Top Items:
Washington Post:
Pratfall in Damascus — Nancy Pelosi's foolish shuttle diplomacy — HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered an excellent demonstration yesterday of why members of Congress should not attempt to supplant the secretary of state when traveling abroad.
Discussion:
New York Times, Captain's Quarters, Think Progress, The Gavel, New Pairodimes, The Gun Toting Liberal™, The Carpetbagger Report, Chicago Boyz, Redstate, TigerHawk, Blue Crab Boulevard, INSTAPUTZ, Gateway Pundit, Right Wing News, Austin Bay Blog, QandO, Right Wing Nut House, MyDD, Macsmind, Betsy's Page, Roger L. Simon, Little Green Footballs, Confederate Yankee, The Corner, Instapundit.com, Cadillac Tight, The Right Angle, PrairiePundit, Wizbang, NewsBusters.org, Ace of Spades HQ, Riehl World View, pmo.gov.il, Jerusalem Post and Sister Toldjah
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Associated Press:
U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa meets Syrian president in Damascus — DAMASCUS, Syria: A visiting U.S. congressman held talks with President Bashar Assad Thursday, a day after a congressional delegation headed by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked controversy by meeting the Syrian leader.
Nico / Think Progress:
Washington Post Misleads, Contradicts Own Reporting, To Attack Pelosi — The Washington Post editorial page today published a vicious editorial attacking Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), calling her "ludicrous" and describing her bipartisan trip to Syria as an "attempt to establish a shadow presidency."
Telegraph:
They're free, but Britain has been humiliated — Relief at the freeing of the British sailors and Marines in Iran is tempered with dismay at the humiliation to which they and the country they serve have been subjected. — The 14 men and one woman are due to return to Britain today …
Discussion:
NewsHog, New York Sun, Jules Crittenden, Associated Press, QandO, Hot Air, Captain's Quarters, In From the Cold, The Right Angle and Power Line
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Washington Post:
Gonzales Prepares to Fight for His Job in Testimony — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has retreated from public view this week in an intensive effort to save his job, spending hours practicing testimony and phoning lawmakers for support in preparation for pivotal appearances in the Senate this month …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, TPMmuckraker, Balloon Juice, The Next Hurrah, WSJ.com, Happy Furry Puppy Story … and New Pairodimes
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Michael J. Totten:
An Army, Not a Militia — SULEIMANIYA, IRAQ - Iraq is a country with three armies and I'm-not-sure-how-many militias and death squads. The Iraqi Army is nominally the national army, but it's still being trained, supplied, and augmented by the coalition forces, which is to say the Americans.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report
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Zogby:
Zogby: Romney Rockets! — Latest New Hampshire telephone poll shows Romney's support nearly doubles to 25% to tie McCain; Giuliani trails at 19% — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has rocketed to the top of the field of contenders for the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary crown …
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Corner, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and On Politics
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Glen Johnson / Associated Press:
Romney calls himself a longtime hunter
Romney calls himself a longtime hunter
Discussion:
Associated Press, DownWithTyranny!, eyeon08.com, AMERICAblog, Pam's House Blend, The Gun Toting Liberal™ and Daily Kos
United States Central Command:
Al-Sahab Expected To Release New Bin Ladin Video — Terrorism: Al-Sahab Reportedly To Release New Bin Ladin Video Message — On 4 April, a jihadist website carried the following posting: — "After a long absence by the shaykh of mujahidin, whom we have missed as well as his speeches …
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Online NewsHour:
Petraeus Cites Areas of Improvement in Baghdad — JIM LEHRER: Now to our Newsmaker interview with General David Petraeus, the top U.S. general in Iraq. I spoke to him this morning from the Green Zone in Baghdad. — General, welcome. — GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, Commander, U.S. Forces in Iraq: Thanks very much, Jim.
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John Cassidy / New Yorker:
THE NEXT CRUSADE — Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank. — Text Size: … The Selimiye Mosque, in Edirne, a city in northwest Turkey, is a magnificent stone edifice, with four minarets and an austere, octagonal-shaped body supporting a large dome. Built for Sultan Selim II in the sixteenth century …
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Murray Waas / The Huffington Post:
Favoritism Shown Towards Wolfowitz's Girlfriend
Favoritism Shown Towards Wolfowitz's Girlfriend
Discussion:
Wonkette
Editor and Publisher:
Joe Klein in Tomorrow's TIME: Bush 'Clearly Unfit to Lead' — NEW YORK In the upcoming issue of Time magazine, out Friday, columnist Joe Klein considers what he calls the Bush administration's "epic collapse." He concludes with a statement that may make some wonder if he is hinting that the president ought to be impeached.
Discussion:
New Pairodimes
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Bush Uses Recess to Fill Envoy Post and 2 Others — President Bush used the Congressional recess on Wednesday to push through his choice to be ambassador to Belgium and to fill two domestic policy positions, provoking Democratic ire with all three appointments.
Brian Montopoli / Public Eye:
The Public Eye Chat With.Allen Pizzey — The Public Eye Chat With...Allen Pizzey — It's Thursday, and that means it's time for the Public Eye Chat. This week's subject is Rome-based CBS News Correspondent Allen Pizzey. You can read excerpts, and listen to the full interview, below.
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org
Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
RAMESH PONNURU ON THE MARCH: — A couple weeks ago I recorded a bloggingheads segment, which unfortunately was lost to posterity due to technical problems, in which I was asked who I consider the most intellectually honest conservative writer. I named Ramesh Ponnuru.
Discussion:
TAPPED
en.rian.ru:
Belgium to impose tax on barbequing to fight global warming — The government of Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia, which has a population of about 4 million, has approved a tax on barbequing, local media reported. — Experts said that between 50 and 100 grams of CO2 …