meme orandum
| A newfangled news tangle |
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Purported Al Qaeda Letter Calls Truce in Spain ( / Reuters) Permalink CAIRO (Reuters) - A group claiming to have links with al Qaeda said on Wednesday it was calling a truce in its Spanish operations to see if the new Madrid government would withdraw its troops from Iraq , a pan-Arab newspaper said. | |
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Charles Johnson: Check out this bizarre wire story from al-Reuters, claiming that the Al Qaeda letter we mentioned earlier today specifically says Al Qaeda... Tim Blair: THE MCDOOM FILES — Reuters correspondent Opheera McDoom (seriously) reports: "A group claiming to have links with al Qaeda said on Wednesday it... Tacitus: Winning slogan — "Kerry will kill our nation while it sleeps because he and the Democrats have the cunning to embellish blasphemy and present it... |
Kevin Raybould: Terrorists for Bush — No, really "The statement said it supported President Bush in his reelection campaign, and would prefer him to win in... Tim Dunlop: Your wish is my command — Looks like all the talk of Spain doing what al Qaedaish jihadists wanted was true: "A group claiming to have links... Jesse Taylor: If I Were A Small Man... Via Atrios, al-Qaeda's official endorsement for 2004. The statement said it supported President Bush in his reelection... |
| Also: Bird Dog, Atrios, Kos, Jonah Goldberg | |
Bush's Campaign Emphasizes Role of Leader in War (NYT) Permalink WASHINGTON, March 16 — A year after ordering the invasion of Iraq, President Bush is moving the war to the forefront of his re-election effort with a weeklong barrage of speeches, an orchestrated set of interviews with senior Pentagon officials and a new television... | |
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Mickey Kaus: The Republican attack machine has now gone so far as to have Senator Kerry say memorably mockable things like: "I actually did vote for the $87... Gregory Djerejian: "From the NYT. I don't like this. Bush is cheapening the incumbent Presidential coin. Coming out swinging like this, still pretty early, and... Jonah Goldberg: The first Kerryism (nod to Andrew Sullivan) comes from today's New York Times: [quote] "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against...[end quote] |
Tom Maguire: However, the Kerry Fast Accurate Response Team was ready with an answer that, in addition to reassuring everyone, provides a new entry to the... Steven Taylor: Especially when a NYT poll recently stated that 41% of the public has not yet formed an opinion on Kerry. he is playing right into the Bush... Kevin Raybould: Bush to Make War a Focus — Bush thinks he can run on his war record: "A year after ordering the invasion of Iraq, President Bush is moving the... |
| Also: Andrew Sullivan, C. D. Harris, Howard Kurtz, Taegan Goddard, Mike Rappaport | |
Powerful blast shatters Baghdad hotel (CNN) Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — A powerful explosion, apparently from a car bomb, went off in the Karrada district of central Baghdad Wednesday, virtually destroying the Mount Lebanon Hotel and damaging a number of houses and offices nearby. | |
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Atrios: Big Baghdad Explosion — Near Palestine hotel...completely destroyed one of the hotels. Don't know which one...Mount Lebanon Hotel... Kevin Raybould: Horrible Bombing in Baghdad — An entire hotel was apparently destroyed "A powerful explosion, apparently from a car bomb, went off in central... Jesse Taylor: Just...Damn — Hotel is bombed in Baghdad. |
Smash: Baghdad Hotel Bombed — THE MOUNT LEBANON HOTEL in Baghdad was leveled by an apparent car bomb Wednesday, killing at least 27 and injuring... Hesiod: AWFUL: From CNN on the latest Baghdad bombing: [quote] "It's a scene from hell here," CNN Baghdad Bureau Chief Jane Arraf said. "People are crying and...[end quote] |
Tenn. County Wants to Charge Homosexuals (AP) Permalink DAYTON, Tenn. - The county that was the site of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" over the teaching of evolution is asking lawmakers to amend state law so the county can charge homosexuals with crimes against nature. | |
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Betsy Newmark: As if being the site of the Scopes trial was not enough, Dayton, Tennessee is seeking to once again make itself a national laughingstock by... Edward Driscoll: Overall, the region has made enormous strides, but this is just outrageous. |
Atrios: Amerika — From the fine fine state of Tennessee: The county that was the site of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" over the teaching of evolution is... Jesse Taylor: John Derbyshire's Patented Gay Remover - Just $19.95 — Traditional family values at work. The county that was the site of the Scopes "Monkey... |
Dean ties Madrid bombing to Iraq ( / AP) Permalink WASHINGTON — Former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean said yesterday that President Bush's decision to send troops to Iraq appears to have contributed to the bombing deaths of 201 people in Spain. | |
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Jeff Jarvis: What a twit : I was already glad that Howard Dean lost. But, you know, the guy manages to remind me of how glad I am: "Former Democratic... Bo Cowgill: HOWARD DEAN joins the Spanish public in blaming Bush, not bin Laden for the attacks on Madrid. Andrew Sullivan says, "Looking back, I was simply... |
Roger L. Simon: By what he said today, this man has proven decisively he will not be the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate this year. But this man has... Andrew Sullivan: PRODI AWARD NOMINEE: Well, we have a very quick new entry for the Prodi award, and it's Howard Dean. Blaming the murder of 200 innocents on the... |
Campaign Gets More Personal ( / WaPo) Permalink CHARLESTON, W.Va., March 16 — The presidential election took a sharply personal turn Tuesday, as President Bush aired a new television ad accusing Democrat John F. Kerry of turning his back on troops in Iraq while Kerry accused the administration of creating a "credibility... | |
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Tom Maguire: The LA Times overlooks this gaffe; at the WaPo, Howard Kurtz misses it in a relevant story but John Harris finds the deadly line. And we note... Charles Johnson: Flip and Flop in One Sentence — John Kerry, obviously stung by the new Bush campaign ad focusing on his flip-flops on defense (especially on his... |
CJR: Blog Report — Troops, Lies and Videotape Tim Graham, writing on National Review's The Corner, criticizes John Harris of the Washington Post for... Tim Graham: THE LITTLE THINGS — In The Washington Post, reporter John F. Harris offers today that the Bush-Kerry race is getting "personal." (I would... |
Dozens Pick Through Rubble in Search for Survivors (NYT) Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 17 — A massive explosion ripped through a Baghdad neighborhood today, killing at least 27 people, the military said. The blast caused severe damage to an apartment building and a hotel, the Mount Lebanon, in the Karada district of Baghdad, and it shot a... | |
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David Adesnik: MURDER, AGAIN: In Baghdad. Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. Jeff A. Taylor: Another Baghdad Blast — Another hotel, many dead. This dispatch includes quotes of Iraqis blaming the U.S., some praising the U.S., and some... |
Gregory Djerejian: It's still woeful, of course, and not just because of tonight's bombing. Barely a day goes by without I.E.D.s felling U.S. soldiers, NGO workers... |
