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Archive Edition for   Saturday, November 13, 2004Go to Current Page
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Quoted in this edition:

ABCNEWS
Ace of Spades HQ
  Ace
Althouse
  Ann Althouse
American Spectator
  George Neumayr
The American Street
  Kevin Hayden
www.AndrewSullivan.com
  Andrew Sullivan
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
  B.C
Associated Press
  Deb Riechmann
  Jennifer Loven
  Jim Krane
  Curt Anderson
  Brian Skoloff
  Ben Feller
Backcountry Conservative
  Jeff Quinton
Balloon Juice
  John Cole
Barcepundit
  FrancoAlemán
BBC
BeldarBlog
  William J. Dyer
THE BELGRAVIA DISPATCH
  Gregory Djerejian
Betsy's Page
  Betsy Newmark
Body and Soul
  Jeanne D'Arc
Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal
  DeLong
Broadcasting & Cable
BrothersJudd Blog
  Orrin Judd
BuzzMachine
  Jeff Jarvis
Captain's Quarters
  Captain Ed
Centerfield
  Rickheller @Centerfield
  Brian Keegan
Chicago Boyz
  Lexington Green
Chrenkoff
  Arthur Chrenkoff
CJR Campaign Desk Home
  Steve Lovelady
The Claremont Institute
  Ken Masugi
CNN
The Corner
  Jonah Goldberg
  KJL
corrente
  Tom @Corrente
  Lambert @Corrente
Daily Kos
  DemFromCT
Dean's World
  Dean Esmay
Discourse.net
  Michael Froomkin
Ed Driscoll.com
  Ed Driscoll
EdCone.com
  Ed Cone
Electablog* U.S. Ambassador to Cyberspace
  David Allan Pell
Eschaton
  Atrios
Gut Rumbles
  Acidman
Hit and Run
  Matt Welch
INDC Journal
  Bill @INDCJournal
Informed Comment
  Juan Cole
Instapundit.com
  Glenn Reynolds
Kesher Talk
  Judith Weiss
The Left Coaster
  Steve Soto
  Yuval Rubinstein
  Duckman GR
The Liquid List
  Oliver @LiquidList
  Aaron @LiquidList
Little Green Footballs
  Charles Johnson
Los Angeles Times
  Mark Mazzetti
  Jonathan Chait
  Peter Wallsten
The Mahablog
  Barbara O'Brien
Mathew Gross
  Mathew Gross
Matthew Yglesias
  Matthew Yglesias
Michelle Malkin
  Michelle Malkin
The Moderate Voice
  Joe Gandelman
MSNBC
Mudville Gazette
  Greyhawk
MyDD
  Tim Russo
National Review
New York Post
New York Times
  David Brooks
  Jeffrey Rosen
  Elisabeth Rosenthal
  Tom Zeller Jr.
No More Mister Nice Blog
  Steve M.
Observer
Opinion Journal
  Daniel Henninger
Outside The Beltway
  Rodney Dill
  James Joyner
OxBlog
  Josh Chafetz
Pacific Views
  Magpie @PacificViews
Pejmanesque
  Pejman Yousefzadeh
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  Karen MacPherson
PoliPundit.com
  Lorie Byrd
Power Line
  Hindrocket
  The Big Trunk
protein wisdom
  Jeff Goldstein
Questions and Observations Blog
  McQ
Rantingprofs
  Cori Dauber
Reuters
  Steve Gorman
  Mohammed Assadi
  Jim Wolf
The Right Coast
  Tom Smith
  Mike Rappaport
The Rittenhouse Review
  James Martin Capozzola
Roger L. Simon
  Roger L. Simon
Secular Blasphemy
  Jan Haugland
Seeing The Forest
  Dave Johnson
Shot In The Dark
  Mitch Berg
Shrillblog
  Brad @ShrillBlog
The Sideshow
  Avedon Carol
Slate
  Michael Crowley
South Knox Bubba
  SK Bubba
Southern Appeal
  Patrick Carver
St. Petersburg Times
  Howard Troxler
Steve Gilliard's News Blog
  Steve Gilliard
Suburban Guerrilla
  Susan Madrak
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
  Taegan Goddard
the talking dog
  Talking Dog
TalkLeft
  Jeralyn Merritt
TAPPED
  Matthew Yglesias
  Nick Confessore
This Modern World
  Tom Tomorrow
Unqualified Offerings
  Jim Henley
The Volokh Conspiracy
  Jim Lindgren
War and Piece
  Laura Rozen
The Washington Monthly
  Kevin Drum
Washington Monthly
  David Sirota
Washington Post
  Brent Scowcroft
Washington Times
  Rowan Scarborough
Weekly Standard
  Peter Berkowitz
  Jonathan V. Last
Wired News
  Daniel Terdiman



