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US acknowledges torture at Guantanamo and Iraq, Afghanistan: UN source AFP — Permalink GENEVA (AFP) - Washington has for the first time acknowledged to the United Nations that prisoners have been tortured at US detention centres in Guantanamo Bay, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, a UN source said. | |
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TheAnchoress: Now, (once again via CQ) a UN Source (hmmm…can we say Rockefeller Memo…this report is not supposed to be... David Corn: But Don't Wait for Rove Now that the Bush administration has reportedly conceded that torture occurred at Guatanamo, I... Captain Ed: US Acknowledges Torture, And Prosecution Of Those Committing It — The United States has submitted a report to the... |
Arianna Huffington: 'Shifting from Iraq to the war on terror, on Friday a UN source said that the US has finally acknowledged that prisoners have been tortured at Guantanamo Bay. Damian Penny: AFP says the Americans have admitted mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay to the UN Committee Against Torture. Paul @Wizbang: America, it has been claimed, "Tortured" terrorists. For the record, we still have no idea what constitutes "torture." |
| Also: Barbara O'Brien, John Cole, Andrew Sullivan, Tom Tomorrow | |
Poll Finds Most Oppose Return to Draft By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Most Americans don't want to see the return of the military draft, although men, older Americans and Republicans were most likely to say it's a good idea, an AP-Ipsos poll found. | |
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Digby: When asked about whether they would support a draft, here are a couple of people's answers: "One draft supporter said... Chris Bowers: Conservatives prepared for the Army to fall well behind its recruitment goals Conservatives prepared for 2,421 Iraqi... Jeralyn Merritt: Bush refuses to set a timetable to leave Iraq Most Americans oppose a return to the draft. |
McQ: Stirring the old cold draft pot — AP tells us that most Americans don't want a return to the draft. Well, duh. Avedon Carol: Poll: For years I've been listening to conservatives blame liberals (liberals!) for conscription in the past, but a... Jayson @PoliPundit: Flogging a Liberal Meme to Death — The Associated Press still is ruminating about {gulp} a draft. Okaaaay, then. |
| Also: Dr. Steven Taylor | |
They Can't Take That Away From Me... Unless They Can By / TCS — Permalink By a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that governments may seize your business and even your home in order to facilitate private economic development schemes. It's well settled, of course, that the government can take your property in order to devote the land to some public purpose. | |
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TheAnchoress: Professor Bainbridge says this will and should have repercussions when Bush is ready to name a new SC justice. Glenn Reynolds: PROFESSOR BAINBRIDGE has an article on the Kelo decision in TechCentralStation today. That was fast! John Cole: The Reverse Robin Hood — The Opinion Journal has a screedy piece on the Kelo v. New London decision, and it appears... |
Bigwig: Kelo Decision, perhaps it's time to spend a few bucks and send Justices Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer a copy of Takings. Pejman Yousefzadeh: If only Stephen Bainbridge had a Times column: "After news of Napoleon's victory in the Battle of Austerlitz was... Gerry @DalyThoughts: Borking Kelo — There has been a blogswarm after the Kelo decision was handed down yesterday. |
| Also: Larry Kudlow, Steve Bainbridge | |
The Limits of Property Rights NYT — Permalink The Supreme Court's ruling yesterday that the economically troubled city of New London, Conn., can use its power of eminent domain to spur development was a welcome vindication of cities' ability to act in the public interest. | |
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Matt Welch: Taking the cake (or should I say "razing the house"?) is this nauseating New York Times editorial, which begins thusly:... Avedon Carol: News & Stuff — News analysis: Nathan Newman explains why progressives needn't be upset about the Supreme Court's decision on eminent domain. Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: The New York Times is editorializing in favor of Kelo, but has a huge conflict of interest here as it's engaged in self-serving eminent domain procedures itself. |
Radley Balko: The Elite Left's reaction to Raich and to Kelo has been abominable, and a wholesale selling out of traditional leftist principles. Michelle Malkin: But Will's credibility is not nearly as eroded as that of New York Times liberals, who either have nothing to say about... Captain Ed: In today's editorial, the Paper of Record cheers the Supreme Court decision in the Kelo case yesterday and its attack on... |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh | |
Hardliner Ahamdinejad wins Iran presidential vote By / Reuters — Permalink TEHRAN (Reuters) - Ultra-conservative Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swept to victory in Iran's presidential election on Saturday, an official said, spelling a possible end to fragile social reforms and rapprochement with the West. | |
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Charles Paul Freund: Reuters is reporting that Tehran's "ultra-conservative" mayor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has "swept to victory in Iran's presidential election." Pejman Yousefzadeh: UPDATE: I hate being right: "Ultra-conservative Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swept to victory in Iran's... |
Roger L. Simon: We have a winner in Iran, ladies and gentlemen... And he is... Hardliner Ahamdinejad!... (give the man a round of applause)... Of course Reuters wants us to be alarmed. |
Ashcroft Gone, Justice Statues Disrobe By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — With barely a word about it, workers at the Justice Department Friday removed the blue drapes that have famously covered two scantily clad statues for the past 3 1/2 years. | |
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Richard TPD: Gonzales may be just as much an asshole as his predecessor John Ashcroft, but let's give him credit where it's due: the... John @AmericaBlog: Thank God — Her boobs are back. What will the Concerned Women for America think?! |
Jonah Goldberg: BOOBIEGATE — The famous topless statues at DOJ have been disrobed by the new AG. I certainly have no problem with the decision. |
The War President By / NYT — Permalink In this former imperial capital, every square seems to contain a giant statue of a Habsburg on horseback, posing as a conquering hero. America's founders knew all too well how war appeals to the vanity of rulers and their thirst for glory. | |
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Tom Maguire: Insert Example Here ==>> Pual Krugman leaves a puzzle for us in his latest column - is he strangling a strawman, or can his readers help him back this up? Avedon Carol: Paul Krugman discusses The War President, and the need for accountability. Steve Antler: Check out the track record before you bet... After the productivity slowdown of the 80's continues indefinitely, and... |
Jon Henke: NYTimes Op-Ed Roundup — Scanning the NYtimes Op-Ed Page while I can still do it for free... Paul Krugman, prominent... Barbara O'Brien: Reluctance — Paul Krugman wrote today, "America's founders knew all too well how war appeals to the vanity of rulers and their thirst for glory. |
Italy Judge Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents AP — Permalink ROME (AP) — An Italian judge has ordered the arrest of 13 CIA agents for allegedly helping deport an imam to Egypt as part of U.S. anti-terrorism efforts, an Italian official familiar with the investigation said Friday. | |
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Cernig: Italy Judge Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents For Kidnapping — What do you make of this then? Barbara O'Brien: Via The Heretik: An Italian judge ordered the arrest of 13 CIA agents for kidnapping an imam and "rendering" him to Egypt. John Cole: CIA CYA — Looks like our policy of extraordinary rendition is continuing to make friends and influence people overseas: [snipped quote] Fabulous. |
Michael Froomkin: The US Embassy in Rome [official website] would not comment on the report. AP has more. Jeralyn Merritt: 13 American CIA agents have been ordered arrested for kidnapping Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, known as Abu Omar, in 2003 and sending him to Egypt where he reportedly was tortured. |
