Top Items:
New York Times:
In C.I.A. Leak, More Talks With Journalists — WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 - A conversation between Karl Rove's lawyer and a journalist for Time magazine led Mr. Rove to change his testimony last year to the grand jury in the C.I.A. leak case, people knowledgeable about the sequence of events said Thursday.
Discussion:
The Anonymous Liberal
RELATED ITEMS:
Digby / Hullabaloo:
Memory Hole — Jane is reporting that Rove's lawyer Luskin told Fitzgerald that "inveterate gossip" Viveca Novak told him that Rove was Matt Cooper's source, which sent him and Karl rummaging frantically through the e-mails to refresh Karl's sketchy memory. Apparently, it took them five months to find it, but whatever.
Ellen Knickmeyer / Washington Post:
Ramadi Insurgents Flaunt Threat — U.S. Dismisses Reported Display Of Force as Hype — BAGHDAD, Dec. 1 — Armed fighters claiming allegiance to Abu Musab Zarqawi took to the streets of a western Iraqi provincial capital Thursday in a fleeting show aimed at intimidating Iraqi Sunni Arab leaders taking part …
RELATED ITEMS:
Reuters:
Iraqi rebels attack in Ramadi, seize some streets — RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Masked militants attacked a U.S. base and a local government building with mortars and rockets in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Thursday, before holding ground on central streets, residents said.
Associated Press:
Iraq suicide blasts at lowest level in 7 months — U.S. military attributes decline to 'effectiveness of our operations' — BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military said Thursday that suicide bombings fell in November to their lowest level in seven months after joint U.S.-Iraqi operations west of the capital.
Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Justice Staff Saw Texas Districting As Illegal — Voting Rights Finding On Map Pushed by DeLay Was Overruled — Justice Department lawyers concluded that the landmark Texas congressional redistricting plan spearheaded by Rep. Tom DeLay (R) violated the Voting Rights Act …
Discussion:
The Left Coaster, The Moderate Voice, AMERICAblog, The Next Hurrah, Burnt Orange Report and Rising Hegemon
Steve Clemons:
Bush Gossip & Tonight's Ten Minutes on Air America' Majority Report — Barbara Bush is allegedly TICKED off at Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Andy Card, nearly all of them — except Karen Hughes — for how her boy is faring in the hearts and minds of Americans. — The matriarch of the Bush clan …
Discussion:
Blinq, The Moderate Voice, Brilliant at Breakfast, Prairie Weather and Middle Earth Journal
Anne E. Kornblut / New York Times:
Lobbyist's Role in Hiring Aides Is Investigated — WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 - With a federal corruption case intensifying, prosecutors investigating Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist, are examining whether he brokered lucrative jobs for Congressional aides at powerful lobbying firms in exchange …
New York Times:
Senate Summons Pentagon to Explain Effort to Plant News Stories in Iraqi Media — WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 - The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee summoned top Pentagon officials to a closed-door session on Capitol Hill on Friday to explain a reported secret military campaign in Iraq …
Discussion:
World O'Crap
RELATED ITEM:
Matt Stoller / MyDD:
The Role of Labor in a Political Campaign — The blogosphere isn't very conducive to discussing labor issues, mostly because blog readers probably don't belong to unions and don't know much about them. I know I didn't know anything about unions a few years ago. This can often blind us to important political developments.
RELATED ITEM:
Jonathan S. Landay / Knight Ridder:
U.S. military pays Iraqis for positive news stories on war — WASHINGTON - U.S. Army officers have been secretly paying Iraqi journalists to produce upbeat newspaper, radio and television reports about American military operations and the conduct of the war in Iraq.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, Middle Earth Journal, The Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, War and Piece and TAPPED
RELATED ITEM:
Hilary Leila Krieger / Jerusalem Post:
PM: Iranian nukes unacceptable — Israel "can't accept a situation where Iran has nuclear arms" and "is making all the necessary preparations to handle a situation like this," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday. — Iran's enemies have "the capability" to use military force …
Stephen Castle / Independent:
Girl next door who became a suicide bomber — Murielle Degauque was, by all accounts, a normal child. A typical girl next door, you might say. True, as a teenager growing up in southern Belgium, she dabbled in drugs and preferred boys to books. But there was nothing to indicate …
Bill Roggio / ThreatsWatch.Org:
The Sulemani — Airstrikes, a Meeting with Sheikhs, a Cache on the River and a Trip to Camp al-Qaim — HUSAYBAH, IRAQ: Thursday morning started off with strikes at undisclosed locations near the Syrian border by "the task force", presumably Task Force 626, the group assigned to hunt Zarqawi and the leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Discussion:
Secular Blasphemy
William J. Kole / Associated Press:
Two U.S. Allies Leaving Iraq, More May Go — VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Two of America's allies in Iraq are withdrawing forces this month and a half-dozen others are debating possible pullouts or reductions, increasing pressure on Washington as calls mount to bring home U.S. troops.
Discussion:
Middle Earth Journal
Jeff Goldstein / protein wisdom:
"Broken, worn out" — Newly-minted Democratic uber "hawk" John Murtha, on the US military and Iraq: … This insane calculus—which is the position of the Democratic leadership, at least in the House—argues, in essence, that going to war puts a strain on our troops, and that protecting ourselves …
Media Matters for America:
O'Reilly brought Christmas war to Cavuto — On the November 30 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto, Bill O'Reilly continued his campaign to promote use of the holiday greeting "Merry Christmas" in retail stores. His effort to combat retail stores he believes are replacing …
