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Archive Edition for   Monday, February 28, 2005Go to Current Page
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Quoted in this edition:

Ace of Spades HQ
  Ace
Agence France Presse
Althouse
  Ann Althouse
AMERICAN DIGEST Essays
  Vanderleun
The American Street
  General Glut
Amygdala
  Gary Farber
www.AndrewSullivan.com
  Andrew Sullivan
Angry Bear
  Angry Bear
Associated Press
  Bassem Mroue
  Zeina Karam
  Salah Nasrawi
Asymmetrical Information
  Jane Galt
Backcountry Conservative
  Jeff Quinton
baldilocks
  Baldilocks
Balloon Juice
  John Cole
Barcepundit
  FrancoAlemán
BBC
Beautiful Horizons
  Randy Paul
BeldarBlog
  William J. Dyer
THE BELGRAVIA DISPATCH
  Gregory Djerejian
Betsy's Page
  Betsy Newmark
Billmon
  Billmon
Brad DeLong's Website
  DeLong
BrothersJudd Blog
  Orrin Judd
Burnt Orange Report
  Byron LaMasters
  Jim Dallas
BuzzMachine
  Jeff Jarvis
Captain's Quarters
  Captain Ed
Centerfield
  Brian Keegan
  Rickheller @Centerfield
Chicago Sun Times
  Mark Steyn
Chicago Tribune
Chrenkoff
  Arthur Chrenkoff
Christian Science Monitor
  Jill Carroll
CJR Campaign Desk Home
  Steve Lovelady
  Thomas Lang
The Claremont Institute
  Ken Masugi
CNN
The Corner
  K. J. Lopez
  Jonah Goldberg
  Rich Lowry
  Tim Graham
  Andrew Stuttaford
corrente
  Leah A
  The Farmer
COUNTERCOLUMN
  Jason Van Steenwyk
Daily Kos
  DavidNYC @DailyKos
  Armando @DailyKos
Dan Gillmor on Grassroots Journalism, Etc.
  Dan Gillmor
danieldrezner.com
  Daniel Drezner
Dean's World
  Mary Madigan
  Moe Freedman
  Joe Gandelman
Demagogue
  Frederick Maryland
Ed Driscoll.com
  Ed Driscoll
EdCone.com
  Ed Cone
Eschaton
  Atrios
Ezra Klein
  Ezra Klein
Fox News
Harry's Place
  Harry @HarrysPlace
  Gene @HarrysPlace
  Marcus @HarrysPlace
Hit and Run
  Nick Gillespie
  Matt Welch
  Charles Paul Freund
Houston Chronicle
  Samantha Levine
HughHewitt.com
  Hugh Hewitt
The Indepundit
  Smash
Informed Comment
  Juan Cole
Instapundit.com
  Glenn Reynolds
INTEL DUMP
  Phillip Carter
Ipse Dixit
  C. D. Harris
Jerusalem Post
joannejacobs.com
  Joanne Jacobs
JustOneMinute
  Tom Maguire
Knight Ridder
  Kevin G. Hall
The Left Coaster
  Yuval Rubinstein
  Pessimist @LeftCoaster
  Steve Soto
The Liquid List
  Oliver @LiquidList
  Shawn @LiquidList
Little Green Footballs
  Charles Johnson
Los Angeles Times
  Ronald Brownstein
  Dan Morain
  Joel Havemann
  Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
The Mahablog
  Barbara O'Brien
Mathew Gross
  Mathew Gross
Matt Welch
  Matt Welch
Matthew Yglesias
  Matthew Yglesias
MaxSpeak, You Listen!
  Max B. Sawicky
Media Matters for America
Media Notes Extra
  Howard Kurtz
mediabistro
  Brian Stelter
The Moderate Voice
  Joe Gandelman
MSNBC
MyDD
  Jerome Armstrong
  Chris Bowers
  Bob Brigham
NathanNewman.org
  Nathan Newman
National Review
New York Times
  Mona Mahmoud
  Robert B. Reich
  Jacques Steinberg
  Bob Herbert
  David M. Halbfinger
  Steven R. Weisman
  Edward Wong
  Steve Lohr
  Roger Cohen
  Neil MacFarquhar
  Robert Pear
New Yorker
  Jeffrey Toobin
Newsweek
  Christopher Dickey
  Howard Fineman
  Richard Wolffe
normblog
  Norm Geras
Not Geniuses
  Joe Drymala
Obsidian Wings
  Charles Bird
Oh, That Liberal Media
  Patterico
Opinion Journal
  Arthur Chrenkoff
Outside The Beltway
  Kate @OTB
  James Joyner
ParaPundit
  Randall Parker
Patrick Ruffini '05
  Patrick Ruffini
PoliBlog
  Steven Taylor
PoliPundit.com
  PoliPundit
  Lorie Byrd
Power Line
  Deacon
  The Big Trunk
  Hindrocket
PRESTOPUNDIT
  Greg Ransom
ProfessorBainbridge.com
  Steve Bainbridge
protein wisdom
  Jeff Goldstein
The QandO Blog
  Dale Franks
  McQ
Rantingprofs
  Cori Dauber
Reuters
  Nadim Ladki
  Haider Abbas
  Lucy Fielder
  Arthur Spiegelman
  Paul Hughes
The Right Coast
  Tom Smith
Right Wing News
  John Hawkins
Roger L. Simon
  Roger L. Simon
Salon
  Mark Follman
Scotsman
  Katie Grant
Secular Blasphemy
  Jan Haugland
Shot In The Dark
  Mitch Berg
The Sideshow
  Avedon Carol
skippy the bush kangaroo
  Skippy
Slant Point
  Scott Sala
Slate
  Christopher Hitchens
  Jacob Weisberg
Stephen Pollard
  Stephen Pollard
Suburban Guerrilla
  Susan Madrak
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
  Taegan Goddard
Talking Points Memo
  Ed Kilgore
  Josh Marshall
TalkLeft
  Jeralyn Merritt
  TChris
TAPPED
  Matthew Yglesias
Tech Central Station
  Lee Harris
Telegraph
  Mark Steyn
  Tony Paterson
TheAgitator.com
  Radley Balko
Think Progress
  Christy @ThinkProgress
  Judd @ThinkProgress
Time
  John F. Dickerson
Times of London
  Brian Moynahan
US News
  John Leo
Vodkapundit
  Stephen Green
The Volokh Conspiracy
  Jim Lindgren
War and Piece
  Laura Rozen
The Washington Monthly
  Kevin Drum
Washington Post
  Tom Shales
  Jackson Diehl
  Blaine Harden
  David S. Broder
  Robin Wright
  Dan Balz
  Lynne Duke
  Dana Milbank
  Dafna Linzer
Washington Times
  Audrey Hudson
  Lawrence Kudlow
Winds of Change.NET
  WoW Team Monday
Wizbang
  Kevin Aylward
  Paul @Wizbang
Zogby



The Arab Street
  By / Slate   —   Permalink 
The return of politics to Iraq has had many blissful secondary consequences, one of them apparently minor but nonetheless, I think, important. When was the last time you heard some glib pundit employing the phrase "The Arab Street"?
Jan Haugland: The demise of the Arab street — Christopher Hitchens calls the term "Arab street" a vanquished cliché.
Ace: Update— Chris Hitchens Wonders Why No One Uses the Term "the Arab Street" Anymore: Except, perhaps, ironically: "The...
Stephen Green: Under Construction — Hitchens on where "the Arab street" went: [snipped quote] Of course, the Arab street was also going to rise up against us when the Afghan War began.
Harry @HarrysPlace: Asks Christopher Hitchens before briefly surveying the changing political landscape in the Arab world.
Glenn Reynolds: CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS wonders what happened to the Arab street. I guess that Josh Marshall was right all along: [snipped quote] He said that like it was a bad thing.
Jeff Goldstein: The Reply of the Infamous Arab Street:* "I remember with particular amusement, people in radiant white headscarves eating figs and dates in the shade of a palm."
Also: Norm Geras

Officials: Bin Laden Urges Zarqawi to Hit U.S.
  Fox News   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Recent communications between Usama bin Laden (search) and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (search) indicate that bin Laden has "encouraged Zarqawi and his group to focus on attacks inside the United States," multiple U.S. officials told FOX News on Monday.
Joe Gandelman: Bin Laden To Terrorist Protege: Hit The U.S. If you think it's been quiet on the U.S. homeland since 911 you're not...
Jeff Goldstein: Get by with a little help from your (murderous and fanatical medievalist) friends — From FOXNews
Stephen Green: Yellow Alert — You realize, of course, this means war: "Recent communications between Usama bin Laden and Abu Musab...
Charles Johnson: Terrorist Communications Intercepted — A terrorist on the run sends a message to another terrorist sleeping in a...
Ace: The bad news is he wants Zarqawi to hit America instead. Still: This would seem to indicate that bin Ladin himself has determined that Iraq is lost to the jihadis.

