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FAMILY OF FALLEN SOLDIER PLEADS: PLEASE STOP, CINDY! Drudge Report — Permalink The family of American soldier Casey Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004, has broken its silence and spoken out against his mother Cindy Sheehan's anti-war vigil against George Bush held outside the president's Crawford, Texas ranch. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Today's Cindy Sheehan commentary: After seeing what Drudge, Michelle Malkin (Malkin whines that David Brock's Media... Paul @PowerLine: And I understand that the rest of the Sheehan family has made a point of repudiating her conduct. Captain Ed: It's worth noting that the rest of the family feels quite a bit differently about policy and her protests. |
Norman Lear: P.S. I see now that "The Sheehan Family" has issued a statement distancing them from Mrs. Sheehan, because they... Gateway Pundit: The family of Cindy Sheehan is speaking out against her behavior. So, why then does the media continue their coverage? Michelle Malkin: The Anchoress takes a closer look. [Update: Drudge is now headlining the family's e-mail. ] More from Brainster's Blog. |
| Also: Nico @ThinkProgress, Mitch Berg, Spoons, MarkInMexico | |
Cindy Sheehan's Crowd New York Sun — Permalink It's easy to see why Cindy Sheehan, the 48-year-old mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, has become the new face of the anti-war movement, featured in a New York Times editorial on Tuesday and a Maureen Dowd column yesterday morning. | |
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Gateway Pundit: Why instead does the media see the importance of the Cindy Sheehan story? Why does Cindy's story get headlines at the New York Times? Michelle Malkin: Update II: The New York Sun editorializes on Cindy Sheehan's Crowd... "It's easy to see why Cindy Sheehan, the... James Joyner: A New York Sun editorial casts some doubt on their provenance, though. |
MarkInMexico: Main Page Communists, traitors, mentally ill flock to Cindy Sheehan The New York Sun does some digging to determine who the prime backers of Cindy Sheehan are. TheAnchoress: The second reason I'm writing about Mrs. Sheehan is because this article from the NY Sun does raise the eyebrows about... Orrin Judd: CHOOSING SIDES: Cindy Sheehan's Crowd (New York Sun, August 11, 2005) "[A]s sad as Ms. Sheehan's loss is - and we don't... |
Abramoff Indicted in Fraud Case By / WaPo — Permalink MIAMI, Aug. 11 — Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday as part of a wide-ranging fraud case stemming from the purchase of a Florida casino cruise line from a businessman later murdered in Fort Lauderdale, the U.S. attorney announced. | |
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Mark Kleiman: Abramoff goes down in flames — I'm used to news stories that read like items from The Onion, but this one reads like the plot of a Ross Thomas or Richard Condon novel. Plutonium Page: Awesome site. Update [2005-8-11 16:26:18 by Hunter]: It's official: Abramoff indicted Ramesh Ponnuru: HAS ANYONE ELSE MENTIONED that Abramoff has been indicted? |
Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Therefore, I am singing glad hosannas at the following pieces of news: First: [quote] "Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff was...[end quote] Jeralyn Merritt: Josh Marshall has been following the case. Washington Post report here. Nico @ThinkProgress: Lobbyist Jack Abramoff indicted |
GOP Paying Legal Bills of Bush Official By / AP — Permalink Despite a zero-tolerance policy on tampering with voters, the Republican Party has quietly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide private defense lawyers for a former Bush campaign official charged with conspiring to keep Democrats from voting in New Hampshire. | |
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John Cole: Election Hijinks This is cute: Despite a zero-tolerance policy on tampering with voters, the Republican Party has... Scott Shields: GOP Paying Legal Bills of Bush Official "Despite a zero-tolerance policy on tampering with voters, the Republican Party... Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Third, via TPM: [quote] "Despite a zero-tolerance policy on tampering with voters, the Republican Party has quietly paid...[end quote] |
Josh Marshall: And now, finally, we have proof that all along the RNC has continued to pay Tobin's legal bills — already totalling more than $700,000 before the man has even gone to trial. Cookie Jill: no employee, associate or any person representing the republican party who engages in these kinds of acts will remain in... Matt Singer: Scott Shields reports on the GOP "hitting the trifecta" for corruption today, noting the Abramoff indictment the GOP... |
| Also: Bgreer, Tarek @LiquidList | |
Abortion Rights Group Withdraws Roberts Ad By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — After a week of protests by conservatives, an abortion rights group said Thursday night it is withdrawing a television advertisement linking Supreme Court nominee John Roberts to violent anti-abortion activists. | |
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Captain Ed: Instead of acknowledging their incredible failure in judgment, NARAL preferred to blame everyone else for failing to... John @PowerLine: NARAL Withdraws Ad — NARAL has run up the white flag, withdrawing the outrageously false ad opposing Judge John Roberts which we discussed here. |
Chris Short: Abortion Rights Group Withdraws Roberts Ad (AP): "WASHINGTON - After a week of protests by conservatives, an abortion... Eugene Volokh: NARAL Pulls Anti-Roberts Ad, the AP reports. |
'Able Danger' Intel Could Rewrite 9/11 History Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — The federal commission that probed the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks was told twice about "Able Danger," a military intelligence unit that had identified Mohamed Atta and other hijackers a year before the attacks, a congressman close to the investigation said Wednesday. | |
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Paul @PowerLine: That position became "inoperative" after Rep. Curt Weldon exposed it as false. Ace: Curt Weldon calls them on the carpet on this lie— they were briefed twice by AD team members. Captain Ed: UPDATE II: Weldon sent a letter expressing his unhappiness with the earlier denials coming from the Commission, and he... |
Andy McCarthy: For now, this from Congressman Curt Weldon's letter to the Commission sums things up well: "The commission's refusal to... Tom Maguire: Let's advance the Times story, which told us that the 9/11 staffers now remember hearing Atta's name only at the second... |
9/11 Panel Decided to Omit a Reference to Atta AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — The Sept. 11 commission knew military intelligence officials had identified lead hijacker Mohamed Atta as a member of al-Qaida who might be part of U.S.-based terror cell more than a year before the terror attacks but decided not to include that in its final report, a spokesman acknowledged Thursday. | |
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Captain Ed: Rethinking Prague After Able Danger — The official line espoused (at least for the moment) by the 9/11 Commission for... John Podhoretz: In a story filed at 7:10 PM, the Associated Press is now confirming all the particulars of what will now forever be called the Able Danger disaster. |
Paul @PowerLine: As AP reports, the Commission has confirmed that it "knew military intelligence officials had identified lead hijacker... |
Washington lobbyist Abramoff charged By / AP — Permalink MIAMI (AP) - Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a key figure in investigations involving House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on fraud charges arising from a 2000 deal to buy casino boats. | |
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Scott Shields: Fraud Indictment Expected for Abramoff "Federal prosecutors are seeking bank fraud charges against lobbyist Jack... Orrin Judd: BOOK 'IM: Washington lobbyist Abramoff charged (CURT ANDERSON, 8/11/05, Associated Press) [snipped quote] One of the... |
Betsy Newmark: Jack Abramoff has been indicted. He sounds like a major sleaze out to gather as much money as he could using his political connections. |
CORRECTED - Bush to mother who lost son in Iraq: 'I grieve' By / Reuters — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas, Aug 11 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Thursday said he sympathized with a mother who lost a son in Iraq and who has been leading a protest vigil near his ranch but that he would not pull U.S. troops from Iraq prematurely. | |
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Tbogg: Sincere-ing is hard work... Posted by Picasa President Casey Killer speaks: President George W. Bush on Thursday said he... |
