meme orandum
| Fresh brewed news plus stewing views |
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John Kerry for President NYT — Permalink Senator John Kerry goes toward the election with a base that is built more on opposition to George W. Bush than loyalty to his own candidacy. But over the last year we have come to know Mr. Kerry as more than just an alternative to the status quo. We like what we've seen. | |
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Avedon Carol: Sunday, 17 October 2004 "It's nice to have friends The NYT has endorsed Kerry, and has a long list of reasons to be... John Cole: Yeah- That's Really Newsworthy — I know this will come as a big surprise to many, but the NY Times has come out and endorsed John Kerry. H.D. Miller: If only I could be that sanguine about how things are going. I still worry. As expected the New York Times. |
Frederick Maryland: The Times' Endorsement — It's no surprise that the New York Times endorsed Kerry in this Sunday editorial, but I thought it was well stated. Jason Van Steenwyk: The New York Times endorsed John Kerry today in a laughable essay that, in any other mainstream outlet, would pass for anti-liberal satire. Jeff Jarvis: For vs. against : The New York Times endoses Kerry. The Chicago Tribune endorses Bush. |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, Tim Blair, Jan Haugland, Kos, Nick Gillespie, Jack Cluth, Cori Dauber, DemFromCT, Marc Schulman, Michele Catalano, Steve Soto, Kevin Hayden, Oliver Willis, Jim Lindgren, Jeralyn Merritt, Faisal @ShrillBlog, Taegan Goddard, James Martin Capozzola, DeLong, Atrios, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, David Cohen, Betsy Newmark | |
George W. Bush for president Chicago Tribune — Permalink One by one, Americans typically settle on a presidential candidate after weighing his, and his rival's, views on the mosaic of issues that each of us finds important. Some years, though, force vectors we didn't anticipate turn some of our usual priorities—our pet causes, our own economic interest—into narcissistic luxuries. | |
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Jesse Taylor: From the Tribune: [snipped quote] 1.) Bush f**ked up hard and refuses to admit it, while Kerry realizes the errors that Bush made. Susanna Cornett: Read their entire editorial, but think about this in light of what Alaa said: "Bush's sense of a president's duty to... PoliPundit: Newspaper Endorsements — Lots of people are writing about the Chicago Tribune's endorsement of President Bush. |
Avedon Carol: The Chicago Tribune, on the other hand, has endorsed Bush, apparently because they believe RNC talking points instead, of, um, reading the newspapers, I guess. H.D. Miller: Much less expected, surprising even, was the decision of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board to endorse the President. Charles Johnson: Trib Backs Bush, Grey Lady Digs Kerry — The Chicago Tribune endorses George W. Bush for president. |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, Tim Blair, David Cohen, Christopher Kanis, Glenn Reynolds, Cori Dauber, Taegan Goddard | |
General Reported Shortages In Iraq By / WaPo — Permalink The top U.S. commander in Iraq complained to the Pentagon last winter that his supply situation was so poor that it threatened Army troops' ability to fight, according to an official document that has surfaced only now. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: MORE INCOMPETENCE: The evidence of how the administration has screwed up the management of the war in Iraq continues to mount. Steve Soto: First, late this afternoon Tom Ricks of the Washington Post broke the story that runs contrary to the spin and lies from... |
Gary Farber: Elsewhere, Thomas Ricks, the WashPo's main military writer informs us: "The top U.S. commander in Iraq complained to... Melanie @AmStreet: Once I Told a Wee Little Lie — Top Army Commander in Iraq Complained of Poor Supply Situation, Document Shows By Thomas... |
Kerry the Clueless By / LAT — Permalink Like many American Jews, I was brought up to believe that if I pulled the Republican lever on the election machine my right hand would wither and, as the Psalmist says, my tongue would cleave to the roof of my mouth. | |
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Mathew @Centerfield: Read the full article here. KJL: PERETZ PUMMELS KERRY — And Carter and Clinton while he's at it. Betsy Newmark: Meanwhile, a prominent Jewish opinion maker, Marty Peretz, editor of the New Republic, has a must-read column in the LA Times on how Kerry is "clueless" on Israel. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: "KERRY THE CLUELESS" — Martin Peretz, the editor-in-chief of The New Republic and long known as a best friend and chief... The Big Trunk: Clueless in Gaza — New Republic editor in chief Martin Peretz sketches out the likely impact of a Kerry presidency on... Orrin Judd: CHECK YOUR CLICHES: Kerry the Clueless: Like Carter and Clinton, he's a Democrat who offers Israel nothing but muddled... |
Daily Endorsement Tally: Kerry Picks up 22 Papers, Owns Huge Lead By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK Senator John Kerry picked up a raft of newspaper endorsements on Sunday, widening his lead over President George W. Bush in this area. Kerry gained the editorial backing of at least 22 papers, with Bush winning the support of just five, giving Kerry the lead by 37-18 in E&P's exclusive tally. | |
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David Allan Pell: And this morning, I read through many excerpts from newspaper endorsements of one presidential candidate or the other. Atrios: Latest rundown from E&P: [snipped quote] ...oh, one more thing, people objected to my criticism of the NYT editorial below. Steve Soto: Editor and Publisher notes today that Kerry has built up a huge advantage over Bush in newspaper endorsements, both in... |
Avedon Carol: Editor & Publisher has a Kerry Endorsement Tally that currently appears to stand at 28: "Among his new supporters were... Kos: Better late than never, for all of the above. Update (by kos): Editor and Publisher has an update. Kerry is cleaning Bush's clock. |
U.S. Congress Houston Chronicle — Permalink The Chronicle endorses candidates in Houston-area races for the House of Representatives. Following last year's redrawing of congressional district lines by the Texas Legislature, many voters find themselves in districts with new numbers and unfamiliar candidates. | |
