Top Items:
Noam N. Levey / Los Angeles Times:
Approval of Congress lowest in a decade — Only about a quarter of Americans approve of how it's doing its job, a poll shows; most see 'business as usual.' — WASHINGTON — Fueled by disappointment at the pace of change since Democrats assumed the majority on Capitol Hill …
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Tapscott's Copy Desk:
Congress Hits 10-Year Low Popularity Rating but GOP Gets No Boost; Time for a New Party? — It's taken roughly six months for the Democratic congressional majority elected last November to dissipate the public support that put it in power. The latest Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey finds …
Discussion:
The Newshoggers, PoliBlog (TM), BitsBlog, The Populist, Outside The Beltway, Reason Magazine, Betsy's Page, PoliPundit.com, UrbanGrounds and Don Surber
Times of London:
Mystery of President Bush's watch in Albania — Now you see it. Now you don't. — George W Bush was visibly cheered when he received a hero's welcome in Albania at the weekend, with Albanians draped in the Stars and Stripes reaching out to hug him and shake his hand.
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The New Republic:
MURDER INCORPORATED: — Iraq has roughly 28 million people, roughly 20 times the population of Gaza. In percentages, the number of daily dead is becoming nearly identical. If there is a civil war in Iraq, there certainly is a civil war in Gaza. And it started soon after Israel withdrew.
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Jerusalem Post:
Hamas captures Fatah security HQ — Hamas forces captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza, seizing control of a key prize in the bloody power struggle between the sides, Hamas and Fatah officials said. — Hamas attacked the compound with mortars and automatic gunfire …
United States Senator:
Border Security Can Be Implemented Without Senate Bill — Today, nine U.S. Senators wrote a letter to President Bush urging him to fulfill the border security provisions listed in the Senate immigration bill whether the legislation passes or not. Each border security trigger in the bill …
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James Joyner / Outside The Beltway:
Rudy Giuliani's 12 Commitments — Rudy Giuliani gave a speech this afternoon announcing his "Twelve Commitments to the American people, a bold vision aimed at moving America forward through change and reform, overcoming new challenges and increasing accountability in Washington."
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Alan Cowell / New York Times:
In Parting Shot, Blair Calls Press a 'Feral Beast' — In the land that produced "Scoop," Evelyn Waugh's novel of journalistic ambition and ineptitude, it would seem unsurprising for politicians to criticize reporters on occasion. But was it justified, as Prime Minister Tony Blair did today, to call the press a "feral beast"?
White House:
President Bush Attends Dedication of Victims of Communism Memorial — Washington, D.C. — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. Dr. Edwards, thanks for your kind words. Congressman Lantos — no better friend to freedom, by the way; Congressman Rohrabacher, the same.
Discussion:
Washington Times, Bluey Blog, National Review Online, Flopping Aces, Gateway Pundit, No More Mister Nice Blog and INSTAPUTZ
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Judges Say U.S. Can't Hold Man as 'Combatant' — The federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., ruled yesterday that the president may not declare civilians in this country to be "enemy combatants" and have the military hold them indefinitely. The ruling was a stinging rejection …
Gen. Wesley Clark / The Huffington Post:
Joe Lieberman Is At It Again — After wrongly supporting George W. Bush's strategic blunder of attacking Iraq, and continuing to support Bush's failed policies after the invasion, Senator Joe Lieberman made irresponsible comments this weekend regarding military action against Iran.
Jonah Goldberg / Los Angeles Times:
Do away with public schools — Government is inept at running schools. It should subsidize education for needy students, then get out of the way. — HERE'S A GOOD question for you: Why have public schools at all? — OK, cue the marching music. We need public schools because blah blah blah and yada yada yada.
Associated Press:
Opening Arguments Begin in Nifong Trial — RALEIGH, N.C. — More than a year after shocking allegations emerged about Duke University's lacrosse team, prosecutor Mike Nifong is heading to trial — as a defendant. — The North Carolina State Bar has charged Nifong, the district attorney in Durham County …
Audrey Hudson / Washington Times:
CAIR membership falls 90% since 9/11 — Membership in the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has declined more than 90 percent since the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to tax documents obtained by The Washington Times. — The number of reported members spiraled …
Discussion:
National Review, Hot Air, The Moderate Voice, Publius Pundit, BitsBlog, BLACKFIVE, Israpundit, Power Line, Flopping Aces and JammieWearingFool
Michael R. Gordon / New York Times:
U.S. Warns Iraq That Progress Is Needed Soon — The top American military commander for the Middle East has warned Iraq's prime minister in a closed-door conversation that the Iraqi government needs to make tangible political progress by next month to counter the growing tide of opposition to the war in Congress.
Charlie Savage / Boston Globe:
Disaffected conservatives set a litmus test for '08 — Want vow to curb presidential power — WASHINGTON — A new political group recently asked Mitt Romney to promise not to wiretap Americans without a judge's approval or to imprison US citizens without a trial as "enemy combatants."
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
A Jolly Good Show, but the Wrong Side of the Pond — Give him a sword and a tunic, and Chuck Schumer would have made a passable Oliver Cromwell as he stood on the Senate floor yesterday. — The New York Democrat, playing a British parliamentarian, had come to seek a "vote of no confidence" …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Moderate Voice, Real Cities, The Carpetbagger Report and The Debate Link
Michael Yon:
Death or Glory Part III of IV — Death or Glory III of IV — Queen's Royal Lancers — There is an entirely different war out in the desert. I've been telling American soldiers since my return from the British Army that our brothers and sisters are good to go, no matter what their own press says.
Discussion:
Fox News
Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
Hawks for Thompson — Thompson puts together a foreign policy team. — FRED THOMPSON IS adding more big-name policy talent as his testing-the-waters committee continues to grow into a real presidential campaign. Among the new additions: Mark Esper, national security adviser …
Discussion:
Reason Magazine
Matt Miller / blog.pennlive.com:
Video recording leads to felony charge — Brian D. Kelly didn't think he was doing anything illegal when he used his videocamera to record a Carlisle police officer during a traffic stop. Making movies is one of his hobbies, he said, and the stop was just another interesting event to film.
Mudcat / TIME: Swampland:
Now That I Have Your Attention... Many of you have asked about how Democrats can get through the culture of the South and the Heartland...God, guns, gays, and race. Since I have been stereotyped (by some) as a racist over the last 12 hours or so, let's start with the racial wedges that the Republicans have used against us.
The Raw Story:
Edwards campaign: 'Go to hell' adviser 'speaks for himself' — After a top adviser to the campaign of presidential hopeful John Edwards told liberal bloggers to "go to hell," a spokesman for the former Democratic Senator from North Carolina denied that it reflected the candidate's sentiments.
Larry Johnson / NO QUARTER:
The Bombed Bridges of Baghdad — Unlike the film, The Bridges of Madison County, the bombed bridges of Baghdad are not a quaint romantic tale, but a warning sign of potential disaster for U.S. forces in Iraq. The ongoing attacks on bridges in and around Baghdad creates significant risks …
Matt Stoller / MyDD:
FCC '700': Why You Can't Get Your iPhone — The big news today is a letter that Senator John Kerry, who sits on the Commerce Commitee, sent to the FCC asking for a better internet in light of the FCC's upcoming 700 auction of spectrum space. Kerry is a tremendous ally of the net neutrality fight …