Michelle Malkin: Read the whole thing. *** Update III: More info on the Sheehan family's dissenters here. President Bush responds. |
Four Amendments & a Funeral By / Rolling Stone — Permalink It was a fairy-tale political season for George W. Bush, and it seemed like no one in the world noticed. Amid bombs in London, bloodshed in Iraq, a missing blonde in Aruba and a scandal curling up on the doorstep of Karl Rove, Bush's Republican Party quietly celebrated a massacre on Capitol Hill. | |
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Matt Singer: Now Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi looks at another Vermonter, Independent Bernie Sanders who splits his time between being... Taegan Goddard: A Month on Capitol Hill — If reading about the pork-laden transportion bill President Bush signed yesterday didn't make... |
David Sirota: David Sirota: Rolling Stone on the Courageous Fight Inside the U.S. House of Horrors — Rolling Stone magazine today... Armando @DailyKos: "Our" Congress — David Sirota on the Rolling Stone expose of "our" Congress at work: "Rolling Stone magazine today... |
Texas Becomes a Majority-Minority State By / AP — Permalink EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Texas has become the fourth state to have a non-white majority population, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday, a trend driven by a surging number of Hispanics moving to the state. | |
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Cernig: Well, it has now come to pass. Good. The hispanic-americans I know work damn hard - often at heavy, dirty manual jobs. James Joyner: Texas Now a Majority-Minority State (AP) "Texas has become the fourth state to have a non-white majority population,... Scott Sala: Technorati Tags: vendy+awards street+vendor+awards NYC+street+vendors — Minority Report So tell me how minorities in the majority are still called minorities? |
La Shawn Barber: (Source) Frey, with his PC-speak, understates the "issue" to the point of comedy. MarkInMexico: Main Page History repeats Texas Becomes a Majority-Minority State just like Massachusetts in the early 1700's and South Dakota in the late 1800's, eh? |
FEC Finds Misreporting by DeLay Committee By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — A political committee founded by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may have improperly spent unregulated "soft money" on get-out-the-vote and fundraising activities, the Federal Election Commission says. A DeLay attorney said Thursday the money has been reimbursed. | |
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Scott Shields: FEC Finds Misreporting by DeLay Committee "A federal audit of a fundraising committee founded by House Majority Leader... Plutonium Page: And, coincidentally, there's more news about DeLay today. What a corrupt S.O.B. |
Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: Second: [quote] "A political committee founded by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may have improperly spent unregulated "soft...[end quote] |
Briefing Book Baloney By / WaPo — Permalink A quarter of a century has passed since 44 states said "No, thanks" to Jimmy Carter's offer to serve a second term, yet he still evidently thinks his loss is explained not by foreign policy debacles, such as invading Iran with eight helicopters, and a misery index — inflation plus unemployment — of 22, almost triple today's index. | |
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MarkInMexico: Main Page Lust in his heart, man-eating rabbits, briefing books George Will calls Jimmy Carter for what he has become, a serial liar and an embarrassment to America. David Cohen: AWFUL LUCKY — Briefing Book Baloney (George F. Will, Washington Post, 8/11/05) [snipped quote] It is hard to remember,... Garrett M. Graff: George Will devotes his column today to correcting the false accusations cast about by that notorious "recidivist fibber," former President Jimmy Carter. |
Betsy Newmark: George Will is ticked at Jimmy Carter. Captain Ed: Will responds to Carter's assertion that Will stole the briefing book himself in a must-read column appearing in today's... Stephen Green: Read the whole thing - it's required. |
| Also: Paul @PowerLine, Jonah Goldberg | |
Boxer threatens to slow Senate activity over court pick By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Sen. Barbara Boxer said Wednesday she will vote against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts unless he supports rights she considers essential - - including abortion and privacy — and slow Senate business to a crawl if he doesn't answer her questions. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Barbara Boxer is now ready to do the work of NARAL concerning Judge Roberts nomination to the Supreme Court. James Joyner: Boxer threatens to slow Senate activity over court pick / She'll vote 'no' unless Roberts backs right to abortion (SF... Orrin Judd: WHAT THEY STAND FOR: Boxer threatens to slow Senate activity over court pick (Bob Egelko, August 11, 2005, SF Chronicle)... |
Steve Bainbridge: I expect this sort of nonsense from people like Barbara Boxer, who recently echoed NARAL's false claim that SCOTUS... Kathryn Jean Lopez: Here's more from Boxer,via the San Fran Chronicle: [snipped quote] Nevermind that he has already answered questions and will undoubtedly continue to. Taegan Goddard: Boxer Threatens Senate Slowdown — Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said "she will vote against Supreme Court nominee John... |
Parent-trap snares recruiters By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Permalink Staff Sgt. Jason Rivera, 26, a Marine recruiter in Pittsburgh, went to the home of a high school student who had expressed interest in joining the Marine Reserve to talk to his parents. It was a large home in a well-to-do suburb north of the city. | |
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Michelle Pilecki: It's the local angle on a familiar national story — parents are preventing their kids from enlisting in the military... |
Atrios: Our Kind of People — I certainly understand why parents aren't exactly encouraging their children to sign up for the... |
The Art of Telling Parties Apart By / WaPo — Permalink Forget tax cuts, the abortion issue and whether they wear the American flag as a lapel pin. We have, it appears, a new way of distinguishing Republicans from Democrats, at least in the federal city. | |
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Digby: Here we have Karl Rove's special Christian blowjob purveyor, Tim Goeglein, making the assertion that liberals choose... Kate @OTB: Politics And Occupation — The Art of Telling Parties Apart. (WaPo) "But for Helprin, the divide remains. |
Sam Rosenfeld: In the department of lazy "our side does this, your side does that" opining, was there really any call for the... |
NARAL Withdraws Anti-Roberts Ad AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — After a week of protests by conservatives, an abortion-rights group said Thursday night it is withdrawing a television advertisement linking Supreme Court nominee John Roberts (search) to violent anti-abortion activists. | |
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MarkInMexico: Main Page NARAL regrets "misconstrued" lie NARAL has announced that it will pull its anti-Judge John Roberts... |
Brendan Nyhan: NARAL pulls Roberts ad — According to the Associated Press, NARAL is withdrawing its misleading and controversial ad... |
Iraq Shi'ites hammer home autonomy demands By / Reuters — Permalink NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Shi'ite Islamist leaders hammered home demands for an autonomous federal state for their people across oil-rich southern Iraq on Thursday, four days before a deadline for agreeing a new constitution. | |
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MarkInMexico: Reuters is reporting on renewed calls for a semi-autonomous Shiite region in the oil rich south of Iraq. Steve Soto: He is trying to keep SCIRI from not only securing their hold on Baghdad to the severe consternation of the Sunnis, but... Dr. Steven Taylor: Iraqi Constitution Update — Here's a lengthy and interesting piece on the constitution-writing process from Reuters: Iraq Shi'ites hammer home autonomy demands. |
Cernig: Autonomy Dangers for Iraq — The leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq is calling for an... Juan Cole: Federalism Issue Bedevils Constitution — Infighting Undermines Municipal Governments Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of... |
Atta Intelligence Omitted From Report By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - The Sept. 11 commission knew military intelligence officials had identified lead hijacker Mohamed Atta as a member of al-Qaida who might be part of U.S.-based terror cell more than a year before the terror attacks but decided not to include that in its final report, a spokesman acknowledged Thursday. | |