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Byron L: Karl-Thomas noted that the Houston Chronicle endorsed Richard Morrison over Tom DeLay. Kos: After all but ignoring his candidacy, the Houston Chronicle has given him Morrison their endorsement: [snipped quote] It's an uphill battle, so every little victory help. Jack Cluth: Houston Chronicle endorses Richard Morrison — The Chronicle endorses candidates in Houston-area races for the House of... |
Karl-T: Houston Chron Endorses Morrison over Delay — Exciting news out of Houston, the big city paper has chosen to endorse Richard Morrison over Tom DeLay! Charles Kuffner: Endorsement watch: Congress — This one I called correctly: The Chron goes for Richard Morrison, Al Green, Mike McCaul, and all of the other incumbents. |
Kerry gets blame for Haiti unrest By / BBC — Permalink The commander of the UN peacekeepers in Haiti has linked a recent upsurge in violence there to comments made by the US presidential candidate, John Kerry. Earlier this year Mr Kerry said that as president he would have sent American troops to protect Jean-Bertrand Aristide who was ousted from power in February. | |
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Deacon: The "global test" in action — The BBC reports that the commander of U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti is complaining that... Robert Garcia Tagorda: Yes, according to the UN peacekeeping commander: [snipped quote] See the BBC and Michelle Malkin for additional information. Michelle Malkin: KERRY IN HAITI — The U.N. blames John Kerry for the deaths of 50 Haitians. |
KJL: HAITI BLAMES KERRY FOR VIOLENCE Captain Ed: Words Have Meaning And Impact — In a reminder of Rush Limbaugh's famous rejoinder that words have meaning, the BBC... Sir George: This happened not just in Iraq but in Haiti, as the BBC reports. |
Kerry: Bush 'January Surprise' for Social Security Reuters — Permalink COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - If re-elected, President Bush plans a ''big January surprise'' and will move quickly to allow some private Social Security accounts that will reduce benefits for retirees and swell the U.S. deficit, Democratic Sen. | |
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Nathan Newman: Kerry is already hitting hard on this issue: "''We just learned yesterday that the president told his biggest and... Jerome Armstrong: Kerry is already on top of the quote: "''We just learned yesterday that the president told his biggest and wealthiest... |
Orrin Judd: BUSH TO DELIVER ON POPULAR PROMISES: Kerry: Bush 'January Surprise' for Social Security (Mark Egan, 10/17/04, Reuters) [snipped quote] Surprise? |
Keyes says incest awaits kids of gays By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes told a rally Saturday that incest was "inevitable" for children raised by gay couples because the children might not know both biological parents. | |
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Gary Farber: THE ONE, ONLY, SINGLE, SOLITARY, LONELY, THING I WILL MISS ABOUT THE PRE-ELECTION will be not having Alan Keyes to kick aroound any more. Joe Gandelman: Even many Republicans cringe. And how can you resist not linking to a news report like this new one? [snipped quote] But what's the big deal? |
Roger Ailes: Keyes Blasts Reagan — [snipped quote] Gee, wouldn't Ambassador Keyes's criticism apply equally to his old boss, Saint Ronnie? |
Daily Endorsement Tally: Kerry Picks up 'NY Times' and 'Star-Tribune' Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK They weren't exactly giant surprises, but Senator John Kerry will take them, picking up two more major editorial endorsements on Sunday, this time from The Minneapolis Star-Tribune in swing state Minnesota and The New York Times, which has national impact. | |
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Byron L: That's why it was interesting to read this: [snipped quote] These are minor things, but I do believe that endorsements of... Joe Gandelman: But, in the end, that may not matter: the number of people who vote because their All Knowing Paper outlined a position... Oliver Willis: UPDATE: The Minn. Star-Tribune endorses Kerry. You can see a tally of endorsees here. |
Skippy @AmStreet: as goes the daily herald of arlington heights, ill, so goes the nation editor & publisher is keeping a running... DemFromCT: But the (Suburban Chicago) Daily Herald? There's also the Daytona Beach News and there will be others. Taegan Goddard: Editor and Publisher has the complete newspaper endoresment list, noting the NYT nod "gives Kerry a 15-13 edge on... |
Election 2004 Reuters/Zogby Daily Tracking Poll: Kerry Closes In On Bush Lead Zogby — Permalink With less than three weeks remaining in the race for the White House, Senator John Kerry shaves two-points from President Bush's lead (Kerry 44%, Bush 46%), according to a new Reuters/Zogby daily tracking poll. | |
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Steve Soto: Well, at least the latest Democracy Corp poll shows Kerry taking a 3% lead over Bush, and the Zogby daily tracking poll... |
James Joyner: Zogby's tracking poll has it 46-44. CBS: 48-45. Newsweek: 48-46 ("too close to call") among registered voters but 50-44 among likely voters. |
With Few Suppliers of Flu Shots, Shortage Was Long in Making By / NYT — Permalink Scene by disheartening scene, the spectacle of a severe shortage of flu vaccine is unfolding around the country. Last week, elderly and chronically ill people waited in line for hours to get flu shots; some were turned away. | |
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Chef: Indeed the price of flu vaccine has increased almost five-fold since 1996, from $1.80 to $8.50 a dose. DemFromCT: However, the whole system has been very shaky in recent years. Kevin Drum: The flu vaccine business is risky: some years you sell out, but other years you make 50 million doses and only sell 20 million. |
Alex Tabarrok: Vaccines and the Media — Dueling articles on the flu vaccine shortage today in the Washington Post and NYTimes. Michelle Malkin: STILL MORE ON FLU SHOTS — Both the NY Times and Washington Post have long pieces this weekend explaining the reasons for the flu shot shortage. |
Uniform Standard By / TNR — Permalink On July 4, Jeff and Nicole Rank went to hear George W. Bush speak in Charleston, West Virginia. Tickets in hand, they found seats ten or 15 rows from the stage. There they sat, quietly, wearing t-shirts that read love america, hate bush and regime change starts at home. | |
