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 …
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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
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.
Discussion:
Think Progress, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, Editor and Publisher, Tennessee Guerilla Women, On Deadline, CBS News, The Carpetbagger Report, Salon, MoJoBlog, Shakespeare's Sister, Cliff Schecter, Wonkette, At-Largely, Comments from Left Field, Slog, The BRAD BLOG, Daily Kos, The Board, Digg and State of the Day
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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 …
Discussion:
The Swamp
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
FEMA's fake 'news conference' — 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. … "It is not a practice that we would employ …
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 …
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Michelle Malkin:
New Democrat strategy: We must stimulate the amygdalae! — This is high-larious. The Hill reports on an internal Democrat strategy memo complaining that the Democrat Party is too hyper-rational and lacks emotional appeal. — For real. They think "SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILLLLLDREN!" is too bland and accountant-like:
Discussion:
Death
CNN:
Court orders Wilson freed in teen sex case — ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — The Georgia Supreme Court on Friday ordered that Genarlow Wilson be released from prison, ruling 4-3 that his sentence for a teen sex conviction was cruel and unusual punishment. — Wilson, 21, was convicted in 2005 …
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Brenda Goodman / New York Times:
Georgia Court Orders Man Freed in Sex Case — The Georgia Supreme Court today ended the 10-year prison sentence of a man who was convicted in 2003 of having consensual oral sex with another teenager. The court said the harsh sentence violated the Constitution's protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
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.
Discussion:
dodd.senate.gov, Chris Dodd National Blog, Hullabaloo, Shakespeare's Sister and Eschaton
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:
The Carpetbagger Report, Little Green Footballs, Roger L. Simon, Macsmind, Riehl World View and Weekly Standard
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 …
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 …
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 …
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