Top Items:
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Ex-Aide Details a Loss of Faith in the President — In 1999, Matthew Dowd became a symbol of George W. Bush's early success at positioning himself as a Republican with Democratic appeal. — A top strategist for the Texas Democrats who was disappointed by the Bill Clinton years …
Larry McShane / Associated Press:
Gallery told to shut down chocolate Jesus display — NEW YORK — A planned Holy Week exhibition of a nude, anatomically correct chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ was canceled Friday after Cardinal Edward Egan and other outraged Roman Catholics complained.
Discussion:
The American Street, The Moderate Voice, Captain's Quarters, Sydney Morning Herald and On Deadline
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Zuzu / Feministe:
Outrage comes cheap these days, and death threats come cheaper … My God! What could it be? What could be making the little vein throb in the forehead of anti-Semite and professional pearl-clutcher Bill Donahue now? ONE OF THE WORST ASSAULTS ON CHRISTIAN SENSIBILITIES EVER???
Discussion:
The Sideshow
Nasser Karimi / Associated Press:
Iranian Official: Sailors May Be Tried — TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's ambassador to Russia renewed a threat Iranian officials made earlier this week, saying 15 British sailors held by Iran could be tried for violating international law, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported Saturday.
Discussion:
Clayton Cramer's BLOG
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Nicola Boden / Sydney Morning Herald:
Iran will punish 'guilty' British sailors: diplomat — On video ... Nathan Thomas Summers, left, with other British captives in Iran. — IRANIAN authorities have started legal proceedings against the British military personnel it has seized and said they would be punished if found guilty, Iran's ambassador to Moscow said last night.
Discussion:
The Strata-Sphere
Anne Flaherty / Associated Press:
Pelosi Going to Syria Despite Objections — WASHINGTON (AP) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Syria, a country President Bush has shunned as a sponsor of terrorism, despite being asked by the administration not to go. — "In our view, it is not the right time to have these sort …
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, Booman Tribune, The Reaction, Tammy Bruce, DownWithTyranny!, Roger L. Simon and Think Progress
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Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Feed A Foe, Starve A Friend — Let me see if I get this straight. The Democrats want to condemn Turkey for a genocide that the Ottoman Empire committed before the Turks overthrew them, in order to invest Congress with a certain level of moral authority, if not historical illiteracy.
Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
Planned Visit to Syria by Pelosi Is Under Fire From White House — A planned visit to Syria next week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi drew criticism on Friday from the White House, which accused the Democratic Congressional leader of failing to heed the administration's admonitions against travel to Damascus.
Lexington Herald-Leader:
Terror suspect gets 9 months in plea deal — AUSTRALIAN WILL SERVE HIS SENTENCE IN HOMELAND, CAN'T ALLEGE ABUSE — Australian David Hicks pleaded guilty at the Guant‡namo Bay Navy Base yesterday to supporting terrorism in exchange for a nine-month prison sentence under a plea deal …
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The Age:
Govt denies it sweetened Hicks' sentence — The federal government denies it sweetened David Hicks' sentence for its election convenience. — Hicks will walk free from an Adelaide jail next New Year's Day, even though the confessed terrorist was recommended a seven year sentence by a US military commission.
Steven R. Weisman / New York Times:
In Big Shift, U.S. Imposes Tariffs on Chinese Paper — The Bush administration, in a major escalation of trade pressure on China, said Friday that it would reverse more than 20 years of American policy and impose potentially steep tariffs on Chinese manufactured goods on the ground that China …
Edward Wong / New York Times:
Shiite Cleric Condemns U.S. as His Militia Takes to Streets — Religious leaders commanded by the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr delivered a searing speech at Friday Prayer condemning the American presence in Iraq, while militiamen loyal to Mr. Sadr engaged in street battles against Iraqi Army soldiers …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish
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Peter Baker / Washington Post:
At Walter Reed, Bush Offers an Apology — After Touring Hospital and Visiting Patients, He Vows to 'Fix the Problem' — President Bush yesterday paid his first visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center since the uproar over shoddy conditions at the facility and emerged after a two-hour tour …
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Steven Erlanger / New York Times:
Olmert Rejects Right of Return for Palestinians — Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in interviews published Friday that Israel would not allow a single Palestinian refugee to return to what is now Israel, and that the country bore no responsibility for the refugees because their plight resulted …
Pajamas Media:
BAGHDAD DISPATCH: MIDNIGHT COMPANY — "I often find myself in arguments with people about the behavior of American soldiers when they search homes. Many of the people I talk to base their argument and negative impression on the footage of some raids we see on TV or on experiences of presumed relatives or friends.
WSJ.com: Washington Wire:
'A Very Spartan Operation' — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who's running for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, established a low bar for rivals to clear in disclosing his initial campaign contribution totals. At a breakfast with reporters in Washington …
Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Clinton Camp Turns to a Star in Money Race — Concerned about Senator Barack Obama's presidential fund-raising, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign has dispatched former President Bill Clinton to attend 16 fund-raisers in the last six weeks and to lead conference calls and Internet appeals to donors …