Lebanon's pro-Syrian PM resigns
  CNN   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — The Lebanese government abruptly resigned Monday during a stormy parliamentary debate, prompting a tremendous roar from tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in central Beirut.
Joe Gandelman: The government resigned, sparking cries of joy from the demonstrations — and more demands that Syria quit their country.
Jan Haugland: Prime Minister Omar Karami announced his government's resignation in a TV speech.
Roger L. Simon: MEANWHILE: Lebanons pro-Syrian government has resigned! Of course to CNN the big news is still the suicide-bombing in Iraq.
Charles Bird: CNN has just reported that pro-Syrian Lebanese prime minister Karami has just resigned and his government has collapsed.
Stephen Green: Now That's a Protest — Beirut: [snipped quote] Ukraine, Georgia, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Lebanon? Who's next?
Gene @HarrysPlace: Nonviolent regime change in Lebanon — The pro-Syrian government in Beirut has resigned amid protests over the assassination of Rafik Hariri.
Also: Orrin Judd, K. J. Lopez

Lebanese ministers resign office
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Lebanon's Prime Minister Omar Karami has announced he and his government are resigning, two weeks after the murder of former PM Rafik Hariri.
The move came as crowds protested in Beirut, calling for Syrian troops to leave the country.
Stephen Pollard: The real man of peace — I will return to this at greater length, but today's resignation of the Lebanese Syrian...
Jeff Goldstein: See also: Vodkapundit **** update: "Lebanese Government Resigns" DAMN YOU, BUSH!
Glenn Reynolds: Meanwhile, the Bush Administration seems to be keeping the pressure on: [snipped quote] Indeed.
Ace: Bringing down a government isn't necessarily the start of anything, but... "Lebanon's Prime Minister Omar Karami has...
C. D. Harris: Succintly Put "'Lebanese Government Resigns' DAMN YOU, BUSH!"
Paul @Wizbang: Quote Of The Day - Payoff Edition II — "We want to see free and fair elections take place [in Lebanon] this spring" US...

Attack on AARP, Like 'Religious War,' Built on Either/Or Fallacy
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
As synonyms for the word "vile," my thesaurus offers some of the following: offensive, objectionable, odious, repulsive, repellent, repugnant, revolting, disgusting, sickening, loathsome, foul, nasty, contemptible, despicable and noxious.
Avedon Carol: Ron Brownstein's LAT article got lots of reactions out of Kevin Drum, who thought it was a good article but with an annoying case of equivalency disease, among other things.
Ken Masugi: The Senior Lobby: Remember "Greedy Geezers" — Thoughtful liberal columnist Ron Brownstein of the LAT should consult with Michael Kinsley on the senior lobby.
Rich Lowry: "WASHINGTON NOW FEELS SO MUCH LIKE BEIRUT" — That's what Ron Brownstein writes today in a bit of an, uh, over-statement.
Kevin Drum: REVIEWING BROWNSTEIN....Ron Brownstein's column today sure annoyed me. Reaction #1 was: good column!
Hugh Hewitt: The Los Angeles Times' Ronald Brownstein did find a lot of space to denounce a conservative group's criticism of AARP...
Orrin Judd: OBLIGATORY BA'ATHIST COMPARISON: Attack on AARP, Like 'Religious War,' Built on Either/Or Fallacy (Ronald Brownstein,...

Anti-Syrian Protesters Fill Beirut Streets
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Defying a ban on protests, about 10,000 people demonstrated against Syrian interference in Lebanon on Monday, as opposition lawmakers sought to bring down the pro-Damascus government two weeks after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Barbara O'Brien: According to ABC News: "Defying a ban on protests, about 10,000 people demonstrated against Syrian interference in...
Mitch Berg: I think about them - Fahdi Melki, Jalal Babik, Jihad Beaino, Fuad Shanti, Milad Basil, and the rest - when I see the news from Beirut these days.
Captain Ed: Beirut took to the streets this morning to protest the continuing occupation of Lebanon by Syrian military and...
Joe Gandelman: Just look at what happened: The demonstrations in the morning were massive, angry and specific.
Jan Haugland: Ukraine, Iraq and now Lebanon — More about the Lebanese people's revolution.
Steven Taylor: ABC news has a lengthy story on today's protests: Anti-Syrian Protesters Fill Beirut Streets Filed under: Global...
Also: Roger L. Simon

Pressure Mounts on Syria After Lebanon Govt Collapse
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
WHAT'S NEXT?
Lahoud accepted Karami's resignation announcement and has asked his government to continue work in caretaker capacity. He was set to call for consultations with parliamentary deputies to chose a successor.
Daniel Drezner: Two steps forward, one step back in the Middle East — In the past 72 hours, there have been a number of developments in...
Glenn Reynolds: "PRESSURE MOUNTS ON SYRIA:" [snipped quote] Good.
Hugh Hewitt: Here's the latest from Lebanon: The demonstrators aren't leaving Martyrs' Square.

Rock, Well . . . Didn't
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Chris Rock jokingly welcomed viewers to "the 77th, and last, Academy Awards" last night but this Oscar show, nervously televised from Hollywood on ABC, will more likely turn out to be the first, and last, to be hosted by Rock.
Captain Ed: However, even critics who might have been enamored of Rock's political rants felt the selection harmed the broadcast,...
Tom Maguire: MORE: Tom Shales of the WaPo calls Chris Rock "strangely lame and mean-spirited."
Betsy Newmark: For the first time in a long time, I agree with Tom Shales in his take on the Oscars.
Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: Aha: we aren't alone in our view because the Washington Post also felt that this year's Oscars was as exciting...
Ann Althouse: ANOTHER UPDATE: MSM didn't like Rock. Tom Shales in the Washington Post called him "strangely lame and mean-spirited. "
Steven Taylor: Shales on Rock — I didn't watch any of the Oscars last night, but WaPo's Tom Shales did, and apparently wasn't impressed with Chris Rock's hosting skills: Rock, Well .

Insurgents Land Deadliest Blow Since Fall of Hussein's Regime
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 28 - A suicide car bomber drove into a line of about 400 volunteers for the Iraqi National Guard and police force today in Hilla, south of Baghdad, killing at least 122 people and wounding at least 170, an official at the Interior Ministry said.
Matthew Yglesias: UPDATE: Just after I finished writing this I saw that the recent spate of good news from the region has come to an end with a massive bombing in Hilla, Iraq.
Ace: Dampened Optimism Update: Of course, a suicide bomber killing 122 National Guard recruits in Hilla, Iraq does tend to...
Skippy: the nytimes: "a suicide car bomber drove into a line of about 400 volunteers for the iraqi national guard and police...
Ezra Klein: But al-Qaqaa is so...Quaint — Brad Plumer, in a post on the nauseating Hilla bombing, notes that a car bomb has to be...
Frederick Maryland: So Much for Those Rosy Assessments — The New York Times reports: "A suicide car bomber drove into a line of about 400...
Armando @DailyKos: Bomb in Iraq Kills Over A Hundred — Tragic news this morning from Iraq: [snipped quote] Terrible news.