Cruise Clashes With Lauer on 'Today' Show AP — Permalink NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Cruise criticized NBC ''Today'' show host Matt Lauer on Friday when Lauer mentioned Cruise's earlier criticism of Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants. Cruise told Lauer he didn't know what he was talking about. ''You don't know the history of psychiatry. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Tom Cruise Keeps Going And Going And Going — Oh, please, Mommy, make Tom Cruise go away...: "Tom Cruise criticized NBC... Brian Stelter: Here's the transcript and the video. Tidbits: > The AP headlines the story "Cruise Clashes With Lauer On 'Today' Show." |
Ann Althouse: You don't even know what Ritalin is. "Did you hear the Matt Lauer "Today Show" interview with Tom Cruise today? Fontana Labs: SUPERDUPER CRUISE UPDATE: dude, he's totally melting: When Lauer mentioned Cruise's earlier criticism of Brooke Shields... |
White House Stands Behind Rove Comments By / AP — Permalink (06-24) 06:48 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) — A White House official said Friday the administration finds it "somewhat puzzling" that Democrats are demanding presidential adviser Karl Rove's apology or resignation for implying that liberals are soft on terrorism. | |
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Ace: Rove's Remarks: It's Just Too Easy — Bush is, of course, standing by Rove's statement. Look, his statement has the unfortunate property of being true. Steve M.: AP story: White House Stands Behind Rove Comments — Comment on this story on the title page of Lucianne.com today: Yo,... |
Jeralyn Merritt: White House Backs Karl Rove's Statement — The White House says Karl Rove was right in bashing liberals over 9/11. Orrin Judd: White House Stands Behind Rove Comments (JIM ABRAMS, 6/24/05, Associated Press) "A White House official said Friday... |
Bush, With Iraqi Premier, Is Firm on No Timetable for Pullout By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 24 - President Bush today shrugged off hints of disagreement on the course of the Iraq campaign, promising Iraqis once again that there would be no timetable for withdrawal of American troops. | |
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Hooman Majd: Then perhaps Democrats should get behind introducing a bill in Congress re-instating the draft now, something that many... Praktike: I don't recall ever seeing a picture like this for a foreign dignitary visiting the White House: It's attached to this Times article. |
Alexander K. McClure: Resolute Leadership — President Bush insists that there will be no schedule for withdrawing American military forces in Iraq. |
Biography of Senator Clinton Has a Few Unexpected Critics By / NYT — Permalink A fast-selling, unflattering biography of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is drawing fire from some prominent conservative commentators, including Peggy Noonan and Bill O'Reilly, surprising both the author and the head of the conservative book imprint that published it. | |
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Brendan Nyhan: At a larger level, Sullivan's attacks on Rove and the critics of Durbin reminds me of the growing number of conservative... Brian Stelter: "Some of the harshest criticisms" of Ed Klein's new book "The Truth About Hillary" "have appeared in the news outlets... Taegan Goddard: Clinton Biography Gets Unexpected Critics — [snipped quote] the New York Times reports. |
Ace: Now the Times tells us that the Klein book has "unexpected" critics, like Bill O'Reilly, Peggy Noonan, and the New York Post's John Podhoertz. Jim Romenesko: Klein taken aback by criticism in conservative news outlets — New York Times Ed Klein and his publisher tell Edward... |
Bush Will Not Set Timetable for Iraq Withdrawal By / WaPo — Permalink President Bush promised the visiting Iraqi prime minister today that he would not set any timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, saying that to do so would hand an advantage to insurgents who could then "wait us out." | |
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Lambert @Corrente: WaPo reads the Republican entrails as follows: "Bush's remarks were a preface to a major prime-time speech he plans to... Chris Andersen: Bush World — Bush: [snipped quote] Who's to blame? The media of course for giving the insurgents what they want! |
Joe @AmericaBlog: Apparently, the new line of attack on the insurgents from the White House is that that they know how to manipulate the... |
The Politics of American Wars NRO — Permalink Islamists have proved adept at winning liberal exemption from criticism. F or all the talk of imperial America, and our frequent "police actions," we are hardly militarists. | |
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Saint l: In contrast with that snake oil, I direct you to Victor Davis Hanson. Charles Johnson: VDH: The Politics of American Wars — This Friday's Victor Davis Hanson column has a spot-on observation about Islamist... |
TheAnchoress: Dems may want to read VDH and these remarksâ …before they make any more demands for "repudiation" of Karl... Hugh Hewitt: But the best analysis comes, as it often has, from Victor Davis Hanson, who writes in part: "As September 11 faded in... |
Iran Votes, Again NRO — Permalink What we're seeing is a power struggle within the tyrannical elite. As I write — midday on Friday the 24th — Iranians are voting, and, as a week ago, anecdotal reports suggest a low turnout. | |
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Roger L. Simon: Anyway, as Brother Ledeen points out, hardly anyone voted... not that that would occur to Reuters. |
K. J. Lopez: IRAN — Ledeen's latest |
Interrogators Cite Doctors' Aid at Guantánamo Prison Camp By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 23 - Military doctors at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have aided interrogators in conducting and refining coercive interrogations of detainees, including providing advice on how to increase stress levels and exploit fears, according to new, detailed accounts given by former interrogators. | |
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Richard Reeb: The latest wave is duly reported in today's NY Times, this time raising questions about whether mental health doctors... Matt Singer: First, Do Some Harm (by Matt Singer) The New York Times is reporting this morning that [snipped quote] So the federal... |
Avedon Carol: Godwin's Law does not apply. Lots of good links from Atrios and Crooks and Liars on the whole Karl Rove thing. |
Damaging 'Deference' By / WaPo — Permalink The country is bracing for a bruising battle over filling a Supreme Court vacancy, a battle in which conservatives will praise "judicial restraint" and "deference" to popularly elected branches of government and liberals will praise judicial activism in defense of individual rights. | |
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Andrew Sullivan: George F. Will, today. Like Will, I favor a judiciary that keeps itself in check. Larry Kudlow: Here's a Kelo roundup: George Will, Glenn Reynolds, Stephen Bainbridge, Charles Fried, and check out this post from... |
McQ: As George Will noted today: [quote] The Framers, who weighed their words, clearly intended the adjective "public" to...[end quote] Scott @PowerLine: The soul of wit — George Will explains yesterday's Kelo decision a bit more concisely than we did last night:... |
A Party Without Ideas By / WaPo — Permalink What has happened to the Democrats over the past few decades is best captured by the phrase (coined by Kevin Phillips) "reactionary liberalism." Spent of new ideas, they have but one remaining idea: to hang on to the status quo at all costs. | |
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Jayson @PoliPundit: Ideas — Dr. Krauthammer writes that the current version of the old Democrat Party is "a party without ideas." Scott @PowerLine: Krauthammer's column today gives some idea why: "A party without ideas." Betsy: Charles Krauthammer makes a nice good point by starting out talking about the Democrats are the party of "reactionary... |
Avedon Carol: Krauthammer the Krackpot castigates the Dems for being A Party Without Ideas, unlike the RNC , with their really... TheAnchoress: There's no problem there, anymore. Speaking of "ideas," Charles Krauthammer says the Democrats are out of them. |
CRUISE 'WAR OF WORLDS' INTERVIEW TURNS INTO SHOWDOWN ON PSYCHIATRY, SCIENTOLOGY Drudge Report — Permalink NBC 'TODAY SHOW' host Matt Lauer was lectured by star Tom Cruise on the dangers of psychiatry and antidepressant during a promotional interview for WAR OF THE WORLDS. The exchange aired Friday morning. | |
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Ed Driscoll: The 800 Pound Clam In The Room — Speaking of The War of the Worlds, Matt Drudge has a transcript of Tom Cruise's interview with Matt Lauer on The Today Show. |