Break Through ( / TNR) Permalink It's become fashionable to bash Iraq's provisional constitution in the last week, and everyone from The Washington Post's editors to TNR's own Spencer Ackerman has gotten in on the act. Critics have charged that the constitution devolves too much power to local authorities... | |
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Matt Yglesias: Wishful Thinking — Jacob Levy defends the much-derided TAL in Iraq. His thoughts on this subject deserve to be taken seriously, but I think his... Josh Chafetz: OVER AT TNR ONLINE, JACOB LEVY takes a look at the Iraqi provisional constitution and concludes that "the document, while imperfect, does a... |
Jacob Levy: Iraqi federalism: My New Republic column is online. "It's become fashionable to bash Iraq's provisional constitution in the last week, and... |
Tenn. County Officials Seek to Ban Gays (AP) Permalink DAYTON, Tenn. — Rhea County (search) commissioners unanimously voted to ask state lawmakers to introduce legislation amending Tennessee's criminal code so the county can charge homosexuals (search) with crimes against nature. | |
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Michael Totten: Right-Wing Bigotry Alive and Kicking — I don't want anyone telling me this isn't bigotry: "DAYTON, Tenn. — Rhea County commissioners... |
Andrew Sullivan: THE G.O.P.'S ANTI-GAY CRUSADE: The far right strikes again in Tennessee: "Rhea County commissioners unanimously voted to ask state lawmakers to... |
Shut Out? (MSNBC) Permalink March 17 - Spanish authorities have ignored FBI efforts to assist the investigation into last week's train bombing, creating new tensions between Washington and Madrid in the case. | |
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Bird Dog: MSNBC reports: "Spanish authorities have ignored FBI efforts to assist the investigation into last week's train bombing, creating new tensions... |
Charles Johnson: Spain Shuts Out US Investigators — According to MSNBC, Spain has snubbed offers from the US Justice Department to send FBI teams to help... |
Local Motives ( / Slate) Permalink Early this month, in a seemingly innocuous move, XM Radio offered 15 new satellite radio channels featuring local programming—traffic updates and weather reports. But because FCC rules require XM (and its rival, Sirius) to exclusively provide national programming, each of... | |
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Steve Bainbridge: Satellite Competition — Interesting Slate article on efforts by "local" broadcasters to block XM from offering local programming - traffic,... Jacob Sullum: Local Angle — Over at Slate, Tom Hazlett has an interesting piece about the FCC rules that prevent satellite radio from competing with... |
Radley Balko: You Get It First — Thomas Hazlett, meet Radley Balko. UPDATE: Radley Balko, meet Jesse Walker. Dammit. |
SPRING BREAK: KERRY RETREATS TO HIS SUN VALLEY MANSION FOR 5-DAY LUXURY UNWIND (Drudge Report) Permalink Dem candidate-in-waiting John Kerry is set for a 5-day luxury break at his Sun Valley, Idaho compound after a week riddled with gaffes, missteps and slippage in the polls. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Drudge reports that Kerry will vacation for a few days at his multimillion dollar estate in Sun Valley, Idaho. Yup, that should convince hoi... Tbogg: Drudge: SPRING BREAK: KERRY RETREATS TO HIS SUN VALLEY MANSION FOR 5-DAY LUXURY UNWIND Dem candidate-in-waiting John Kerry is set for a 5-day... |
Steve Bainbridge: And they say Republicans are the party of the rich... Drudge reports:John Kerry is set for a 5-day luxury break at his Sun Valley... 19.5 rooms... |
Spain Campaigned to Pin Blame on ETA ( / WaPo) Permalink MADRID, March 16 — In the first frantic hours after coordinated bomb blasts ripped through several packed commuter trains Thursday morning, the government of outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar undertook an intense campaign to convince the Spanish public and world... | |
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Steven Taylor: Spanish Elections: PP Brought thee Roof Down on Themselves — This was foolish, and wrong, of the PP: Spain Campaigned to Pin Blame on ETA. "In... Jesse Taylor: Same Space — If you want to know why the tide turned against Aznar in Spain, look here. It didn't have to do with the rejection of the fight... Josh Marshall: But this article Advertisement in Wednesday's Washington Post makes a strong argument that much of the public tide against the Aznar government... |
Fred Lapides: Spain Campaigned to Pin Blame on ETA — This news item from Yahoo! News suggests that the Spanish voters were right to dump rather than reelect... Cori Dauber: This article from the Washington Post goes a long way towards clearing that up. Update: You know what's been bothering about this? Either way, it... Allah: The Washington Post has a long article tonight arguing that Aznar did, in fact, try to mislead Spanish voters about who was responsible for... |
| Also: Atrios | |
Rove: Kerry Has Taste of Bush Campaign ( / AP) Permalink WASHINGTON - White House political chief Karl Rove said Wednesday that President Bush had just begun to demonstrate the kind of targeted, multi-front campaign he plans against Democratic rival John Kerry . | |
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Andrew Sullivan: It's in the forefront of attacks on gays, with Karl Rove leading the brigades, urging activists to keep up the pressure on writing anti-gay... |
Edward Driscoll: UPDATE: Scott Lindlaw of AP says, "White House political chief Karl Rove said Wednesday that President Bush had just begun to demonstrate the... |
Not-So Supreme ( / Slate) Permalink Lewis' bill proposes to let Congress, by a two-thirds vote of each house, override any Supreme Court decision that presumes to review the constitutionality of an act of Congress. In a recent press release, Lewis notes the shenanigans of "activist judges," such as those on... | |
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Amanda Butler: If wishes were horses — Dahlia Lithwick reports on a bill that would give would give Congress veto power over certain Supreme Court decisions... |
Eugene Volokh: UPDATE: Slate's Dahlia Lithwick also cricitizes the bill, though on other grounds. |
Purported Qaeda Letter Calls Truce in Spanish Ops (Reuters) Permalink CAIRO (Reuters) - A group that said it had links to Al Qaeda said it was calling a truce in its Spanish operations to see if the new government would withdraw its troops from Iraq , a pan-Arab newspaper said. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Ah, Spain reaps its rewards. How does the rest of Europe like this terrorist blackmail? |
Charles Johnson: They really have Europe's number. Purported Qaeda Letter Calls Truce in Spanish Ops. "CAIRO (Reuters) - A group that said it had links to Al... |
Man Thought He Was Running Over Bin Laden (AP) Permalink MONTPELLIER, France - A French artist allegedly traumatized by last week's Spain bombings was convicted of trying to run over a pedestrian he mistook for Osama bin Laden and ordered to pay the man $615. | |
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Charles Johnson: French Anti-Terror Efforts — Man Thought He Was Running Over Bin Laden. (Hat tip: Michael.) "MONTPELLIER, France - A French artist allegedly... Donald Sensing: That's what Pierre tried to do this week. Except that his intended victim was not the Islamofascist terrorist, but a a man who was able to dodge... |
Hesiod: FRENCH TOAST: Who says the French are not committed to fighting the war on terror? [quote] "A Frenchman was convicted for trying to run over a...[end quote] |
Kerry blasts Bush on protecting troops ( / Boston Globe) Permalink CHARLESTON, W.Va. — John F. Kerry sought yesterday to define himself as a committed veteran as he charged that President Bush rushed into Iraq a year ago without making sure US forces had enough body armor and other protection from insurgent attacks. | |
