Top Items:
George Will / Real Clear Politics:
By Bush's Own Standard, Surge Has Failed — Before Gen. David Petraeus' report, and to give it a context of optimism, the president visited Iraq's Anbar province to underscore the success of the surge in making some hitherto anarchic areas less so. More significant, however, was the fact that the president did not visit Baghdad.
Discussion:
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McClatchy Washington Bureau:
What Crocker and Petraeus didn't say — WASHINGTON — The Bush administration's top two officials in Iraq answered questions from Congress for more than six hours on Monday, but their testimony may have been as important for what they didn't say as for what they did.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Wake up America, Shakespeare's Sister, Prairie Weather, unbossed.com and The Gavel
Paul Richter / Los Angeles Times:
Bush policy to bequeath Iraq to successor — The president plans to end his term with a strong U.S. military in the country and leave the issue of exiting to his successor. — WASHINGTON — The talk in Washington on Monday was all about troop reductions, yet it also brought …
New York Times:
Empty Calories — For months, President Bush has been promising an honest accounting of the situation in Iraq, a fresh look at the war strategy and a new plan for how to extricate the United States from the death spiral of the Iraqi civil war. The nation got none of that yesterday …
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The House Tosses Softballs to Gen. Petraeus — SIX HOURS OF LARGELY PREDICTABLE, PRO FORMA TESTIMONY. — Maybe Tuesday will be Congress' good news day. — Monday was mainly a disgrace. Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker made their eagerly awaited appearances …
Jackie Kucinich / The Hill:
Republicans introduce measure condemning MoveOn ad — House Republican leaders introduced a resolution Monday condemning a full-page newspaper ad from MoveOn.org that criticizes the character of Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding general of U.S. troops in Iraq.
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Opinion Journal:
Trashing Petraeus — MoveOn.org, and the new standards of Democratic debate.
Trashing Petraeus — MoveOn.org, and the new standards of Democratic debate.
Discussion:
Boston Globe, Betsy's Page, Blue Crab Boulevard, National Review Online, BobKrumm.com and Gateway Pundit
Virginia Senate / Rasmussen Reports:
Democrat Warner Holds Large Lead Over Davis and Gilmore — If Democrat Mark Warner jumps into the Virginia Senate race for 2008, he will start out with a large lead over two Republicans expected to campaign for the job. — In a match-up of former Virginia Governors, a Rasmussen Reports …
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Los Angeles Times:
Clinton to cut ties with fundraiser — The Democrat's presidential campaign is refunding $850,000 linked to Norman Hsu, caught up in allegations of running a Ponzi scheme. — WASHINGTON — Confronted with the possibility that disgraced fundraiser Norman Hsu might be running …
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Michelle Malkin:
9/11: Remembrance and resistance — What do you remember? When I think back to September 11, 2001, the crisp morning before jihadists struck on American soil, I remember transluscent blue skies. Green-gold leaves. And the blush pink cheeks of my then-one-year-old daughter …
Norman Podhoretz / Opinion Journal:
'America the Ugly' — Six years after 9/11, it's notable how little the politics of the left have changed. — In the immediate aftermath of the attacks on us that took place on this very day six years ago, several younger commentators proclaimed the birth of an entirely new era in American history.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Pajamas Media, Commentary, Power Line, alicublog, Townhall.com and Daily Kos
Http / WHAS11 Political Blog:
Beshear Up 19 In Latest Survey USA Poll — Steve Beshear still has a huge lead over Ernie Fletcher in the latest Survey USA/WHAS11 News poll released this morning. — Beshear has a 58%-39% lead over Fletcher, with just 2% undecided in the survey of likely Kentucky voters.
Discussion:
BluegrassReport.org
John Bresnahan / The Politico:
Miers, Bolten contempt filings delayed — House Democratic leaders have decided to postpone a vote on a criminal contempt resolution against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers for several weeks, and possibly longer, according to top lawmakers and aides.
Discussion:
Democrats.com
CBS News:
Poll: Giuliani Tumbles, GOP Race Tightens — CBS News Poll: Thompson's Entry Vaults Him To A Close Second Place In Republican Contest — (CBS) Rudy Giuliani, after holding the front-runner spot in the race for the Republican presidential nomination for months, has seen his lead nearly evaporate …
Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
THE FIGHT TO FILL JUDICIAL VACANCIES GROWS EVER WEIRDER. — Last week, President Bush nominated two candidates for seats on the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which now is operating with five vacancies on its 15-member bench. The president opted to casually insult Virginia's …
Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Strike Three? — A bomb-sniffing dog in Ankara helped Turkish authorities stop a massive terrorist attack on the anniversary of 9/11. A van full of explosives in a parking garage would have devastated the center of the large city, and it would have served as a counterpoint to the messages released by Osama bin Laden in the past week:
Discussion:
The Van Der Galiën Gazette