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Exit poll suggests Labour victory BBC — Permalink Tony Blair is on course to win an historic third term for Labour but with a much reduced majority, according to a joint BBC/ITV exit poll. The poll suggests Mr Blair's majority will be reduced from 160 to 66. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Blair Is Projected Winner But Could Be Dumped — Projections give Great Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair his third... Jan Haugland: UK exit poll: Blair and Labour win — The first exit poll after the elections closed in Britain a few minutes ago indicates a Labour win, but with a reduced majority. Kevin Aylward: UK Election Watch — Labor is the projected winner in the UK elections, though their majority looks to be much thinner. |
Patrick Ruffini: Ugh. - 7:16 p.m. Exit poll: Lab 37%, Con 33%, LibDem 22% Lab Majority 66, down from 160 If the exit polls bear out, and... Kenny Baer: And this just in: the BBC/ITV exit polls predict a Labour majority of 66. Wow. Blair may be a desperado by the time dawn breaks. Norm Geras: Looking grim — The BBC/ITV exit poll predicted a majority for Labour of 66. At this point in the night I would certainly settle for that. |
| Also: Kevin Drum, Josh Chafetz | |
Why I'm Rooting Against the Religious Right By / Opinion Journal — Permalink I hope and believe that, by identifying itself with "faith" in general and the Ten Commandments in particular, a runaway element in the Republican leadership has made a career-ending mistake. In support of this, let me quote two authorities: | |
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Paul @PowerLine: Saving our republic from the theocrats — Christopher Hitchens writing in the Wall Street Journal, wants to "save the Republic from shallow, demagogic sectarians." Avedon Carol: And she didn't have a link to this story but I found it at the BBC - Brazil turns down US Aids funds Ed Cone: Taranto v Hitchens — Taranto and Hitchens debate the "Religious Right" on the WSJ editorial page (free reg. req.) |
Richard Reeb: Today David Brooks at the New York Times, and James Taranto and Christopher Hitchens at the Wall Street Journal, weigh... James Joyner: Hitchens, "Why I'm Rooting Against the Religious Right" (OpinionJournal) "At least two important conservative thinkers,... Ann Althouse: Christopher Hitchens digs up a kickass Barry Goldwater quote: "The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. |
| Also: Joe Katzman, Jan Haugland, John Cole, Steve M., Roger Ailes, Dean Esmay, Roger L. Simon | |
Col. David H. Hackworth, 1930-2005: Legendary U.S. Army Guerrilla Fighter, Champion of the Ordinary Soldier PRNewsWire — Permalink NEW YORK, May 5 /PRNewswire/ — Col. David H. Hackworth, the United States Army's legendary, highly decorated guerrilla fighter and lifelong champion of the doughboy and dogface, groundpounder and grunt, died Wednesday in Mexico. He was 74 years old. | |
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Steve M.: Well put. There's more in the obituary that appears at Yahoo News and on Hackworth's Web site. James Joyner: COL David H. Hackworth, 1930-2005 — Col. David. H. Hackworth,1930-2005 [snipped quote] I didn't always agree with Hackworth but I've long admired him and respected his work. |
Phillip Carter: Taps for "Hack" — The Pentagon lost one of the most persistent thorns in its side yestersday, with the death of retired Army Col. David Hackworth. The Poorman: Loss — David H. Hackworth has passed: [snipped quote] A hero, an American hero, absolutely, in every sense of the word, right to the end. |
Stuck in Lincoln's Land By / NYT — Permalink On Sept. 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln gathered his cabinet to tell them he was going to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. He said he had made a solemn vow to the Almighty that if God gave him victory at Antietam, Lincoln would issue the decree. | |
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Steve M.: It's pleasant to imagine that David Brooks's newest column is just what it seems to be on the surface — a conservative's call for moderation in religious matters. Jeffrey Dubner: What bothers me about today's David Brooks column isn't the liberal strawmen he sets up (token ACLU jab aside, there's... Matthew Yglesias: Way down near the bottom of today's column, past the swipe at Prospect editor Bob Kuttner and after the burning of... |
Barbara O'Brien: Armando at Daily Kos already took today's column apart pretty well, but I want to add a some points to what Armando said... Armando @DailyKos: David Brooks Opposes Frist's Nuclear Option — In a revolting display of ignorance, mendacity and distortion, David... John Cole: Shorter David Brooks — This column by David Brooks is a real clunker: [snipped quote] Shorter David Brooks: If you... |
| Also: Jesse Taylor, Jan Haugland, Tom Tomorrow | |
Silicon Insider: The Great Hidden Tech Boom By / ABCNEWS — Permalink Blogs — the New Tech Boom, Zeitgeist of the Future? May. 5, 2005 - Having declared newspapers (and most of the rest of the mainstream media) dead, what do we do now? | |
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Michelle Malkin: Michael Malone of ABC News asserts that "[m]any blogs enjoy readerships larger than some major metropolitan newspapers." Pejman Yousefzadeh: PAJAMAS! (STILL MORE) More information on Pajamas Media can be found here. The article is long, but definitely worth a read. Glenn Reynolds: ARE BLOGS PART OF A GREAT HIDDEN TECH BOOM? ("If all that sounds nuts — I mean, we're talking about blogs here — you... |
Gary Farber: HAVE NO FEAR. This will not be one of the eighty percent of blogs out there that will die in the next eighteen months. Roger L. Simon: UPDATE: Mike Malone, ABC's Silicon Insider, discusses Pajamas MEdia today in an interesting column - "Blogs — the New Tech Boom, Zeitgeist of the Future?" |
Blair Projected Winner in British Election By / AP — Permalink "/ Tony Blair's Labour Party won an unprecedented third term in office but with a sharply reduced majority in Parliament that could set the stage for Blair to be replaced by a party rival, according to exit poll projections broadcast as vote counting began in Britain's national election Thursday. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: EXIT POLLS show a Blair victory, though with a reduced margin. Stay tuned to see if the coverage matches my prediction. Dr. Steven Taylor: Exit Polls: Labour Wins — Via ABC News: Blair Projected Winner in British Election [snipped quote] Quite interesting. |
Byron LaMasters: UK Election Open Thread — Labour looks to win a third majority in a row for Tony Blair, although sharply reduced from their current majority. Lorie Byrd: Winner Projected In UK Elections — No big surprises here. |
Bush Ally in House Alters Social Security Debate Strategy WaPo — Permalink With President Bush's top domestic priority fading fast, Republicans once again have turned to one of their least liked but most effective colleagues: Rep. Bill Thomas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas is taking some decisive steps toward the occasionally rumored switcheroo by... Steve Soto: Sure enough, today's Post indicates that Ways and Means Committee chairman Bill Thomas is ready to save Bush's bacon on... Pudentilla: corporate interests look to get their mitts on soc sec legislation — [snipped quote] wouldn't it just be simpler to make... |
Reihan Salam: THIS MAKES ME EXTREMELY NERVOUS: I have to say, I'm pretty encouraged by Rep. Bill Thomas's talk of tackling "broader... Lambert @Corrente: Alpo Accounts: Rep. Bill Thomas? We remember Rep. Bill Thomas! |
Is Blair a Liar? Brits Don't Care By / LAT — Permalink How can you tell if a political party is brain-dead? Easy. It spends an entire campaign denouncing the incumbent as a smarmy, good-for-nothing liar, rather than outlining its own agenda. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Taxes, Spending, and Britain — Max Boot, what passes for an intelligent conservative op-ed writer, offers some advice... Ed Driscoll: Update: Speaking of the British elections, this comment by Max Boot in the L.A. Times about the Tories makes perfect sense on both sides of the Atlantic. Orrin Judd: THE LIMEY GALE SAYERS (*): Is Blair a Liar? Brits Don't Care (Max Boot, May 5, 2005, LA Times) [snipped quote] And he's a crypto-Catholic. |
McQ: The Democrat election strategy, British version — Max Boot makes a good point in the LA Times today Betsy Newmark: Max Boot has some thoughts on how both our political parties can learn from the mistakes of the Tories in today's elections. Glenn Reynolds: MAX BOOT: [snipped quote] Just as Kerry did, when he tried the same approach. |
Exit Polls: Blair Wins Historic Third Term By / AP — Permalink "/ Iraq, according to projections based on exit polls. Such an outcome, if confirmed by the actual vote count, could set the stage for Blair to be replaced in midterm by a party rival such as Gordon Brown. | |