The C.I.A. Versus Bush
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Now that he's been returned to office, President Bush is going to have to differentiate between his opponents and his enemies. His opponents are found in the Democratic Party. His enemies are in certain offices of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Ken Masugi: CIA Skullduggery — Our conservative brethren bloggers have commented extensively on this story, using David Brooks' column as a starting point.
Atrios: Follow the Bouncing Ball — From Kaus to Sully to Brooks and then finally... . a correction "Not that it will do him much good at this point, but I owe John Kerry an apology.
Laura Rozen: But while I read this that Patrick Murray is a dangerous bully, David Brooks says it's about imposing White House discipline at the Agency.
Tom Tomorrow: A little too late — If I believed anyone actually made decisions based upon what David Brooks has to say, this would be infuriating.
Oliver @LiquidList: Now, onto the rest of the column. Brooks heaps blame and scorn on the CIA, and calls on Bush to make heads roll at Langley for its leaky campaign season and its "insubordination."
Rickheller @Centerfield: Republicans (see David Brooks piece) will hold the first view, while Democrats will hold the second.
Also: Hindrocket, Roger L. Simon, Orrin Judd, Betsy Newmark

Vice President Cheney taken to hospital
  CNN   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Vice President Dick Cheney is undergoing tests at George Washington University Hospital after experiencing shortness of breath, the White House said Saturday.
It is unknown whether Cheney, who has a history of heart problems, will be admitted.
Jeff Goldstein: Cheney Hospitalized — From CNN: "Vice President Dick Cheney is undergoing tests at George Washington University...
James Martin Capozzola: Disappearing Breath [*] Vice President Dick Cheney has been taken to the George Washington University Hospital, complaining of "shortness of breath."
Jeralyn Merritt: Dick Cheney Hospitalized....What If? Update: Cheney has left the hospital. He feels great, says his wife Lynn.

Cheney, Short of Breath, Heads to Hospital
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney , who has a history of heart trouble, was having tests at a hospital Saturday after experiencing some shortness of breath, a White House spokesman said.
Orrin Judd: PAGING DR. RICE: Cheney Undergoes Tests at Hospital (DEB RIECHMANN, 11/13/04, Associated Press) "Vice President Dick...
Ace: Cheney Hospitalized For Shortness of Breath; Undergoing Cardiac Tests — On FoxNews now. A Yahoo print report.
Captain Ed: VP Sent To Hospital — Vice President Dick Cheney experienced "shortness of breath" and was taken to a hospital this...

Let them eat cake
  Observer   —   Permalink 
Bofinger, in the rue de la Bastille, is the oldest brasserie in Paris, the haunt of presidents and ministers, Chiracs and chevaliers. It is also my favourite place to dine in the whole world.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: It has instead to do with this article, which explains why French women are able to have their cake, eat it, and not...
Lexington Green: Why is this? This interesting and well written article offers a lengthy explanation.

CBS Axes Producer for Arafat Cut-In
  Broadcasting & Cable   —   Permalink 
CBS News has axed a news producer who cut into prime-time programming Wednesday night to report the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The staffer, a female senior producer for CBS's overnight newscast Up to the Minute, broke in to CSI: N.Y. shortly before 11 p.m. with the report, outraging viewers who missed the end of the crime drama.
FrancoAlemán: CBS FIRES a producer over the Arafat cut-in, and Dan Rather and Mary Maples stay after the fake memos fiasco? Amazing.
Steve Lovelady: That would go to the anonymous CBS executive who axed the producer who had the temerity to cut into Wednesday night's...

Flames engulf mosque in Netherlands
  AP   —   Permalink 
THE HAGUE Netherlands — Flames engulfed a mosque in southeastern Netherlands early Saturday, the latest in a string of fires at Muslim institutions since the killing of a Dutch filmmaker who was critical of Islam.
McQ: But it appears, in the wake of this murder, that the tolerance may only be skin deep.
Captain Ed: Unfortunately for the Netherlands, at least a few of its citizens have decided that the Dutch government has lost the...
Orrin Judd: Flames engulf mosque in Netherlands (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 11/13/04) "Flames engulfed a mosque in southeastern...
Arthur Chrenkoff: The wrong way to fight terror — Comes the reaction: [snipped quote] This is not on.