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TheAnchoress: First the 9/11 Commission didn't know anything about Able Daring, then, yeahhhh, they heard about it but discounted it,... Brian Linse: They knew about "Able Danger" and left it out of the report. [via SPLOID] |
Captain Ed: The AP reports that the Commission's spokesperson, Al Felzenberg, now admits that the Commission knew full well that the... |
9/11 Commission's Staff Rejected Report on Early Identification of Chief Hijacker NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 - The Sept. 11 commission was warned by a uniformed military officer 10 days before issuing its final report that the account would be incomplete without reference to what he described as a secret military operation that by the summer of... | |
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Jan Haugland: Well, according to a new NYT article, they were warned. John Cole: The Commission Knewâ It appears the 9/11 Commission knew about the claims raised yesterday by Curt Weldon, and... Michelle Malkin: According to the New York Times, the 9/11 Commission officials said that Able Danger had not been included in their... |
Steve Soto: It now turns out that the Commission staff were lying, and that it appears that the military officials did in fact tell... Talking Dog: I wonder what new Dog Run member Bulldog Manifesto will make out of this... the Bulldog has been all over the 9-11 and... Cori Dauber: Well, what do you know, today's Times has a bit of a backpedal on the whole, "we were never briefed" story. |
| Also: James Joyner, Baldilocks, Kevin Drum, Larry Kudlow, Tom Maguire, Captain Ed | |
Governor cashing in on Rolling Stones By / San Francisco Chronicle — Permalink Here's the ticket: a private evening rockin' the night away with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during the kickoff of the Rolling Stones' "A Bigger Bang'' U.S. tour on Aug. 21 at Boston's Fenway Park. | |
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Tbogg: The mosh pits just seem so...listless. (Added): Meanwhile, Arnold's not boycotting. Attaturk: Not content with Ohio coin money, Schwartzenegger is out to raise money by whatever means necessary. |
Marie @LeftCoaster: For a mere $10,000 you attend a pre-concert reception and watch The Stones from a primo seat. SF Gate |
MORE HEADS ROLL IN RADIO LOAN SCANDAL New York Post — Permalink The Bronx social-services organization that made a controversial loan to the Air America radio network has been rocked by more high-level staff departures, sources said. Just days after the executive director abruptly resigned following Post reports that the club had provided $875,000... | |
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Captain Ed: The New York Post reports this morning that high-level executive departures have rocked Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club in... Paul @Wizbang: Easy Done. New York Daily News- August 11, 2005 [snipped quote] from Air America, said spokesman Jim Grossman. Brian Maloney: Thursday Air America Scandal Updates — Air Enron Roundup Plus, Liberals Reveal Hannity's Personal Information (*** New... |
Michelle Malkin: AIR ENRON: HEADS ROLL, VICTIMS SHAFTED — DarleenClickAAR1.jpg The New York Post reports this morning on a drastic... TheAnchoress: But so far, apparently, no one from NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office has not yet contacted Air America. |
"Sterile Irrelevance" NRO — Permalink Most media criticism is smug and detached. On Monday, I had an article in the New York Post arguing that the press was not adequately placing the recent spike in U.S. casualties into strategic context. | |
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Cori Dauber: Another Aspect of Context — Everything else in this piece aside, here's an interesting argument about the strategic context for the recent spike in casualties. Jesse Taylor: A Right Way, A Wrong Way, A Hard Way, Just Go Away — There's a right way to criticize the war in Iraq. |
Betsy Newmark: Mackubin Thomas Owens has a good essay about the right and wrong way to criticize the war in Iraq. |
FEC Finds Misreporting by DeLay Committe By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — A federal audit of a political fundraising committee founded by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay found that it failed to report more than $300,000 in debts owed to vendors and incorrectly paid for some committee activities with money from another DeLay-connected political committee. | |
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Charles Kuffner: FEC Finds Misreporting by DeLay Committee "A political committee founded by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may have... Josh Marshall: FEC Audit finds $300,000 of misreporting on the books of Rep. Tom DeLay's ARMPAC. |
Richard TPD: Go directly to jail — One bad Republican down, and more on the horizon. Delay must be sweating bullets. |
Red Scare By / Opinion Journal — Permalink European intellectuals have long complained of excessive moralism in American foreign policy, politics and attitudes toward sex—the lingering effect, as they see it, of our Puritan heritage. But if they want to spot the real Puritans among us, they should read our sports pages. | |
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Betsy Newmark: Kenneth Woodward has some good pointed criticism of the stupid NCAA rule to keep teams with nicknames based on Native Americans from participating in NCAA competitions. MJA @SouthernAppeal: Kenneth Woodward in the WSJ on the NCAA — A portion of the article: The NCAA, thank God, has no control over pro sports teams and their chosen totems. |
Todd Zywicki: I have not seen any response to FSU's comments from NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana or from NCAA President... |
Cindy Sheehan Just Wants to See Her President: Margaret Carlson Bloomberg — Permalink Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) — I didn't think Cindy Sheehan, the mother waiting on that dusty Texas road for a chance to ask President George W. Bush why her son died in Iraq, was having much impact. | |
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TheAnchoress: What she is doing still does not make sense, no matter how much the sob-sister violin players in the press would like to pretend that it does. |
Tom Burka: Spokespersons said Bush was so busy clearing the brush that he could not meet with Cindy Sheehan, who has been camping... |
She's So Cool, So Smart, So Beautiful: Must Be a Girl Crush By / NYT — Permalink THE woman's long black hair whipped across her pale face as she danced to punk rock at the bar. She seemed to be the life of the party. Little did she know that she was igniting a girl crush. Susan Buice was watching, and she was smitten. | |
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DC Media Girl: NYT "discovers" a "trend" even more retarded than the "man date" — It's the "girl crush"! |
Ann Althouse: I didn't get around to linking to this article this morning, and now it seems so yesterday... and it was kind of dumb in... |
Bush Says Troop Levels in Iraq Will Stay Unchanged for Now By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 - President Bush said today that there had been no decision on raising or lowering the number of American troops in Iraq, but he asserted that the United States would not betray the Iraqi people by withdrawing its forces too soon. | |
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Megan McArdle: NOT TURNING TAIL YET Bush says that the US will not prematurely withdraw our troops from Iraq. |
Jo Fish: Becuz Preznit'n is Hard Work — Preznit Waste O'Sperm: [snipped quote] It's hard work. Especially on vacation. |
One day after smearing protester Cindy Sheehan, O'Reilly claimed he and Malkin were "respectful" to her Media Matters for America — Permalink On the August 10 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly responded to a viewer e-mail, which accused him and right-wing pundit Michelle Malkin of "savaging" Iraq war protester Cindy Sheehan, by claiming that the viewer was distorting the show's coverage. | |
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Tom Tomorrow: Here's what Bill considers "respectful": [snipped quote] She's a treasonous radical who hates America, but apart from that we respect her point of view. |
Atrios: Respectful — Uh-huh. Poor Veronica Malkin. I imagine she's so ashamed of her mother right now. |
Bush: Leaving Iraq Would Be a Bad Signal By / AP — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush said Thursday he understands and respects the views of anti-war advocates like a California mother camped outside his Texas ranch to mourn her soldier son fallen in Iraq, but said it would be a mistake to bring U.S. troops home now. | |
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Susie Madrak: Leadership The man's a shining beacon, ain't he? |