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Charles Johnson: Exit Polls: Blair Wins Historic Third Term — Good news from Britain, where according to exit polls, Tony Blair is going to have a historic third term as Prime Minister. James Joyner: Update: Blair Projected Winner in British Election (AP 5:09 PM EDT) [snipped quote] While my ideology leads me to root for the Tories, I'm happy to see Mr. Blair win this one. |
Steve Soto: The early exit polls are coming in, and it looks like Tony Blair's Labor Party will retain control of the government, but by a much smaller majority in Parliament. |
Kansas Begins Hearings on Diluting Teaching of Evolution By / NYT — Permalink TOPEKA, May 5 -In the first of three daylong hearings characterized here as the direct descendant of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, a parade of Ph.D.'s testified today about the flaws they find in Darwin's theory of evolution, transforming a small auditorium... | |
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Jason Van Steenwyk: Nevertheless, check out the New York Times' headline, here: Kansas Begins Teaching Headlines on Diluting Teaching of Evolution No, that is not what is at stake here. Riggsveda @Corrente: Intellectual Piracy films Don't think these scurvy dogs will get away with this: [snipped quote] Infidels! Poseurs! |
Stephen: Madrassas in Kansas — NYT: Kansas Begins Creationism Hearings [snipped quote] Words fail me. |
Galloway on Course for Dramatic Win By / PA — Permalink George Galloway looked set to score a major victory over Labour today, stealing the supposedly safe seat of Bethnal Green and Bow. Labour sources admitted they feared they had lost the seat, in which Tony Blair loyalist Oona King held a 10,000 majority at the last election. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: [LATER: I think that Meryl is wrong about this — at least The Scotsman says Galloway is set to win it, and this report shows a Galloway victory. |
Gene @HarrysPlace: Update: Damn. Go to bed, everyone. I'm closing the thread. |
The Christian Complex By / WaPo — Permalink The state of America's political discourse is such that the president has felt it necessary to declare that unbelievers can be good Americans. In last week's prime-time news conference, he said: "If you choose not to worship, you're equally as patriotic as somebody who does worship." | |
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Richard Reeb: George Will's Condescension Misses the Point — "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." James Joyner: Will, "The Christian Complex" (WaPo, A25) "The state of America's political discourse is such that the president has... Sam Rosenfeld: In a worthy column on the bogus identity politics of the religious right, George Will becomes the latest commentator to... |
Jeff Jarvis: Jumping the shark for Jesus, continued : George Will has a good start to a column today about George Bush apparently trying to pull back from the follies of the religious fringe. Tbogg: That was the morning of the Scooby-Doo cartoon-athon — George Will must have wandered into the kitchen to get a Lucky... John Cole: George Will, in the Washington Post: "The state of America's political discourse is such that the president has felt it... |
| Also: Josh Chafetz, Glenn Reynolds, Chris Mooney, Atrios | |
David Hackworth, Vietnam vet and military analyst, dies at 74 By / AP — Permalink HARTFORD, Conn. — Retired Army Col. David Hackworth, a decorated Vietnam veteran who spoke out against the war and later became a journalist and an advocate for military reform, has died, his wife said Thursday. He was 74. | |
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Steve M.: The AP obituary is here, from Newsday: Retired Army Col. David Hackworth, a decorated Vietnam veteran who spoke out... |
Jeff Quinton: REACTION W. Thomas Smith, Jr. has a link to the AP story. |
Blair May Be Ousted As PM Even if He Wins By / AP — Permalink LONDON May 5, 2005 — Tony Blair's projected victory in Britain's national election Thursday may turn bittersweet if the Labour Party's diminished majority in Parliament sets the stage for anti-war critics within the party to oust him as prime minister. | |
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Joe Gandelman: For instance, the AP says this: [snipped quote] Indeed, the projections were barely out when some pointed the finger at... |
Steve Soto: Blair's party went into the elections with a 161 seat lead in the House of Commons, but is expected to now come out of... |
Small blast at UK consulate in NYC CNN — Permalink NEW YORK (CNN) — An "improvised explosive device" made from a "novelty-type grenade" has exploded in front of the building that houses the British consulate in New York City, police said. | |
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Scott Sala: FOX is reporting a UN worker is being questioned. CNN confirms a Dutch national has been detained. Michelle Malkin: U.N. EMPLOYEE QUESTIONED IN NYC BLAST — Bumping this story to the top from my a.m. post on the NYC blasts. K. J. Lopez: THE BLAST IN NYC THIS MORNING AT THE BRITISH CONSOLATE — A U.N. employee is being questioned. |
Ace: Another Shock: UN Employee Questioned Re: British Consulate Bombing — Wow! It's a good thing we don't have John Bolton as Ambassador to the UN! Steve M.: The devices, which contained black gunpowder and fuses, blew out a chunk of concrete in the flower box where they were planted outside the building.... —CNN Disturbing. Marc @USSNeverdock: CNN has more. [snipped quote] As in IED. A developing story, so we'll have to wait and see who claims responsibility. |
| Also: Gene @HarrysPlace | |
Clear skies end global dimming Nature — Permalink Earth's air is cleaner, but this may worsen the greenhouse effect. Our planet's air has cleared up in the past decade or two, allowing more sunshine to reach the ground, say two studies in Science this week. | |
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Jan Haugland: Of course that can't be good news: Our planet's air has cleared up in the past decade or two, allowing more sunshine to... |
Spoons: For Enviroloonies, All News is Bad News — Cleaner air is apparently now a bad thing. |
FDA set to ban gay men as sperm donors AP — Permalink NEW YORK - To the dismay of gay-rights activists, the Food and Drug Administration is about to implement new rules recommending that any man who has engaged in homosexual sex in the previous five years be barred from serving as an anonymous sperm donor. | |
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Norbizness: Starting with a God-placating ban on gay sperm: "Under these [proposed FDA] rules, a heterosexual man who had... |
Phemfrog: This is f**king insane—Chris http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ id/7749977/ From the Associated Press: "NEW YORK - To the dismay... |
New U.S. Rule Opens National Forests to Road Building (Update1) Bloomberg — Permalink May 5 (Bloomberg) — The Bush administration today issued rules that would open up almost 60 million acres of U.S. forestland to road construction, logging and other commercial purposes. States will have 18 months to protest the changes. | |
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Cookie Jill: "- bloomberg" hmmmm....highways....inte resting to note that bushco also want to privatize them. (nytimes) |
Richard TPD: "One parking lot, under God..." It hurts to read stuff like this: [snipped quote] Via Skippy. |
Burqa trap set for terror suspect BBC — Permalink Pakistani agents wearing burqas seized al-Qaeda suspect Abu Faraj al-Libbi by ambushing his motorbike in a rural town, police told the BBC. The man alleged to be a top al-Qaeda organiser was riding pillion and managed to run into a house where agents flushed him out with tear gas. | |
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Tom Maguire: Yet here we are, weeks later - a major arrest, and other foreigners arrested as well: "On Thursday the Pakistani... Marc @USSNeverdock: al Qaeda - Was Pakistan Tipped Off to Libbi — More interesting information is coming out about the capture of Abu Faraj al-Libbi. Jan Haugland: Update: al-Libby was trapped by a burqa trick: Pakistani agents wearing burqas seized al-Qaeda suspect Abu Faraj... |
Charles Johnson: The Burqa Trap — Here's some poetic justice, as the misogyny of the Islamists is turned against them: Burqa trap set for terror suspect. Orrin Judd: POETIC JUSTICE: Burqa trap set for terror suspect (BBC, 5/05/05) "Pakistani agents wearing burqas seized al-Qaeda... |
David Hackworth dies of cancer, 74 By / WorldNetDaily — Permalink Retired Army Col. David Hackworth, one of the most decorated veterans in U.S. history who became a vocal advocate for military reform, died yesterday in Mexico at 74. Hackworth returned from Vietnam as a strong critic of the war, later becoming a journalist and author of several best-selling books. | |