Deputy Chief Resigns From CIA
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
The deputy director of the CIA resigned yesterday after a series of confrontations over the past week between senior operations officials and CIA Director Porter J. Goss's new chief of staff that have left the agency in turmoil, according to several current and former CIA officials.
Michael Froomkin: CIA Under Goss: Train Wreck in the Making — In Deputy Chief Resigns From CIA, the Washington Post gives us a peek at the train wreck in the making at the CIA.
James Martin Capozzola: The Washington Post today reports ("Deputy Chief Resigns From CIA," by Dana Priest): "The deputy director of the CIA...
Rickheller @Centerfield: CIA Turmoil — The Washington Post reports: [snipped quote] Read the whole article. It's important. What's going on?
Steve Soto: Porter Goss Begins Destroying The CIA — George W. Bush's politicization of the CIA through his installation of the...
Dave Johnson: Deputy Chief Resigns From CIA Concession Democrat Senators voted to confirm Bush's far-right partisan ideologue to head the CIA.
Barbara O'Brien: Hell in a Handbasket — At WaPo, Dana Priest and Walter Pincus report that the CIA is coming unglued even as the agency...
Also: Roger L. Simon, Orrin Judd, Kash, Betsy Newmark, Susan Madrak

Deputy chief resigns from CIA
  MSNBC   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - The deputy director of the CIA resigned yesterday after a series of confrontations over the past week between senior operations officials and CIA Director Porter J. Goss's new chief of staff that have left the agency in turmoil, according to several current and former CIA officials.
Tom @Corrente: Goss the incompetent — I see that W and the boys have been screwing it up, as usual.
Laura Rozen: Two top officials resign from the CIA, the Post reports. The problem?

Can Bush Deliver a Conservative Supreme Court?
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — At a press conference two days after his re-election, President Bush was asked about what sort of Supreme Court justice he might nominate if and when the ailing Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist retires.
Orrin Judd: THEY CAN READ THE RETURNS: Can Bush Deliver a Conservative Supreme Court?
Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Jeff Rosen: "In the last 36 years, four Republican presidents have appointed all but two of the current nine justices.

Bush Paints Rosy Picture of Iraq Situation
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - President Bush painted a rosy picture of the situation in Iraq , claiming significant progress Saturday in the U.S. military's battle in an insurgent stronghold.
In his weekly radio address, Bush praised the assault on Fallujah, west of Baghdad.
James Martin Capozzola: Disappearing Allies "Significant progress" is a far cry from "mission accomplished," don't you think?
Atrios: Progress — Bush radio address today: [snipped quote] Bush radio address every other goddamn week.

Shelling Continues in Fallujah as Official Says 1,000 Insurgents Killed; U.S., Iraqi Reinforcements Sent to Mosul
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - Backed by tanks and artillery fire, U.S. troops launched a major attack Saturday against insurgent holdouts in southern Fallujah, hoping to finish off resistance in what had been the major guerrilla bastion of central Iraq.
Jeff Goldstein: Overheard inside a Fallujah bunker, Saturday, November 13 — First militant: [snipped quote] Second militant
Rodney Dill: Fighting in Fallujah and Elsewhere — Official claims 1000 insurgents killed.

Rumsfeld Meets With Central America Allies
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
MANAGUA, Nicaragua — During a one-day stop in a country to which the United States once shipped many millions of dollars' worth of weaponry, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld offered a message of disarmament.
James Martin Capozzola: Just Disappear He may protest that his intentions are noble, but really, shouldn't we keep Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld out of Central America?
Orrin Judd: CONTRADICTION: Rumsfeld Meets With Central America Allies (Mark Mazzetti, November 13, 2004, LA Times)

Internet post-election rumors missing one little thing: evidence
  By / St. Petersburg Times   —   Permalink 
Claims are lighting up the Internet that last week's presidential election was rigged and stolen. Some of this also has crept into the cable TV networks and conspiracy peddlers on radio.
Ordinarily I would ignore this as background noise.
Jim Lindgren: Here is a nice summary by Howard Troxler (tip Instapundit) of some of the most common internet rumors about the...
Ace: We Won, You Lost, Get Over It — Good point-by-insipid-point debunking of the "stolen election" ravings of the frothy left.
Glenn Reynolds: MORE DEBUNKING of election-fraud theories.
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: This DETAILED St. Petersburg Times column on voting fraud allegations is further confirmation of the post you see above.

