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Archive Edition for   Monday, May 16, 2005Go to Current Page
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ABCNEWS
Ace of Spades HQ
  Ace
Althouse
  Ann Althouse
American Prospect
The Anchoress
  TheAnchoress
Associated Press
  Seth Sutel
  Hope Yen
  Diana Elias
  Sadaqat Jan
  David Espo
  Dino Hazell
  Caryn Rousseau
  Joshua Freed
The Atlantic Online
  Benjamin Schwarz
baldilocks
  Baldilocks
Balloon Juice
  John Cole
Barcepundit
  FrancoAlemán
BBC
  Heba Saleh
Belmont Club
  Wretchard
Betsy's Page
  Betsy Newmark
The Blogging of the President
  Oldman @BOPNews
Bloomberg
Boston Globe
  Susan Milligan
Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal
  Brad DeLong
Brendan Nyhan
  Brendan Nyhan
BrothersJudd Blog
  Orrin Judd
Burnt Orange Report
  Jim Dallas
Captain's Quarters
  Captain Ed
CBS News
Centerfield
  Tully @Centerfield
Chicago Sun Times
  Mark Steyn
Chrenkoff
  Arthur Chrenkoff
Chris C Mooney
  Chris Mooney
Christian Science Monitor
Clayton Cramer's BLOG
  Clayton Cramer
CNN
The Corner
  John Podhoretz
  Jonah Goldberg
  K. J. Lopez
  Rich Lowry
  Stanley Kurtz
  Jonathan H. Adler
  Andrew Stuttaford
corrente
  Lambert @Corrente
  Riggsveda @Corrente
The Counterterrorism Blog
  Andrew Cochran
Cox & Forkum Editorial Cartoons
  Forkum
The Daily Ablution
  Scott Burgess
Daily Kos
  Kos @DailyKos
  Armando @DailyKos
  Plutonium Page
Daimnation!
  Damian Penny
Daly Thoughts
  Gerry @DalyThoughts
danieldrezner.com
  Daniel Drezner
Dean's World
  Mary Madigan
Demagogue
  Arnold P. California
democracyarsenal.org
  Suzanne Nossel
Discourse.net
  Michael Froomkin
Dr. Frank's What's-it
  Dr. Frank
Ed Driscoll.com
  Ed Driscoll
EdCone.com
  Ed Cone
Editor and Publisher
  Joe Strupp
Eschaton
  Avedon
  Attaturk
  Echidne
etc.
  T.A. Frank
Ezra Klein
  Ezra Klein
Fox News
  Jane Roh
Guardian
The Hill
Hit and Run
  Charles Paul Freund
The Huffington Post
  Richard Bradley
  Rep. John Conyers
  Cable Neuhaus
  Evan Smith
INDC Journal
  Bill @INDCJournal
Independent
The Indepundit
  Smash
Informed Comment
  Juan Cole
Instapundit.com
  Glenn Reynolds
Intermission 2005
  Scott Elliott
Jackson's Junction
  Dirty Harry
JustOneMinute
  Tom Maguire
Kesher Talk
  Judith Weiss
L.A. Observed
  Kevin Roderick
Lean Left
  LeanLeft
The Left Coaster
  Steve Soto
The Liquid List
  Tarek @LiquidList
Little Green Footballs
  Charles Johnson
Los Angeles Times
  Ronald Brownstein
  Daniel Costello
  Gregory Rodriguez
The Mahablog
  Barbara O'Brien
Matthew Yglesias
  Matthew Yglesias
The Media Drop
  Tom Biro
mediabistro
  Brian Stelter
  Garrett M. Graff
Michelle Malkin
  Michelle Malkin
The Moderate Voice
  Joe Gandelman
MSNBC
The National Debate
  RCox
National Review
  Paul Marshall
New York Sun
  Brian McGuire
New York Times
  John Tierney
  Katharine Q. Seelye
  Christine Hauser
  Neil A. Lewis
  Stephen Labaton
  Paul Krugman
  A. O. Scott
  David Greenberg
NewsHog
  Cernig
Newsweek
No More Mister Nice Blog
  Steve M.
normblog
  Norm Geras
NY Daily News
  Jose Martinez
Observer
Oh, That Liberal Media
  Patterico
Opinion Journal
  Brian M. Carney
Outside The Beltway
  James Joyner
OxBlog
  Patrick Belton
  David Adesnik
Pacific Views
  Natasha @PacificViews
pandagon.net
  Amanda Marcotte
  Jesse Taylor
Patrick Ruffini '05
  Patrick Ruffini
Patterico's Pontifications
  Patterico
Pejmanesque
  Pejman Yousefzadeh
The Peking Duck
  Richard TPD
The People's Republic of Seabrook
  Jack Cluth
PoliBlog
  Dr. Steven Taylor
PoliPundit.com
  Alexander K. McClure
  Jayson @PoliPundit
  DJ Drummond
  PoliPundit
The Poor Man
  The Poorman
Power Line
  Scott @PowerLine
  John @PowerLine
  Paul @PowerLine
praktike's blog
  Praktike
ProfessorBainbridge.com
  Steve Bainbridge
protein wisdom
  Jeff Goldstein
Publius Pundit
  Daniel Berczik
The QandO Blog
  McQ
  Dale Franks
Rantingprofs
  Cori Dauber
Raw Story
Reuters
  Sayed Salahuddin
  David Morgan
Right Wing News
  John Hawkins
Roger L. Simon
  Roger L. Simon
Romenesko
  Jim Romenesko
Samizdata.net
  Robert Clayton Dean
Scared Monkeys
  Tom @ScaredMonkeys
  Red @ScaredMonkeys
Secular Blasphemy
  Jan Haugland
Shot In The Dark
  Mitch Berg
The Sideshow
  Avedon Carol
Silent Running
  Captain Scarlet
Silflay Hraka
  Kehaar
skippy the bush kangaroo
  Cookie Jill
  Skippy
  RJ Eskow
  Pudentilla
Southern Appeal
  Steve Dillard
Stephen Pollard
  Stephen Pollard
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
  Taegan Goddard
Talking Points Memo
  Josh Marshall
TalkLeft
  Jeralyn Merritt
TAPPED
  Matthew Yglesias
Telegraph
  Julie Henry
  Alasdair Palmer
Think Progress
  Faiz @ThinkProgress
  Nico @ThinkProgress
  Christy @ThinkProgress
This Modern World
  Greg Saunders
  Bob Harris
Time
Times of London
  David Rose
Townhall.com
  Robert Novak
  Doug Bandow
Unfogged
  Ogged @Unfogged
USS Neverdock
  Marc @USSNeverdock
Vodkapundit
  Will Collier
The Washington Monthly
  Kevin Drum
Washington Post
  Dan Froomkin
  Robert Kagan
  Howard Kurtz
  Ellen Knickmeyer
  Susan B. Glasser
Washington Times
  Tarron Lively
White House
  Virginia Biodiesel Refinery
Winds of Change.NET
  Joe Katzman
  Robin Burk
Wizbang
  Kevin Aylward



Newsweek Retracts Koran-Desecration Story
  By / Fox News   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK — Newsweek on Monday retracted a story alleging interrogators at Guantanamo flushed the Koran down a toilet in front of detainees.
"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had...
Patrick Ruffini: A Test for Liberals — For all the liberal Newsweek enthusiasts hell-bent on assuming the worst about the United States...
Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 5/16/05 2:35:57 pm: Newsweek Retracts Koran-Desecration Story.
Robin Burk: Newsweek Retracts Quran Story — After insisting there was no reason to do so, Newsweek has retracted their story saying that U.S. interrogators desecrated Qurans at Gitmo.
Joe Gandelman: Fox News has the tantilizing question of the year when it notes in its report:"Newsweek did not say what caused the turnabout."
Tom Biro: K. Paul Mallasch has a good roundup on the situation, and Instapundit seems to be a rip-roaring good time for the...
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Update 2 : Reuters story, Fox News Update: More from Michelle Malkin More from Bloomberg [quote] "Based on what we know now,...[end quote]
Also: Jeff Goldstein

Newsweek Retracts Story on Quran Abuse
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
"/ Afghanistan, said Monday it was retracting its report that a military probe had found evidence of desecration of the Quran by U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay.
Captain Ed: A couple of hours ago, Newsweek retracted its false story about flushing Qu'rans down Gitmo toilets that started deadly...
John @PowerLine: Newsweek, which began by arguing that its story could possibly be true, even though the magazine's sources had no knowledge one way or the other, has now retracted the story.
Michelle Malkin: NEWSWEEK RETRACTS, PUBLIC REACTS — Just in from AP: [snipped quote] *** More: Veteran journalist Mark Tapscott weighs in.
Jayson @PoliPundit: And following in the wake of NewsWeak's retraction of their blood-for-toilet bowl story, me thinks the public's...
Patterico: If you do that, you'll be fine. UPDATE: Newsweek's editor has now officially retracted the story.

