Top Items:
R. Jeffrey Smith / Washington Post:
Hussein's Prewar Ties To Al-Qaeda Discounted — Pentagon Report Says Contacts Were Limited — Captured Iraqi documents and intelligence interrogations of Saddam Hussein and two former aides "all confirmed" that Hussein's regime was not directly cooperating with al-Qaeda before the U.S. invasion of Iraq …
Discussion:
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Dan Froomkin / Washington Post:
Cheney Sticks to His Delusions — Faced with overwhelming evidence to the contrary, even President Bush has backed off his earlier inflammatory assertions about links between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. — But Vice President Cheney yesterday, in an interview with right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh …
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Britain's Humiliation — and Europe's — Iran has pulled off a tidy little success with its seizure and release of those 15 British sailors and marines: a pointed humiliation of Britain, with a bonus demonstration of Iran's intention to push back against coalition challenges to its assets in Iraq.
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Tariq Panja / Associated Press:
Britons: Iran bound, threatened captives — ROYAL MARINE BASE CHIVENOR, England - British sailors and marines held for nearly two weeks in Iran were blindfolded, bound and threatened with prison if they did not say they had strayed into Iranian waters, a Royal Navy lieutenant who was among the capitives said Friday.
Discussion:
NewsHog
Richard Holt / Telegraph:
Sailors 'blindfolded, bound and threatened' — The British service personnel held hostage in Iran said they were blindfolded, bound and threatened with seven years in prison if they didn't admit they had strayed into Iranian waters. — At a press conference the sailors and Marines confirmed …
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Justice Department In New Fight Over Papers on Firings — The Justice Department is refusing to release hundreds of pages of additional documents related to the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, setting up a fresh clash with Capitol Hill in a controversy that continues to threaten Attorney …
Discussion:
The Next Hurrah, Firedoglake, TPMmuckraker, PoliBlog (TM), WSJ.com, Democrats.com, First Read and Rook's Rant
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publicbroadcasting.net:
Ehlers Says U.S. Attorney General Should Resign — Republican Congressman Vern Ehlers of Grand Rapids says he thinks U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should step down. — Ehlers made the remarks before giving an update on the Congress and current events at a noon event at Calvin College.
Opinion Journal:
Democrats at War — Prime Minister Pelosi and Secretary of State Lantos undermine U.S. foreign policy—and maybe their own party. — Democrats took Congress last fall in part by opposing the war in Iraq, but it is becoming clear that they view their election as a mandate for something far more ambitious …
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Faiz / Think Progress:
Lauer On Pelosi Syria Visit: 'Let's Face It, A Lot Of People Think She Messed Up On This One' — This morning, NBC's Today Show ran a biased segment casting doubt on Pelosi's Syria trip. Every single question asked by anchor Matt Lauer was framed around conservative talking points.
Discussion:
USA Today, Reuters, Media Matters for America, The Carpetbagger Report and Booman Tribune
Matt Lewis / Townhall.com:
Bloggers to Blame for Rudy's Bad Week? — Roger Simon reports: … Is Rudy blaming bloggers for his recent bad publicity? — Rudy's recent problems have arisen from interviews he granted or speeches he gave. — The most damning information has come from YouTube videos …
E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
Answers To the Atheists — This weekend, many of the world's estimated 2 billion Christians will remember and celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. — While some Christians harbor doubts about Christ's actual physical resurrection, hundreds of millions believe devoutly …
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Bassem Mroue / Associated Press:
Chlorine truck bomber kills 27 in Ramadi — BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber driving a truck loaded with TNT and toxic chlorine gas crashed into a police checkpoint in western Ramadi on Friday, killing at least 27 people and wounding dozens, police in the Anbar provincial capital said.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report
JSOnline:
Ex-state official freed — Judge calls evidence she steered travel contract 'beyond thin' — Federal judges Thursday ruled that former state purchasing supervisor Georgia L. Thompson was wrongly convicted of making sure a state travel contract went to a firm linked to Gov. Jim Doyle's re-election campaign …
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Bruce Bartlett / New York Times:
How Supply-Side Economics Trickled Down — AS one who was present at the creation of "supply-side economics" back in the 1970s, I think it is long past time that the phrase be put to rest. It did its job, creating a new consensus among economists on how to look at the national economy.
Chris Bowers / MyDD:
Go Bloomberg, Go! — This week, I have twice blogged (see here and here) about my hope that Mitt Romney would win the Republican nomination, because I believe he would be relatively easier to defeat in the general election than either John McCain or, especially, Rudy Giuliani.
Minneapolis Star Tribune:
3 federal prosecutors quit manager posts — They left their management jobs with the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office and will go back to prosecuting cases. — In a surprising move, three top lawyers in the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office resigned their management positions Thursday and will return to prosecuting cases.