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Mickey Kaus: He claims he simply wanted to finance the $87 billion by repealing some of Bush's tax cuts, and he cosponsored an amendment to that effect. But... Howard Kurtz: Kerry was playing the veterans card yesterday, reports the Boston Globe: "John F. Kerry sought yesterday to define himself as a committed... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: NEW LOWS IN CAMPAIGN DOUBLESPEAK — Behold the amazingly brazen John Kerry: "John F. Kerry sought yesterday to define himself as a committed... |
New Year, New Destiny ( / NRO) Permalink On Tuesday night, Iranians celebrated Chaahaarshanbeh Souri, the feast of fire. This is an ancient Persian celebration, predating Islam by a couple of thousand years; it marks the approaching of the Iranian new year (which is also pre-Islamic), celebrated on March 21, the... | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: ANOTHER UPDATE: As always, Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi puts matters eloquently: "Tuesday was a victory; it was one more jolt to the weakening anatomy... |
Jesse Walker: Or perhaps both. Well, I can wish with the best of them. Here's a stirring story filed today by an Iranian exile in New York. I hope the... |
Man treated after attempting to nail himself to cross (AP) Permalink HARTLAND — A Hartland man was treated at a Pittsfield hospital after he nailed himself to a cross. The 23-year-old man apparently was trying to commit suicide Thursday evening in his living room, the Bangor Daily News reported. | |
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Radley Balko: The Importance of Planning Ahead — You always gotta' feel bad for the guy who's depressed enough to try to kill himself, but can't quite get... Stephen Green: Planning Ahead — Today's weirdest news item: "A Hartland man was treated at a Pittsfield hospital after he nailed himself to a cross. The... |
Edward Driscoll: OK, MAYBE M*A*S*H WAS WRONG: Sometimes, suicide isn't painless, especially when you try to crucify yourself(!), and then discover you're unable... |
Remarks by the Vice President at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum (White House) Permalink THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Well, thank you very much, Fred. I appreciate the warm welcome to Simi Valley, and to the library of one of our greatest Presidents. | |
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John Cole: Cheney Speech — Here. Some highlights from this latest speech from a member of the 'Republican Attack Machine': "Senator Kerry speaks often... |
Jesse Taylor: Dick Cheney - pure class. (Full text here.) |
Gibson breaks Hollywood's 10 Commands ( / Hollywood Reporter) Permalink Green grosses: As saints go, you wouldn't expect a connection between St. Patrick and "The Passion of the Christ." | |
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Tom Smith: The business of the Passion — Interesting piece on the economics of the movie. Gibson is going to make an astonishing amount of money on it. |
Edward Driscoll: But using the "Ten Commandments" theme allows The Hollywood Reporter to lump them together quite nicely. The Blair Witch Project was a terrible... |
We locked you up in jail for 25 years and you were innocent all along? That'll be £80,000 please ( / Scotland Sunday Herald) Permalink WHAT do you give someone who's been proved innocent after spending the best part of their life behind bars, wrongfully convicted of a crime they didn't commit? | |
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Macallan: Those Wacky Parodies — This is the Onion right? Scrappleface? I mean it can't be real...can it? Hat tip: memeorandum (cool site, check it... Kieran Healy: 2 Bed, 1 Bath, Appalling Vista, £3,000/year — Can someone in the UK confirm the accuracy of this report? (Via Jim Henley.) WHAT do you... Julian Sanchez: Well, looks like someone in the British government has been watching too much Terry Gilliam: "WHAT do you give someone who's been proved... |
Eugene Volokh: Unintentional self-parody of government overreaching: Hit & Run and NoodleFood point this out. I quote from the Sunday Herald (U.K.) : "WHAT do... Edward Driscoll: IN ENGLAND, LIFE IMITATES BRAZIL, where David Blunkett, the Labour Home Secretary, "will fight in the Royal Courts of Justice in London for the... Jim Henley: "The government deems the claw-back 'Saved Living Expenses'." Warning: British Press! (In this case, the Sunday Herald.) But man. (Via the... |
Osama bin Laden: missed opportunities ( / MSNBC) Permalink As the 9/11 commission investigates what Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush might have done to prevent the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, one piece of evidence the commission will examine is a videotape secretly recorded by a CIA plane high above Afghanistan. The... | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: With failed results: "As the 9/11 commission investigates what Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush might have done to prevent the Sept... Andrew Sullivan: So why was nothing done? Lisa Myers' piece strikes me as an important one for the choice in front of us in this election. THE PRODI AWARD: Why... Tacitus: Conceptual flaw — What happens when you consider terrorism primarily a law-enforcement problem? Nothing. And that's the problem. Keep in mind,... |
Jesse Taylor: Better than Lisa Myers, supreme overhack, which is saying something. Clinton wasn't anywhere near perfect on terror, and I don't think anyone can... Matthew Yglesias: Last night I saw Lisa Myers's hit piece on Bill Clinton which suggested that he let Osama bin Laden get away: "NBC News has obtained,... Tom Maguire: UPDATE: NBC News is breaking a story about the near capture of Osama in October 2000. Kerry-critics will point to this as an example of the... |
| Also: Atrios, Betsy Newmark, Cori Dauber | |
Homage to Castilla ( / Reason) Permalink The bodies were barely cold from the attacks of "11-M" in Madrid, the ballots from Sunday's national election barely counted, but American pundits were already competing furiously to heap insult upon injury. The unexpected victory of the Partido Socialista Obrero... | |
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Radley Balko: Sanchez on Spain — Julian drives home a point that occured to me this morning: "Appeasement, after all, is largely a matter of perception: What... |
Matt Yglesias: More Spain — Julian Sanchez weighs in with less shrillness and more actual information about Spanish politics than I. Plus, we agree: "All this... |
Bans on Interracial Unions Offer Perspective on Gay Ones ( / NYT) Permalink Without a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages, President Bush warned on Feb. 24, there is a grave risk that "every state would be forced to recognize any relationship that judges in Boston or officials in San Francisco choose to call a marriage." | |
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Mike Rappaport: Liberal Bias Pure and Simple — This piece is just outrageous and shameless. What a piece of trash the New York Times can be. I guess the Times... |
Andrew Sullivan: And there would be no more debate. THE TRUTH ABOUT MARRIAGE: Please, please read this piece in the New York Times. It reiterates something I have... |
Where the Dem Was ( / NRO) Permalink Perhaps this is one of John Kerry's "nuanced" positions. Perhaps it sounds better in the original French. However, the English translation of the above is, "It depends upon what the meaning of 'voted for' is." | |
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Betsy Newmark: Barbara Comstock reminds us of why Kerry voted against the $87 billion supplemental appropriations bill for the forces in Iraq. It was a total... |
