Top Items:
Matt Stoller / MyDD:
The Capitulation Bill: "Obviously it's a good move" — The crazy thing about the fight is that Democratic insiders are convinced that capitulation is the right strategy. They actually believe that this will put pressure on the Republicans in the fall, and that standing up to Bush is a bad idea.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, DownWithTyranny!, Taylor Marsh, Brilliant at Breakfast and Balloon Juice
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Carl Hulse / New York Times:
News Analysis: On War Funds, Democrats Saw No Option but to Cede Ground to Bush — Congressional contortions over the Iraq spending bill could end up with most House Democrats momentarily occupying the position they were so desperate to vacate: the minority.
Greg Sargent / Election Central:
Dem Leadership: If We'd Confronted Bush On Iraq, White House Would Have Criticized Us — With the House set to vote on the no-timelines Iraq War funding bill later today, The New York Times provides a glimpse into the thinking among top Dems that led to the current proposal: … Oooooooooooooo, scary!
Susan Ferrechio / CQ.com:
Democrats Set Stage for Next War Debate — Before deciding to blink in the long standoff over war spending and troop withdrawal, House Democrats convinced themselves President Bush is scoring only a short-term victory. — The House is expected to send to the Senate late Thursday …
Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:GOP slams Pelosi in new ad campaign
Discussion:
Capitol Briefing, Bob McCarty Writes, Whiskey Fire, Wizbang and Michael P.F. van der Galiën
Mike Soraghan / The Hill:House Democrats bracing for unpalatable Iraq vote
Discussion:
Sirotablog, The Huffington Post, CQ.com, Happy Furry Puppy Story …, Booman Tribune, All Spin Zone and Crooks and Liars
Rose Garden / White House:
Press Conference by the President — THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Thank you, all. Good morning. — Today, Congress will vote on legislation that provides our troops with the funds they need. It makes clear that our Iraqi partners must demonstrate progress on security and reconciliation.
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Frederic J. Frommer / Associated Press:
Justice official: There was "concern" about Heffelfinger — The Justice Department had concerns about the amount of time that former U.S. attorney for Minnesota Tom Heffelfinger spent on American Indian issues, the department's former White House liaison testified Wednesday.
RELATED:
Greg Palast / The BRAD BLOG:Palast Exclusive: The Goods on Goodling and the Keys to the Kingdom
Discussion:
Election Law
Dalia Sussman / New York Times:
POLL SHOWS OPPOSITION TO IRAQ WAR AT ALL TIME HIGH — Americans now view the war in Iraq more negatively than at any time since the war began, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. — Six in 10 Americans say the United States should have stayed out of Iraq and more than three …
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CBS News:
CBS Poll: 76% Say War's Going Badly — Record Number In CBS/NYT Survey Say Getting Involved In Iraq Was A Mistake — (CBS) As President Bush and Congress hammer out an Iraq war funding bill, a CBS News/New York Times poll shows the number of Americans who say the war is going badly has reached a new high …
Dale Franks / QandO:
QUESTIONS FOR OUR LIBERAL FRIENDS — Bruce is a big boy, and certainly doesn't need me to help him out, but let's talk about Iraq for a moment. Because I have questions for people like Oliver Willis to which I'm curious to hear the answers. And I'm not asking in a snarky way. I'm honestly interested.
RELATED:
Oliver Willis:
AN ANSWER TO OUR CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS — I'm going to answer these questions posted by conservative Dale Franks here and not in their comments because I know quite a few of the cons who read my site regularly ask the same questions (and by "ask" I mean regurgitate existing talking points) …
Susan Bell / Scotsman:
Raid on spy's home 'reveals details of Chirac's secret £30m bank account' — LONG-STANDING rumours that the former French president Jacques Chirac holds a secret multi-million-euro bank account in Japan appear to have been confirmed by files seized from the home of a senior spy.
The Smoking Gun:
Torture, Al-Qaeda Style — Drawings, tools seized from Iraq safe house in U.S. military raid — In a recent raid on an al-Qaeda safe house in Iraq, U.S. military officials recovered an assortment of crude drawings depicting torture methods like "blowtorch to the skin" and "eye removal."
Opinion Journal:
Immigration and Welfare — Most of them will pay at least as much as they collect. — The immigration debate is roaring again, and we're happy to join the fun. One place to start is a myth that has become a key talking point among restrictionists on the right—to wit …
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Steve Clemons / The Washington Note:
Cheney Attempting to Constrain Bush's Choices on Iran Conflict: Staff Engaged in Insubordination Against President Bush — There is a race currently underway between different flanks of the administration to determine the future course of US-Iran policy. — On one flank are the diplomats …
Frank Newport / Gallup Poll:
Despite Campaign, Familiarity With Candidates Has Not Changed Substantially — Giuliani remains most positively evaluated; Clinton and Romney least so — PRINCETON, NJ — Despite the remarkably early start on this year's presidential campaign and the high-visibility presence of the major candidates …
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
RELATED:
Sudarsan Raghavan / Washington Post:
Morgue Data Show Increase In Sectarian Killings in Iraq — More than three months into a U.S.-Iraqi security offensive designed to curtail sectarian violence in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, Health Ministry statistics show that such killings are rising again.
Discussion:
Atlantic Free Press, Informed Comment, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Balloon Juice and Truthdig
Eugene Volokh / The Volokh Conspiracy:
FLIERS WITH PERSON'S PICTURE + "GOD HATES FAGS" = FELONY: That seems to be the theory of this prosecution in Illinois: … The fliers show two men kissing — one of them apparently "a male classmate[,] and neighbor of one of the girls[,] with whom they had been feuding" — coupled with the words "God hates fags."
Discussion:
Bring it On!
RELATED:
Howard Fineman / Newsweek:
Fineman: McCain and the upside of anger — McCain's outbursts are the understandable byproduct of a candidate whose courage is constantly tested by bad luck. — The nasty words are flying between the camps. By now, political junkies know how it escalated.
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