U.S. suspects many insurgents have fled
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
The U.S. military thinks many insurgents fled Fallujah, blending in with the waves of Iraqi civilians who were given weeks to leave before the coalition invaded and disappointing war planners who were hoping to kill a huge number of enemy guerrillas there, military officials said yesterday.
Jim Henley: Meanwhile, Ryan Scarborough in the Washington Times quotes US officials who suspect that there may have been fewer than 1,000 rebels in the city at the time the attack began.
Arthur Chrenkoff: As the Coalition forces are now in control of some four fifths of Fallujah, battling against an undetermined, but now...

CBS News Fires Producer Over Arafat Special Report
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CBS News has fired the producer responsible for interrupting the last five minutes of a hit crime drama with a special report on the death of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, a network source said on Friday.
Laura Rozen: CBS has gone stark raving mad. Update: Readers don't seem to agree with me that it was unreasonable of CBS to fire the...
Jeff Quinton: The Jawa Report linked with No Blood for Ivory Update—Ivory Coast to Sue France in Hague — CBS Fires Producer Reuters...
Acidman: They'll fire your ass for that kind of mistake. After all, CBS News has high standards.

School Talent Show Draws Secret Service
  ABCNEWS   —   Permalink 
BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 12, 2004 — Parents and students say they are outraged and offended by a proposed band name and song scheduled for a high school talent show in Boulder this evening, but members of the band, named Coalition of the Willing, said the whole thing is being blown out of proportion.
Kevin Drum: NO PROTESTING ALLOWED!....WE WON A MANDATE!....And so it comes to this: merely protesting the war is now enough to bring the Secret Service calling.
Kevin Hayden: Some parents interpreted the lyrics to be a threat against George Bush, and the Secret Service responded to question those involved.
Ann Althouse: Some teenage kids played Dylan's "Masters of War" at a Boulder, Colorado high school talent show and the Secret Service later came to town.
Jeanne D'Arc: It's still dangerous. The last person I would normally think of when I need to hear an angry voice is Iris DeMent.
Juan Cole: It is a good thing that Bob Dylan has US citizenship, otherwise he might be in the same fix as Cat Stevens (a.k.a. Yusuf Islam).

James Dobson
  By / Slate   —   Permalink 
Although the notion that the religious right's "moral values" determined the 2004 election has been roundly debunked (for example, here and here), perception is reality in politics—and the indelible perception in Washington is now that George W. Bush owes his evangelical Christian base big time.
Jeralyn Merritt: The Radical Right and the Pillaging of American Values — Michael Crowley at Slate takes an in-depth look at James...
DemFromCT: In either case, Michael Crowley at Slate has a profile that's worth a read: "Although the notion that the religious...
Andrew Sullivan: Who is he? Mike Crowley explains.
Yuval Rubinstein: Michael Crowley's expose on Dobson's rise as a political player is both amusing (Dobson was long known for advocating...

Jury finds Peterson guilty of killing wife, son
  CNN   —   Permalink 
REDWOOD CITY, California (CNN) — Jurors found Scott Peterson guilty Friday of first-degree murder in the death of his pregnant wife and second-degree murder in the death of their unborn son.
The verdict leaves Peterson facing a possible sentence of death or life in prison without parole.
Talking Dog: Scott Peterson was found guilty of first degree murder in the case of his late wife Laci and of second degree murder in...
John Cole: Verdict — A verdict in the Peterson trial: "Jurors found Scott Peterson guilty Friday of first-degree murder in the...
Joe Gandelman: Was the California jury's decision to find Scott Peterson guilty of murdering his wife and infant son the first step in...
Roger L. Simon: Scott Peterson has been convicted. Well, at least Greta can now bore us silly with the question of sentencing.

Ashcroft Condemns Judges Who Question Bush
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - Federal judges are jeopardizing national security by issuing rulings contradictory to President Bush 's decisions on America's obligations under international treaties and agreements, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Friday.
Jeralyn Merritt: Ashcroft gave a speech today at the conservative Federalist Society: [snipped quote] Well, we won't have him to kick around any more, thank goodness.
Matt Welch: Ashcroft to Judges: Stop "Second-Guessing" Bush — Story: "In his first remarks since his resignation was announced...
Susan Madrak: THE NIXON FACTOR — It's only when you compare Gonzales to Ashcroft that he looks good: [snipped quote] The thing you...
Mathew Gross: In any case, our man from Missouri today: [snipped quote] Yes, yes, thou shalt not question the executive.
Duckman GR: From an AP report via an Atrios commenter I read with lyin eyes this comment from mr. ashkraft: "Courts are not equipped to execute the law.