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Tim Cavanaugh: David Hackworth, R.I.P. The one and only Hack, irrascible soldier's soldier, irrepressible blowhard, "Patton of... |
Michelle Malkin: DAVID HACKWORTH, R.I.P. The outspoken retired Army colonel died of cancer yesterday, WND reports. |
FBI: Male enhancement drugs illegally provided to mob CNN — Permalink NEW YORK (CNN) — Three doctors from the Westchester suburbs of New York City allegedly provided mob figures with erectile dysfunction drugs in exchange for various favors, the FBI said Thursday. | |
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Steve Bainbridge: "Three doctors from the Westchester suburbs of New York City allegedly provided mob figures with erectile dysfunction... |
Jan Haugland: Viagra for the mob — That settles it. The mobster is neither glad to see you nor having a gun in his pocket. |
Fox: New Docs 'Prove' Kofi Lied to Probers NewsMax.com — Permalink U.N. investigators have turned over to Congress boxes of evidence on the Oil-for-Food program, including "proof" that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan lied to the Independent Inquiry Committee probing the scandal, Fox News Channel reporter Jonathan Hunt said Thursday. | |
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Scott Sala: Newsmax has a writeup about a FOX News broadcast where reporter Jonathan Hunt said evidence has been turned over that... |
Ace: Pleasepleasepleasepleasep leaseplease... "U.N. investigators have turned over to Congress boxes of evidence on the... |
We who are about to die salute you By / Boston Globe — Permalink And Mark — he used to ghostwrite my column when I developed ''bluefish poisoning. "Maybe no one needs to know that. What happens on Morrissey Boulevard stays on Morrissey Boulevard. It all happened so fast. One day we were printing half a million copies, delivering them all over New England. | |
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Jeff Jarvis: Tries way, way too hard. Too cute by half. |
Jim Romenesko: Remember when blogtrepreneur Denton bought NYT Co? Boston Globe Nick Denton made the deal in 2010. |
DeLay Tries, Without Much Success, to Duck the Media Pack By / WaPo — Permalink Tom DeLay sneaks around the Capitol like a fugitive these days, using back doors and basement passages to avoid television cameras. He skips meetings where reporters might get a chance to film his answers to their questions. | |
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Joe Gandelman: DeLay Is DeDuck In Game Of Political/Media Limbo — House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is reportedly doing the equivilent... Kevin Drum: BEING TOM DELAY....Dana Milbank reports on the travails of the House Majority Leader these days: [snipped quote] Poor guy. |
Taegan Goddard: DeLay Can't Hide — "Tom DeLay sneaks around the Capitol like a fugitive these days, using back doors and basement... K. J. Lopez: TELL US WHAT YOU REALLY THINK... Dana Milbank: "Tom DeLay sneaks around the Capitol like a fugitive these days..." |
2 Blasts at British Consulate in N.Y.C. By / AP — Permalink NEW YORK - Two makeshift grenades exploded outside a building housing the British Consulate early Thursday, Election Day in Britain, causing slight damage but injuring no one, officials said. Officials stressed that it was not clear whether the consulate itself had been targeted. | |
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Avedon Carol: It's the news — It was weird waking up and hearing about an explosion in New York. Smash: Explosion at UK Consulate in NYC — TWO GRENADES exploded outside the British Consulate in New York City Thursday... |
James Joyner: 2 Blasts at British Consulate in N.Y.C. K. J. Lopez: OFF WITH A BANG — Two grenades went off at the British consolate in NYC? Apparently. |
Interest-Group Conservatism By / Slate — Permalink In the late 1960s, the great political scientist Theodore Lowi coined the phrase "interest-group liberalism" to describe an emerging system of government he viewed as untenable. | |
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Joseph Britt: Jacob Weisberg, Off-Message — Slate's editor apparently never got the memo that Republicans are motivated by ideology. Taegan Goddard: Interest Group Conservatism — Jacob Weisberg has a brilliant piece on President Bush's governing philosophy: "The... |
Dale Franks: But, as Jacob Weisberg writes in Slate, the Republicans seem to have plenty of public-money-sucking special interests of their own. |
School board bans band from performing 'Louie Louie' AP — Permalink BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A pop culture controversy that has simmered for decades came to a head when a middle school marching band was told not to perform "Louie Louie." | |
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Oliver @LiquidList: Finally, does a journey to stupid censorship begin with a giant step back to 1956? Steve Bainbridge: Decency Excesses — I'm as much in favor of decency as the next guy (provided I'm not standing next to Howard Stern),... |
Jesse Walker: Now school officials in Benton Harbor, Michigan, have decided the song is indecent even if there's no words at all: The... |
Study Finds Kids Can't Hit Slow Pitches SPACE — Permalink You're throwing a ball for a toddler to smack with a plastic bat. You toss it gently, slowly, to make it easier. He just can't hit it. It's because you throw too slowly, a new study finds. Kids' brains aren't wired for slow motion. | |
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Orrin Judd: GET A HELMET KID (via John Resnick): Study Finds Kids Can't Hit Slow Pitches (LiveScience.com, May 5, 2005)... |
Jeff Goldstein: The Jamie Moyer Hypothesis — Finally, a scientific conclusion I can get behind. |
Feds Stepping Up Obscenity Prosecutions By / AP — Permalink (05-04) 12:23 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Thomas Lambert made no attempt to hide the kind of videos he peddled from his Montana home — hard-core sex tapes involving bestiality, sadomasochism and simulated rape. | |
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Clayton Cramer: The materials being prosecuted are the sort of stuff that is unambiguously obscene under Miller v. California (1973): ... Glenn Reynolds: But instead, the Justice Department is devoting additional resources to stepping up obscenity prosecutions? |
Robert Clayton Dean: Republicans are fools — In what is almost certain to become a long-running series devoted to the topic, let us now note... |
Annan Docs Handed Over to Congress Fox News — Permalink NEW YORK — Documents involving actions taken by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (search) in the Oil-for-Food investigation were handed over to Congress on Wednesday night, FOX News has learned. | |
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Jan Haugland: The UN weren't forthcoming, of course, but Parton was issued a subpoena and handed over the documents. Victor Comras: At least that's what appears to have happened last night when (according to Fox News) Ex Volcker Commission investigator... |
Ace: Annan Oil-For-Food Docs Handed Over to Congress ... by a man who is most definitely slicin' like an f'n' hammer, FBI agent Robert Parton. |
Europe is talking Iran around IHT — Permalink WASHINGTON As the UN nuclear nonproliferation conference proceeds in New York, Iran has once more emerged as an important source of concern. In a defiant speech to the assembled delegates, Iran's foreign minister, Kamal Kharrazi, insisted that "Iran, for its part, is determined to pursue all legal areas of nuclear technology, including enrichment." | |
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Colt: The diplomatic battle continues: An IHT op-ed/analysis says the EU-3 is talking Iran round. |
Peter Burnet: DEJA-VU ALL OVER AGAIN — Europe is talking Iran around (Ray Takeyh, International Herald Tribune, May 6th, 2005) [snipped quote] We've got a great plot line for a thriller. |
Blasts Rock British Consulate in NYC Fox News — Permalink NEW YORK — New York City police were questioning people and studying video surveillance tapes Thursday to determine who may be responsible for detonating two makeshift grenades outside the building that houses the British Consulate (search) earlier in the morning. | |
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Colt: THE AMERICAS Two makeshift grenades have detonated outside the British consulate in New York City. No-one was injured. |
Jeff Goldstein: British Consulate Grenade Attack — From FOXNews: [snipped quote] Reached for comment, George Voinovich (R-OH) expressed... |
Gore to Get Lifetime Award for Internet By / AP — Permalink "/ Al Gore may have been lampooned for taking credit in the Internet's development, but organizers of the Webby Awards for online achievements don't find it funny at all. | |