New Survey Finds Huge Gap Between Press and Public on Many Issues
  By / Editor and Publisher   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK A new survey to be released Monday reveals a wide gap on many media issues between a group of journalists and the general public. In one finding, 43% of the public say they believe the press has too much freedom, while only 3% of journalists agree.
Joe Gandelman: BIG Gap Between Public And Press — A new poll finds a big gap between the public and a group of journalists surveyed...
James Joyner: New Survey Finds Huge Gap Between Press and Public on Many Issues (Editor & Publisher) "A survey to be released...
Glenn Reynolds: Now it looks as if things are already dire: "A new survey to be released Monday reveals a wide gap on many media issues between a group of journalists and the general public.
Ezra Klein: Ideas Matter (Randomly) You're about to hear a lot of whining and high-pitched indignation about this paragraph from an...
Taegan Goddard: Journalists Favored Kerry — When television and newspaper reporters were asked who they voted for in last year's...
Gerry @DalyThoughts: Editor & Publisher reports on a poll conducted by the University of Connecticut Department of Public Policy:...

Kuwaiti women win right to vote
  BBC   —   Permalink 
The Kuwaiti parliament has voted to give women full political rights.
The amendment to the Kuwait's electoral law means women can for the first time vote and stand in parliamentary and local elections.
It was passed by 35 votes for, 23 against, with one abstention.
Damian Penny: Better late than never — Kuwaiti women have been granted the right to vote and run for office.
Marc @USSNeverdock: The BBC reports "The Kuwaiti parliament has voted to give women full political rights. "
Tully @Centerfield: Another Small Step — Kuwaiti women win right to vote "The Kuwaiti parliament has voted to give women full political rights.
Clayton Cramer: Kuwait has just given women the right to vote and hold public office. This might have happened anyway.
Glenn Reynolds: THIS SEEMS LIKE GOOD NEWS: [snipped quote] Stay tuned. UPDATE: And don't miss this week's Carnival of the Revolutions, collecting democracy-blogging around the world.

Court Strikes Down Ban on Wine Shipments
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — Wine lovers may buy directly from out-of-state vineyards, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, striking down laws banning a practice that has flourished because of the Internet and growing popularity of winery tours.
Steve Bainbridge: (Link) Even casual followers of the Supreme Court will note that this is a VERY unusual lineup.
Jonathan H. Adler: SUPREMES LIBERATE WINE SALES — Today the Supreme Court struck down state prohibitions on interstate wine sales.
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Court Strikes Down Ban on Wine Shipments [snipped quote] The real interesting thing that caught my eye was how the Court voted.
Steve Dillard: "Court Lets Wine Lovers Buy Out-Of-State": Like Professor Adler, I have not yet had a chance to read the Court's...

Kuwait Approves Women's Political Rights
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
KUWAIT CITY - Kuwaiti lawmakers approved political rights for women Monday, clearing the way for females to participate in parliamentary elections for the first time in the Gulf nation's history.
However, fundamentalist Muslims included a requirement that any female politician or voter abide by Islamic law.
Daniel Berczik: Not everybody is overjoyed: [quote] Islamic conservatives called the law a "bombshell'' and accused the government of bowing to foreign pressure.[end quote]
Praktike: Victory for women in Kuwait — At last, they'll get the right to vote, albeit with some ambiguous restrictions (read the article).
Captain Ed: Now that issue can be put to rest, as Kuwaiti women have finally been granted complete political rights in the...
Kevin Drum: WOMEN GET THE VOTE IN KUWAIT...Via Praktike, a firsthand blog account of Kuwait's decision to allow women to vote:...

Newsweek Retracts Report About Koran Desecration (Update2)
  Bloomberg   —   Permalink 
May 16 (Bloomberg) — Newsweek magazine today retracted a report it published earlier this month that sparked riots in Afghanistan and elsewhere, leaving at least 16 people dead.
Lambert @Corrente: "''We have made clear, I think, that there is the utmost respect for religion of the prisoners,'' Boucher said. (via Bloomberg)" More lies.
Glenn Reynolds: NEWSWEEK has retracted its Koran-flushing story now, after its earlier weak apology didn't satisfy. Good for them.

The Empire Strikes Bush
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
"This is how liberty dies — to thunderous applause."
So observes Queen Amidala of Naboo as the galactic senate grants dictator-to-be Palpatine sweeping new powers in his crusade against the Jedi in the final "Star Wars" movie opening this week.
Barbara O'Brien: Speaking of films, George Lucas is out promoting Start Wars episode 3 and saying there are parallels between the Empire and the Bush Administration.
Red @ScaredMonkeys: It would appear that critic's reviews on "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," is no different.
Greg Saunders: Greg Saunders: The Dark Side Dan Froomkin sees through the bad dialogue and flashy special effects1 to see the real...
Michael Froomkin: My Brother Tries Movie Criticism — The Empire Strikes Bush: "This is how liberty dies — to thunderous applause."

Muslims doubt Quran climbdown
  CNN   —   Permalink 
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan were skeptical after a U.S. magazine backed away from a report that U.S. interrogators desecrated copies of the Quran while questioning prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Barbara O'Brien: While the Right Blogosphere enjoys its wallow in triumphalism, Muslims in Afghanistan are skeptical.
Joe Gandelman: CNN, quoting Reuters, has this tidbit: [quote] "We will not be deceived by this," Islamic cleric Mullah Sadullah Abu Aman told Reuters in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan.[end quote]
Jan Haugland: The Muslim extremists who seized on this story can all too easily dismiss the climbdown as a result of US government pressure.
Red @ScaredMonkeys: According to CNN, Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan were skeptical after Newsweek backed away from their initial report.
TheAnchoress: Once again, if only someone had asked for something more than, "can you prove this allegation is not true" perhaps we...
Steve M.: Well, Newsweek's trying, but this CNN story suggests that nobody's buying: Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan were...
Also: Marc @USSNeverdock

Newsweek withdraws Koran report
  BBC   —   Permalink 
US magazine Newsweek has issued a full retraction of its report that a Koran was flushed down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay by US interrogators.
It said a US military investigation had failed to corroborate the story and apologised for carrying the report.
Cori Dauber: It was not a particularly elegant statement of concession: In a one-sentence statement released on Monday evening,...
Jan Haugland: Just as leftist bloggers rush to defend Newsweek and insist that the magazine neither backed down nor apologized, Newsweek fully retracts the story.
McQ: But that still doesn't change the fact that 16 people are dead because they got it wrong. More here.

Newsweek Apologizes
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
But critics are already pouncing on the story as the latest in a high-profile series of media blunders at such respected news organizations as the New York Times, USA Today and CBS News. In this case, the consequences — deadly riots — were far more serious than a breach of journalistic ethics.
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Thank you Newsweek for giving the hate-America at all cost crowd in the Muslim world a voice.
Gerry @DalyThoughts: Newsweek's Mark Whitaker (hat tip, Glenn Reynolds) says, "I suppose you could say we should have foreseen the consequences of the report, but we didn't."
Glenn Reynolds: But Newsweek's Mark Whitaker says: "I suppose you could say we should have foreseen the consequences of the report, but we didn't."
Michelle Malkin: "(Heck, the Washington Post owns Newsweek, and the Post's halcyon was Watergate.)"

Deadly Mistake
  By / NRO   —   Permalink 
The shakily sourced May 9 Newsweek report that interrogators had desecrated a Koran at Guantanamo Bay is likely to do more damage to the U.S. than the Abu Ghraib prison scandals. What is also deeply disturbing is that the journalists who put the report out seem somewhat clueless about this reality.
Joe Katzman: As Paul Marshal notes: [quote] "Equally disturbing is the fact that Newsweek reporters seemed to have little idea how explosive such a story would be.[end quote]
Cori Dauber: Couldn't anyone who'd done significant amounts of reporting on the Islamic world have seen this one coming?
Ed Driscoll: But the other element is that Newsweek surely had to have considered that in the tinderbox atmosphere that is the Middle...
Michelle Malkin: Paul Marshall at NRO: Deadly mistake Ace of Spades renames Newsweek "Al-Newsweek." Newsweek lied*. People died.

