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:
Think Progress, Bring it On!, Power Line, Confederate Yankee, Right Wing Nut House, DownWithTyranny!, Pandagon, No More Mister Nice Blog, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Macsmind, Flopping Aces, The Strata-Sphere, Daniel W. Drezner, The Gun Toting Liberal™, Jules Crittenden, Betsy's Page, The Mahablog, LiberalOasis, The Moderate Voice, AMERICAN DIGEST, Iowa Voice, The Agonist and CorrenteWire
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Allahpundit / Hot Air:
ABC exposes Bush's secret order to CIA to destabilize Iranian regime
ABC exposes Bush's secret order to CIA to destabilize Iranian regime
Discussion:
Wizbang
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Democrats Pull Troop Deadline From Iraq Bill — Congressional Democrats relented Tuesday on their insistence that a war spending measure set a date for withdrawing American combat troops from Iraq. Instead, they moved toward a deal with President Bush that would impose new conditions on the Iraqi government.
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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.
CNN:
Justice aide who took the Fifth to testify in attorney firings … (CNN) — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' former link to the White House will testify on Capitol Hill Wednesday, speaking out for the first time on her role in the controversial U.S. Attorney firings.
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Michael Brady / Keeping the Majority Accountable …:
Freshmen fail first ethics test — Despite last week's media blitz promoting tougher ethics enforcement, a group of freshmen Congressmen failed their first practical test Tuesday night, when they refused to reprimand one of their colleagues for an apparent ethics violation.
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CNN:
U.S. checking if body found in river is missing soldier … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Iraqi police found the body of what they said was a Western-looking man, apparently dressed in U.S. military uniform, floating in the Euphrates River south of Baghdad on Wednesday, an official said.
Discussion:
Hot Air
RELATED:
Alan Cooperman / Washington Post:
Survey: U.S. Muslims Assimilated, Opposed to Extremism — Unlike Muslim minorities in many European countries, U.S. Muslims are highly assimilated, close to parity with other Americans in income and overwhelmingly opposed to Islamic extremism, according to the first major, nationwide random survey of Muslims.
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Washington Post:
McCain Turns Focus To His Fundraising — As the Senate debate over immigration raged yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had breakfast, brunch and lunch fundraisers in Houston before heading north to gather money at a supporter's home in Dallas and, later, from young professionals at a gourmet Mexican restaurant.
Discussion:
The Caucus
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Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Fred Thompson Inks Another GOP Insider — Fred Thompson has inked former Federal Elections Commission Chairman Michael Toner to serve as the lead lawyer for his increasingly likely campaign for the GOP presidential nomination. — Toner is the second major Thompson hire to become public in recent days.
RELATED:
The Independent:
Robert Fisk: The road to Jerusalem (via Lebanon) — Inspired by al-Qa'ida, a hitherto little-known militant group is behind the outbreak of bloody violence which has left scores dead — They came into Lebanon last summer when the world was watching Israel smash this small nation in a vain attempt to destroy the Hizbollah.
RELATED:
Deb Riechmann / Associated Press:
Bush: Bin Laden ordered non-Iraq attacks — WASHINGTON - Seeking to rally support for the war, President Bush released intelligence asserting that Osama bin Laden in 2005 ordered creation of a terrorist unit to hit targets outside Iraq, including the United States.
Discussion:
The Impolitic, AMERICAblog, Brilliant at Breakfast, Republic of Sestakastan and Rising Hegemon
Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post:
New Strategy for War Stresses Iraqi Politics — U.S. Aims to Oust Sectarians From Key Roles — Top U.S. commanders and diplomats in Iraq are completing a far-reaching campaign plan for a new U.S. strategy, laying out military and political goals and endorsing the selective removal …
Discussion:
The Strata-Sphere, Democratic Underground …, The Impolitic, Outside The Beltway and Oliver Willis
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.
New York Times:
Senate Votes to Keep Temporary Worker Program — A comprehensive immigration bill survived a significant test on Tuesday as the Senate voted to keep a provision that would let hundreds of thousands of temporary foreign workers enter the country each year. — If the guest worker program …
Wendy Kaminer / Opinion Journal:
The American Liberal Liberties Union — The ACLU is becoming very selective about what it considers "free" speech. — "ACLU Defends Nazi's Right to Burn Down ACLU Headquarters," the humor magazine The Onion announced in 1999. Those of us who loved the ACLU, and celebrated its willingness …
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Damien Cave / New York Times:
As Comrades Search, Fatal Bomb Wreaks Havoc — The ground exploded under an ashen sky at dawn. Dust, dirt, blood and military equipment filled the air, clearing after several seconds to reveal a frenzied scene of horror. — Where Sgt. Justin D. Wisniewski, 22, had just been standing …
Simon Tisdall / Guardian:
Bush may turn to UN in search for Iraq solution — If troop surge fails, strategy is to involve other nations under UN umbrella — The Bush administration is developing plans to "internationalise" the Iraq crisis, including an expanded role for the United Nations, as a way of reducing …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Democratic Underground …, The Heretik, normblog and Air America Radio