Top Items:
Graham Bowley / New York Times:
Cheney Makes Surprise Visit to Baghdad — Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to Baghdad today, meeting with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders to pressure them to show more progress in quelling violence in Iraq, and to do so quickly.
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WSJ.com: Washington Wire:
In Iraq, Cheney Sticks to the Script — Yochi J. Dreazen reports on the vice president's trip to Baghdad. — Vice President Dick Cheney's surprise trip to Baghdad today was meant to deliver a tough message to the Iraqi government - put off your vacation plans and get back to work.
Michael Abramowitz / Washington Post:
Bush Would Veto New Iraq Bill — President Bush would veto the new Iraq spending bill being developed by House Democrats because it includes unacceptable language restricting funding, White House press secretary Tony Snow said this morning. — Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One …
Michael van der Galien / The Moderate Voice:
Iraqi Christians Flee Baghdad
Iraqi Christians Flee Baghdad
Discussion:
Militant Moderates
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Giuliani gave to Planned Parenthood — Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani in his campaign appearances this year has stated that he personally abhors abortion, even though he supports keeping a legal right to choose. But records show that in the '90s he contributed money …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Dick Polman's American Debate, Public Eye, Balloon Juice, AMERICAN DIGEST, Shakesville, News Hounds, Pollster.com, The Mahablog, Blogometer, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, PoliBlog (TM), Associated Press, Hotline On Call, Real Clear Politics, Central Sanity, Vox Popoli, The Caucus, Kiko's House, Wonkette, Redstate, The Carpetbagger Report and TalkLeft
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Democrats bear responsibility for restoring habeas corpus — The Military Commissions Act of 2006 is, without question, the single worst law enacted during the Bush presidency, and is one of the most destructive laws passed in the last several decades. It is not merely a bad law.
Discussion:
Norwegianity, D.A. Ridgely, Calitics, The Impolitic, Obsidian Wings, DownWithTyranny!, WorkingForChange and Daily Kos
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Bob Lewis / Associated Press:
Obama Overstates Kansas Tornado Deaths — RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Barack Obama, caught up in the fervor of a campaign speech Tuesday, drastically overstated the Kansas tornadoes death toll, saying 10,000 had died. — The death toll was 12. — "In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas.
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NYT > National:
Kansas Tornado Renews Debate on Guard at War — For months, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and other governors have warned that their state National Guards are ill-prepared for the next local disaster, be it a tornado a flash flood or a terrorist's threat, because of large deployments …
The Hill:
Pelosi threat to sue Bush over Iraq bill — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is threatening to take President Bush to court if he issues a signing statement as a way of sidestepping a carefully crafted compromise Iraq war spending bill. — Pelosi recently told a group of liberal bloggers …
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Opinion Journal:
Axis of Soros — The men and motives behind the World Bank coup attempt. — Mark Malloch Brown spoke Monday to a crowded auditorium at the World Bank's headquarters, warning that the bank's mission was "hugely at risk" as long as Paul Wolfowitz remained its president.
Discussion:
The Newshoggers, BusinessWeek Online, New York Times, The Sundries Shack and JammieWearingFool
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Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:
THE COUPLES RULE....I'm pretty convinced that Paul Wolfowitz played fast …
THE COUPLES RULE....I'm pretty convinced that Paul Wolfowitz played fast …
Discussion:
Ezra Klein
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
DeLay: FBI 'running amok' — Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) is calling on the Justice Department either to drop its investigation of his wife and former political associates or else to bring charges quickly. — DeLay said he has given the FBI documents exonerating his wife …
Marist Poll:
National Poll: Presidential Campaign 2008 — This WNBC/Marist Poll reports: — · Hillary Clinton is not only the Democratic favorite for her party's nomination but, for the first time, she edges both Rudy Giuliani and John McCain: Senator Hillary Clinton still outpaces her Democratic rivals by a wide margin.
Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Gonzales: Blame It on The Aide — The House Judiciary Committee has released Alberto Gonzales' written statement in preparation for tomorrow's hearing. The story won't surprise anyone, but it's clear at least that Gonzales has honed it down to a streamlined tale of his chief …
Discussion:
Think Progress
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David Kopel / The Volokh Conspiracy:
"FRANCE WILL NOT ABANDON THE WOMEN WHO ARE CONDEMNED TO THE BURQA" President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy's first speech to the French nation concluded with a wonderful endorsement of human rights. (Video here.) — Sarkozy spoke from a prepared text , which appears on his official campaign websites.
Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Hitler-Stalin For The Terror Age — Steven Stalinsky notices a strange trend in international relations in today's New York Sun. A marriage of convenience has begun to grow between two factions that seem entirely incompatible in all respects but one: … It's the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact for our age.
Associated Press:
Hamas Mickey Mouse Teaches Jihad — A new black and white rodent has appeared on Palestinian television, and it's not the Mickey Mouse you're used to. This one teaches children about AK-47s and Jihad on behalf of the Islamist group Hamas. … If one were to choose the imaginary creature …