Michele Catalano: Cruise Control — Have you seen the Cruise/Lauer interview? Don't just read the transcript - watch it. |
Democrats Demand Rove Apologize for 9/11 Remarks By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 23 - Leading Democrats reacted furiously on Thursday to remarks by Karl Rove that liberals had responded to the Sept. 11 attacks by wanting to "offer therapy and understanding for our attackers," with some Democrats calling for him to apologize or resign as a White House adviser. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: At least the New York Times included a portion of the Pataki quote, which has now vanished from the original Newsday article. Taegan Goddard: Democrats Slam Rove for Remarks — Leading Democrats "reacted furiously to remarks by Karl Rove that their party had... |
Tom Maguire: UPDATE: The NY Times one day later, on page A16 (roughly); Glenn has lots; Rich Lowry makes us laugh. |
Interview of the Vice President by Wolf Blitzer, CNN White House — Permalink Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building Q Mr. Vice President, I know you're a busy man. Thanks very much for joining us. THE VICE PRESIDENT: It's good to see you again, Wolf. | |
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Arianna Huffington: Yet your Vice President continues to stand by his statement that "the insurgency is in its last throes" [And Tim,... Tom Maguire: In fact, he went on, they greet the guards as liberators. NO, he didn't say that. Darn it. |
Betsy: Dick Cheney on Senator Hagel: Thwap! [snipped quote] Take that Chuck "I'm a maverick just like John McCain" Hagel. |
Rove Was Right about MoveOn NRO — Permalink Just look at the record. Some officials at the internet activist group MoveOn are denying charges made by top White House aide Karl Rove, who said in a speech to a conservative group in New York Wednesday that "In the wake of 9/11, conservatives believed... | |
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Matthew Yglesias: An alternative would be Byron York's approach to the Karl Rove controversy — ignore the actually controversial remarks... |
KLo Back: MY MEMORY — What was that I was saying about Byron's book? Here's Byron on Rove's comments. |
Rumsfeld Under Fire On the Hill By / WaPo — Permalink Worry in Congress about the course of U.S. strategy in Iraq boiled over yesterday into a scalding attack on Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and some of the toughest questioning of the Pentagon leader since the war in Iraq began. | |
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Arianna Huffington: That's right, Tim's guest this week is Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, fresh off his rocky appearance in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Betsy: Bravo to General Abizaid for pointing out how all the negativism in the media and Congress is affecting the soldiers in Iraq. Jayson @PoliPundit: Redundant, Redundant — Didn't we see and hear a whole bunch of these types of media polemics last Winter? |
Michael Signer: I missed his exchange with Ted Kennedy, which from the WaPo account sounds like it was more confrontational and fiery. TheAnchoress: It really is a good and insightful piece. Donald Rumsfeld testified before the Senate yesterday. Jeralyn Merritt: Senate Dresses Down Rumsfeld — Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire. |
US acknowledges torture at Guantanamo; in Iraq, Afghanistan - UN Forbes — Permalink GENEVA (AFX) - Washington has, for the first time, acknowledged to the United Nations that prisoners have been tortured at US detention centres in Guantanamo Bay, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, a UN source said. | |
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Tom Tomorrow: Tom Tomorrow: Hmmm... Make of this what you will: "US acknowledges torture at Guantanamo; in Iraq, Afghanistan - UN... |
Riggsveda @Corrente: Tortured Confession — Thank you. I rest my case. |
The Supreme Court Shortlist Slate — Permalink Anticipation of the resignation of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, which has been building since his cancer treatment began last fall, will climax next week when the Supreme Court's term ends. | |
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Dale Franks: SCOTUS Shortlist — Everyone's favorite web magazine, Slate, has a rundown of the bush Administration's likely judicial... Betsy: Slate has a little cheat sheet for possible Supreme Court nominee. Pick your favorites and place your bets now. |
Phillip Carter: Handicapping the SCOTUS picks — My colleagues at Slate have an outstanding feature up this morning providing thumbnail... |
Iraqi car bombs kill 17, Rumsfeld stands firm By / Reuters — Permalink BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Four car bombs shook Baghdad after dawn on Thursday, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens in the second wave of attacks within hours, police said. Islamist guerrillas claimed responsibility. | |
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Betsy: Check out Wizbang's caption contest. Kevin Aylward: Enter your best caption for the following picture: U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld listens to a question... |
Bill @INDCJournal: Friday Caption Contest rumm.jpg [snipped quote] Submit your entries to Wizbang's contest. |
One Nation, Divisible NYT — Permalink There is a lot of talk about political polarization in Congress. But is it true? Well, yes. Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal, social scientists at the University of Houston and Princeton, respectively, used systematic measures of liberalism and conservatism built around government intervention in the economy to chart roll-call votes in Congress. | |
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Jeff Jarvis: It shows that the number of moderates in Congress — not in the nation, mind you, but in Congress — has greatly reduced... |
John Cole: Polarization — Norm Ornstein visits a topic we discussed yesterday, that of the polarization of the House: [snipped quote] There is also a cool chart. |
Ebert the star attraction in Hollywood ceremony By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink HOLLYWOOD — For four decades, Roger Ebert's reviews have turned countless actors and filmmakers into stars. On Thursday, Hollywood returned the favor — dedicating the 2,288th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to the Chicago Sun-Times' legendary film critic. | |
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Kevin Roderick: • Roger Ebert became the first film critic to get his name enshrined on a filthy Hollywood sidewalk. Jim Romenesko: Critic Ebert honored with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame — Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert's star is the first ever given to a critic. |
Roger Ailes: A Booty Call Mind — Roger Ebert seems like a nice enough guy, but come on: [snipped quote] A day seems like an awful long turn-around time. |
Hustling on K Street By / LAT — Permalink Under the Republicans, it's all for sale. When faced with evidence of corruption and sleaze by such Republican stalwarts as Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay, conservatives have responded in three ways. The first is to deny the accusations altogether. | |
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Kevin Drum: As he says, the Bush administration's war against science isn't so much an effort to argue that scientific research is... |
Matthew Yglesias: It's more like they want to sell off pork and regulatory favors to the highest bidder or best golfer. |
Lawmakers Take Shots at Pentagon By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — The men directing the war in Iraq told testy and nervous congressional panels Thursday that the sophisticated insurgency had not declined in strength but asserted that U.S. troops were making steady progress and victory was certain. | |
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Betsy: UPDATE: I note that the LA Times has the same question by Joe Lieberman about declining support for the war but neglects to include Abizaid's powerful answer. |
K. J. Lopez: I'm talking about the LATIMES piece on the Rumsfeld hearing yesterday. |
Fighting Chance By / TNR — Permalink In Cairo this week, Condoleezza Rice announced that the United States would no longer pursue Middle East stability at the expense of Middle East democracy; and in faraway Washington and New York, pundits cheered. | |
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Praktike: And, as Joseph Braude relays, the state-run press made sure to both distort and discredit Condi's speech. |
Donald Sensing: Condi ticks Egyptians — From Joseph Braude at TNR: "Fighting Chance: The Egyptian media responded badly to Rice's speech. |