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Kevin Aylward: Al Gore To Get Lifetime Award For "Creating The Internet" — Hoping to rehabilitate the image of robotic Al Gore, who... |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Life Imitates SNL — At first I thought this headline was a Scrappleface-style parody. |
2 Republicans To Skip DeLay Probe CBS News — Permalink (CBS/AP) Two Republicans on the House ethics committee say they'll step aside from any investigation of Tom DeLay, acknowledging their contributions to the majority leader's defense funds will lead others to question their impartiality. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Heh, heh, heh.. UPDATE: Others learn the limbo dance: "Two Republicans on the House ethics committee say they'll step... |
TChris: Ethics Committee Members Recuse Selves From DeLay Investigation — Recognizing and (even better) responding to an... |
Is the Solomon Amendment Constitutional? By / FindLaw's Writ — Permalink The Solomon Amendment is a federal law that penalizes schools that do not permit military recruiters on campus, by cutting them off from receiving federal funds. As I discussed in a prior column, some law schools and law professors have objected strenuously to this law. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Marci A. Hamilton, a law professor at Yeshiva University, argues persuasively that the Supreme Court should and will uphold the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment. Glenn Reynolds: Lawprof Marci Hamilton says that it is, and adds: [snipped quote] Read the whole thing. |
Ann Althouse: Lawprof Marci Hamilton has a new column on the Solomon Amendment case, Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Reform [FAIR]. |
Band Banned From Performing 'Louie Louie' AP — Permalink BENTON HARBOR, Mich. - A pop culture controversy that has simmered for decades came to a head when a middle school marching band was told not to perform "Louie Louie." | |
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Jeff Jarvis: Nannyism gone wild : Jay Allen sends news that a middle-school marching band in Benton Harbor, Michigan, was forbidden... |
Joanne Jacobs: Nostalgia time — Some things never change: In Benton Harbor, Michigan, the superintendent has told the middle school marching band that "Louie Louie" is banned for raunchy lyrics. |
Tax Receipts Exceed Treasury Predictions By / WaPo — Permalink After three years of rising federal budget deficits, a surge of April tax receipts brought unexpected good news to fiscal policymakers — the tide of government red ink appears to be receding. | |
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Matt Singer: Nope, Just an Alternative Dave Budge brings to our attention the fact that tax revenues jumped in April as filers sent a... Lorie Byrd: Good News - Deficit Projections Lowered — Now, some might think that when they read this article saying tax receipts in... Donald Luskin: Oh, and of course we take some perverse delight in imagining Jonathan Weisman's chagrin in having to report this in the Washington Post this morning. |
John Hawkins: However, this story in the Washington Post (which James noted below) is a pleasant surprise. Bill @INDCJournal: Quick Links *** "[B]udget deficit appears to have crested." Fingers crossed. *** This picture is astounding. Steve Antler: Washington Post reports: The Treasury Department this week reported there would be a $54 billion swing from projected... |
| Also: James Joyner, Ace, Orrin Judd | |
'Empower' Initiative Hobbles Instead By / LAT — Permalink Every electoral season brings forth new lessons in how money and deceit can be used to corrupt the California initiative process. But it will be hard for future players to top the promoters of a new initiative that is designed to sap the political strength of the state's public employee unions, yet comes disguised as an "employee empowerment" measure. | |
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Ezra Klein: Union Busting as a Side Dish — Kevin writes: [snipped quote] Italics mine. Kevin's right on the rest of it, but George didn't emphasize union busting in 2002. |
Kevin Drum: UNION BUSTING...LA Times business columnist Michael Hiltzik writes today about the latest in citizen governance here in... |
The Price of Polarization By / WaPo — Permalink Whenever politicians proclaim that it is time for a great national debate on Issue X, it usually means they have no idea what to do about X. Over to you, John Q. But deflection carries risk in an era when the international political zeitgeist is dominated by paradox and backlash. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Today's it's Jim Hoagland's turn. Every single one of these columns and editorials seems to completely miss the point. |
Rickheller @Centerfield: Tribal Politics In DC — Jim Hoagland writes [snipped quote] I had hoped that centrism could be a bridge to alleviate the polarization. |
Small blasts hit British consulate in New York Reuters — Permalink NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two homemade grenades exploded outside the Manhattan office building that houses the British Consulate, shattering windows in the pre-dawn hours on Thursday as voters in Britain went to the polls in a general election, New York officials said. | |
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Scott Sala: Fortunately, no one was injured. FOX has video coverage of the grenade blast story. CNN, Reuters and MSNBC. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: CLASSIFY AS "MORE THAN SLIGHTLY DISTURBING" — This story is being posted under the "Terrorism" category, because that... |
U.S. Says Zarqawi May Be Ill By / WaPo — Permalink AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, May 4 — The U.S. military is examining reports that insurgent leader Abu Musab Zarqawi was present last week at a hospital in Anbar province and the possibility that he may be ill or wounded, officials said Wednesday. | |
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Colt: Zarqawi may be ill. The U.S. has warned of the dangers in the alliance between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Jemaah Islamiyah. |
James Joyner: U.S. Says Zarqawi May Be Ill — Abu Musab Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, may be ill or wounded. |
$300,000 in cash allegedly went to Liberal campaign By / Globe and Mail — Permalink OTTAWA — Senior Liberal organizers allegedly showered about $300,000 in cash on Quebec ridings held by the opposition during the 1997 federal election campaign, The Globe and Mail has learned. | |
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Captain Ed: Liberals In Quebec: Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler — The Globe and Mail reports today that Liberal Party activists... |
Damian Penny: Meanwhile, a Jean Chretien associate says $300,000.00 was diverted from the sponsorship program to the Liberal Party of... |
Too Much Information? By / Opinion Journal — Permalink I was at a wedding, standing just off the dance floor, when a pleasant young man in his 20s approached, introduced himself and asked where I'd had my hair done. I shook his offered hand and began to answer, but before I could he said, "I'm gay, by the way." | |
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Ann Althouse: Peggy Noonan begins her new column, which is about sharing private information, with this anecdote: [snipped quote] Well,... |
Roger Ailes: Congratulations to Pegaloon, who, in today's installment, is approached by a pleasant gay man at a... |
UK goes to polls with Labour set for win Guardian — Permalink Voters were today going to polling stations across the country as a Guardian/ICM poll predicted that Labour would win a historic third term in the UK general election, possibly with a majority of more than 100. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Britain Votes — "Voters were today going to polling stations across the country as a Guardian/ICM poll predicted that... |
Norm Geras: In yon abbey — The Blair family votes? Er... remember this? Update: This will look puzzling. |
The Republican Thumb on PBS (8 Letters) NYT — Permalink To the Editor: Re "Chairman Exerts Pressure on PBS, Alleging Biases" (front page, May 2): The job of the press is to scrutinize government, not praise it. The administration gives its story in the best possible light using taxpayer money. | |
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Christy @ThinkProgress: The former New York Times reporter and editor, dean of the School of Public Communication at Boston University,... |
Jim Romenesko: Journalistic fairness, not "balance," should be PBS's goal — New York Times That's what John Wicklein writes in a letter to the Times. |