Nick Confessore: We have a repeat contender in the person of Barbara Comstock, the former Republican National Committee opposition researcher and Justice... |
"Protecting Our Military Families in Times of War" (Kerry for President Press Room) Permalink One year ago this week, American soldiers raced across the desert to Baghdad. Ten months ago, George Bush stood on an aircraft carrier and proclaimed "mission accomplished." | |
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Atrios: Kerry Speech — Text here. everyone get ready for tomorrow...John Kerry Day! |
Matthew Yglesias: John Kerry spent some time in today's address to make an important point about America's military capacity: "The war in Iraq taught us that a... |
BUSH ADS HIT THE MARK (New York Post) Permalink AT last George W. Bush is doing what he needs to do to win this election - run ads that explain John Kerry's liberalism to moderate swing voters. | |
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Mickey Kaus: Dick Morris is a bit of a cheap date when it comes to appreciating the genius of the Bush "defense" attack ads: "And Bush cleverly avoids the... Betsy Newmark: Dick Morris approves of Bush's attack ads. He's been urging Bush to go negative on Kerry for a while now. |
Hindrocket: Bush Ads Hit Home — Dick Morris thinks that President Bush's current ads are scoring heavily against John Kerry: "At last George W. Bush is... |
Huge Blast Destroys Hotel in Baghdad (AP) Permalink BAGHDAD — A huge blast ripped through a portion of central Baghdad Wednesday, destroying a downtown hotel and killing at least 27 people. Forty-one people were reported injured in the explosion. | |
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Cori Dauber: WALL TO WALL BY WAY OF COMPARISON — A hotel in Baghdad is blown up and all three news nets go wall to wall: in other words, all other stories... |
Allah: Run, Jose! Run like the wind! Here's another photo from the aftermath of the election. This one didn't require Photoshop. UPDATE: Via the LGF... |
AFTERMATH IN SPAIN (Online NewsHour) Permalink Reverberations continued across Europe Monday from Sunday's elections in Spain, where Socialists swept the ruling Conservatives out of office over the issue of Spain's support of the Iraq war. Margaret Warner looks at the election's ramifications for European and U.S-Spain... | |
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Josh Marshall: This passage comes from an interview on Monday night's Newshour ... "MARGARET WARNER: Mr. Checa, what is your reading of what was the number one... Atrios: More Spain — A little bit of truth manages to shine through on the Newshour: MARGARET WARNER: Mr. Checa, what is your reading of what was the... |
Jesse Taylor: A Defeat For Dishonesty — Via Atrios, we get this Newshour transcript which shows that Aznar's defeat in a close election didn't have to do with... |
Kerry Criticizes Bush Iraq War Policies ( / AP) Permalink Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the war in Iraq by criticizing President Bush for failed policies "with no end in sight" as Vice President Dick Cheney defended the administration. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Hoho, Fo Po! Whoa! Kerry gave a speech today assailing Bush's foreign policy - which was good. However, it's a newsworthy event in part because... |
Hesiod: ANOTHER UPDATE: Unfortunately for President Bush, today was also the day John Kerry launched a broadside against his FUBAR Iraq policy. Somehow,... |
Ethics Truce Frays in House (WaPo) Permalink A seven-year ethics truce between congressional Republicans and Democrats has begun to fray under the weight of mounting alleged abuses by House GOP leaders and tensions among Democrats over how aggressively to pursue the matters. | |
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Kris Murray: Shoot 'em All And Let God Sort 'em Out — This article discussing how the US Congress"self-polices" its wrongdoings really bothers me. I find it... James Joyner: Ethics Truce Frays in House — WaPo: Ethics Truce Frays in House "A seven-year ethics truce between congressional Republicans and Democrats has... |
Taegan Goddard: House Braces For Possible Ethics Investigations — "A seven-year ethics truce between congressional Republicans and Democrats has begun to fray... |
Bomb Blast Destroys Central Baghdad Hotel (AP) Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq — A huge car bomb destroyed a five-story hotel in central Baghdad on Wednesday night, killing at least 10 people, Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers said. | |
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KJL: BAGHDAD HOTEL DESTROYED at least 27 dead. |
Hesiod: According to the Washington Post, "two U.S. soldiers tried to help pull bodies from the wreckage, but angry Iraqis pushed them back." ANOTHER... |
Elliotts knew service in Iraq 'was God's calling' ( / Baptist Press News) Permalink CARY, N.C. (BP)—The last time Reca Davis saw Larry and Jean Elliott, the couple was in the States, preparing for their service in Iraq. | |
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Bill Hobbs: Pray for God's blessings on their surviving family members and friends. UPDATE: Here's a story from BPNews about Scott Elliott's parents. |
Donald Sensing: BPNews also published a profile of the Elliots. |
Spain's response to terror ( / UPI) Permalink WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) — After the blood of some 200 innocent people was shed in Madrid last Thursday as a result of Europe's most horrific terrorist attack in recent history, much ink will now flow explaining how Spain has given in to the threat and pressures of... | |
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Julian Sanchez: Via Radley Balko, I see that some 11th-hour polls conducted before the bombing had the PSOE pulling ahead of the PP. |
Deacon: Surrendering to their instincts — A UPI columnist, Claude Salhani, argues that the Spanish electorate did not surrender to terrorism when it... |
Ruling appeal over B&B bill (Guardian) Permalink The Home Office is to appeal today against a court ruling that victims of notorious miscarriages of justice should not have to pay the bed-and-breakfast bill for their time in jail. | |
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Eugene Volokh: "." Please tell me it's some weird March 14 Fool's joke. UPDATE: Another English newspaper article on this, courtesy of reader Robert Fairbairn. |
Scott Burgess: 60,000 - Amount in pounds that the British government says each of 2 men wrongfully imprisoned for 18 years owe for their board and lodging in... |
A Setback, Not a Defeat ( / TCS) Permalink "New Europe" isn't in as bad shape as some people have been saying following the Madrid outrage and the subsequent Spanish election results. To read some commentators, you might think that the entire population of Spain had raised the white flag to Al Qaeda, while it was... | |
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Chris Bertram: So it was a pleasant surprise to find that Iain has a column on the Spanish elections published in that bastion of lunacy TechCentralStation... Allah: Iain Murray has a column at Tech Central Station tonight which echoes a point made in the comments to my previous post. Murray argues that the... |
Iain Murray: The Spanish are not cowards — In my latest TCS column, A Setback, Not a Defeat, I dispute the idea that the Spanish people fled for cover en... |
US stalls on Iranian offer of reform deal ( / Financial Times) Permalink The US has for 10 months been stalling over an Iranian offer of landmark talks that would see the Islamic republic address Washington's concerns on nuclear weapons, terrorism and Israel - because of divisions within the Bush administration. | |
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Daniel Drezner: The Financial Times breaks a story that back in May, Iran wanted to join Libya on the Bandwagon Express: "The US has for 10 months been stalling... |