A Paradox of Interest By / American Enterprise Institute — Permalink The increasing attention paid to growing U.S. current account deficits has bred nightmare scenarios of a sharp decline in the foreign-exchange value of the dollar and rising U.S. interest rates. Financial markets, by contrast, appear more sanguine. | |
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PGL: Glenn Hubbard on the Global Savings Glut — Dr. Hubbard dismisses the Keynesian paradox of thrift argument and focuses... |
Tyler Cowen: Here is the full argument. |
Justices Uphold Taking Property for Development By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 23 - The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, in one of its most closely watched property rights cases in years, that fostering economic development is an appropriate use of the government's power of eminent domain. | |
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Ann Althouse: As described by Linda Greenhouse in the NYT: it was "a large-scale plan to replace a faded residential neighborhood with... |
Sadly, No!: Friday Open Thread: The New London Ruling — Personally, I think this sucks |
W.House rejects apology for Rove's Sept. 11 remarks By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats demanded an apology from top White House adviser Karl Rove on Thursday for saying liberals responded weakly to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a request quickly rejected by the White House. | |
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Heather Hurlburt: '06 & '08: No Illusions — Just in case you weren't absolutely sure how the GOP will campaign when its president and its... |
Michael Signer: All of which made me reflect further on what was underlying Rove's disastrous comments before the New York Conservative Party. |
George turns it on at the South Shields love-in By / Guardian — Permalink In between an appearance at a US Senate committee and a two-night slot at the Glastonbury Festival, George Galloway began his world speaking tour in South Shields last night. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: George takes it on the road — The Guardian reviews opening night in South Shields. From the description, though, it seems the show could use more pizazz. |
Norm Geras: Big boy — The boy is strutting, like he's a big boy, and the audience loves it, apparently; all but one of them, whom... |
Moderate Greene a surprise hopeful Arizona Republic — Permalink Let the jockeying begin. The race to replace Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano is officially on, although with a candidate few people had expected to run. Former State Senate President John Greene jumped into the 2006 governor's race Thursday, a Republican who is the first GOP candidate to make news by not taking his name out of the running. | |
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Gerry @DalyThoughts: Ex-GOP president of Arizona Senate in governor's race — The Arizona Republic: "Let the jockeying begin. |
Taegan Goddard: Arizona Republicans Get Gubernatorial Candidate — Republicans finally have a candidate to run against Arizona Gov... |
Africa rejects action on Zimbabwe BBC — Permalink The African Union has rejected calls from the UK and the US to put pressure on Zimbabwe to stop its demolition of illegal houses and market stalls. An AU spokesman told the BBC that it had many more serious problems to consider than Zimbabwe. | |
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Marc @USSNeverdock: UPDATE One of the groups called on to take action, the African Union, has already rejected that idea. Charles Bird: The BBC: [snipped quote] If the African Union cannot see the goodness and rightness of standing up to democide, then... |
Betsy: The African Union, showing its true colors, refuses to take any action concerning Mugabe and Zimbabwe. |
Interrogators Cite Doctors' Aid at Guantánamo By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 23 - Military doctors at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have aided interrogators in conducting and refining coercive interrogations of detainees, including providing advice on how to increase stress levels and exploit fears, according to new, detailed accounts given by former interrogators. | |
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Daniel Koffler: First, Do No Harm — I think it's fair to say that the doctors at Guantanamo Bay were not taught to do this in med... Riggsveda @Corrente: When the Red Cross finally got past the 3-headed guardian at the gate last year, they had much the same story to tell as... Jeralyn Merritt: Report of Doctors' Participating in Detainee Abuse — The New York Times has an article today about a New England... |
Erica Jong: . . But never in my three years as a medical officer's wife did I hear of trained specialists assisting torturers. Arthur Silber: P.S. The NYT article about these new developments. Pudentilla: first of all, do no harm — [snipped quote] we've long since given up hope that the folks who have set up the torture... |
Bush's Calling Commentary — Permalink Among all the things that liberals loathe about George W. Bush, his religious fervor would seem to be at or near the top of the list. Some consider him a mere pretender, or a hypocrite, lashing out at his post-9/11 persona as a world-transforming warrior with bumper-sticker barbs like "Who would Jesus bomb?" | |
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Scott @PowerLine: Among them is one by Wilfred McClay: "Bush's calling." The liberals' hatred of President Bush is, as the Freudians say, overdetermined. |
TheAnchoress: William McClay writes an interesting and thoughtful piece, in Commentary, on Bush's faith and how it drives the opposition to distraction. |
Black voter suppression? No. Exploitation? Yes By / Townhall.com — Permalink Based on Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004, it is incontrovertible that Democrats will not be deterred by the evidence from promoting the incendiary propaganda that Republicans engage in systematic intimidation and suppression of black voters. | |
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Michelle Malkin: VOTER FRAUD, FAKE AND REAL — Can the New York Times—yes, the New York Times—make this any clearer to the Democratic... |
Betsy: This is so true. [snipped quote] If the facts don't support your allegations just mutter about the appearance of impropriety. |
U.S. General Sees No Ebb in Fight NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 23 - The top American commander for the Middle East said Thursday that the insurgency in Iraq had not diminished, seeming to contradict statements by Vice President Dick Cheney in recent days that the insurgents were in their "last throes." | |
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Arianna Huffington: Here are just some of the many, many questions I'd like to hear Russert put to Rumsfeld: "Mr. Secretary, during your... James Joyner: U.S. General Sees No Ebb in Fight (NYT June 24 | RSS) "The top American commander for the Middle East said Thursday... Pudentilla: death throes — [snipped quote] we knew that the dark lord was a mendacious bag of excrement, but it's nice to see that the generals in the pentagon think so too. |
Cori Dauber: The Frame Has Gelled — What matters from yesterday's Senate hearing is not that the Generals present agreed with the... Taegan Goddard: General Contradicts Cheney's Assessment — The top American commander for the Middle East said "that the insurgency in... |
Democrats Say Rove Should Apologize or Resign By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Democrats said Thursday that White House adviser Karl Rove should either apologize or resign for accusing liberals of wanting "therapy and understanding" for the Sept. 11 attackers, escalating partisan rancor that threatens to consume Washington. | |
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La Shawn Barber: Should Karl Rove Apologize? Of course not. Apologize for what? Telling the truth? Only a backward-thinking fool could come up with something that hare-brained. |
Jack Cluth: Another DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener — Rove Criticizes Liberals on 9/11 Democrats to Rove: Apologize or Resign Democrats Say... |
Funds for Health Care of Veterans $1 Billion Short By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration, already accused by veterans groups of seeking inadequate funds for health care next year, acknowledged yesterday that it is short $1 billion for covering current needs at the Department of Veterans Affairs this year. | |
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Steve M.: The Bush administration hates the troops and lies about it: Funds for Health Care of Veterans $1 Billion Short The Bush... |
Pudentilla: what? you expected an adminstration of chickenhawks not to screw the vets? |