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David Adesnik: SHAMEFUL: Wearing a Kerry shirt at a Bush campaign event? Expect to be thrown out. |
Andrew Sullivan: You see this in the thuggish ways in which opponents are removed from campaign events, jailed and fired from their jobs. |
Police Call on Kerry to Stop Misrepresenting Their Support U.S. Newswire — Permalink WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ — Today Chuck Canterbury, the President of the nation's largest police labor organization, called on John Kerry to stop making misleading statements regarding his support from the law enforcement community. | |
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Wind Rider: Bad Boy, Bad Boy, What'cha gonna do? What'cha gonna do now it's clear they don't endorse you? |
Charles Johnson: Largest Police Union Denounces Kerry — Police Call on Kerry to Stop Misrepresenting Their Support. (Thanks to all who emailed about this.) |
How U.S. Got Down to Two Makers Of Flu Vaccine By / WaPo — Permalink Wyeth Pharmaceuticals doesn't make flu shots anymore, and it doesn't miss them one bit. For two decades, Wyeth made injectable influenza vaccine at a plant in Marietta, Pa. For the winter of 2002-03, it made 21 million doses in a labor-intensive, time-crunched process and shipped them to clinics and doctors' offices early in the fall. | |
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SK Bubba: Blames trial lawyers for the flu vaccine shortage, but the fact is that many companies have gotten out of the vaccine business because it is not profitable. |
Kevin Drum: After reading a slew of articles, here's a rundown of all the explanations on offer: For starters, it's a pretty small market. |
Mark Steyn: The short man stands tall The Australian — Permalink "MICHAEL" e-mailed the other day to pre-empt any gloating on the election results: "Iraq was barely mentioned as a campaign issue," he informed me. "Fear of rising interest rates was the clincher for the conservatives. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: Mark Steyn writes in today's "Australian" about John Howard's victory: [quote] "Rhetorically speaking, Howard is my favourite of the Anglosphere warriors.[end quote] |
Tim Blair: TRANSFORMATIVE HOWARD — Mark Steyn on John Howard and the Australian election: "The US and British press could barely... |
Is Balancing an Act? By / WaPo — Permalink Reporters, editors, readers and critics have argued endlessly about objectivity: whether journalists can set aside their inner thoughts and achieve objectivity in their work. I believe many manage to meet this challenge. | |
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Kevin Drum: SHADING THE TRUTH, PART 3...Michael Getler, the Washington Post's ombudsman, today tackles one of the key issues of... |
DeLong: Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps? |
Political Bias at The Times? Two Counterarguments. By / NYT — Permalink Last week, I argued in this space that The Times is not systematically biased in its campaign coverage - a position that necessarily invites rebuttal. I consequently asked two prominent critics of The Times to take a whack at it. | |
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Avedon Carol: This week, he presents Political Bias at The Times? Two Counterarguments, with Todd Gitlin "From the left" and Bob Kohn "From the Right". Ann Althouse: The restatement of the position comes in the guise of opening his column to his critics, as he splits his column into a... |
S.L.: Spin Buster — Tom Tomorrow Gets It Exactly Right In today's Week in Review section of The New York Times, Public Editor... Greg Ransom: A PLEA to the thousands of leftists who give us the pathetically inaccurate and politically distorted NY Times: [snipped quote] — Bob Kohn. |
Vote and Be Damned By / NYT — Permalink First Dick Cheney said that supporting John Kerry could lead to another terrorist attack. Then Dennis Hastert said Al Qaeda would be more successful under a Kerry presidency than under President Bush. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Can someone tell me why the Catholic church is tax exempt? Since its Bishops have abandoned neutrality, and are trying to get one candidate elected? Cori Dauber: DOWD ON THE CHURCH — This post will probably just bore you if you aren't Catholic, but Maureen Dowd is Catholic, and... |
James Martin Capozzola: THE CANDIDATES AND THE CATHOLICS — Our "States' Rights" Bishops Those following the ongoing debate about the... |
Real Women's Liberation By / Weekly Standard — Permalink HERE'S A CHUNK of President Bush's standard stump speech: "Think about what happened in Afghanistan. It wasn't all that long ago that the Taliban ran that country. Young girls couldn't even go to school. They were not only harboring terrorists, they had this dark ideology of hate. | |
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Ed Driscoll: In the new Weekly Standard, Katherine Mangu-Ward writes that hard-core feminists are still yawning over the remarkable... |
Orrin Judd: CRACKED LIBERTY BELLES: Real Women's Liberation: It's happening in Afghanistan, and U.S. feminists don't care. |
Reuters Poll: Kerry Trims Bush Lead to 2 Points By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic challenger John Kerry cut President Bush 's lead to 2 points with just over two weeks to go before the Nov. 2 election, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released Sunday. | |
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Susan Madrak: ROUNDUP — Of course Bush plans to privatize Social Security; a self-fulfilling prophecy; Eagles rule; ignore the polls,... |
Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the Reuters/Zogby tracking poll shows Kerry shrinking the gap behind Bush to just 2 points. |
Kerry for President Boston Globe — Permalink IN 1984, when he was still lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, John Kerry became interested in the emerging problem of acid rain. Some people mocked the idea of poisonous rain from the skies, but Kerry embarked on a fact-finding mission across Europe, where... | |
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Kos: It was a big screwup — kos) The NY Times and (I'm shocked, it's baseball season) the Boston Globe, sure. Steve Soto: All of these papers endorsed Bush in 2000 but are abandoning him now: Albuquerque Tribune The Oregonian The Seattle... |