In pictures: Beirut protest
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Lebanese pro-opposition demonstrators cheered when Prime Minister Omar Karami announced he and his government were resigning.
They had descended on downtown Beirut on Monday in their thousands to protest against the government.
Captain Ed: The Cedar Revolution, In Pictures — The BBC has a few pictures of the Cedar Revolution that started today and continues...
K. J. Lopez: PHOTOS from the Lebanese streets.
Glenn Reynolds: HERE'S A BBC SLIDESHOW of images from the Lebanese protests. Meanwhile, the Bush Administration seems to be keeping the pressure on: [snipped quote] Indeed.

Don't Blame Wal-Mart
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Berkeley, Calif. — BOWING to intense pressure from neighborhood and labor groups, a real estate developer has just given up plans to include a Wal-Mart store in a mall in Queens, thereby blocking Wal-Mart's plan to open its first store in New York City.
Avedon Carol: So, you know, I was sure Robert Reich knew better than this, but I guess not: "But isn't Wal-Mart really being punished for our sins?
Oliver @LiquidList: Business: Reich Misses — Robert Reich's musings on Wal-Mart - "But isn't Wal-Mart really being punished for our sins?" - are correct, to a point.
General Glut: Get ready for some pretty strong milquetoast from Robert Reich in today's New York Times.
Dale Franks: He also makes a lot of sense in his article in The New York Times today about Wal-Mart.
Joe Drymala: Wal-Mart — There's a lot to disagree with in Robert Reich's op-ed in the Times today (entitled Don't Blame Wal-Mart),...
Steven Taylor: It's Called the Market — Robert Reich, former Secrtary of Labor in the Clinton administration, author and professor has...

'News' Video Extols Gov.'s Plan
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
SACRAMENTO — Using taxpayer money, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has sent television stations statewide a mock news story extolling a proposal that would benefit political boosters in the business community by ending mandatory lunch breaks for many hourly workers.
Christy @ThinkProgress: Taking a page from the Bush administration's playbook, Gov. Schwarzenegger has been using taxpayer money to pay for fake news.
Kevin Drum: Apparently the administration has launched another phony news video: [snipped quote] Oh wait.
Dan Gillmor: Taxpayer-Funded Propaganda from California Governor — [snipped quote] So it spreads.
Matt Welch: Fake News, California Style — From the L.A. Times: [snipped quote] Whole thing here.

Israel launches 'hasbara' campaign against Syria
  Jerusalem Post   —   Permalink 
As the March 1 London conference devoted to the re-building of the Palestinian Authority approaches, Israel has launched an informational "hasbara" campaign to shed light on Syria's involvement in terror orchestration.
Hugh Hewitt: And Powerline points to this Jerusalem Post article linking Syria to the Tel Aviv suicide bombing. The tipping point passed?
Mitch Berg: "Hasbara": Hebrew for "S**t or Get Off the Pot" — Israel claims to have a smoking gun in last Friday's bombings in Tel...
Deacon: Syria again — Israel says it has evidence of Syrian involvement in Friday night's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, according to the Jerusalem Post.
K. J. Lopez: GETTING SYRIA — Israel says it has proof Syria was behind the Tel Aviv bombing last week.

A Mideast Makeover?
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
As thousands of Arabs demonstrated for freedom and democracy in Beirut and Cairo last week, and the desperate dictators of Syria and Egypt squirmed under domestic and international pressure, it was hard not to wonder whether the regional transformation that...
Cori Dauber: We Aren't There Yet — A Washington Post columnist raises some intriguing questions, particularly relevant on the day...
Tom Maguire: Imagine my surprise. UPDATE: Same theme from Jackson Diehl of the WaPo. It's the new CW!
Betsy Newmark: Jackson Diehl says that attention must be paid to the developments in Lebanon and Egypt this past week.
Jonah Goldberg: THE FREEDOM MOMENT — Jackson Diehl has a good rundown of events in the Middle East. I'm not sure he gives the White House enough credit.
Ace: Paradigm Shift: And Now a WaPo Columnist — The media herd's group think continues, but now it's at least stampeding in an agreeable direction: "Mideast Makeover?
Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Some perspective from Jackson Diehl, in the Washington Post: [snipped quote] Will they reconsider, and try to...

Bombing in Hilla kills at least 125
  CNN   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — A suicide car bomber Monday morning drove into a crowd of Iraqis outside a government medical office in Hilla, killing at least 125 and wounding up to 200 others, Iraqi government and health officials said.
James Joyner: Bombing in Hilla Kills at Least 125 — Bombing in Hilla kills at least 125 (CNN) "A suicide car bomber Monday morning...
Steven Taylor: Update: CNN has more and has upped the death toll to 125, at a minimum: "A suicide car bomber Monday morning drove into...
FrancoAlemán: EVEN ON THE SAME DAY of a devastating terrorist attack, Arthur Chrenkoff's new roundup of the good news from Iraq is unmissable.
Glenn Reynolds: Click "read more" to read it. UPDATE: It's not all good news, though.
Ed Kilgore: I really hate to start this guest-blog gig with bad news, but in case you missed it, Iraqi insurgents just pulled off...
Roger L. Simon: No More Oscar Blogging — With this horrifying news from Iraq - puts things back in perspective quickly.

The Arabs' Berlin Wall has crumbled
  By / Telegraph   —   Permalink 
Three years ago - April 6 2002, if you want to rummage through the old Spectators in the attic - I wrote: "The stability junkies in the EU, UN and elsewhere have, as usual, missed the point. The Middle East is too stable. So, if you had to pick only one regime to topple, why not Iraq?
Charles Johnson: The Arabs' Berlin Wall Has Crumbled — I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pleased about this mention in Mark Steyn's latest...
Glenn Reynolds: At any rate, Mark Steyn observes signs of progress: [snipped quote] Maybe they've learned something.

Lebanon Government Resigns After Protest
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT, Lebanon Feb 28, 2005 — With shouts of "Syria out!" 25,000 protesters massed outside Parliament in a dramatic display of defiance Monday that forced out Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister and Cabinet.
Smash: Another Domino Goes Down LEBANON'S GOVERNMENT FALLS: [snipped quote] It's spreading...
Kate @OTB: Cedar Revolution — The dominos continue to teeter towards democracy and reform in the Middle East.

Hollywood's Liberal Party?
  CNN   —   Permalink 
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: CROSSFIRE. On the left, Paul Begala; on the right, Bay Buchanan.
In the CROSSFIRE: Oscar night, is it really just Hollywood's liberal party?
Atrios: On Notice — Begala surprised me today: BEGALA: ... a senator and very popular. We'll have lots of conversations about Hillary, I suspect, in the days to come.
Armando @DailyKos: Uh Joe? It's Not Just DKos Now. Begala Calls Out Lieberman From atrios: [snipped quote] Hey now!

The Complete Bushisms
  By / Slate   —   Permalink 
"This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. And having said that, all options are on the table." —Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 22, 2005
"If you're a younger person, you ought to be asking members of Congress and the United States Senate and the president what you intend to do about it.
Jim Lindgren: But Slate, under the direction of Jacob Weisberg, must come up with a Bushism of the Day to feed their feature and the...
Steve Bainbridge: Slatisms — Jim Lindgren has a great post today on Slate's Bushism of the Day feature: [snipped quote] As they say, go read the whole thing.

Novak misquoted Dean to buttress Social Security crisis rhetoric
  Media Matters for America   —   Permalink 
Syndicated columnist and CNN host Robert Novak misquoted Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean in order to suggest that Dean supports the Bush administration's message that Social Security is in crisis.
There is a problem.
Atrios: Nofacts — So, Bob Novak totally lied about what Howard Dean said. And, to prove he didn't just misspeak, he lied about it again today.
Susan Madrak: TRUSTWORTHY — Not only did famous wingnut vampire and hack Novakula lie about Howard Dean on the Capital Gang this...

