Top Items:
Ellen Knickmeyer / Washington Post:
Shiite Urges U.S. to Give Iraqis Leeway In Rebel Fight — Americans Have Blocked Tougher Tactics, Cleric Says — BAGHDAD — The leader of Iraq's most powerful political party has called on the United States to let Iraqi fighters take a more aggressive role against insurgents …
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Peter Beaumont / Observer:
Abuse worse than under Saddam, says Iraqi leader — · Allawi in damning indictment of new regime — · Bush prepares way for US troop pull-out — Human rights abuses in Iraq are now as bad as they were under Saddam Hussein and are even in danger of eclipsing his record …
Discussion:
Unclaimed Territory, blogenlust, Running Scared, Today in Iraq, The Washington Monthly and onegoodmove
Edward Wong / New York Times:
Shiite Cleric Increases His Power in Iraq — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 26 - Men loyal to Moktada al-Sadr piled out of their cars at a plantation near Baghdad on a recent morning, bristling with Kalashnikov rifles and eager to exact vengeance on the Sunni Arab fighters who had butchered one of their Shiite militia brothers.
Walter Pincus / Washington Post:
Pentagon Expanding Its Domestic Surveillance Activity — Fears of Post-9/11 Terrorism Spur Proposals for New Powers — The Defense Department has expanded its programs aimed at gathering and analyzing intelligence within the United States, creating new agencies, adding personnel …
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Hilzoy / Obsidian Wings:Someone Is Watching You... From the WaPo: … This is serious.
Discussion:
Seeing the Forest
Sarah Baxter / Times of London:
Bruce Willis comes out fighting for Iraq's forgotten GI heroes — ANGERED by negative portrayals of the conflict in Iraq, Bruce Willis, the Hollywood star, is to make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy.
Discussion:
PoliPundit.com, Mudville Gazette, Betsy's Page, Captain's Quarters and The Strata-Sphere
Washington Post:
Sympathetic Vibrations — Democrats fumed last week at Vice President Cheney's suggestion that criticism of the administration's war policies was itself becoming a hindrance to the war effort. But a new poll indicates most Americans are sympathetic to Cheney's point.
Stephen Moore / Opinion Journal:
'Reform. Reform. Reform.' — John McCain explains his eclectic—and troubling—economic philosophy. — WASHINGTON—The more Republicans stumble in Washington, the higher Sen. John McCain climbs in the polls. His political fortunes seem to run countercyclical to those of the party whose nomination …
T. Christian Miller / Los Angeles Times:
A Journey That Ended in Anguish — Col. Ted Westhusing, a military ethicist who volunteered to go to Iraq, was upset by what he saw. His apparent suicide raises questions. — "War is the hardest place to make moral judgments." — Col. Ted Westhusing, Journal of Military Ethics
Agence France Presse:
White House claims 'strong consensus' on Iraq pullout — WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House has for the first time claimed ownership of an Iraq withdrawal plan, arguing that a troop pullout blueprint unveiled this past week by a Democratic senator was "remarkably similar" to its own.
New York Times:
Look Who's Talking About Making a Comeback in the Senate — WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 - Trent Lott is talking again - and again and again and again. — It has been three years since White House officials and some Senate Republicans orchestrated Mr. Lott's ouster as Senate majority leader amid an uproar over racially insensitive remarks.
Philip Sherwell / Telegraph:
Bolton loses British backing for UN tactics — Britain has angered John Bolton, America's combative ambassador to the United Nations, by breaking ranks with him over the need for reform. — The rare public disagreement between the two close allies comes as the showdown over reforms …
David Luban / Washington Post:
Torture, American-Style — This Debate Comes Down to Words vs. Deeds — There are two torture debates going on in America today: One is about fantasy, and the other is about reality. — For viewers of TV shows such as "Commander in Chief" and "24," the question is about ticking bombs.
Con Coughlin / Telegraph:
Teheran 'secretly trains' Chechens to fight in Russia — Iran is secretly training Chechen rebels in sophisticated terror techniques to enable them to carry out more effective attacks against Russian forces, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal. — Teams of Chechen fighters are being trained …