James Joyner: Bush: Leaving Iraq Would Be a Bad Signal (AP) "President Bush said Thursday he understands and respects the views of... |
TV Ad Attacking Court Nominee Provokes Furor By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 - A proposed overhaul of more than two dozen Air National Guard units has ignited a political firestorm in many states, drawing attention to the most contested part of the Pentagon's larger plan to shut, shrink or realign hundreds of military sites nationwide. | |
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Steve Bainbridge: What he said — Pejman nails it: "It is good to see that even abortion rights supporters are upset about the recent NARAL ad attacking Judge Roberts. Tbogg: But then money talks, and Fox rolls over on its back, spreads its thighs and puts out the welcome mat: An advertisement... Pejman Yousefzadeh: POLICING THEIR OWN — It is good to see that even abortion rights supporters are upset about the recent NARAL ad attacking Judge Roberts. |
Brendan Nyhan: More on NARAL ad — Following up on my post from yesterday, the NARAL ad against John Roberts is already drawing... Digby: And we need some people who are independent of the party apparatus to do certain things like this: "An advertisement... Kathryn Jean Lopez: YOU KNOW YOUR "ABORTION RIGHTS" AD IS BAD when Frances Kissling thinks it should be pulled. |
| Also: Orrin Judd | |
Sen. Leahy: Roberts Ads a Waste of Money By / AP — Permalink MIDDLESEX, Vt. (AP) — The Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat assailed advocacy-group commercials for and against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, suggesting they won't sway senators weighing his confirmation. | |
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Zoe Kentucky: Personally, I hope that other senators, like Leahy, read everything they can, carefully weigh the nominee's testimony, and then make an assessment from there. |
Jeffrey Dubner: And just look at Patrick Leahy line up behind NARAL! I'm not saying that the reverse of Jonah's correspondent's argument is true; you'll find both tendencies on both sides. |
FOX UNPLUGGED By / Boston Phoenix — Permalink A few weeks ago, we introduced you to Brooklyn indie agit-popsters Kids Against Combs, who'd just finished an album that used the private phone number of Fox News loudmouth Sean Hannity as its title. (See "Combs Nail Hannity," This Just In, July 15.) | |
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Brian Maloney: The Boston Phoenix, which also ignored the Air America scandal, has a great time participating in this. |
Brian Stelter: The Boston Phoenix has the new name of the album... (Via FTVLive) |
Side Issue in the Plame Case: Who Sent Her Spouse to Africa? By / WaPo — Permalink The origin of Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV's trip to Niger in 2002 to check out intelligence reports that Saddam Hussein was attempting to purchase uranium has become a contentious side issue to the inquiry by special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who is... | |
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Kevin Drum: STATE DEPARTMENT MEMO UPDATE...Walter Pincus is too subtle for me, but I think Armando at Daily Kos may have correctly... John Cole: Daily Plame Flame Thread Walter Pincus delivers the goods: The origin of Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV's trip to... Joe @AmericaBlog: Wash. Post is back on the Plame case — Apparently, according to Walter Pincus, Fitzgerald is trying to figure out the... |
Barbara O'Brien: Specifically, Pincus investigates the origins of the fiction that Joe Wilson's Niger trip was arranged by his wife. Armando @DailyKos: Rovegate: It's Obvious; Rove and Libby's Info on Plame From State Dep't Memo — Walter Pincus' article does not say it... Attaturk: Something Significant — I think Swoopa is really on to something about today's Pincus article in the Washington Post. |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt, Josh Marshall | |
CNN gets the inside story By / NY Daily News — Permalink CNN's "American Morning" is moving out of its street-level studio and into the network's newsroom at the Time Warner Center. The new and now-windowless program will launch Aug. | |
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Brian Stelter: > New York Daily News: "We've got a newfound dedication to being the newsy alternative," Jon Klein said. Jim Romenesko: Additional items for August 11, 2005 > TV Guide advanced the idea of television as a serious art form (Slate) >... |
Garrett M. Graff: Wolf On The Big Screen jonstewartguy.pngCNN/US President Jon Klein told the NY Daily News today, "We've got a newfound... |
War Room Salon — Permalink Is Cindy Sheehan "fair game," too? We're not particularly shy about saying what we think to the ever-shrinking group of people who support George W. Bush and the war he started in Iraq. | |
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Jack Cluth: And it couldn't have happened to a nicer demagogue — Why it will take a miracle for Tom DeLay to survive Vigilantes? MarkInMexico: Salon asks, Is Cindy Sheehan "fair game," too? It looks like her family considers her so. |
Susie Madrak: Quiet Progress So how much worse does it have to get? As we noted earlier this week, Condoleezza Rice says Americans risk missing the forest for the dead soldiers in Iraq. |
Give up your freedoms - or change tack Guardian — Permalink No one will be more pleased than Osama bin Laden with the new measures announced by Tony Blair. He will be even more pleased should the prime minister succeed in turning his plans into legislation. There are two reasons for Bin Laden's satisfaction at what doubtless looks to him like a historic victory. | |
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David T: Today's Comment piece by Sa'ad al-Fagih [sic] is, I think, a somewhat more worrying example of the Guardian's naiivity in the field of extremist Islamist politics. |
Andrew Stuttaford: Today the Guardian is running an article by one Sa'ad al-Fagih, blandly described as [snipped quote]. And so he is. |
Journalism's next big battle By / Boston Phoenix — Permalink Two months ago, the surprise identification of former FBI official W. Mark Felt as the nation's most famous confidential source ended a three-decade mystery and triggered a noisy, partisan debate over whether "Deep Throat" was a Watergate hero or a self-serving traitor. | |
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MarkInMexico: Main Page A fight destined to be lost Mark Jurkowitz, writing in the Boston Phoenix, argues that the Wen Ho Lee... |
Jim Romenesko: Lee case will have greater impact on journos than Plamegate — Boston Phoenix Mark Jurkowitz writes: "Recent attempts to... |
The Editor's Blog Raleigh News & Observer — Permalink Thanks for all the interest: sarcasm and barbs duly recorded. Let me clarify: I found the same stories on Air America that you all mention a couple days ago in Internet searches and by using Factiva, a paid service we use for research. | |
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Michelle Malkin: As a result, Raleigh News and Observer executive editor Melanie Sill has asked the Associated Press to move a story on the scandal. |
Leon H: Thanks largely to blogger coverage of this, Raleigh News Observer editor Melanie Sill is pushing the AP to do a story covering this. |
US reporter killed 'because he was to marry a Muslim' Scotsman — Permalink AN American journalist who was shot dead in Basra last week was executed by Shiite extremists who knew he was intending to marry his Muslim interpreter, it has emerged. Steven Vincent was shot a week before the planned wedding to Nouriya Itais and had already delivered a $2,500 dowry to her family. | |
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Captain Ed: Now The Scotsman reports that British authorities have started spreading a story that the already-married Vincent got... |
Marc @USSNeverdock: Iraq - Reporter Murdered Over Muslim Wedding — The Scotsman reports that journalist and blogger, Steven Vincent was murdered because he was due to marry his Muslim interpreter. |
Texas Now a Majority-Minority State By / AP — Permalink EL PASO, Texas - Texas has become the fourth state to have a non-white majority population, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday, a trend driven by a surging number of Hispanics moving to the state. According to the population estimates based on the 2000 Census, about 50.2 percent of Texans are now minorities. | |
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James Joyner: Texas Now a Majority-Minority State — President Bush's home state of Texas has become the fourth in the union to have more non-whites than whites. |
Zoe Kentucky: Predicting Texas's Future — Considering this news, I think there is a strong likelihood of a right-wing freak-out, with a possibility of a little "white flight" on the horizon. |