Roger L. Simon: The Iran Proposal — Daniel Drezner has a lengthy quotation on his site from a new article in the Financial Times regarding Iran. This article... |
Linking Al-Qaida and Iraq ( / Townhall.com) Permalink As it becomes increasingly clear that al-Qaida was responsible for the horrific attacks in Madrid, one question keeps popping up: If there's no link between 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, why did al-Qaida blow up those trains? | |
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Jesse Taylor: Stop With The Talking — Tony Blankley, Jonah Goldberg, Chuck Colson, Debra Saunders and Bill Murchison all write roughly the same article using... |
Betsy Newmark: Jonah Goldberg wonders why Al Qaeda would attack Madrid if there is no link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. |
Not very (First) Lady-like (NY Daily News) Permalink As New York's junior senator, Hillary Clinton has proved herself a paragon of poise - and one of the Democrats' brightest stars. | |
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Taegan Goddard: According to the Lloyd Grove, Califano writes: "As we entered the Caucus Room on that steamy Washington morning, it was so jammed with spectators... |
Betsy Newmark: Joseph Califano recalls the first time he met the potty-mouthed Hillary Clinton. |
Flash Media ( / TCS) Permalink We've seen a lot of this sort of thing in recent years and last week's terrorist attacks in Madrid provided another example. Big media accounts led the coverage, but soon bloggers and others were filling in the gaps. The bloggers at Iberian Notes, an English-language weblog... | |
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Bill Hobbs: News Flash — Glenn Reynolds' TechCentralStation column today examines the emergent grassroots online media - he calls it "flash media," a pretty... |
Glenn Reynolds: I'll have a column up at TechCentralStation this morning. And Chris Muir's Day by Day — which really deserves a big syndication deal — will... |
Dean: Bush responsible for deaths in Spain ( / AP) Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean said Tuesday that President Bush's decision to send troops to Iraq appears to have contributed to the bombing deaths of 201 in Spain. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Yesterday, in a phone interview supposedly to support Kerry, Dean said that Bush was responsible for the deaths in Madrid. They just don't get... |
Edward Driscoll: HOWARD DEAN: Open mouth, insert foot. |
Europe Faces a New Era ( / WaPo) Permalink For Europe, March 11 equals September 11. The mass terror attacks in Madrid last week, say European online commentators, mark the beginning of a new era in which Europe will have to learn to defend itself from al Qaeda-style terror operations. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: AT LAST THEY COME AROUND — It may be that some in Europe are finally understanding the phenomenon of terrorism: "In London, the Guardian says... Donald Sensing: The WaPo's Jefferson Morley surveys the content of European papers' editorials now that the immediate shock of the Madrid attacks is being... |
Glenn Reynolds: JEFFERSON MORLEY SURVEYS THE EUROPEAN PRESS for the Washington Post and discovers that some realism is beginning to appear: [quote] "Only a dreamer...[end quote] |
Bumper Sticker Moralities? ( / TCS) Permalink The residents in my apartment building all have assigned parking spaces, which means that whenever I go to my car, I see the same cars around me. One truck that is parked near my four-door car has a bumper sticker on its rear that I have not seen before, or seen on any other... | |
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Steve Bainbridge: More recommended reading — Pejman Yousefzadeh's TCS column on the positive relationship between religion and reason. One place you can see the... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: MY TECH CENTRAL STATION COLUMN IS UP — This one may help revive that old time religion. Or at the very least, clear up a lingering stereotype... |
The Ripples From Spain Could Rock Berlusconi ( / NYT) Permalink ROME, March 16 — At several tense junctures since Italy dispatched troops to Iraq last year, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has emphatically stated his commitment to keeping troops there, and he did so again this week. | |
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Nathan Hallford: UPDATE: A story in the New York Times this morning looks at the ripple effect, from the bombings, in Italy. |
Gregory Djerejian: It's Iraq, Stupid — Ou peut etre pas. Meanwhile, Italy digests Madrid. The next months will be a tough slog for Silvio Berlusconi. But some in... |
A Year After Iraq War (Pew Research Center) Permalink A year after the war in Iraq, discontent with America and its policies has intensified rather than diminished. Opinion of the United States in France and Germany is at least as negative now as at the war's conclusion, and British views are decidedly more critical.... | |
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Scott Burgess: 77 - Percentage of Americans who claim to have a "very" or "somewhat" favourable view of Jews. 81 - Percentage of French people who say the same... Angry Bear: The Latest Pew Global Attitudes Survey — The survey was conducted in February, so some of the number may already be dated as a result of the... |
Hesiod: Because, Lord knows, everyone else in the world hates his guts. UPDATE: Oliver Willis has more. Allah: Jordan, a.k.a. the modern Arab state, continues to be a big supporter of blowing up Jews and U.S. soldiers and of punching women in the face... |
Poll Finds Hostility Hardening Toward U.S. Policies ( / NYT) Permalink During the first year of the United States occupation of Iraq, antagonism toward American foreign policy in some European and Muslim countries has hardened, with public opinion overseas swinging sharply in favor of charting a course independent of Washington, a new poll has... | |
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Cori Dauber: And, indeed, just a few graphs into the Times coverage of the poll comes the first surprise. Poll respondents in Muslim countries may not like... |
Jeff Jarvis: Spin. : Wednesday, The Times reports more polling from its glass-half-empty perspective. "In some predominantly Muslim countries, where negative... |
Ralph Reed, now born again as a political strategist, has moved on from doing God's work to doing George W. Bush's ( / The Atlantic Online) Permalink F ew figures in American politics seem more fixed in time and place than Ralph Reed. As the brash, boyish director of the Christian Coalition a decade ago, Reed personified the ascendant religious right: he was an articulate, media-savvy spokesman who put to rest the... | |
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Nathan Hallford: In the current edition of The Atlantic an in-depth look is given at Reed, including his past along with his current duties-how he plans on... |
Betsy Newmark: Atlantic Magazine profiles Ralph Reed and says that he's been assigned to work his magic on Florida this year. |
Army, captain near deal in espionage case ( / Washington Times) Permalink Capt. James Yee and prosecutors are near an agreement under which the Army would drop its most serious criminal charges against the Muslim chaplain and he would agree to undergo up to 30 days of counterintelligence interrogations and a polygraph test. | |
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Phil Carter: Deal near in Gitmo chaplain case — The Washington Times reports today that Army prosecutors have tentatively struck a deal with Army Captain... |
Jacob Sullum: Yee Plea — The Washington Times reports that military prosecutors are close to a deal with Capt. James Yee, the former Muslim chaplain at... |
