Top Items:
Washington Post:
Exit Strategies — Would Iran Take Over Iraq? Would Al-Qaeda? The Debate About How and When to Leave Centers on What Might Happen After the U.S. Goes. — If U.S. combat forces withdraw from Iraq in the near future, three developments would be likely to unfold.
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Brian Ross Reports / The Blotter:
Experts: Unclassified Report 'Pure Pablum,' Hides Truth — Brian Ross Reports: — Intelligence analysts and the former White House counterterror official describe as "pure pablum" the unclassified version of the National Intelligence Estimate released today on terror threats to the United States.
CNN:
Official: Al Qaeda will use Iraq to attack U.S. — WASHINGTON (CNN) — The new National Intelligence Estimate will warn that al Qaeda will try to use its capabilities and contacts in Iraq to attack the United States, according to a senior government official.
Discussion:
BuzzFlash.org, Whiskey Fire, Weasel Zippers, Jihad Watch, Riehl World View and In Search Of Utopia
Spencer Ackerman / TPMmuckraker:
The NIE and Iraq: What's Missing from this Picture? — Tons of intelligence reports exist about the windfall that the Iraq war has given to global Salafist jihad. The National Intelligence Council in 2005, for instance, called Iraq the new "breeding ground" for "professionalized" terror.
Eli Lake / New York Sun:
Iran Is Found To Be a Lair of Al Qaeda — Intelligence Estimate Cites Two Councils — WASHINGTON — One of two known Al Qaeda leadership councils meets regularly in eastern Iran, where the American intelligence community believes dozens of senior Al Qaeda leaders have reconstituted …
Liz Sidoti / Associated Press:
AP Poll: GOP pick is 'none of the above' — WASHINGTON - And the leading Republican presidential candidate is ... none of the above. — The latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that nearly a quarter of Republicans are unwilling to back top-tier hopefuls Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson …
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Klaus Marre / The Hill:
Wamp: Thompson is close to joining '08 race — Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) said Monday that he expects former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) to soon join the race for the White House. — "My view is that he'll enter the race at some point just in the coming days," said Wamp, a key supporter of Thompson.
Joan Walsh / Salon:
The Salon Interview: Elizabeth Edwards — On her confrontation with Ann Coulter, why she backs gay marriage — and why Edwards is a better choice for women than Hillary Clinton. — Elizabeth Edwards listens to her husband speak at a campaign event in Concord, N.H., April 2, 2007.
Discussion:
TIME: Swampland, Brian Beutler, Political Radar, Taylor Marsh, National Review and Hot Air
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Salon:
The Salon Interview: Elizabeth Edwards — So in January 2009, what's the first thing John Edwards does to make life different for poor people in America? — Well, a lot of it is a legislative agenda that needs to pass, but some of it he can do right away.
Media Matters for America:
On Good Morning America, Sawyer falsely claimed Reid "vows to filibuster" — During the July 17 edition of ABC's Good Morning America, co-anchor Diane Sawyer falsely claimed that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "vows to filibuster, talking all night to close out all topics besides a vote on Iraqi troop withdrawals."
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Bill Roggio / The Fourth Rail:
Suicide bombing at Islamabad courthouse kills 13 — Over 50 wounded in attack where ousted Chief Justice was scheduled to speak; government still negotiation with Taliban in North Waziristan — The suicide attacks that have plagued the Northwest Frontier Province have shifted to the heart of Pakistan in the capital of Islamabad.
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Jeb Koogler / The Moderate Voice:
Pervez Musharraf: How Good Of An Ally Is He Really?
Pervez Musharraf: How Good Of An Ally Is He Really?
Discussion:
The Newshoggers
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
David Brooks' field trip to the White House — As George Bush has become more and more isolated, and as his presidency has collapsed around him, he has increasingly arranged White House events where like-minded admirers come and gather around him and genuflect to his greatness.
Robert Burns / Time:
Gen. Pace Declares Iraq 'Sea Change' — (RAMADI, Iraq) — In his most optimistic remarks since the U.S. troop buildup began, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that Iraq has undergone a "sea change" in security in recent months, and that this will influence …
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Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
Habeas Restoration: Down To The Razor Thin Wire — I am told by a source who knows the head count that we are within a slim margin on the habeas restoration amendment — and that the vote could still go either way. It is a razor thin margin right now, which means there is no Senator whose vote can be taken for granted.
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The Politico sewer — The Politico today is prominently touting on its front page another vapid, petty, and inane "news story" — the type of story which has, in just a few short months, become its hallmark: … Impressively, they followed up their Romney scoop with a hard-hitting …
Washington Times:
Bush office is anti-Muslim, group says — A Muslim civil rights group today blamed Bush administration policies for promoting "Islamophobia" and said the "war on terror" won't stop terrorists. — "The new perception is that the United States has entered a war with Islam itself," …
Brian Ross Reports / The Blotter:
FBI: Iraqis Being Smuggled Across the Rio Grande — Brian Ross Reports: — The FBI is investigating an alleged human smuggling operation based in Chaparral, N.M., that agents say is bringing "Iraqis and other Middle Eastern" individuals across the Rio Grande from Mexico.
Cornelia Dean / New York Times:
Islamic Creationist and a Book Sent Round the World — In the United States, opposition to the teaching of evolution in public schools has largely been fueled by the religious right, particularly Protestant fundamentalism. — Now another voice is entering the debate, in dramatic fashion.
Steve Thompson / Dallas Morning News:
Women arrested after police standoff — Arlington: 2 were investigated after earlier airport incidents — stevethompson@dallasnews.com — It started with a routine domestic disturbance, except that the pair involved has recently been under investigation by federal terrorism officials.