Top Items:
The Blotter:
Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran — Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report: — The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
Discussion:
The Strata-Sphere, Confederate Yankee, Wizbang, The Moderate Voice, Jules Crittenden, The Agonist and CorrenteWire
RELATED:
Faiz / Think Progress:
ABC News: Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran — This evening, ABC's World News Tonight reported that the "United States has opened a new front in its showdown with Iran." According to the report, President Bush has directed the CIA to carry out covert operations both inside and outside Iran …
Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:Well, This Takes All The Fun Out Of It — ABC News has revealed …
Discussion:
The Newshoggers
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Democrats Drop Troop Pullout Dates From Iraq Bill — Congressional Democrats relented today on their insistence that a war spending measure sought by President Bush also set a date for withdrawing troops from Iraq. The decision to back down, described by senior lawmakers and aides …
Discussion:
TIME: Swampland, Firedoglake, Associated Press, Pam's House Blend, Donklephant, the talking dog, Salon and On Deadline
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Shailagh Murray / Washington Post:
Democrats Relent On Pullout Timetable — Democrats gave up their demand for troop-withdrawal deadlines in an Iraq war spending package yesterday, abandoning their top goal of bringing U.S. troops home and handing President Bush a victory in a debate that has roiled Congress for months.
Discussion:
New York Times, AMERICAblog, Brilliant at Breakfast, Jules Crittenden and About U.S. Politics
CNN:
Deadline pulled from war funding bill … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Speaker Nancy Pelosi will present a plan to House Democrats for a war funding bill that won't include a timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq but will feature benchmarks with consequences, according to Democratic leadership aides.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, New York Times, Election Central, Firedoglake, Oliver Willis, TalkLeft and Crooks and Liars
ABCNEWS:
Bomb Plot Thwarted at Falwell's Funeral — Student Arrested With Homemade Bombs, Three Other Suspects Sought — Even in death, the Rev. Jerry Falwell rouses the most volatile of emotions. — A small group of protesters gathered near the funeral services to criticize the man …
RELATED:
Rush Transcript / The Raw Story:
A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS THE VIDEO — HALA GORANI: Well, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported back in March that in order to defeate Hezbollah, the Lebanese government supported a Sunni militant group, the same ones they're fighting today. Seymour joins us live from Washington.
RELATED:
Pew Research Center:
Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream — War on Terror Concerns — The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.
RELATED:
Alan Fram / Associated Press:
Some US Muslims say suicide attacks OK — WASHINGTON - One in four younger U.S. Muslims said in a poll that suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable at least in some circumstances, though most Muslim Americans overwhelmingly reject the tactic and are critical of Islamic extremism and al-Qaida.
Laura Litvan / Bloomberg:
Lieberman, Sticking With Democrats for Now, Warns Them on Iraq — Senator Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, says his disagreement with the Democrats over the Iraq war won't prevent him from working with his former party. For now. — ``I hope the moment doesn't come that I feel …
RELATED:
Senator Russ Feingold / Daily Kos:A Collapse for Democrats — I wanted to link to a couple …
Discussion:
Democrats.com, Crooks and Liars, Don Surber, Taylor Marsh, DownWithTyranny!, Riehl World View and TalkLeft
Faiz / Think Progress:
Snow Slams Gore's Book, Says It Should Be 'Reprinted' Because It Calls Out Bush's 'Deception' — In his new book The Assault on Reason, Al Gore wrote that Bush's efforts to connect Iraq to 9/11 were an example of the administration's willful "deception" of the public:
RELATED:
James Boyce / The Huffington Post:
Just Off The Phone With Al Gore — With Special Note To Tony Snow — Al Gore has a new book out today, "The Assault On Reason." I won't spoil the ending for you but let's just say that the wrong guy wins, through some dubious methods, the United States is plunged into a pre-emptive war …
Stewart M. Powell / San Francisco Chronicle:
Bush could double force by Christmas — (05-22) 04:00 PDT Washington — The Bush administration is quietly on track to nearly double the number of combat troops in Iraq this year, an analysis of Pentagon deployment orders showed Monday. — The little-noticed second surge …
RELATED:
Stewart M. Powell / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:U.S. quietly, dramatically increasing Iraq troop levels
Discussion:
Firedoglake
Agence France Presse:
Gay flamingos pick up chick — LONDON (AFP) - A pair of gay flamingos have adopted an abandoned chick, becoming parents after being together for six years, a British conservation organisation said Monday. — Carlos and Fernando had been desperate to start a family, even chasing other flamingos …
Thomas Harding / Telegraph:
Taliban 'stalled by lack of commanders' — The Taliban's much-vaunted spring offensive has stalled apparently due to lack of organisation after dozens of middle-ranking commanders were killed by British troops in the past year, according to military sources.
Daniel Friedman / Federal Times:
GSA chief violated Hatch Act, OSC report finds — An Office of Special Counsel report has found that General Services Administration chief Lurita Doan violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal officials from partisan political activity while on the job, sources say.
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