More heat for Tancredo By / Rocky Mountain News — Permalink WASHINGTON - Rep. Tom Tancredo ought to reconsider his membership in the Republican Party, a Utah congressman said Wednesday after the two GOP lawmakers put an intraparty rift over immigration policy on full public display. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountain News notes Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) "has recently started traveling to early presidential... |
Orrin Judd: ggfgggggggggggggggggggggg — More heat for Tancredo Rep. Cannon doubts whether Coloradan should be in GOP By M.E... |
Home Runs Wanted. No Questions Asked. By / NYT — Permalink ON the surface, the commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, deserves hearty congratulations for his newly proposed policy on steroid use. It's not zero tolerance but it's awfully close, with a 50-game suspension for a first-time offender, 100 games the second time and banishment from the game for a third strike. | |
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Susan Madrak: TAKE THEM OUT OF THE BALLGAME — Buzz Bissinger on steroid use in baseball: [snipped quote] Yep. The steroid problem wasn't the beginning. |
John Cole: A Home Run — This op-ed piece in the NY Times is a home run about who is actually to blame for the steroid scandal:... |
David Durenberger and Walter F. Mondale: Preserve Senate rules, filibuster and all Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink The American people should know that the proposed repeal of the filibuster rule for judicial nominees by majority vote will profoundly and permanently undermine the purpose of the U.S. Senate as it has stood since Thomas Jefferson first wrote the Senate's rules. | |
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Scott @PowerLine: Today Mondale and Durenberger hold themselves out as a bipartisan team supporting the filibuster for judicial... |
Taegan Goddard: David Durenberger (R-MN) and Walter Mondale (D-MN), writing in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Link | Related News |
The Franklin Arrest New York Sun — Permalink When the name Lawrence Franklin first splashed onto the front pages during the Republican National Convention last August, Americans were assured by the Washington Post, the New York Times, CBS News, and others that he was a spy for Israel who would soon be arrested. | |
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S.Z.: The fair and balanced NY Sun say, "To us this sounds more like Sandy Berger or John Deutch than it does, say, Jonathan Pollard" — you know, like stuff done by DEMOCRATS. |
Michelle Malkin: Despite the arrest and the gravity of the charges, the NY Sun is continuing to pooh-pooh Franklin's alleged actions. |
Pentagon Analyst Charged With Disclosing Military Secrets NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 4 - Federal agents arrested a Pentagon analyst on Wednesday, accusing him of illegally disclosing highly classified information about possible attacks on American forces in Iraq to two employees of a pro-Israel lobbying group. | |
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Laura Rozen: I've expressed doubt here that this FBI investigation that led to charges against Larry Franklin yesterday has much if anything to do with espionage for Israel. Matthew Yglesias: Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin has been (finally) arrested, not on espionage charges as was at one time hinted, but on less serious charges of mishandling classified documents. Armando @DailyKos: Pentagon Analyst Charged With Passing Secrets To AIPAC — The shoe dropped on Larry Franklin. |
S.Z.: Here's the NY Times (Analyst Charged With Disclosing Military Secrets): The inquiry has cast a cloud over the American... Juan Cole: Franklin Arrested — Pentagon official Lawrence Franklin has been arrested and charged by the FBI with having shown... |
U.S. Warns A.F.L.-C.I.O. on Protests About Social Security By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 4 - The Bush administration has warned the nation's biggest labor federation that union-run pension funds may be breaking the law in opposing President Bush's Social Security proposals. In a letter on Tuesday to the A.F.L. | |
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Nathan Newman: Union Pensions Must Support Anti-Worker Policies — Or So Argues the Bush Administration The Bush DOL is threatening to... |
Taegan Goddard: Bush Administration Warns AFL-CIO — "The Bush administration has warned the nation's biggest labor federation that... |
I.B.M. to Lay Off Over 10,000 in Struggle to Keep Up Profits By / NYT — Permalink I.B.M. announced yesterday that it would lay off 10,000 to 13,000 workers, mostly in Europe, as it struggles to keep up its profits at a time when global competition in the technology business spreads beyond selling computers to providing services. | |
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Pudentilla: bad economic news, part the second [snipped quote] bad economic news, part the second "i.b.m. to lay off over 10,000 in... |
Susan Madrak: BREAKING NEWS — IBM to cut 10,000-13,000 jobs. Oh yeah, we're booming right along. |
Army to Issue Combat Badge For Soldiers Not in Infantry By / WaPo — Permalink Any Army soldier who has seen active combat while in Iraq or Afghanistan may now receive a new "Combat Action Badge," making tens of thousands of soldiers who are not in the infantry ranks — including women — eligible for a combat award for the first time. | |
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Cori Dauber: Here's the solution: a new award, recognizing the fact that many soldiers not in specialties that are considered combat... |
Phillip Carter: Without your moral courage, it's unlikely this issue would've seen the light of day. (link corrected) Update I: Josh... |
Italian website banned over 'Nazi' pope picture AFP — Permalink ROME (AFP) - An Italian website that published a photo montage of Pope Benedict XVI dressed in a Nazi uniform was told to suspend its activities on Wednesday for offending the Roman Catholic religion, court officials said. | |
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Damian Penny: But a court order to shut down the site because Catholics would consider the picture offensive? |
Charles Johnson: Italian Indymedia Ordered to Shut Down — The Italian branch of the leftist hate site Indymedia has run afoul of Italian law: Italian website banned over 'Nazi' pope picture. |
U.S. seen as unaccountable in Iraqi civilian deaths By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - Iraqi civilians who have suffered from U.S. military operations face steep obstacles in obtaining compensation for the deaths of their loved ones or material damage, human rights analysts say. | |
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Blackfive: And from Sgrena Roadblock case, here is what Reuters published (emphasis mine): U.S. seen as unaccountable in Iraqi... |
Juan Cole: Reuters maintains that the US military in Iraq has no accountability with regard to civilian deaths, and that the... |
Texas targets 'sexy cheerleading' BBC — Permalink Legislators in the US state of Texas have voted to ban "sexually suggestive" cheerleading in schools. The bill - which requires approval by the state Senate - would allow authorities to police routines deemed vulgar and force schools to stop them. | |
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Michael Froomkin: Well, not really. But just about: Texas targets 'sexy cheerleading'. And who knows what the Texas Taliban plans next? |
Kevin Drum: ANNALS OF THE WEIRD....The Texas House has passed a bill to ban "sexually suggestive cheerleading." I wasn't aware there was any other kind. |
Marine raid breaks gender barrier Stars & Stripes — Permalink KARMAH, Iraq — Lance Cpl. Erin Libby doesn't want to be treated the same as her male Marine Corps counterparts. But she does want to be treated as an equal — even in combat. | |
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Phillip Carter: Update II: Sandra Jontz reports in today's Stars & Stripes on how the gender issue is playing out for the Marines in Iraq. |
Glenn Reynolds: MORE BELLICOSE WOMEN IN IRAQ: Very interesting. |
When Columnists Cry 'Jihad' By / WaPo — Permalink I have been looking at myself, and millions of my brethren, fellow evangelicals along with traditional Catholics, in a ghastly arcade mirror lately — courtesy of this newspaper and the New York Times. | |
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Dale Franks: Yesterday, former New York Times reporter John McCandlish Phillips picked up on this theme in the Washington Post. Hugh Hewitt: Former New York Times reporter John McCandlish Phillips pens "When Columnists Cry 'Jihad," for this morning's Washington Post, and it is a must read. Norbizness: The summary, gleaned from Greg at The Talent Show and Ed at Dispatches from the Culture Wars, is as follows: (1) Even though Rudy Guliani is pro-choice, I'll vote for him. |
