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Moore's prop By / Townhall.com — Permalink The family of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone was shocked to learn that video footage of the major's Arlington National Cemetery burial was included by Michael Moore in his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11." | |
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Jan Haugland: Stone's mother calls Moore a 'maggot that eats off the dead.' Tha family doesn't know how Moore obtained the video footage, and are considering legal action. Greg Ransom: A MAGGOT THAT EATS OFF THE DEAD is a fair description of MICHAEL MOORE, coming as it is from the aunt of a slain... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Michael Moore for one: "The family of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone was shocked to learn that video footage of the... |
Clayton Cramer: There's also this apt characterization of Michael Moore by the family of a soldier whose funeral was in Moore's... Susanna Cornett: Moore noxious — Not that we should ever be surprised at the depths to which Michael Moore will gleefully plunge, but... James Joyner: Maggot Michael Moore Makes Major's Mom Mad — John McCaslin reports that, [snipped quote] Now that's harsh. |
| Also: Charles Johnson, Bill @INDCJournal | |
Merit Seen in Claims That Iraq Sought Uranium By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — In reports released during the last week, U.S. and British panels sharply criticized their two governments for making ill-founded claims about Iraq's efforts to build weapons of mass destruction — claims that were the central rationale for the U.S.-led invasion of the country in March 2003. | |
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Tom Maguire: The LA Times Finds Joe Wilson — The LA Times overcomes past headline problems (see 7/7) and shows their awareness of... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Kevin cites this story and the following excerpt as supposedly exculpating Wilson regarding the issue of whether Valerie... Josh Marshall: As this article by Doyle McManus in today's Los Angeles Times notes, "the committee found that the CIA's statement, in a... |
Captain Ed: NRO: The Wilson Plague On All Their Houses — Now that the the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on... Kevin Drum: Doyle McManus of the LA Times asked him about this yesterday: [snipped quote] Wilson's credibility does matter — most of... Patterico: But the story, which took the paper almost a week to run, appears on page A6, and does not cite the most compelling evidence that Wilson lied. |
Errant former ambassador By / Townhall.com — Permalink WASHINGTON — Like Sherlock Holmes's dog that did not bark, the most remarkable aspect of last week's Senate Intelligence Committee report is what its Democratic members did not say. They did not dissent from the committee's findings that Iraq apparently asked about buying yellowcake uranium from Niger. | |
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Jan Haugland: Now that the evidence against Wilson's partisan claims are out, it is payback time. Pejman Yousefzadeh: That's why I read over his latest on the Plame affair with a particular amount of care and attention. Jonah Goldberg: NOVAK BREAKS HIS SILENCE — Bob Novak twists the knife on Joe Wilson. |
Ace: Joe Wilson: The Ahmed Chalabi of the Left — Robert Novak tells you stuff you already know, but it's fun to read again. Glenn Reynolds: ROBERT NOVAK BREAKS HIS SILENCE on Plame/Wilson: "For a year, Democrats have been belaboring President Bush about 16... Betsy Newmark: Robert Novak writes that the Dems on the Senate Intelligence Committee refuse to admit that Joseph Wilson has... |
Hear the Rumor on Cheney? Capital Buzzes, Denials Aside By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 14 - In the annals of Washington conspiracy theories, the latest one, about Vice President Dick Cheney's future on the Republican ticket, is as ingenious as it is far-fetched. But that has not stopped it from racing through Republican and Democratic circles like the latest low-carb diet. | |
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Robert Cox: Today, on the front page of the New York Times, Elisabeth Bumiller reported a rumor that Dick Cheney's doctor was... Pejman Yousefzadeh: MORE EVIDENCE OF A LOUSY JOURNALISTIC CLASS — This breathless story—which speculates about rumors about the possible... Steve Gilliard: Dick, you're fired — Dick, this is for you Hear the Rumor on Cheney? |
Jesse Taylor: But this Elisabeth Bumiller article in the Times is just ridiculous. Privately, Democrats are talking about Cheney leaving the ticket. James Joyner: Certainly, Cheney's approval ratings are way down: "Last month, a New York Times/CBS News poll found that 21 percent of... Taegan Goddard: The New York Times has the latest buzz: "The newest theory - advanced privately by prominent Democrats, including... |
| Also: KJL, Betsy Newmark, Joe Gandelman, Hugh Hewitt, John Cole, Tom Maguire | |
Power from the People By / TNR — Permalink Last summer, President Bush and the Republican congressional leadership had a problem. The legislative linchpin of the president's reelection effort, a bill to add prescription-drug coverage to Medicare, lacked the votes in Congress, where conservative Republicans were chafing at the expense. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: Read the whole thing. (Speaking of which, it's good to find that the poor souls arrested for wearing anti-Bush t-shirts were finally released.) Daniel Drezner: UPDATE: Jonathan Chait's TNR essay about the Bush administration's attitude towards other political actors underscores Walker's point about secrecy. |
Matthew Yglesias: Pro And Con — Jonathan Chait outlines part two of The New Republic's case against George W. Bush: he's weakening our democracy. |
APB for Joe Wilson By / NRO — Permalink If the national media were teaching college journalism students their theory of political coverage this year, the theory's name would be Another Problem for Bush. It puts news in a very partisan box. If a fact, a quote, or an allegation casts the president in a negative light, then it is news, pure and simple. | |
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Captain Ed: You would be wrong: "NBC was the most aggressive Wilson promoter on TV, beginning with a Meet the Press appearance on... Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE SCANDAL OF SAND AND FOG — While we are on the subject of the media's competence, Tim Graham exposes just how bad... Cori Dauber: MORE ON WILSON — Comparing, not the amount of Wilson coverage, but the amount of airtime Wilson himself was given, to... |
Ace: The media seem strangely no longer interested in the man who got so much hype and glowing press last year. Edward Driscoll: APB FOR JOE WILSON: Tim Graham notes that "When you pound Bush, you're hot. When you're exposed as a liar, you're not". |
Passengers Give Troops First-Class Seats AP — Permalink DALLAS (AP) - Eight soldiers flying home from Iraq for two weeks of R&R flew in style instead of coach after first-class passengers offered to swap seats with them. "The soldiers were very, very happy, and the whole aircraft had a different feeling," flight attendant Lorrie Gammon told The Dallas Morning News in Thursday's editions. | |
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Michelle Malkin: WELCOMING HOME THE TROOPS — Unlike the miscreants in Bainbridge Island, Washington, the folks on American Airlines... Clayton Cramer: It's Just A Little Gesture... But one that reminds me that a lot of Americans still appreciate what our soldiers are... Pejman Yousefzadeh: FIRST CLASS — Getting first class treatment, and being first class individuals is a wonderful thing. Kudos to all involved. |
James Joyner: Passengers Give Troops First-Class Seats — AP - Passengers Give Troops First-Class Seats [snipped quote] Very nice. Jonathan Gewirtz: It's Not As Bad As Some People Think — Anecdotes like this one (via Andy B) make me a little less worried about the decline of our society. |