Santorum Puts Rate Hike on Table
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Sen. Rick Santorum, the conservative from Pennsylvania who ranks third in the Senate Republican leadership, said Sunday that he was willing to discuss increasing the Social Security tax rate as a way of helping to assure the program's solvency.
Matthew Yglesias: I was inclined to dismiss Joe Lieberman's apparent interest in cutting a deal on Social Security privatization as more...
Steve Bainbridge: First, President Bush, now Senator Rick Santorum. It's not how they taught negotiation when I was in law school.
Susan Madrak: Santorum is offering to allow the Democrats to be blamed for a tax hike for something we're winning on, anyway:...

Anti-Sprawl Laws, Property Rights Collide in Oregon
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
The nation's strongest laws against sprawl are beginning to buckle here in Oregon under pressure from an even stronger, voter-approved law that trumps growth restrictions with property rights.
Ken Masugi: Big Ripples From Oregon Property Rights Law — Oregon's Measure 37, passed in November, requires compensation of...
Greg Ransom: OREGON'S JUST COMPENSATION LAW blows apart "no growth" shackles on private property rights.
Rickheller @Centerfield: Sprawl — Oregon anti-sprawl regulations eviscerated.

Remember Al Qaqaa?
  NRO   —   Permalink 
With the election over, the New York Times forgets its big scoop.
On Monday, October 25, 2004, the New York Times published a 2,600-word front page story headlined "Huge Cache of Explosives Vanished From Site in Iraq."
Dale Franks: Byron york is wondering what happened to the story about the "looted" explosives at the Al Qaqaa facility.
Cori Dauber: Sometimes very, very suddenly indeed.

Lebanese Gov't Resigns Amid Protests
  AP   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT, Lebanon — With shouts of "Syria out!," more than 25,000 flag-waving protesters massed outside Parliament on Monday in a dramatic display of defiance that swept out Lebanon's pro-Syrian government two weeks after the assassination of a former prime minister.
Scott Sala: Beirut Pro-Syria Gov't Collapses — Lebanon's Prime Minister Omar Karami just resigned publicly, reports a blogger from...
Glenn Reynolds: MORE ON LEBANON: [snipped quote] Stay tuned. UPDATE: Ed Morrissey writes: [snipped quote] ANOTHER UPDATE: Some analysis and predictions, from Joe Gandelman.

BLOWING UP THE SENATE
  By / New Yorker   —   Permalink 
Most popular histories of Congress include an exchange, very likely apocryphal, in which Washington and Jefferson discuss the difference between the House and the Senate. "Why did you pour that coffee into your saucer?" Washington asks. "To cool it," Jefferson replies.
Tom Smith: Appealing How Appealing — Lots of good stuff on How Appealing today, including this, on the hysterically named "nuclear ("nuc-u-lar') option" in the Senate.
Taegan Goddard: The Nuclear Option — In the New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin writes that Republicans may use historic — and extreme —...

Lebanon's Syrian-Backed Government Resigns
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami announced the resignation of his pro-Syrian government Monday, two weeks after the assassination of his predecessor, Rafik Hariri, triggered protests in the streets and calls for Syria to withdraw thousands of troops.
Jane Galt: The Lebanese government has agreed to step down after massive protests this weekend.
Charles Paul Freund: May God preserve Lebanon," Karami said according to wire reports.

Right Hook
  By / Salon   —   Permalink 
Conservatives who praise President Bush's policies in the global war on terrorism often say that when it comes to the unprecedented demands of the conflict, the president's critics just don't "get it."
Andrew Sullivan: It's hypocritical, and it will blow up in your face." - Victor Davis Hanson, in Salon. Why hasn't VDH written this?
Susan Madrak: CONNECTING THE DOTS — Self-anointed humanitarian and ethicist Jonah Goldberg on torture: [snipped quote] You'd think a...

Lebanon Govt. Quits, Pressure Mounts on Syria
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Syrian-backed government collapsed Monday, piling more pressure on Damascus, already under fire from the United States and Israel.
Ed Cone: "Lebanon's Syrian-backed government collapsed Monday," reports Reuters.
Stephen Green: Watch Your Back — Talk about looking for trouble in the wrong direction: [snipped quote] Don't worry about Washington, Baby Assad.

The Peculiar Institution: Understanding Why Palestinian Terror Is Different
  By / TCS   —   Permalink 
1. THE PALESTINIANS' MOMENT OF TRUTH
The Palestinian people stand at a critical moment in their history. They can rally behind the efforts of their new leader, Mahmoud Abbas, to bring an end to the Palestinian tradition of terror, or they can continue to...
Glenn Reynolds: LEE HARRIS says that it's the Palestinians' moment of truth, and notes the way terror has been institutionalized.
Moe Freedman: Another Peculiar Institution by Moe Freedman Lee Harris has written a remarkable essay that explores the depths of The...

Bush renews push to alter Social Security
  CNN   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush, back home from his trip to Europe, plans to renew his push to overhaul Social Security, which has emerged as a initiative for the administration.
Brian Keegan: Bush Leaks SS Plan Detail — Bush Renews SS Push [snipped quote] Well, I can read between the lines.
Ed Kilgore: You got it: time to push forward on Social Security!

The secret life of moody cows
  Times of London   —   Permalink 
ONCE they were a byword for mindless docility. But cows have a secret mental life in which they bear grudges, nurture friendships and become excited over intellectual challenges, scientists have found.
Orrin Judd: THERE'S A REASON WE NEED MORAL STRICTURES AGAINST BESTIALITY (via Rick Turley): The secret life of moody cows (Jonathan...
K. J. Lopez: "Dairy cow herds can also be intensely sexual..."

Lebanese Government Resigns Amid Protests
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT, Lebanon - With shouts of "Syria out!," more than 25,000 flag-waving protesters massed outside Parliament on Monday in a dramatic display of defiance that forced the resignation of Lebanon's prime minister and Cabinet two weeks after the assassination of an opposition leader.
Mary Madigan: Freedom in the Air by Mary Madigan Via Yahoo: "Lebanese Government Resigns Amid Protests Lebanese Prime Minister Omar...
Hindrocket: This morning the government of Lebanon, which has generally been regarded as pro-Syria, resigned.

Lebanon's Syrian-Backed Government Falls
  AP   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT — With shouts of "Syria out!," more than 25,000 flag-waving protesters massed outside Parliament today in a dramatic display of defiance that swept out Lebanon's pro-Syrian government two weeks after the assassination of a former prime minister.
Leah A: The LA Times has the story here.
Kevin Drum: DEMOCRACY IN LEBANON?...Following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri — presumably by...

After Transition, NBC Still 1st in Ratings
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
They've chased each other around the world, had their faces plastered on the sides of buses and sniped at each other through surrogates, all in service of their respective evening news broadcasts.
Steve Lovelady: Next, in media business news, the Times tells us that in the first three months out of the gate, NBC's Bryan Williams...
Brian Stelter: Evening News: NBC Can "Lay Legitimate Claim" To First Place — The New York Times says it's time for Brian Williams to...

Suicide Bomber Kills Over 100 in Iraq
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed 105 people and wounded 130 near a crowded marketplace south of Baghdad on Monday in the single bloodiest attack in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Joe Gandelman: Suicide Bomber in Iraq Kills More than 100 — The struggle escalated in Iraq today as a suicide bomber killed 105 people...
Jeff Quinton: Car bomber kills 100+ Reuters [snipped quote] Technorati tags: Iraq News
Barbara O'Brien: War Without End — Reuters reports that a suicide car bomber killed 105 people and wounded 130 others in a market south of Baghdad.

Social Security tax increase back on table
  Chicago Tribune   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Rick Santorum, the conservative from Pennsylvania who ranks third in the Senate Republican leadership, said Sunday he was willing to discuss increasing the Social Security tax rate as a way of helping assure the program's solvency.
Radley Balko: Santorum — Conservative darling Rick Santorum is proposing an increase in Social Security taxes to keep the system solvent.
K. J. Lopez: YUCK — Rick Santorum is talking about the possibility of a tax increase now?