Woodward: Cheney to run in '08 By / Denver Post — Permalink Aspen - Renowned journalist Bob Woodward predicts Dick Cheney will be the Republican Party's presidential nominee in 2008 and that the vice president could face Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton in a dramatic partisan showdown. | |
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Jan Haugland: Bob Woodward predicts the 2008 presidential campaign will be Dick Cheney vs Hillary Clinton. Ezra Klein: Cheney 08 — Please? Pretty please? I mean, Woodward was wrong about the Saudis-opening-the-spigot s thing, but I'd forgive him if he were right about Cheney. Ed Kilgore: From: Politics In remarks at an Aspen Institute session (reported by the Denver Post), Bob Woodward has revived... |
Joe Gandelman: Woodward Suggest Dick Cheney Will Run For President In 2008 — We all know that the conventional (which does not always... Jayson @PoliPundit: Dream the Impossible Dream — I got a kick out of this piece from the Denver Post. Jeralyn Merritt: Woodward: Cheney Will Run for President in '08 — Speaking at the Aspen Institute, journalist and author Bob Woodward... |
| Also: Zt155 @DailyKos, Michelle Malkin, Susie Madrak, Taegan Goddard | |
'Threats to UK security' detained BBC — Permalink Ten foreign nationals who the Home Office says pose a threat to national security have been detained in the UK. The Jordanian cleric Abu Qatada, who is subject to a control order, is among them, the BBC has learned. | |
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Jan Haugland: British crackdown on hate-preachers — Britain cracks down on hate-mongers: Ten foreign nationals who the Home Office... |
Gateway Pundit: Update: (Thursday AM) The UK arrested 10 Muslim extremists today. The Jordanian cleric Abu Qatada, who is subject to a control order, is among them, the BBC has learned. |
Hollywood's New War Effort: Terrorism Chic By / Townhall.com — Permalink Slow to awaken after the 9/11 attacks, Hollywood has finally come around to contributing what it can in the War on Terror: namely, glossy, star-studded movies that sympathize with the enemy. Hard to believe? | |
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Ace: Terror-Apologism Summer Blockbusters! All right, even I'll say it: the Right Must Boycott. Roger Ailes: Writing about real filmmaker Paul Weitz, the fauxteur says: [snipped quote] In reality, Weitz said: "The film is a comic... Ed Driscoll: We may very well look back on it as a golden era of sorts, as Jason Apuzzo writes a disturbing sounding essay on Tinseltown's next phase. |
Michelle Malkin: Good read. - Jason Apuzzo on terrorism chic in Hollywood. - Jason Calacanis blows the whistle on the Nick Denton-funded comScore study on blogs released earlier this week. Tbogg: Here is what Jason has to say: Slow to awaken after the 9/11 attacks, Hollywood has finally come around to contributing... John @PowerLine: Hollywood Goes Mad — Don't miss this shocking Townhall column by filmmaker Jason Apuzzo. Hollywood is even more far gone than I had imagined. |
Source: 9/11 Panel Staffers Probing Documents on 'Able Danger' Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — Staff assistants to the Sept. 11 commission are planning a trip to the National Archives to retrieve their notes on a U.S. military unit's information that four of the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers were inside the United States a year before the attacks, FOX News has learned. | |
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Captain Ed: And please, let's remember what Commission co-chair Lee Hamilton had to say about this less than 48 hours ago: "The... Tom Maguire: I DON'T THINK THAT WORD MEANS WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS: From Fox: "Hamilton confirmed that commission staff members... |
Betsy Newmark: But aides to the Republican congressman who has sought to call attention to the military unit that conducted the secret... TheAnchoress: Dr. Sanity is talking about the revelation recently come to light that the CIA knew (and named) 9/11 terrorists in 2000,... |
GOP Members Oppose Arctic Oil in Budget By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Two dozen House Republicans, including three committee chairmen, have asked Speaker Dennis Hastert not to use a congressional budget procedure to clear the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. | |
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Cookie Jill: proof of evolution a handful of republican congressmen grow spines. Jonah Goldberg: BACKSLIDING ON ANWR? Sure sounds like it. |
Hugh Hewitt: Dancing with the Base that Brought You — This story is astonishing. |
9/11 Commission's Staff Ignored Military's Early Identification of Chief Hijacker NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 - The Sept. 11 commission was warned by a uniformed military officer 10 days before issuing its final report that the account would be incomplete without reference to what he described as a secret military operation that by the summer of... | |
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Betsy Newmark: Now, they're saying that they were briefed on the conclusions of military intelligence regarding Atta but they disregarded them. Tom Maguire: Able I Was Ere I Saw "Able Danger" — The Times tells us on Thursday that the 9/11 Commission simply needed its... |
James Joyner: 9/11 Commission Rejected Able Danger Report 9/11 Commission's Staff Rejected Report on Early Identification of Chief Hijacker (NYT | RSS) [snipped quote] Quite odd. |
Britain and US warn Iran over links with Iraq rebels By / Telegraph — Permalink Britain formally protested to Iran yesterday over its growing interference in Iraq's internal affairs, citing the smuggling of sophisticated explosives that threaten to send coalition casualties soaring. | |
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John Hawkins: Daily News For August 11, 2005 — Foreign "Four US Troops Killed; Iraqis Spar On Constitution" "Terrorists Kidnap... |
Joe Gandelman: Britain and U.S. Irked Over Iran Meddling In Iraq — Britain and the United States have a message for Iran: get your... |
No End in Sight in Iraq By / NYT — Permalink The news coming out of Iraq yesterday was that several more American soldiers had been killed. August's toll so far has been mind-numbing. For American troops, it's been one of the worst periods of the war. And yet there's still no sense of urgency within the Bush administration. | |
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Avedon Carol: A handful of links — Bob Herbert: Ask a thousand different suits in Washington why we're in Iraq and you'll get a thousand different answers. |
Atrios: Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Herbert R'lyeh wagn'nagl fhtagn — Herbert took his shrillagra today. |
Americans get mixed signals on future of war in Iraq By / Knight Ridder — Permalink WASHINGTON - The dog days of summer are upon us, and the signals for the future in our war in Iraq are deeply mixed, deeply confused and confusing, depending on who you listen to and what you read. | |
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Avedon Carol: Dave Johnson on why you should Help Cursor/Media Transparency Atrios has a good quote from Joseph Galloway that's spot on. Susie Madrak: Our War What he said. |
Atrios: Once — Galloway: It can be fairly stated that many of America's 1,800 dead and 14,000 wounded were killed because they... |
Warming hits 'tipping point' Guardian — Permalink A vast expanse of western Sibera is undergoing an unprecedented thaw that could dramatically increase the rate of global warming, climate scientists warn today. | |
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Natasha @PacificViews: Siberian Permafrost Melting — This Guardian article explains what's happening in Siberia right now: [snipped quote] While the 'jury' was out, the permafrost has been melting. Attaturk: On the other hand, it be a great place to drop Bush off in — Global Warming, it's what's for dinner: [snipped quote] The... |
Susie Madrak: Tipping Point Ruh-roh: Researchers who have recently returned from the region found that an area of permafrost... Kevin Drum: GIANT PEAT BOG MELTING...The Guardian reports that global warming is causing a gigantic Siberian peat bog to thaw:... |
Why Does Drug Reporting Suck? By / Slate — Permalink Whenever I fall into a funk over the press corps' abysmal coverage of illicit drugs, I console myself with the knowledge that, as awful as the coverage is, it's always been that way. | |
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Jim Romenesko: Oregonian will need a trophy case for its meth series awards — Slate That's Jack Shafer's prediction. Radley Balko: Why Does Drug Reporting Suck? Jack Shafer — helluva' reporter himself — looks for answers. |