Unreal for 30 Days By / Opinion Journal — Permalink Morgan Spurlock got famous from his Oscar-nominated documentary "Super Size Me." He ingested big McDonald's meals three times a day for 30 days, then blamed McDonald's for his bloated body and dodgy health. | |
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S.Z.: So, let's move on to Debbie's latest triumph, a piece in the Wall Street Journal. |
Michelle Malkin: Debbie Schlussel, who was asked to appear on the show, says the outcome of the show was decided before production began:... |
Democrats Call for Rove to Apologize By / WaPo — Permalink Democratic leaders angrily demanded a retraction from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove yesterday after President Bush's top political strategist accused liberals of responding with restraint and timidity to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but White House and Republican officials rallied to his defense and rebuffed calls for an apology. | |
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Billmon: If Rove really believes what he said — and we've had absolutely no indication from the GOP politburo that he didn't —... Hugh Hewitt: Karl Rove makes a valid assertion about the behavior of liberals, backed by evidence, and the fake outrage of those... Smash: The Apology Cycle — KARL ROVE insulted "liberals" the other day. |
Garance Franke-Ruta: And I do mean dribble: The first release the group send out yesterday said nothing about all of this; then Pariser made... Tim Graham: WASHPOST FRONTS ROVE — The Washington Post puts the Karl Rove "controversy" on the front page today. That's funny. Kevin Drum: UPDATE: RNC chair Ken Mehlman offered the bizarrely feeble excuse that "Karl didn't say the Democratic Party. He said liberals." |
| Also: Scott @PowerLine, Eugene Oregon, David Allan Pell, Joe @AmericaBlog | |
We Are All French Now? By / NYT — Permalink Ah, those French. How silly can they be? The European Union wants to consolidate its integration and France, trying to protect its own 35-hour workweek and other welfare benefits, rejects the E.U. constitution. What a bunch of antiglobalist Gaullist Luddites! | |
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Jon Henke: Meanwhile, since Krugman left the Economics beat around the time the campaign ended and the bad news started to run out,... Orrin Judd: HOW DO YOU TELL A DEMOCRAT FROM A FRENCHMAN? : We Are All French Now? |
Attaturk: Today's column manages to pretty much bash the French (for being pretty damn smart if you look at what is being mocked)... |
Another Year of Living Misery in Baghdad WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD, June 23 — In the streets of Baghdad, people wondered Thursday what else could possibly go wrong. In Karrada, a commercial district across the Tigris River from the city's fortified Green Zone, wreckage was still smoldering hours after four car bombs exploded shortly after dawn, killing 17 people and wounding 20. | |
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Cori Dauber: We're told a particular story covers Iraq, the situation in Iraq, the war in Iraq, when in fact it's a description of what's happening in Baghdad. Pudentilla: "another year of living misery in baghdad - baghdad, june 23 — in the streets of baghdad, people wondered thursday what else could possibly go wrong. |
Juan Cole: Andy Mosher and Bassam Sebti with Naseer Nouri draw the curtain back on the real Baghdad, a Mad Max scene of... |
Bauer: Major TV Networks Boycotted "Hospital Bomber" Story Arutz Sheva — Permalink Despite the IDF's distribution of a video of the Arab suicide bomber who intended to blow up a hospital, nearly all foreign news agencies chose to boycott the story almost totally. | |
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TheAnchoress: Gary Bauer pointed out that the MSM boycotted the hospital bomber story. Hatewatch: Aside from getting little or no coverage in the media, this incident highlights three important points that the media... |
James Joyner: Bauer: Major TV Networks Boycotted "Hospital Bomber" Story (Israel National News) [snipped quote] This is quite bizarre... |
Unlikely Allies Map Future WaPo — Permalink They are unlikely allies — an athletic, down-home Texan who once owned a baseball team and a soft-spoken Iraqi family doctor who spent almost a decade of exile in Iran. George Bush, a born-again Christian, envisioned a secular new Iraq. | |
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Praktike: That seems like one way to interpret this: "We strongly prefer an increase in quality of Iraqi forces, increase in... |
Juan Cole: Jaafari in Washington — Weeping Madman in Sweltering Baghdad Robin Wright and Jim VandeHei of the Washington Post profile the meeting of Ibrahim Jaafari with George W. Bush. |
RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman Statement on the Democrat Attacks of Karl Rove U.S. Newswire — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 23 /U.S. Newswire/ — "It's outrageous that the same Democrats who stood by Dick Durbin's libeling of our military are now expressing faux outrage over Karl Rove's statement of historical fact. | |
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Rickheller @Centerfield: In talking points released by the RNC, Ken Mehlman shifts the critique to the "hard left," which is in fact accurate,... Cernig: Update 24th June Should you wish to see what the rightwing echo chamber wants to say about this, save some time surfing... |
Barbara O'Brien: [quote]The RNC put out talking points today about how the Democrats "blamed America" for September 11.[end quote] |
U.S. doctors linked to POW 'torture' Toronto Star — Permalink Medical records compiled by doctors caring for prisoners at the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay are being tapped to design more effective interrogation techniques, says an explosive new report. | |
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John Cole: A policy that doesn't throw our military physicians into an ethical breach (h/t Crooks and Liars). |
John @AmericaBlog: Doctors medical records of Gitmo prisoners being turned over to military and CIA to devise better interrogation techniques — Using doctors to aid torture. |
Dems Say Rove Should Apologize or Resign By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - White House adviser Karl Rove should either apologize or resign for saying liberals responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes by wanting to "prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers," Democrats said Thursday. | |
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Digby: Update:And here's the in-depth analysis we can expect the gasbags to set forth this week-end, via John Moltz: "Rove's... Tom Maguire: Reaction at Memeorandum here and here; NY Times and AP coverage of speech; Dems Say Rove Should Apologize or Resign from the AP. David Sirota: A Note to the Chickenhawks: Enlist, or Shut Up — There are a lot of pathetic political hacks running around these days... |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Senator Reid called on Rove to apologize or resign, Senator Clinton found the remarks insulting, Howard Dean divisive... Patrick Ruffini: Shifting the Goalposts on 9/11 — Call me crazy, but if you're trying to convince people that you're strong, moaning and... Michelle Malkin: Stay tuned... *** Update: ::rolling eyes:: "Rove must resign." Update II: 425pm. |
| Also: Gateway Pundit, Garance Franke-Ruta, Kevin Drum, Norbizness, Barbara O'Brien, Baldilocks, John Hawkins, Lorie Byrd, Dale Franks, Lindsay Beyerstein, John @PowerLine, Josh Marshall, Avedon Carol, Chris Andersen, K. J. Lopez, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, Orrin Judd | |
Rove Criticizes Liberals on 9/11 By / NYT — Permalink Karl Rove came to the heart of Manhattan last night to rhapsodize about the decline of liberalism in politics, saying Democrats responded weakly to Sept. 11 and had placed American troops in greater danger by criticizing their actions. | |
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Rickheller @Centerfield: Rove's Remarks — After controversial remarks by Democrats Howard Dean and Dick Durbin, now there's controversy over... Arthur Chrenkoff: Among other things, Rove had this to say: "Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war;... Jason Van Steenwyk: The genius of Karl Rove — Once again, Karl Rove has tied the Democrats in knots. With their own rope. |
New Donkey: Tips From the Coach — Having spent much of yesterday morning in Constitution Hall watching the happy and inspiring... Michael J. Totten: Look at Karl Rove's latest outburst. LeanLeft: Filed under: Politics Iraq Terrorism — Kevin Karl Rove thinks liberals like me want to see soldiers like my little... |