Australia Says It Stands by the U.S. ( / AP) Permalink Australia's foreign minister promised Tuesday that the government would not back away from its close alliance with the United States despite the terrorist bombing attacks on Spain, another member of the U.S.-led occupation force in Iraq. | |
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Steven Den Beste: The most important nations are the UK, Poland, and Australia, and so far they all seem to be remaining strong. But it's a hell of a note when you... C. D. Harris: The Aussies, too: "Foreign Minister Alexander Downer urged Spain's new prime minister not to pull its 1,300 troops from Iraq, as he has... |
Bo Cowgill: AUSTRAILIA STANDS STRONG: Good news. Charles Johnson: Australia Stands Up — Australia Says It Stands by the US. Good on ya, mates. You make us proud. "SYDNEY, Australia - Australia's foreign... |
Iranians celebrate fire festival (Reuters) Permalink TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) — Iranians danced in the street, threw firecrackers and jumped over bonfires Tuesday night as authorities openly tolerated an ancient fire festival for the first time in 25 years. | |
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Emperor Darth Misha I: Uprisings? Bloody beatings of civilians by the theocratic regime so beloved by CNN? Not bloody likely. "TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) — Iranians danced... KJL: CNN & IRAN — Well, CNN's reporters won't get kicked out of Tehran. (Hopefully, someday when the Iranians are liberated, we'll have an Eason... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: ANY EXCUSE TO PARTY — A very happy Chaharshanbeh Suri to all. And may its celebration be the harbinger of complete political and social freedoms... |
3/16 Archived Show: (Rush Limbaugh) Permalink RUSH: The Democrats have been telling us for months that Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terrorism. The war in Iraq has nothing to do with it. The Democrats say that Bush lost his focus, should have stayed in Afghanistan. Kerry's got all these world leaders, they're... | |
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Tbogg: Hiatus over...the return of I Don't Like The Drugs But The Drugs Like Me — Today Rush makes a veiled plug for the Democrats, citing one of his... Edward Driscoll: By now, you may very well have read or heard the browbeating that Kerry gave a potential voter in a townhall meeting in Bethlehem, PA on Sunday:... |
Oliver Willis: Let's take a look at the conspirators in this crap-filled slur: Paul Sperry, who wrote the editorial, is the Washington Bureau Chief for the... KJL: (Rush Limbaugh called the incident a "Dean-like meltdown"; the excerpt below comes from Rush.) "KERRY: No, wait, wait, wait, wait you asked me if... |
The Maiden Name Debate ( / Slate) Permalink It was an interesting moment in the history of nomenclature when Hillary's "Rodham" slipped into the position of a middle name after her husband lost his bid for re-election as governor in 1980. In the decades that followed, political wives have been pressured to tack their... | |
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Virginia Postrel: Fortunately, today's brides don't make such a big deal of the name game, as Katie Roiphe (her maiden name) explains: "Interestingly, over the... Will Baude: What's in a name? Sara Butler has stepped into the should-women-take-their-husban ds'-names debate. She writes: "... ultimately, I think it's... |
Amanda Butler: Names — Rehasing the old concerns, Katie Roiphe's The Maiden Name Debate in Slate suggests a modern alternative open to married women: legally... Matt Yglesias: The Personal Is Political — Feminist contrarian Kaitie Roiphe sort of hems and haws about the whole maiden name thing, concluding, at the end,... |
Bill Janklow damages may be paid by U.S. (Washington Times) Permalink SOUIX FALL, S.D., March 16 (UPI) — A former Minnesota congressman, convicted in the traffic death of a motorcyclist, shouldn't have to pay any damages in the case, a U.S. attorney says. | |
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Roger Ailes: Heffelfinger claims Janklow killed Randy Scott in the course of his employment for the United States House of Reprsentatives. According to... |
Radley Balko: Gum'mint Outrage of the Day — Silver Medal — A U.S. Attorney has determined that former Congressman Bill Janklow, who once boasted to friends... |
US plays down clash with Iran troops ( / Financial Times) Permalink The US army sought yesterday to play down a clash between its troops and Iranian border guards who exchanged fire in north-eastern Iraq on Sunday night. | |
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Macallan: There is a lot of chatter about goings on in Iran and Syria. See Iran links at Obsidian Wings as well as this via NRO corner. NRO also links to... |
KJL: IRAN SIDEBAR — We clashed with Iranian border troops Sunday. |
France Gets Islamist Threat with Chechen Link (Reuters News Service) Permalink PARIS (Reuters) - France has received threats of a possible attack against French interests from an Islamist group apparently named after a Chechen guerrilla killed in a Moscow hostage-taking in 2002, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday. | |
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Steven Den Beste: No European nation has gone further in trying to suck up to the Islamists than France, but it has now received a threat: "France's firm stand... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: The post was written in response to this story, which indicates that France has received terrorist threats from fundamentalist Muslim... |
Mass drunkenness has turned us into a nation of barbarians ( / Telegraph) Permalink The mass public drunkenness among our youth that is now to be witnessed weekly in every British town and city, and which has finally rung alarm bells in the corridors of power, is regarded by our European neighbours, with reason, as our most salient national characteristic.... | |
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Edward Driscoll: UPDATE: Meanwhile in England, Theodore Dalrymple writes that "Mass drunkenness has turned us into a nation of barbarians": "There is something... |
Michael DeBow: Consider Theodore Dalrymple's column on public drunkeness in the UK: "No doubt it will be pointed out that at least some young men have always... |
O'Reilly, O'Franken, oh no! ( / Christian Science Monitor) Permalink WASHINGTON - Tired from a long, hard winter? Looking for a sunny getaway that won't break the family budget? Camp X-ray at Guantánamo Bay in tropical Cuba has fun for everyone. | |
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Cori Dauber: Update: No sooner do I post this than I find this via Buzz Machine. Of course, conflating the Opinion Journalism segments on Fox (O'Reilly for... |
Jeff Jarvis: Wake up and smell the spin : A member of the team that wrote the much-linked study on the shrinking news biz (see below), Dante Chinni, writes a... |
Bush's partial history (Spokane Spokesman-Review) Permalink Military rules used in 1974 to ground two Washington Air National Guard airmen with access to nuclear weapons also applied to a Texas Air National Guard unit where Lt. George W. Bush was a fighter pilot. | |
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Brad Delong: "The Spokesman-Review.com - Bush's partial history: ...Human reliability regulations were used to screen military personnel for their mental,... David Neiwert: Bush's partial history: Stringent military screening program may explain gaps on president's record What Morlin and Steele appear to have... |