John Cole: Why Does Drug Reporting Suck? Jack Schafer asks the important question. Short answer: Because it always has. |
U.S. Court Upholds Va. Pledge Requirement AP — Permalink RICHMOND, Va. - An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a Virginia law that requires public schools to lead a daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, rejecting a claim that its reference to God was an unconstitutional promotion of religion. | |
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Scott Elliott: "Under God" safe...for now — The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the words "under God" can remain in an obligatory recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Jayson @PoliPundit: Not even close. BTW: One of the most distinguished jurists on that appeals court is Michael Luttig. Man, he'd sure look good on the SCOTUS. |
Betsy Newmark: The 4th Circuit has ruled that requiring kids to recite the Pledge of Allegiance including the phrase "under God" is not a violation of the First Amendment. |
Cindy Sheehan "changed her story on Bush"? Tracking a lie through the conservative media Media Matters for America — Permalink Cindy Sheehan, mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, has drawn significant media attention for staging an anti-war protest outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, where she is demanding to meet with the president. | |
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Brendan Nyhan: But as Media Matters and Salon's Eric Boehlert have pointed out, Drudge was quoting the original article out of context;... Michelle Malkin: David Brock's Media Matters and others, for example, have attacked Bill O'Reilly and me for "lying" and "smearing" Mrs. Sheehan, when any sane person can see that's not the case. Cernig: Go read it. Why do conservatives continue to quote such hacks? Michelle is not for apologising either. |
Richard TPD: First, Media Matters takes us on a step-by-step chronological journey of how the slime machine works, starting with... Oliver @LiquidList: Ladies and gentlemen, hear this: The attack on Cindy Sheehan using her dead son as a weapon is part and parcel of the... Oliver Willis: Behold, The Lie Machine — My colleagues at Media Matters have just published an excellent piece detailing how the... |
| Also: Atrios | |
Grieving Mother's War Protest Draws Notice By / AP — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas - The mother of a fallen U.S. soldier who started a quiet roadside peace vigil near President Bush's ranch last weekend is drawing supporters from across the nation. Dozens of people have joined her and others have sent flowers and food. | |
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Michelle Malkin: Even the "Hip Hop Caucus" has hitched a ride: "On Wednesday, a coalition of anti-war groups in Washington called on... Jayson @PoliPundit: Agenda Journalism — On full display. |
Craig Crawford: The Associated Press reports that Sheehan is "drawing supporters from across the nation." |
Baghdad Mayor Is Ousted by a Shiite Group and Replaced By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 9 - Armed men entered Baghdad's municipal building during a blinding dust storm on Monday, deposed the city's mayor and installed a member of Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia. | |
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LeanLeft: Authors and Auction Dates: "September 1-10: Michael Chabon, Amy Tan, Peter Straub, Andrew Sean Greer, Karen Joy Fowler... Mickey Kaus: ... Hitchens, OBE: Dr. Alaa Tamimi, the Giuliani-admiring mayor of Baghdad lauded by Christopher Hitchens only... Nico @ThinkProgress: Monday: "Armed men entered Baghdad's municipal building during a blinding dust storm on Monday, deposed the city's... |
USMC_Vet: IRAQ REPORT The Baghdad mayor was deposed by force of Shi'ite militia when they stormed the municipal building. Jim Henley: The NYT is maddeningly vague about clarifying the issues, but it appears that The CPA appointed a Mayor of Baghdad during the occupation. John Cole: Baghdad Mayor 'Ousted' This is no good: Armed men entered Baghdad's municipal building during a blinding dust storm... |
| Also: Justin Delabar, Dr. Steven Taylor, Jan Haugland, Justin Gardner, Steve M., The Farmer, Ted @CrookedTimber, Cernig, Ezra Klein, Gregory Djerejian, Michael Totten, Steve Soto, Attaturk, Digby, Laura Rozen | |
Man killed by Sunrise police in drug raid had 2 ounces of marijuana Sun-Sentinel — Permalink SUNRISE — Police seized 2 ounces of marijuana at the home of Anthony Diotaiuto after shooting him 10 times, according to information on the drug raid released Tuesday. | |
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Richard TPD: Priorities — Read it and weep. [snipped quote] We're all so much safer. Thank God America has its priorities straight. John Cole: Radley Balko reports that another insurgent was gunned down in the struggle of our times, the War on Drugs War on Your... |
Cookie Jill: "- sun sentinel" Radley Balko: Anthony Diotaiuto Update — The kid killed by Florida cops last week in a drug raid had two ounces of marijuana on him. |
Boredom Numbs the Work World By / WaPo — Permalink When Bruce Bartlett was the deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the U.S. Treasury under George H.W. Bush, boredom occasionally drove him from his cushy Washington office to seek relief at the movie theater. | |
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Nick Gillespie: Arbeit* Macht Bored — Our very busy man at the Olympia Press and Blackmask takes a rare break from republishing old... Steve Bainbridge: Boredom at Work — There's a sort of interesting, sort of dog bites man story in today's WaPo (via Megan McArdle): [quote] "We...[end quote] James Joyner: Boredom Numbs the Work World (WaPo, D1) "When Bruce Bartlett was the deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at... |
Tom Smith: Are we bored yet? This over at InstaMegan, is worth reading. Boredom is rife, even in high paying jobs. Megan McArdle: THE WASHINGTON POST DISCOVERS THAT high paying jobs are boring too. Gary Farber: BOREDOM SUCKS for everyone. |
| Also: Mike @MemeFirst, Steve Antler | |
For Democrats, a Troubling Culture Gap By / WaPo — Permalink Dissatisfaction over the war in Iraq, the economy and rising health care costs might spell trouble for Republicans, but a study by Democratic strategists warns that their party's failure to connect with voters on cultural issues could prevent Democratic candidates from reaping gains in upcoming national elections. | |
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Steve M.: I'm posting in response to this Washington Post story about the latest study by the Democracy Corps: ...The study is... Steve Bainbridge: Based on this WaPo article, my guess is that it's a lot of the above, but mostly #1: [snipped quote] Eastern elite... Nick Danger: The Anti-Religious, Morally Bankrupt Democrats — According to Dan Balz in today's Washington Post, the reason that the... |
Jesse Taylor: Democrats Are Losing America - The Cashier At Burger King Told Me So — A new focus group result shows that Democrats... Paul @PowerLine: It's not the economy; it's deeming others stupid — Dan Balz reports on "a troubling culture gap" for Democrats. Orrin Judd: MARX CAN'T BE TOTALLY WRONG...: For Democrats, a Troubling Culture Gap (Dan Balz, August 10, 2005, Washington Post)... |
There's bad blood at MSNBC NY Daily News — Permalink It might be a good idea for Keith Olbermann and Rick Kaplan to give each other a wide berth until things cool down. I hear that MSNBC staffers in the Secaucus newsroom-studio watched in horror Monday night as the volatile Kaplan, the president of the... | |
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DC Media Girl: Kaplan kerfuffle — So there's apparently now a big stink over at MSNBC, pitting exec Rick Kaplan against on air personality Keith Olbermann. Barbara O'Brien: I don't know what to make of this gossip column about a fight between Olbermann and MSNBC President Rick Kaplan. Kevin Aylward: MSNBC's Bad Blood — NY Daily News gossip scribe Lloyd Grove reports that MSNBC president Rick Kaplan had a meltdown... |
Harry Shearer: But my favorite media story of the week was from Lloyd Grove's column in the NY Daily News, about Rick Kaplan, boss of... Bob Cesca: Bob Cesca: Olbermann Out Of Control — With Sincerity — The New York Daily News reported today that MSNBC president... Brian Stelter: Rick Kaplan Attacks His Talent kaplanaugust10.jpgAfter Keith Olbermann's cancer scare sign-off Monday night, Rick Kaplan... |
| Also: Garrett M. Graff, Susie Madrak, Jim Romenesko, Betsy Newmark | |
Campaign Battlefield May Grow By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Few places in America are more reliably Republican than the southeast Pennsylvania congressional district centered in Amish country and Lancaster County. So it's little surprise that Republican Rep. Joe Pitts has faced only token opposition since he was first elected in 1996. | |
