Top Items:
Alan Cowell / New York Times:
More European Papers Print Cartoons of Muhammad, Fueling Dispute With Muslims — COPENHAGEN, Feb. 1 — Broadening a debate that has set Europe against the Islamic world, several European newspapers on Wednesday reprinted cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in an unflattering light …
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Molly Moore / Washington Post:Offending Cartoons Reprinted
Discussion:
Rantingprofs, UPI, Captain's Quarters, ParaPundit, The Politburo Diktat, All Things Beautiful and ¡No Pasarán!
Arthur Bright / Christian Science Monitor:Firestorm over Danish Muhammad cartoons continues
Discussion:
The Brussels Journal, Arab News, Times of London, orlandosentinel.com, Tammy Bruce and The Huffington Post
Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:
Update 10: Police Apologize, Drop Charge Vs. Sheehan — Capitol Police dropped a charge of unlawful conduct against anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for ejecting her and a congressman's wife from President Bush's State of the Union address for wearing T-shirts with war messages.
Discussion:
On Tap, Seeing the Forest, A Blog For All, PBD, GOP and College, Patterico's Pontifications and Outside The Beltway
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ReddHedd / firedoglake:
Not So Free Speech — In the kabuki theatre world of GWB Productions, there is good speech (that which works with the stage direction of the event) and bad speech (that which does not make for good camera shots and must, therefore, be shut down). — You will no doubt recall last year's instance …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, The Mahablog, The Carpetbagger Report, The American Street, AMERICAblog and Crooks and Liars
Petula Dvorak / Washington Post:
The Capitol's Tempest in a T-Shirt — Chief Apologizes for Ejections at State of Union — Two T-shirts — one black, the other heather gray — spotted in the House gallery the night of the president's State of the Union speech caused a major ruckus on Capitol Hill.
Discussion:
Unclaimed Territory, The Heretik, Running Scared, SpeakSpeak News, Atlas Shrugs, Below The Beltway and Bark Bark Woof Woof
New York Times:
House Approves Budget Cutbacks of $39.5 Billion — WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 — House Republicans eked out a victory on a $39.5 billion budget-cutting package on Wednesday, with a handful of skittish Republicans switching their votes at the last minute in opposition to reductions in spending on health and education programs.
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Jon Henke / qando.net:
HOW REPUBLICANS CAN GET THEIR GROOVE BACK — I wrote this overview and analysis of the House Majority Leader Race just a couple days ago, hoping to get it placed where it might do some good. Unfortunately, with the vote today, it's too late to get it placed.
Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:Lobbying Changes Divide House GOP
Discussion:
Just a Bump in the Beltway
Gina Holland / Associated Press:
Alito Splits With Conservatives on Inmate — WASHINGTON - New Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito split with the court's conservatives Wednesday night, refusing to let Missouri execute a death-row inmate contesting lethal injection. — Alito, handling his first case, sided with inmate Michael Taylor …
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Kevin G. Hall / Knight Ridder:
Administration backs off Bush's vow to reduce Mideast oil imports — WASHINGTON - One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America's dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally.
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Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:
Bush's Goals on Energy Quickly Find Obstacles — WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 — The energy proposals set out on Tuesday by President Bush quickly ran into obstacles on Wednesday, showing how difficult it will be to take even the limited steps he supports to reduce the nation's reliance on foreign oil.
Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Senate Panel Rebuffed on Documents on U.S. Spying — WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 — The Bush administration is rebuffing requests from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for its classified legal opinions on President Bush's domestic spying program, setting up a confrontation in advance …
Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
Don't Be Fooled by Hamas — While it is probably true, as everyone says, that Hamas won the recent Palestinian elections not because it promised to wipe out Israel but because it promised to pick up the garbage in Gaza City (all politics is local, etc.), it is also true that the prospect …
Discussion:
Preemptive Karma, Hyscience, Captain's Quarters, The Political Pit Bull and Decision '08
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Toni Locy / Associated Press:
Ex-Aide Libby Wants Classified Materials — WASHINGTON — Lawyers for a former top White House aide want access to classified intelligence briefings to show that he had more pressing matters on his mind than lying about leaking the identity of a CIA operative to get even with her husband for criticizing President Bush.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, The Reality-Based Community, Daily Kos, rawstory.com, The Left Coaster, The Next Hurrah and First Draft
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Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Budget Cuts Pass By a Slim Margin — Poor, Elderly and Students to Feel Pinch — The House yesterday narrowly approved a contentious budget-cutting package that would save nearly $40 billion over five years by imposing substantial changes on programs including Medicaid, welfare, child support and student lending.
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Washington Post:
A Reprehensible Cartoon — We were extremely disappointed to see the Jan. 29 editorial cartoon by Tom Toles. — Using the likeness of a service member who has lost his arms and legs in war as the central theme of a cartoon was beyond tasteless. Editorial cartoons are often designed to exaggerate issues …
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Washington Post:
Republicans Were Masters In the Race to Paint Alito — Democrats' Portrayal Failed to Sway the Public — On the night of Sunday, Oct. 30, the White House team charged with getting Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s nomination through the Senate got a first look at the nominee.
MSNBC:
Scoring SCOTUS — Alito and the Democrats — Judge Sam Alito was confirmed today, as expected. The final vote was 58 to 42. The voting list is here. — This past weekend saw a unified effort in the blogosphere to engage readers in a call to action.
Washington Post:
Retreating on the Offensive — THE MOST important foreign policy theme in President Bush's State of the Union speech Tuesday night was his warning that the United States cannot afford to retreat from the aggressive defense of its interests abroad. The hardships of the wars in Iraq …
Discussion:
Bull Moose
Peter Slevin / Washington Post:
'St. Jack' and the Bullies in the Pulpit — John Danforth Says It's Time the GOP Center Took On The Christian Right — Jack Danforth wishes the Republican right would step down from its pulpit. Instead, he sees a constant flow of religion into national politics.
Wall Street Journal:
Alito-Palooza — Regularly Updated Political Insight and Analysis — Justice Samuel Alito stopped by the White House Wednesday afternoon for a ceremonial swearing in, with President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and a galaxy of Republican legal stars, from Reagan Attorney General Edwin Meese III …
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