A blinkered view from the Baghdad Hilton
  By / Scotsman   —   Permalink 
THE thought is heretical, but I'm having it all the same. Iraq, notwithstanding future setbacks that will undoubtedly occasionally spin it off course, is slowly turning into a good-news story.
Cori Dauber: "I'm Having Heretical Thoughts" — Katie Grant, writing in the Scotsman, lines herself up against the majority of the coverage coming from the "hotel journalism" from Baghdad.
Marcus @HarrysPlace: Lugubrious Caveats — Katie Grant writing in the Scotsman takes issue with the phenomenon of 'hotel journalism' which...
Charles Johnson: A Blinkered View — Here's a good op-ed in the Scotsman on Western media's relentless negativity about the Iraq War, and...
Norm Geras: Iraqi television now — This article by Katie Grant in the Scotsman (via Marcus) follows up on the Bartle Bull piece of which I posted an excerpt over the weekend.

Stealthy Budget Cuts
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Back-to-back briefings last week put a harsh spotlight on the deep hole left by the budget policies of George Bush's first term. Millions of Americans will be paying the price for the fiscal profligacy of this misnamed conservative government.
Angry Bear: and Medicare are 'unsustainable' for the long term The usually staid David Broder, teeing off on this report from the...
Matthew Yglesias: Jim Hoagland. If only governments didn't act in their own self-interest, we could solve a lot of problems. David Broder.

He Has Willpower--But No 'Living Will'
  By / Newsweek   —   Permalink 
March 7 issue - Pope John Paul II went back to the hospital in Rome late last week for surgery to open up his breathing passage, and Dr. Rodolfo Proietti was waiting for him. Proietti led the team that treated the pontiff for flulike symptoms earlier in the month, and he had been impressed.
Nick Gillespie: The Pope and Gay Marriage — Via Drudge comes this MSNBC report in which Pope John Paul II suggests (or "may have suggested") that gay marriage may reflect "an ideology of evil."
K. J. Lopez: NO PAPAL "LIVING WILL" — What an odd, angry Newsweek "report" by Christopher Dickey.

Biden calls Hillary Democrat to beat
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware yesterday called himself a strong maybe for the 2008 presidential race, but predicted his Democratic colleague Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York would win, while California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was uninterested in the White House.
Tim Graham: ARNOLD VS. AMNESTY — The Washington Times replays from yesterday's "TWiGS" (short for "This Week with George...
K. J. Lopez: BIDEN HIS TIME — Sounds like someone is getting to work early on running for a veep or Cabinet position.

It's Called Torture
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
As a nation, does the United States have a conscience? Or is anything and everything O.K. in post-9/11 America? If torture and the denial of due process are O.K., why not murder? When the government can just make people vanish - which it can, and which it does - where is the line that we, as a nation, dare not cross?
Shawn @LiquidList: Politics: Not A Value-Able Bill By GOP Standards — Bob Herbert has a nice little piece in today's New York Times.
The Farmer: BTK = Bind Torture Kill It's Called Torture By Bob Herbert.

. . . reap rewards
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
President Bush's moral-high-ground, idea-driven foreign policy was well represented in an uber-speech he delivered in Brussels and throughout his trip to Old and New Europe this week.
The Big Trunk: In the photo below by White House photographer Eric Draper, President Bush gives his thumbs up as he leaves the stage...
Glenn Reynolds: LARRY KUDLOW has a wrapup column on Bush's European tour.

'Delightful for Its Ordinariness'
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
"After a heroic election day comes the practical business of forming a stable government," writes David Ignatius in a recent column:
And in that sense, the new Iraq is proving to be no different from any other democracy.
Arthur Chrenkoff: Good news from Iraq, Part 22 — Note: Also available at the "Opinion Journal" and Winds of Change.
Glenn Reynolds: ARTHUR CHRENKOFF has posted his regular roundup of underreported news from Iraq.

Opposing agendas snarl Shiite, Kurd cooperation in Iraq
  By / Christian Science Monitor   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD - In the month since Iraqis rushed to the polls in support of democracy, getting anything done has proved a painstaking process of consensus-building that's now focused on two political groups whose interests are diametrically opposed.
Juan Cole: '" The Christian Science Monitor points out that the American idea of making Iraqis in parliament come up with a 2/3s majority to form a government may create permanent gridlock.
Barbara O'Brien: In other Iraq news, via Juan Cole, the Christian Science Monitor reports that the provision of requiring a 2/3 majority...

Bush Weighs Offers To Iran
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
The Bush administration is close to a decision to join Europe in offering incentives to Iran — possibly including eventual membership in the World Trade Organization — in exchange for Tehran's formal agreement to surrender any plans to develop a nuclear weapon, according to senior U.S. officials.
Barbara O'Brien: While we're in the Middle East — Robin Wright reports at WaPo that Bush may have gotten a clue: "The Bush...
Orrin Judd: LOW HANGING FRUIT: Bush Weighs Offers To Iran: U.S. Might Join Effort to Halt Nuclear Program (Robin Wright, February...

Transcript for Feb. 27
  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.
Pessimist @LeftCoaster: With Friends Like These, ... Sunday's Meet The Press provided a lot of food for thought even though all of the people guesting on that show are of suspect intellectual quality.
Josh Marshall: But take a look at his appearance today with Sen. Advertisement Santorum (R) on Meet The Press (which you can see here and read here).

Biden: Hillary Clinton likely as 2008 presidential nominee
  AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Joseph Biden says any Democrat who wants to run for president in 2008 should keep in mind these three words: Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will run for re-election in 2006, but speculation persists that she might run for president.
Howard Kurtz: Update, from the AP: "Sen. Joseph Biden says any Democrat who wants to run for president in 2008 should keep in mind these three words: Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Taegan Goddard: Sen. Joseph Biden, quoted by the AP, on Sen. Hillary Clinton and the 2008 presidential race. Link | Related News
James Joyner: Biden: Hillary Clinton Likely 2008 Nominee — Biden: Hillary Clinton likely as 2008 presidential nominee (USA Today)...

Accounts could help Americans retire rich
  By / Knight Ridder   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — One new proposal emerging from the national debate on how to overhaul Social Security could make every American a millionaire at age 65.
Paul O'Neill, President Bush's first treasury secretary and a former chief executive officer of aluminum...
Jason Van Steenwyk: Former treasury secretary Paul O'Neill wants to render Social Security obsolete, by allowing every American as yet unborn to retire a millionaire without Social Security: 1.)
Orrin Judd: COME BACK, PAUL, ALL IS FORGIVEN: Accounts could help Americans retire rich (Kevin G. Hall, 2/27/05, Knight Ridder...

Cut From the Oscars: Cartoon Characters' Sins
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26 - ABC executives have forced Robin Williams to drop a comic song from the Oscars show that might well have proved one of the most political and racy numbers of the broadcast, despite the fact that the network and the show's host, Chris Rock, have been promoting the night as anything but tame.
Jeff Jarvis: And getaloada of the fracas over the producers' efforts to edit a ditty that Robin Williams was going to sing [via TalkLeft]: [snipped quote] Don't you feel safer now?
Jeralyn Merritt: ABC has refused to let him sing a cartoon ditty that made fun of Rev. James Dobson and his SpongeBob SquarePants criticism.

U.S. Reviewing European Proposal for Iran
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 - The Bush administration is considering a proposal by Britain, France and Germany to offer Iran trade benefits, commercial aircraft and aircraft spare parts in return for dismantling what is suspected of being a nuclear weapons program, European and American officials said Sunday.
Matthew Yglesias: Today's New York Times, for example, reports that Bush is at least willing to contemplate adopting a sensible Iran policy.
Gregory Djerejian: Iran Policy Watch — Steven Weisman writing in the Times: [snipped quote] This one will be a really tough call for Bush's foreign policy team.

