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:
CNN, WorldNetDaily, Obsidian Wings, IraqPundit, News Bloggers Blog, New York Times, Austin Bay Blog, Captain's Quarters, The Carpetbagger Report, New Pairodimes, Think Progress, The Gavel, The Gun Toting Liberal™, contentions, BuzzFlash.org, INSTAPUTZ, Scared Monkeys, Chicago Boyz, TigerHawk, Redstate, Atlas Shrugs, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Swamp, Right Wing Nut House, Right Wing News, Gateway Pundit, The Moderate Voice, State of the Day, QandO, The Influence Peddler, Macsmind, Roger L. Simon, Little Green Footballs, Betsy's Page, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Cadillac Tight, The Corner, Yourish.com and Confederate Yankee
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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.
Discussion:
Think Progress, Shakesville, Debbie Schlussel, Daily Kos, The Carpetbagger Report, News Hounds and Little Thom's Blog
Jessica Wehrman / Dayton Daily News:
Hobson says Pelosi trip productive despite critics
Hobson says Pelosi trip productive despite critics
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!
Justin Rood Reports / The Blotter:
Probe Targets GSA Chief — Justin Rood Reports: — Another federal investigation is targeting a Bush administration official, this time for possibly using government resources for partisan political purposes. — The Office of Special Counsel confirmed to ABC News it has launched …
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.
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:
TPMmuckraker, Balloon Juice, The Huffington Post, The Next Hurrah, WSJ.com, Happy Furry Puppy Story … and David Corn
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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.
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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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.
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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.
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 …
Discussion:
Cadillac Tight
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Robin Wright / Washington Post:
Tehran Likely to Pay Long-Term Price — British officials expected an angry rant when they heard that Iran's hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was going to give a news conference yesterday about the 15 British sailors and marines detained two weeks ago in the Persian Gulf.
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Washington Post:
For the Edwards Kids, It's Time for Stump School — Two political insiders have joined John and Elizabeth Edwards on the campaign trail this week: Emma Claire, 8, and Jack, 6. The kids are on spring break, but this fall they'll get a tutor and hit the road. — "They love it," said Jennifer Palmieri, a campaign aide.
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
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:
MyDD, Hot Air, The Influence Peddler, The Corner, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and On Politics
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 …
Tom Engelhardt / TomDispatch:
Tomgram: Noam Chomsky on "the Iran Effect" — On Tuesday, meeting with the press in the White House Rose Garden, the President responded to a question about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Syria this way: "[P]hoto opportunities and/or meetings with President Assad lead the Assad government …
Discussion:
Prairie Weather
White House:
President Bush Visits with the Troops at Fort Irwin, California — Fact Sheet: President Bush Meets with Military Personnel and Their Families at Fort Irwin — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all. (Applause.) I've been waiting all day to say, Hoo-ah! — AUDIENCE: Hoo-ah!