| Also: Joe Gandelman, Barbara O'Brien, Norbizness, Cernig, Baldilocks, Blackfive, Richard TPD, Betsy, Paul @Wizbang, Captain Ed, Echidne, Kevin Drum, Von @ObsidianWings, Garance Franke-Ruta, Michelle Malkin, Josh Marshall, Avedon Carol, Scott Sala, Chris Andersen, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, Riggsveda @Corrente, Jeralyn Merritt | |
High court OKs personal property seizures AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — -- The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses — even against their will — for private economic development. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Don't the righties know that seizures such as those challenged by Kelo v. the City of New London made it possible for George W. Bush to be in the White House today? Steve Verdon: Today is the day that the Supreme Court has seriously undermined the institution of property rights in this country. Steve Bainbridge: The Government Won Kelo — From CNN: "The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people's... |
John @PowerLine: Your Property Will Be Better Off In My Hands — There is a lot of blogosphere buzz about the Supreme Court's Kelo... C. D. Harris: Life, Liberty, And Property — [snipped quote] Disagreeing with both of the above, the US SupCt ruled today that local... Bill @INDCJournal: The Supreme Court's decision against property rights: Whether you're conservative or libertarian (or liberal with a... |
| Also: Jeff Goldstein, James Joyner, Michelle Malkin, John Hawkins, Donald Sensing, Jack Grant, Glenn Reynolds, David Sirota, DJ Drummond, Roger Ailes, Tyler Cowen, Feddie @SouthernAppeal | |
National Security Watch: Eurolefties fund Iraq insurgency By / US News — Permalink Who's funding the insurgents in Iraq? The list of suspects is long: ex-Baathists, foreign jihadists, and angry Sunnis, to name a few. Now add to that roster hard-core Euroleftists. | |
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Captain Ed: David Kaplan discovers that "liberal" Europe has a network of donors stuffing spare euros into Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's... TheAnchoress: Oh, and who is funding the Iraqi insurgents? Well, US News and world report says it's being funded by Eurolefties. Jeff Goldstein: "National Security Watch: Eurolefties fund Iraq insurgency" — From USNews' David Kaplan: [snipped quote] In the US, we... |
McQ: Well, according to the US News and World Report, leftist Europeans: "Turns out that far-left groups in western Europe... Roger L. Simon: UPDATE: To give an idea what Fallaci is up against, see this report on who is bank-rolling the fascist forces in Iraq. (hat tip: Our Correspondent on the Senate Floor) Betsy: US News has the story about how far leftist groups in Europe are contributing money to the terrorists in Iraq. |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, K. J. Lopez, Will Collier | |
Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Cities may bulldoze people's homes to make way for shopping malls or other private development, a divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday, giving local governments broad power to seize private property to generate tax revenue. | |
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Mitch Berg: The five liberal members of the Supreme Court gang-raped property rights yesterday: "Justice John Paul Stevens, writing... Michelle Malkin: YOUR HOME IS NOT YOUR CASTLE — The Supreme Court's decision in the New London eminent domain case is in, and it's a... Acidman: piss poor decision — I totally disagree with the Supreme Court's decision that government can steal your property for... |
Randall Parker: US Supreme Court Rewrites 5th Amendment And Reduces Property Rights — In the matter of Susette Kelo, et al. v. City of... Julian Sanchez: What's Yours is Mine — The Supreme Court has rendered its verdict in Kelo v. New London, and the widely-expected result has come to pass: a 5-4 loss for property rights. John @AmericaBlog: We simply didn't have time to cover it, so I'm hoping you guys can get into the details in this thread. Read more here |
| Also: Orin Kerr, Radley Balko, Smash, H.D. Miller, Jeralyn Merritt | |
Iraq violence shifting Arab media By / BBC — Permalink The latest bombings and bloodshed in Baghdad have meant that violence in Iraq has once again been dominating the bulletins on Arab satellite television stations. The fact that Iraqi civilians are the main victims of the attacks is increasingly being stressed in reports, interviews and comments. | |
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TheAnchoress: This is almost surreal. In Iraq, the press is beginning to turn against the insurgents. Cori Dauber: Don't see it yourself? You must not be watching the right networks. James Joyner: Arab Media Angered by Iraqi Insurgent Violence — Iraq violence shifting Arab media (BBC) [snipped quote] If only BBC and the New York Times would follow suit! |
Jan Haugland: Arab media turning against the terrorists — As the anti-Iraqi forces are killing more and more civilians, the Arab... Marc @USSNeverdock: Everyday it seems there is more and more bad news for the left and good news for the right. Jeff Jarvis: The victims have no problem calling them terrorists : The BBC — which just went out of its way to call "terrorist" a... |
| Also: Pejman Yousefzadeh, Glenn Reynolds, Betsy, Jonah Goldberg | |
Prophet of Decline By / Opinion Journal — Permalink NEW YORK—Oriana Fallaci faces jail. In her mid-70s, stricken with a cancer that, for the moment, permits only the consumption of liquids—so yes, we drank champagne in the course of a three-hour interview—one of the most renowned journalists of the modern... | |
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Charles Johnson: Fallaci: Citizen of the World — Oriana Fallaci is interviewed in today's OpinionJournal by Tunku Varadarajan: Citizen of the World. Jan Haugland: Tunku Varadarajan interviews Oriana Fallaci, who is not apologetic about her statements, but very pessimistic about the future of Europe. Hugh Hewitt: Don't miss Tunku Varadarajan's account of Oriana Fallaci's indictment for vilification of Islam. |
Steve Bainbridge: Today's Must Read — OpinionJournal.com's interview with Oriana Fallaci is today's must read. Roger L. Simon: The West Hates Itself — In a must read interview in today's WSJ, my heroine Oriana Fallaci speaks of her hero the new... Harry @HarrysPlace: If you haven't read her books (and I'm not recommending you should) there is a taste of her views in a sycophantic... |
| Also: Betsy, Dale Franks, TheAnchoress, Orrin Judd, A.M. Mora y Leon, Stefan Beck, Scott @PowerLine, Michael DeBow, Glenn Reynolds | |
Rumsfeld rejects notion Iraq war is a 'quagmire' By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday rejected a senator's assertion the Iraq war had become a quagmire, but warned Iraq's government not to delay political developments such as drafting a constitution. | |
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Arianna Huffington: "You claim that you have twice submitted your resignation to President Bush. If you were the president, would you have accepted it?" Cori Dauber: Update: Note the very different frame used (surprisingly) by Reuters, and the very different impression it leaves. Gregory Djerejian: "A Lifeline to Terrorists" — From the WaPo: [quote] Of a [Iraq withdrawal] deadline, Rumsfeld testified: "It would throw a...[end quote] |
Rogers Cadenhead: The vice president tells Americans we'd be more confident in the war if we looked up throes in the dictionary. Lorie Byrd: UPDATE: The following is part of the exchange that was shown on Special Report: [quote] "This war has been consistently and...[end quote] Jayson @PoliPundit: Living in the Past — Here's a gem from Whiskey Ted Kennedy and Reuters: [snipped quote] And the scary and surreal part??? |
| Also: Judd @ThinkProgress | |
Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes By / WaPo — Permalink The Supreme Court today effectively expanded the right of local governments to seize private property under eminent domain, ruling that people's homes and businesses — even those not considered blighted — can be taken against their will for private development if the seizure serves a broadly defined "public use." | |
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Charles Bird: The Washington Post: "The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that local governments may force property owners to sell out... TheAnchoress: SCOTUS: Your local gov't knows what's best for you The Supreme Court has sided with developers over private homeowners. Captain Ed: We're From The Government — We're Here To Move You — The Supreme Court has ruled that cities can seize property under... |