Newsweek retracts story on Koran under pressure
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
"/ Afghanistan that killed 16 people and the White House criticized it.
"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Koran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker said in a statement, a day after apologizing for the report.
Cernig: Goose Covers Newsweek — I was going to do a long post about the by now famous Newsweek apology.
Dr. Steven Taylor: Newsweek Retracts — Via Reuters: Newsweek retracts story on Koran desecration [snipped quote] Sadly, I suspect that this...
McQ: Newsweek retracts Koran story — Well, well ... [snipped quote] Now in my book, a retraction is a fairly final journalistic act.

Eastern Fronts
  American Prospect   —   Permalink 
While Bush administration officials are obsessed with politics in the Greater Middle East, two dangerous problems are emerging in East Asia: the Taiwan Strait and the 38th Parallel in Korea.
Praktike: Miscalculation watch — Speaking of J-Lo, he has an article in TAP(!) about Taiwan and South Korea.
Brad DeLong: Time to Learn from Tojo Hideki... Ted Galen Carpenter and Justin Logan write: American Prospect Online - ViewWeb: Clearly, the X factor for China is potential U.S. intervention.
Matthew Yglesias: Aircraft Carrier — Praktike rightly flags the apparent — and strange — belief of at least some inside the Chinese...

Pakistan Repeats Demand for Quran Probe
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
(05-16) 15:19 PDT ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) —
Pakistan on Monday reiterated its demand for an investigation into the alleged desecration of Islam's holy book at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, hours before Newsweek retracted the report claiming a Quran was flushed down a toilet to rattle detainees.
Smash: We don't know what the ultimate facts are." UPDATE — NEWSWEEEK issues a retraction: [snipped quote] Too late.
Michelle Malkin: Pakistan wants a probe of the now-retracted allegations of Koran desecration. Ben Johnson at Front Page Magazine writes about Newsweek's victims.

What did liberals believe?
  MSNBC   —   Permalink 
Man Bites Dog "Alterman: Bush is Sorta Right..." My piece on Bush, FDR and Yalta is on The American Prospect website, here.
Since we're all writing about liberalism, here is a capsule history, written off the top of my head, that I hope might help.
Barbara O'Brien: I'm going. — Eric Alterman has a pocket history of American liberalism here that I partly agree with, but not entirely.
Brendan Nyhan: As Eric Alterman points out, even the Middle East Studies Association — no one's idea of a pro-Israeli body — has...

Newsweek report on Quran matches many earlier accounts
  Raw Story   —   Permalink 
Contrary to White House assertions, the allegations of religious desecration at Guantanamo published by Newsweek May 6 are common among ex-prisoners and have been widely reported outside the United States, RAW STORY has learned.
Lambert @Corrente: Give me a minute, OK? ] Meanwhile, Raw Story cites many other examples of desecration of the Koran.
Nico @ThinkProgress: Indeed, variou s other reports in the media and by NGOs suggest that U.S. interrogators have desecrated the Quran on multiple occassions.

Reid Says Showdown Imminent in Senate
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
"/ President Bush's controversial judicial nominees, saying their fate along with the future of long-standing filibuster rules will be settled in a showdown on the Senate floor.
Captain Ed: New Offer: Throw Less People Under The Bus — The Senate Democrats have reportedly made a new offer to the GOP to avert...
Taegan Goddard: No Deal — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "declared an end Monday to compromise talks with Republican leaders...

Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan
  By / White House   —   Permalink 
Q — (inaudible) — what's the White House —
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I find it puzzling that Newsweek now acknowledges that the facts were wrong, and they refuse to offer a retraction. There is a certain journalistic standard that should be met, and in this case it was not met.
Faiz @ThinkProgress: Flashback: The White House's Single, Anonymous, Unreliable Source — Today, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan...
Cori Dauber: And of course there's the fact that the change comes after a day of fairly public pressure from the White House.

The Illusion of 'Managing' China
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
There has been much disc ussion recently about how to "manage the rise of China." The phrase itself is soothing, implying gradualism, predictability and time. Time enough to think and prepare, to take measurements of China's trajectory and adjust as necessary.
Dale Franks: Cold War II — Robert Kagan writes that any hope we have of "manging" China's ascent from Third World despotism to First World Democracy is probably futile.
Stanley Kurtz: Finally, Sunday's Washington Post featured a superb China op-ed by Robert Kagan.
DJ Drummond: The China Campaign — Robert Kagan writes about the "Illusion of Managing China" in the Washington Post, and to some degree his comments are apt.
Matthew Yglesias: Congressional Republicans messed up highway policy, so we should let them mess up Social Security, too. Robert Kagan.

Probing the judges
  By / Townhall.com   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — On May 5, the U.S. Judicial Conference in Washington received a request from a man named Mike Rice from Oakland, Calif., for the financial disclosure records of U.S. Appeals Court Judge Edith Jones (5th Circuit) of Houston.
Jim Dallas: . Now, Bob Novak criticizing NARAL lobbyists for searching public records (from Pandagon).
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Novak Writes: [snipped quote] This information coming on the heals of Reid's unethical disclosure over judges records , a...
TheAnchoress: Robert Novak writes of a NARAL-funded background probe into the finances of over 30 judges they believe President Bush "might" name to the Supreme Court.
Captain Ed: NARAL Raids On Private Financial Data — Robert Novak writes today that the pro-abortion lobby has financed a series of...
Jesse Taylor: The Unprecedented Searching Of Google — Robert Novak covers a push by NARAL-linked consultants to recover publicly...
Betsy Newmark: Robert Novak reports on a disturbing preemptive trend in the judicial battles.
Also: Orrin Judd

The House's crazy Aunt Louise and Uncle John
  The Hill   —   Permalink 
Remember when Democrats used to sneer at Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), back when he chaired the House Government Reform Committee, calling him a right-wing nut for his various investigations of the Clinton administration?
Rep. John Conyers: Imagine my shock and surprise when I read his column in today's Capitol Hill Newspaper, "The Hill."
Jeralyn Merritt: Over at the Huffington Post Blog, Rep. John Conyers lambasts journalist Bryon York for his column last week referring to...

White House Criticizes Newsweek
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
The White House today appeared to challenge Newsweek to retract the admittedly flawed report that sparked deadly riots in Afghanistan and other countries, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the story has "done a lot of harm" to U.S. efforts to reach out to the Muslim world.
TheAnchoress: Newsweek RETRACTS but the damage is done I'm very glad to read that Newsweek has retracted its report of American troops at Gitmo desecrating the Muslim holy book.
Taegan Goddard: Bonus Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — White House spokesman Scott McClellan, with no sense of irony, criticizing the errors in a recent Newsweek report.

2 Marines Killed In Afghan Clash
  CBS News   —   Permalink 
(AP) U.S. Marines tracked down a band of insurgents in eastern Afghanistan and sparked a battle that left about 23 rebels and two American troops dead, the U.S. military said Monday, in the latest sign of a revived Taliban-led insurgency.
Faiz @ThinkProgress: Before the Newsweek report even hit the newsstands, the Associated Press was already noting a "revived Taliban-led...
Avedon: And a little reminder — From Think Progress: "Before the Newsweek report even hit the newsstands, the Associated Press...

White House Wants Retraction From Newsweek
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK (AP) - In an apology to readers this week, Newsweek acknowledged errors in a story alleging U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran. The accusations, which the magazine vowed to re-examine, spawned protests in Afghanistan that left 15 dead and scores injured.
Josh Marshall: Here we have today Scott McClellan, the president's press secretary, specifically demanding further disavowals of the story from Newsweek.
Mary Madigan: They didn't properly check their sources because they wanted to publish an article that made Bush look bad. Newsweek is incompetent.
Joe Gandelman: Meanwhile, the White House has called Newsweek's response insufficient: [quote] "It's puzzling.[end quote]

Paying taxes for months on end
  By / Townhall.com   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON - We are finally done paying taxes. The average American finished on April 17, two days after the filing deadline.
But residents of high-tax Connecticut had to pay until May 3. They spent more than one-third of the year working for the government.
LeanLeft: Civilization Freedom Day — Filed under: General Politics Legal Issues Economics Culture Libertarian Problem Solving —...
Jesse Taylor: This doesn't even mention the fact that you can't calculate this day for any worker, given that the number of hours...

Bombs Bursting on Air
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
If a man-bites-dog story is news and dog-bites-man isn't, why are journalists still so interested in man-blows-up-self stories?
I realize that we have a duty to report suicide bombings in the Middle East, especially when there's a spate as bad as in recent weeks.
Ed Driscoll: Astonishingly, in an op-ed found via Instapundit, John Tierney, who along with Virginia Postrel are the New York Times'...
Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: John Tierney's column on war coverage seems to me to be more timely this week than it was last week when it came out.