DemFromCT: John Kerry For President: More Newpaper Endorsements Today — The NY Times and (I'm shocked, it's baseball season) the Boston Globe, sure. James Martin Capozzola: Pull quote: "At home, Kerry is a strong supporter of civil rights and women's rights. |
Pierre Salinger, Kennedy Aide, Dies at 79 By / NYT — Permalink Pierre Salinger, the spokesman for the Kennedy White House who later became a European correspondent for ABC News, died yesterday at a hospital near his home in Le Thor, France. He was 79. | |
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Joe Gandelman: A Key Player In The Kennedy Era Dies — Pierre Salinger, John Kennedy's efficient, somewhat colorful and... Kevin Hayden: The Bad: At age 79, JFK aide Pierre Salinger has died. The Ugly: A long article about Bush the Messiah selling dishonesty, corruption and death as steadfast Christianity. |
John J. Miller: This NYT story on his passing, however, fails to mention that Salinger left the United States to live in France as a way to protest the election of George W. Bush. James Martin Capozzola: For more, see the New York Times obituary by Thomas J. Lueck. | HOME |
CRIMES OF EGO By / New York Post — Permalink CRIMES AGAINST NATURE: HOW GEORGE W. BUSH AND HIS CORPORATE PALS ARE PLUNDERING THE COUNTRY AND HIJACKING OUR DEMOCRACY BY ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. TWO years ago, celeb rity environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made himself a laughingstock from one... | |
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Glenn Reynolds: WALTER OLSON REVIEWS Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new book, Crimes Against Nature, and finds much to dislike: [snipped quote] Ouch. |
David Bernstein: Olson on RFK, Jr.: Wally Olson reviews Kennedy's Crimes Against Nature. |
Kerry Ad Says Flu Vaccine Shortage Is Typical of Bush's Policy Blunders By / WaPo — Permalink Sen. John F. Kerry jumped on the flu-vaccine shortage yesterday with a new television ad blaming the situation on President Bush. In what may be the first presidential campaign commercial dealing with the flu, the Democratic nominee is trying to portray the vaccine squeeze as typical of the president's mishandling of health care. | |
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Mark Kleiman: Typical — The flu vaccine flap is the Presidential race in a nutshell: 1. Sir George: Kerry Blames Bush for Flu, Bad Breath, Jock Itch — Audacity is on display, with Kerry breathlessly trying to blame Bush for the vaccine shortage. |
SK Bubba: Lack of oversight of the pharmaceutical industry as a result of the administration's close ties with the industry resulted in a flu vaccine shortage and rationing. |
Transcript for October 17 MSNBC — Permalink PLEASE CREDIT ANY QUOTES OR EXCERPTS FROM THIS NBC TELEVISION PROGRAM TO "NBC NEWS' MEET THE PRESS." This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed. In case of doubt, please check with: | |
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Frederick Maryland: Congressman Jim DeMented — This morning on NBC's "Meet the Press," host Tim Russert interviewed U.S. Senate candidates... |
David Allan Pell: At the Top of My Lungs — In describing his faux concern about Kerry's debate response to the gay question, Ken Mehlman... |
In Court Clerks' Breach, a Provocative Precedent By / WaPo — Permalink The inscription on the front of the Supreme Court building says "Equal Justice Under Law," but the court's motto could just as easily be "What Happens Here, Stays Here." In a town where confidential information travels fast, the justices protect their internal deliberations fiercely — and, usually, successfully. | |
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Paul @SouthernAppeal: That Vanity Fair Article — There is an article on it in today's Washington Post (you might need to register). |
Orin Kerr: Washington Post Looks Into Vanity Fair Story on Bush v. Gore: Today's Washington Post has a detailed story by Charles... |
Free of Taliban's Yoke, 2 Afghan Women Rise Again By / NYT — Permalink HERAT, Afghanistan - The first sign of change is a sign, posted on the brown mud exterior wall of Soheila Helal's house and garden to announce her private courses. When the Taliban controlled this western city, Ms. Helal had to teach in secret. Now she is free to advertise. | |
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Cori Dauber: Today there's an article in the Times profiling two women who had last been interviewed right after their town had been liberated from the Taliban. |
Ann Althouse: Amy Waldman, in the NYT, interviews two Afghan women who are devoted to finding ways to advance the interests of women... |
Broad Use of Harsh Tactics Is Described at Cuba Base By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 - Many detainees at Guantánamo Bay were regularly subjected to harsh and coercive treatment, several people who worked in the prison said in recent interviews, despite longstanding assertions by military officials that such treatment had not occurred except in some isolated cases. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: Swinging at Guantanamo — The torture at Guantanamo, too: "David Sheffer, a senior State Department human rights... Avedon Carol: TalkLeft may be down for a bit in the next few hours due to a site migration, but there are a number of good links and... |
Jim Lindgren: The NY Times is revisiting Guantanamo Bay and finding harsher treatment of prisoners than the military was claiming:... |
After Late Start, Republican Groups Jump Into the Lead By / WaPo — Permalink With an overall fundraising advantage from the beginning of the presidential campaign, Republicans moved far more cautiously than Democrats to invest in 527 groups, but with the election just weeks away, groups aligned with the GOP are outspending their Democratic counterparts on radio and television by 6 to 1. | |
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PoliPundit: Republican 527s — After a slow start when they tried to respect the spirt of McCain-Feingold, Republican 527s have... |
Hindrocket: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em — The Washington Post reports that after a slow start, Republican 527's are now outspending their Democratic counterparts. |