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Charles Kuffner: Next is this LA Times piece on the push from grassroots and blog activists for a more aggressive effort to recruit and support candidates in the Congressional elections. Chris Bowers: Efforts such as these, which have been extensively discussed on MyDD and other blogs over the past few months (though... Avedon Carol: Grassroots Dems — Ron Brownstein has an article in the LAT about expanding the electoral "battlefield" to include all those races the party has been ignoring. |
Ezra Klein: Fight to Win — The post-Hackett argument for funding challengers in every race is a well-intentioned, but not really convincing, bit of political strategy. AaronBurrFan @BOPNews: That fight is continuing on the pages of the LA Times, and isn't going to stop anytime soon. MarkInMexico: Main Page Assisted suicide The LAT reports that Markos (Screw'em) Moulitsas and other insanely jealous lefty... |
| Also: Taegan Goddard | |
Mayor of Baghdad Is Deposed; Insurgents Kill 4 U.S. Troops By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 10 - Armed men entered Baghdad's municipal building during a blinding dust storm on Monday, deposed the city's mayor and installed a member of Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia. | |
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Susie Madrak: According to the New York Times, gunmen stormed into Baghdad's municipal building Monday, deposed the city's mayor and... Cori Dauber: And this morning I read this: Armed men entered Baghdad's municipal building during a blinding dust storm on Monday,... Jo Fish: Note to State: It's not going so well... Condi, who we had a few kind words for earlier in the week (NOT!) should take... |
Matthew Yglesias: NICE MAYOR YOU HAVE THERE... It's a bit hard to know what to say about something like "Armed men entered Baghdad's... Matt Singer: Read This — The Mayor of Baghdad was ousted in a coup led by one of the country's most powerful political parties. TChris: A New Kind of Democracy — Is this the kind of democracy that the Bush administration has so proudly brought to Iraq? |
| Also: Andrew Cory | |
Ousted Baghdad Mayor Speaks To Radio Free Iraq RFE/RL — Permalink RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) correspondent Ahmad al-Zubaydi interviewed ousted Baghdad Mayor Ala' al-Tamimi on 9 August by telephone after he was forcibly removed from his position on 8 August by armed men supporting Baghdad City Council Chairman Mazin Makkiya. | |
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John Cole: Like the fact that the mayor who was 'ousted' resigned in June and the man who replaced him was appointed by the Baghdad governing council. Dr. Steven Taylor: Also, John Cole points to this interview in which the former Mayor confirms that Tahhan had been appointed Mayor and... Justin Gardner: Read about that and more concerning the ousted Baghdad mayor if you are so inclined. |
Juan Cole: Tamimi's account of the incident is here. He was earlier charged with corruption but the charges appear to have been dropped. Jan Haugland: Update: Interview on Radio Free Iraq. If al-Tamimi had indeed resigned from office, it is hard to make this out to be a coup. |
Pentagon to host 9/11 march, show By / NY Daily News — Permalink WASHINGTON - The Pentagon will hold a massive march and country music concert to mark the fourth anniversary of 9/11, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in an unusual announcement tucked into an Iraq war briefing yesterday. | |
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Michelle Pilecki: "How about telling Mr. Rumsfeld to leave the memories of Sept. 11 victims to the families?" fumes one such family member to the New York Daily News. James Wolcott: Secretary of Defense and future host of the Grand Ol' Opry, Donald Rumsfeld. Zoe Kentucky: Nah, they're going to throw a rockin' party, naturally! |
Jeff Jarvis: Not a dry eye in the house Donald Rumsfeld as announced a, well, odd memorial, a tonedeaf commemoration, a tasteless... Michele Catalano: Let me quote, first: "The Pentagon will hold a massive march and country music concert to mark the fourth anniversary... |
9/11 Panel Seeks Inquiry on New Atta Report NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 - Members of the independent commission that investigated the Sept. 11 terror attacks called on Congress to determine whether the Pentagon withheld intelligence information showing that a secret American military unit had identified Mohammed Atta and three other hijackers as potential threats more than a year before the attacks. | |
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Kevin Drum: Last Friday I got an email from a PR guy for Government Security News telling me about a story they were preparing to publish later that day (link here). Baldilocks: In the second article, however, the focus turns to the Pentagon. |
Mickey Kaus: A key issue: the "former intelligence official" who has come forward with the story says "he had explicitly mentioned... |
Bush to Sign $286.4B Highway Bill in Ill. By / AP — Permalink CRAWFORD, Texas — President Bush is signing a whopping $286.4 billion transportation bill that lawmakers stuffed with plenty of cash for some 6,000 pet projects back home. | |
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Judd @ThinkProgress: Bush Was Against Transportation Earmarks Before He Signed 6,371 of Them Into Law — Bush Administration Budget, 2003:... Orin Kerr: The Washington Post has a very good analysis of the politics of the new transportation bill: "Three years ago, President Bush went to war against congressional pork. Oliver Willis: Drunken Sailors Distance Themselves From Bush Administration (8.11.05) — In a tersely worded statement the Local 104... |
Frederick Maryland: The Washington Post reports that President Bush "is signing a whopping $286.4 billion transportation bill that lawmakers... Robin Hanson: Diet Pork — The Washington Post reports a record pork feast today [snipped quote] Such waste may seem inevitable; how... |
Nominee Is Pressed on End-of-Life Care By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 - Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman whose case provoked Congressional action and a national debate over end-of-life care, became an issue on Tuesday in the Supreme Court confirmation of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. when a Democratic senator pressed him about whether lawmakers should have intervened. | |
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Michael @AmericaBlog: According to the Senator, Roberts expressed displeasure with Congress interfering in the case of Terri Schiavo (he'd be... John Cole: What I Want to Hear Personally, I am starting to like Judge Roberts more and more: Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged... Ann Althouse: Supreme Court nominee John Roberts shows some commitment to federalism values: [snipped quote] Roberts seems to have disapproved of Congress's intervention in the Schiavo case. |
Captain Ed: According to Wyden and reported by the New York Times directly from his notes, Roberts responded to a question regarding... Venkat @BeggingToDiffer: Update: The article contains another gem: "In discussing how the law was evolving on end-of-life care, Mr. Wyden said... Tom Maguire: Roberts - "Settled Law" Not So Settled — Confirming the recent comments by Attorney General Gonzalez, Supreme Court... |
Pungent Pundit B.S. NRO — Permalink A barking blur. Much of Washington is having a grand time tittering about Robert Novak's potty mouth. But they're missing the big picture. Here are the facts. On a recent CNN broadcast, Novak was paired with James Carville for an Inside Politics discussion. | |
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James Joyner: Pungent Pundit B.S. (NRO) [snipped quote] Quite right. Indeed, the heyday of Crossfire was when Michael Kinsley and Pat... Pejman Yousefzadeh: . . Is—as Jonah Goldberg points out—that it reveals the coarse nature of modern political debate. Jonah Goldberg: MY COLUMN TODAY — Lots of folks seem to think I'm trying to carry a lot of water for Bob Novak today. |
Roy @Alicublog: Jonah Goldberg, now scowling parentally in his toga, reacts: [snipped quote] Yes, the world of talk TV is too rough-and-tumble for Goldberg. Oliver Willis: The Monster They Made — Righties, shocked — shocked at the mistreatment the foul mouthed Robert Novak received at the... Ed Driscoll: Cable TV: Party Flaks Versus Opinion Journalists — Jonah Goldberg notes how CNN and other TV networks typically pair... |
More Discipline Mulled for U.S. General Over Affair Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army said on Wednesday that further discipline was possible against a four-star general relieved of his command due to what his lawyer called "a consensual, adult relationship" outside of marriage. | |