John Cole: Compare these two pieces with this montage of excuses and claims of victim status for evangelicals. Avedon Carol: When columnists cry "When Columnists Cry 'Jihad'" (no, that's not a typo), my heart bleeds for those poor right-wing... Chad The Elder: Oh oh. This could be a tough one for a lot of reporters. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. |
| Also: Ezra Klein, Edward _, Ed Driscoll, Ed Cone, Ace, Jesse Taylor, Jim Romenesko, Steve Bainbridge, Orrin Judd, Glenn Reynolds, Betsy Newmark, Jonah Goldberg, Michelle Malkin | |
Al-Qaida's No. 3 Man Arrested in Pakistan By / AP — Permalink "/ Osama bin Laden, has been arrested after a firefight in northwestern Pakistan, officials said Wednesday. "/ President Bush said the capture of Abu Farraj al-Libbi "represents a critical victory in the war on terror," and he praised the Pakistani government and President Gen. Pervez Musharraf for the arrest. | |
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Tom Maguire: This may be a big deal because the arrest dovetails nicely with comments made by a US General just a few weeks ago. Steve Clemons: .Dropping Bolton Would Score a Point for the "Unite our Allies and Divide our Enemies" Bush Abu Farraj al-Libbi's capture is a big deal. Jayson @PoliPundit: Good News From Pakistan — Another leading al-Qaeda terror-bot has been captured. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: The disadvantages of pissing off America — Why life as a top Al Qaeda operative is not good for your health and... John @PowerLine: Al Qaeda Leader Caught — Abu Farraj al-Libbi, said to be al Qaeda's number three leader and a long-time associate of... |
Frist begins to squeeze the trigger By / The Hill — Permalink Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's (R-Tenn.) chief of staff has told conservative activist leaders and business-community representatives that Frist will soon trigger the so-called "nuclear option" to end threatened Democratic filibusters of President Bush's judicial nominees this month. | |
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Jeffrey Dubner: It's an interesting counterpoint to this week's installment of "we swear, it's going down any day now!" Sam Rosenfeld: The Hill runs a piece today that nicely captures the rapidly escalating pressure Bill Frist is feeling to make good on his foolish promises on the nuclear option front. Mark Schmitt: Chekhov's Dictum — This headline "Frist begins to squeeze the trigger" made me think that perhaps someone should... |
Mcjoan @DailyKos: The first points to an article in The Hill that really shows how rim rocked Frist is on the issue. Skippy: judd legum at think progress sends us a couple of items, one on awol's taxing social security problem, and one on... Taegan Goddard: Frist Ready to Squeeze Trigger — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's (R-TN) office has alerted conservative activist... |
| Also: Laura Rozen, Orrin Judd | |
Marijuana Becomes Focus of Drug War By / WaPo — Permalink The focus of the drug war in the United States has shifted significantly over the past decade from hard drugs to marijuana, which now accounts for nearly half of all drug arrests nationwide, according to an analysis of federal crime statistics released yesterday. | |
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Digby: Reefer Madness — Well, this makes good sense. [snipped quote] Sure. Let's spend billions on arresting pot smokers for absolutely no good reason. Reihan Salam: With that in mind, you can see why Dan Eggen's dispatch in The Washington Post on the drug war has left me sputtering with rage. Matthew Yglesias: What kind of sense does it make to target drug enforcement efforts at users and sellers of marijuana and away from cocaine and heroin? |
Avedon Carol: Marijuana Becomes Focus of Drug War says the WaPo, saying that arrests for what used to be known as "hard drugs" has declined. Matt Singer: Thankfully, though, The Washington Post reports that this campaign has been almost completely ineffective with little change reported in the number of people who use marijuana. |
Al Qa'eda third in command 'is running terror cells in the UK' By / Telegraph — Permalink A Libyan hunted by Pakistan because of his senior role in the al Qa'eda terrorist network has taken charge of its sleeper cells in Britain and the United States, Pakistani intelligence officials believe. | |
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Tom Maguire: Let's add this - last fall, the Daily Telegraph and the Council on Foreign Relations described him as the number three... Jan Haugland: Al Libbi was last year reported to be al-Qaeda's third in command, taking over the post from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after he was arrested in 2003. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: He's also believed to have been in charge of sleeper cells in the United States and Great Britain, following the capture of the previous number 3, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Marc @USSNeverdock: Britain - al Qaeda Planning Attack In US/UK — The Telegraph (UK) reports that there are al Qaeda sleeper cells planning attacks in the UK and US. |
Analyst Charged With Passing Secret Info By / AP — Permalink "/ Iraq to employees of a pro-Israel group. Larry Franklin, 58, of Kearneysville, W. Va., turned himself in Wednesday morning, FBI spokeswoman Debra Weierman said. He was scheduled to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., later Wednesday, Weierman said. | |
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Jan Haugland: FBI analyst charged with passing classified information to pro-Israel group — An FBI analyst has been charged with... Jeff Goldstein: "Pentagon Analyst Charged With Passing Classified Info on U.S. Forces in Iraq to Pro-Israel Group" — From the AP:... Michelle Malkin: CHARGED: LARRY FRANKLIN — The AP reports this afternoon: [snipped quote] If these charges hold up, I hope fellow... |
Laura Rozen: Former Pentagon Iran analyst Larry Franklin charged, the AP reports: "The FBI arrested a Pentagon analyst Wednesday on... Joe Gandelman: The AP notes that Israeli officials has denied spying on the United States, pointing out that the two countries share many secrets. James Joyner: Analyst Charged With Passing Secret Info to Israel — Another American has been arrested for passing important military secrets to Israel. |
These Five Senators Know Better Than to Go Nuclear. Don't They? By / American Enterprise Institute — Permalink The fate of the Senate now rests in the hands of a handful of Republicans who have been great figures of the Senate, custodians of its traditions and its essence. They will soon come to a crossroads on the "nuclear" option and the filibuster. | |
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Paul Rosenberg: Triumph of The American Taliban—The Nuclear Option In Perspective — Gosh, I never thought I'd base a diary on a column by AEI's Norm Ornstein. Jeffrey Dubner: Don't miss Norm Ornstein's plea to the GOP's old guard in the latest Roll Call (reprinted here on AEI's Web site). |
Matt Singer: Norm Ornstein's Nuclear Freeze — Norm Ornstein, the nearly universally-respected AEI Scholar, has written an... Brad DeLong: Norman Ornstein speaks: Norman Ornstein: "These Five Senators Know Better Than to Go Nuclear. Don't They?" |
Reaping What It Sowed By / NYT — Permalink In the last few weeks not only has Iraq been destabilized by days with multiple suicide bombers, but Egypt and Saudi Arabia have also witnessed similar attacks by jihadist fanatics. How do you get so many people to commit suicide on demand, day after day? | |
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Joseph Britt: Hidden in Plain Sight — Tom Friedman had one of his culture analysis pieces in the Times yesterday, relating the... McQ: Reforming Islam and a Free Iraq — Thomas Friedman has an interesting take on the evolving struggle in the Muslim world. Armando @DailyKos: Update [2005-5-4 10:0:30 by Armando]: I don't know if this kind of blather makes Tom Friedman feel better, but how the hell does he know who is winning? |
Donald Sensing: Meanwhile, Thomas Friedman argues that the main reason the violence has risen is because the perpetrators understand their side is losing. Steve Soto: 57% Now Against Iraq War, But Tom Friedman Blames The Muslims — Tom Friedman writes his latest "the insurgents are... James Joyner: Terrorists Are Losing — Thomas Friedman argues that the recent spate of suicide bombings across the Middle East is proof that the Arab-Muslim world is "Reaping What It Sowed." |
| Also: Steve Antler | |
Why I'm not a 'South Park Conservative' By / Jewish World Review — Permalink I'll get to First Lady Laura Bush's bawdy stand-up routine in a minute. But I want to highlight a related new book out about how young conservatives are shaking up the dominant liberal media culture. It's called "South Park Conservatives." | |
