memeorandum: One thing al-Qaeda excels at; making new enemies. (Omar/IRAQ THE MODEL)

1:50 AM ET, March 18, 2007

Top Items:

Blogburst: Gathering of Eagles—30,000 strong — ***Update: Kit at Gathering of Eagles reports on the National Park Service estimate of the GoE turnout: 30,000 strong. It was a breath-taking, historic, and emotional day in Washington, D.C. You won't know it if you tune in to the usual MSM channels.

Discussion: Gathering of Eagles, Lifelike Pundits, This ain't Hell, BLACKFIVE, Gateway Pundit, Flopping Aces, Wake up America, Wizbang and Little Green Footballs

Brigid Schulte / Washington Post:

Veterans, Others Denounce Marchers — Counter-Demonstrators Number in Thousands — As war protesters marched toward Arlington Memorial Bridge en route to the Pentagon yesterday, they were flanked by long lines of military veterans and others who stood in solidarity with U.S. troops and the Bush administration's cause in Iraq.

Discussion: Democracy Project

Baron Bodissey / Gates of Vienna:

Gathering With the Eagles — There was another big anti-war rally today in Washington DC, and an anarchist website tipped its hand by announcing that they intended to vandalize the Vietnam War Memorial as part of the action, as they did earlier with the Capitol building.

Washington Post:
4 Years After Start of War, Anger Reigns

Discussion: Sweetness & Light, Gateway Pundit and Wake up America

Sameer N. Yacoub / Associated Press:

Chlorine Gas Sickens 356 in Iraq Bombing — BAGHDAD (AP) - Three suicide bombers driving chlorine-laden trucks struck in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Anbar province, killing two policemen and forcing about 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops to seek treatment for exposure to the gas, the military said Saturday.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Omar / IRAQ THE MODEL:

One thing al-Qaeda excels at; making new enemies. — With this series of dirty chemical bombings a war between al-Qaeda and the tribes in Anbar is no longer a possibility. It just became a fact. — I've read at least two very optimistic reports from al-Almada in the last week …

Discussion: Associated Press

Karin Brulliard / Washington Post:

Chlorine Bombs Kill 10, Injure at Least 350 in Iraq — Three trucks rigged with chlorine bombs exploded in the insurgent stronghold of Anbar province Friday, in the latest efforts by insurgents to use the toxic chemical to boost the lethal power of their attacks, U.S. military officials announced Saturday.

Discussion: The Reaction and Political Animal

Ace / Ace of Spades HQ:
Chlorine Gas Attack Sickens 356 In Anbar

Discussion: Redstate and Liberty Street

Marie Colvin / Times of London:

Iraqis: life is getting better — MOST Iraqis believe life is better for them now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a British opinion poll published today. — The survey of more than 5,000 Iraqis found the majority optimistic despite their suffering in sectarian violence since …

Discussion: The Belmont Club and Pajamas Media

TigerHawk:

The paradox of Iraqi optimism — The Times of London has written a short article about a poll taken of Iraqis. A couple of its findings are quite interesting: … Commentary — Iraqis seem to believe both that the "surge" is working and that security will improve still further after a withdrawal of the foreign armies.

Discussion: Chicago Boyz

Sweetness & Light:

When And Why Joseph C Wilson IV Outed Valerie Plame — Before we put the Plame "leak" story to bed once and for all, I want to reiterate what I first posited almost two years ago, which now seems to be more true than ever. — It was almost certainly Mr. Joseph C. Wilson IV who first "outed" his wife as a CIA officer.

Discussion: Angry Bear, The Jawa Report, Blogs for Bush, Kesher Talk, The Impolitic, TigerHawk and The American Street

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com: SO IT WAS JOE WILSON WHO OUTED VALERIE PLAME? And even she …

Mary Ann Akers / The Sleuth:
Plame: Hearing Room Chic

Discussion: TPMCafe blogs

Tennessean.com:

Tenn. mine enriched Gore, scarred land — Al Gore Jr. received more than $500,000 in royalties from the owners of zinc mines who held mineral leases on his farm near Carthage, Tenn. Now the mines have a new owner and are scheduled to reopen later this year.

Discussion: News Bloggers Blog, Viking Pundit and Bill Hobbs

Cliff Schecter / The Huffington Post:

Karl Rove Must Go to Prison — Karl Rove must go to the jail, the pokey, the big house, if you will. No not country-club Republican, I-ripped-off-your-grandma-with-junk- bonds prison where he can join the Dartmouth or Princeton rowing squad and walk by a state-of-the-art outdoor weight-lifting facility …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and Alternate Brain

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Sampson: I Failed to Organize "Political Response"

Discussion: Think Progress, Middle Earth Journal and Talking Points Memo

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
With Shifting Explanations, White House Adds to Storm

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, The Impolitic, Captain's Quarters and TPMmuckraker

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
White House Delays Action in Inquiry on Attorneys

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Real Cities, Washington Post and Prairie Weather

Mary Beth Sheridan / Washington Post:
White House Opposes D.C. Vote

Discussion: CorrenteWire and AMERICAblog

New York Times:

G.O.P. Anger in Swing State Eased Attorney's Exit — The first whiff of something suspicious came when a 15-year-old boy received a voter registration card in the mail. Soon a second one arrived. Then his 13-year-old neighbor got one, too. — Neither boy had applied for the cards …

Discussion: Prairie Weather and The Next Hurrah

Geneive Abdo / Washington Post:

A More Islamic Islam — FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A small group of self-proclaimed secular Muslims from North America and elsewhere gathered in St. Petersburg recently for what they billed as a new global movement to correct the assumed wrongs of Islam and call for an Islamic Reformation.

Discussion: Roger L. Simon, Gateway Pundit, Jihad Watch, Solomonia, Riehl World View, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, protein wisdom and Little Green Footballs

Hamil R. Harris / Washington Post:

Nagin Suspects a Plot To Keep Blacks Away — New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin has suggested that the slow recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina — which has prevented many black former residents from returning — is part of a plan to change the racial makeup and political leadership of his and other cities.

Discussion: Polimom Says and The Democratic Daily

Newsdesk / The Swamp:

At war's fourth: Bush v Democrats — The White House, repeatedly asked if President Bush is planning anything to mark the fourth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq on Monday, has suggested that the president is going about business as usual. On Monday, that business includes playing host …

DNA [Daily News & Analysis] Homepage:

No lawyer is willing to represent Pakistan govt in judge's case — For the latest World News on mobile sms WOR to 4567 — LAHORE: The government is unable to find a lawyer of any standing to represent it before the supreme judicial council in the reference against the chief justice.