Dan Gillmor: Bush and the National Guard: More Questions — Spokane Spokesman-Review: Bush's partial history. Military rules used in 1974 to ground two... Kevin Drum: A lot of people have emailed me a link to this story in the Spokane Spokesman-Review about George Bush's National Buard record. It describes... |
Honduras says it will follow Spain's lead, withdraw troops from Iraq in June; El Salvador to stay put ( / San Francisco Chronicle) Permalink Honduras plans to follow Spain's lead and withdraw 370 troops from a Spanish-led humanitarian and peacekeeping brigade in June, Defense Secretary Federico Breve said Tuesday. | |
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Dan Darling: Honduras plans to follow suit, along with possibly El Salvador depending on the results of their own upcoming elections. Now statistically this... |
Kos: Honduras announced abruptly it will withdraw its troops, and Nicaragua has decided not to replace a contingent it just rotated out. Only El... |
Moral Nihilism ( / TNR) Permalink The hideous massacre in Madrid last week led to many responses, one of which was the Spanish electorate's decision to throw out its center-right government in favor of a solidly socialist administration bent on removing Spanish troops from Iraq. Here is the response of one... | |
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Stephen Pollard: The Guardian is beneath contempt — Please, read this fabulous piece by Andrew Sullivan, which destroys the Guardian's foul response to the... Steven Den Beste: (On Screen via long range sensors): Writing in The New Republic, Andrew Sullivan thoroughly shreds an appalling editorial in The Guardian. He... Andrew Sullivan: FISKING THE GUARDIAN: Their craven response to the Madrid massacre deserved a riposte. So I fisked 'em. |
Betsy Newmark: Andrew Sullivan fisks The Guardian. Glenn Reynolds: MORAL NIHILISM: Andrew Sullivan is Fisking a Guardian editorial on the Spanish elections, and observes: "In Europe, there are no bad guys, even... |
A Tribute to Rachel Corrie ( / Opinion Journal) Permalink (Editor's note: On March 16, 2003, 23-year-old Rachel Corrie died in a bulldozer accident in the Gaza town of Rafah.) | |
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Adam White: While too many "human rights activists" rush to honor her name, it's nice to see that at least one writer has captured her for what she really... Charles Johnson: UPDATE: OK, there is one Corrie tribute worth linking to: Thanks for showing us what "peace" really means. "Today is the first anniversary of... |
Edward Driscoll: SHE BULLDOZED HER WAY INTO OUR HEARTS, one year ago today: Rachel Currie, that is. Charles Johnson writes: "This means that practically every... |
Nation's Direction Prompts Voters' Concern, Poll Finds (NYT) Permalink George Bush and John Kerry enter the general election at a time of growing concern among Americans that the nation is veering in the wrong direction, the latest New York Times/CBS News poll shows. Mr. Bush faces unrest over his management of the economy, while the public has... | |
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CJR: Don't feel bad if you haven't noticed: as Mickey Kaus pointed out yesterday, the Times buried the news in the sixth paragraph of its story about... Hugh Hewitt: (See the New York Times/CBS poll from this morning: Bush leads Kerry by 8 points in a three way race, with Bush at 46, Kerry 38, and Nader at 7... Deacon: Howard Kerry — The latest New York Times/CBS News poll suggests that John Kerry's honeymoon with the voters may well be over. President Bush... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Stephen Bainbridge has the latest example. I should note a couple of things about this poll (whose RSS version can be found here). For one thing,... Steve Bainbridge: The Buried Lead The most recent NYT poll has Bush 3 points ahead of Kerry in a head to head matchup and an eye-popping 8 points ahead in a three... Zachary Roth: He asks why Adam Nagourney and Janet Elder lead off their report on the results of a new NYT/CBS poll with the news that voters believe "the... |
| Also: Howard Kurtz, Tom Maguire, Taegan Goddard, Jesse Taylor, Adam White, Mathew Gross | |
To Die in Madrid ( / Slate) Permalink I can remember when I was a bit of an ETA fan myself. It was in 1973*, when a group of Basque militants assassinated Adm. Carrero Blanco. The admiral was a stone-faced secret police chief, personally groomed to be the successor to the decrepit Francisco Franco. His car blew... | |
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Roger Ailes: Remember, Kids, Alcohol Kills Brain Cells — Chris Hitchens writes, with a shaky hand: "I can remember when I was a bit of an ETA fan myself. It... Hugh Hewitt: Hitchens at his best. (Hat tip to VodkaPundit.) Stephen Green: That's Christopher Hitchens in Slate. The whole thing is today's Required Reading. |
Betsy Newmark: Christopher Hitchens explodes the logic that Spaniards have adopted that says that the terrorists exploded bombs in Madrid last week as a payback... Cori Dauber: WHAT DO TERRORISTS WANT? Ask the brilliant Christopher Hitchens. Because you can go on about the theory of appeasement all day long, or you can... James Joyner: Christopher Hitchens notes the “nutty logic” exhibited by Spain’s Left: "Many Spaniards were among those killed recently in... |
THE FRENCH WAR FOR OIL ( / New York Post) Permalink MANY Americans are convinced even today that the war in Iraq was all about oil. And they're right - but oil was the key for French President Jacques Chirac, not for the United States. | |
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Trent Telenko: The French War for Oil — Read this NY Post article. Color me unsurprised: "Many Americans are convinced even today that the war in Iraq was all... Glenn Reynolds: ANTI-WAR FOR OIL: Kenneth Timmerman reports: "MANY Americans are convinced even today that the war in Iraq was all about oil. And they're right... Betsy Newmark: Kenneth Timmerman has uncovered more information on how France was making money off of Saddam Hussein. "MANY Americans are convinced even today... |
Cori Dauber: Via Instapundit, a piece in the New York Post (as they would say, owned by the parent company of Fox News) on the oil contracts hanging in the... Stephen Green: No War, For Oil — Kenneth R. Timmerman, in today's New York Post: "in documents I obtained during an investigation of the French relationship to... Bird Dog: UPDATE: More French altruism from Kenneth Timmerman: "Many Americans are convinced even today that the war in Iraq was all about oil. And... |
| Also: The Big Trunk | |
GLOBE REPORTER CLAIMS TAPE RECORDED KERRY 'MORE' LEADERS NOT 'FOREIGN' LEADERS; TRANSCRIPTION 'SCREW-UP' (Drudge Report) Permalink A BOSTON GLOBE reporter at the center of a growing controversy over comments made by John Kerry last week in Florida now claims he "screwed-up" — and John Kerry never bragged how "foreign leaders" privately backed his presidential bid! | |
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Steve Bainbridge: A Suspect Retraction According to Drudge, Boston Globe reporter Patrick Healy, whose story started the whole Kerry and "foreign leaders" meme, is... Tom Maguire: He doesn't have "foreign" friends, he has "more" friends, according to Patrick Healey of the Boston Globe; the WaPo brushes this aside (see... Edward Driscoll: This recent "admission" by Boston Globe reporter Patrick Healy that he flubbed a key quote by John Kerry—despite the fact that Kerry has... |
Tom Tomorrow: So, as Ali G would say, big ups to Boston Globe reporter Patrick Healy for doing the right thing and setting the record straight. Howard Kurtz: Drudge has gotten hold of an e-mail that casts doubt on the whole flap: "A BOSTON GLOBE reporter at the center of a growing controversy over... Glenn Reynolds: I DON'T BELIEVE THIS BACKTRACK by Boston Globe reporter Patrick Healy on the Kerry "Foreign Leaders" story: "Listening to the audio recorder now,... |
