memeorandum: Hilton Kramer, A Man of Arts & Letters (Gary Shapiro/New York Sun)

The protein wisdom interview: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi — Ahmad Fadheel Nazaal al-Khalaylah ("Abu Musab al-Zarqawi" is his nom de guerre) was born in Zarqa, Jordan in October 1966. He came from a large family belonging to the trans-Jordanian Bani Hassan tribe, which is known for its loyalty to the royal Hashemite family.

Discussion: Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Representative Jack Kingston and Six Meat Buffet

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Ned Parker / Times of London:

Al-Zarqawi spoke, then died as US medics tried to save him — IRAQI police discovered Abu Musab al-Zarqawi alive in the rubble of his bombed safe house, then watched him try to roll off a stretcher before dying, it emerged yesterday. — Announcing his death, US officials said on Thursday …

Discussion: Hot Air, Confederate Yankee and Captain's Quarters

Patrick Quinn / Associated Press:

A Dying Al-Zarqawi Tried to Get Away — BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi could barely speak, but he struggled and tried to get away from American soldiers as he lay dying on a stretcher in the ruins of his hideout. — The U.S. forces recognized his face, and knew they had the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Discussion: Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler and Daily Pundit

Hindrocket / Power Line:

ZARQAWI SURVIVED STRIKE; PRESS CORPS SUSPECTS FOUL PLAY — General William Caldwell told a press conference this morning that Musab al-Zarqawi survived the bombing of this safe house, at least briefly, and was still alive when the first U.S. and Iraqi forces arrived on the scene.

Discussion: TigerHawk and Gateway Pundit

Washington Post:
Zarqawi Did Not Die Instantly, U.S. General Says

Discussion: TalkLeft, The Left Coaster, BBC, New York Times and FP Passport

Susan Cornwell / Reuters:

Iraq war foe Murtha eyes Democratic leadership — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rep. John Murtha, an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq, unexpectedly announced on Friday he will run for the No. 2 leadership post in the U.S. House of Representatives if Democrats regain control of that chamber in elections this fall.

Discussion: GOP Bloggers and Iowa Voice

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Shailagh Murray / Washington Post:

Iraq War Critic Surprises Democrats — Murtha Says He Will Run for Majority Leader if Party Wins — Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.), one of the Democrats' leading antiwar voices, startled his political colleagues yesterday by announcing he would seek a senior leadership position if the Democrats win control of the House in November.

Discussion: the talking dog

Michael Crowley / The Plank:
BREAKING—MURTHA V. HOYER:

Discussion: The Sideshow, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Washington Monthly and The Carpetbagger Report

Geoff Cumming / New Zealand Herald:

Pilot with 9/11 links found in NZ — EXCLUSIVE - A Saudi Arabian linked to one of the September 11 hijackers spent four months in New Zealand before being expelled as a national security risk. — The United States-qualified pilot, Rayed Mohammed Abdullah Ali, was admitted to New Zealand …

Discussion: Security Watchtower, Captain's Quarters, Michelle Malkin and Jihad Watch

Monte Whaley / Denver Post:

Poop prank has Musgrave staff fuming — A UNC emeritus professor is charged with returning the congresswoman's mailer - with interest. — A former professor of French at the University of Northern Colorado has been cited for allegedly making a special delivery to U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave that reeked of political partisanship.

Discussion: Slapstick Politics and GOP Bloggers

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Michelle Malkin:
A DIRTY TRICK—LITERALLY — They throw pies at their opponents.

Discussion: Ninth State, suzieviews.blogspot.com, Big Lizards, damnum absque injuria, Right Angle Blog, A Blog For All, Bark Bark Woof Woof, RIGHTWINGSPARKLE and Blue Crab Boulevard

Aftenposten:

Record meteorite hit Norway — As Wednesday morning dawned, northern Norway was hit with an impact comparable to the atomic bomb used on Hiroshima. — At around 2:05 a.m. on Wednesday, residents of the northern part of Troms and the western areas of Finnmark could clearly see a ball …

Discussion: Transterrestrial Musings and Random Jottings

Dafydd / Big Lizards:

Battered Conservative Syndrome: Defending Ann — All right, folks; put on your manly gowns, gird up your loins, and go tell the Spartans: I'm about to defend Ann Coulter. And not by sweeping her words under the rug and blubbering "but she's a good girl in spite of the horrid things she says!"

Discussion: All Things Conservative

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Time:
Ann Coulter Fires Back

Discussion: Andrew Sullivan, Dick Polman's American Debate, Expose the Left, Booman Tribune and Hot Air

Philip Elliott / Associated Press:

9/11 Commissioner Criticizes Coulter — A member of the Sept. 11 commission on Friday lashed out at conservative pundit Ann Coulter for a "hate-filled attack" in saying the widows whose husbands died in the World Trade Center used the deaths for their own political gain.

Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:

Gingrich May Run in 2008 If No Front-Runner Emerges — Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) expects to run for president in 2008 if the contest for the Republican nomination still seems wide open late next year, he said yesterday. — In remarks that were critical of both parties' recent performance …

Ana Marie Cox / Time:

Are Left-leaning Bloggers Ready for Their Close-up? — Dispatch: Inside the Yearly Kos fest in Las Vegas, progressives get lessons in going mainstream — Las Vegas has a slightly tinny feel, a bitter metallic tang that stems partially from the heat, partially from the over-oxygenated air …

Discussion: skippy the bush kangaroo

Kenneth R. Timmerman / NewsMax.com:

Judge Dismisses Khobar Towers Case Against Iran — WASHINGTON — A magistrate judge in the District Court of Washington, D.C. has dismissed a lawsuit by the survivors and families of victims of the June 25, 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, that sought millions of dollars …

Discussion: Thomas Joscelyn and The Corner on National …

BBC:

Defeat for net neutrality backers — US politicians have rejected attempts to enshrine the principle of net neutrality in legislation. — Some fear the decision will mean net providers start deciding on behalf of customers which websites and services they can visit and use.

Discussion: The Sideshow

Sweetness & Light:

Time's "Corrections" About Haditha — This is a now all too familiar pattern with our one party media. — The following "corrections" have been added to the very bottom of Time's two blockbuster exclusives on Haditha in their current online versions:

Discussion: Mark in Mexico, Flopping Aces, Macsmind, Blue Crab Boulevard, Gay Patriot and The Real Ugly American.com

Michael Horsnell / Times of London:

Family's fears at East London terror protest — Muslims demonstrated outside an East London police station today against last week's anti-terror raid by armed officers. — In a sometimes tense stand-off, about 100 protestors were heavily outnumbered by police as fundamentalists waved placards …

Discussion: lgf and Stop The ACLU