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Jeff Goldstein: She also links to her own Jewish World Review column, "Why I'm not a 'South Park Conservative,'" which further clarifies her position. Roger Ailes: Bugs In The Attic — Michelle "Bugs" Malkin, who was recently sniggering about fingering, is a born-again virgin when it comes to jokes about horsejacking. |
Eugene Volokh: Dignity, Civility, Adults, and Children: Michelle Malkin complains: [snipped quote] It seems to me that such criticism... Michelle Malkin: "LEMON-SUCKING CONSERVATIVE" — Yup, that was one reader's reaction to my new column. Take a look. |
SAT Essay Test Rewards Length and Ignores Errors By / NYT — Permalink IN March, Les Perelman attended a national college writing conference and sat in on a panel on the new SAT writing test. Dr. Perelman is one of the directors of undergraduate writing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. | |
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Dr. Frank: The Multiple-Choice Makes the Writing Test Valid — I'm sure it will be commented upon ad nauseam by folks with more... Glenn Reynolds: BREVITY IS THE SOUL OF WIT — but prolixity is the key to a high S.A.T. score: "In the next weeks, Dr. Perelman studied... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Not good at all: "IN March, Les Perelman attended a national college writing conference and sat in on a panel on the new SAT writing test. |
Roger L. Simon: Dashiell Hammett would flunk... And so would I, I'm afraid, if we are to believe this analysis of the scoring model for... Betsy Newmark: This sounds like just what one might have predicted once the SATs added an essay section. Ann Althouse: Taking the new SAT essay test. "SAT graders are told to read an essay just once and spend two to three minutes per essay, and Dr. Perelman is now adept at rapid-fire SAT grading. |
Kerry's expenses: That's the tickets By / Boston Herald — Permalink WASHINGTON - Sen. John F. Kerry tapped campaign funds for Red Sox tickets and to pay nearly $300 in overdue Boston parking tickets in March, records show. Kerry's Senate campaign committee wrote a $287 check to the City of Boston Parking Clerk on March 31, 2005. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: INTERESTING — Can someone with a greater degree of knowledge regarding Senate ethics rules comment on this? James Joyner: Kerry Expenses Red Sox and Parking Tickets to Campaign — Kerry's expenses: That's the tickets (Boston Herald)... Roger L. Simon: After reading about John Kerry's use of campaign funds to pay his parking tickets, I think we should consider sending the Senator to the UN. |
Jay Tea: This morning's Boston Herald reports that the campaign pulled out the checkbook recently and forked over almost $300 for "travel expenses." Jayson @PoliPundit: Self-Parody — John Kerry Heinz used some of his campaign contributions to pay off parking tickets and to purchase tickets to a Red Sox game. |
Military Judge Throws Out England's Plea By / WaPo — Permalink Lynndie England — the soldier who appeared in iconic photographs of inmate abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison — on grounds that her guilty plea was not believable. The surprise mistrial in the high-profile prosecution does not mean the 22-year-old reservist will go free. | |
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Venkat @BeggingToDiffer: The Washington Post sums up one possible reading of the Army Judge's rejection of the plea here: [snipped quote] update:... Jesse Walker: According to The Washington Post, [snipped quote] Details here. |
James Joyner: Judge Rejects Guilty Plea in Iraq Abuse Case — Judge Rejects Guilty Plea in Iraq Abuse Case (WaPo, A1) "An Army judge on Wednesday abruptly ended the court-martial of Pfc. |
Scott McClellan: We'll End 'Background' If You Drop Anonymous Sources By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK Scott McClellan, President Bush's press secretary, said Tuesday evening that he would be glad to end the use of background-only briefings—if White House reporters would stop using anonymous sources in their reporting. | |
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Susan Madrak: BULLS**T — Flounder plays moral equivalence games: [snipped quote] F**king lazy reporters with no backbone... look, the... Taegan Goddard: McClellan Offers Deal to Reporters — In response to press complaints about background briefings, White House Press... Jim Romenesko: Bush rep has a background briefings deal for WH reporters — Editor & Publisher Bush admin press secretary Scott... |
Cookie Jill: slightly hidden attempt to crack down on those saying bad things about awol — [snipped quote] sorry scottyboy...i think... James Joyner: Scott McClellan: We'll End 'Background' If You Drop Anonymous Sources — The White House has a brilliant counter-proposal for the White House press corps. Orrin Judd: WE MEANT YOU, NOT US: Scott McClellan: We'll End Background If You Drop Anonymous Sources (Joe Strupp, May 03, 2005,... |
Abu Ghraib judge declares mistrial CNN — Permalink FORT HOOD, Texas (CNN) — A military judge on Wednesday threw out Army Pfc. Lynndie England's guilty plea in connection with the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, declaring a mistrial after testimony suggested England did not know her actions were wrong. | |
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James Joyner: Abu Ghraib judge declares mistrial (CNN) "A military judge on Wednesday threw out Army Pfc. Riggsveda @Corrente: They Eat Their Own (Part Nth) Update on this earlier post on Lynndie England's guity plea: the military judge who... |
Talking Dog: Lynndie England, who just caught possibly the break of her life, or at least the next eleven years of it, as Army Col... |
Palestinians say won't disarm militants Reuters — Permalink "/ Palestinian Authority reiterated Wednesday it had no intention of disarming militants despite constant Israeli calls for such a move and a recent pledge to crack down on unlicensed weapons. | |
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Captain Ed: Palestinians Refuse To Disarm Terrorists — For those who keep thinking that the Mahmoud Abbas era of Palestinian... Charles Johnson: Law Enforcement, Palestinian Style — Palestinians say they won't disarm militants. |
Marc @USSNeverdock: And today Reuters reports "Palestinians say won't disarm militants". |
Democrats Wasting Their Opportunities By / WaPo — Permalink Democrats in Washington are feeling pretty smug these days, what with President Bush on the ropes on Social Security, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay embroiled in an ethics scandal and the Senate about to be immobilized by a partisan row over judicial nominations. | |
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Donald Luskin: Here's a Pearlstein column telling the Democrats that they'd better come up with something better to say on Social Security than "no." Social Security is a case in point. Orrin Judd: SEINFELD PARTY: Democrats Wasting Their Opportunities (Steven Pearlstein, May 4, 2005, Washington Post) Tim Graham: PEARLSTEIN'S POUNDING — Wow, fairly liberal Washington Post column Steven Pearlstein (appearing in the Business... |
Steve Soto: The Washington Post's Steven Pearlstein writes a thoughtful piece this morning on what he concludes are a set of missed... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Steven Pearlstein does not hold his fire: [snipped quote] Read the rest, and note that Pearlstein seems to be quite... |
Darfur through the eyes of innocents Scotsman — Permalink HOPING to gain a greater understanding of the genocide in Sudan, researchers from the organisation Human Rights Watch travelled to neighbouring Chad in February to speak to refugees who had fled across the border. | |
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John @PowerLine: But the Scotsman reports on what happened when refugee children were given crayons and paper to entertain themselves... Glenn Reynolds: DARFUR UPDATE: Pictures of the genocide there, from children who survived: [snipped quote] It remains a disgrace that so little is being done on this subject. |
Steve Dillard: And be sure not to miss the article Reynolds links to in his post, "Darfur through the eyes of innocents." |
Wikipedia: See 'Information,' 'Amazing,' 'Anarchy' LAT — Permalink Encyclopedias — whether paper (Britannica, for example) or software (Encarta) — are intended to be representations of the scope of human knowledge at the moment of their publication. This idea, of course, has a long history. | |