Saudis lobby to limit liability on additive
  By / Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON — A company largely owned by the Saudi government has spent more than $1.5 million since 1998 lobbying Congress to shield the chemical industry from liability for damages caused by MTBE, a potentially cancer-causing gasoline additive that has seeped into water supplies across New England, according to federal documents.
Steve M.: The Boston Globe reports: A company largely owned by the Saudi government has spent more than $1.5 million since 1998...
Christy @ThinkProgress: Congress Protects Saudis Over Americans — According to the Boston Globe, a rich Saudi company called SABIC - which...
Bob Harris: Now, on with my usual parade of dark news and wan smiles... This delightful news from the Boston Globe, pointed out by...

Newsweek Apologizes for Report of Koran Insult
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Newsweek apologized yesterday for printing a small item on May 9 about reported desecration of the Koran by American guards at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, an item linked to riots in Pakistan and Afghanistan that led to the deaths of at least 17 people.
Joe Gandelman: For instance, in today's New York Times Newsweek's editor Mark Whitaker makes it clear that the "apology" his magazine...
Cori Dauber: The Times on the Newsweek Story — The Times' reporter starts with all the relevant facts up front, including one little...
Forkum: The New York Times: Newsweek Apologizes for Report of Koran Insult: "We regret that we got any part of our story wrong,...
Patterico: Regarding that shaky Newsweek story that led to riots and deaths throughout the Muslim world, today's New York Times...
Jim Romenesko: I'm getting a lot of angry e-mail about that, and I understand it." WHITAKER TO NYT: "We're not retracting anything.
Attaturk: The Iraqi people are victims and our soldiers are victims of the folly of a group of craven ideologues, headed by this...

Newsweek Retracts Report on Koran Insult After U.S. Pressure
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
The White House and State Department said today that Newsweek should do more than apologize for publishing a small item on May 9 saying the Koran had been desecrated by American guards at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, an item linked to riots in Pakistan and Afghanistan that led to the deaths of at least 17 people.
Ann Althouse: America Right was, understandably, fixated on the Newsweek story, but there was very little about it on Air America.
Jim Romenesko: Newsweek formally retracts Koran abuse story — New York Times Editor Mark Whitaker's one-sentence statement: "Based on...

Muslim Reaction to Newsweek Apology: Too Little, Too Late
  ABCNEWS   —   Permalink 
CAIRO, Egypt, May 16, 2005 — Newsweek magazine may have apologized, but to many in the Muslim world, it's too late and much too little.
Muslims brushed off an apology to readers that appeared in this week's edition of the newsweekly that acknowledged...
Jeralyn Merritt: The Arab world could care less about a retraction from Newsweek. It wants action by the U.S. Government. It deserves no less.
Captain Scarlet: Even fellow members of the liberal media can't resist jumping on the dogpile that the bloggers have created at NEWSWEAK:...

Muslims skeptical over Newsweek back-track on Koran
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
KABUL (Reuters) - Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan were skeptical Monday about an apparent retraction by Newsweek magazine of a report that U.S. interrogators desecrated the Koran and said U.S. pressure was behind the climb-down.
Skippy: it may have been (and we stress the "may," because we personally doubt it strongly) the percipitating event, but it certainly was not the cause.
Charles Johnson: Cognitive Dissonance Near and Far — Radical Islamic clerics and their followers are refusing to accept Newsweek's...
Dirty Harry: Newsweek — Obviously the big bloggers are covering the Newsweek issue in depth and I can't add to the fine analysis...

Manning May Present Spitzer With a Tall Challenge
  By / New York Sun   —   Permalink 
ALBANY - An upstate Republican who is thought to be America's tallest politician appears to be positioning himself for a gubernatorial run next year against the state attorney general, Eliot Spitzer.
Taegan Goddard: Democrats May Face Tall Challenge in New York — New York Assemblyman Pat Manning (R), "who is thought to be America's...
Alexander K. McClure: 2006 New York Governor — Pat Manning may only be a State Assemblyman, but his vigorous advocacy for the Upstate might give him a boost in any Republican primary.

Sadr Blasts U.S., Saddam in Speech
  AP   —   Permalink 
NAJAF, Iraq — Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (search) came out of hiding Monday for the first time since his fighters clashed with American forces in August, delivering a fiery speech demanding that coalition forces leave Iraq and that Saddam Hussein be punished.
McQ: Speaking of holes ... ... guess who just emerged from his? [snipped quote] Obviously Fox is being kind to al-Sadar.
Jeff Goldstein: Sadr Demands U.S. Forces Leave Iraq — From FOXNews: [snipped quote] Not to be outdone, protein wisdom immediately held...

White House Says Report of Koran Insult Should Be Retracted
  NYT   —   Permalink 
The White House and State Department said today that Newsweek should do more than apologize for publishing a small item on May 9 saying the Koran had been desecrated by American guards at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, an item linked to riots in Pakistan and Afghanistan that led to the deaths of at least 17 people.
Jeralyn Merritt: The issue is not whether Newsweek should issue a retraction.
Charles Johnson: Newsweek Jihad Fallout — White House Says Report of Koran Insult Should Be Retracted.

'Alcohol worse for female brains'
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Women are far more vulnerable to alcohol-induced brain damage than men, scans have shown.
CT pictures of the brains of more than 150 volunteers revealed how women come to more harm and quicker than men when they drink heavily.
Jan Haugland: Women's brains more vulnerable to alcohol — CT scans shows that women's brains are much more vulnerable to alcohol damage than men.
James Joyner: Alcohol Worse for Female Brains 'Alcohol worse for female brains' (BBC) [snipped quote] One presumes that the study...
Joe Gandelman: The BBC adds: [quote] "Women typically start drinking later in life, consume less...and one could reason that women are less affected by alcohol.[end quote]

Democrats Covet the West, but Can't Keep Losing the South
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
Since President Bush's narrow reelection in November, many Democrats have looked longingly to the Mountain West as the party's best opportunity to rebuild an electoral college majority. And in the years ahead, states such as Colorado, Arizona and Nevada may indeed become more competitive political battlefields.
Jesse Taylor: Eventually, Mississippi Will Be The Largest State In The Union — Ron Brownstein writes about the Democratic need to start winning the South even as they look towards the West.
Orrin Judd: RISING REGIONS, DYING PARTY: Democrats Covet the West, but Can't Keep Losing the South (Ronald Brownstein, May 16, 2005,...
Taegan Goddard: Democrats Can't Win Without the South — After reading a recent paper by William Frey analyzing long-term population...
PoliPundit: This will have its impact on the electoral college: [snipped quote] Add this to the fact that, in 2004, Bush carried 255...

Oil-for-Food Benefited Russians, Report Says
  WaPo   —   Permalink 
Top Kremlin operatives and a flamboyant Russian politician reaped millions of dollars in profits under the U.N. oil-for-food program by selling oil that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein allowed them to buy at a deep discount, a Senate investigation has concluded.
Roger L. Simon: MEANWHILE: The WaPo has an interesting article on Russian involvement in OFF. (reg required) Top Kremlin operatives and...
Cori Dauber: Follow the Money — The Post puts the Senate report linking Oil for Food to key Russians on the front page, but doesn't really bother to tease out the implications.
Andrew Cochran: (UPDATE 5-16: Monday Washington Post article on PSI documents (free registration): "Top Kremlin operatives and a...
Pejman Yousefzadeh: WHO BENEFITED FROM THE OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM? Read and weep.

Managing China's Rise
  By / The Atlantic Online   —   Permalink 
W hen President Bush took office, in 2001, the dominant national-security issue for his administration—and for most foreign-policy analysts, whether Republican or Democrat—was not terrorism or even Iraq but China.
Matthew Yglesias: Benjamin Schwartz's "Managing China's Rise" is a short and useful corrective. Thomas Barnett's extended attack on the article is both amusing and devastating.
Stanley Kurtz: To really appreciate Kagan, you've got to read him in tandem with Benjamin Schwarz's piece from The Atlantic.

Newsweek retracts Quran story
  CNN   —   Permalink 
(CNN) — Newsweek magazine issued a retraction Monday of a May 9 report on the alleged desecration of the Quran at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The White House earlier in the day expressed puzzlement over why Newsweek did not fully retract the story in its current issue, released Sunday.
Jack Cluth: Oops...our bad....(update) There is stupidity, the sort you find in everyday life.
Forkum: UPDATE III: CNN's top story online (5pm CST): Newsweek retracts Quran story.