Speak Softly, Mr. Bush By / Opinion Journal — Permalink Recently I wrote a column on a particular anxiety I've been feeling regarding the coming election and the prospects of President Bush. I stated that some voters may be feeling or come to feel that history has simply become too dramatic the past few years, and... | |
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Robert Garcia Tagorda: Afterward, they must decide whether to play to their strengths or tinker with their strategy. (Cross-posted at Red State.) Jonathan Gewirtz: Quote of the Day — Peggy Noonan in the WSJ: [snipped quote] (via Instapundit) James Joyner: Shorter Peggy Noonan — Shorter Peggy Noonan: "People have the approximate IQs of dogs. Be sure to smile a lot and, whatever you do, don't show fear." |
Steve M.: Certainly lately, since the transfer of sovereignty, things seem to be looking up... —Peggy Noonan on Iraq, column... Glenn Reynolds: PEGGY NOONAN has responded to the Austin Bay email I posted a while back. Attaturk: The Intractible Nut — Peggy can only be summarized today as follows: "Mr. Bush is not a happy enough War Mongerer". |
| Also: Steve Antler, Dean Esmay, SLZoll | |
NAACP Hasn't Advanced Anything in a Long Time By / LAT — Permalink Last week, for the fourth year in a row, President Bush declined the NAACP's invitation to speak at its annual convention. Predictably, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume railed that the Bush administration failed to recognize the nation's oldest and largest civil rights group as being significant or important in any way. | |
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Donald Sensing: When the LA Times publishes an adverse op-ed about the organization, then it's good evidence that critical eyes are being cast its way. Josh Chafetz: JOHN MCWHORTER GOES AFTER THE NAACP in today's LAT. |
James Joyner: NAACP Hasn't Advanced Anything in a Long Time — Apropos President Bush's notable snubbing of the group, John McWhorter... Betsy Newmark: John McWhorter explains why the NAACP is irrelevant today. [quote] But almost a century later, black America's main problem is neither overt racism nor more subtle "societal" racism.[end quote] |
How Much Worse Off Are We? By / TCS — Permalink Today, there are two Americas. One America agrees with Congressman Sanders and Senator John Edwards that life is getting harder for working Americans, that things have been going down hill for thirty years, and that our only hope is bigger government. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: Arnold Kling asks, "How Much Worse Off Are We?" economically than we were in the 70s...and the answer, to... Steve Bainbridge: If you read nothing else today, read this — An absolutely must-read TCS column by Arnold Kling How Much Worse Off Are We? Tyler Cowen: Don't look at wage data, look at consumption data. The ever-wise Arnold Kling summarizes some of the evidence. |
Robert Clayton Dean: The annoying facts: [snipped quote] Next, Arnold Kling posts more annoying facts to rebut the commonly heard mantra from... Steven Taylor: Today's Required Reading — How Much Worse Off Are We?. Glenn Reynolds: ARNOLD KLING says that there are two Americas: the gullible, and the non-gullible. He's got lots of statistics. |
| Also: Greg Ransom | |
U.S. Works to Sustain Iraq Coalition WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration faces growing challenges in holding together the 32-nation coalition deployed in Iraq, with four countries already gone, another four due to leave by September and others now making known their intention to wind down or depart before... | |
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Kos: Through it all, the US is struggling to keep the whole effort from falling apart. David Allan Pell: On the Bush administration's color coded chart, red represents countries who are withdrawing their troops from the Iraq coalition. Holden: The Coalition of the Willing has lost four members, and is about to lose four more. |
Gary Farber: FOR THOSE PLAYING THE HOME GAME. Accompanying story here. I'm just grateful that Tonga is still with us. James Joyner: U.S. Works to Sustain Iraq Coalition — WaPo - U.S. Works to Sustain Iraq Coalition MSNBC - U.S. works to sustain Iraq... |
Kerry Asks Sen. Clinton to Introduce Bill By / AP — Permalink CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - John Kerry asked Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday to introduce her husband, former President Clinton, on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, ending an intense lobbying campaign by the New York senator's backers angered by her non-speaking role. | |
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Christopher Kanis: WHO DO THEY THINK THEY'RE KIDDING? "Kerry Asks Hillary to Speak!" Please. Anyone who thinks this wasn't choreographed from the start, please contact me. Captain Ed: The Kerry campaign announced this afternoon that it finally found a way to squeeze the Senator from New York into its... |
Steven Taylor: Isn't that Sweet? Kerry Asks Sen. Clinton to Introduce Bill |
Bush Refines His Position on a Measure Banning Gay Marriage By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 14 - From the beginning, gay marriage has been an issue that President Bush has tried to finesse. Under election-year pressure from his social conservative base, Mr. Bush endorsed the effort to adopt a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage. | |
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Ezra Klein: But, since it backfired and made Bush look intolerant, he's now had to clarify his position. Robert Garcia Tagorda: Anyway, at this point, I'm too preoccupied with 401(k) rollovers, resignation forms, forwarding-address notifications,... Matthew Yglesias: Flip/Flop! Oh he's so nuanced, just like one of them fruity french froggies. |
David Allan Pell: It seems there is still some debate about how much the Senate's refusal to back a marriage Amendment hurt President Bush in terms of his re-election campaign. Howard Kurtz: Not a shining moment for Bush, says the New York Times, but perhaps not a disaster: "After endorsing the measure in... |
Acting Chief Insists Agencies Aren't at Fault in War Debate By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 14 - The country's new acting intelligence chief said Wednesday that American intelligence agencies should not be blamed if there was inadequate debate about the decision to go to war against Iraq. | |
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Norbizness: (2) Matt Damon: "J.Lo and I Got Along" (3) Aniston Spent "Five Hours" at Plastic Surgeons (4) Clive Owen Starstruck by Co-Star Julia Roberts (5) Aguilera Going Bald? Josh Marshall: That's how I interpret this paragraph from today's article in the New York Times. [snipped quote] If you interpret it otherwise, let me know how. |
Kevin Drum: Roberts supported the war, but suggests here that in hindsight it wasn't such a good idea: [snipped quote] This is crazy. Nick Gillespie: The NY Times (reg.—and critical reading skills—req.) has a story that suggests "Not Me" is the patron saint of the American intelligence community. |
Conventioneering.com NYT — Permalink H. L. Mencken is said to have guffawed and slapped his thigh in delight at times as he would write about a typical day at a presidential nominating convention. Those long-ago times are enviable for their unpredictability — eons removed from the scripted conventions that will soon be offered to the nation once more as lean cuisine for thought. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: POLITICAL NOTES — Together With Media Miscellany Media Takes Notice of the Parties' Taking Notice [*] More articles... Jeralyn Merritt: Conventioneering Bloggers — The New York Times has an editorial today devoted to subject of bloggers attending the Democratic Convention. Tbogg: Blogging the convention — Actually, no, I'm not one of the select ones for many reasons, the primary one being: I never applied. |
Jeff Jarvis: Opinions re opinions : I'm probably the last to see it this morning but in case I'm not and you are... did you see the... Steve Gilliard: Bloggers in Boston, Pt II — Working the convention Conventioneering.com Published: July 15, 2004 [snipped quote] Another Gail Collins editorial. David Allan Pell: Editorial: Bloggers to Blog — There is a slight error in this editorial on me (well, on all the Convention bloggers). |
| Also: Hugh Hewitt | |
Ditka punts on possible GOP run for U.S. Senate Chicago Tribune — Permalink Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka said Wednesday he would not ask Republican leaders to make him their U.S. Senate nominee, forcing a political organization hobbled by scandal and infighting to search for another candidate to replace primary winner Jack Ryan. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: Ditka Dumps Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Republican Party... Howard Kurtz: Da Coach has decided to punt: "Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka said Wednesday he would not ask Republican leaders... |
Daniel Drezner: [What about hallway rumors that you'll be the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate to face Barrack Obama now that Coach Ditka has passed?—ed. |
Game over: Ditka won't run By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink "Iron Mike" Ditka broke the hearts of Illinois Republicans on Wednesday, telling them he will not suit up and get in the game to take on Democratic Senate nominee Barack Obama. "There was a moment when I said, 'God, I'd like to take this on,' " Ditka said. | |
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H.D. Miller: Well, that was quick. [snipped quote] Read the whole article and marvel at one of America's remaining plain-spoken public men. Steven Taylor: Game over: Ditka won't run [snipped quote] I must admit: being on the end of a media feeding frenzy can't be much fun. |
Harley: Ditka Punts — Mike Ditka, showing considerable perspicacity, has decided not to lose, and therefore not run, in the Illinois senate race. Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — Mike Ditka, quoted by the Chicago Sun Times, on how he convinced himself not to run for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. |
The outing of Congress By / Salon — Permalink Michael Rogers, a Washington political activist, decided several weeks ago to launch an Internet campaign to publicize the sexual orientation of gay and lesbian members of Congress and their staffs, if they favored the federal marriage amendment. | |
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Kos: Salon gives the effort a good writeup. Steve Gilliard: Time to open the closets — Time to kick open those closet doors The outing of Congress Republicans hoped the federal... |
Attaturk: However, these new efforts from gay activists to do that strike me now as appropriate. |
Memo Rips GOP Hopeful for 'Lewd' Actions AP — Permalink WASHINGTON July 15, 2004 — A potential Republican candidate for the Senate seat from Illinois where the party's nominee withdrew over sex club allegations engaged in "lewd and abusive behavior" while she served as a top official in the White House drug policy office, an internal inquiry found last year. | |
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Jerome Armstrong: The GOP in Illinois Fiasco — Another one bites the dust, or bites the skirt, or whatever, in Illinois for the GOP's US Senate candidates (plural). Mike Alissi: Since then, Barthwell quit her job, she's shown interest in running for the open Illinois Senate seat on the Republican... |
Kos: Except that she might actually make disgraced former candidate Jack Ryan look good. |
British report links al Qaeda, Baghdad By / Washington Times — Permalink A British government report made public yesterday provides new information showing that al Qaeda terrorists had contacts with Iraqi intelligence in developing chemical arms and that the group worked with a Pakistani nuclear weapons scientist. | |
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Steve M.: Here's the headline of a story by Bill Gertz in today's Washington Times: British report links al Qaeda, Baghdad Here's... Betsy Newmark: The British Intelligence report has some scary information about Al Qaeda's efforts to get WMD. |
Captain Ed: More Iraqi-AQ Connections In Butler Report — The Washington Times' Bill Gertz reports that the Butler Report of the... Hugh Hewitt: The Washington Times' Bill Gertz notes the Roberts' report assessment of Al Qaeda-Baghdad links. |
Forget fluff, focus on jihad NY Daily News — Permalink The constant discussion of John Kerry and John Edwards in superficial, gossip-column terms may result in their soon being called John & John or J & J, but it will not change something that we have to keep our eyes on, here and abroad. | |
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Edward Driscoll: IT'S THE JIHAD, STUPID: Stanley Crouch tells the media to take the election seriously. (Via Betsy Newmark.) |
Betsy Newmark: Stanley Crouch makes a very good plea to the media. |
Senate rejects move to ban gay marriage By / Boston Globe — Permalink WASHINGTON — A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, hailed by supporters as a defining campaign issue of values and commitment to families, suffered a categorical defeat yesterday in the Senate, as sponsors fell far short of the number needed to pass the measure. | |
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Dean Esmay: No to FMA — To no great shock to anyone who actually watches poltics closely, the Senate rejected the same-sex marriage Constitutional ban. Holden: Looks like that's not going too well. Hate Amendment? Don't look now, but your wedge issue just gave you a wedgie. |
Glenn Reynolds: I TOLD YOU SO: The Federal Marriage Amendment failed miserably yesterday, and there's reason to believe that it's backfiring on its sponsors. |
Kerry reduces ads in Missouri, Arizona and the South By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Despite promises to expand the election playing field, John Kerry has reduced his ad spending in Missouri, Arizona and throughout the South in the run-up to the Democratic presidential convention. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: They might be—or at least, they might be preparing themselves to—in a number of key states. James Joyner: Update: The story is out on the wires now: AP - Kerry reduces ads in Missouri, Arizona and the South "Despite promises... |
Captain Ed: Kerry Campaign Pulling Ads In Key States — In an interesting reversal of their stated strategy of expanding the map,... Taegan Goddard: Kerry Cuts Ads in Missouri, Arizona and South — "Despite promises to expand the election playing field, John Kerry has... |
No Computer for Kerry As He Writes Speech By / AP — Permalink PHILADELPHIA - John Kerry has given hundreds of speeches in his life, but none more important than the address he is busy drafting with pen to pad, on his own, and with special care. | |
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John Cole: Groaner of the Week — This is fabulous: [snipped quote] Did you know that John Kerry served in Vietnam? |
Ann Althouse: Recognizing the Kerry speech pattern. [quote] ME (reading): Okay, who said this: "The sea is important to me.[end quote] |
British Report Faults Prewar Intelligence but Clears Blair By / NYT — Permalink LONDON, July 14 - A major British report released Wednesday found extensive failures both in intelligence gathering on illicit weapons and the government's use of that intelligence to justify the Iraq war. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: Alan Cowell in the NYT [quote] But the report defended as "well founded" the dossier's claim that Iraq had sought to obtain enriched uranium from African countries.[end quote] |
Tom Maguire: I Have Three Words For Their "16 Word" Coverage [UPDATE: Good news, Bad news - in a later edition of this story (which... |
The CIA's Prisoners WaPo — Permalink FOR DECADES the United States led the denunciation of despots whose enemies "disappear" — vanish into official custody, with no accounting for their whereabouts or treatment, no notification of their families and sometimes, no acknowledgement that they are being held. | |
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Henry Farrell: State power and torture — From an editorial in the Washington Post today. |
Holden: However, today they have a well written editorial about the CIA's ghost detainees and their treatment |
Britain's Iraq Data Deemed 'Flawed' WaPo — Permalink After the war ended and MI6 sent analysts to Iraq to track down and confirm the material it had relied upon, the report said, doubts — "and in some cases serious doubts" — emerged about the reliability of at least three sources whose intelligence had helped to underpin British assessments. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: Glenn Frankel in the WaPo Guess whose reporting is more accurate? Frankel's over at the WaPo. Tom Maguire: UPDATE: The WaPo buries it, and does not mention the 16 Words, but does say this: But the report defended as "well... |
Cori Dauber: So it is, all in all, nothing special, nothing terrible. But when it comes to relating the Butler report to the issue closest to American interests, the article fails utterly. |
Four Facts and Five Conclusions By / Weekly Standard — Permalink FOUR CRUCIAL FACTS came into the public's view these past few days: First, Valerie Plame recommended her husband Joe Wilson for the mission to Niger to investigate claims that Saddam was attempting to purchase uranium there. | |
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Edward Driscoll: HUGH HEWITT HAS SOME THOUGHTS ON "The Don't Even Think About It Doctrine", Moore's Disease, and the Torricelli Option. Hugh Hewitt: My WeeklyStandard.com column, "Four Facts and Five Conclusions," summarizes the key developments in a week of... |
Betsy Newmark: Hugh Hewitt notes four facts from the Senate Intelligence Report. [snipped quote] Hugh Hewitt then goes on to make five conclusions that we can draw from those facts. |
Advertiser drops Whoopi after Bush sex joke Guardian — Permalink Slim-Fast has dropped Whoopi Goldberg from its advertising after the comedian made a sexual joke about George Bush. The Unilever-owned diet food brand acted after Goldberg made fun of the US president at a Democratic fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in New York last week. | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Whoopi and SlimFast — We think it's outrageous that SlimFast dropped Whoopi for her anti-Bush comments. |
Holden: Here is SlimFast's statement: [snipped quote] And Whoopi's response: [snipped quote] I know nothing about the contractual agreement between Ms. Goldberg and SlimFast. |
John Edwards Quizzed on Milk, Beer Prices AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Democratic vice presidential contender John Edwards may not know how much milk costs in New Mexico, but he's got a handle on his local grocery prices. Edwards has promoted himself as the down-to-earth candidate who can relate to the struggles of working families, while trying to portray Vice President Dick Cheney as out of touch. | |
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Taegan Goddard: The AP confirms that a half gallon "of non-name brand whole milk sells for $2.29 at the Safeway grocery store in Edwards' upscale Georgetown neighborhood in Washington. |
Steven Taylor: This is Worthy of an AP Story? John Edwards Quizzed on Milk, Beer Prices. This was silly when they did it to 41, and it is silly now. |
Son of a Millworker, Meet Son of a Kenyan Economist By / NYT — Permalink More than 750 Democrats flocked to an ornate chandeliered ballroom in Chicago Wednesday night, paying $1,000 a person to see Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, Senator John Kerry's vice presidential pick. But first, they heard from a man whose name is synonymous with Chicago politics, Mayor Richard Daley. | |
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Harley: Barrack Obama is not only one of the rising stars in the Dem party, he's now the keynote speaker at the Boston convention. |
Oliver Willis: LOL! Back here on earth Barack Obama is going to give the keynote at the Dem convention. |
Slim-Fast Sheds Whoopi Goldberg After Bush Riff Reuters — Permalink NEW YORK (Reuters) - Comedian Whoopi Goldberg will no longer appear in ads for diet aid maker Slim-Fast following her lewd riff on President Bush's name at a fund-raiser last week, the company said on Wednesday. | |
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Steve M.: If they do, then we can stop talking about Michael Moore and Whoopi Goldberg — the leaders of one of our major parties... Joe Gandelman: Whoppie Goldberg has been fired as spokeswoman for Slim Fast, super-fast, over off-color comments she made at a Democratic fund-raiser last week. Betsy Newmark: I'm sure the libs will cry about censorship when they hear that Slim Fast has dropped Whoopi as a spokeswoman. |
Robert Cox: Canned Whoopi. Mitch Berg: Just (Lo-Cal) Desserts — Slim-Fast done up and dumped Whoopi Goldberg, child! Xan @Corrente: Stay Fat ...if the only alternative is losing weight by use of this company's overpriced junk. (via abcnews.go.com)... |
| Also: Captain Ed, Bird Dog, KJL | |
'Doonesbury' Artist Trudeau Skewers Bush AP — Permalink NEW YORK - Cartoonist Garry Trudeau, who has skewered politicians for decades in his comic strip "Doonesbury," tells Rolling Stone magazine he remembers Yale classmate George W. Bush as "just another sarcastic preppy who gave people nicknames and arranged for keg deliveries." | |
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SK Bubba: Bush the Terrible — This revelation puts Bush's Abu Ghraib policies and methods in an entirely new light. Susan Madrak: AH, MEMORY LANE — Garry Trudeau speaks on Bush in the upcoming Rolling Stone: "NEW YORK - Cartoonist Garry Trudeau,... |
Steven Taylor: Now That's News! 'Doonesbury' Artist Trudeau Skewers Bush. |
Red or Blue--Which Are You? By / Slate — Permalink Red and blue are states of mind, not actual states. Red and blue aren't absolute predictors of political leanings, either. There are plenty of blue cities in red states, red enclaves in blue states, red-leaning governors of blue states, people who vote Republican but are of a blue state of mind, and so on. | |
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Jack Balkin: Stuck in the middle with you JB I took Slate's test to determine whether I am a Red State or a Blue State kind of guy. Gary Farber: PURPLE. Slate's Red or Blue quiz: "You are in the middle" Astonishing, isn't it? Harley: With all the talk about red states and blue states and redstate and blue staters and whatever...here's a handy quiz... |
Kevin Drum: RED AND BLUE....Anne Kornblut says in Slate today that "Red and blue are states of mind," and she has a quiz to prove it. Daniel Drezner: Hey you — red or blue? Following Virginia Postrel's advice, I took Slate's "Red or Blue" Quiz. Andrew Sullivan: RED OR BLUE? I love Internet quizzes and here's the latest from Slate, determining how red-state or blue-state you are. |
| Also: Nathan Hallford, Virginia Postrel, Cori Dauber, Oliver Willis, Hanah Metchis, Bob @Unfogged | |
Bush Skips NAACP, Kerry Promises Dialogue By / AP — Permalink PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Democrat John Kerry, taking advantage of a spat between the NAACP and the White House, accused President Bush on Thursday of dividing America by race and wealth, and promised as president to represent "all of the people." | |
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Kevin T. Keith: How does the White House describe this historic and heroic organization? : [snipped quote] The . . . |
John Cole: Bush and the NAACP — While John Kerry is out bad-mouthing the President for declining to speak to the NAACP, I thought... |
Kerry Didn't Read Iraq Report Before Vote -- Aides By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic candidate John Kerry , whose campaign demanded to know on Wednesday whether President Bush read a key Iraq intelligence assessment, did not read the document himself before voting to give Bush the authority to go to war, aides acknowledged. | |
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Daniel Drezner: The lead paragraph in this Reuters story doesn't make me feel any better about Kerry's posturing on Iraq, either:... Betsy Newmark: Kerry is bashing Bush and wants to know if Bush read the full 90 page CIA report. Kerry himself didn't read it. Tom Maguire: Can Anybody Here Play This (Or Any) Game? More from Kerry, King of Comedy, who appears not to be a chess player. |
C. D. Harris: Now we find out that he didn't bother to read it himself before voting in favour of the Use of Force Authorization. Captain Ed: Within hours, Kerry's aides had to admit that Kerry himself never read the document before voting to authorize the war in Iraq (via Drudge): [snipped quote] Flip, meet flop. |
Bloggers to join the mainstream at conventions By / USA Today — Permalink For years, political writers have derided political conventions as staged non-news events because candidates and party platforms are known well in advance. Then every four years thousands of reporters show up to report on the Democratic and Republican national conventions. | |
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Robert Cox: Do Bloggers Belong at the Kiddie Table USA TODAY "They're certainly not committed to being objective. |
Athenae: Well, Pardon Us For Living — Journalism prof calls bloggers "pretend journalists," says they shouldn't be given convention credentials. |
Ron Reagan's Pere Pressure By / WaPo — Permalink I have a friend who is always alert to the expropriation of the dead for selfish reasons. Specifically, she has special scorn for people who excuse themselves from attending a funeral by saying that the deceased would have understood. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Richard Cohen disagrees with Bush on stem cell research, but he's appalled at Ron Reagan's taking advantage of his father's name to speak at the Democratic convention. |
Jonah Goldberg: But he really does nail Ron Reagan for speaking at the Dem Convention. |
Rush to be arrested in Sudanese protest By / The Hill — Permalink Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) will be arrested today in front of the Sudanese Embassy as part of an ongoing protest against what members of the Congressional Black Ccaucus say is genocide in the country's Darfur region, Rush's spokesperson confirmed yesterday. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: DARFUR UPDATE: [snipped quote] Good for them. There's also this news: [snipped quote] Nice to see bipartisan efforts here. |
John J. Miller: Yet the CBCers getting themselves arrested in front of Sudan's embassy have adopted a worthy cause. |
GOP's "Christian Nation" By / Reason — Permalink After a short respite from the fight over the Pledge of Allegiance, the Republican Party has once again thrown itself into the fray over issues of church and state. This time it's the Republican Party of Texas, President Bush's home state, which has approved a plank in its platform affirming that "the United States of America is a Christian nation." | |
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Clayton Cramer: I have a number of objections to it as well, although generally not the same ones that bother Cathy Young at Reason and Professor Volokh. Eugene Volokh: Cathy Young on the Texas Republicans' "Christian Nation" plank: An excellent column. |
Ramesh Ponnuru: CHURCHES AND STATES — I have some reservations about Cathy Young's column. |
Kerry Invests $2 Million in Ads to Court Black Voters By / WaPo — Permalink With a black advertising executive, a black former Cabinet member and a new ad in which John F. Kerry hugs a black man with an earring, the Massachusetts senator's presidential campaign stepped up its effort yesterday to reach African American voters. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the Washington Post notes the Kerry campaign "has launched a $2 million ad blitz directed towards African American voters." |
Hugh Hewitt: The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz reports that John Kerry is spending big dollars wooing the...black vote? |
'No one lied. No one made up the intelligence' By / Telegraph — Permalink Tony Blair yesterday accepted responsibility for any mistakes made "in good faith" over the use of intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war. But he stood by the decision to go to war. "I cannot honestly say I believe getting rid of Saddam was a mistake at all. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: Tony Blair (Hat Tip: Sully) Yes, it would be nice for Bush to step up to bat and say something like this too. |
Andrew Sullivan: QUOTE OF THE DAY: [snipped quote] - Tony Blair, yesterday. It's a classy, honest, intelligent and sincere rebuke to the anti-war arguments. |
Cheney Insists He Will Be on GOP Ticket WaPo — Permalink Vice President Cheney said yesterday he cannot envision any circumstance in which he would not run for a second term, saying President Bush has been "very clear he doesn't want to break up the team." There has been persistent speculation that Cheney would step down for political or health reasons. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Cheney Insists He'll Be on the Ticket — Vice President Cheney said "he cannot envision any circumstance in which he... |
Hugh Hewitt: The vice president has already dismissed the idea this morning, which will no doubt give rise to another theory. |
Election Troubles Already Descending on Florida By / NYT — Permalink MIAMI, July 14 - Three years after Gov. Jeb Bush announced a new voting system that he called "a model for the rest of the nation," Florida is grappling with some of the same problems that threw the 2000 presidential election into chaos, as well as new ones that critics say could cause even more confusion this November. | |
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Susan Madrak: SAME OLD SAME OLD — More on the election games in Florida: "Most notably, lawmakers passed over recommendations to... Xan @Corrente: But there is virtually not one single new thing (exception noted below) in this piece which has not been covered,... |
Billmon: Caught Jeb Handed — The New York Times has a rather good run down of the prospects for another 2000-style election... |
Shiite Leadership Clash in Iran, Iraq By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - For centuries, enmity between Arabs and Persians has shaped much of the Middle East — from the Arab conquests of the 7th century to the Iraq -Iran war of the 1980s. Now, with Shiites empowered in postwar Iraq, the gloves are off again. | |
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Captain Ed: This report from the AP looks suspiciously like progress in the war on Islamofascist terror, if subtle progress:... |
Juan Cole: Hamza Hendawi reports on the rivalry for the leadership of Shiism between Najaf in Iraq and Qom in Iran. |
Bush-Cheney Ticket Leads in Edwards' Home State By / Gallup — Permalink PRINCETON, NJ — A CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey of likely voters in North Carolina shows President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney with a healthy lead over Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and his running mate, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in the race for the White House. | |
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Betsy Newmark: While Gallup has Bush up by 13 in North Carolina among likely voters, another poll by WRAL/Mason-Dixon has him up by only 3 points. |
Dean Esmay: Reading Tea Leaves — According to Gallup, Bush/Cheney has a commanding lead over Kerry/Edwards in North Carolina, which... |
Don't Worry About the Future By / TCS — Permalink Global warming will destroy the environment; we will run out of oil in 40 years; social security will collapse before today's young workers reach retirement; and by the end of this century extended human lifetimes will burden an already overpopulated planet. | |
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Antoine Clarke: An economics lesson from a politician — It is always refreshing to read an article trashing state intervention only to... |
Greg Ransom: KILL A TERRORIST end global warming. |
In Calif., Power by Plebiscite By / WaPo — Permalink SAN DIEGO — From this metropolis to the rural stretches near the Oregon border, California's contentment with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is palpable. And measurable: At 65 percent, his job approval after eight months in office is five points higher than ever achieved by his hero, Gov. Ronald Reagan. | |
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Greg Ransom: GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER gets George Will'ed: "The musical 'Annie' taught, tomorrow is always a day away. |
Ken Masugi: No Triumph for Will on Schwarzenegger — George Will is devastating on some aspects of this most interesting governor:... |
Ditka Says He Won't Run for U.S. Senate By / AP — Permalink CHICAGO - Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka said Wednesday he would not run for the Senate, leaving Illinois Republicans still without a replacement candidate less than four months before the election. | |
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Steve M.: OK — Ditka's not running for Senate, possibly because he was pissed off that the press showed up at a meeting he was going to attend with leaders of the Illinois GOP. Ezra Klein: Ditka's Out — That's a relief. |
Will Collier: Da End Of Ditkamania — Da Coach speaketh: [snipped quote] Ah, well. It was pretty damn fun while it lasted. |
Ditka says he won't run By / AP — Permalink Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka said Wednesday he won't run for the U.S. Senate, leaving Illinois Republicans still desperate for a replacement candidate. Ditka, who first told Illinois Republican Party leaders of his decision, made the announcement outside his Chicago restaurant. | |
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Ace: Daaa... Blues: Ditka Won't Run — It was a nice dream while it lasted. [snipped quote] he said. Yes, but that was one of your selling points, Mike. Christopher Kanis: UPDATE: It's official. |
ArchPundit: As You Know By Now — Ditka's Out! On to lucky contestant number 13! |
Ban on Gay Marriage Fails By / WaPo — Permalink The Republican-controlled Senate yesterday blocked a proposed constitutional amendment to bar same-sex marriage, effectively killing the White House-backed measure for the rest of this year and handing President Bush a big election-year defeat. | |
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Angry Bear: Six Honorable Republicans — I heard a lot about the Gay Marriage Ban Amendment failing in the Senate. |
Steve Soto: True to form, Rove highlighted the wedge issue assault by trotting out the gay marriage ban over the last several days,... |
S.F. Jewish activist held as security threat in Israel San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Jerusalem — A Jewish activist from San Francisco who was barred from entering Israel said Tuesday that her arrest has strengthened her resolve to fight for Palestinian rights, and Bay Area colleagues said her detention is part of a campaign to crack down on a group undertaking a summerlong protest of Israeli policies. | |
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Bird Dog: Well, it looks like she could've used a few more tips herself, since IDF busted her in Israel. |
Charles Johnson: ISM: Founded by Palestinian Communist Party — Some very revealing tidbits at the end of this article about ISM tool... |
NYT PAGE ONE THURS: BUSH TO DROP CHENEY GOSSIP Drudge Report — Permalink The latest theory about Vice President Dick Cheney's future on the Republican ticket, advanced privately by prominent Democrats, including members of Congress, holds that Cheney recently dropped his personal doctor because of drug addiction so that he could... | |
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Tom Maguire: I Can't Wait — According to Matt Drudge, Ms. Bumiller gets 1,600 front page words to recycle Democratic gossip about something we were joking about a week ago. |
Stephen Green: Calling Condoleeza — Yet another flash from Drudge: [snipped quote] Yawn. |
What Did Bush Know? By / Slate — Permalink Several intriguing questions are raised by a story in today's New York Times, which reports that the White House is refusing to give Senate investigators the one-page "President's Summary" of the CIA's 2002 National Intelligence Estimate dealing with Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. | |
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Pie: One page — In today's Slate, Fred Kaplan asks: [snipped quote] Kaplan wonders how much attention was paid to dissenting opinions. |
Matthew Yglesias: Kaplan on the NIE Summary — This is (yet another) great piece from Fred Kaplan, but it's got an error: [snipped quote] As I was noting yesterday that's not what happened. |
Senate Scuttles Amendment Banning Same-Sex Marriage WaPo — Permalink The Senate voted today to block a White House-backed constitutional amendment to bar same-sex marriages, dooming its prospects for approval by Congress this year but ensuring it an emotionally-charged role during campaigns this fall. | |
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Joe Gandelman: OR do his comments reflect the serious split within the GOP itself over this issue? Gene @HarrysPlace: Anti-gay marriage amendment rejected — The constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the US went down to an... |
David Adesnik: "THIS ISSSUE IS NOT GOING AWAY": That's what Bill Frist had to say about the anti-gay marriage amendment. And you know what? |
Extracts from the Butler report Guardian — Permalink What the report said on ... Policy advice was not influenced so much by changing intelligence on Iraq as by two other factors which reinforced each other. One was a general concern about proliferation and the intelligence becoming available [from Pakistan, Libya, North Korea, Iran and Iraq]. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: Let's recap all that we know thus far: "We have Susan Schmidt, Matt Kelley and the Butler report confirming that Iraq... |
Jonah Goldberg: And here's a summary Here are two snippets worth highlighting: "We conclude that, on the basis of the intelligence... |
Senate Scuttles Gay Marriage Amendment By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The Senate dealt an election-year defeat Wednesday to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, rejecting pleas from President Bush and fellow conservatives that the measure was needed to safeguard an institution that has flourished for thousands of years. | |
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Angry Bear: No. Senator Rick Santorum really said this: [snipped quote] Yes, Senator Santorum. Quiddity: We read in this Yahoo/AP story, Senate Scuttles Gay Marriage Amendment, the following: "The vote was 48-50, 12 short of the 60 needed to keep the measure alive. |
Edward _: Here are a few examples (the BBQ analogy makes a brief return, don't fret): [quote] "In South Dakota, we've never had a single...[end quote] Steven Taylor: No Shock Here — Senate Scuttles Gay Marriage Amendment |
Senate Vote Blocks Effort to Ban Gay-Marriage in Constitution By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 14 — Backers of a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriages suffered a stinging defeat in the Senate today as opponents easily killed the initiative for the year in a procedural showdown. | |
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Daniel Drezner: In light of the Senate's rejection of a proposed gay marriage amendment, back in December I posted on "Why the Constitution will not ban gay marriage." Ken Masugi: The Federalism Excuse and the Preservation of Marriage — Republicans could not muster a majority to vote on the constitutional amendment to preserve marriage. |
David Allan Pell: Insane Eye for the Straight Guy — It should come as no surprise that the effort to amend the Constitution to block gay marriage got nowhere in the Senate. |
'Outrage' Over Sen. Clinton Not Speaking By / AP — Permalink ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The former chairwoman of the New York State Democratic Party on Wednesday called it "a total outrage" and "very stupid" that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has not been offered a prominent speaking role at the Democratic National Convention. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: BUBBLE, BUBBLE . . . Toil and trouble: [snipped quote] I suppose I can understand this. Captain Ed: The AP reports that Democratic officials are voicing "outrage" that Sen. Clinton has been denied a speaking role at the... Joe Gandelman: "And, of course, Senator Clinton issued the pro forma statement about this all being on the up and up..." But it's hard... |
James Joyner: 'Outrage' Over Hillary Clinton Not Speaking — AP - 'Outrage' Over Sen. Clinton Not Speaking "The former chairwoman of... Jeralyn Merritt: Here's an interesting statistic we received from the campaign by e-mail: [snipped quote] Update: Some are upset that Hillary wasn't invited to speak. |
Report Says British Data on Iraq Was Flawed, Not Distorted By / NYT — Permalink LONDON, July 14 — A British inquiry on banned Iraqi weapons reported today that Saddam Hussein had no significant, if any, stocks of chemical or biological weapons capable of being deployed at the time United States and British forces invaded Iraq last year. | |
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Tom Maguire: The NY Times splashes some ink on the newly released Butler report, but just grazes the question of greatest interest... David Allan Pell: That re-writing of history aside, it is interesting to note that although the report's authors insist that Tony Blair... Gregory Djerejian: Here's, btw, how the NYT is handling Butler/Niger to date....pretty de minimis fare, no? |
Steve M.: A U.S. congressional committee focuses the blame for intel failures on intelligence gatherers, or a British inquiry... Mary InLosGatos: Today's Butler report was downright harsh on the process, but didn't see that anyone had any culpability. |
PI digs into Kerry's war past By / Dallas Morning News — Permalink AUSTIN - Opponents of John Kerry have hired a Dallas-area private investigator to gather information aimed at discrediting his military service, say several veterans who served with the Massachusetts Democrat in Vietnam. | |
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Captain Ed: It seems to me that this is a bad idea: [snipped quote] SBVT can do whatever they like with their money, and inasmuch as... Kos: The GOP desperately looking for dirt — Dirty Tricks 'R Us are at it again. [snipped quote] The Republicans are really sweating Kerry's war record. |
Attaturk: Sweet, Sweet Republican Love — Unable to share in that flaming love between a man and the Gamera of his choice, GOP... |
The Hostess Diary: My Year at a Hot Spot By / NYT — Permalink IT is near midnight and I am standing at the door of the restaurant with Kevin, the bouncer, patiently waiting for customers, so that I can turn them away. "Who are you here with?" I ask a man holding a woman's hand. "Just us," he says. | |
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Ogged @Unfogged: Anecdotal — Let's see, Star Jones humping on a bed; Monica fleeing Chelsea; Barbara Bush hurling on the... Holden: Barbara Bush on a Bar Hop — Somehow I don't think this anecdote will make the pages of Vogue: [snipped quote] From a lead provided by Froomkin. |
Tom Maguire: This is all very responsible, big-time journalism, folks. The Times, the Post, no worries. Where IS Dick Cheney? Lambert @Corrente: Bush twin watch: All the respect they deserve — Little Babs was such a sense of impunity! |
Steyn's way By / Boston Phoenix — Permalink WITHIN THE TIGHT little world of conservative punditry, there are lines of demarcation that are rarely, if ever, crossed. Respectable commentators such as Paul Gigot, George Will, and David Brooks work for respectable outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Hugh Hewitt links to this snide criticism of the wonderful Mark Steyn. Sorry, I'm not convinced. |
Hugh Hewitt: Mark Steyn is getting to the left, as evidenced by this hit piece in that bastion of the give-away press, The Boston Phoenix. |
Kerry's Inner Circle Expands By / WaPo — Permalink From a tightknit group of experienced advisers, John F. Kerry's presidential campaign has grown exponentially in recent months to include a cast literally of thousands, making it difficult to manage an increasingly unwieldy policy apparatus. | |
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Daniel Drezner: Besides, the Kerry team is already bursting to the gills with policy wonks, and as Mark Kleiman pointed out, the Republicans are probably pissed off at me as well. Gary Farber: The WashPo breathlessly announces: "From a tightknit group of experienced advisers, John F. Kerry's presidential... Stephen Green: Read: [snipped quote] That last line reminds me of when President Truman said he wanted a one-armed economist — because... |
Greg Ransom: MORE — Kerry's Inner Circle Expands. James Joyner: Bush v. Kerry: Economic Teams — Brad DeLong argues that Kerry has assembled a fine economic policy team—actually, several of them, as evidenced by a piece in today's WaPo. Tyler Cowen: If that's not enough for you, here is the full story. My take: It is nice to see so many smart people involved. |
| Also: DeLong, Matthew Yglesias, Josh Chafetz, David Allan Pell, Captain Ed, Noam Scheiber, Hugh Hewitt, Taegan Goddard | |
How to stop Democrats from cheating WorldNetDaily — Permalink New Media is trumping elitist bias in many ways, but nowhere is it more evident than in the business of books. And no one could be happier about it than me. My new book is now out, and I hope you'll order a copy from the WorldNetDaily bookstore. | |
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James Joyner: Must-Read Blogs — Hugh Hewitt includes OTB in his recommended blog reading list in his WorldNetDaily column today. Captain Ed: Hugh's Adopt-A-Journalist Program — Hugh Hewitt, who has been a great friend to this blog and its two authors, writes... Hugh Hewitt: My WorldNetDaily column also focuses on the book and why the blogs helped it breakthrough to the top of Amazon. |
Mitch Berg: And I even moreso, after today's shout-out in World Net Daily, where he included me in his list of blogs that everyone... Joe Carter: Today, for example, Hugh has an article on World Net Daily in which he recommends fourteen different blogs to his readers. |
Teresa's Taxes NRO — Permalink Mrs. Kerry is filthy rich. Why is her taxable income so small? If John Kerry wins the presidency, his household will be the richest ever to occupy the White House. Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, controls a vast fortune estimated by a Los Angeles Times study to fall somewhere between $900 million to $3.2 billion. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: How predictable. * Roger L. Simon: Maybe She Owns Halliburton — Voters will not be able to see Teresa Heinz Kerry's tax return until a few days before the election, according to this NRO Report. Betsy Newmark: Donald Luskin argues persuasively that we need to have full disclosure of Teresa's tax returns. Here's one of his points. |
Howard Kurtz: Conservatives continue to jump on Kerry's and Edwards's personal taxes, as in this National Review piece by Donald... Edward Driscoll: DONALD LUSKIN ASKS A SIMPLE QUESTION: Mrs. Kerry is filthy rich. Why is her taxable income so small? Greg Ransom: MORE Donald Luskin — "Teresa Heinz Kerry & Taxable Income". |
| Also: Will Collier | |
In Bush's War Room, the Gloves Are Always Off By / NYT — Permalink ARLINGTON, Va., July 13 - Shortly before 2 p.m. on Monday, a handful of President Bush's campaign aides huddled around two small speakers in a room that, with its shades drawn, was lit by the glow of 15 television monitors. They were listening to the voice of Senator John Kerry. | |
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Tom Maguire: The Bush War Room is not shy about putting its message to the press (and they know it will be an uphill tussle on this... Pejman Yousefzadeh: It's really appalling when major news outlets are more inept at picking up news than political campaigns are: [snipped quote] Yeah, I'd be embarrassed too. Hugh Hewitt: As a New York Times account of the Bush campaign's "war room" vividly illustrates, the Bush team watches every word... |
Liz Cox Barrett: Today, the chosen two — The Los Angeles Times' Matea Gold and The New York Times' Jim Rutenberg — share with readers... James Joyner: Bush Campaign War Room — NYT - Strategy: In Bush's War Room, the Gloves Are Always Off "Shortly before 2 p.m. on... Nathan Hallford: A Glimpse Inside of the Bush/Cheney War Room, courtesy of the New York Times. |
| Also: Taegan Goddard | |
Knight Ridder Gets It Wrong By / Weekly Standard — Permalink President Bush continued to insist Monday that there was an operational link between former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida despite reports by the Senate Intelligence Committee and the commission that's investigating the Sept. 11 attacks that there was no evidence that Saddam and Islamic terrorists collaborated to kill Americans. | |
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Cori Dauber: You have to check every word, every sentence, every paragraph. Pejman Yousefzadeh: MEDIA INCOMPETENCE MUST BE ENDEMIC — Stephen Hayes has been indispensable in clearing up the debate about prewar... Glenn Reynolds: KNIGHT-RIDDER GETS IT WRONG: Looks like the press is manufacturing Bush quotes again — you'd think it was an election year or something. |
Robert Cox: You know that. Knight-Ridder Struggles to Correct the Correction Weekly Standard That Sentence is false. Jason Van Steenwyk: Knight-Ridder Blows a Quote — Stephen Hayes busts Knight-Ridder for serial factual sloppiness. Brian Crouch: (Hat tip to reader Carl Peterson) UPDATE: The Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes is all over Knight Ridder for their distortions.. Hide extended entry |
How Niger Uranium Story Defied Wide Skepticism By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 13 - Soon after the Central Intelligence Agency heard in 2001 that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium from Niger to build nuclear bombs, the first doubts about the account were raised. | |
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Cori Dauber: Today on page A-12, not on the front page, comes a story headlined, "How Niger Uranium Story Defied Wide Skepticism." Tom Maguire: James Risen of the NY Times delves into the Senate Intelligence report (finally!) and tells us a bit about Joesph... Gregory Djerejian: A Revisionistic First Draft of History — You can be pretty sure that TPM is going to approvingly link to this James Risen piece in the NYT today. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: BACKTRACKING — I see that the New York Times has finally noticed the many discrepancies that have been revealed in Joe Wilson's story (RSS link not yet available). Robert Cox: James Risen in The New York Times describing the recent Senate Intelligence Report focuses almost exclusively on the long discredited "Italian" forgeries. Glenn Reynolds: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The New York Times is finally reporting on the Joe Wilson fiasco, though in a fashion that tends to understate its importance. |
| Also: Holden, KJL, Ace | |
'Democrats are shaking in their boots' By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Does Iron Mike know what kind of game he could be getting into? That is more or less the question a top Washington Republican was planning to ask Mike Ditka. | |
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H.D. Miller: Run, Coach, Run — Man, I'm hoping this comes to pass. [snipped quote] Oh man, oh man. I hope this happens. ArchPundit: Fornek from the Sun-Times reports that Allen flew out to talk to him. James Joyner: Chicago Sun-Times columnist Scott Fornek thinks Ditka is crazy to want to do it but some think the 'Democrats are shaking in their boots' over facing the popular figure. |
Ezra Klein: I can accept all the scandals, all the kinks, all the sex shows, but do they have to be so juvenile to boot? John J. Miller: HUDDLING — The Chicago Sun Times doesn't have any breaking news on Ditka right now, but it does report today on NRSC chair George Allen flying out to Chicago to meet with him. |
Corrections NYT — Permalink An article last Sunday about surprises in politics referred incorrectly to the turkey carried by President Bush during his unannounced visit to American troops in Baghdad over Thanksgiving. It was real, not fake. | |
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Robert Cox: Instapundit linked to this NY Times correction on that "fake" turkey Bush carved up in Baghdad last Thanksgiving. Cori Dauber: Now the New York Times is issuing corrections that presume that at some point they pointed out that the gal dern turkey was real. |
Tom Maguire: One Real Turkey In Baghdad — Lots of real turkeys at the NY Times. Glenn Reynolds: ANOTHER MYTH PUNCTURED: FIRST THE JOE WILSON "BUSH LIED" STORY COLLAPSES — and now this, from the New York Times: "An... |
Jenna and Barbara, in Uniform By / WaPo — Permalink The president's daughters have emerged from their media-free zone of comfort into the flattering spotlight of Vogue. The August issue of the fashion magazine includes an interview with the recent college graduates as well as two portraits by photographer Patrick Demarchelier. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Robin Givhan has a gratuitously catty column about the Bush girls as Stepford Daughters and how Vogue never does realistic pictures or profiles of their subjects. David Allan Pell: Jenna, Barbara, Oscar, Calvin and Vogue — The Bush daughters are celebrating their official coming out into the... |
Susanna Cornett: I suppose politics could be the reason behind the catty snarkiness of this article about the Bush twins and their current foray as Vogue covergirls. Nathan Hallford: Perhaps A Tad Gratuitous, nonetheless, I give you the Bush twins making their Vogue magazine debut, and looking pretty good too. |
'Serious flaws' in Iraq intelligence BBC — Permalink The quality of the intelligence used to make the case for Britain going to war with Iraq has now been thrown into doubt, the Butler inquiry has said. The 196 page report says MI6 did not check its sources well enough, and sometimes relied on third hand reports. | |
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Josh Chafetz: THE BUTLER REPORT IS OUT, and it's pretty good news for Blair. The BBC has a roundup of key points here. Jan Haugland: Butler report slams intelligence, not Blair — Lord Butler's report into the pre-war intelligence on Iraq has just been released. |
Sadly @SadlyNo: A few quotes from the BBC so far... There was no recent intelligence that showed Iraq was of "more immediate concern" than some other countries when it came to WMD. |
Reintroducing the Candidate By / WaPo — Permalink Democratic Party leaders said yesterday they plan to make their nominating convention in Boston later this month a four-day reintroduction of Sen. John F. Kerry, enlisting his wife, children and former war comrades in Vietnam to make the case for a man they acknowledge remains an opaque figure for millions of Americans. | |
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Captain Ed: UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt has some good thoughts on this article (and you should buy his book, If It's Not Close, They Can't... Hugh Hewitt: The result is confusion in the Kerry camp and yet another planned "reintroduction" of Kerry, who is becoming the Joan... |
Noam Scheiber: BOUNCED OUT: Question: If it's true that the bounce either candidate receives from significant campaign developments is... |