Thousands Defy Protest Ban in Beirut
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Thousands of demonstrators massed in central Beirut overnight to defy a government ban on protests on Monday ahead of a fiery debate in parliament over the assassination of the country's former prime minister.
Captain Ed: Lebanese Protestors Defy Syrian Ban — Thousands of protestors in Beirut have defied a ban on public demonstrations to...
Jonah Goldberg: MORE NEWS FROM BEIRUT — From the AP: "BEIRUT (Reuters) - Thousands of demonstrators massed in central Beirut overnight...
Betsy Newmark: There is a major demonstration planned today to protest Hariri's assassination and Syrian occupation.

Mubarak OKs open elections in Egypt
  AP   —   Permalink 
CAIRO, Egypt - In a surprise reversal, President Hosni Mubarak took a first significant step toward democratic reform in the world's most populous Arab country yesterday, ordering the constitution changed to allow presidential challengers on the ballot this fall.
Stephen Green: Meanwhile, Egypt is promising free(er) elections, the Saudis are calling for a nuke ban, and even Tmo Friedman is...
Juan Cole: Mubarak and elections, Egyptian President Husni Mubarak is going to allow multiparty competition for the presidency.

AP hits ex-NASA's O'Keefe but then gets hit back
  US News   —   Permalink 
Last week, the Associated Press's Baton Rouge, La., bureau scooped big-time competitors with a report that the GAO was auditing former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe . Now the report is drawing fire in Washington.
Mathew Gross: Wondering who is running in 2008? Washington Whispers reports: [snipped quote] So what do you think? Any favorites?
Taegan Goddard: The 2008 Five — Washington Whispers say that [snipped quote] Link | Related News

Seniors Draw Fire
  By / Newsweek   —   Permalink 
March 7 issue - The letters on the building entrance are carved in gray stone, suggesting ancient inevitability and understated power. Inside, leaders of AARP, the famed "seniors lobby," exude an equivalent air of solid confidence. "AARP has an almost unshakable brand," said one.
Bob Brigham: Jerome Tomorrow's Howard Fineman Newsweek article is already getting a lot of attention.
Mathew Gross: More USA Next — Fineman: "A well-funded conservative group called USA Next posted a Web page with two pictures: a...

N.Korea Will Rejoin 6-Way Talks in June -Paper
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea has told officials in South Korea it is willing to take part in six-party talks on its nuclear arms program in June, a Japanese newspaper reported.
WoW Team Monday: A South Korean paper says North Korea wants 6-way talks by June and a treaty by October.
Captain Ed: North Korea To Return To The Bargaining Table — North Korea has apparently ended its tantrum, noticed that no one got...

U.S. can sit back and watch Europe implode
  By / Chicago Sun Times   —   Permalink 
A week ago, the conventional wisdom was that George W. Bush had seen the error of his unilateral cowboy ways and was setting off to Europe to mend fences with America's ''allies.''
I think not.
Dale Franks: The Future of Europe — In reference to McQ's earlier post about Europe's immigration problem, Mark Steyn also notes the problem, with a pessimistic outlook for it.
Baldilocks: European Weekend — Mark Steyn thinks Europe as we know it is on its way to ruin.
Charles Johnson: Mark Steyn reveals some of the cards: US can sit back and watch Europe implode.
James Joyner: Watching Europe Implode — Mark Steyn has a provocative column out entitled, "U.S. can sit back and watch Europe implode."
William J. Dyer: Beldar on Bay vs. Steyn — InstaPundit draws our attention to an exceedingly good debate between Mark Steyn and Austin...
Andrew Stuttaford: Mark Steyn, meanwhile, has his own take on the situation.
Also: Ed Driscoll, Glenn Reynolds, Greg Ransom, The Big Trunk, Orrin Judd

Liberalism: Can it survive?
  By / US News   —   Permalink 
QUESTION FOR THE DAY: IF LIBERALISM isn't dead, then why are autopsies performed so regularly? In the latest examination of the much-probed cadaver, the New Republic 's editor-in-chief, Martin Peretz, recalls that John Kenneth Galbraith, in the early 1960s,...
Thomas Lang: Vodka Pundit, the self-proclaimed "only conservative in Western Massachusetts," links to a paragraph from John Leo's...
Matt Welch: More Elitist Anti-Elitism: From John Leo: "Liberals have been slow to grasp the mainstream reaction to the no-values...
Kevin Aylward: From an upcoming editorial in U.S. News And World Report, John Leo asks, "Can liberalism survive?"
Barbara O'Brien: His newest effort (do not read on a full stomach) dredges up the Martin Peretz article on the "death of liberalism" I took apart a few days ago.
Hugh Hewitt: John Leo poses as a question that answers itself by its asking: "Liberalism: Can It Survive?"
Betsy Newmark: Not to make this bash the university day in blogging, but here is another column with a similary theme, this time by John Leo.
Also: Orrin Judd, Mitch Berg, Kevin Hayden, Greg Ransom

One-in-Four Americans to Watch Academy Awards
  Zogby   —   Permalink 
When Chris Rock hosts the 77th Annual Academy Awards Sunday night, he will command the attention of one-quarter (25%) of American adults, a new Zogby Interactive survey finds. If Rock fails to rise to the occasion, though, those adults may find themselves longing for the past Oscars host they consider the best-ever: Billy Crystal.
Deacon: To illustrate, a Zogby poll shows that 39 percent of Democrats, but only 13 percent of Republicans, watch the Oscars.
Ed Driscoll: Found via PoliPundit, John Zogby claims that only one in four Americans will watch the Oscars tonight: "Oscar-viewing...
PoliPundit: Oscars — Heard an interesting factoid on Fox News Sunday today: According to a Zogby poll, 39 percent of Democrats will...
Patrick Ruffini: Hollywood Shoots Itself in the Wallet — This is pretty damning if true, and yes, it's from Zogby, so take it with a few...
Taegan Goddard: Oscar Politics — A Zogby poll shows that [snipped quote] Link | Related News

Syria Hands Saddam's Half-Brother to Iraq
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
CAIRO, Egypt - Iraqi officials said Sunday that Syrian authorities had captured Saddam Hussein 's half-brother and 29 other officials of the deposed dictator's Baath Party in Syria and handed them over to Iraq in an apparent goodwill gesture.
Captain Ed: Syria Coughed Up Saddam's Brother — As I earlier predicted, the Iraqis got their hands on Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan...
Charles Bird: [Update: Did the pressure brought to bear on Syria cause Assad to turn in Saddam's half-brother and 29 other Iraqi Baathists to the Iraqi authorities?
K. J. Lopez: NERVES AT WORK? Syria hands Iraq Saddam's half brother.
Hindrocket: And today, Syria demonstrated that it, too, is feeling the heat, by arresting and handing over to the Iraqi government...
Joe Gandelman: Saddam's Half-Brother Captured by Joe Gandelman A new trophy (and possible rich source of info on the insurgency) is now...

Saddam Hussein's Half-Brother Captured
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 27 - The Iraqi government said today that it had imprisoned a half-brother of Saddam Hussein, a suspected major financier of the insurgency and for several years the head of the country's domestic intelligence and security service, once the most feared agency in Iraq.
Charles Bird: In a quasi peace offering yesterday, Assad offered up Saddam's half-brother and 29 other Iraqi Baathists to the Iraqi government.
James Joyner: Saddam Hussein's Half-Brother Captured — Saddam Hussein's Half-Brother Captured (NYT rss) [snipped quote] CNN buries the...
John Hawkins: A Good Start By John Cole — A little pressure is exerted, and all of a sudden some people want to play ball: The Iraqi...
John Cole: A Good Start — A little pressure is exerted, and all of a sudden some people want to play ball: "The Iraqi government...

Regional election fever catches up with Emirates
  AFP   —   Permalink 
DUBAI (AFP) - Academics and members of the appointed consultative council in the United Arab Emirates came out in favor of elections in the Persian Gulf state, arguing that it could not stay out of the regional trend toward elected bodies.
Jan Haugland: Now many prominent citizens, academics and members of the appointed consultative council, want the country to join the...
Ace: UAE Catches "Election Fever" — I'm starting to think that maybe this really is a paradigm shift: [snipped quote] Geeze... what if it works?
Glenn Reynolds: THINGS ARE HEATING UP IN LEBANON: "BEIRUT: Lebanon's Syrian-backed government banned protests planned for Monday (local...
Orrin Judd: MORE: Regional election fever catches up with Emirates (AFP, 2/26/05) "Academics and members of the appointed...
Jeff Goldstein: Creating new terrorists: Chimpy McHitlerBurton's smirky rodeo ride through history continues, #3 — From the Tehran...