Beyond Embattled City, Rebels Operate Freely
  LAT   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD — Iraqi insurgents have extended their reach over large swaths of the country, including sections of the capital, making it unlikely that the United States can establish the stability needed for credible elections in January even if its forces succeed in Fallouja, military and political analysts say.
Greyhawk: Que the LA Times; here's their big story yesterday: "Iraqi insurgents have extended their reach over large swaths of...
Jeanne D'Arc: Do we just keep playing whack-a-mole when they pop up again in Mosul and elsewhere?
Magpie @PacificViews: How would you feel? If this was your place of worship, and you saw this picture on the front of the newspaper?
Matthew Yglesias: The Los Angeles Times frets that Falluja or no Falluja Iraq won't be secure enough for "credible elections in January."

A Middle East Opening
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
With a hard-fought election behind us, the United States is now free to refocus its energies on the myriad problems that have a direct impact on its security and destiny. Nowhere do those problems press more insistently on our vital interests than in the Middle East.
DeLong: It would be nice if they had some... values. "washingtonpost.com: A Middle East Opening: By Brent Scowcroft Friday,...
Captain Ed: Scowcroft's advice to George Bush in his second term explains why 43 famously bypassed his father's counsel in favor of prayer.
Laura Rozen: Arafat was buried today in Ramallah. Update: Brent Scowcroft on a roadmap not likely to be taken [via TomPaine].
Brad @ShrillBlog: Aaaiii!!! "washingtonpost.com: A Middle East Opening: By Brent Scowcroft Friday, November 12, 2004; Page A25: The region has been changed forever by the decision to go into Iraq.
Matthew Yglesias: Grand Bargains — Brent Scowcroft outlines pretty precisely won't we won't be seeing from the administration in the Middle East.

Longing for a Blogging Candidate
  By / Wired News   —   Permalink 
When the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacks on John Kerry's war record began to hurt his presidential bid, many felt that he waited too long to respond. One theory is that his campaign was conserving money for later in the race.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: BLOGGING AND THE RACE FOR THE PRESIDENCY — I would look favorably towards any candidate who decided to make further use of the Blogosphere in the race for the Presidency.
Glenn Reynolds: BLOGS AND POLITICS: This article echoes something that I've said before — if Kerry had hired Joe Trippi, he'd probably be President-elect now.
Hindrocket: Wired has an interesting discussion of whether Presidential candidates are missing out on an important communication tool by not making better use of the blogosphere.
Ed Cone: Wired News: Longing for a Blogging Candidate. Larry Biddle (also quoted in my Senate web campaign post-mortem) tells...

Fundamentalist Outreach
  By / American Spectator   —   Permalink 
They did — just to the wrong ones. Islamic fundamentalists received a great deal of understanding and tolerance from the Democrats. John Kerry made a point of showing sensitivity to the Islamic community and for it earned numerous endorsements from Muslim Imams.
Betsy Newmark: George Neumayr marvels at how some liberals show more respect to Yasser Arafat than they would to Jerry Falwell.
Patrick Carver: George Neumayr has a great piece up at The American Spectator.
Judith Weiss: "One would think a party that can canonize a de facto terrorist and jihadist like Arafat could tolerate a Southern preacher or two.

Top Billings
  By / Washington Monthly   —   Permalink 
There aren't too many states in the union redder than Montana. George Bush won the state by more than 20 points in November. The state legislature and governorship in the capital, Helena, have been in GOP hands for 16 years.
Avedon Carol: Matthew Yglesias recommends this piece by David Sirota in The Washington Monthly about how a Democrat won the Montana gubernatorial race without pretending to be a Republican.
James Joyner: A Washington Monthly piece by David Sirota outlines Schweitzer's route to victory.
Matthew Yglesias: I've just been reading David Sirota's account of Democrat Brian Schweitzer's winning campaign for governor of Montana with interest.

Wild Crowds, Gunfire Force Hasty Arafat Burial
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - A chaotic crush of mourners filling the air with gunfire forced a hasty burial of Yasser Arafat on Friday in the finale to a tumultuous life as the trailblazer of Palestinian nationalism.
Judith Weiss: Lots of links from Tim Blair on Arafat's chaotic funeral, note especially the peculiar reminiscence by John Le Carre.
Acidman: If a funeral turns into this, just imagine what the country would look like under self-rule.
B.C: Such A *cough* Peaceful *cough* Group It just brings a tear to ones eye... "RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - A chaotic...
Glenn Reynolds: "Wild Crowds, Gunfire Force Hasty Arafat Burial:" If the Palestinian "authorities" can't even organize a funeral, how are they going to run a country?