Rove Guided Career of Judicial Nominee in Filibuster Fight
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, May 15 - Justice Priscilla R. Owen of the Texas Supreme Court declined a chance to be the court's first female chief justice last year so she could remain one of President Bush's nominees to a federal appeals court, Texas lawyers and political figures said in recent interviews.
Amanda Marcotte: And, as this NYT profile demonstrates, she doesn't even bother to pretend that her hard "pro-life" stance has two s**ts to do with actually preserving life.
Taegan Goddard: The New York Times notes that the career one of them, Justice Priscilla Owen, has been guided by Bush political advisor Karl Rove for decades.
Avedon Carol: Well, I suppose it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that she is another Rove work in progress.
Steve Soto: Second, Bill Frist plans to employ the GOP-described "nuclear option" this week, purportedly using Karl Rove-financed political tool Priscilla Owen as one of the Trojan horses.
Patterico: Imagine my surprise to see this in the New York Times: [snipped quote] I am at a loss as to how to reconcile this with...
Cookie Jill: priscilla queen of the texas desert no wonder awol and the 1600 crew are fighting to get ms. owen nominated...karl said to.
Also: K. J. Lopez, Jeralyn Merritt

Eileen McMenamin and Ronald Brownstein
  NYT   —   Permalink 
Eileen Nicole McMenamin, the communications director for Senator John McCain of Arizona, was married on May 7 to Ronald Brownstein, a political correspondent and columnist based in Washington for The Los Angeles Times.
Kevin Roderick: Mrs. Brownstein — Sunday's New York Times reported on last weekend's marriage of Ron Brownstein, the LAT politics...
Garrett M. Graff: Marriage Problems — Although it's been mentioned before, yesterday's New York Times write-up of LATer Ron Brownstein's...

A Battle Over Programming at National Public Radio
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON, May 15 - Executives at National Public Radio are increasingly at odds with the Bush appointees who lead the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Carol T. Powers for The New York Times
Kevin Klose, NPR's president, said that ideologically balanced ombudsmen missed the point on news.
Avedon Carol: That would be nice, but is the Bush administration likely to let him back in? Sibel Edmonds says she is Gagged, But Not Dead.
Cookie Jill: can we monitor judge appointees for "biases" then?
Dr. Steven Taylor: More on the Battle Over Public Broadcasting — Via the NYT: A Battle Over Programming at National Public Radio...
Praktike: Noooooooooooooooooooooo — Via Laura, the Times reports that the party apparatchiks now running the Corporation for...
Ezra Klein: Then they came for NPR, and Laura Rozen wrote the post I would've written about it, so you should just read her.
Jim Romenesko: CPB chairman wants to monitor NPR's Middle East coverage — New York Times A spokesman for Corporation for Public...
Also: Oldman @BOPNews, Laura Rozen

A capital idea
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
The Arkansas governor put his mind to the task, and lost 110 pounds. Now he's guiding state and national wellness projects.
Mike HUCKABEE knew it was time to lose weight when his chair gave way beneath him during a meeting — at the Arkansas Capitol in front of more than 100 people.
Orrin Judd: PRESIDENT FOR LIFE: A capital idea: The Arkansas governor put his mind to the task, and lost 110 pounds.
Taegan Goddard: The Los Angeles Times interviews Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) on his new book, Quit Digging Your Grave With a Knife...

Riddle of pianist who will not speak
  By / Times of London   —   Permalink 
HE WAS found soaking wet in the middle of the night, unable to speak and dressed in an expensive dinner suit.
The only real clue to his identity is an astonishing talent for the piano.
Norm Geras: Piano man (updated) Can you help identify this man? [snipped quote] Read the rest. Update at 3.35 PM.
Dr. Frank: Thriller Fodder — [snipped quote] (via Norm.)

Straw condemns Uzbekistan after 500 protesters are killed
  Guardian   —   Permalink 
The British government clashed openly with Uzbekistan yesterday over the violent suppression of a protest in the former Soviet republic that the Foreign Office said had left hundreds dead.
Stephen Pollard: The US should not give support to tyrants - especially murderous tyrants; it should work to remove them.
Norm Geras: Two: [snipped quote] Three: "About 500 bodies were laid out in rows at an Andijan school, according to a doctor in the...

Appeal over mystery 'piano man'
  BBC   —   Permalink 
Orchestras around Europe are being contacted to see if they know the identify of a man found wandering and confused by police in Sheerness, Kent.
The man, who has not said a word since being found in a soaking wet suit and tie on 7 April, stunned care workers by giving a virtuoso piano performance.
Patrick Belton: THIS, incidentally, is how we met David: we found him soaking wet and amnesiac on the side of the road in a pair of...
Norm Geras: Update at 3.35 PM. See here: 'A helpline set up to identify [him] has been inundated with calls.'

The deserters: Awol crisis hits the US forces
  Independent   —   Permalink 
Sergeant Kevin Benderman cannot shake the images from his head. There are bombed villages and desperate people. There are dogs eating corpses thrown into a mass grave. And most unremitting of all, there is the image of a young Iraqi girl, no more than eight or nine, one arm severely burnt and blistered, and the sound of her screams.
Scott Burgess: Evidence of pervasive military deception of its recruits, and the stupidity of at least one of the latter, from an...
Kos @DailyKos: Will we see it? We haven't yet. (Oh, and if things weren't bad enough, there's the AWOL crisis as well.)

Scholar Calmly Takes Heat for His Memos on Torture
  LAT   —   Permalink 
BERKELEY — John Yoo doesn't come across like a war criminal, though that's one of the more flamboyant charges leveled against the smooth young law professor from UC Berkeley's storied Boalt Hall.
Orrin Judd: HIS'LL BE A FUN CONFIRMATION HEARING: Scholar Calmly Takes Heat for His Memos on Torture (Maria L. La Ganga, May 16,...
Pudentilla: "red" rules: if the torturer's a mensch then everything's ok: [snipped quote] Mengele played a mean piano, too.

Staying What Course?
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
Is there any point, now that November's election is behind us, in revisiting the history of the Iraq war? Yes: any path out of the quagmire will be blocked by people who call their opponents weak on national security, and portray themselves as tough guys who will keep America safe.
Barbara O'Brien: This Is Why — I hope somebody sends a clip of today's Paul Krugman column to Peter Beinart.
Ed Cone: Krugman — Krugman: "America's strategic position is steadily deteriorating."
Steve Soto: While Rove Misdirects Once Again, Krugman Stays On The Real Issues — While Rove tries and succeeds again in a...
Armando @DailyKos: Krugman Takes Up The Downing Street Memo — Krugman decides to push the story: [snipped quote] The Iraq Debacle has slipped from the country's consciousness.

Looking for Battle, Marines Find That Foes Have Fled
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
ARABI, Iraq — Cpl. Alexander Kalouf snapped an ammunition clip into his M-16 assault rifle and strapped grenades to his chest in the crowded hold of an armored vehicle, bursting into excited snatches of songs with other Marines as they headed into hoped-for battle.
Steve Soto: Even the Post is running a story in Monday's paper which confirms that the insurgents the Pentagon was expecting to confront with Operation Matador never materialized.
Attaturk: "Hearts & Minds" — From the Washington Post, we learn that Operation Matador was pretty much the opposite of what the...
James Joyner: Looking for Battle, Marines Find That Foes Have Fled — The Marines taking part in Operation Matador discovered a...