Microsoft's Gates Urges Governors To Restructure U.S. High Schools
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates opened a two-day education summit here yesterday by telling the nation's governors and leaders of the educational community that the nation's high schools are obsolete and need radical restructuring to raise graduation...
Randall Parker: Gates says the current structure of high schools is obsolete and he is correct.
Joanne Jacobs: High school blues — Bill Gates was the keynote speaker for this weekend's education summit in Washington, D.C. Governors and business leaders want to improve high schools.
James Joyner: Bill Gates Urges Restructuring U.S. High Schools — Microsoft's Gates Urges Governors To Restructure U.S. High Schools...

Putting the fear of God into Holland
  By / Times of London   —   Permalink 
The Dutch have rejected liberalism in response to Islamic immigration. Some say they are now too hardline. So what can the rest of Europe learn from their crisis?
Not long ago, Holland prided itself as being the most tolerant and welcoming country in Europe for immigrants and asylum seekers.
Charles Johnson: Putting the Fear of God into Holland — Another story of culture shock in the Netherlands at the Times Online: Putting the fear of God into Holland.
Andrew Stuttaford: THE CANARY IN THE COALMINE — Good - if depressing - piece from the London Sunday Times on the situation in Holland.
Randall Parker: Polls of Muslims in Holland about the 9/11 attacks helped catalyze the shift of Dutch positions away from tolerance of...
Glenn Reynolds: Meanwhile, here's a link to the Times article by Brian Moynahan that everyone's talking about.

'How many more women have to die before this society wakes up?'
  By / Telegraph   —   Permalink 
Shortly before nine o'clock one Monday evening earlier this month, Hatin Sürücü left her five-year-old son asleep in their small apartment in the Tempelhof district of Berlin and made her way to a bus stop in the main Oberlandgarten Strasse.
McQ: Europes Looming Immigrant Assimilation Problem — So-called "honor killings" among Turkish immigrants, 6 in the last 4...
Charles Johnson: Berlin: Six Honor Killings in Four Months 'How many more women have to die before this society wakes up?
Betsy Newmark: Captain Ed highlights a story from Germany about how political correctness has become so powerful that Germany is fast...
Captain Ed: When Political Correctness Kills — In a lesson about the danger of political correctness in the age of terrorism, the...

Bush's Next Target: Malpractice Lawyers
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
TODD A. SMITH is one of the nation's leading medical malpractice lawyers, renowned and feared in the courtroom, having extracted a lengthy string of multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts from doctors, hospitals and insurers over the years.
Gary Farber: IF LAWYERS WERE CEOS. Here are the Administration's plans. Summed up: Poor people love trial lawyers.
Avedon Carol: What's goin' on — Two things in the NYT that bring the horror up close: Bush's Next Target: Malpractice Lawyers.
Orrin Judd: NEXT ON THE HIT LIST: Bush's Next Target: Malpractice Lawyers (STEVE LOHR, 2/27/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] One of the...
Hugh Hewitt: I think I'll rent that tonight." Also in the New York Times, the Bush plan for the trial lawyers.
TChris: With so many trial lawyers helping the interests of the wealthy and powerful, why is it true (as today's New York Times...

New openings for Arab democracy
  Christian Science Monitor   —   Permalink 
BEIRUT AND CAIRO - When Egyptians head to the polls later this year to elect a president, they will face something they have never seen before on the ballots: options.
Orrin Judd: IF THE MOUNTAIN WON'T COME TO W, HE'LL MOVE THE MOUNTAIN: New openings for Arab democracy: Mubarak's call for elections...
Glenn Reynolds: NEW OPENINGS FOR ARAB DEMOCRACY: A Christian Science Monitor roundup: [snipped quote] True enough.

Vladimir Putin, CBS News Loyalist
  By / Time   —   Permalink 
George Bush knew Vladimir Putin would be defensive when Bush brought up the pace of democratic reform in Russia in their private meeting at the end of Bush's four-day, three-city tour of Europe.
Arthur Chrenkoff: The Daily Rus — If only Vladimir Putin read blogs... he might know what's really going on.
K. J. Lopez: RATHER SAD — Putin's aides really need to be reading the blogosphere.

George Bush, Halle Berry Share Worst Film Honors
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - George W. Bush won the "Razzie" worst actor of the year award on Saturday for his performance as president in "Fahrenheit 9/11" but his moment in Hollywood's dubious spotlight was eclipsed by Halle Berry (news), who actually turned up to receive her embarrassing accolade.
Vanderleun: Reuters ==== This attitude marked a distinct change from last August when Berry was obviously in more need of a...
Arthur Chrenkoff: The setting: the annual Raspberry awards, "Hollywood's least coveted trophies" for cinematic stinkers, given out by 700 members of the nonprofit Golden Raspberry Award Foundation.
Jim Dallas: George W. Bush was awarded the Golden Raspberry for worst.president.ever worst actor last night: [snipped quote] If I'm...
Taegan Goddard: George Bush, Halle Berry Share Worst Film Honors — "George W. Bush won the 'Razzie' worst actor of the year award on...
Gary Farber: Step 1) First win the Oscar for Best Actor within the last three years. Step 2) Be Halle Berry.

The Lost Soldiers of Stalag IX-B
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Methodical by nature, disciplined in what he eats, William J. Shapiro is a measured man. He keeps his affairs ordered, his body trim. His airy house, built upon retirement from a career as an obstetrician, is set beside a Florida golf course, and every now and again a ball comes through a screen.
Phillip Carter: The New York Times' Sunday magazine features a brilliant piece of history by Roger Cohen regarding a group of Jewish...
Gary Farber: THE GI JEWISH AMERICAN POWS OF THE NAZIS at Berga; Dr. Shapiro, and Mordecai Hauer, and others, lived to tell the tale of this only-publicized-in-recent -years, special Nazi camp.

Republicans Are Chastened About Social Security Plan
  NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 - After a bruising weeklong recess, Congressional Republicans will return to work on Monday chastened by public skepticism over President Bush's plan for private accounts in Social Security.
Chris Bowers: The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Santorum complained that he was dogged all week by opponents of the White House plan who dominated news coverage.
Avedon Carol: Yes, there are supposed to be "Democrats" who are keen to "compromise" with Republicans over Social Security (by giving...
Barbara O'Brien: At the New York Times, Sheryl Stolberg and Robin Toner write that congressional Republicans came back from a recess week of trying to sell privatization.
Billmon: New York Times Republicans Are Chastened About Social Security Plan February 27, 2005 "Market Garden, the operation...
Matthew Yglesias: Here's "Republicans are Chastened on Social Security" from The New York Times and here's "GOP May Seek a Deal on Accounts" from The Washington Post.
Jerome Armstrong: Santorum runs into the blogosphere — Some news from the WaPost and NYT's. First Krugman: [snipped quote] Got Rick on the defensive.
Also: Josh Marshall

Iran, Russia Sign Nuclear Fuel Deal Opposed by U.S.
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Russia and Iran signed a nuclear fuel supply deal long opposed by Washington Sunday, paving the way for Iran to start up its first atomic reactor next year.
WoW Team Monday: Top Topics Russia and Iran signed a deal for Russia to provide nuclear fuel for the Bushehr reactor and collect the spent fuel, over US objections.
Steve Soto: In fact, the Russians will be actively involved in the supplying and oversight of this reactor, which interestingly will be ready to go live just before the 2006 midterm elections.

