Top Items:
Washington Post:
Democrats Refocus Message on Iraq After Military Gains — Democratic leaders in Congress had planned to use August recess to raise the heat on Republicans to break with President Bush on the Iraq war. Instead, Democrats have been forced to recalibrate their own message in the face …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Hill, Washington Monthly, The Huffington Post, Captain's Quarters, Guardian, Calitics, Brendan Calling, Gateway Pundit, The Moderate Voice, Outside The Beltway, The Democratic Daily, Blue Crab Boulevard, Weekly Standard, The Swamp, Wake up America, Wizbang, Middle Earth Journal, ePluribus Media Community, Gallup Poll, Oliver Willis, Sister Toldjah, Riehl World View, Liberty Pundit, NewsBusters.org, Redstate, MSNBC, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, TIME: Swampland and Say Anything
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CNN:
Bush to invoke Vietnam in arguing against Iraq pullout — WASHINGTON (CNN) — As he awaits a crucial progress report on Iraq, President Bush will try to put a twist on comparisons of the war to Vietnam by invoking the historical lessons of that conflict to argue against pulling out.
White House:
President Bush Attends Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention, Discusses War on Terror — Kansas City Convention and Entertainment Center — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. It's good to be with you again. I understand you haven't had much of a problem attracting speakers.
David Stout / New York Times:
Bush Defends Iraq Policy Before Veterans — President Bush offered a rousing defense of his Iraq policy today, declaring that he envisions an American victory there and asserting that a hasty withdrawal by the United States would unleash a bloodbath in Iraq reminiscent of the Vietnam War era.
Discussion:
Blue Mass. Group
Los Angeles Times:
Bush to cite Vietnam in defense of Iraq — The president plans to argue in a speech to veterans today that a U.S. withdrawal had dire results in Asia. — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Critics of the war in Iraq who compare the conflict to Vietnam have the analogy backward, President Bush plans to tell veterans in a speech today.
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Pro-Bush group spends $15M defending war — A new group, Freedom's Watch, is launching Wednesday with a $15 million, five-week campaign of TV, radio and Web ads featuring military veterans that is aimed at retaining support in Congress for President Bush's "surge" policy on Iraq.
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Agence France Presse:
Most US adults in the dark about world politics — Two-thirds of US adults admit to being in the dark about political issues outside the United States, and only a third are well-versed in US politics, the results of a poll published Tuesday showed. — Candidates in the US presidential primaries …
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Qassim Abdul-Zahra / Associated Press:
Iraqi PM lashes out at U.S. critics — DAMASCUS, Syria - Iraq's prime minister lashed out Wednesday at U.S. criticism, saying no one has the right to impose timetables on his elected government and that his country "can find friends elsewhere." — Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed …
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Hamid Ahmed / Associated Press:
14 U.S. soldiers killed in chopper crash
14 U.S. soldiers killed in chopper crash
Discussion:
Boston Globe, Washington Post, All Spin Zone, Donklephant, Firedoglake and Associated Press
Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
Sub-Standard — IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE that, not so long ago, neoconservative foreign policy thinking overflowed with ideas and idealism. The descent has been steep, and nowhere is it more apparent than in the pages of The Weekly Standard—particularly in William Kristol's editorials …
Discussion:
Confederate Yankee, Power Line, Roger L. Simon, A Blog For All, Flopping Aces, Hot Air, Captain's Quarters, The Atlantic Online, QandO and Brian Beutler
Matthew Yi / San Francisco Chronicle:
Field Poll shows Californians lean toward dividing electoral votes — (08-21) 04:00 PDT Sacramento — California voters are inclined to support a proposed ballot initiative that would change how the Golden State allocates its electoral votes in presidential campaigns …
Elizabeth Benjamin / NY Daily News:
BRUNO: STONE HAS RESIGNED (UPDATED) — That was fast. — In a just-released statement, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno called the Roger Stone phone call flap "a distraction from the real issues - the abuse of government power, political espionage and a cover-up of information," …
Discussion:
New York Post, Talking Points Memo, Gothamist, the albany project and rochesterturning.com
Los Angeles Times:
Not so fast, Christian soldiers — The Pentagon has a disturbing relationship with private evangelical groups. — Maybe what the war in Iraq needs is not more troops but more religion. At least that's the message the Department of Defense seems to be sending.
Arwa Damon / CNN:
Boy, 5, doused in gas, set on fire by masked men — Editor's note: CNN agreed not to use the full names of the mother and son in this article due to concern for their safety. — BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Five-year-old Youssif is scarred for life, his once beautiful smile turned …
Multi-National Force:
Citizen sacrifices life to thwart suicide bomber — Multi-National Corps - Iraq — Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory — APO AE 09342 — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — RELEASE No. 20070821-05 — Citizen sacrifices life to thwart suicide bomber — Multi-National Division - Center PAO
Peter Baker / Washington Post:
White House Manual Details How to Deal With Protesters — Not that they're worried or anything. But the White House evidently leaves little to chance when it comes to protests within eyesight of the president. As in, it doesn't want any. — A White House manual that came …
Discussion:
All Spin Zone, Associated Press, the talking dog, Think Progress, The Swamp, Shakespeare's Sister, Prairie Weather and Brendan Nyhan