Scott Peterson Convicted of Murdering Wife
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) - Scott Peterson was convicted Friday of murdering his pregnant wife and dumping her body in San Francisco Bay in what prosecutors in the made-for-cable-TV case portrayed as a cold-blooded attempt to escape marriage and fatherhood for the bachelor life.
Lorie Byrd: The first thought I had when I learned that the jury had reached a decision in the Scott Peterson case was that Mark...
Ace: Not really a newsflash. But it's not over yet, unfortunately. We still have the death-penalty phase to go through.
James Joyner: Scott Peterson Convicted of Murdering Wife and Son — Scott Peterson Convicted of Murdering Wife (AP) [snipped quote] I'm...

Scott Peterson Verdict
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
The judge in the Scott Peterson double-murder trial announced Friday that jurors have reached a verdict.
Judge Alfred Delucchi said the panel would read its verdict at 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET) at the San Mateo County courthouse in Redwood City, Calif.
Jeralyn Merritt: Scott Peterson Guilty: Where Is the Evidence? The transcript of my live coverage of the verdict for the Washington Post is here.
Glenn Reynolds: SCOTT PETERSON IS GUILTY OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER: Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft is doing a LiveChat discussion on the Washington Post site at this very moment.

WASHINGTON IN BRIEF
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
Scientists working for the government have developed standards to measure the accuracy of anthrax detection tests, hoping to steer first responders away from false readings.
In 2002, the White House warned that not one of the anthrax field tests then commercially available was reliable.
Jeralyn Merritt: The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced that $15 million will be set aside for studies that examine other causes of the disease.
KJL: HERE'S CORNYN on Specter.
William J. Dyer: And thus, I'm frankly disappointed to read that Texas Senator and Judiciary Committee member John Cornyn — whose own...

Education Secretary to Leave Post
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
Roderick R. Paige has informed the White House that he plans to resign from his job as secretary of education next week, and President Bush will accept his decision, a senior administration official said today.
James Martin Capozzola: Disappearing Cabinet Members Education Secretary Rod Paige, a self-styled linchpin in the war against terrorism, joined...
Orrin Judd: TURN THE PAIGE: Education Secretary to Leave Post (Mike Allen, Michael Dobbs and Mark Stencel, November 12, 2004,...

Paranoid Past the Fringe
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
Are conservatives crazier than liberals? I think so. Just consider the behavior of both on one topic: election fraud.
You may have seen e-mails circulating among liberals charging that President Bush won the election through skulduggery.
Avedon Carol: Via Kevin Drum, Jonathan Chait's piece in the LAT saying that it's conservatives, rather than lefties, who are the real conspiracy theorist nuts.
Kevin Drum: Jon Chait says it's conservatives, and he's got a pretty good case to make.
Nick Confessore: My friend Jon Chait has an excellent and much-needed column out in today's Los Angeles Times about the alleged...

A Second Chance to Unite
  By / Weekly Standard   —   Permalink 
ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, November 3, the day after the election, in front of an exhausted crowd of ardent supporters at the Ronald Reagan building, President Bush embraced victory, thanked those who had stood with him, and reaffirmed his commitment to reform...
Orrin Judd: CO-OPT THEM: A Second Chance to Unite: Four ways George W. Bush could reach out to Democrats.
Josh Chafetz: PETER BERKOWITZ HAS FOUR VERY GOOD IDEAS for how President Bush can reach out to Democrats in his second term.
Matthew Yglesias: UPDATE: Speaking of concern for minor things like morality and the national interest, if George W. Bush had them, Peter...
Jeff Jarvis: Across the divide : Peter Berkowitz, conservative, has four suggestions for how the Bush administration should reach out...

2004's Biggest Losers
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
It is often said that the only sure winner in American politics is the media. Amid GOP victory parties or the ruined dreams of the Kerry candidacy, the one constant is that the media marches on.
Maybe not this time. Big Media lost big. But it was more than a loss.
Avedon Carol: It's really more a case of conservatives perpetually shouting, "Theater!" in a crowded fire.
Roger L. Simon: Democracy is Hard Work — Daniel Henninger's oped in today's WSJ bemoaning the decline (through bias) of Big Media is likely to get a lot of attention.
Matt Welch: Yelling "Fire" When There's a Fire — Daniel Henninger, deputy editor of the Wall Street Journal's opinion page, is...
Glenn Reynolds: DANIEL HENNINGER SURVEYS THE FALLOUT FROM RATHERGATE and some other journalistic scandals: [snipped quote] He's not entirely pleased with this outcome, nor should he be.