Rating the Roadshow
  By / Newsweek   —   Permalink 
March 7 issue - It was meant to be a heart-to-heart: just the two presidents and their translators, sitting alone inside the historic castle that overlooks the Slovak capital of Bratislava. Four years earlier, in another castle in Central Europe, George W. Bush looked Vladimir Putin in the eye and saw his trustworthy soul.
Lorie Byrd: Evidently, in some media outlets, the Rathergate matter has also been inaccurately reported as the following exchange with Vladimir Putin shows.
Roger L. Simon: But it's even safer after reading this report in Newsweek of Bush and the Russian president's meeting in Bratislava:...
John Cole: The Firing of Dan Rather — This is alternately amusing/alarming: [snipped quote] Kinda makes you wonder what other...
Baldilocks: In private, Russian President Vladimir Putin had this remark for the POTUS: "When Bush confronted his Russian...
Steven Taylor: Authoritarians is as Authoritarians Does — Hiatusing Paul of WizBang! e-mails to note the following from MSNBC: Rating...
Charles Johnson: Putin Doesn't Read Blogs — Old habits die hard in Russia.

Lawmakers press on though pitches at home often encounter a chilly reception
  By / Houston Chronicle   —   Permalink 
The red paper Valentine's Day cupids still were taped to the walls of the community room at the Copperwood senior housing center in The Woodlands, but it was hardly a lovefest when U.S. Rep Kevin Brady dropped by last week to discuss Social Security reform.
Byron LaMasters: Meanwhile, Tom DeLay notes that only one-third of GOP congressmen tried to sell the GOP Social Security plan during the congressional recess - typically with little success.
Josh Marshall: Phase-out "hits a wall" in Texas, reports the Houston Chronicle.

A Plot Thickens
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
What a dream. So bizarre. How strange to see himself shrunken, like a pocket-size person. But there he was, Kenneth Maxwell, renowned scholar, rendered a tiny creature trembling at the windswept ramparts of his dream. Gargantuan figures loomed above, gazing down on this mere morsel.
Randy Paul: Speaking of Kissinger, Max Sawicky points me to this article in the Washington Post about the contretemps between Latin...
Max B. Sawicky: WHY I READ CHOMSKY — The trials of Kissinger continue.

Mubarak proposes a freer Egypt vote
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
CAIRO On the face of it, a proposal from President Hosni Mubarak to amend the Egyptian Constitution to allow for direct, multiparty presidential elections represents a drastic change in a country with a 50-year history of autocratic governments.
Hindrocket: Municipal elections have taken place in Saudi Arabia; Lebanese citizens march for self-rule; Egypt announces a plan for...
Roger L. Simon: We're all familiar with that. But speaking of "devil" clichés, we all know it's supposed to be in the details.

Rehnquist's Mixed Legacy
  LAT   —   Permalink 
Sixteen men have served as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Some, like Melville W. Fuller, who presided from 1888 to 1910, inhabit the shadows of the court's history.
The fourth chief, John Marshall, was the first to leave his mark.
Patterico: L.A. Times Deception on Rehnquist's Legacy — Today the L.A. Times runs a long editorial about William Rehnquist's legacy.
Hugh Hewitt: And after spending less than a minute on today's Opinion section —really, less than a minute as there was zero to...

Partisan Social Security Claims Questioned
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
As the two political parties would have it, Social Security is either careening toward catastrophe or is on as solid financial footing as it has ever been. Both sides have marshaled — or twisted — facts and figures to back up those seemingly irreconcilable views.
DeLong: Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps?
Judd @ThinkProgress: Unfairly Balanced — An article in this morning's Washington Post - headlined "Partisan Social Security Claims...

2008 Presidential Race Gets Its First Cattle Call
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Visitors in the Metro Center area this weekend might hear some mooing coming from the JW Marriott Hotel, site of the first cattle call of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Technically, this first '08 campaign event is the bipartisan meeting of the National Governors Association.
Steven Taylor: Surveying the Farm Teams and Other 08 Speculations — WaPo's Dana Milbank runs down the potential presidential...
Orrin Judd: THEY OUGHT TO HAVE IT IN ATLANTIC CITY: 2008 Presidential Race Gets Its First Cattle Call (Dana Milbank, February 27,...

Iraqis protest Saturdays off
  AP   —   Permalink 
A government decision to alter the traditional Iraqi weekend has sparked ire and protests among many who resent being forced to take a day off that many here associate with the Jewish day of rest.
Last week, the government officially changed the Iraqi weekend, adding Saturday to the traditional Friday off.
Norm Geras: Finally in this roundup: some Iraqis would rather have Thursday as part of their weekend than Saturday - because Saturday is a Jewish, or a Zionist, holiday.
Ace: Well, you've got to be pretty damn anti-semitic to turn down an extra 52 days off a year.

High Schools Are 1.0 in a 5.0 World, Gates Says
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Addressing the nation's governors, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates delivered a scathing critique of U.S. high schools Saturday, calling them obsolete and saying that elected officials should be ashamed of a system that leaves millions of students unprepared for college and for technical jobs.
Randall Parker: No, can't say that. At least publically Bill Gates essentially rejects psychometric research.
Orrin Judd: NO HIGH SCHOOLER LEFT BEHIND: High Schools Are 1.0 in a 5.0 World, Gates Says (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, February 27,...

Iran Was Offered Nuclear Parts
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
International investigators have uncovered evidence of a secret meeting 18 years ago between Iranian officials and associates of Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan that resulted in a written offer to supply Tehran with the makings of a nuclear weapons program, foreign diplomats and U.S. officials familiar with the new findings said.
Cori Dauber: [Made it home; links etc. now fixed as you can see. ] Amazing article on the front page of the Washington Post.
Laura Rozen: More on AQ Khan selling Iran a nuclear plan at a meeting in Dubai in 1987, way back during Reagan's presidency, from the...

Governors Prepare to Fight Medicaid Cuts
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 - Alarmed by soaring Medicaid costs, the nation's governors say they are enchanted with some of President Bush's proposals to restructure the program, but they adamantly oppose budget cuts sought by the White House and Republican leaders of Congress.
DavidNYC @DailyKos: But because words like "defeat" and "humility" don't exist in the surreality-based community's playbook, it's already on...
Nathan Newman: GOP Medicaid Proposals: Taking Crutches Away — So this is the endpoint of Republican policies on cutting back Medicaid:...

How British and American conservatives united to stop Bush endorsing the EU constitution as favour to Blair
  Telegraph   —   Permalink 
President Bush's speech to European leaders last week was toned down at the last moment to avoid giving his support to the proposed EU constitution, after a strenuous lobbying campaign by conservative activists in Washington.
Andrew Stuttaford: BUSH AND THE EU — The Sunday Telegraph is today running a report that "President Bush's speech to European leaders last...
Glenn Reynolds: INTERESTING BIT of behind-the-scenes maneuvering: [snipped quote] Of course, a strong Bush endorsement might have led Chirac and Schroeder to reconsider their support .

GOP May Seek a Deal on Accounts
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
President Bush is still in the opening phase of a campaign to sell the public and Congress on his ambitious plans for Social Security, but some Republicans on Capitol Hill have decided it is not too early to begin pondering an exit strategy.
Josh Marshall: Now, from the Times move over to the piece in the Post which focuses on Republicans who are desperate for a deal to cut...
Orrin Judd: WALK A MILE FOR A CAMEL'S NOSE UNDER THE TENT: GOP May Seek a Deal on Accounts: Anxious Lawmakers Negotiate With...
Yuval Rubinstein: Having said that, if you want to get your veins pumping, read this WaPo article about a possible Social Security "deal" that's being cooked up in Congress.

Deadly Ignorance
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
THE BUSH administration is quietly extending a policy that undermines the global battle against AIDS. It is being pushed in this direction by Congress, notably by Rep. Mark Edward Souder (R-Ind.). But some administration officials zealously defend this policy error, claiming scientific evidence that doesn't exist.
Ezra Klein: An editorial in today's Washington Post reveals another example of their aforementioned disdain for scientific evidence,...
Barbara O'Brien: Stuff and Nonsense — Following up on yesterday's post — walking the walk vs. talking the talk — this Washington Post...