Top Items:
The Blotter:
Document: Iran Caught Red-Handed Shipping Arms to Taliban — Brian Ross and Christopher Isham Report: — NATO officials say they have caught Iran red-handed, shipping heavy arms, C4 explosives and advanced roadside bombs to the Taliban for use against NATO forces, in what the officials …
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Nico / Think Progress:
Goodling In Private Email: 'Send Directly Up To Me, Outside The System' — New Justice Department communications released tonight include an email from Monica Goodling, former counsel to Alberto Gonzales, directing another official to draw up a directive giving her unprecedented authority to hire and fire political staffers.
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Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Official: Cheney Urged Wiretaps — Stand-In for Ashcroft Alleges Interference — Vice President Cheney told Justice Department officials that he disagreed with their objections to a secret surveillance program during a high-level White House meeting in March 2004, a former senior Justice official told senators yesterday.
Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:
Cheney blocked official's promotion — WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney blocked the promotion of a Justice Department official involved in a bedside standoff over President Bush's eavesdropping program, a Senate committee learned Wednesday. — In a written account …
Selcan Hacaoglu / Associated Press:
Turkish officials say troops enter Iraq — ANKARA, Turkey - Hundreds of Turkish soldiers crossed into northern Iraq on Wednesday pursuing Kurdish guerrillas who stage attacks on Turkey from hideouts there, Turkish security officials and an Iraqi Kurd official said.
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, Balloon Juice, Aljazeera, DEBKAfile, The Newshoggers, The Carpetbagger Report, Lamplighter, Confederate Yankee and TPMmuckraker
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Joe Klein / Time:
Beware the Bloggers' Bile — A strange thing happened to me the day the House of Representatives voted to pass the Iraq-war-funding bill. Congresswoman Jane Harman of California called as the debate was taking place. "Look, I would love to have cast a vote against Bush on this," she told me.
Des Moines Register:
Giuliani will skip August straw poll — New Yorker plans "non-traditional" caucus run — Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani plans to skip the Ames straw poll in August, but compete to win the leadoff Iowa caucuses, a gamble by the former New York Mayor on a "non-traditional" caucus campaign and a first for Iowa.
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Justin Rood Reports / The Blotter:
GOP Lawmakers Demand Probe of ABC News Story — Justin Rood Reports: — A group of House Republicans are calling for an investigation into "the release of sensitive information" in a recent ABC News report on CIA covert activities against Iran. — In a carefully worded request …
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Michael Calderone / New York Observer:
Murdoch, Ailes, Weymouth Pump Bloomberg At Breindel Awards — "I'm sworn to secrecy," Rupert Murdoch told The Observer as he was leaving the New-York Historical Society's auditorium last night. But: "We're making progress," the News Corp. chief added. — Mr. Murdoch hosted …
Jon Henke / QandO:
I'M WITH FRED — AND NEW MEDIA STRATEGIES — It's been six months since I last posted here at QandO to announce that I'd taken a position as New Media Advisor to the Senate Republicans. I believe we accomplished a great deal over the past six months and gave the Senate Republicans …
Discussion:
Hotline On Call, Redstate, Sister Toldjah, Wonkette, Ron's Musings, Captain's Quarters and Tim Worstall
Bob Geiger:
Latest Intelligence Report Yet Another Smoking Gun On Bush — When Army Chief of Staff, General Eric Shinseki appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 25, 2003 to discuss preparations for a possible invasion of Iraq, he was asked by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) …
Discussion:
The Carpetbagger Report, The Reaction, The Impolitic, Big Brass Blog and Democratic National Committee
M.E. Sprengelmeyer / Rocky Mountain News:
Tancredo to change direction of his campaign — Rep. Tom Tancredo plans to change direction in his long-shot presidential campaign so he can pressure fellow Republicans into rejecting an immigration reform plan he considers "amnesty." — Before a debate tonight on CNN, Tancredo, R-Littleton …
Discussion:
Examining Presidential …
Digby / Hullabaloo:
Crushes — I honestly don't know what to make of all these men in the political establishment who insist on using their mancrushes as some sort of guideline for who is and is not "presidential." Honestly, even Kathryn Jean Lopez's famous drooling over Mitt Romney isn't as embarrassing.
Discussion:
MyDD, Obsidian Wings, Crooks and Liars, protein wisdom, TBogg, Media Matters for America and The Politico
Patrick Ruffini / Townhall.com:
Thompson Raises $220K Online in 18 Hours — Sources close to the Thompson campaign have passed along the following first-day results for ImWithFred.com: … We'll see what traffic measuring services like Alexa say in a day or so, but this has to be considered a powerful shot across the bow.
Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Immigrant Measure Survives Challenges — The plan to overhaul the nation's immigration system survived its most serious challenges yesterday, when the Senate defeated amendments to disqualify hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from legalization and to extend visas to hundreds …
Discussion:
Brian Beutler