Top Items:
Brad Shannon / The Olympian:
Baird sees need for longer U.S. role in Iraq — U.S. Rep. Brian Baird said Thursday that his recent trip to Iraq convinced him the military needs more time in the region, and that a hasty pullout would cause chaos that helps Iran and harms U.S. security. — "I believe that the decision …
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Ayad Allawi / Washington Post:
A Plan for Iraq — Next month, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will report to Congress on the situation in my country. I expect that the testimony of these two good men will be qualified and nuanced, as politics requires.
Discussion:
The Newshoggers
National Review:
Credit Democrats Who Visit Iraq, They're Calling It As They See It — Day by day, I am more surprised at the turn in the Iraq debate. I know this is going to sound like pie-in-the-sky optimism, but I wonder if by the time General Petraeus makes his report, there will be something of a consensus …
Discussion:
protein wisdom, Flopping Aces, DownWithTyranny!, Wake up America, Macsmind, NonParty Politics and Blue Crab Boulevard
CNN:
White House spokesman quitting — WASHINGTON (CNN) — White House press secretary Tony Snow will step down from his position as early as next month, sources inside and outside the Bush administration told CNN on Friday. — When contacted by CNN about his possible departure, Snow said, "I'm not making any announcement."
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Justin Rood Reports / The Blotter:
Secret White House Manual: How to Stop Anti-Bush T-Shirts
Secret White House Manual: How to Stop Anti-Bush T-Shirts
Discussion:
Pam's House Blend
McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Commerce, Treasury funds helped boost GOP campaigns — WASHINGTON — Top Commerce and Treasury Departments officials appeared with Republican candidates and doled out millions in federal money in battleground congressional districts and states after receiving White House political briefings detailing GOP election strategy.
Discussion:
The Newshoggers, Cliff Schecter, ePluribus Media Community, Hullabaloo, The Next Hurrah and Prairie Weather
Sara Just / Political Radar:
Edwards Calls Coulter 'She-Devil' — ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Former Sen. John Edwards on Friday fired the latest round in his ongoing verbal feud with Ann Coulter, calling her a "she-devil" at a public event before quickly adding that he shouldn't engage in name-calling.
Washington Post:
Jenna and Henry: Now They're Really, Really Official — Back in February 2005, Laura Bush was asked about the guy her daughter Jenna was seeing. "This is not a serious boyfriend — I hate to have to be the one to say it on television," said the first lady. "But he's a very nice young man."
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CNN Political Ticker:
Thompson: Roe 'bad law and bad medicine' — DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) - Likely Republican White House hopeful Fred Thompson told CNN Friday that he would work to overturn Roe v. Wade if elected president, and would push for a constitutional amendment that protects states from being forced to honor gay marriages performed in other states.
Discussion:
The Politico, Comments From Left Field, Say Anything, Balloon Juice, Wake up America and Stop The ACLU
Mark Murray / MSNBC:
MICHIGAN TO MOVE UP ITS PRIMARY — From NBC News' Chuck Todd — According to sources inside both parties, the two state parties in Michigan have agreed to move the state's primary — legislatively — to Jan. 15. This is a compromise date out of respect for Democratic Sen. Carl Levin …
Discussion:
MyDD, The American Mind, Open Left, The Carpetbagger Report, The Democratic Daily, Unqualified Offerings and PoliBlog (TM)
Arianna Huffington / The Huffington Post:
It Shouldn't Have Taken the Deaths of Three Miners to Get the Media to Focus on Mine Safety — So last night, suddenly, after the tragic second collapse at the Utah mine, there was a dramatic shift in the TV coverage of the story. All at once, faux folksy mining boss Bob Murray …
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Phoenix Woman / Firedoglake:
So It Has Come To This — Photo: Utah American Energy Inc …
So It Has Come To This — Photo: Utah American Energy Inc …
Discussion:
The Liberal Avenger
New York Times:
White House to Offer Iraq Plan of Gradual Cuts — The White House plans to use a report next month assessing progress in Iraq to outline a plan for gradual troop reductions beginning next year that would fall far short of the drawdown demanded by Congressional opponents of the war, according to administration and military officials.
ABCNEWS:
Giuliani-McCain: That's the Ticket? — McCain Tells ABC News He's 'Flattered' by Rival Giuliani — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani are rivals for the 2008 Republican nomination, but you wouldn't know it by asking them. — In an interview …
Discussion:
PoliPundit.com
Popular Mechanics:
Half a World Away: Soldiers in Iraq Don't Hear Deliberations Back Home (and Often Don't Care) — TIKRIT, Iraq — It never even hits the radar screen. For the troops on the front lines and the colonels in the rear—and just about everyone in between—the big news in Iraq every day is that they're still alive and healthy.
Discussion:
Jules Crittenden
Riazat Butt / Guardian:
TV airing for Islam's story of Christ — There was no manger, Christ is not the Messiah, and the crucifixion never happened. A forthcoming ITV documentary will portray Jesus as Muslims see him. — With the Koran as a main source and drawing on interviews with scholars and historians …
Timothy Sandefur / LAW.com:
American Dream on a Spike — Alan Merrifield doesn't believe in pesticides. He thinks they're dangerous, ineffective and bad for the environment. In any case, he doesn't deal with bugs. He helps people keep common pests like raccoons and birds away from their homes, using only traps, screens and spikes.
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy