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The Boldness of the President New York Sun — Permalink Reading the report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, we couldn't help thinking of Justice Scalia's great dissent in Morrison v. Olson. It's the case in which the Supreme Court upheld the idea of an independent prosecutor. | |
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Greg Ransom: ATTACK BIN LADEN? Sandy Berger — once, twice, three-times, four times — "no.". Attack a bin Laden camp? No. Why? Kim du Toit: But the New York Sun has the best summation of Berger himself, and... Bill Hobbs: Berger Might Have Stopped 9/11 - But He Failed To Act — Today's New York Sun has a devastating article detailing how... |
Baldilocks: More On Berger — Perhaps this information was what Sandy Berger was belatedly trying to dispose of: "The [9/11... The Big Trunk: One good unzip deserves another — Drudge has posted a link to an outstanding New York Sun editorial on the consequences... Steven Taylor: Berger, bin Laden and Lessons on Anti-Terrorism Policy — InstaPundit notes a New York Sun column that detaisl spome of... |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, Roger L. Simon, Charles Johnson, Jason Van Steenwyk, Glenn Reynolds, Will Collier | |
Pentagon Finds Bush's Guard Records By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The Pentagon on Friday released newly discovered payroll records from President Bush 's 1972 service in the Alabama National Guard, though the records shed no new light on the future president's activities during that summer. | |
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Brian Crouch: For comparison, the AP headline reads: Pentagon Finds Bush's Guard Records . Steve Gilliard: Pentagon Finds Bush's Guard Records Friday July 23, 2004 10:46 PM AP Photo MIPM104 By MATT KELLEY Associated Press Writer [snipped quote] I guess the dog didn't eat his homework. Susan Madrak: They found Bush's Guard payroll records: "WASHINGTON - The Pentagon on Friday released newly discovered payroll records... |
Pessimist: Rediscovered Paper Pentagon Finds Bush's Guard Records [snipped quote] Scissors Cut Paper Josh Marshall: And the AP has written the story up with this lede ... [snipped quote] I have to say that I think I'm with Atrios on this one: I don't understand. Captain Ed: Bush Guard Records Found: AP — One more Leftist meme may have bitten the dust this afternoon, as the Pentagon resolved... |
| Also: Mathew Gross, Atrios | |
Boogie to Baghdad NRO — Permalink What the 9/11 Commission says about Iraq and al Qaeda. The publication of the September 11 Commission report may force a reassessment of the now-conventional wisdom about the links — or, as critics of the Bush administration contend, the absence of links — between Iraq and al Qaeda. | |
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C. D. Harris: Must Read Of The Month — Byron York on 9/11 Commission Report on National Review Online [snipped quote] RTWT. Now! Pejman Yousefzadeh: Byron York explains why. UPDATE: On a somewhat related issue, see this post. The Big Trunk: Boogie to Baghdad — Over at NRO Byron York takes a look at "the connection" through the lens of the 9/11 Commission Report: "Boogie to Baghdad." |
Frederick Maryland: Byron York Grasps at Straws — In the wake of the release of the 9/11 Commission's report, Byron York is making this... Dale Franks: Or whatever the heck his name is Byron York details some of the 9/11 Commision's report about Iraq and al-Qaida. Cori Dauber: Maybe we just found one. |
More Revelations in Berger Inquiry WaPo — Permalink For the second day in a row, administration officials said yesterday that more of President Bush's aides knew about an investigation of former Clinton national security adviser Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger than the White House originally acknowledged. | |
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Greg @BeggingToDiffer: And, it turns out, the song remains the same—last verse, same as the first. [snipped quote] Got that? Will Collier: According to the media, it's, "When did the White House find out about the investigation?" Tom Maguire: The WaPo also runs a news story devoted to this "What did the president know, and when did he know it?" theme. |
Steve Soto: It now turns out that more Bush Administration officials have known for months about the investigation of Berger,... Hugh Hewitt: The Washington Post is chasing the Dem spin —incredibly asking what did the White House know and when did it know it—... Betsy Newmark: Captain Ed notes the hypocrisy of seeming to be more concerned about who leaked the Sandy Berger story than over the fact that he was stealing classified documents. |
| Also: Captain Ed, Ken Masugi | |
Panel: Flight 93 Crashed Without Struggle AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — Passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 fought back against the hijackers but never actually made it into the cockpit, the Sept. 11 commission concluded. | |
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Tom Maguire: But of course, time and pixels move on, so all of the posts link to a story now headlined: "Panel: No Cockpit Struggle on Flight 93". Charles Johnson: But the AP's headline for their report is blatantly wrong: Panel: Flight 93 Crashed Without Struggle. Cori Dauber: Have you ever seen the technical truth used in service of such a perfect lie? |
Atrios: AP: With the words ''Let's roll,'' passengers rushed down the airliner's narrow aisle to try to overwhelm the hijackers. Jason Van Steenwyk: Flight 93 Crashed Without Struggle. Idiots. Splash, out |
The 567-Page Story Of a Humbled America By / WaPo — Permalink After al Qaeda set out in 1999 to deliver a devastating attack on America using hijacked airplanes, only one thing worked right in the nation's defense. According to the final report of the 9/11 commission, it wasn't the FBI, CIA, FAA or Air Force. | |
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James Joyner: It's the Jihadists, Stupid — Steven Taylor discusses WaPo's analysis of the 9/11 Commission report, "The 567-Page Story... Cori Dauber: I read this piece and it gives me hope. I still haven't quite figured out what happened yesterday or why, but it's as if two and a half years, more or less, just got scraped away. |
Steven Taylor: It's More Complicated than Just al Qaeda — Via WaPo's story on the 911 commission's report, The 567-Page Story Of a Humbled America, we have: [snipped quote] Indeed. DemFromCT: Coffee and the Papers — Reviewing the media coverage of the 9/11 report as best I can, the complex report (better... |
GOP Seeks Catholic Parish Directories AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The Republican National Committee has asked Bush-backing Roman Catholics to provide copies of their parish directories to help register Catholics to vote in the November election, a use of personal information not necessarily condoned by dioceses around the country. | |
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Jeanne D'Arc: You'd think Bush would be smart enough to realize that something that didn't go over well with the Baptists might not be... Nick Confessore: The Associated Press reports: "The Republican National Committee has asked Bush-backing Roman Catholics to provide... |
Lambert @Corrente: Now Rove wants Catholic parish directories — These guys just don't learn, do they? [snipped quote] So let me get this straight. Steve M.: The Bush campaign infuriated people — including the quite conservative Southern Baptist Convention — with a plan like... |
Bush's Military Records Fail to Dispel AWOL Charges By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of President Bush 's missing Air National Guard records during the Vietnam War years, previously said to be destroyed, turned up on Friday but offered no new evidence to dispel charges by Democrats that he was absent without leave. | |
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Brian Crouch: Bush's Military Records Fail to Dispel AWOL Canards — Adam Entous of the Reuters arm of the DNC writes: "Some of... |
Lambert @Corrente: . More detail is emerging, and here's the money quote from Reuters: [snipped quote] Heh heh heh. |
He's not afraid to speak out for his country By / Boston Globe — Permalink Short-tempered country star Toby Keith doesn't back down from anything. He has feuded with the Dixie Chicks, quarreled with ABC anchorman Peter Jennings, stood up for rednecks, bashed the Taliban, and furthered his hawk credentials by taking a swipe at terrorists in the radio hit, "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)." | |
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James Joyner: Toby Keith: Democrat — So reveals a rather amusing profile in the Boston Globe: "Short-tempered country star Toby Keith doesn't back down from anything. Eric Soskin: Think again, reports today's Boston Globe: [snipped quote] Toby may be expecting the convention to be similarly... |
Greyhawk: Wonder no more. [snipped quote] Update: Recover here. The Big Trunk: In connection with the show, today's Boston Globe runs an interesting profile of Keith: "He's not afraid to speak out for his country." |
CIA officer named prior to column By / Washington Times — Permalink The identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame was compromised twice before her name appeared in a news column that triggered a federal illegal-disclosure investigation, U.S. officials say. | |
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Josh Marshall: Today there's an article in the Washington Times entitled 'CIA officer named prior to column'. Betsy Newmark: They "inadvertently" released Valerie Plame's name twice before it was leaked to Robert Novak. |
Laura Rozen: Check out this Wash Times piece from today, highlighted by Swopa: [snipped quote] That's all very interesting; but not... |
Welcome Mat For Linda Ronstadt CBS News — Permalink (CBS/AP) Imagine "Fahrenheit 9/11" filmmaker Michael Moore and singer Linda Ronstadt onstage in Las Vegas, singing "America the Beautiful" at the very same casino resort where she was booed and told not to come back, because of remarks praising Moore. | |
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McQ: Fat and Fatter — OK yes, that's insensitive as hell. But then so is life. I'm already tired of these people. Julian Sanchez: Apparently, though, the Aladdin is in the process of being bought out by Planet Hollywood. |
Doug Allen: Planet Hollywood will become the new owner, and the Planet Hollywood CEO Robert Earl states he may invite Linda Ronstadt and Michael Moore back to the casino. |
Engagement Announcement By / TNR — Permalink Oops, we invaded the wrong country. Or at least this is the impression created by the final report of the 9/11 Commission, which depicts Iran as a transit point for Al Qaeda members during the run up to September 11. It is an impression the Kerry team has done nothing to dispel. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: IRAN AND KERRY: Lawrence Kaplan worries about Kerry's tendency to suck up to dictators. But he's not too high on Bush's incoherence either. Bird Dog: Update: Lawrence Kaplan at the New Republic offers some insight and finishes with this: "Put another way, the... |
Matthew Yglesias: Against Engagement — Lawrence Kaplan makes the case against engagement with Iran, including some pursuasive points. |
Swift Action on Advice From the 9/11 Commission Is Unlikely By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 22 - Months of unsparing study by the Sept. 11 commission and the Senate Intelligence Committee have now produced a broad consensus about two colossal intelligence failures: the missed opportunities that left the United States open to attack... | |
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Matthew Yglesias: As The New York Times reports, it's unlikely that we'll see swift action on these recommendations, in part for the... Howard Kurtz: At another point, on page 359, it describes how Jordan arrested 16 terrorists planning bombings in that country,... |
Hugh Hewitt: What a surprise: The New York Times predicts that no quick action will follow on the 9/11 Commission's report and the... |
The Fire this Time By / NRO — Permalink As your party prepares to begin its convention in Boston, you should be mindful of the perspective and feeling of many former Democrats, Independents, and undecideds — about your general state of anger and fury. | |
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Greg Ransom: Mona Charen: Democrats fight dirty. UPDATE: Bill Bennett has more on the dirty dog Democrats. Eugene Oregon: How about one written by self-appointed "morals czar"/gambling addict Bill Bennett patronizingly explaining to the... |
Thomas Krannawitter: Bennett's Open Letter — Washington Fellow Bill Bennett encourages Dems to abandon the rhetoric of hate and return to principle. |
Pentagon Finds, Releases Bush's Missing Guard Records By / AP — Permalink The Pentagon on Friday released newly discovered payroll records from President Bush's 1972 service in the Alabama National Guard, though the records shed no new light on the future president's activities during that summer. | |
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Rice Grad: Bush's missing National Guard records found... so reports the AP. Early reports indicate that the record contain nothing that either help or hurt Bush. |
Xan @Corrente: Dawg musta buried it here Ah gess... (via WaPo) [snipped quote] The stack of items filed under "How stupid do they think... |
Gutting the Grandstanders NRO — Permalink The debate over 9/11 long ago became hyper-politicized. In light of that, as interesting as any of the substantive recommendations of the 9/11 Commission's just-released report is the more lowbrow question — how do the anti-Bush partisans fare? The answer is: Not well. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Rich Lowry wondered how Richard Clarke and Michael Moore fare in light of the 9/11 Commission report. Not well. Steve M.: Rich Lowry today at National Review Online [Kathryn Jean] Lopez: ...Rich, you write, [snipped quote] Is that fair to blame Bill Clinton for 9/11? |
Matthew Yglesias: Speaking of the 9-11 Commission, Rich Lowry wasted no time before swiftly noting that the report debunks the claims of the "anti-Bush partisans." |
SABOTEURS By / New York Post — Permalink SERGIO Vieira de Mello, the U.N. envoy killed by terrorists in Baghdad al most a year ago, was no cynic. But he recognized cynicism where he saw it. Soon before his tragic death, he described attempts at putting the United Nations at the center of things in Iraq as "a cynical ploy" by powers not prepared to give it meaningful support. | |
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Jason Van Steenwyk: So far, however, not a single country has offered to join. From the New York Post. Glenn Reynolds: SABOTEURS: Amir Taheri writes on the U.N. role in Iraq. |
Betsy Newmark: This is why it is ridiculous to expect the UN to be the ones to take the lead in Iraq or anywhere else. Greyhawk: "The inspectors, who would continue their work to ensure that Iraq adheres to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, would... |
Axis of Evil, Part Two By / WaPo — Permalink Did we invade the wrong country? One of the lessons being drawn from the Sept. 11 report is that Iran was the real threat. It had links to al Qaeda, allowed some of the Sept. 11 hijackers to transit and is today harboring al Qaeda leaders. | |
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Bird Dog: Charles Krauthammer offers a stark analysis. [snipped quote] For me, it's hard to disagree with Krauthammer and this bleak situation. James Joyner: Charles Krauthammer asks a rather pointed question with respect to those who have noted, correctly, that Iran is a... Greg Ransom: KERRY'S FOREIGN POLICY HAS FAILED IN IRAN. |
Ted Belman: Axis of Evil, Part Two — By Charles Krauthammer The Washington Post Did we invade the wrong country? Betsy Newmark: Charles Krauthammer takes on the mantle of realism to look at Iran. |
'Scarborough Country' for July 22 MSNBC — Permalink JOE SCARBOROUGH, HOST: Tonight's top headline, Sandy Berger is snared in a sting operation. The "Real Deal," it looks like Mr. Berger is in sinking sand. Welcome to SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY, where no passport is required and only common sense is allowed. | |
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Ace: And if none of that gives you hope, then maybe this will. We gots Jon Voight on our side. (Maybe.) (Skip down to end of transcript.) |
Charles Johnson: Outrage of the Day — The Syrian musicians who behaved in such a disturbing way aboard Annie Jacobsen's now-famous... |
U.S. Congress Votes to Declare Genocide in Sudan Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress passed a resolution on Thursday declaring that genocide is occurring in Sudan, which backers hope will pressure the international community to take action to protect Africans in the Darfur region from marauding Arab militias. | |
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Kevin T. Keith: A Welcome Act of Honesty — Congress, as its last official act before summer recess yesterday, unanimously passed joint... Gary Farber: "[On Thursday, the House and Senate passed measures declaring that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur constituted genocide." |
Eugene Oregon: Daily Darfur — The House voted yesterday 422-0, and the Senate approved by a voice vote, a resolution declaring Darfur... |
What about Iran? By / Townhall.com — Permalink WASHINGTON — Did we invade the wrong country? One of the lessons now being drawn from the 9/11 report is that Iran was the real threat. It had links to al Qaeda, allowed some of the 9/11 hijackers to transit through, and is today harboring al Qaeda leaders. | |
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Charles Johnson: Charles Krauthammer looks at the situation—and the deadly stakes: What about Iran? Syria is weak and deterred by Israel. |
Frederick Maryland: Dancing Around the Critical Questions — A new column by neo-conservative Charles Krauthammer raises the reader's hope... |
Poll Shows Growing Arab Rancor at U.S. By / WaPo — Permalink Arab views of the United States, shaped largely by the Iraq war and a post-Sept. 11 climate of fear, have worsened in the past two years to such an extent that in Egypt — an important ally in the region — nearly 100 percent of the population now holds an unfavorable opinion of the country, according to two polls due out today. | |
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Greyhawk: Climate of Fear — The Washington Post apparently thinks you might be wondering what Egyptians think of America: [snipped quote] Well then, I guess we're screwed. |
James Joyner: Poll Shows Growing Arab Rancor at U.S. WaPo - Poll Shows Growing Arab Rancor at U.S. |
Bigger breasts offered as perk to U.S. soldiers Reuters — Permalink NEW YORK - The U.S. Army has long lured recruits with the slogan "Be All You Can Be," but now soldiers and their families can receive plastic surgery, including breast enlargements, on the taxpayers' dime. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: Keeping you abreast of the issues — Preempting another one of those grass-roots thank-you initiatives for our troops... |
Jason Van Steenwyk: Latest Military Perk: Breast Enlargement Surgery — Yes, but will it enhance retention among males? |
Panel Isn't Going Away -- It's Going on the Offensive LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Blue-ribbon committees usually produce long reports that assign blame, and then go quietly out of business. But Thursday, the commission on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 boldly defied those rules: It refused to assign blame — and, more importantly, it refused to go out of business. | |
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David Allan Pell: The members of the 9-11 commission are determined not to let that happen this time around. |
Howard Kurtz: "Blue-ribbon committees usually produce long reports that assign blame, and then go quietly out of business," the Los Angeles Times writes. |
Democrats fight dirty By / Townhall.com — Permalink One of the great ironies of the past decade and a half is that the term "the politics of personal destruction" has come to be associated with what Republicans did to President Bill Clinton. Republicans have been known to go over the top now and then. | |
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Greg Ransom: LET'S BE BLUNT ABOUT AMERICA'S DEMOCRATS. [snipped quote] Mona Charen: Democrats fight dirty. Sadly @SadlyNo: Mona Charen is upset that those mean liberals are attacking her friend: "A recent inductee into the falsely accused... |
Betsy Newmark: Mona Charen looks at how Democrats fight dirty. |
Kerry to Show Soft Side Before Convention By / AP — Permalink DENVER (AP) - As John Kerry winds his way across the country and ultimately to Boston to accept the Democratic presidential nomination next week, he'll be talking more about something he hasn't discussed much in his campaign - John Kerry. | |
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Thomas Lang: Go to comments — July 23, 2004 Tip of the Hat The Man Behind the Makeup While some news outlets have taken the last... |
Captain Ed: This morning, Kerry's campaign is pushing the notion that they'll sell a softer, gentler Kerry in the leadup to the... |
Teacher has kids tasting flavored condoms WorldNetDaily — Permalink The New Mexico Health Department is standing behind a sex-education teacher in Santa Fe who encouraged ninth-graders to taste flavored condoms. According to a report in the Santa Fe New Mexican, parent Lisa Gallegos said that when her 15-year-old daughter... | |
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Joanne Jacobs: Taste test — In a sex ed class designed to "destigmatize" condoms, a 15-year-old girl said she was urged to taste flavored condoms. |
Michelle Malkin: REASON #83, 456 TO HOME SCHOOL — From WND: Teacher has kids tasting flavored condoms "According to a report in the... |
The Berger Affair WaPo — Permalink IT'S STILL NOT clear why former national security adviser Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger improperly removed secret documents from the National Archives last year. Mr. Berger, who was reviewing Clinton administration papers in connection with their release to the... | |
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Tom Maguire: Oh, these guys are good! Washington politicians engage in partisan posturing, and the WaPo is on it! |
Christopher Kanis: The Washington Post has ended its brief flirtation with... you know... journalism, and gotten the message that the REAL... |
Hedging on Iraq NRO — Permalink Which side will Americans choose to be on? What exactly do we think is going on in Iraq? The Democratic platform hedges on the war, suggesting that reasonable people can argue over the need for last year's intervention — as if Dennis Kucinich and Joe Lieberman have only slight disagreements about our involvement. | |
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Charles Johnson: Hedging on Iraq — Victor Davis Hanson, on the mark again: Hedging on Iraq. What exactly do we think is going on in Iraq? |
Michael DeBow: VDH says it's 20/30/50 on NRO today: "Roughly twenty percent of the public hates George Bush and wants us to leave Iraq — no matter what the president says or does. |
Details Emerge on Flight 93 By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 22 — The idea of a hijacking on Sept. 11, 2001, was unbelievable, even to many of the people who could have responded in time to change the course of events. One of those was Capt. Jason Dahl of United Flight 93, which had taken off from Newark on a flight to San Francisco. | |
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Cori Dauber: The New York Times, a paper capable so many times of producing writing so powerful that it can almost be described as... Joe Gandelman: You can read it all here but we offer these key highlights from a New York Times report: ----(After Captain and... The Big Trunk: Tomorrow's New York Times runs a story with a brief account of Flight 93 as reconstructed by the commission: "Details emerge on Flight 93." |
Glenn Reynolds: THE FLIGHT 93 ENDGAME: [snipped quote] Seems like this article by Brad Todd holds up pretty well, almost three years later. KJL: HARD TO READ the Commission's piecing together of Flight 93 facts. We all should. Baldilocks: 580 MPH — A fast exit to Heaven for some and to Hell for others (registration required): "Of the 33 passengers on the... |
| Also: Michelle Malkin | |
'Operational Relationship' With Al Qaeda Discounted By / WaPo — Permalink One week after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, White House counterterrorism director Paul Kurtz wrote in a memo to national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that no "compelling case" existed for Iraq's involvement in the attacks and that links between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's government were weak. | |
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Steve M.: Washington Post DemFromCT: No proof exists Reforms are unanimously called for Kerry pledges to carry out reforms Bush promises to 'study' (not... |
Cori Dauber: Uh, excuse me, but isn't a newspaper supposed to be reserved for, you know, news? Ace: Washington Post Buries Report Finding of Iraq Safe Haven Offer to Al Qaeda While Claiming "No Ties" — Washington Post... |
9/11 report: Qaida planned Eilat strike, Israeli tackled hijackers By / Haaretz — Permalink WASHINGTON - The 585-page report on the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, published Thursday, reveals new information on Al-Qaida efforts to attack Israel and gives details of an attempt by an Israeli to stop the hijackers from entering the cockpit of one of the two planes flown into the World Trade Center. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: Those darned Israelis... Always making things difficult for others. |
Ted Belman: An Israeli hero in our midst 9/11 report: Qaida planned Eilat strike, Israeli tackled hijackers "The report also... |
"Mugged" NRO — Permalink A 9/11 commissioner unloads on Richard Clarke and his "jihad against Bush." It is a day of 9/11 Commission unanimity, but one commissioner, looking back at its public work, is remembering the partisan past. | |
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Tom Maguire: Because they wanted to make it a jihad against Bush. "9/11 Commissioner John Lehman (Rep). Greg Ransom: CLARK'S "CASH-FOR-LIES" PERFORMANCE poisoned the 9/11 hearings charges commission member John Lehman. Captain Ed: One of the first revelations from the freedom of commissioners to speak out comes from former Navy Secretary John... |
Howard Kurtz: One panel member tells National Review Editor Rich Lowry that CBS didn't play fair: "'We were mugged by Viacom,'... Cori Dauber: Commissioner Lehman is apparently still angry enough that he's not being shy about what happened. Glenn Reynolds: "MUGGED BY VIACOM:" John Lehman expresses his dissatisfaction with the 9/11 Commission's process. (Via Ed Morrissey). |
| Also: Betsy Newmark | |
THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT: WHO'S THE LIAR? New York Post — Permalink WHEN it comes to the his torical record on the American response to al Qaeda, you now have to ask yourself: Whom do you believe, Clinton or Bush? The 9/11 Commission report, which was released yesterday, features the following two disputes: | |
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Hindrocket: UPDATE: John Podhoretz has interesting comments on two credibility issues raised by the Commission's report, and on how... Greg Ransom: 9/11 REPORT. Who's lying — Condi or Sandy, Bush or Clinton? And the verdict is .. |
Betsy Newmark: John Podhoretz highlights two differences between what the Bush and Clinton people say and then tries to prove which side is lying. |
Accounting and Accountability By / NYT — Permalink Accountability is important. The nation will be ill served if officials who didn't do all they could to prevent a terrorist attack, or led the nation into an unnecessary war, manage to shift the blame to someone else. But those weren't the only big mistakes of the last few years. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: "(Via the only reason to read 'em is Krugman New York Times" Will anyone be held accountable.... Silly boy.... Of course they will! |
Steve Antler: Take today's column, for example. Can you find that "blurry" point I'm talking about? |
The 9/11 Panel's Report WaPo — Permalink THE NATIONAL Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States did not begin its work under propitious circumstances. It was underfunded. It was given limited time but an enormous challenge: to deliver an authoritative account of the attacks and their aftermath and to issue recommendations to render America safer. | |
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Jeff Jarvis: Last night, Aaron Brown and this morning the Washington Post poured dutiful praise on the commission and its report. |
Cori Dauber: SERIOUSNESS — As part of my ongoing campaign to get ever larger segments of the population to agree with me that the... |
War on Terror Criticized for Lack of Focus By / WaPo — Permalink The Sept. 11 commission report offers a broad critique of a central tenet of the Bush administration's foreign policy — that the attacks have required a "war on terrorism." The report argues that the notion of fighting an enemy called "terrorism" is too diffuse and vague to be effective. | |
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Roger L. Simon: One explainer who particularly raised my hackles this morning was the WaPo's Glenn Kessler, writing, it should be noted, as if his article was not "analyses," but hard news. |
Jon Henke: WizBangBlog notes this...(also here) "The Sept. 11 commission report offers a broad critique of a central tenet of... |
Presidential Race Remains a Virtual Dead Heat By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON - Despite continuing dissatisfaction with the country's direction and the administration's principal policy decisions, the presidential race remains a virtual dead heat as the Democratic convention approaches, a Times Poll has found. | |
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Howard Kurtz: And the LAT has it Kerry 48, Bush 46: "Despite continuing dissatisfaction with the country's direction and the... Taegan Goddard: Presidential Race Remains Deadlocked — The latest Los Angeles Times poll shows that, among registered voters... |
Chris Bowers: Well, from the latest LA Times poll, here is the reason: "Among the 59% who said they know enough about Kerry to... DemFromCT: LA Times Poll Out - Kerry Up 48 - 46 — Here's the story (June numbers in parentheses). Kerry 48 (51) - Bush 46 (44). |
Report Hits Media Coverage of Terrorism Before 9/11 By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK While at first glance the 9/11 commission's report seems to offer little examination of the media, a key summary paragraph criticizes newspapers' coverage in the months leading up to Sept. 11, an E&P reading of the full report finds. | |
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Jason Van Steenwyk: Pre 9/11 Media Coverage Didn't Take Terrorist Threat Seriously, Either — Editor and Publisher: [snipped quote] The New York Times never did get it, did they? Glenn Reynolds: REPORTING ON TERRORISM BEFORE 9/11 comes in for criticism. Ace: Don't Expect the New York Times to Highlight This 9-11 Commission Finding ...unless they can find some way to suggest... |
Howard Kurtz: Editor & Publisher has a quickie piece on findings involving the press: "'Between May 2001 and September 11, there was... Cori Dauber: YOU WON'T FIND THIS IN THE MEDIA COVERAGE — The final report doesn't just critique the failings of the presidents, the... |
9/11 Commission Releases Full Report; Interview With Jamie Gorelick, Slade Gorton CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. LOU DOBBS, HOST: Tonight the September 11th Commission is calling for the most sweeping shake up of our intelligence agency in half a century. | |
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Josh Marshall: "Tucker Carlson Crossfire July 22nd 2004" Then there's 9/11 Commissioners Gorelick and Gorton ... "DOBBS: Let me ask you, not necessarily directly on point, but certainly related. |
Roger Ailes: Update (7/23): It was Gorton who said "we have every one of those documents," and Jamie Gorelick who said the Justice Department confirmed it. |
Change Is Now Inevitable By / Opinion Journal — Permalink When the dust settles, today's 9/11 Commission report may well be remembered as much for what it did not contain as for its factual exposition and recommendations. | |
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Mike Rappaport: The 9/11 Commission — As usual, Chris Cox hits the nail on the head. The 9/11 Commission appears to have been seriously derelict in its duties. Betsy Newmark: Christopher Cox today really raps the way the 9/11 Commission approached the Sandy Berger story. |
James Joyner: Rep. Christopher Cox, chairman of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, has a piece in today's WSJ... |
Report: Bigger breasts offered as perk to soldiers Reuters — Permalink NEW YORK (Reuters) — The U.S. Army has long lured recruits with the slogan "Be All You Can Be," but now soldiers and their families can receive plastic surgery, including breast enlargements, on the taxpayers' dime. | |
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Baldilocks: Plastic For the Soldiers — Dang! Got out too soon for my tummy tuck. Steve Gilliard: Join the US Army and get a boob job Report: Bigger breasts offered as perk to soldiers Wednesday, July 21, 2004 Posted:... Tgirsch: Attennnnn-TION! Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Stick out that chest, soldier!", doesn't it? |
Joe Gandelman: Tit For Tat — A new perk of the military: plastic surgery...including breast enlargements. Zoe Kentucky: Valuable Use of our Military's Medical Resources — Well, not quite. |
Show Me the Money By / Slate — Permalink The biggest puzzle about the 9/11 commission's report is why Thomas Kean, the panel's chairman, said at the start of his press conference this morning that the U.S. government's failure to stop the attack on the World Trade Center was, "above all, a failure of imagination." | |
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Greg Ransom: The problem was that nobody in a position of power felt compelled to do anything about it." — Fred Kaplan. |
Daniel Drezner: ANOTHER UPDATE: Fred Kaplan agrees on the virtues of the Commission's proposed reforms — and, in a roundabout way, what... |
Transcript: 9/11 Panel Releases Its Final Report WaPo — Permalink Following is the text of the news conference of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States on the release of its final report: Speakers: Commission Chairman Thomas H. Kean, Vice Chairman Lee H. Hamilton and commission members... | |
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Cori Dauber: It is also interesting that the reporter chose not to mention that the question does come up in yesterday's press... |
Gary Farber of Amygdala: Governor Kean And Others Speak — Transcript here of the press conference of the National Commission on Terrorist... |
The Boss By / TNR — Permalink Robert Shrum, John Kerry's chief strategist and speechwriter, is considered the poet laureate of populism—the man who injected the phrase "the people versus the powerful" into Democratic vernacular. | |
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Mathew Gross: Be sure to read TNR's great piece on the consultant "who took over the party." |
Taegan Goddard: How Shrum Took Over The Party — Franklin Foer looks at how Bob Shrum has become the most powerful strategist in Sen. John Kerry's campaign — and in the entire Democratic Party. |
Bush Seeks to Limit Political Damage from Report By / Reuters — Permalink GLENVIEW, Ill. (Reuters) - President Bush said on Thursday that many of the failings in U.S. defenses identified by the Sept. 11 commission developed before he took office in 2001 as he sought to limit the political damage from the report. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Get the bias in this Reuters headline. "Bush Seeks to Limit Political Damage from Report" |
Brian Crouch: Fun with Reuters Ledes — See if you can spot a tendency in the following ledes, all from today, and all featured at reuters.com. |
House votes to strip federal courts of jurisdiction over gay marriage By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink (07-22) 13:05 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House voted Thursday to prevent federal courts from ordering states to recognize gay marriages sanctioned by other states. The Marriage Protection Act was adopted by a 233-194 vote, buoyed by backing from the Bush administration. | |
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James Joyner: House Strips Courts of Gay Marriage Jurisdiction — SF Gate (AP) - House votes to strip federal courts of jurisdiction... KJL: HOUSE: STRIP FED COURTS OF MARRIAGE JURISDICTION — Ramesh—what to think? |
Steve Dillard: House votes to strip federal courts of jurisdiction over gay marriage: That will do. |
Where's the Beef? NRO — Permalink The negative side of the Bush campaign seems to be shaping up reasonably well. Republicans seem to be reaching the conclusion that they should attack Kerry less as a flip-flopper than as a liberal: Nobody is scared of flip-floppers' winning high office. | |
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Vanderleun: Where's the Beef" To which I would say, "Please get your knickers untwisted and your game face on." |
Greg Ransom: NATIONAL REVIEW — the case for backing Bush is hard to make if you believe in limited government. |
Troop Talk NRO — Permalink TUZ, IRAQ — As I walked into the barracks, Sgt. Kevin Porter, a 23-year-old trooper in the Ohio National Guard serving south of Kirkuk, Iraq, called me over. He had just received a package from his family in Bellaire, Ohio, which included a then-weeks-old copy of his local newspaper. | |
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Kim du Toit: Wait until you read this report, when a real journalist actually asked the soldiers those very questions. A taste:"1. Cori Dauber: Well, better late then never, he finally gets his answers. |
McQ: Well its been a few months, but Robert Alt at NRO has now provided us with the soldier's reply ... National Guard soldiers. Betsy Newmark: This is an absolute must read column by Robert D. Alt. He is over with the troops in Iraq and has been sending back regular columns. |
Fair Enough By / TNR — Permalink With today's release of the 9/11 Commission report, it's worth revisiting the cynicism that greeted the panel's creation in 2002. Republicans, who opposed the Commission for months, complained that a new investigation would be a pointless "blame-game"; many... | |
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David Adesnik: MEET THE NEW BOSS: Even the liberal New Republic is praising the hard work and intellectual honesty of Philip Zelikow, the Republican staff director of the 9/11 Comission. |
James Joyner: Finally, Alan Wirzbicki has a piece in today's TNR Online arguing that Philip Zelikow should get an enormous amount of... |
DEM PARTY BLOW-OUT: CLAMBAKE AT TED'S, PRIVATE BRIEFING FROM BILL, COCKTAILS WITH BEN Drudge Report — Permalink Boston Harbor Hotel/Rowes Wharf 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Please join Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe for pre-gavel cocktails at the Boston harbor side as he welcomes Democrats to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. | |
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James Joyner: That's the current font size attribute for the headline "DEM PARTY BLOW-OUT: CLAMBAKE AT TED'S, PRIVATE BRIEFING FROM BILL, COCKTAILS WITH BEN." Atrios: Party Hardy — Hey, where's *my* bowling with Ben Affleck invitation... |
KJL: They are going to have Ben Affleck speak at the convention? |
The Arafat Problem NYT — Permalink It's been the misfortune of the Palestinian people to be stuck with Yasir Arafat as their founding father, a leader who has failed to make the transition from romantic revolutionary to statesman. All he seems capable of offering Palestinians now is a communal form of the martyrdom he seems to covet. | |
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James Joyner: The Arafat Problem — NYT has an editorial on what it terms "The Arafat Problem" "It's been the misfortune of the... David Adesnik: ONE MAN'S FREEDOM FIGHTER: [snipped quote] That's from a masthead editorial in the NYT. Charles Johnson: It's Sad When Friends Part Ways — With a heavy heart, the New York Times sadly admits that the world might be a better... |
Fred Lapides: Of Interest — US Admits PA Refuses To Capture Killers of Americans Palestinian MPs call for Arafat's head over... Joseph Alexander Norland: This applies, I believe, to the editorial posted today under the heading, "the Arafat problem". |
Archives Staff Was Suspicious of Berger WaPo — Permalink Last Oct. 2, former Clinton national security adviser Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger stayed huddled over papers at the National Archives until 8 p.m. What he did not know as he labored through that long Thursday was that the same Archives employees who were... | |
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Jon Henke: Reader (and friend) Curt sends me this bit from a WaPo story... "The notion of one of Washington's most respected... Vanderleun: "There were only a few pages, about 40 to 50, that I had with me that day." Kevin Drum: And he did: [snipped quote] Let me get this straight: (a) he had already been caught removing documents on a previous... |
Joe Gandelman: The Berger story is not only NEW and red hot (we are talking about the STORY, not his briefs) but it's developing:... John Cole: They then set up a little sting operation: [snipped quote] I really want this liar to go down- too many of the Clinton era swine managed to weasel their way out of everything. Dale Franks: Rules are for the little people — The Washington Post's John F. Harris and Susan Schmidt have constructed a timeline on the missing Sandy Burglar...uh, Berger...document fiasco. |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, Steve M., Tom Maguire, Steven Taylor, Betsy Newmark, Andrew Sullivan, Hugh Hewitt, Bill @INDCJournal, Nick Gillespie, Roger L. Simon, Glenn Reynolds, Gregory Djerejian, Christopher Kanis, The Big Trunk, Captain Ed, Greg Ransom, Michelle Malkin, Tom Smith, Josh Marshall | |
Owning Up to Abortion By / NYT — Permalink Abortion is legal - it's just not supposed to be mentioned or acknowledged as an acceptable option. An article in The Times on Sunday, "Television's Most Persistent Taboo," reported that a Viacom-owned channel is refusing to run the episodes of a soap opera in which the teenage heroine chooses to abort. | |
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Rivka: Where does that leave me? With Barbara Ehrenreich. Fontana Labs: Ehrenreich's new column is on abortion, and it's connected to some of the points discussed below. Ann Althouse: Barbara Ehrenreich attempts to write a strong op-ed in favor of abortion rights. |
Jeanne D'Arc: Choice — Building on Barbara Ehrenreich's column on abortion in today's New York Times, Susan Madrak tells the story of... Steve Dillard: And we continue on our march toward Nuremburg: From a loyal SA reader: [snipped quote] Indeed. Ronald Bailey: I thought I'd never say this, but left-leaning columnist Barbara Ehrenreich has a remarkably interesting op/ed in today's New York Times. |
| Also: Kevin T. Keith, KJL, Susan Madrak | |
White House Knew of Inquiry on Aide; Kerry Camp Irked NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 21 - The White House said Wednesday that senior officials in its counsel's office were told by the Justice Department months ago that a criminal investigation was under way to determine if Samuel R. Berger, the national security adviser under President Bill Clinton, removed classified documents about Al Qaeda from the National Archives. | |
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Tom Maguire: That Didn't Take Long — On Day 3 of the Sandy Burglar story, the NY Times places the Kerry campaign fax on their front... Glenn Reynolds: WAS KERRY THE ONLY ONE WHO DIDN'T KNOW? Hugh Hewitt: And the New York Times thinks the story has to do with when the White House learned of the investigation as opposed to what Berger took and why. |
Steven Taylor: Indeed, the suggestion in today's story (White House Knew of Inquiry on Aide; Kerry Camp Irked) is more aimed at who might've leaked the story than the story itself. Andrew Sullivan: Meanwhile, the New York Times finally puts the story on A1 - but only as a device to finger the Bush administration. Steve Soto: White House Sat On Berger Story Until This Week — Here's your best indication that the Berger document flap was nothing... |
| Also: Gregory Djerejian, Christopher Kanis, John Quiggin, Josh Marshall | |
The Syrian Wayne Newton By / NRO — Permalink Annie Jacobsen's recent piece for WomensWallStreet.Com made waves. Her account of flying with her family while 14 Middle Eastern passengers acted in a threatening and apparently coordinated manner makes for a terrifying read. | |
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Brian Doherty: Mysterious Syrian Band Identified — That purportedly suspicious band of Syrians on a June 29 Detroit-L.A. flight that... Orin Kerr: "Terror in the Skies" and the Carrot Top Connection: The Syrian band behind Annie Jacobsen's story seems to have been discovered. Kevin T. Keith: He scooped the entire media world by identifying the band on Northwest 327 that sent Annie Jacobsen into such a panic, using Google; the story is up at NRO. |
Robert Cox: A student reporter at Stanford shows the media how to do leg work by tracking down the 14 Syrians who were acting suspciously on a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles the other day. H.D. Miller: Clint's Scoop — Regular reader and friend of this blog, Clint Taylor, has scored a major scoop with a little old-fashioned investigative leg-work. Kevin Drum: The full investigative report is here, including pictures and entertaining video clips. |
| Also: Cori Dauber, Greg @BeggingToDiffer, SLZoll, Michele Catalano, Greg Ransom, Donald Sensing, The Big Trunk, Michelle Malkin, Christopher Kanis, Charles Johnson, Daniel Drezner | |
Scouting jetliners for new attacks By / Washington Times — Permalink Flight crews and air marshals say Middle Eastern men are staking out airports, probing security measures and conducting test runs aboard airplanes for a terrorist attack. | |
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Sir George: Goat F**kers Testing Airline Security — Bands of moon-god worshipping Muslims are targeting US airliners again,... Cori Dauber: Because the other great service that article did, at least as important as pointing out any flaws in our own responses,... Joe Gandelman: This Washington Times piece is almost sickening to read. |
Charles Johnson: The Enemy is Scouting Airliners — The Washington Times has statements from flight crews and air marshals confirming... Jesse Taylor: I'm A Misfit — The Washington Times, the nation's paper of record (so long as that record is produced by a insane... Christopher Kanis: Note also that the Air Marshall's spokesman isn't calling a case-closed on this one: ""We don't know if it was a dry... |
| Also: Hindrocket, Will Collier, KJL, Ace, Michelle Malkin | |
Turning Tale By / TNR — Permalink The tale spun by former Ambassador Joseph Wilson that Iraq did not ever try to buy uranium yellowcake from Niger is now in the process of unraveling. And, of course, the phalanx of anti-war journalists is desperately trying to stop the bust-up. But it can't be done. | |
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Howard Kurtz: Speaking of Berger and his pants, New Republic owner Marty Peretz starts with a disclaimer: "I confess: I do not like... Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Martin Peretz writes in The New Republic: "I do not like Sandy Berger; and I have not liked him since the first... Tom Maguire: The New Republic Pummels Joe Wilson — Martin Peretz, editor-in-chief of The New Republic, has some thoughts on the Joe... |
