Top Items:
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Conservatives Are Such Jokers — In 1960, John F. Kennedy, who had been shocked by the hunger he saw in West Virginia, made the fight against hunger a theme of his presidential campaign. After his election he created the modern food stamp program, which today helps millions of Americans get enough to eat.
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David Brooks / New York Times:
The Republican Collapse — Modern conservatism begins with Edmund Burke. What Burke articulated was not an ideology or a creed, but a disposition, a reverence for tradition, a suspicion of radical change. — When conservatism came to America, it became creedal.
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John Cole / Balloon Juice:
The Republican Decline — Long piece by David Brooks in which he attempts to figure out why the Republican party appears to be in shambles: … Hogwash. If you want to know why the Republican party is in shambles, read this: … For starters, people got tired of being associated with these drooling retards.
Yeas & Nays:
Matthews says Bush administration has "finally been caught in their criminality" — Playing Hardball with the Prez — "Hardball" host Chris Matthews addresses attendees at Thursday night's ten-year anniversary of "Hardball," which took place at the Decatur House in Washington, D.C.
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Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:
Peggy Noonan's Open Eyes — I've long enjoyed Peggy Noonan's work (except for one dreadful book even she must regret writing). I don't always agree with her, but she represents for me that brand of blue-state conservatism that came of age in the Reagan era, one that was often Catholic …
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Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal:
The Trance — Bush . . . Clinton . . . Bush . . . Clinton . . . Getting very sleepy . . . Barack Obama has a great thinking look. I mean the look he gets on his face when he's thinking, not the look he presents in debate, where they all control their faces knowing they may be in the reaction shot …
Associated Press:
Bush: U.S. 'does not torture people' — President responds to report that 2005 memo relaxed interrogation rules — WASHINGTON - President Bush defended his administration's detention and interrogation policies for terrorism suspects on Friday, saying they are both successful and lawful.
Discussion:
The Newshoggers, CQ.com, Captain's Quarters, democracyarsenal.org, War and Piece, New York Times and The Caucus
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New York Times:
Bush Defends Treatment of Terrorism Suspects — President Bush defended his administration's treatment of terrorism suspects today, but the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee accused the president of keeping Congress in the dark about how those suspects are interrogated.
Discussion:
Prairie Weather
Jose Lambiet / Palm Beach Post:
Limbaugh leaves probation better, richer — No, Sen. Tom Harkin, radio talker Rush Limbaugh isn't back on drugs! — So says the state of Florida. And Limbaugh himself, who told Page Two, as he enters his last month on probation for a narcotics arrest, that he doesn't even miss getting high and now feels like a better person.
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Brian Faughnan / Weekly Standard:
Gallup: Americans Back White House Plan for Iraq Drawdown — We are constantly told by the Left that the American people support their efforts to get the United States out of Iraq as quickly as possible. The Netroots demand that Congress put more pressure on the White House …
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Michael Roston / Huffington Post:
Dems Postpone Rollout Of Controversial Wiretapping Bill — Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the House Majority Leader, postponed a press conference announcing new reforms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after progressive lawmakers banded together and said they would fight any legislation …
Jeralyn / TalkLeft:
Cheers and Jeers for S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom — First the cheers. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has declared the war on drugs a failure. … San Francisco Sheriff San Francisco Sheriff Mike Hennessey agrees with him. — Now the jeers. San Francisco is initiating a program of busting the homeless on "quality of life" crimes.
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Danny / Beltway Blogroll:
National Journal's Cover Story On Blogs — Back in January 2006, I authored a cover story on "The Rise Of Blogs" for National Journal magazine. In this week's hot-off-the-presses edition of the magazine, Bara Vaida, a former senior writer for me at Technology Daily, follows up with another cover story titled "Blogging On."
Discussion:
INSTAPUTZ
David Rohde / New York Times:
Army Enlists Anthropology in War Zones — SHABAK VALLEY, Afghanistan — In this isolated Taliban stronghold in eastern Afghanistan, American paratroopers are fielding what they consider a crucial new weapon in counterinsurgency operations here: a soft-spoken civilian anthropologist named Tracy.
Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:
Losing A Generation? — The number of young people who do not consider themselves Christians is growing, as is the hostility toward Christianity expressed by the next generation of non-Christians, claims a new book from David Kinnaman of Barna.org. Money quote: … And so the polarization grows.
Naomi Wolf / Firedoglake:
Blackwater: "Newly Created Thug Caste" — (Naomi Wolf is the author of The End of America: Letter of Warning To A Young Patriot. She has written extensively about Blackwater and joins us in the comments — jh) — Congress is finally asking questions of Erik Prince, the head of Blackwater …
Kerry Howley / Reason Magazine:
Don't Be Bought by Those Slickers — An angel sends me this scan of the backpage of the New Light of Myanmar. Note the text at the bottom: "Eleven violent protestors were arrested together with one-12 inch knife, one pointed thin iron rod, a pair of scissors, five catapults, marbles, nuts …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard