Top Items:
Jodi Kantor / New York Times:
Where the Votes Are, So Are All Those Calories — Running for president is like entering a competitive eating contest and a beauty pageant all at once. Candidates are expected to eat local specialties often and with gusto, yet still look attractive and fit.
RELATED:
Ralph Z. Hallow / Washington Times:
Word of mouth boosts 'Huck' in Iowa polls — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has gone from near zero to a statistical tie for first in polls of Iowa Republicans, not because of a superior organization or from spending money, but because of a tactic few candidates can copy: Religious word-of-mouth.
Mark Z. Barabak / Los Angeles Times:
Nominations may be decided in one quick blitz
Nominations may be decided in one quick blitz
Discussion:
The Politico
Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
Cellphone Tracking Powers on Request — Secret Warrants Granted Without Probable Cause — Federal officials are routinely asking courts to order cellphone companies to furnish real-time tracking data so they can pinpoint the whereabouts of drug traffickers, fugitives and other criminal suspects …
Dan Lehr / WTVC-TV:
Corker "Underwhelmed" With President Bush — Tennessee Senator Bob Corker raised some eyebrows at a luncheon at the Chattanoogan hotel Tuesday with remarks about President Bush. — Speaking to a crowd of about 500 supporters, led by Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey …
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Real Rudy — Rudy Giuliani can play a little rough at times, but there are some moments when an inner light turns on and he turns downright idealistic. One of those moments came on Oct. 10, 1996, as he stepped on the podium at the Kennedy School of Government to deliver a speech on immigration.
Discussion:
Hot Air
Daily Mail:
Meet the women who won't have babies - because they're not eco friendly — Had Toni Vernelli gone ahead with her pregnancy ten years ago, she would know at first hand what it is like to cradle her own baby, to have a pair of innocent eyes gazing up at her with unconditional love …
Nicholas Wapshott / New York Sun:
Collapse of Rail, Subway Strike Is a First Success for Sarkozy — President Sarkozy of France is on the verge of a breakthrough in his ambitious plan to wean his country off the restrictive working practices he believes stand in the way of national prosperity.
Telegraph:
Taliban control half of Afghanistan, says report — The Taliban has a permanent presence in most of Afghanistan and the country is in serious danger of falling into the group's hands, according to a report from an international think tank. — The Senlis Council claimed that the insurgents controlled …
Reuters:
Clinton wins surprise support from former French first lady — PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won surprise backing from the wife of former French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday, together with a pledge to join her on the campaign trail.
Lynnley Browning / New York Times:
For Lawyers, Perks to Fit a Lifestyle — Even lawyers need a hug. When workdays stretch into worknights and the pressure to meet the quota for billable hours grows, lawyers and staff members at the firm of Perkins Coie can often expect a little bonus. — In Perkins Coie's Chicago office …
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
On Iraq, a State of Denial — It does not have the drama of the Inchon landing or the sweep of the Union comeback in the summer of 1864. But the turnabout of American fortunes in Iraq over the past several months is of equal moment — a war seemingly lost, now winnable.
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Banks Gone Wild — "What were they smoking?" asks the cover of the current issue of Fortune magazine. Underneath the headline are photos of recently deposed Wall Street titans, captioned with the staggering sums they managed to lose. — The answer, of course, is that they were high on the usual drug — greed.
Discussion:
Brilliant at Breakfast
Marc Kaufman / Washington Post:
Clinton Favors Future Human Spaceflight — Democratic Candidate Launches a Position as Opponents Orbit From a Safe Distance — The major presidential candidates pummel each other daily on issues ranging from the Iraq war to health care. But when it comes to President Bush's ambitious initiative …
Discussion:
Middle Earth Journal
Ian Black / Guardian:
Saudis make up 41% of foreign fighters in Iraq — More than 40% of the foreign fighters who entered Iraq to join the insurgency in the past year were citizens of Saudi Arabia, America's key partner in the Middle East, according to detailed information seized from a camp used by them.