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.
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, Hot Air and National Review
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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.
Discussion:
CNN Political Ticker, TIME: Swampland, Ian Schwartz, The Atlantic Online, UrbanGrounds and TalkLeft
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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Satyam / Think Progress:
Nuclear Option Conservatives Embrace Permanent Filibuster For A Permanent Occupation — Tonight, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) will keep the Senate "working through the night" in an effort to force conservatives to stand and filibuster the Levin/Reed plan for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Mad Kane's Political Madness, Hullabaloo, Campaign for America's Future, Daily Kos, The Hill, MSNBC and AMERICAblog
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
Matt / Think Progress:
Novak: Women's 'venom' toward Bush is 'so vicious.' — Appearing on Hugh Hewitt's radio show yesterday, conservative pundit Robert Novak claimed that "women, particularly," are making our current political discourse more "vicious":
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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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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," …
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 …
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.
Arnold Kling / TCS Daily:
Myths and Realities of the George Bush Presidency … Near the end of his shows, humorist Mort Sahl used to ask, "Is there anyone I haven't offended yet?" These days, I find myself asking the same question about President Bush. Economic libertarians gripe about high government spending.
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.