| Also: David Bernstein, Ezra Klein, Oliver Willis, Adam White, Tim Blair, Jonah Goldberg, Hesiod, Bo Cowgill, Kos | |
Al Qaeda's Wish List ( / NYT) Permalink I am trying not to think harshly of the Spanish. They have suffered a grievous blow, and it was crazy to go ahead with an election a mere three days after the Madrid massacre. Nonetheless, here is what seems to have happened: | |
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Betsy Newmark: David Brooks says that Spain has guaranteed more terrorist bombings before elections throughout Europe. "Many Americans and many Europeans will... Jeff Jarvis: A nation of Neville Chamberlains : David Brooks tiptoes up to the line — "I am trying not to think harshly of the Spanish" — but then he speaks... Tom Tomorrow: For what it's worth, I got an email from a Spanish reader this morning, giving his take on the situation, and it doesn't make the Spanish people... |
Roger Ailes: David Brooks called the citizens of Spain appeasers and Edward N. Nutsack Luttwak wrote the same column. Which one copied the other's paper? Of... Mike Rappaport: Rational Free Riding by the Spanish — In his column criticizing the Spanish, David Brooks writes: If a terrorist group attacked the U.S. three... Nathan Hallford: Brooks On Terrorism: In today's New York Times, David Brooks pens an excellent piece on the recent attack in Spain. He writes: "We can be pretty... |
| Also: Cori Dauber, Robert Garcia Tagorda, Ezra Klein | |
Rational Security ( / American Prospect) Permalink Eager as ever to Leave No Corpse Unexploited, the right has wasted little time in promoting the idea that last week's horrifying terrorist attacks in Madrid are a vindication of the Bush administration's policies. On March 12, Andrew Sullivan declared his hope that, if... | |
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Howard Kurtz: American Prospect's Matthew Yglesias says the Dems must embrace the national security debate: "Eager as ever to Leave No Corpse Unexploited, the... Matt Yglesias: Rational Security — New article from me on TAP Online (one will be up every Tuesday morning until the end of time...) about Spain, the war on... |
Mark Kleiman: George W. Bush as a failed war President — If John Kerry wants to win this election — and there's some evidence that he really, really does —... Atrios: Miserable Failure — Big Media Matt in TAP Online: For all the big talk, then, 9-11 appears to have changed nothing for the Bush administration. |
Time to Save an Alliance ( / WaPo) Permalink The terrorist attack in Madrid and its seismic impact on the Spanish elections this past week have brought the United States and Europe to the edge of the abyss. There's no denying that al Qaeda has struck a strategic and not merely a tactical blow. To murder and terrorize... | |
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Deacon: Is it time to move on? Robert Kagan says it's time to save our alliance with the former Western Europe. "The American task," according to Kagan,... Gregory Djerejian: Meanwhile, over in, er, the real world, Robert Kagan gets it about right (though is a tad hyperbolic): "The terrorist attack in Madrid and its... Cori Dauber: Emphasizing their disagreements with us there, or distancing themselves from us there, will in the end provide no protection. It would be an... |
Kevin Raybould: Neo-Con Panic — Man, everyone needs to calm down "The terrorist attack in Madrid and its seismic impact on the Spanish elections this past week... James Joyner: Time to Save an Alliance — That’s the title of the latest column by Robert Kagan. "The terrorist attack in Madrid and its seismic impact... Robert Garcia Tagorda: POSTSCRIPT: See also Robert Kagan's column on the transatlantic alliance. |
Kerry Sticks to Claim of World Support ( / AP) Permalink WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is not backing down from his claim that some foreign leaders privately support him against President Bush , dismissing suggestions by the White House that he is lying if he is not willing to identify the leaders. | |
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Greyhawk: Speaking of which, you recently claimed that "foreign leaders" want you to be the next president. Actually, a careful reading of your claim shows... John Ellis: It's Twue, It's Twue — Those foreign leaders really do like me better. So says Senator John Kerry. As oddball stories go, this one does ring... |
KJL: MORE RE FOREIGN LEADERS — This would be funny if he were not running for president: Kerry continues to stand by the statement that, according to... Taegan Goddard: The AP notes Kerry "is not backing down" either. Said Kerry: "It's no secret that some countries are deeply divided about our foreign policy. We... |
Weak on Terror ( / NYT) Permalink "My most immediate priority," Spain's new leader, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, declared yesterday, "will be to fight terrorism." But he and the voters who gave his party a stunning upset victory last Sunday don't believe the war in Iraq is part of that... | |
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Tom Maguire: Weak On Facts — Paul Krugman recycles some old material, so I will too: ...Polls suggest that a reputation for being tough on terror is just... Matt Yglesias: UPDATE: Krugman seems to be thinking along the same lines (big memo went out to the whole vlwc, you see) but he's just not shrill enough about... Oliver Willis: Weak on Terror After 9/11, terrorism could no longer be ignored, and the military conducted a successful campaign against Al Qaeda's Taliban... |
Jeanne D'Arc: Paul Krugman brings it all home. Brad Delong: [quote] Op-Ed Columnist: Weak on Terror: By PAUL KRUGMAN | Published: March 16, 2004 | "My most immediate priority," Spain's new leader, José Luis...[end quote] Mathew Gross: The Washington Post delves further into the results of the Spanish elections. Krugman follows the blogosphere. Kerry follows the script. And in... |
Survey finds hope in occupied Iraq ( / BBC) Permalink An opinion poll carried out in Iraq will make good reading for US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: "THE ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS" That appears to be a good way to describe the mood in Iraq, almost one year after the war began: "About 6,000... Glenn Reynolds: HERE'S AN INTERESTING ABC POLL OF IRAQIS: "A year after the bombs began to fall, Iraqis express ambivalence about the U.S.-led invasion of their... Damian Penny: Update: the BBC has more details of the poll. Notably, only 20% of Iraqis want their country to become an Islamic state. The surest way to make... |
Allah: Blame Bush! So much for "el desastre". Meanwhile, Tony Blair interrupts appeasement boy's calling him a "liar" to tell him now might be a good... Tim Blair: Only one year after liberation, things are looking up: "An opinion poll suggests most Iraqis feel their lives have improved since the war in... Patrick Belton: ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE: A poll commissioned by BBC and carried out by Oxford Research International (full disclosure: we didn't... |
| Also: Jeff Jarvis | |
A Leaner, Meaner Jihad ( / NYT) Permalink The coordinated train bombings in Madrid have altered Europe's political structure, shaken global financial markets and unsettled the American-led coalition in Iraq. Although we still do not know for sure who committed the atrocity, the only groups to have claimed... | |
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Dan Darling: Bjorn Stark and the New York Times have more of the same, but in light of this document, its size, and the detailed analysis of the Spanish... |
Daniel Drezner: Meanwhile, Scott Atran picks up on the evolution of the relationship between Al Qaeda and local terrorist groups in the other op-ed. The... |