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James Joyner: Unfortunately, Byrnes' troubles may not be over: More discipline mulled for U.S. general over affair (Reuters) "The... Orrin Judd: HARDLY ADULT: More Discipline Mulled for U.S. General Over Affair (Reuters, 8/10/05) [snipped quote] It's not much to ask... |
Lindsay Beyerstein: General Kevin Byrnes roundup — The blogosphere mulls the firing of four-star general Kevin T. Byrnes, allegedly for consensual, heterosexual adultery. |
Divine Evolution By / TCS — Permalink Oscar Wilde remarked that to be happy it is not enough to be a success; our friends must fail. Religious views — whether theistic or atheistic — are, alas, the same: for our view to be right, all the others must be wrong. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Incidentally, another insipid evolution article from TCS kicks off the day in creation. Brad DeLong: Last, I am embarrassed for them by Frederick Turner's misrepresentation of the debate over whether "Intelligent Design"... |
Joe Katzman: Frederick Turner has a post on Tech Central Station called Divine Evolution, which looks at what a bridge between... Orrin Judd: THEIR QUARREL IS ULTIMATELY A RATIONALIST ONE WITH GOD'S IMPERFECTION: Divine Evolution (Frederick Turner, 08/10/2005,... |
NRA may back Dem against DeWine in '06 By / The Hill — Permalink Gun activists angry with Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and the state GOP are welcoming talk of Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) challenging the second-term senator next year. | |
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Michael Crowley: Hackett was a smash hit in the liberal blogosphere, and now some of his fans want him to run for U.S. Senate next year... Scott Shields: OH-Sen: NRA Could Pull Support For DeWine — This is some interesting news out of Ohio from this morning's edition of The Hill. Gerry Daly: NRA may back Dem against DeWine in '06 — The Hill: [snipped quote] The Ohio Republicans are seemingly perfecting the art of destroying the morale of their base. |
Matthew Yglesias: As a longstanding supporter of right-wing views on gun control, I couldn't be happier to read this: [snipped quote] Even... Taegan Goddard: NRA May Abandon DeWine — Gun activists upset with Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) are "welcoming talk" of Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) challenging the senator in 2006, according to The Hill. |
Iran breaks seals at nuclear plant CNN — Permalink VIENNA, Austria (CNN) — Iran removed the International Atomic Energy Agency seals Wednesday from its Isfahan nuclear processing facility, opening the uranium conversion plant for full operation, the United Nations said. | |
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Ted @CrookedTimber: On the same day, Iran broke the seals on an atomic processing facility. More on Iranian nuclear plans here and here. Michael Stickings: Iranian leader issues fatwa against nuclear weapons — According to CNN, Iran today broke the seals at one of its nuclear facilities. |
Simon @Centerfield: Ayatollah Khamenei: "use of nuclear weapons forbidden under Islam" — Iran has today broken the seals on a uranium conversion plant. Stephen Green: Another EU Victory — This can't be good: [snipped quote] Now what? |
Servants -- and Weapons -- of War By / LAT — Permalink BAGHDAD — These are the dogs of war. At a checkpoint leading to the U.S.-protected Green Zone, Gordy stands sentry. The affable Belgian Malinois has a nose finely tuned to detect the nitrates, plastic explosives, gunpowder and detonation cords that suicide bombers use to blow up people. | |
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Jason Van Steenwyk: Nice work from Blue State Conservative, who has much more. You can write the Times Public Editor at public@nytimes.com. Dan. @AndrewSullivan: Rumsfeld's "dead enders"—they're lingering longer at death's door than Terri Schiavo did—are now rigging dogs with explosives. |
Michael @AmericaBlog: Insurgents In Iraq Turn To "Dog Bombs" — Now PETA is going to get pissed. Ace: Dogs Used As Suicide Bombers In Iraq — Many Iraqis are disgusted by the practice. [snipped quote] Meanwhile, our own wardogs are being used to save lives. |
GrayLady.com: NY Times explodes wall between print, Web By / Online Journalism Review — Permalink Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of the New York Times, addressing a Nieman Foundation conference in 1995. Now the barbarians are at the gate. | |
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Dave Winer: NY Times and the web I read this piece on the supposed revolution at the NY Times, and yawned. AaronBurrFan @BOPNews: DCCC New York Times Resists Change — The Grey Lady claims it hass exploded the wall between print, Web, because... Ed Cone: Come together — OJR's Mark Glaser talks to NYT's Keller and Nisenholtz about merging the online and web newsrooms. |
Jim Romenesko: Keller: "Not everybody will have to be thrown into the web" — Online Journalism Review NYT executive editor Bill Keller... Jeff Jarvis: Merger talk Mark Glaser interviews Martin Nisenholtz and Bill Keller of The Times about the merger of the online and print newsrooms. |
Idea for next Novak column Denver Post — Permalink It's time for Robert Novak to give a public accounting of what led up to his 2003 newspaper column in which he revealed the identity of a heretofore clandestine CIA operative, Valerie Plame. | |
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Garrett M. Graff: The Denver Post throws in their two cents today: "Novak put his toe in the water Aug. 1 and should complete his public explanation now." Joe @AmericaBlog: Denver Post to Novak: Fess up — Great Editorial: [snipped quote] The Denver Post says Novak wants to talk about it on... |
Joshua Sharf: So the Post thinks that Novak should go ahead and write a tell-all column about l'affair Plame: "It's time for Robert... Jim Romenesko: Denver Post: It's time for Novak to write his tell-all column — Denver Post Robert Novak put his toe in the water Aug... |
Bush says $286 bln highway bill creates U.S. jobs Reuters — Permalink MONTGOMERY, Ill. (Reuters) - President Bush signed a $286.5 billion highway bill on Wednesday that he said would create new jobs but which critics contend is stuffed with billions of dollars worth of lawmakers' pet projects. | |
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Plutonium Page: Bush signs the $286 billion highway bill — Because you can never have too much pork: "President Bush signed a $286.5... Judd @ThinkProgress: Bush signs $286 billion |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: I THINK I'LL RETCH NOW — And frankly, you should too: [snipped quote] I have to ask what it takes for the Bush... |
'Hangover' Gene Holds Clues to Alcoholism By / Yahoo! News — Permalink WEDNESDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) — Hard-drinking fruit flies have helped U.S. and German scientists uncover a gene that may shed light on humans' tolerance to alcohol. They also believe this mechanism can lead to alcohol dependence and addiction. | |
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James Joyner: 'Hangover' Gene Holds Clues to Alcoholism (HealthDay News) [snipped quote] One would think this gene would have shown up... |
Montag: A Little Guy, but He Can Sure DRINK fruit fly Scientists have discovered a gene that leads to alcohol 'tolerance' in... |
Rumsfeld: Iraq bombs 'clearly from Iran' CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday that weapons recently confiscated in Iraq were "clearly, unambiguously from Iran" and admonished Tehran for allowing the explosives to cross the border. | |
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Roger L. Simon: We've heard that for a long time, but they are certainly pushing the envelope these days: U.S. Defense Secretary Donald... Jeff Goldstein: Persian Shrugs — Roger Simon wonders if Iran isn't on the brink of an "explosion"—which is a fair question, given today's disheartening news from the diplomatic battlefront. |
Gateway Pundit: Rumsfeld: Weapons Clearly from Iran — This is not good news for the mullahs: U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld... |
When it comes to French business, the accent is on English By / Christian Science Monitor — Permalink PARIS - You still aren't likely to get a Parisian waiter's respect if your accent isn't complètement parfait. But even a gauche monolingual American will feel right at home these days in a French boardroom. | |
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Jan Haugland: English dominates French business — Eleanor Beardsley: You still aren't likely to get a Parisian waiter's respect if your accent isn't complètement parfait. |
Orrin Judd: FRANCE AIN'T ROME: When it comes to French business, the accent is on English (Eleanor Beardsley, 8/11/05, The Christian... |