Betsy Newmark: Martin Peretz seems to be the only person to admit that he doesn't like Sandy Berger. Will Collier: Credit Where It's Due — I'm no particular fan of The New Republic's Marty Peretz (anybody that enamored of the "genius"... Ace: He's brutal on The Fabulist and The Thief. |
| Also: Greg Ransom, Pejman Yousefzadeh, KJL | |
White House Helps Block Extension of Tax Cuts By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, July 21 - The White House helped to block a Republican-brokered deal on Wednesday to extend several middle-class tax cuts, fearful of a bill that could draw Democratic votes and dilute a Republican campaign theme, Republican negotiators said. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Cuttting Off Your Nose To Spite Your Face Department — The White House helped block a Republican-brokered deal on Wednesday to extend several middle-class tax cuts. Eugene Oregon: So I guess I will too. And while I'm at it, I'll recommend that you read Kevin Drum's post on the issue. Barbara O'Brien: I Have a Headache — Other bloggers are commenting on this, but it's too weird to resist. I had to read it several times to wrap my head around it. |
Nick Confessore: If, at the height of election season, a President John Kerry had killed a deal to extend tax cuts for the middle class,... Kevin Drum: But only if it benefits the rich so blatantly that it doesn't get any support from Democrats: "The White House helped... Ted Barlow: He could not have anticipated that the White House would have such a spectacular topper: The White House helped to block... |
| Also: Jesse Taylor, Michael Froomkin | |
Liberal Documentarians Are the Reel Majority By / WaPo — Permalink In terms of its success, Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" is in uncharted territory. By next week it will probably surpass $100 million in domestic box-office revenues, nearly five times as much as the next-highest-grossing documentary feature — Moore's own "Bowling for Columbine." | |
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Susanna Cornett: Document this — WaPo has an amazingly thoughtful and even piece about the liberal predominance in the making and release of documentary films. John J. Miller: FREE TO CHOOSE — The Washington Post today says that left-wingers dominate the business of documentaries—a claim I... Bill @INDCJournal: Cognitive Dissonance of the Day — Headline on the homepage of WaPo.com: Documentaries Still Turn Left It's the one form of media that liberals continue to dominate. |
Steve Antler: Omission... John J. Miller at The Corner: [snipped quote] Let's bring this up to date and mention Daniel Yergin, maybe? Gene @HarrysPlace: Documentaries as insults — From a very interesting Washington Post article about the increasing prominence of... |
Guards left Berger alone, sources say By / Springfield News-Leader — Permalink Washington — Former national security adviser Sandy Berger repeatedly persuaded monitors assigned to watch him review top-secret documents to break the rules and leave him alone, sources said Wednesday. | |
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Vanderleun: "My former boss asked me to do a favor for him and hold on to these papers but I think I accidentally discarded them here, at this Starbucks." Betsy Newmark: I just don't understand how the Archives staff could be suspicious of Berger and still let him into a private room and allow him to make phone calls. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: And this report indicates even more potential wrongdoing on Berger's part: "Former national security adviser Sandy... KJL: BERGER@ARCHIVES — If this report is true, it sound like, if he were not former national-security adviser, his weird behavior should have gotten him kicked out. |
Berger With a Side of Secret Documents By / Slate — Permalink Is Samuel "Sandy" Berger a criminal, a pilferer, a sneak, or just clumsy? Nearly a year ago, we just learned this week, Berger—who was President Clinton's national security adviser—removed some highly classified documents from the National Archives... | |
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Daniel Drezner: The business with Berger is an inside-the-Beltway story that certainly diminishes Berger's standing but in the end... Howard Kurtz: Slate's Fred Kaplan cuts to the chase: "Is Samuel 'Sandy' Berger a criminal, a pilferer, a sneak, or just clumsy?. . |
David Allan Pell: And since there is really no logical way to come up with some broad and nefarious plan involving Kerry (who had access... |
Right Axis. Wrong Evil. By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — The capital has plunged into satire. There's the bizarre investigation of Sandy Burglar, as the respected former national security adviser has now been dubbed, pulling a Fawn Hall and smuggling stuff out of the National Archives in his fine washables. | |
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David Adesnik: Plus, the second MoDo column that consists entirely of retelling Ali's jokes. Edward _: Uh, Dude...You Like Invaded the Wrong Country: Open Thread — From Maureen Dowd's Right Axis. Wrong Evil. Stephen Green: A Fisking — Ladies and gentlemen, may I present for your intellectual and philosophical pleasure, Maureen Dowd. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE SAVING GRACE OF MAUREEN DOWD . . . Is that her columns provoke Fiskings like this one. Michelle Malkin: See May 7, 2002: Is You Wicked? and July 22, 2004: Right Axis. Wrong Evil (registration required). |
9-11 panel to go on book tour By / The Hill — Permalink The Sept. 11 commission continues to exasperate House Republicans, who said they learned yesterday that the panel's chairmen will barnstorm the country promoting the report, which will be privately published in paperback, and that the commission chose not to analyze the effectiveness of the USA Patriot Act. | |
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Michelle Malkin: Meanwhile, the 9/11 commissioners' book tour extravaganza—I'm calling it Blahsfest 2004—continues. So glad they're looking out for us. Steve Antler: One gets more attention with a constructive attitude... If (as I believe) this is rent seeking behavior, put your money... |
James Joyner: 9-11 Panel Book Tour — The Hill - 9-11 panel to go on book tour "The Sept. 11 commission continues to exasperate House... KJL: AND THEN THERE WILL BE THE BOOK TOUR |
Cho no-go in Boston - no joke! By / NY Daily News — Permalink Margaret has been Whoopi'd. The potty-mouthed comedian has been cut from a gay political bash coinciding with the Democratic convention. Apparently, its John Kerry-friendly organizers are worried that her racy routine will become more fodder for... | |
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Robert Cox: Margaret Cho Whoopied The New York Daily News Margaret has been Whoopi'd. Howard Kurtz: And this New York Daily News report on Margaret Cho suggests that the week in Boston will be rated no worse than PG: "Margaret has been Whoopi'd. |
Betsy Newmark: More stifling of dissent in John Kerry's Boston. |