Top Items:
Matt Apuzzo / Associated Press:
Criminal probe opened over CIA tapes — WASHINGTON - The Justice Department opened a full criminal investigation Wednesday into the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes, putting the politically charged probe in the hands of a mob-busting public corruption prosecutor with a reputation for being independent.
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters, The Swamp, The Newshoggers, TPMmuckraker, Sweetness & Light, Say Anything, Macsmind, Daily Kos and Cliff Schecter
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Marty Lederman / Balkinization:
The CIA Tapes Prosecutor is Neither “Outside” Nor “Special,” Nor “Independent” — Initial reports are that the Attorney General appointed an “outside” counsel to oversee the criminal investigation of the CIA tape destruction. But there's nothing really “outside” about John Durham.
Associated Press:
Mukasey: Criminal inquiry begins into CIA tapes — CIA said last month it had destroyed recordings of harsh interrogations — WASHINGTON - The U.S. Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes, and Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey …
New York Times:
Stonewalled by the C.I.A. — MORE than five years ago, Congress and President Bush created the 9/11 commission. The goal was to provide the American people with the fullest possible account of the “facts and circumstances relating to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001” — and to offer recommendations to prevent future attacks.
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Rush: Huck ‘not a conservative’ — Rush Limbaugh devoted a large portion of his first show since the holidays to criticizing Mike Huckabee's candidacy and offering a disapproving bottom-line assessment of the former governor. — “Ladies and gentlemen, Gov. Huckabee, mighty fine man …
Discussion:
Marc Ambinder, TIME, Hot Air, Reason Magazine, PunditGuy, GreenMountainPolitics1, race42008.com and Macsmind
RELATED:
Rick Klein / ABCNEWS:
Clinton Camp Pre-Spinning Possible Bad News in Iowa — Campaign Insists Even a Third-Place Finish Would Not Be Disappointing — As the presidential candidates engage in furious pre-caucus spin, one of Sen. Hillary Clinton's most prominent Iowa supporters said Wednesday that she's already accomplished …
Discussion:
The Caucus, Political Punch, ScrappleFace, 2008Central.net, PunditGuy, Political Radar and Primary Monitor Blog
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Peter Robinson / The Corner:
Late-Breaking Surge for Thompson — The latest news from Iowa? According to Zogby's latest—and I quote: “Sen. Fred Thompson...has seen a late-breaking surge." (Rich notes the same poll below.) — What's going on here? My guess is that there are whole lot of Iowa Republicans …
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William Kristol / Weekly Standard:
Kristol in Iowa: “Snarky and Contemptuous” — Cardinal Richelieu asks, if Romney wins in Iowa, “will the snarky and contemptuous tone of most Romney coverage continue?" — I don't know if that was intended to be a rhetorical question (do Cardinals ask rhetorical questions? and how do you say “rhetorical question” in French?).
RELATED:
Simon / Bloggasm:
Readership of major liberal blogs declined in 2007 while conservative blog readership increased — It has long been understood that the largest liberal blogs have generally produced more web traffic than the largest conservative blogs. But I have noticed a general trend over the past few months …
Brian Stelter / TV Decoder:
Leno, O'Brien Will Face Pickets — Striking film and television writers picket outside NBC Studios on Wednesday. Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will cross the picket lines to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." (Ric Francis/AP) — When Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien of NBC return …
Discussion:
Think Progress
RELATED:
Michael M. Phillips / Wall Street Journal:
What Kucinich Saw: Witnesses Describe His Close Encounter — Candidate's Pals Recall Three Throbbing UFOs; Outed by Shirley MacLaine — The 2008 presidential race has raised many questions about the candidates' personal histories. Will Barack Obama's past drug use preclude a White House future?
Discussion:
Crunchy Con, The Corner, The Huffington Post, Wonkette, Blue Crab Boulevard, Romenesko and TIME: Swampland
William Beutler / Blog P.I.:
Josh Marshall's Readers Are... Not So Bright — This end of a post at Talking Points Memo today made me laugh: … $1.8 billion sounds plausible? Using what counting system? — Elsewhere on the web today, a Des Moines-based WFAA reporter says Romney has spent $4 million on TV ads …
Michael J. Totten:
A Plan to Kill Everyone — “War, children, it's just a shot away, it's just a shot away” - The Rolling Stones, from “Gimme Shelter" — FALLUJAH — A sign on the door leading out of India Company's Combat Operations Center says “Have a Plan to Kill Everyone You Meet.”
Mark Halperin / The Page:
More on Letters to Pro-Huckabee Pastors — Reporting by TIME's Michael Scherer: — A pastor's conference call with Iowa church leaders took place this morning at 10 a.m. central time to urge churches to get their parishioners to the polls. Here are some quotes from the call …
New York Times:
Interview with John Edwards — The following is a transcript of an interview by Michael Gordon of The New York Times with John Edwards, conducted Sunday on the Edwards campaign bus as it drove between campaign stops in western Iowa. Some of the questions have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, The American Scene, Commentary, THE REACTION, The Democratic Daily, AMERICAblog and Firedoglake
Michael Joseph Gross / Vanity Fair:
A Vast Right-Wing Hypocrisy — Richard Mellon Scaife, billionaire bankroller of conservative crusades, spent heavily to expose Bill Clinton's “Troopergate” misbehavior. Now Scaife's divorce from his second wife, Ritchie, is providing another unsavory saga—adultery! addiction! assault! dognapping!?!—as both parties let loose to V.F.
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