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Ken Masugi: On the LAT op-ed page, anarchist political theorist Crispin Sartwell hails Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia that anyone may contribute to and is constantly revised. Ace: I Don't Care What the LA Times Says, Wikipedia is Still Weak — A defense of the goofy venture. |
James Joyner: Wikipedia: See 'Information,' 'Amazing,' 'Anarchy' [snipped quote] I must admit that I had my doubts about the project. |
"Real ID" Tacked Onto Military Funding Measure, Bill Would Enact Broad Changes Without Congressional Review ACLU — Permalink WASHINGTON - Congressional conferees have reportedly agreed on an appropriations bill to fund military operations, and attached the controversial Real ID Act to the bill. The Real ID Act will therefore likely be enacted without being scrutinized by any hearings or debate. | |
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Avedon Carol: ACLU says that since it's buried in the military spending bill, it won't get a good look before passage: The Real ID Act... |
Jeralyn Merritt: The ACLU issued this press release today. TChris weighed in earlier today. I urge everyone to read their thoughts. |
Army Withheld Details About Tillman's Death By / WaPo — Permalink The first Army investigator who looked into the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan last year found within days that he was killed by his fellow Rangers in an act of "gross negligence," but Army officials decided not to inform Tillman's family or the public until weeks after a nationally televised memorial service. | |
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Pudentilla: dishonor "army withheld details about tillman's death - investigator quickly learned 'friendly fire' killed athlete -... Cori Dauber: A Bad Business — The Washington Post finds an investigation revealing that within days the Army knew that Pat Tillman... K. J. Lopez: But the military is not new to this business and should know better than to cover up such things, as was evidently done in the case of Pat Tillman. |
James Joyner: Army Withheld Details About Pat Tillman's Death — Army Withheld Details About Tillman's Death (WaPo, A3) "The first... Jeralyn Merritt: Then there's this news about Pat Tillman. Matt Welch: Wouldn't Want to Mess up a Good Funeral — The Washington Post reviewed 2,000 pages of Army investigation into the death... |
The Social Security Trust Fund is Irrelevant (Or How Al Gore Was Right) TCS — Permalink One of the least-noted, but most important, statements about Social Security President Bush made in his April 28 press conference is "by 2041 Social Security will be bankrupt." In so saying, President Bush seems to have caved and moved away from the clarity he so ably demonstrated on April 5. | |
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James Joyner: Let's just once and for all dispense with the fiction that there is a "Social Security Trust Fund." Spoons: Social Security in a Nutshell — TCS: Tech Central Station - The Social Security Trust Fund is Irrelevant (Or How Al Gore Was Right) [snipped quote] Read the whole thing. C. D. Harris: Now There's Something You Don't Hear Every Day — Algore was right. |
Smash: What Trust Fund? DAVID HENDERSON AND CHARLES HOOPER explain why the Social Security trust fund is irrelevant. Glenn Reynolds: SOCIAL SECURITY: David Henderson and Charles Hooper say that Al Gore was right. |
How DailyKos Helped Dems Attack Bolton NRO — Permalink A left-wing website rescues clueless Democrats in the confirmation fight. When Melody Townsel, the Texas woman who claims that U.N.-ambassador nominee John Bolton chased her through a Moscow hotel, throwing things at her and "behaving like a madman,"... | |
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Skippy: far left out spud1's dkos diary was talking about the national review, which mentioned the daily kos, calling it "far left." Daniel Drezner: However, I think NRO's Byron York has come up with an exemplar example of the influence of Daily Kos — with regard to... |
Avedon Carol: On the record — I hadn't realized that Kos was actually responsible for a major story about John Bolton becoming... |
U.S. cities set up their own wireless networks Reuters — Permalink PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A number of U.S. cities are becoming giant wireless "hot spots" where Internet users will be able to log on from the beach or a bus stop, a trend that is triggering a fierce backlash from telecom and cable giants. | |
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Kos @DailyKos: Cities battle telcoms over free wi-fi — Here's a battle worth fighting. [snipped quote] F**king telcos, oh so concerned about municipal budgets. |
Ed Driscoll: City Governments Begin To Offer Their Own Wi-Fi Networks — Reuters has an interesting look at the efforts of some city... |
Judge Throws Out England's Guilty Plea By / AP — Permalink A military judge Wednesday threw out Pfc. Lynndie England's guilty plea to prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, saying that he was not convinced that she knew that her actions were wrong at the time. | |
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Jack Cluth: If this doesn't work, they can always blame it on a lack of hugs as a child — Defense: England Oxygen-Deprived at Birth... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Your Military At Work — Via Cursor: [snipped quote] Charles Graner testified today in Lynndie England's sentencing... |
al-Qaida Suspect Arrested in Pakistan By / AP — Permalink ISLAMABAD, Pakistan May 4, 2005 — Authorities arrested al-Qaida's No. 3 commander, who was a close associate of Osama bin Laden and had a $10 million bounty on his head, and said Wednesday they now were "on the right track" to catch the fugitive terrorist leader. | |
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Acidman: one at a time — These stories just keep coming in the news almost every day. We are winning the War on Terror. |
Michelle Malkin: BAGGED: ABU FARRAJ AL-LIBBI — Pakistan arrested al Qaeda's purported "No. 3" guy, Abu Farraj al-Libbi this week. |
Polls show landslide for Blair Times of London — Permalink Tony Blair is heading for a record third term with a three-figure majority, but potentially the lowest share of the vote for any governing party in modern times, a Populus poll for The Times and three others suggest tonight. | |
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Joseph Britt: So at this writing Blair's Labor Party is expected to win easily, though perhaps not as easily as it did four years ago. |
Jan Haugland: If that were the case, it is interesting to note that the Tory-leaning Times says polls predict a landslide for Tony Blair. |
A Vote in the House WaPo — Permalink WHEN THE HOUSE of Representatives votes on federal taxes or decides solemn questions such as when citizens must go off to war, the District's representative, Eleanor Holmes Norton, has to stand and watch as her Democratic and Republican colleagues decide the fate of her constituents. | |
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Avedon Carol: Items of interest — An editorial in The Washington Post called A Vote in the House, about the fact that DC residents... James Joyner: Giving D.C. A Vote in the House — The Washington Post editorial page advocates giving the District of Columbia "A Vote in the House." |
Kriston @GrammarPolice: Probably moderate heads will prevail among franchise supporters on the hypothesis that it would be asinine for Congress... |
Pakistan catches al Qaeda number three By / Reuters — Permalink ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces, with help from U.S. intelligence, have arrested al Qaeda's third most senior leader after Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahri, Western intelligence sources said on Wednesday. | |
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Cernig: Reuters reports that: Pakistan says Abu Faraj Farj al Liby was the ringleader behind at least two assassination attempts against President Pervez Musharraf in December 2003. |
Paul @Wizbang: Pakistan Gets Another Assist in the GWOT — Well this is good news... Pakistan catches al Qaeda number three ISLAMABAD... |
Air Force to Probe Religious Climate at Colorado Academy By / WaPo — Permalink The Air Force said yesterday it is creating a task force to address the religious climate at the U.S. Air Force Academy, following allegations that its faculty and staff have pressured cadets to convert to evangelical Christianity. | |
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James Joyner: Air Force to Probe Religious Climate at Colorado Academy — A couple weeks ago, the Air Force Academy came under scrutiny for its religious climate. K. J. Lopez: Those evangelicals sound like a vicious lot. Color me skeptical that the Air Force Academy is under an evangelical tyranny. |
Pudentilla: hostage crisis at air force academy — [snipped quote] lt. gen. roger a. brady, who will lead the task/mask force led the... |