Europe's '70s Show
  By / Opinion Journal   —   Permalink 
BRUSSELS—Is the European "social model" doomed? It's a question that comes up with increasing frequency as unemployment across Western Europe has climbed into the double digits and economic growth has ground to a virtual halt across much of the Continent.
Dale Franks: Europe's Death Spiral — Brian Carney asks a fundamental question about the "European Model" of economic...well, I was...
Orrin Judd: GOD TOOK ADAM SMITH WITH HIM: Europe's '70s Show: The Continent's economic death spiral.
PoliPundit: The EU — Europe's socialist economies continue to underperform, as they have done for decades: "Updated GDP figures...
Kehaar: Depressing Economics — Europe's Economic Malaise ACROSS THE POND Europe's '70s Show The Continent's economic death spiral.
John Hawkins: "— Brian M. Carney"

Some Surprises in That Galaxy Far, Far Away
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
CANNES, France, May 15 - With "Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," the "Star Wars" cycle at last comes to an end - or rather to a middle, since the second trilogy, of which this is the final installment, comes before the first in faraway-galaxy history even though it comes later in the history of American popular culture.
John Cole: At any rate, I am sick and tired of people injecting politics into the damned movie series.
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Is it that difficult for those at Cannes to just sit back, grab a bag of popcorn and a soda and just watch a movie...
Daniel Drezner: UPDATE: Well, A.O. Scott praises the movie in the New York Times, but has this ominous line: "Mr. Lucas's indifference...
Steve Bainbridge: Betraying Story Continuity to Score Political Points — From the NYT's review of Revenge of the Sith: "Mr. Lucas is...
Ace: The New York Times reviews the movie fairly enthusiastically... however, the review tends to praise the film for its technical achievements while denigrating the acting and scitpt.
John Podhoretz: ABUSING THE PRIVILEGE AT THE TIMES — "This is by far the best film in the more recent trilogy, and also the best of the four episodes Mr. Lucas has directed," Scott writes.
Also: Ed Cone, Gary Farber, Jonah Goldberg, Roger Ailes

Iraq Violence Taking a Sectarian Twist
  LAT   —   Permalink 
BAGHDAD — The discovery Sunday of at least two dozen bodies — all Iraqi men apparently abducted and slain execution-style — is the latest grisly episode in an escalating sectarian conflict fueled by this nation's raging insurgency.
Juan Cole: The LA Times plays up the sectarian angle to the murders much more than does USA Today: [snipped quote] But USA Today quotes Iraqi army Brig.
Pudentilla: iraq is still a mess: it's not just suicide bombers anymore — [snipped quote] when the religious civil war begins, what corner will awol turn into?

Uzbek toll rises amid clash report
  CNN   —   Permalink 
FERGANA, Uzbekistan — Eight Uzbek soldiers and three Islamic militants died in a clash near the Kyrgyz border Sunday and more than 500 Uzbeks fled to safety across the frontier, villagers said, according to The Associated Press.
Red @ScaredMonkeys: More from the CNN on the eight soldiers killed and three Islamic militants died in a clash near the Kyrgyz border Sunday.
Brian Stelter: "Journalist watchdog group Reporters Without Borders has expressed concern over the expulsion of journalists from...

The Editor's Desk
  Newsweek   —   Permalink 
May 23 issue - Did a report in NEWSWEEK set off a wave of deadly anti-American riots in Afghanistan? That's what numerous news accounts suggested last week as angry Afghans took to the streets to protest reports, linked to us, that U.S. interrogators had desecrated the Qur'an while interrogating Muslim terror suspects.
Barbara O'Brien: All I know for sure is that Newsweek has retracted the story, and as I keyboard the righties have painted themselves a...
Kevin Drum: OUTRAGE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE....Yesterday Newsweek backed away from its story about guards at Guantanamo flushing a Koran down the toilet.
RCox: Yet, from the best I can tell no one has died from an inacurrate report in a blog.
Garrett M. Graff: Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker's column walks the line: "We regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend...
Smash: Bad Journalism, Deadly Consequences — THE EDITORS OF NEWSWEEK have red faces today.
Richard Bradley: While its apology suggests that it may have gotten some of the story wrong, what's less clear is the fundamental...
Also: Nick Gillespie, Jesse Taylor, Steve M., Roger Kimball, Jon Henke, Avedon Carol, The Poorman, Daniel Drezner, Jim Romenesko, Jeff Jarvis, Sadly, No!, Patrick Ruffini, Jan Haugland, Damian Penny, McQ, Tom @ScaredMonkeys, Cori Dauber, Michelle Malkin, James Joyner, Marc @USSNeverdock, Scott @PowerLine, Jeralyn Merritt, Captain Ed, Joe Gandelman, Matt Welch, Jeff Goldstein, Charles Johnson, John J. Miller, Jim, Eriposte @LeftCoaster, Pejman Yousefzadeh

Newsweek Apologizes for Story Errors
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK — Newsweek magazine has apologized for errors in a story alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Koran, saying it would re-examine the accusations, which sparked outrage and deadly protests in Afghanistan.
Natasha @PacificViews: Sometimes it's knowing that people so ethically dead are responsible in many cases for informing the rest of us.
Garrett M. Graff: Burning Newsweek isikoff.jpgSo what's up with this Newsweek story?
Michelle Malkin: Captain Ed blasts the magazine for its Blame The Pentagon strategy: "Not only have Isikoff and Baker, and Whitaker, put...
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Newsweek has since apologized, but it does not seem to be enough.
Captain Ed: However, in today's Washington Post, it is becoming clear that Newsweek has adopted a new strategy for dealing with the...
Cori Dauber: Kurtz on the Newsweek Story — Howard Kurtz adds little to the Newsweek story, essentially reporting on what's already been said.
Also: Scott @PowerLine, Avedon, Jeff Quinton, Roger L. Simon, Jim Romenesko, Forkum, Wretchard, K. J. Lopez, Jim

How a Fire Broke Out
  Newsweek   —   Permalink 
Shane T. McCoy / U.S. Navy-AP
NEWSWEEK was not the first to report allegations of desecrating the Qur'an. As early as last spring and summer, similar reports from released detainees started surfacing in British and Russian news reports, and in the Arab...
Cable Neuhaus: Anyway, I mention all this against the backdrop of news over the weekend that Newsweek has apologized for some appalling...
Marc @USSNeverdock: Seeing what havoc they could reek with this kind of accusation and in a stunning display of arrogance, Newsweek reports on another incident.
Scott @PowerLine: I think that a fairer take on Evan Thomas's article on the fiasco would be "Newsweek strikes again," or (consistent with the Newsweek convention) "NEWSWEEK strikes again."
Nico @ThinkProgress: The source "clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Qur'an, including a toilet incident," Newsweek says.
Rich Lowry: Newsweek this week says the sources that they ran the piece by, corrected one point in it: "The official challenged one...
Arthur Chrenkoff: Meanwhile, "Newsweek" itself has been trying to shift the blame on the Afghans: "Such stories may spark more trouble.
Also: Jim Lampley, Juan Cole, Betsy Newmark, Kevin Aylward, Michelle Malkin, Tom @ScaredMonkeys, McQ, Jan Haugland, Joe Gandelman, Charles Johnson, Roger L. Simon, James Joyner, Eriposte @LeftCoaster

Newsweek says erred in Koran desecration report
  By / Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Newsweek magazine on Sunday said it erred in a May 9 report that said U.S. interrogators desecrated the Koran at Guantanamo Bay, and apologized to the victims of deadly Muslim protests sparked by the article.
Ed Driscoll: It was also before a Newsweek article based on shabby "source of a source" reporting led to 16 people killed in riots...
Patterico: It appears that the answer may be: when those sources are reporting information that is harmful to the interests of the United States.
Baldilocks: It turns out, however, that the incident was not verified, and that Newsweek is forced to tender an apology.
Arthur Chrenkoff: Flushing America's Afghan successes down the toilet — Ooopsie: [snipped quote] We all make mistakes - including myself -...
The Poorman: None Dare Call It Wanking — Glenn Reynolds, Senior Fellow in Torture Excusing at the Institute for Advanced Onanism, is outraged: [snipped quote] Ah-ha.
Forkum: Flushed — From Reuters (Via YahooNews): Newsweek says erred in Koran desecration report.
Also: Glenn Reynolds, Jeralyn Merritt, Joe Gandelman, Acidman, Clayton Cramer, Lorie Byrd, Stephen

Newsweek backs off Quran desecration story
  CNN   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Newsweek magazine backed away Sunday from a report that U.S. interrogators desecrated copies of the Quran while questioning prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay naval base — an account blamed for sparking violent riots in Afghanistan.
Skippy: irrespective of the facts that (a) though newsweek has retracted apologized for their story, nobody has yet to disprove...
Jayson @PoliPundit: CNN wasn't subtle or nuanced: "Newsweek backs off Quran desecration story." ABC News saw that and raised them one: "Newsweek Apologizes for Quran Story Errors."
Forkum: UPDATE I: From CNN: Newsweek backs off Quran desecration story.
Riggsveda @Corrente: CNN reports that Larry Di Rita, administration flak and disinformation garcon extraordinarire himself, became irate.
RJ Eskow: so now the big story is that newsweek is retracting — kinda — its story about the desecration of the qu'ran during interrogations in afghanistan.
Joe Gandelman: This combination of journalism plus reporters' ego becomes risky when the reporter's job is investigative journalism...
Also: Eriposte @LeftCoaster

