Top Items:
Agence France Presse:
Iraq war is 'lost': US Democrat leader — The war in Iraq "is lost" and a US troop surge is failing to bring peace to the country, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Congress, Harry Reid, said Thursday. — "I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything …
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Agence France Presse:
"War in Iraq lost": US Democrat leader — The war in Iraq "is lost" and a US troop surge is failing to bring peace to the country, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Congress, Harry Reid, said Thursday. — "I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything …
Washington Post:
Democrats Would Make Iraq Timetable in Bill 'Advisory' — Congressional Democratic leaders are moving to make their proposed timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq "advisory" as they seek to reconcile two versions of war spending legislation into a single bill that they plan to pass next week …
David Stout / New York Times:
In Testimony, Gonzales Says Firings Were Justified — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales encountered anger and skepticism from senators today as he insisted that he had nothing to hide in the dismissals of eight United States attorneys, an episode that has cast a shadow on the Justice Department and brought calls for his resignation.
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MSNBC:
Embattled attorney general plays down role in attorneys' dismissals — LIVE VIDEO: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee following the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. — NBC News Live — See photos of quirky landmarks that you sent in! Click "launch."
John Edwards '08 Blog:
I'm Signing On — I really thought that the 2004 presidential campaign would be the last I would be involved in. I have always wanted to make a difference, but for me I thought those days were over. — A few weeks ago, John and Elizabeth Edwards made their decision to continue …
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Hotline On Call:
More On Joe Trippi And John Edwards — Some points about Joe Trippi and John Edwards: — # Trippi remains a hero to the Netroots. Justifiably. Opinions diverge when his fellow political strategists are polled, but many veteran strategists agree that Trippi is among the most brilliant, creative thinkers in politics.
Discussion:
Patrick Ruffini
Lynn M. Paltrow / American Prospect:
Miscarriage of Justice — The federal "partial-birth" abortion ban has grave implications for all pregnant women, not only those seeking to end pregnancies. — Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the first federal law that bans an abortion procedure for all women and all doctors in all states.
Discussion:
a bird and a bottle
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Nazila Fathi / New York Times:
Iran Exonerates Six Who Killed in Islam's Name
Iran Exonerates Six Who Killed in Islam's Name
Discussion:
QandO, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Captain's Quarters, Overlawyered, Riehl World View, Atlas Shrugs and Sweetness & Light
Scott Harper / zwire.com:
McCain visits Murrells Inlet — Even though he was nursing a cold, Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain spent nearly 90 minutes talking to nearly 500 people who crammed into the Murrells Inlet VFW Hall Wednesday morning. — The "Straight Talk" tour, as it's called, included stops in Summerville and Charleston.
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Political Radar:
American Idol for Politicians? — ABC News' Bret Hovell Reports: Sen. John McCain's, R-Ariz., campaign insists he was only kidding when he combined a Beach Boys impression with foreign policy Wednesday before a group of Veterans at a VFW hall in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. — See the YouTube video here.
Discussion:
democracyarsenal.org
Bill Carter / New York Times:
Package Forced NBC to Make Tough Decisions — The package that arrived yesterday at NBC headquarters in New York was almost immediately flagged as suspicious, because it had been mailed from Blacksburg, Va., and bore the return name A. Ishmael. — Last night, the anchor of "The NBC Nightly News …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Huffington Post, NewsBusters.org, Media Blog, CJR Daily, BuzzMachine, Outside The Beltway, Secular Blasphemy, Right Wing News, Wake up America, Scripting News, Sister Toldjah, The Democratic Daily, Betsy's Page, Right Voices and Personal Democracy Forum
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David Maraniss / Washington Post:
'That Was the Desk I Chose to Die Under' — The roommates crossed paths near the bathroom door at 5 in the morning. In the Monday darkness, another school week at Virginia Tech was about to begin. Karan Grewal had pulled an all-nighter to finish his accounting paper.
Discussion:
The Corner, A Blog For All, The Strata-Sphere, Hot Air, TIME: Swampland and theGarance.com
Barbara Oakley / New York Times:
The Killer in the Lecture Hall
The Killer in the Lecture Hall
Discussion:
The Corner, No More Mister Nice Blog, Joanne Jacobs, small dead animals, Overlawyered and Neptunus Lex
Erica Werner / Associated Press:
Embattled lawmaker gives up panel seat — WASHINGTON - Rep. John Doolittle (news, bio, voting record) has decided to temporarily give up his House Appropriations Committee seat after FBI agents searched his house in a congressional influence-peddling investigation.
Liz Mair / GOPProgress.com:
Which lame-o Senator likes dark-ages campaign finance reports and secret holds? — Great. I thought we were done with this nonsense about certain Senators placing secret holds on legislation that might cause them a spot of bother, back last year when this site, together with Porkbusters and TPM …
Discussion:
Sunlight Foundation blogs, the david all group, Redstate, Bluey Blog and Beltway Blogroll
Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Gonzales: Criticism Damages DoJ Employees — Under questioning from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Gonzales cautioned against criticizing the good employees of the Justice Department: "when there are attacks against the department, you're attacking the career professionals."
Jonathan Singer / MyDD:
House Dems' Fundraising Effort Blows House GOP Out of the Water — During the last cycle when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was able to effectively match the National Republican Congressional Committee despite the fact that most political analysts saw little chance …
Matthew Yglesias:
About That Constitution — I have to say that I think one of the most surprising bits of conventional wisdom to emerge over the years has been the squishy middle's sense that abortion should be generally legal, but that legal decisions holding that there is a constitutional right to securing this outcome are constitutionally dodgy.