Official: Paige to Leave Education Post
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - Education Secretary Rod Paige intends to leave his Cabinet position, a Bush administration official told The Associated Press Friday.
"The secretary has been looking at leaving, and he's been in discussion with the White House about the right time to do so," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Lambert @Corrente: Time to break out the cot in my tiny room under the stairs in The Mighty Corrente Building... UPDATE Bush heaves Paige over the side.
SK Bubba: ...left behind. I wonder if Jerry Falwell is available?

Bush and Blair Discuss the Mideast
  NYT   —   Permalink 
The following is a transcript of statements made by President Bush and British Prime Minister Blair on Friday, as transcribed by eMediaMillWorks, Inc.:
Bush: Thank you. Welcome.
I'm pleased to welcome a statesman and a friend back to the White House.
David Allan Pell: Meanwhile, back in Washington, Tony Blair joined President Bush for a press conference in which the two leaders (at...
Gregory Djerejian: Exhibit A: Bush: "I think it is fair to say that I believe we've got a great chance to establish a Palestinian state,...
Mike Rappaport: Blair! Tony Blair, as usual, gets the US - UK alliance right.

U.S. Airborne Laser Advances to 'First Light'
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Boeing Co.-led team has successfully fired for the first time a powerful laser meant to fly aboard a modified 747 as part of a U.S. ballistic missile defense shield, officials said on Friday.
Tom Smith: Now we're cookin' — Pentagon anti-missile laser system sees first light.
Jonah Goldberg: AND VOLCANOS TREMBLE — A small step for American security, a giant step for airborne-laser volcano lancing!

The Father of Modern Terrorism
  NRO   —   Permalink 
The true legacy of Yasser Arafat.
For the last week of his life, the scuttlebutt about the Palestinian movement's centrifugal force concerned whether his impending demise was driven by AIDS, likely contracted, according to leaked foreign-intelligence reports, by his omnivorous, orgiastic sexual appetite.
Charles Johnson: Before the Final Flush — Before we consign Yasser Arafat to the sewers of history, there are two more articles worth...
The Big Trunk: A repulsive killer — NRO has posted Andrew McCarthy's retrospective on the career of Yasser Arafat — the best by far...
Dean Esmay: And for a more complete treatment of just what a monster Arafat has always been, be sure to read the lengthy but...

Saving John Kerry
  By / Weekly Standard   —   Permalink 
SO IT'S COME TO THIS: I'm John Kerry's last defender.
Two pieces of conventional wisdom emerged from last week's election. (1) Republicans owe their victory to anti-gay marriage initiatives and a massive values divide; and (2) John Kerry was a lousy candidate.
Avedon Carol: Jonathan Last, in The Weekly Standard, insists that John Kerry was not a bad candidate: I have to assume that many of...
Mitch Berg: Failure Is An Orphan — Jonathan Last on the liberal myth (since 11/3) that Kerry was a lousy candidate.
Ed Driscoll: The Sistah Souljah Moment That Never Happened — Jonathan Last comes, surprisingly, to praise Senator Kerry, not to bury him, in his Weekly Standard column.
The Big Trunk: Kerry in perspective — The Standard Online has posted Jonathan Last's thoughtful assessment of John Kerry's presidential candidacy: "Saving John Kerry."

Evangelicals Want Faith Rewarded
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Christian evangelicals provided much of the passion and manpower for President Bush's reelection. But even as they celebrate his victory, many of the movement's leaders are experiencing post-election anxiety, worried that their strong support for the president might not translate into the instant influence they expected.
Jeanne D'Arc: But if they really believe that, the people they need to get angry at real fast are that little insignificant sliver of...
Kevin Hayden: Welcome to the party of non-hostagetakers — Progressives should see light in this. Moderate Republicans should pay heed.
David Allan Pell: This letter arrives at moment when evangelicals are demanding their election perfomance payback.
Taegan Goddard: Evangelicals Await Reward — "Christian evangelicals provided much of the passion and manpower for President Bush's reelection," the Los Angeles Times reports.

Secrecy by Aides and Silence by Doctors Persists, and What Killed Arafat Is Still a Mystery
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
PARIS, Nov. 11 - Even after Yasir Arafat's death this morning, French health officials continued their stony silence about exactly what disease killed the Palestinian leader. And so the man who lived so much of his life simply and in the public eye, died mysteriously, surrounded by secrecy.
Orrin Judd: STEAL HIS MARTYRDOM: Secrecy by Aides and Silence by Doctors Persists, and What Killed Arafat Is Still a Mystery...
William J. Dyer: And while we're on the general subject of "fake but accurate": Shouldn't the crack CSI:NY forensic team — which clearly...

