answering its three-year-old call for better emergency communications; more money for cities …
Real Cities:
Emails detail plans for firing U.S. attorneys — WASHINGTON - Deflecting calls to resign, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales acknowledged Tuesday that he mishandled the firings of eight U.S. attorneys as new details emerged about the Bush administration's efforts to oust prosecutors who had fallen out of favor.
Les Blumenthal / Fort Wayne News-Sentinel:
GOP leader confirms he called U.S. attorney about governor's race
GOP leader confirms he called U.S. attorney about governor's race
Andrew Cohen / Bench Conference:
Alberto Gonzales: A Willing Accessory at Justice
Alberto Gonzales: A Willing Accessory at Justice
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos, Prairie Weather, Outside The Beltway, Discourse.net and The Next Hurrah
The Hill:
House Dems will 'survey' but not whip Iraq bill votes — House Democratic leaders will not whip the Iraq supplemental spending bill, on grounds they don't want to apply political pressure on a matter of war and peace. — "It's a conscience vote," House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) …
Discussion:
The Influence Peddler
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Chris Bowers / MyDD:
House Leadership Won't Go To the Mat Over Iraq Bill
House Leadership Won't Go To the Mat Over Iraq Bill
Discussion:
Riehl World View
Matt Stoller / MyDD:
List of Blue Dog Saboteurs
List of Blue Dog Saboteurs
Discussion:
Democrats.com, DownWithTyranny!, Donklephant, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, The Nation and TalkLeft
Amit R. Paley / Washington Post:
'No Child' Target Is Called Out of Reach — Goal of 100% Proficiency Debated as Congress Weighs Renewal — No Child Left Behind, the landmark federal education law, sets a lofty standard: that all students tested in reading and math will reach grade level by 2014.
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Kevin Drum / Political Animal:
PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN....What an infuriating article on the No Child Left Behind Act in the Washington Post tonight. The question is whether NCLB's requirement of 100% proficiency by 2014 is achievable, and the answer, as almost everyone in the article acknowledges, is no. 100% isn't achievable for anything.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
Alexander Mooney / CNN Political Ticker:
Poll: Less than half of Americans think victory in Iraq is possible — WASHINGTON (CNN) — For the first time since the Iraq war began, less than half of Americans believe the United States can win in Iraq, a CNN poll said Tuesday. — Just 46 percent think the United States will win …
Discussion:
The Swamp
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Washington Post:
Iraq Intensifies Efforts to Expel Iranian Group — Though Labeled Terrorist, MEK Has Updated U.S. on Tehran's Nuclear Program — BAGHDAD — For three years, thousands of members of a militant group dedicated to overthrowing Iran's theocracy have lived in a sprawling compound north …
New York Times:
The Purse Isn't Congress's Only Weapon — THE debate that Congress needs to have about the Iraq war is being hijacked by sound-bite arguments. Defenders of President Bush concede that Congress has "the power of the purse" and insist it could use it to completely "cut off the funds to the troops."
Neil MacFarquhar / New York Times:
Group Advocating for Muslims in U.S. Gets More Scrutiny — With violence across the Middle East fixing Islam smack at the center of the American political debate, an organization partly financed by donors closely identified with wealthy Persian Gulf governments has emerged as the most vocal advocate …
Real Cities:
U.S. allies in Africa may have engaged in secret prisoner renditions — NAIROBI, Kenya - A network of U.S. allies in East Africa secretly have transferred to prisons in Somalia and Ethiopia as many as 150 people who were captured in Kenya while fleeing the recent war in Somalia, according to human rights advocates here.
Discussion:
At-Largely
Hans Greimel / Associated Press:
Asian, European stocks plunge — TOKYO - Asian stocks plunged Wednesday and European shares opened sharply lower after Wall Street chalked its second-biggest point drop in four years and rattled already nervous markets worldwide. — The tumble came just as international markets were recovering …
Discussion:
AMERICAblog