Top Items:
New York Times:
Obama Pledges 'Aggressive' Iran Diplomacy — Senator Barack Obama said he would "engage in aggressive personal diplomacy" with Iran if elected president, and would offer economic inducements and a possible promise not to seek "regime change" if Iran stopped meddling in Iraq and cooperated on terrorism and nuclear issues.
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International Herald Tribune:
Obama would engage Iran if elected, he says — CHICAGO: If elected president, Senator Barack Obama would meet with Iran's leaders and offer economic inducements and a possible promise not to seek "regime change" if Iran stopped meddling in Iraq and cooperated on terrorism and nuclear issues.
Jennifer Loven / Associated Press:
Bush to Democrats: 'We are at war' — WASHINGTON - President Bush compared Congress' Democratic leaders Thursday with people who ignored the rise of Lenin and Hitler early in the last century, saying "the world paid a terrible price" then and risks similar consequences for inaction today.
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White House:
President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror — Washington, D.C. — In Focus: Defense — In Focus: National Security — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Ed, thanks. Thanks for the kind introduction. I'm looking forward to working with you for the next 14 months …
Amanda / Think Progress:
Bush: 'war on terror' critics are 'disingenuous or naive.'
Bush: 'war on terror' critics are 'disingenuous or naive.'
Discussion:
Shakespeare's Sister
Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:
S.C. Dems reject Colbert candidacy — Stephen Colbert's satirical run for the presidency has run into its first roadblock - his bid to be on the ballot in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary was rejected on Thursday. — The party's executive council voted 14 to 3 …
Discussion:
The Raw Story, MoJoBlog, Hot Air, Balloon Juice, Outside The Beltway, The BRAD BLOG, Open Left and D-Day
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Patrick Harker / FIRE:
Victory at University of Delaware — University Dumps Thought Reform Program — Late Thursday, University of Delaware President Patrick Harker released on the school's website a Message to the University of Delaware Community terminating the university's ideological reeducation program …
Discussion:
Chronicle.com, Say Anything, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Hot Air, Blue Crab Boulevard, Riehl World View and Joanne Jacobs
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Patrick Harker / udel.edu:
A Message to the University of Delaware Community
A Message to the University of Delaware Community
Discussion:
Flopping Aces
Telegraph:
The most influential US conservatives: 21-40 — As the US prepares for what is arguably the most open presidential election since 1928, the last time there was no incumbent president or vice-president on the ballot, the Daily Telegraph's Washington correspondents compile a list of the 100 …
Discussion:
Don Surber, If I Ran the Zoo, The Carpetbagger Report, Washington Monthly, UrbanGrounds and Reason Magazine
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Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
But They're Unaffiliated, Of Course — Media Matters insists that it has no intention of supporting a candidate, but it's hard to tell that from its content. As Jonah Goldberg noted, the site went into a full-throated defense of Hillary Clinton by attacking Tim Russert for ... well, asking questions about issues:
Discussion:
Horses Mouth, Firedoglake, JammieWearingFool, Media Matters for America and Weasel Zippers
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Julie Carr Smyth / Associated Press:
Pilot of plane that dropped A-bomb dies — COLUMBUS, Ohio - Paul Tibbets, who etched his mother's name — Enola Gay — into history on the nose of the B-29 bomber he flew to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, died Thursday after six decades of steadfastly defending the mission. He was 92.
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White House:
Press Briefing by Dana Perino — MS. PERINO: Hello, everybody. I do not have anything to start off with, so I'll go straight to your questions. — Q What does the White House think of the proposal by Senators McCain, Warner and Graham to have Judge Mukasey, if confirmed, say that no U.S. agency will use waterboarding?
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Sidney Blumenthal / Salon:
The sad decline of Michael Mukasey
The sad decline of Michael Mukasey
Discussion:
Election Central, The Next Hurrah, New York Times, TPMmuckraker, SteveAudio, The Mahablog, Firedoglake and The Reaction
Aram Roston / MSNBC:
Blackwater sneak silencers into Iraq? — Security firm under investigation for allegedly sidestepping export controls — A Blackwater employee shows off a silencer-equipped rifle in Iraq in a photo obtained by NBC News. The picture has been digitally altered to protect the identity of the subject.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Murdoc Online, LeftWord, Cliff Schecter, SayUncle, Prairie Weather and New York Times
John Bresnahan / The Politico:
Knollenberg aide who went nuts on YouTube takes leave of absence — When we last saw Trent Wisecup, chief of staff to Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.), he was busy blowing a gasket on YouTube and berating an anti-war protester for following around the congressman with a video camera.
Pachacutec / Firedoglake:
"He's an Incumbent. That's What We Do." — The beautiful thing about primaries is how they clarify people, players and priorities. — Lest there be any confusion about the incumbent protection racket for Bush Dogs, here's today's statement from Pelosi's office, justifying her fundraiser for Maryland Corruptocrat Al Wynn:
Discussion:
TIME: Swampland, DownWithTyranny!, The Influence Peddler, Open Left, Crooks and Liars and Eschaton
Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Feds Probing Dem Sen. Relationship to Former Aide — As the feds are bearing down hard on Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), raiding his Alaska home and convening a grand jury in Washington, D.C., another investigation into a sitting senator has been proceeding quietly up in New Jersey.
Kevin Whitelaw / US News:
U.S. Falls Short of Iraqi Refugee Target — The United States accepted only some 450 Iraqi refugees in October, well short of the Bush administration's stated goal of 1,000 a month. — The figure also marks a decline from September, when 889 refugees were admitted.
Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com:
I WASN'T GOING TO RESPOND when Andrew Sullivan — deliberately, or in unforgivable cluelessness — transformed my statement about leaving the Libertarian Party into something about not being a libertarian at all. Andrew says a lot of silly things about me these days, and life is too short to pay attention to them.
Brian Beutler / Gristmill:
Tracking Lieberman-Warner: What's next? — America's Climate Security Act — aka the Lieberman-Warner bill — passed through its first markup hearing today, but not without losing support from the Senate's most vigilant advocate for action against climate change, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Juan Cole:
Time to Close the US Embassy — I don't try to start an internet campaign very often, because the blogosphere has its own priorities and logic that are democratic and should not be forced. But here is a plea for everyone in the blogging world to help force congress to save our diplomats.