Top Items:
Tnrstaff / The Plank:
A Scott Beauchamp Update — Since our last statement on "Shock Troops," a Diarist by Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp that we published in our July 23 issue, we have continued our investigation into the article's veracity. On Wednesday, for a brief period, The Drudge Report posted several documents …
Discussion:
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Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal:
Apocalypse No — The New Republic's editors seem to have mistaken Vietnam movies for real life. — "I love chicks that have been intimate with IED's," he announced to his fellow soldiers sitting in the chow tent in Camp Falcon in Baghdad. "It really turns me on—melted skin, missing limbs, plastic noses."
Discussion:
Blue Crab Boulevard
Bryan / Hot Air:
TNR: Beauchamp called us without the Army goons around and stood by everything — The rehabilitation of Scott Thomas Beauchamp may have been premature. — We are now to believe that two weeks after Scott Thomas Beauchamp issued the Mother of All No Comments to his editors at The New Republic on tape …
Al Kamen / Washington Post:
FEMA Meets the Press, Which Happens to Be . . . FEMA — FEMA has truly learned the lessons of Katrina. Even its handling of the media has improved dramatically. For example, as the California wildfires raged Tuesday, Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the deputy administrator, had a 1 p.m. news briefing.
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CNN Political Ticker:
FEMA under fire for 'faking' news conference — WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House scolded the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday for staging a phony news conference about assistance to victims of wildfires in southern California. — The agency — much maligned for its sluggish response …
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
First Read: A look behind FEMA's fake newser — From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell — On Tuesday, FEMA held what was called a "news briefing" on the California fires, but the questions asked did not come from reporters. They were asked instead by FEMA staffers.
Andrew / stat.columbia.edu:
Some cool graphs of rich states and poor states — I'll take advantage of Paul Krugman's recent link to our paper on income and voting by putting up some cool scatterplots that we made recently. It started with our maps of which states Bush and Kerry would've won if only the votes of the poor, middle-income, and rich were counted:
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CNN:
Wilson freed in teen sex case — ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Genarlow Wilson was released from prison Friday, after spending more than two years behind bars for a teen sex conviction. — The Georgia Supreme Court earlier Friday ordered that he be released, ruling 4-3 that his sentence was cruel and unusual punishment.
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Satyam / Think Progress:
Right Wing Enraged: Laura Bush Is A 'Butt-Kisser' For Wearing Headscarf In Mideast — When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wore a headscarf while visiting the Umayyad mosque in Damascus in April, the right wing pounced on her, attacking her as "subservient" and calling the act "disgust[ing]."
Discussion:
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Roosevelt Room / White House:
President Bush Discusses Appropriations — THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I went out to California yesterday to meet with families affected by the wildfires, and to thank the state and local officials for their outstanding work in this difficult time. While I was there I saw the terrible destruction and heartbreaking loss.
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Mike Soraghan / The Hill:
Internal Dem memo faults party message — Democrats are losing the battle for voters' hearts because the party's message lacks emotional appeal, according to a widely circulated critique of House Democratic communications strategy. — "Our message sounds like an audit report on defense logistics …
Discussion:
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Jim Rutenberg / The Caucus:
Fox Orders Halt to McCain Ad — Fox News Channel confirms that it has ordered the campaign of Senator John McCain to cancel its new ad featuring a clip of him at last Sunday's debate, which was sponsored by Fox News. The news network prohibits candidates from using debate clips in their political advertisements.
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Greg Sargent / Horses Mouth:
Fox News Tells McCain Not To Use Fox Footage On Web Site …
Fox News Tells McCain Not To Use Fox Footage On Web Site …
Discussion:
Angry Bear
Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:
GOP LUNACY....Ron Brownstein looks at the ongoing Republican interest group panderfest from a slightly different angle: … Every two years the losing party has this exact same conversation: (a) move to the center to appeal more to swing voters, or (b) move left (right) in order to stay true …
The Atlantic Online:
Taking Ron Paul Seriously In New Hampshire — CONCORD — When I visited Ron Paul's New Hampshire campaign headquarters this morning, only one member of his staff, Kate Rick, was there. The other six were out building a contraption to capture the unique energies of the Paul movement here.
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Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:
Patriots Stand Up — Sen. Chris Dodd gave a great statement on the floor of the Senate this morning. You can watch video here on his Senate website. I asked for a written copy of the remarks, because there wasn't a transcript available, and am reprinting them here with permission because I've had several e-mails asking for this.
LiveLeak.com:
Bill Clinton Takes On 9/11 Conspiracy Protesters — Bill Clinton addressed a crowd in Minneapolis, Minnesota at a fundraiser for his wife's campaign on Tuesday. — Clinton's 50-minute speech, which started about an hour behind schedule, was derailed briefly by several hecklers in the audience …
Scott Paul / The Washington Note:
Flip-Flop Alert: Senators Suddenly on the Fence — Sens. John Sununu, Norm Coleman, and George Voinovich all voted for the Law of the Sea in 2004. According to sources in the Senate, all are now reconsidering their votes under heavy pressure from the likes of John Bolton, Frank Gaffney …