Newsweek says Koran desecration report is wrong
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
Newsweek magazine said on Sunday it erred in a May 9 report that U.S. interrogators desecrated the Koran at Guantanamo Bay, and apologized to the victims of deadly Muslim protests sparked by the article.
Jayson @PoliPundit: Reuters blasted away too: "Newsweek says Koran desecration report is wrong."
Wretchard: Not Good Enough — Newsweek says Koran desecration report is wrong Incendiary Koran claim may be false, editor admits...
Mitch Berg: Say What You Will...about Rathergate - but at least nobody died when Mary Mapes blew a story: [snipped quote] And...
Michelle Malkin: Newsweek editor Mark Whitaker (Tip of the hat: Daniel G.)
Suzanne Nossel: Newsweek now says that its report was wrong, and that the source of the supposed incident is unable to confirm that it occurred.
Bill @INDCJournal: Pithy, Honest — God, I hate Newsweek. It only grows and grows, my hatred, flourishing like an aggressive mycotoxic mold in the dark, damp crannies of my psyche.
Also: Echidne

Newsweek Apologizes for Quran Story Errors
  AP   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK — Newsweek magazine has apologized for errors in a story alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran, saying it would re-examine the accusations, which sparked outrage and deadly protests in Afghanistan.
Will Collier: Nice Work, Spikey — Talk about closing the barn door after the horse has run away, broken a leg, and been beheaded by a...
Tarek @LiquidList: Burn the Source. I can't determine what's weirdest about this whole Newsweek nonsense.
Jayson @PoliPundit: ABC News saw that and raised them one: "Newsweek Apologizes for Quran Story Errors."
Ace: Some Stories Run Without Confirmation; Some Are Spiked With Full Confirmation; It's All So Curious To Me Update: From...
Ed Cone: Right, left — One thought on the whole Lefty Journalists Who Hate Bush And Want Us To Lose meme — isn't the Newsweak...
Orrin Judd: OOPS, NEVERMIND: Newsweek Apologizes for Quran Story Errors (The Associated Press, May 15, 2005) [snipped quote] Wouldn't have happened if they only used named sources.

Newsweek says may have erred in Koran report
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Newsweek magazine on Sunday said it may have erred in a May 9 report that said U.S. interrogators desecrated the Koran at Guantanamo Bay, and apologized to victims of deadly violence sparked by the article.
Gerry @DalyThoughts: Newsweek and the Flushed Koran Report — Obviously, one of the big stories being bandied about today is how Newsweek is...
Ace: Newsweek Retracts Story Re: Defiling of Koran at Guantanamo — The story sparked a deadly riot.
The Poorman: PFC Pantload: "Newsweek apologizes for getting the Koran in the toilet story wrong, sort of.
Jonah Goldberg: OOPS — Newsweek apologizes for getting the Koran in the toilet story wrong, sort of.

Dean rips DeLay at convention
  Boston Globe   —   Permalink 
Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Party, said yesterday that the US House majority leader, Tom DeLay, ''ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence," referring to allegations of unethical conduct against the Republican leader.
Ezra Klein: Update: For the record, I mean something more like this: "Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Party, said...
Scott Elliott: Then, Howard Dean opens his mouth.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Enough of a loose cannon that even other Democrats are eyeing him warily: "Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic...
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Don't take my word for it, ask Democratic Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank.
K. J. Lopez: KUDOS TO BARNEY FRANK — "Howard Dean says: Tom DeLay ''ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence."
John @PowerLine: He Can't Help Himself — Howard Dean, Vermont's gift to the Republican Party, cut loose again in a speech earlier today...
Also: Michelle Malkin, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, McQ, Jayson @PoliPundit, Taegan Goddard, Josh Marshall

Afghan clerics threaten Muslim holy war over Koran
  Reuters   —   Permalink 
FAIZABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A group of Afghan Muslim clerics threatened on Sunday to call for a holy war against the United States in three days unless it hands over military interrogators reported to have desecrated the Koran.
Praktike: UPDATE: More here (HT: Afghaniyat). ... and to be clear, 300 Afghan clerics threatening to declare a holy war against the U.S. presence is definitely bad news.
Forkum: Meanwhile, Reuters also reports (via YahooNews): Afghan clerics threaten Muslim holy war over Koran (Hat tip Little...
Charles Johnson: The Jihad Newsweek Inspired — Afghan clerics threaten Muslim holy war over Koran.
Jayson @PoliPundit: So, ergo, and now that NewsWeak has gotten in touch with its inner dan raTHer, and this time blood literally was shed as...
McQ: UPDATE: It even gets better: "A group of Afghan Muslim clerics threatened on Sunday to call for a holy war against the...

As military realigns bases, the South wins
  Christian Science Monitor   —   Permalink 
RALEIGH, N.C. - During the past four base-closure rounds, success was a simple equation for military towns: Don't lose the base. With the release of the Pentagon's new list last Friday, however, it has become obvious that this year, for the first time, there...
Tom Maguire: Base Closings — The CSM tells us that the South will be the big winner in the latest round of base closing.
Steve M.: (Based on U.S. government statistics available here (PDF); inspired by this article in The Christian Science Monitor.)
Orrin Judd: RISING AGAIN: As military realigns bases, the South wins (Mark Sappenfield and Patrik Jonsson, 5/16/05, CS Monitor)...
James Joyner: As military realigns bases, the South wins (CSM) "During the past four base-closure rounds, success was a simple equation for military towns: Don't lose the base.
Oldman @BOPNews: South Increases Share of Military Force — The Christian Science Monitor reports that the round of base closings is concentrating military bases and forces in the South.

Incorrect spelling will not be penalised in English tests
  By / Telegraph   —   Permalink 
Skool xams definitly aint what they used to be. Concern about the nation's spelling abilities may have spawned a best-selling book and a television series, but for today's pupils, ignorance of "i before e except after c" is no barrier to success.
Betsy Newmark: Britain has found a way to have more kids pass writing tests. Just don't count spelling in their grade.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT GRAMMAR — The state of modern education just gets worse. And depressing, to boot: [snipped quote] I kant beleave anee of thissssssssss.
McQ: Passing the test ... ...is now more important than actually demonstrating that you've learned anything ... at least in the UK: [snipped quote] Brilliant!
Andrew Stuttaford: The Saunday Telegraph has the details: [snipped quote] That's dumb, really dumb As any fule kno.

Bolton's sin is telling truth about system
  By / Chicago Sun Times   —   Permalink 
Remember the tsunami? Big story, 300,000 dead; America and other rich countries too "stingy" in their response; government ministers from every capital on earth announcing on CNN every 10 minutes more and more millions and gazillions.
Mitch Berg: Steyn On Bolton — Mark Steyn on the Bolton nomination: "John Bolton's sin is to have spoken the truth about the...
K. J. Lopez: REMEMBER THE TSUNAMI AID? What's wrong with the U.N., con't—by Mark Steyn.
Robert Clayton Dean: Mark Steyn confirms that I was right not to waste my money (or rather, to give my money to the tranzis to waste).
Paul @PowerLine: The bull in the china shop or the cop in the brothel — Mark Steyn on the Bolton nomination.
FrancoAlemán: Mark Steyn does, and sees the uselessness of the transnational dogooders network (link sent by reader Tom Pechinski): "Remember the tsunami?
Jan Haugland: Then I go and read an article by Mark Steyn, and I just want to find his muse, kidnap her and keep her locked up in my...
Also: Betsy Newmark

Blogging, as in Slogging
  By / NYT   —   Permalink 
"YOU should have a blog."
Apparently I push my opinions on my friends rather aggressively, because I often hear this remark.
Last week, I had my chance.
Jesse Taylor: And I feel sad for you, because you're apparently stuck with the same lot in life I am. Sigh... Here's the article.
Norm Geras: First, David Greenberg had a go at blogging and found it hard: "The best bloggers develop hobbyhorses, shticks and catchphrases that they put into wider circulation.
T.A. Frank: Sunday's New York Times carries one miserable answer from David Greenberg, who recently guest blogged for conservative...
Kevin Drum: Here's what he said: Good blogging turns out to be harder than it looks.
Matthew Yglesias: The Op-Ed You Actually Need To Read David Greenberg on guest-blogging.
Ann Althouse: A history prof — David Greenberg — tries his hand at blogging — guest-blogging on a well-established site — and then...
Also: Daniel Drezner, McQ, Tom Maguire, Dr. Frank, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Jan Haugland, Dr. Steven Taylor, Glenn Reynolds, James Joyner, Orin Kerr, Marc @USSNeverdock

On the Beach With Dave Chappelle
  Time   —   Permalink 
In this week's TIME, Christopher John Farley reveals why Dave Chappelle decided to leave his hit show and what he's been up to since he disappeared to South Africa two weeks ago. Last Friday night, TIME Johannesburg bureau chief Simon Robinson met with the comic at uShaka Marine World on the beach in the South African port of Durban.
Kevin Aylward: Dave Chappelle Says, "I'm not smoking crack" chappelle_drugie.jpg A correspondent for Time magazine found him in South Africa.
Evan Smith: Evan Smith: The Runaway Non-Bride — One of the great mysteries of the ages has been solved by our newsgathering sleuths: Doug Herzog = That Poor Schlub in Georgia.
James Joyner: On the Beach With Dave Chappelle — Dave Chappelle is in South Africa but is not on drugs or checked into a psychiatric ward, according to an interview with Time magazine.
Ogged @Unfogged: We Are A Funny People — Dave Chappelle is a Muslim? I did not know that. Next, we convert The Editors.