Editorial | U.S. Senate Reelect Specter Philadelphia Inquirer — Permalink Arlen Specter has become a force to be reckoned with in the U.S. Senate. His 24 years have made him the longest-serving Pennsylvanian ever to hold the job. Specter is an important Republican voice advocating more federal dollars for hunger relief, education and mass transit. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: Today's edition was particularly disappointing, as the editors wasted paper and ink to publish "Reelect Specter," an... |
Atrios: Morons — So, after being "bold" and coming out with such a strong endorsement for John Kerry, the cowards at the Inquirer cover their tracks by endorsing Arlen Specter. |
Army Trainers to Become Fighters in Iraq By / LAT — Permalink The elite Black Horse Regiment, a California fixture for 10 years, will hand over its duties at Ft. Irwin to National Guard troops. But this desert is the Mojave, not the Iraqi. And it is where Army ground troops come to get a glimpse of future assignments in the Middle East. | |
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Melanie @AmStreet: Eating the Seed Corn — October 17, 2004 | Army Trainers to Become Fighters in Iraq The elite Black Horse Regiment, a... |
Phillip Carter: Army's desert OPFOR on the way to Iraq — Deployment of elite training regiment could have bad long-term implications... |
Rove Trims Sails but Steers for Victory By / WaPo — Permalink A few months before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Karl Rove held clinics for White House officials in which he laid out what amounted to his early game plan for reelecting President Bush in 2004: improving the party's performance among blacks, Hispanics, Roman Catholics, union households and the "wired workers" of the technology world. | |
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Orrin Judd: Rove Trims Sails but Steers for Victory (Mike Allen, October 17, 2004, Washington Post) [snipped quote] It is because... Rice Grad: Allen's hypothesis is typical liberal media: Rove, who directs the policy and politics of the administration, has governed conservatively and divisively. |
Jeralyn Merritt: When Bush came into office in 2000, the Washington Post reports, he set out an election plan for 2004 that included... |
Killing children is no longer a big deal By / Haaretz — Permalink More than 30 Palestinian children were killed in the first two weeks of Operation Days of Penitence in the Gaza Strip. It's no wonder that many people term such wholesale killing of children "terror." | |
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Soccerdad @LeftCoaster: There is an article in Haaretz entitled Killing children is no longer a big deal . |
Juan Cole: It is to the point where a major Israeli newspaper runs a piece today on how killing children is no longer a big deal for the Israeli military. |
CHENEY SIS JUMPS INTO LESBIAN FRAY By / New York Post — Permalink Add Mary Cheney's sister's name to a growing list of Cheney family members angry with Sen. John Kerry for bringing up Mary and her sexuality at last week's debate in Tempe, Ariz. | |
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Betsy Newmark: It sounds like Kerry's daughter is carrying on with the "fair game" defense of Kerry's bringing in Mary Cheney's sexuality into the debate. |
Susan Madrak: MARY CHENEY: SILENT ALL THESE YEARS — Great headline this morning: "CHENEY SIS JUMPS INTO LESBIAN FRAY". |
Kerry's gay ploy backfires NY Daily News — Permalink The third Bush-Kerry debate may not change the outcome of the presidential election in November. But it may well be remembered as a milestone in the struggle for gay equality and acceptance. Give the credit for that to John Kerry. President Bush said he didn't know. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Zev Chafets looks at why Kerry's Mary Cheney ploy would never have worked even if it hadn't become a cause celebre on conservative talk radio. |
Sadly @SadlyNo: Zev Chavets has jumped on the fake outrage bandwagon: "But that wasn't the point Kerry wanted to make. |
Planning for after the war in Iraq non-existent Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - In March 2003, days before the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, American war planners and intelligence officials met at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina to review the Bush administration's plans to oust Saddam Hussein and implant democracy in Iraq. | |
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Steve Soto: Second, in a story that flew under the radar screen this weekend while the media focused on the Mary Cheney nonstory,... Lambert @Corrente: "Knight Ridder review of the administration's Iraq policy and decisions has found that [the administration] invaded... Randy Paul: The headline for the first part of the series says it all: Planning for after the war in Iraq non-existent. |
Laura Rozen: Here's a snip from the first part, with the devastating title: "Post-war Planning Non-Existent": [snipped quote] Why was it ignored? Atrios: Odd that K-R has been doing some of the best work in recent years, even as their papers, overall, decline in quality... |
U.S. Military Faults Lack of Troops in Iraq -Poll By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A majority of U.S. troops serving in Iraq and their families said the Bush administration did not send enough forces to Iraq and relied too heavily on the National Guard and reserve troops, a poll showed on Saturday. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: So if The Holy Gut™ was chosen by God to be President, why didn't He send enough troops to Iraq? Just asking. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Here's how other media outlets chose to portray the results: Reuters titled its story "U.S. Military Faults Lack of... |
Editorial: John Kerry/The right choice for president Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink Political passions are burning white hot as Nov. 2 nears. Americans realize what is at stake: the United States' ability to lead in the world, protect its citizens at home, preserve its treasured liberties, and leave a legacy of hope and opportunity. | |
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Steve Soto: As does the San Francisco Chronicle. As does the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. As does the St. Petersburg Times. |
Oliver Willis: Moon will mandate a Washington Times endorsement of Bush sometime soon. UPDATE: The Minn. Star-Tribune endorses Kerry. |
Poll: Military Has Iraq Doubts AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Members of the military and their families say the Bush administration underestimated the number of troops needed in Iraq and put too much pressure on inadequately trained National Guard (search) and reserve forces, according to a poll released Saturday. | |
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Faisal @ShrillBlog: Fox Reports, Military Decides: "Shrill Or Be Shrilled" — FOXNews.com - You Decide 2004 - Poll: Military Has Iraq... |
Oliver Willis: The military is increasingly skeptical of their mission. Who will be this generation's John Kerry? |
The news that's fit to print By / US News — Permalink Many of us at this justifiably famous newspaper are sorely vexed by assertions that we are somehow guilty of tilting the news to fit our editorial views. We can assure you that here at the New York Liberal Cocoon, admittedly the finest paper in the world, we don't operate that way. | |
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Christopher Kanis: MRS. SPOONS' LINK OF THE DAY "Here we see an example of the surgical use of sarcasm. Hat tip: Betsy" Betsy Newmark: John Leo, who seems to be getting crankier as he gets older, channels the New York Times. He is not kind. |
Ed Driscoll: Whodathunkit? (John Leo is probably as shocked as I am at this turn of events.) |
Bush Lawyer Anticipates Delay in Tally By / WaPo — Permalink President Bush's top campaign lawyer said yesterday that the winner of next month's presidential vote may not be known for "days or weeks" after Election Day if the contest is close. Experts predict that a large number of absentee ballots will be cast, which could take time to count. | |
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Avedon Carol: Bush Lawyer Anticipates Delay in Tally. Republicans are trying to make it sound like it will all be the Democrats' fault. Lambert @Corrente: Election fraud 2004: BC04 lawyer weighs in — There's no news here—we already know, for example, that the... |
Yuval Rubinstein: Observe: [snipped quote] Sure ya don't, Tom. Based on devious comments like this, it's obvious that we have to at least start thinking about this post-election scenario. Bad Gimp: Bush Lawyer Anticipates Delay in Tally sub required By Jo Becker - Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, October 16,... |
Offensive flier presents case of 'whodunit' in state House race By / AP — Permalink NASHVILLE - The murky origins of an offensive flier getting national attention for portraying voting for President Bush as ''retarded'' is doing little to stop the rhetoric surrounding it. | |
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Matt Singer: This debate is about as vapid as it gets — The AP has more on the whole Tennesse flier flap. Frankly, I think this event is just ridiculous. SLZoll: The fact that Joe would get his info about the flyer from the Traditional Values Coalition and not do any further research tells us all we need to know about him, alas. Rivka: Both Dahl's campaign and the Traditional Values Coalition insisted that their information about the flyer came from a guy who apparently knows nothing about it. |
Mark Kleiman: Some details on how the trick was done are available here: The most recent Associated Press story is here: No one even... Dwight Meredith: Even if you win, you're still retarded." A copy of the flyer is here. Nick Confessore: Then we have this update, which came out over the AP wire today. |
Scary Ads Take Campaign to a Grim New Level By / NYT — Permalink SANTA FE, N.M. , Oct. 16 - In one of President Bush's latest advertisements, a clock ticks menacingly as a young mother pulls a quart of milk out of a refrigerator in slow motion, a young father loads toddlers into a minivan and an announcer intones ominously, "Weakness invites those who would do us harm." | |
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Gary Farber: I'm sure everyone is familar with it, but here is a typically absurd example posted just a bit earlier today. |
Taegan Goddard: Ads Turn Scary — "In the final days before the election, the campaigns and the outside groups supporting them are... |
Bush, Kerry sharpen attacks on the campaign trail Knight Ridder — Permalink DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - (KRT) - From the South and the Midwest, President Bush and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry on Saturday traded barbs and aggressively questioned the other's qualifications to be president. | |
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Chris Bowers: I get chills thinking about a major ad buy from either Kerry or a 527 that contains this quote: "I made it very plain. Atrios: Bush Says Draft is On The Way — Today: I made it very plain. We will not have an all-volunteer army. |
Jeralyn Merritt: Bush's Freudian Slip? On the campaign trail today.... [snipped quote] [Link via Atrios. ] |
Inside the Beltway By / Washington Times — Permalink A fourth-generation logger from Montana, Bruce Vincent, was in tears when he walked out of the Oval Office. As executive director of Provider Pals, a youth cultural-exchange program, Mr. Vincent was among a small group of people invited to the White House on May 3 to receive the first Preserve America Presidential Awards. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Hugh Hewitt (via Radioblogger) links to this beautiful story that demonstrates Bush's private decency and faith. Mark Kleiman: Foreign intervention in U.S. elections — Consider the following rather delicious item, from the Washington Times Salem... |
Hugh Hewitt: Contrast this character with two stories, one from FroggyRuminations (hat tip Powerline) and one from the Washington Times (hat tip RadioBlogger). |
Broad Use Cited of Harsh Tactics at Base in Cuba By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 - Many detainees at Guantánamo Bay were regularly subjected to harsh and coercive treatment, several people who worked in the prison said in recent interviews, despite longstanding assertions by military officials that such treatment had not occurred except in some isolated cases. | |
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Phillip Carter: The New York Times reports in Sunday's paper on some of these, including what the euphemism "coercive interrogation" has come to mean at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Randy Paul: Expect More of This — There should be one standard here: would you like American soldiers treated this way? Atrios: Torture in Gitmo — It angers me a lot for all of the obvious reasons. |
Jeralyn Merritt: Guantanamo Employees Confirm Harsh Treatment of Detainees — For the first time, employees at Guantanamo have come... Orrin Judd: NO WONDER THEY WON'T TALK: Broad Use Cited of Harsh Tactics at Base in Cuba (NEIL A. LEWIS, 10/17/04, NY Times)... Michael Froomkin: Torture at Guantánamo — Tomorrow's New York Times has an extensive report on torture at Guantánamo: Broad... |
Troop Number in Iraq Too Low, Military Poll Says NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 - Almost two-thirds of American military personnel and their families responding to a new poll said the Bush administration underestimated the number of troops needed for the mission in Iraq, and more than half said that citizen-soldiers in the National Guard and Reserves were carrying too heavy a burden. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: The "New York Times" titled their piece "Troop Number in Iraq Too Low, Military Poll Says" and went on to say in the... |
Jason Van Steenwyk: Well, the copy editors at the New York Times blew the headline, but here are some interesting military polling numbers... |
Sleepwalking woman had sex with strangers New Scientist — Permalink Sleep medicine experts have successfully treated a rare case of a woman having sex with strangers while sleepwalking. The behaviour had disrupted the lives of the woman and her partner. | |
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Tyler Cowen: Sleep ____ing?!! Sorry, I am not that gullible. |
Gary Farber: BE SURE TO CHECK IF ANY OF YOUR NEIGHBORS ARE DOING this. |
Presidential Race Deadlocked By / Time — Permalink The race for the White House remains deadlocked, 48% for George W. Bush and 46% for John Kerry, among likely voters, according to a TIME Poll taken Oct. 14-15, 2004. Almost 1 in 3 voters (30%) said the debates made them more likely to vote for Kerry, compared to only 17% more likely to vote for Bush. | |
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Kevin Hayden: Kerry has closed from a 12% margin to 2% in this poll in less than 6 weeks and the internal questions clearly show the trend and momentum are staying with Kerry. Atrios: New Time Poll 48B-46K likely voters. They don't give the registered voter number, which is a much more Democratic sample so presumably has Kerry ahead by a bit. |
PoliPundit: WaPo Poll — WaPo: Bush leads 50-47, up from 48-48 yesterday. Time: Bush leads 48-46. Every poll now has Bush ahead by 2-4 points. Taegan Goddard: New Polls — According to a new Time magazine poll, President Bush has a slight lead over Sen. John Kerry, 48% to 46%, among likely voters. |
America's Most Highly Decorated Living Veteran Calls Kerry 'a Man of Benedict Arnold Qualities' By / Human Events — Permalink Col. George E. "Bud" Day is America's most highly decorated living veteran officer. He served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, receiving more than 50 combat awards and the Congressional Medal of Honor. What he wants now is to stop John Kerry from being elected President. | |
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Lorie Byrd: A Genuine American Hero — Betsy Newmark links to this article about the genuine American hero who is supporting George Bush and she asks a really good question of the media. |
Betsy Newmark: If this hero were supporting John Kerry, don't you think he'd be getting a lot of publicity? |
Poll: Service members doubt Iraq strategy By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Members of the military and their families say the Bush administration underestimated the number of troops needed in Iraq and put too much pressure on inadequately trained National Guard and reserve forces, according to a poll released Saturday. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: "Seattle Post-Intelligencer" similarly summed up the report as "Military families express some Iraq doubts", noting that... |
Stefan Sharkansky: Today's Associated Press report on the National Annenberg Election Survey of military members and their families has the... |
Military survey 3 to 1 for Bush By / Washington Times — Permalink Men and women in the military favor President Bush 3 to 1, according to a survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, despite reservations about troop strength and an exit strategy in Iraq. | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: Other mainstream media sources provided more balanced and comprehensive view of the poll, among them "Washington Times", "Washington Post", and "Guardian". |
McQ: Brian DeBose, Washington Times: "Military survey 3 to 1 for Bush" Esther Schrader, LA Times: "Poll Shows Support for... |
Too Close to Call By / Newsweek — Permalink Oct. 16 - With just 17 days remaining in the race to the White House, President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry remain locked in a dead heat, according to the NEWSWEEK poll, taken after Wednesday's final debate in Arizona. | |
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James Joyner: CBS: 48-45. Newsweek: 48-46 ("too close to call") among registered voters but 50-44 among likely voters. Time: 48-47 TIPP: 48-45. Pejman Yousefzadeh: POLL-WATCHING — Given my past stated concerns about Newsweek's poll methodology, I suppose that this poll should be taken with a grain of salt. Hindrocket: Newsweek, that's who. The current Newsweek is headlined "Neck and Neck," while the magazine describes the Presidential race as a "dead heat." |
Jan Haugland: Polling for Kerry — Newsweek has a new poll, all post-debate, which hands it to Bush 48-46 in a three-way race and 48-47 if Nader is excluded (but he isn't, is he?) Joe Gandelman: NEWSWEEK: Race Is Close And Nader Could Impact It — Newsweek's latest poll puts President George Bush ahead in a... PoliPundit: Newsweek — The Newsweek poll, a Democrat-leaning outlier, shows Bush up 48-46 RV, 50-44 LV. The entire sample is post-debate. |
| Also: DemFromCT | |
Poll Shows Military Has Iraq Doubts By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Members of the military and their families say the Bush administration underestimated the number of troops needed in Iraq and put too much pressure on inadequately trained National Guard and reserve forces, according to a poll released Saturday. | |