James Joyner: Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes for Private Use — Supreme Court Rules Cities May Seize Homes (WaPo) "The... Will Collier: Bad News — A horrible, horrible Supreme Court ruling today on eminent domain powers. |
McCain Would Trounce Hillary in '08 Match-up, 54%-35% Zogby — Permalink Arizona Senator John McCain would overwhelmingly defeat New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a theoretical 2008 presidential match-up, a new Zogby America poll reveals. | |
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Steve Soto: On the economy: Bush approval: 37% Disapproval: 59% Zogby, for his part, is showing that Bush's approval rating is down to 44%, it's lowest ever in that poll. Gerry @DalyThoughts: Buzz Blurbs — Via Eric Pfeiffer comes a new Zogby poll: [snipped quote] Pfeiffer also notes, [snipped quote] I note that... Taegan Goddard: McCain Trounces Clinton in Potential Matchup — Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) would "overwhelmingly defeat" Sen. Hillary... |
James Joyner: Zogby: John McCain Would Trounce Hillary Clinton — McCain Would Trounce Hillary in '08 Match-up (Zogby International)... Joshua Claybourn: So you can understand why I must note that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) would "overwhelmingly defeat" Sen. Hillary Clinton... Attaturk: An incredibly unpopular and increasingly loathed President, but not loathed enough — "President Bush's approval rating has plummeted to 44%—the lowest numbers of his presidency." |
| Also: Orrin Judd, Alexander K. McClure | |
Democrats Demand Retraction From Rove By / AP — Permalink (06-23) 07:52 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are demanding that White House adviser Karl Rove immediately retract and apologize for comments that liberals responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes by wanting to "prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." | |
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TheAnchoress: Alrighty then…having established that Rove's remarks were not based on fantasy but in reality…what exactly are the Democrats crying about? Michelle Malkin: Right. On. Democrats are now calling on Rove to apologize. Apologize? For what? Betsy: Some Democrats have their panties in a knot about Karl Rove's comments comparing how liberals and conservatives reacted to 9/11. |
Paul @Wizbang: "Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11... Damian Penny: Update: now Democrats are crying foul about comments by Karl Rove: Democrats are demanding that White House adviser Karl... |
Groups Call for Action Against Zimbabwe By / AP — Permalink JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) - Rights groups showed a smuggled video Thursday of hundreds of thousands of poor Zimbabweans living in the open in the winter cold after the government tore down their homes in what it describes as an urban renewal project. | |
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Marc @USSNeverdock: The Guardian reports that human rights groups, like Amnesty International are calling for action to be taken against Mugabe's genocide. Glenn Reynolds: TAPPED calls it an "illiberal ruling" and observes: "Loose interpretations of a government's right of eminent domain is the sort of thing we expect in Harare — not New London." |
Mark Leon Goldberg: Loose interpretations of a government's right of eminent domain is the sort of thing we expect in Harare — not New London. |
Why the Rebels Will Lose By / LAT — Permalink No wonder public support for the war is plummeting and finger-to-the-wind politicians are heading for the exits: All the headlines out of Iraq recently have been about the rebels' reign of terror. But, lest we build up the enemy into 10-foot-tall supermen, it's important to realize how weak they actually are. | |
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Norm Geras: Here's another Max, wearing his own particular Boot - explaining why he thinks the rebels will lose: "[P]acifying Iraq... John Hawkins: Excerpt Of The Day: The Weakness Of The Iraqi Terrorists & Staying The Course In Iraq — [snipped quote] The terrorists... John Cole: The Optimist's Opine — Max Boot in the LA Times (Bug Me Not): [snipped quote] I hope he is right, and read the whole thing. |
Cori Dauber: A Long, Hard Slog — An important piece from Max Boot, counseling patience, via Memeorandum. McQ: Failing Insurgency 101 — Max Boot takes us through the reasons the insurgency in Iraq is bound to fail: "The rebels lack a unifying organization, ideology and leader. Andrew Sullivan: STAYING THE COURSE: Two great columns today from David Brooks and Max Boot. I second both. |
| Also: Kevin Drum | |
Poll: In wake of Iraq war, allies prefer China to U.S. AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States' image is so tattered overseas two years after the Iraq invasion that communist China is viewed more favorably than the U.S. in many long-time Western European allies, an international poll has found. | |
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James Joyner: Poll: In wake of Iraq war, allies prefer China to U.S. Marc @USSNeverdock: America - World Prefers China Over Us — That's according to a recent poll. I don't blame them. |
Chris @AmericaBlog: US image problems continue — Even the UK has a more positive view of China than the US, 65% to 55% and in France, Spain... Richard TPD: China more popular among our allies than the US — It could only happen under the compassionate reign of Commander Codpiece. |
Homes may be 'taken' for private projects AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses — even against their will — for private economic development. | |
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Kehaar: Kelo vs. New London — Earlier this week, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill that would amend the constitution to protect the American flag from desecration. Smash: Would this be a legitimate exercise of "eminent domain" under Kelo? [snipped quote] Does anybody else have visions of Phnom Penh circa 1975? |
Mark Leon Goldberg: It's hard to argue against John Paul Stevens, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer, but their ruling in Kelo v. New London is horrible. Todd Pearson: Today, Homes may be 'taken' for private projects Kennedy was the swing vote (again). |
US Supreme Court Rules on Property Seizures By / Voice of America — Permalink The U.S. Supreme Court issued a major ruling Thursday on the power of the government to seize private property for economic development projects. A sharply divided high court ruled by a vote of five to four that local governments do have the right to... | |
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Nathan Newman: As the lawyer for the city in the case argued: [snipped quote] Don't make a mistake here. |
Atrios: Kelo v. New London - A (Slight) Contrarian take — Yes, this is a bad decision, but we must think of what the alternative might have been. |
Democrats: Rove should apologize or resign AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — White House adviser Karl Rove should either apologize or resign for saying liberals responded to the September 11 terrorist strikes by wanting to "prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers," Democrats said Thursday. | |
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Arianna Huffington: Rove's Rose Garden mea culpa came a week after the man known as Bush's Brain gave a speech to the Conservative Party of... Jerry and Joe Long: Then it was on to a fund-raiser for the Conservative Party of New York State, where Karl summed up thusly - "Let me just... |
Bill Diamond: Bill Diamond: Mea Culpa — In light of Karl Rove's comments Wednesday evening regarding the response of Democrats to... |
After 'Idol,' Sinatra Loyalist Is Swingin' Nice and Easy By / NYT — Permalink John Stevens, the 17-year-old former "American Idol" finalist and worshiper of Frank Sinatra, has the moist, slightly dazed quality of a newly hatched baby chick taking its first wobbly steps into the world. | |
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TheAnchoress: Finally, that red-headed kid from American Idol who crooned the standards is playing at Feinstein's in NY. |
Ann Althouse: Here's the New York Times review: [snipped quote] Aw. |
ANATOMY OF A POLITICAL FIRESTORM By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink WASHINGTON — It was the last speech of the day to a virtually empty Senate chamber. At 7:19 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, Sen. Dick Durbin left the floor after delivering an impassioned talk expressing deep misgivings about the way prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba were being treated. | |
