Top Items:
Washington Post:
The Real Iraq We Knew — Today marks five years since the authorization of military force in Iraq, setting Operation Iraqi Freedom in motion. Five years on, the Iraq war is as undermanned and under-resourced as it was from the start. And, five years on, Iraq is in shambles.
Discussion:
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Looseheadprop / Firedoglake:
Breaking News: Hillary Pledges to End War "Immediately" Upon Taking Office — Every year I go to a fundraiser luncheon sponsored by group called Eleanor Roosevelt's Legacy Committee. It's a group that raises money, recruits and trains Democratic women candidates and give campaign grants to those running in New York.
Jules Crittenden:
12 Captains — With an alarmingly poor grasp of political and military realities in Iraq and the United States weigh in with the following at the Washington Post: … It would be far quicker, cheaper and less politically traumatic to simple expand the military, and offer financial incentives to boost enlistment.
Barooosk / Talking Radio:
Randi Rhodes is the Victim of a Violent Attack — Updated on October 16 at 8:50 AM PDT. Update set in bold face italics — Randi Rhodes was mugged on Sunday night on 39th Street and Park Ave, nearby her Manhattan apartment, while she was walking her dog Simon.
Discussion:
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Greg Sargent / Horses Mouth:
McConnell Aide Acknowledges That He Tried To Spread Bogus Smear Of Graeme Frost — Check this out: An aide to GOP leader Mitch McConnell has acknowledged in an interview with Kentucky's Courier-Journal that he actively sought to alert reporters to the wingnut smearing of 12-year-old SCHIP posterkid Graeme Frost:
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James R. Carroll / Courier-Journal:
McConnell aide shared blog tips — WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's spokesman acknowledged yesterday that he alerted reporters last week to questions bloggers raised about the financial circumstances of a 12-year-old boy Democrats had used to urge passage of an expanded children's health insurance program.
Discussion:
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Los Angeles Times:
Retirement season hits GOP hard — PACKING UP: Rep. Ray LaHood, shown in 2005, is to retire next year. "I don't like being in the minority," he said. "It's not that much fun, and the prospects for the future don't look that good." — In 2008, Republicans look certain to be defending …
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Nick Pisa / Daily Mail:
Is this Pope John Paul II waving from beyond the grave? Vatican TV director says yes — This fiery figure is being hailed as Pope John Paul II making an appearance beyond the grave. — The image, said by believers to show the Holy Father with his right hand raised in blessing …
Media Matters for America:
Limbaugh says he told journalist writing story on him: "[W]e're going to find out where your kids go to school" — During the October 15 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh claimed to have "once" participated in the kind of "destructive reporting and behavior" that, according to him, reporters "dish out."
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup Poll:
After Nobel, Support for Gore Presidential Bid Remains Limited — Gore's favorable rating improves to 58% in new poll — PRINCETON, NJ — Former Vice President Al Gore has added the Nobel Peace Prize to the collection of awards he has won this year, which also includes an Academy Award and an Emmy.
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Thomas Sowell / Real Clear Politics:
Sabotage in Wartime — With all the problems facing this country, both in Iraq and at home, why is Congress spending time trying to pass a resolution condemning the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago? — Make no mistake about it, that massacre of hundreds of thousands …
Discussion:
Power Line, Hot Air, New York Sun, The Newshoggers, BitsBlog, Gateway Pundit, Dr. Sanity, PrairiePundit, TigerHawk, Middle Earth Journal and The Corner
Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
Verizon Says It Turned Over Data Without Court Orders — Firm's Letter to Lawmakers Details Government Requests — Verizon Communications, the nation's second-largest telecom company, told congressional investigators that it has provided customers' telephone records to federal authorities …
Discussion:
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Debbie Schlussel / New York Post:
BORDER COP BUNGLES — JULIE Myers, the head of the U.S. Immigration and Cus toms Enforcement agency (ICE), is set to deliver tonight's keynote address in Dearborn, Mich., to a group that honors lax judges - including ones who interfere with enforcement of our immigration laws.
The Oregonian / Multimedia from The Oregonian:
Four sue police, alleging "dirty tactics" — (Editor's note: Video from one of the incidents appears at the bottom of this post) — Four men who say Portland police ran roughshod over their constitutional rights are taking their cases to court. Monday their attorneys called …
Discussion:
Reason Magazine
Zuzu / Feministe:
When is rape at gunpoint not rape? When it's "theft of services." — UPDATE 2: Mike in comments has provided a link to the Complaint form for the Pennsylvania Jucidial Conduct Board. Once again, be polite, and be sure to follow the instructions. Thanks.
The Board:
Dianne Feinstein's Vote for a Judge Has Civil Rights Groups Asking "Why?" — Mississippi Judge Leslie Southwick, whose record includes decisions that have been labeled anti-black and anti-gay, is just the sort of Bush judicial nominee everyone thought would be blocked when Democrats retook the Senate.