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Cori Dauber: POLLING THE MILITARY — Here's the AP's coverage of the Annenberg poll of the military. Jeralyn Merritt: And an Annenberg military poll shows: "62 percent in the military sample said the administration didn't send an adequate number of troops to Iraq. |
McQ: Spin City at AP — Under the title "Poll Shows Military Has Iraq Doubts", AP's Will Lester(of "booing" fame, if I... Mathew Gross: 62 Percent of Military Believe We Need More Troops AP: "WASHINGTON - Members of the military and their families say the... |
Without a Doubt By / NYT — Permalink Bruce Bartlett, a domestic policy adviser to Ronald Reagan and a treasury official for the first President Bush, told me recently that ''if Bush wins, there will be a civil war in the Republican Party starting on Nov. 3.'' The nature of that conflict, as Bartlett sees it? | |
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Dwight Meredith: As Predicted — As predicted in this space, John Kerry jumped all over the George Bush quote in Ron Suskind's Without a... Rickheller @Centerfield: Suskind On Bush — Ron Suskind, co-author of former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil's book on Bush, has an unflattering profile of the President in the New York Times. Taegan Goddard: Former EPA administrator Christie Todd Whitman in 2003, as quoted by Ron Suskind in the New York Times Magazine. |
Andrew Sullivan: SUSKIND ON BUSH: Okay, so I know the piece was supposed to scare the living daylights out of anyone not already enrolled... Tom Tomorrow: Just in case you missed it — Extraordinary stuff in Ron Suskind's article in the NY Times Magazine this week: "Some... Brad @ShrillBlog: Inside this Oval Office, one does not contradict Bush: "The New York Times > Magazine > Without a Doubt: In... |
| Also: Michael Froomkin, Nathan Newman, DeLong, Kevin Drum, Matthew Yglesias, Orin Kerr, Charles Johnson, Ramesh Ponnuru, Jerome Armstrong, Harley, Tom Smith, Lambert @Corrente, Mark Schmitt, David Allan Pell, Steve Clemons, Mathew Gross, Betsy Newmark, DemFromCT, Juan Cole, Steve Bainbridge, Kevin Hayden, Josh Marshall, David Adesnik, Ogged @Unfogged, Steve Gilliard, John Emerson, Matt Singer, Richard TPD, Angry Bear, Mark Kleiman, Mary @LeftCoaster, Orrin Judd, Atrios, Xan @Corrente, Jeralyn Merritt, Avedon Carol, Gary Farber, Susan Madrak, Barbara O'Brien | |
Importing Less Expensive Drugs Not Seen as Cure for U.S. Woes By / NYT — Permalink A customer at the Concourse Drugs pharmacy in the Bronx will pay about $118 to get a month's supply of 20-milligram Lipitor pills. At PharmacyinCanada.com, a Canadian online outlet, the same quantity of the drug, Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering medication, costs $79. | |
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John Hawkins: Mr. Kerry's Bring Home the Canadian Bacon plan has ignited almost as much enthusiasm across the United States as his plan to re-import American prescription drugs from Canada. Ann Althouse: The NYT demonstrates clearly why all the talk about dealing with high drug prices by allowing imports from Canada has been a complete waste of time. |
Tom Maguire: NY Times Debunks Drug Reimports From Canada — A good article on the pointlessness of drug reimportation from Candad as a panacea in the States. Orrin Judd: DRUG WAR: Importing Less Expensive Drugs Not Seen as Cure for U.S. Woes: Experts say that importing drugs from countries... |
Debate, Declaim, Debacle By / NYT — Permalink SCHIEFFER And our first question goes to Senator Kerry. Sir, your spending plans will cost over a trillion dollars. Your combined tax plans will cost $500 billion. How are you going to balance the budget? | |
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Ed Driscoll: Brooks on the Debate — This is, without a doubt, the most accurate transcription of Wednesday's debate I've seen. Roger L. Simon: Bravo! Brooks. Never better. Sadly @SadlyNo: Wonder no more. Thanks to Blair for the link and offering his own comment on the column: "Frighteningly dumb, disgustingly unfunny." |
Jesse Taylor: RANDOM NYT INTERN: It's the playoffs, and the Mets aren't in it, you jacka- DAVID BROOKS: I've got s**t to write, young man. PoliPundit: The Debate — David Brooks has a hilarious debate subtext transcript. David Allan Pell: Read the transcript... or Watch the show... In a somewhat related story: David Brooks, not funny. |
Revolt in the ranks in Iraq By / Salon — Permalink The e-mail arrived Tuesday evening. But Kathy Harris didn't see the urgent plea from her son, Spc. Aaron Gordon, 20, until she arrived at work Wednesday morning. | |
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Oliver Willis: More On The Iraqi "Mutiny" — Salon seems to have some of the families side to the story. Jason Van Steenwyk: Splash, out Jason UPDATE: More here from Salon. Apparently the fuel had already been rejected by one base. Steve Gilliard: Mutiiny in Iraq....or not — Ambush in Iraq Revolt in the ranks in Iraq The inside story of the Army platoon that refused to carry out a "death sentence" mission. |
Avedon Carol: Mary Jacoby in Salon has "the inside story" on that platoon that refused to go on what they called a "suicide mission",... Tresy @Corrente: War Is Heller — Salon has a riveting piece that all should read about the Iraq platoon that mutinied over a "death sentence" convoy mission this week. Tim Dunlop: The Slate article has much more. Steve Gilliard also notes the story and has some comments about similar instances from the past. |
Outrage That Rings False By / WaPo — Permalink Nicolle Devenish, communications director for the Bush-Cheney campaign, said Thursday that John Kerry will pay a heavy political price for what he did. Lynne Cheney, the vice president's wife, said, "This is a bad man." The crime? | |
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James Martin Capozzola: More On Lynne Cheney I hate to even raise the subject because it's not worthy of anyone's attention, but to the extent... Kevin Hayden: I don't even think the Kerry campaign should re-address this in an apologetic tone, it's so outrageous. |
Andrew Sullivan: QUOTE OF THE DAY: [snipped quote] - Hilary Rosen, in the Washington Post today. Barbara O'Brien: She writes in the Washington Post: [snipped quote] Yesterday I missed this story in the Boston Globe about missing nuclear facilities in Iraq. |