Top Items:
Alan M. Dershowitz / Christian Science Monitor:
Israel, Hamas, and moral idiocy — Much of the world's response is a false moral equivalence that simply encourages the terrorists. — Israel's decision to take military action against Hamas rocket attacks targeting its civilian population has been long in coming.
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William Sieghart / Times of London:
We must adjust our distorted image of Hamas — Gaza is a secular society where people listen to pop music, watch TV and many women walk the streets unveiled — Last week I was in Gaza. While I was there I met a group of 20 or so police officers who were undergoing a course in conflict management.
Megan McArdle:
The problem with Israel-Palestine blogging — Everyone engaged in it is interested in proving that one side is righter than the other. Since no action in the region has occurred without plausible provocation for 4,000 years or so, this requires constantly shifting the metrics by which you measure whichever side you happen to favor.
Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:
FLORIDASTAN: ISLAMIC ANTI JEW, PRO-HAMAS RALLY - THE HATRED OF THE GOOD
FLORIDASTAN: ISLAMIC ANTI JEW, PRO-HAMAS RALLY - THE HATRED OF THE GOOD
Discussion:
Israel Matzav, Debbie Schlussel, the “silent&rdquo …, Jihad Watch and Boker tov, Boulder!
CNN:
Blagojevich's pick has résumé chiseled in stone — (CNN) — Anyone who doubts Roland Burris' qualifications to serve as the next senator from Illinois may want to head to Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery. — There, Burris, whom embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed …
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Chicago Sun Times:
Another bad choice by ethically bankrupt gov — The people of Illinois didn't need another reason to throw Gov. Blagojevich out of office. — They had plenty already. — But on Tuesday, the governor gave the state one more excellent reason, this time by going back on his word and appointing …
Evan Perez / Wall Street Journal:
Gonzales Defends Role in Antiterror Policies — WASHINGTON — Alberto Gonzales, who has kept a low profile since resigning as attorney general nearly 16 months ago, said he is writing a book to set the record straight about his controversial tenure as a senior official in the Bush administration.
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Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
Poll: Obama viewed as a strong leader — CNN Deputy Political Director — WASHINGTON (CNN) — A national poll suggests that three-quarters of the public thinks President-elect Barack Obama is a strong and decisive leader, the highest marks for a president-elect on that characteristic in nearly three decades.
Discussion:
The Swamp
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Sam Youngman / The Hill:
Obama dismisses Bush Pentagon appointees — Despite keeping Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the Pentagon, President-elect Obama's transition team informed 90 Bush appointees their services will not be needed after Inauguration Day. — Scott Gration, a senior official on Obama's transition team …
Barak Ravid / Haaretz:
Arab youths open fire on Israelis working at mall in Denmark — A group of Arab youths opened fire Wednesday evening on a number of Israelis working at a mall in the Danish city of Odenza, some 200 kilometers north of Copenhagen. — The Israelis, who were operating a stall in the shopping center, were lightly wounded in their legs.
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Seth Borenstein / Associated Press:
NASA chief's wife to Obama: Don't fire my husband — WASHINGTON - Late on Christmas Eve, one last wish was sent, by e-mail: Please let NASA Administrator Michael Griffin keep his job. It was from his wife. — Rebecca Griffin, who works in marketing, sent her message with the subject line “Campaign for Mike” to friends and family.
Ta-Nehisi Coates:
Bobby Rush on CNN — Here's Rush arguing for the importance of a black senator. To which I respond—Nigga, please!! — I don't know if I've shifted politically or what. But after watching a black man named Barack Obama—who couldn't get into the Democratic convention eight years ago …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Torture prosecutions finally begin in the U.S. — (updated below - Update II) — While fiercely loyal establishment spokespeople such as The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus continue to insist that prosecutions are only appropriate for common criminals ("someone breaking into your house") …
Stephanie Clifford / New York Times:
Village Voice Lays Off Nat Hentoff and 2 Others — The troubled Village Voice laid off three employees Tuesday, including Nat Hentoff, the prominent columnist who has worked for the paper since 1958, contributing opinionated columns about jazz, civil liberties and politics.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
No end in sight — More evidence? A weak case? Behind-the-scenes negotiations? — Anyway, it goes on:
James Joyner / Outside The Beltway:
Katharine Webb Joyner — My wife Kimberly woke me a little before 2 yesterday morning to inform me that her water had broken and that it was time to drive her to the hospital. After 12 hours of trying naturally, another 14 of trying with the aid of an inducing drug, and two hours of hard labor …
Discussion:
Sister Toldjah
Joe / Power Line:
HAMAS H.Q. BOMBED; POWER LINE, TOO — Talk about disproportionate response. Just an hour or so after Power Line posted a series of videos from the Israeli Defense Forces—videos that, as Scott discovered, YouTube had pulled—we experienced a Denial-of-Service attack from a cabal …