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Blackfive: Chicago Tribune on Dick Durbin Comments — Read this Trib article and see if you think that the Trib gets it right... Taegan Goddard: Anatomy of a Political Firestorm — The Chicago Tribune notes that what Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) "encountered over the... PoliPundit: The Durbin Saga — Dick Durbin's outrageous commens about our military would have been suppressed, but for the New... |
Baldilocks: Confessions — From the Chicago Tribune: [snipped quote] Okay, Peter, you caught me. My anger at Senator Durbin's remarks was fake. Michelle Malkin: DURBIN WATCH: AUTOPSY REPORTS — The Chicago Tribune's Jill Zuckman pokes at the entrails. |
The Durbin Effect By / Weekly Standard — Permalink ON MONDAY, it was argued here that Senator Richard Durbin ought to be censured for his remarks last week, and not just those in which he made the outrageous comparison between interrogation tactics at Guantanamo and the practices of the Nazi, Soviet, and Khmer Rouge regime. | |
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TheAnchoress: Hugh Hewitt warns that Dick Durbins non-apology is setting up the Dems to display major rottenness toward our troops. La Shawn Barber: Pitiful. Update: More on slander and the Durbin Effect. Michelle Malkin: Hugh Hewitt analyzes The Durbin Effect: [snipped quote] True that. Kevin at MediaSlander has the latest example. |
Hugh Hewitt: "The Durbin Effect" is my WeeklyStandard.com column this morning, on the continuing effort by senior Democrats in Congress to smear the American military. Scott @PowerLine: But you might be able to learn something from his Daily Standard column this morning: "The Durbin effect." |
Justices, 5-4, Back Seizure of Property for Development AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights. | |
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John Cole: Property Rights- A Quaint Idea — This is a terrible ruling: "A divided Supreme Court ruled that local governments may... Nathan Newman: More Supremes Doing Nothing — The Supreme Court once again did its job by doing nothing, upholding a local eminent domain action in New London, CT. |
Don: A Supreme Court decision today, with all the liberals voting in favor, has cleared the way for government to condemn... Forkum: Property Wrongs — From The New York Times: Justices, 5-4, Back Seizure of Property for Development. |
Rumsfeld Brushes Aside Call for Resignation Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — Tense exchanges percolated throughout Capitol Hill Thursday as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (search) fended off calls for his resignation, rejected calls for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq and urged patience in the face of continued terror attacks there. | |
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Lorie Byrd: The Kennedy-Rumsfeld Showdown — If the Karl Rove story had not consumed so much blog attention yesterday, I think the... Jeff Goldstein: Ted Kennedy reasserts his love for America and for its troops by calling their efforts a miserable failure — Dissent... |
Cori Dauber: Interesting, by the way, that Fox shows the Generals and Rumsfeld pushing back (and pushing back hard) against Kennedy's contention that the war is a quagmire. |
Breakthrough Study at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Finds Adult Stem Cells Show Same Ability to Self-Renew as Embryonic PRNewsWire — Permalink PITTSBURGH, June 23 /PRNewswire/ — In a ground-breaking study, scientists at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh have discovered that adult, or post- natal, stem cells have the same ability as embryonic stem cells to multiply, a previously unknown characteristic indicating that post-natal stem cells may play an important therapeutic role. | |
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Betsy: I wonder if these results will get as much attention as every little criticism of Bush regarding embryonic stem cells gets. K. J. Lopez: STEM CELL NEWS—THIS LOOKS REALLY COOL "PITTSBURGH, June 23 /PRNewswire/ — In a ground-breaking study, scientists at... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: ON STEM CELLS — If true, this is an amazing discovery: [snipped quote] Neither would ethical dilemmas, which may very well be falling by the wayside. |
Clinton hits governor on White House aide's Sept. 11 comments By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton demanded Thursday that Gov. George Pataki object to a top White House advisor's comments about liberals' response to Sept. 11. In return, Pataki called Clinton a hypocrite. | |
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TheAnchoress: Oh, and Rep Peter King of Long Island reminds us of one more ""Karl Rove deserves a medal," King said. " |
Scott Sala: More on that Conservative Party dinner last night. So Karl Rove blasted liberals. |
CIA chief has 'excellent idea' where bin Laden is CNN — Permalink (CNN) — CIA Director Porter Goss says he has an "excellent idea" where Osama bin Laden is hiding, but that the al Qaeda chief will not be caught until weak links in the war on terrorism are strengthened. | |
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Garance Franke-Ruta: The United States defeated Adolf Hitler's army and the Italian fascists in three and a half years, but nearly four years... |
Armando @DailyKos: And what has the Bush Administration done? Osama bin Laden. |
Air Force Academy Staff Found Promoting Religion By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, June 22 - An Air Force panel sent to investigate the religious climate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs found evidence that officers and faculty members periodically used their positions to promote their Christian beliefs and failed to accommodate the religious needs of non-Christian cadets, its leader said Wednesday. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: The anti-religious expression zealots at Barry Lynn's shop are going to have to be satisfied with a couple of distorted... James Joyner: Religious Insensitivity Cited at Air Force Academy — Air Force Academy Staff Found Promoting Religion (NYT | RSS) "An... Pudentilla: whitewashed in the blood of the lamb — [snipped quote] you now how democrats love to demonize christians. |
PatHMV @Centerfield: As the New York Times reports, the Superintendent seems to take it seriously. James Martin Capozzola: The news out of Colorado Springs, Colo., is disturbing ("Air Force Academy Staff Found Promoting Religion," by Laurie... |
Rove: Dems don't understand post-9/11 world AP — Permalink NEW YORK - Speaking in a ballroom just a few miles north of ground zero, Karl Rove said the Democratic party did not understand the consequences of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. | |
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Kos @DailyKos: Rove plays 9-11 for political gain — There goes Rove again, trying to invoke 9-11 to rescue his boss's flagging fortunes. |
Judd @ThinkProgress: Karl Rove, 6/22/05: "Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers. |
Pataki calls Sen. Clinton 'hypocritical', rejects demand he repudiate Rove remarks AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton demanded Thursday that Gov. George Pataki object to a top White House advisor's comments about liberals' response to Sept. 11. In return, Pataki called Clinton a hypocrite. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: George Pataki, on Hillary's call for a Rove apology: [snipped quote] — When the weak horse saddle fits, you have to ride it. |
Atrios: Clinton Demands Pataki Repudiation — As she should. |
Rumsfeld: US not losing Iraq war BBC — Permalink Donald Rumsfeld has said the US is not losing the Iraq war and it would be a mistake to set a timetable for American troops to leave the country. To set a deadline would "send a lifeline to terrorists", he told House and Senate committees. | |
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Hooman Majd: Hooman Majd: From Freedom is Messy to Success Ain't Easy — In Senate hearings on Thursday, Donald Rumsfeld maintained... |
Gregory Djerejian: Syria Watch — Abizaid, today: [snipped quote] Meantime: [snipped quote] The temperature is certainly hotting up yet a few more notches between Damascus and Washington. |
Timeline for Iraq Pullout Would Aid Insurgents, Rumsfeld Says By / NYT — Permalink Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today that setting a timeline for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq would give a "lifeline for terrorists." And in a spirited defense of the war, he invoked Abraham Lincoln and the American revolution. | |
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Arianna Huffington: But no one's laughing anymore. "Timing in war is never predictable," he said. "There are no guarantees," he said. |
Armando @DailyKos: See, when it comes to Iraq, international law be damned. And, by the way, what kind of results are we getting from Bush on Iraq? |