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Pentagon says detainee retracts Koran allegation By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Guantanamo detainee who told an FBI agent in 2002 that U.S. personnel there had flushed a Koran in a toilet retracted his allegation when questioned this month by military investigators, the Pentagon said on Thursday. | |
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Roger L. Simon: Oops — Newsweek's last line of defense just went down the drain. Even Howard Kurtz may not be able to help them now. TheAnchoress: They DIDN'T flush it. Oops! This is pretty interesting. I wonder if it will garner the headlines it deserves? Joe Gandelman: Pentagon Says Detainee Retracted Koran Toilet Flush Allegation — The Pentagon is now insisting that the detainee who... |
Mark Kleiman: On the other hand, just because Lawrence Di Rita says that the detainee in question has recanted — without providing... John Cole: Update *** More here: [snipped quote] Seems to me the military comes out of this looking better than they ever had. Charles Johnson: Koran Desecration Didn't Happen — The Koran-in-a-commode story never passed the sniff test, for a multitude of reasons,... |
| Also: Edward _, La Shawn Barber, McQ, John @PowerLine, Michelle Malkin | |
Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs By / Indianapolis Star — Permalink An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge's unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals." The parents practice Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion that emphasizes a balance in nature and reverence for the earth. | |
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Cernig: It Starts Here, Ends Up With Burnings — As a Wiccan all my adult life, I am appalled and, frankly, frightened by the... Captain Ed: Freedom Means The Leeway Of Foolish Choices, Your Honor — An Indiana judge needs a remedial course in Constitutional... James Joyner: Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs (Indianapolis Star) "An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County... |
Jan Haugland: Judge prohibits parents from teaching pagan beliefs — Now this is judicial activism: An Indianapolis father is... Eugene Volokh: Appalling, if Accurate: The Indianapolis Star reports: [snipped quote] If the order is as reported, then it's a blatant... Jesse Taylor: Damn liberal judiciary. A judge has declared that parents who send their child to a parochial school are not allowed to... |
| Also: Atrios, Edward _, McQ, Dr. Steven Taylor, Echidne, Radley Balko | |
Democrats Force Delay of Bolton Final Vote By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Democrats forced the Senate to put off a final vote Thursday on John R. Bolton's nomination to be U.N. ambassador, the latest setback for the tough-talking nominee President Bush has called strong medicine for corruption and inefficiency at the United Nations. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: More from ABC: "Frist said the Bolton matter soured the air of cooperation. Dr. Steven Taylor: Bolton on Pause — Via ABC News: ABC News: Democrats Force Delay of Bolton Final Vote [snipped quote] No suprise. Lambert @Corrente: Bolton: What's that damn quacking noise? Bill "Hello Kitty" Frist screws the goat pooch twice in one week: [snipped quote] Frist loses— but so does Bush. |
Yuval Rubinstein: Senate Dems (barely) prevented John Bolton's nomination from coming to a final vote while the White House and the NSA continue dragging their heels. David Sirota: They managed to delay the Bolton nomination - a good thing, considering the White House is refusing to turn over all the... |
Documents Say Detainees Cited Koran Abuse By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 25 - Newly released documents show that detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, complained repeatedly to F.B.I. agents about disrespectful handling of the Koran by military personnel and, in one case in 2002, said they had flushed a Koran down a toilet. | |
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Richard Reeb: This long NYTimes piece treats the claims of prisoner abuse, lovingly disseminated by the American Civil Liberties... Glenn Reynolds: This report from the New York Times would seem to make that clear: "The accusation that soldiers had put a Koran in a... Tom Maguire: MORE: In comparison with the WaPo, the NY Times shines the light of reason, and the LA Times is a font of wisdom. |
Smash: THE NEW YORK TIMES: "The accusation that soldiers had put a Koran in a toilet, which has been made by former and... Michelle Malkin: From the New York Times: "Unlike F.B.I. documents previously disclosed in a lawsuit brought by the civil liberties... |