The outspoken Bill Cosby
  CNN   —   Permalink 
(CNN) — You don't want to get Bill Cosby angry.
And Bill Cosby is angry.
Cosby's ire is focused at the African-American community: its rates of juvenile delinquency, its parenting, the coarse language of its youth. You can do better, he exhorts his audiences.
Tim Russo: In League With Bill Cosby — Somehow I feel a kinship with Bill Cosby at the moment, who is currently making waves in...
Brian Keegan: The Coz Speaks Up — I know these sorts of statements are not new for Bill Cosby.

BILL & HILL PICK THEIR MAN
  New York Post   —   Permalink 
November 12, 2004 — BILL and Hillary Clinton are battling behind the scenes to install longtime political operative Harold Ickes as the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, replacing Terry McAuliffe.
James Joyner: Clintons Push for Ickes as DNC Chair — BILL & HILL PICK THEIR MAN (New York Post) [snipped quote] Interesting.
Taegan Goddard: Battle for the DNC Heats Up — "Bill and Hillary Clinton are battling behind the scenes to install longtime political...
Orrin Judd: SWITCHING PIMPS: BILL & HILL PICK THEIR MAN (Richard Johnson, 11/12/04, NY Post Page Six) "BILL and Hillary Clinton are...

Vote Fraud Theories, Spread by Blogs, Are Quickly Buried
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
The e-mail messages and Web postings had all the twitchy cloak-and-dagger thrust of a Hollywood blockbuster. "Evidence mounts that the vote may have been hacked," trumpeted a headline on the Web site CommonDreams.org.
Jeff Jarvis: And look at stories this week about conspiracy theories on supposed vote irregularities: The Washington Post and the New...
Avedon Carol: "Now, I don't blame The New York Times for not wanting to print stories that assert as fact that there was certainly..."
Captain Ed: Don't Blame The Medium For The Message — The New York Times reports on the flurry of post-election conspiracy theories...
Jim Lindgren: As the New York Times indicated yesterday, internet rumors of vote fraud in Florida based on Democratic registration...
Aaron @LiquidList: The New York Times kicks things off well with it's obvious self-serving headline: Vote Fraud Theories, Spread by Blogs, Are Quickly Buried.
Michelle Malkin: Today, New York Times reporter Tom Zeller writes, "as visitors to Ms. Dopp's site approached 70,000 early this week..."...
Also: Glenn Reynolds, Joe Gandelman, Charles Johnson, Eugene Volokh, Ann Althouse, Susan Madrak, Taegan Goddard

Now, Santorum's under fire
  By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Conservative groups yesterday urged Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum to help lead the fight to deny the Senate judiciary committee chairmanship to his colleague, Sen. Arlen Specter.
Steve M.: ... —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette It's hard to believe that the morality crowd will abandon Santorum.
KJL: SANTORUM & SPECTER — There's a piece on conservatives firing at Rick Santorum in the [Pittsburgh] Post-Gazette today in the effort to keep Specter from becoming judiciary chair.

Chaos as Yasser Arafat is buried
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has been buried at his battered compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah amid chaotic and emotional scenes.
Mr Arafat's body was lowered into a marble and stone grave as thousands of Palestinians thronged the area.
Steve Gilliard: Arafat is buried — Arafat funeral a mob scene Chaos as Yasser Arafat is buried [snipped quote] I'm of mixed feelings about Arafat.
Jan Haugland: Now that Yasser Arafat is buried in a condition of general chaos and mayhem that would make him feel right at home, it...

U.S. Tries To Corner Fallujah Insurgents
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
FALLUJAH, Iraq, Nov. 11 — U.S. forces pushed toward a corner of Fallujah where commanders said insurgents may be preparing to make a last stand, as soldiers and civilians uncovered evidence of atrocities committed by the foreign and Iraqi guerrillas who controlled the city for nearly seven months.
Jeff Goldstein: Overheard inside a Fallujah bunker, Friday, November 12 — First militant: "Okay, let me put it this way, then.
Cori Dauber: GAMES WITH NAMES — The Post follows the Times lead, and mistake, in the way it labels those fighting American and Iraqi government forces in Fallujah.
Bill @INDCJournal: A Rare Perspective — From the Washington Post: [snipped quote] The Western press describes our side's hardship with...