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
  White House   —   Permalink 
The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everybody. I have nothing to begin with today, I will be glad to go to your questions.
Chris Mooney: Ducking the Question — Scott McClellan got asked about W. David Hager at the White House briefing on Friday.
Arnold P. California: For those keeping score at home, your press corpse once again failed to ask Scott McClellan about the smoking memo at Friday's press briefing.
Plutonium Page: You'll find more information there. Finally, click here for the transcript of McClellan's May 13, 2005 press briefing.

Clark Criticizes Planned Base Closings
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
"/ Pentagon's plan to close military bases around the country and reorganize troops will isolate the military from the American people and the rest of the world.
Clark said the plan to pull U.S. forces back home from abroad and centralize bases takes jobs away from smaller towns.
McQ: Clark on, well, everything — On the base closings: "Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark said Saturday that the Pentagon's...
Jayson @PoliPundit: Hollow Tree Falling in a Vacant Forest — I thought this guy's political 15 minutes already had expired.
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Al Gore? John Kerry? Jimmy Carter? No, its Wesley Clark criticizing Donald Rumsfeld's base closure list.

Dems' donkey no longer asset: Pros
  By / NY Daily News   —   Permalink 
Is the donkey out on its rump?
In a bid to breathe life back into the Democratic Party, Esquire magazine commissioned three leading advertising agencies to come up with a new look for the so-called party of the common man.
Betsy Newmark: Some ad agencies are thinking of new slogans and pictures for the Democrats. The results are hilarious.
Jonah Goldberg: KARL ROVE CAN SLEEP LATE — Ad agencies come up with some new slogans and logos for the Dems.
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: I will take my fee in cash. Dems' donkey no longer asset: Pros Is the donkey out on its rump?
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THANK GOD FOR INADVERTENT COMEDY — Read and laugh: [snipped quote] Best comment goes to Jonah Goldberg: "KARL ROVE CAN SLEEP LATE."

'They will burn in hell for what they have done to me'
  By / Telegraph   —   Permalink 
'I'm self-sufficient now. I earn enough to support my family and I'm not dependent on benefits. "The pride in Sandy Mitchell's voice is unmistakable. Given what he has been through, it is also justified.
Andrew Stuttaford: OUR SAUDI FRIENDS — Here, via the Sunday Telegraph is a little reminder of the true nature of the Saudi regime.
Stephen Pollard: Our allies
Roger L. Simon: This blog congratulates Sandy Mitchell... ... on the forthcoming birth of his second child. (hat tip: Peter UK)

Priest Denies Gays' Supporters Communion
  By / AP   —   Permalink 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Roman Catholic priest denied communion to more than 100 people Sunday, saying they could not receive the sacrament because they wore rainbow-colored sashes to church to show support for gay Catholics.
Echidne: And on this Sunday — Supporters of gays, lesbians and transgendered individuals did not receive Holy Communion at the...
Richard TPD: Gays and their supporters denied communion — This is a sad story, but also one of inspiration, even heroism, on the...

Rivals Zero In on Key Voters
  LAT   —   Permalink 
In the L.A. mayoral race's final days, Hahn calls his opponent soft on crime. Villaraigosa dismisses the attack as a desperate tactic.
James K. Hahn and Antonio Villaraigosa raced the breadth of Los Angeles on the final Saturday before election day,...
T.A. Frank: Her comment to the Times: "I don't trust either candidate. ... I'm going to bail."
Kevin Roderick: Sunday press: • The main Times piece mixed in wrap-up of the race with some spot reporting, with a sidebar from the delis and other stops the candidates made on Saturday.

Woodward Calls Cheney a 'Serious' Dark Horse for 2008 Run for White House
  Editor and Publisher   —   Permalink 
NEW YORK A trial balloon for a Cheney for President run in 2008 is being launched by a surprising source, Washington Post star reporter (and White House insider) Bob Woodward.
Some critics claim that Dick Cheney has already been president for five years, so why should he go to the trouble of seeking the office (again) in 2008?
Taegan Goddard: Bob Woodward, appearing on the Chris Matthews Show, labeled Vice President Cheney "a serious dark horse candidate" for president in 2008, Editor and Publisher reports.
Jonah Goldberg: CHENEY! CHENEY! I'm not sure I buy it. But given the field we have right now, I'd be sorely tempted to line up early for Cheney.

Anger as US backs brutal regime
  Observer   —   Permalink 
Heated criticism was growing last night over 'double standards' by Washington over human rights, democracy and 'freedom' as fresh evidence emerged of just how brutally Uzbekistan, a US ally in the 'war on terror', put down Friday's unrest in the east of the country.
Plutonium Page: Today's Guardian describes the reaction of human rights groups to the U.S. backing of the Uzbek regime: [snipped quote] Hypocrisy by the Bush administration?
Arnold P. California: But when it comes to Karimov, even the State Department admits we're dealing with brutality and dictatorship of the...

Race Is His Magic Shield
  By / LAT   —   Permalink 
In the absence of major policy differences between the candidates in this year's mayoral race, character has moved to center stage. The campaigns of Mayor James K. Hahn and his rival, Antonio Villaraigosa, are both out to prove who is more corrupt.
Kevin Roderick: Also in the LAT, Steve Lopez goes cynical, Gregory Rodriguez says Villaraigosa's "ethnicity has shielded him from tough...
Patterico: Also worth highlighting is a piece by Times contributing editor Gregory Rodriguez, titled Race Is His Magic Shield.

Local group leads march against terror
  By / Washington Times   —   Permalink 
A local Islamic group led a rally in the District yesterday afternoon against terrorism, which organizers said was just the beginning of their crusade against extremists.
Judith Weiss: Here's a report from the Washington Times. The Atonomist has lots of photos and a link to an interview with the founder of the group, Kamal Nawash.
Norm Geras: (Via LFIQ.) Add-on 1: Zarqawi wounded. Add-on 2: A small rally in Washington DC of 'Muslims Against Terrorism'.

'Martyrs' In Iraq Mostly Saudis
  By / WaPo   —   Permalink 
Before Hadi bin Mubarak Qahtani exploded himself into an anonymous fireball, he was young and interested only in "fooling around."
Like many Saudis, he was said to have experienced a religious awakening after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United...
David Adesnik: This morning's WaPo has a front page story about the overwhelming Saudi presence among suicide bombers in Iraq.
Pejman Yousefzadeh: JUAN COLE PROTESTETH TOO MUCH — In responding to this story, which notes the heavy Saudi presence among the jihadists in Iraq, Juan Cole makes the following statement: ".
Damian Penny: America's "partner against terrorism" strikes again — Perhaps the least surprising story you'll read all day: most of...
Charles Johnson: Saudi Arabia: Center of the Death Cult — Ladies and lizards (and lizards who are ladies) I give you ... our allies, the House of Saud: 'Martyrs' In Iraq Mostly Saudis.
Juan Cole: The Washington Post argues that a disproportionate number of suicide bombings in Iraq is carried out by foreign jihadis,...
Cori Dauber: Guess Who's Coming to Visit — Try not to be shocked, but a Post article reports that most foreign jihadists blowing themselves up in Iraq are still Saudis.
Also: Jan Haugland, Dr. Steven Taylor, Jeralyn Merritt

Egypt facing judicial rebellion
  By / BBC   —   Permalink 
Judges in Egypt have refused to oversee September's presidential election unless new legislation is passed guaranteeing their independence.
They also want assurances they will be allowed to oversee all stages of the electoral process.
Charles Paul Freund: Egypt: Judicial Revolt — Here's an unexpected wrinkle in the continuing saga of Egyptian electoral reform: The BBC is reporting a "judicial rebellion" on the Nile.
Glenn Reynolds: A "JUDICIAL REBELLION" in Egypt.