Top Items:
New York Times:
Israeli Aircraft Continue Raids on Gaza; Arab Anger Rises — The Israeli army said some areas around Gaza had been declared a “closed military zone,” a move which some analysts depicted as a potential precursor to a ground offensive. Above, tanks near the Gaza border. More Photos >
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Haaretz:
Barak to MKs: This is all-out war against Hamas and its kind — Facing catcalls from Arab lawmakers, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told a stormy Knesset session on Monday that the operation in Gaza will be “widened and deepened as is necessary.” — “We have an all-out war against Hamas and its kind …
New York Times:
Obama Defers to Bush, for Now, on Gaza Crisis — WASHINGTON — When President-elect Barack Obama went to Israel in July — to the very town, in fact, whose repeated shelling culminated in this weekend's new fighting in Gaza — he all but endorsed the punishing Israeli attacks now unfolding.
Discussion:
MSNBC, Time, BBC, Guardian, Haaretz, Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Newshoggers.com, D-Day, The Raw Story, Commentary, TIME.com, juancole.com, TPM Election Central and The Politico
Faiz Shakir / Think Progress:
Bush Refuses To Interrupt His Final Vacation As Middle East Crisis Escalates — In an effort to “prevent Palestinians from attacking towns in southern Israel” with rockets, Israel today undertook its third day of offensive military airstrikes in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, raising the death toll to more than 300.
New York Post:
DAMNED IF THEY DO — BUT ISRAEL'S DEAD IF THEY DON'T
DAMNED IF THEY DO — BUT ISRAEL'S DEAD IF THEY DON'T
Discussion:
Jerusalem Post, Arutz Sheva, American Power, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Ynetnews and Daled Amos
Steve Clemons / The Washington Note:
View From a Palestinian Leader: Palestine's Guernica and the Myths …
View From a Palestinian Leader: Palestine's Guernica and the Myths …
Discussion:
Haaretz, Mondoweiss, Taylor Marsh, The Democratic Daily, ATTACKERMAN and Prairie Weather
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
McConnell Puts the Brakes on Stimulus Plan — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voiced skepticism today about the emerging economic stimulus plan, applying a brake to Democratic plans to quickly pass up to $850 billion in spending and tax cuts soon after President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration.
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The Huffington Post:
Hale “Bonddad” Stewart: Senator McConnell — Idiot of the Highest Order — From the Washington Post: … Rant on: — Let me get this straight. A Senator who oversaw one of the largest expansions in government spending in history is now concerned about spending?
Chuck Bennett / Associated Press:
CAROLINE'S CRIB — SEN. HOPEFUL'S $50M SPREAD — Forget Chappaqua. — This amazing Martha's Vineyard spread will be the next home-away-from-the-Beltway for New York's junior senator if Caroline Kennedy is tapped to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton. — The 366-acre estate …
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Michelle Malkin:
Gag-worthy: Bipartisan indignance over “Barack the Magic Negro” parody — Oh, give me a super-sized break. — Leftie '60s leftover/songwriter Peter Yarrow at the Huffington Post fumes over the “Barack the Magic Negro” parody that has RNC candidate Chip Saltsman in hot water.
Discussion:
Power Line, Sister Toldjah, The Campaign Spot, Blogs and Stories, The Hill, Hot Air and At-Largely
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Peter Yarrow / The Huffington Post:
My Response to the Mean-Spirited “Barack the Magic Negro”
My Response to the Mean-Spirited “Barack the Magic Negro”
Discussion:
Political Punch, The New Republic, The Strata-Sphere, Riehl World View, Jezebel, Macsmind and The Other McCain
Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Coleman, Franken differ on rejected ballots — The U.S. Senate recount stalled today as campaign lawyers publicly bickered over the disputed absentee ballots. — With a Minnesota Supreme Court-imposed deadline approaching and the sniping among lawyers increasing, the U.S. Senate recount stalled today …
Andrew Osborn / Wall Street Journal:
As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S. — In Moscow, Igor Panarin's Forecasts Are All the Rage; America ‘Disintegrates’ in 2010 — MOSCOW — For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010.
Discussion:
MoJoBlog, Washington Monthly, Gawker, Outside The Beltway, Fraters Libertas, Slate, Fausta's Blog, Philly.com and Patterico's Pontifications
Brian Stelter / New York Times:
TV News Winds Down Operations on Iraq War — Quietly, as the United States presidential election and its aftermath have dominated the news, America's three broadcast network news divisions have stopped sending full-time correspondents to Iraq. — “The war has gone on longer than a lot …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, The Impolitic, BLACKFIVE, D-Day, NewsBusters.org, Gawker, Hot Air, Tim Blair, The Raw Story, Newshoggers.com and American Power
Amit R. Paley / Washington Post:
For Kurdish Girls, a Painful Ancient Ritual — The Widespread Practice of Female Circumcision in Iraq's North Highlights The Plight of Women in a Region Often Seen as More Socially Progressive — Sheelan Anwar Omer, a shy 7-year-old Kurdish girl, bounded into her neighbor's house with an ear-to-ear smile …
Rob Stein / Washington Post:
Study: ‘Virginity pledges’ are ineffective — Youths who promise abstinence are also less likely to use protection — Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence and are significantly less likely …
Lorenzo Benet / People.com:
Bristol Palin Welcomes a Son — Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin — Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, gave birth on Sunday to a healthy 7 lb., 4 oz., baby boy in Palmer, Alaska. — “We think it's wonderful,” …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
David Gregory shows why he's the perfect replacement for Tim Russert — (updated below - Update II - Update III) — Several months before he was named as moderator of Meet the Press, David Gregory went on MSNBC to categorically reject Scott McClellan's accusations that the American media failed …
Jim Oliphant / The Swamp:
Emanuel to resign House seat Friday — Rep. Rahm Emanuel will resign his House seat Friday. — Emanuel, set to serve as chief of staff to President-elect Barack Obama, sent a letter to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Monday indicating that he planned to step down at the end of the week.
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The Moderate Voice:
Bush Apologetics 09-11-01 — A bit about my history with the outgoing Bush Administration: I volunteered, worked as a paid advance staffer, and served in two transition teams for President George W. Bush from June of 1999 through the summer of 2002. I worked for him because I believed in his message of …