Vote to end debate on Bolton fails CNN — Permalink WASHINGTON (CNN) — After hours of heated exchanges, the Senate failed Thursday evening to close off debate on President Bush's nomination of John R. Bolton to be ambassador to the United Nations. The cloture vote would have paved the way for a vote on whether to confirm the controversial nominee. | |
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Captain Ed: After today's latest display of the so-called new comity in the Senate, as the Democrats filibustered John Bolton's... Michelle Malkin: First reports: CNN... "After hours of heated exchanges over President Bush's nominee for the next U.S. ambassador... |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist called it like he saw it after the vote. [quote] "It does disappoint me," Frist said after the vote.[end quote] PGL: Bolton Nomination Stalled — CNN reports: [snipped quote] If the White House wants a vote on the Bolton nomination, why not comply with this request? |
With a Little Help From Our Friends By / NYT — Permalink ON Saturday, May 14, several hundred people gathered in the windswept main street of Qalat, the capital of Zabul Province in southern Afghanistan. Led by local religious leaders, the crowd chanted slogans protesting the supposed desecration of the Koran by... | |
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Praktike: Sarah Chayes, a former NPR reporter now doing development work in Kandahar, has strong suspicions: Several Afghan... Suzanne Nossel: Color on Koran Riots — Great piece today by Sarah Chayes, who lives in Kandahar, about the role that Pakistani and... Mark Kleiman: Sarah Chayes reports in the New York Times that the demonstrators making a fuss in Afghanistan about the Koran-flushing... |
Kevin Drum: As for those riots that Newsweek supposedly started, here's aid worker Sarah Chayes in the New York Times: "Our... Lindsay Beyerstein: Who provoked the "Newsweek" riots? Tom Maguire: UPDATE: A guest piece in the NY Times by "Sarah Chayes, a former NPR reporter", develops the "hijacked demonstrations"... |
| Also: Laura Rozen | |
Tenn. Lawmakers Charged in Bribery Scam By / AP — Permalink NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Four Tennessee lawmakers, a former lawmaker and two others were indicted Thursday amid a federal investigation into the business dealings of a state senator from Memphis from a powerful political family, officials said. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: FBI Sting, Operation Tennessee Waltz, in the Volunteer State — From out of Tennessee comes an FBI sting that could have major national political implications down the line. Michelle Malkin: Huge FBI corruption sting—dubbed "Operation Tennessee Waltz"—has resulted in the arrest of four state legislators,... |
Captain Ed: Tennessee Legislators Arrested In Corruption Scheme — Several Tennessee state legislators have been arrested by federal... |
Murder Charges Dropped Against Marine By / AP — Permalink May. 26, 2005 - A former Wall Street trader who rejoined the Marines after the Sept. 11 attacks will not be tried on murder charges for killing two suspected Iraqi insurgents, a Marine general decided Thursday. | |
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John Cole: To Report, Or Not Report — From ABC News: [snipped quote] What was ABC news thinking reporting this? Red @ScaredMonkeys: ABC News: "More than a half-dozen Marines who served with Pantano in Iraq praised him in testimony, saying he was an... Donald Sensing: Accused Marine officer walks — The commanding general of the 2d Marine Division has ordered that prosecution be halted of Marine Reserve 2nd. |
Michelle Malkin: ABC News: [quote] "Down at the unit level, there was never a question about Ilario's conduct and whether or not he did the right thing," Charles Gittins, Pantano's civilian lawyer, said.[end quote] James Joyner: Murder Charges Dropped Against Marine (AP) [snipped quote] While I'm always glad to see the U.S. military take war crimes... |
Mr. Narcissus Goes to Washington By / Opinion Journal — Permalink You've heard the mindless braying and fruitless arguments, but I'm here to tell you the facts, no matter what brickbats and catcalls may come my way. Lindsey Graham defied the biases of his constituency to do what was right, not what was easy. | |
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Tbogg: Noonan of Arcadia — Peggy finally comes out of the closet: And I believed them, because I am an idiot. Okay. David Cohen: GOD MUST LOVE HISTORIANS — Mr. Narcissus Goes to Washington: It's springtime, love is in the air, and 14 senators are gazing at the mirror. Dr. Steven Taylor: This Just in! Peggy Noonan has discovered that politicians are a sanctimonious, egotistical, self-serving lot. |
S.Z.: But here's a new quiz for you: identify which quote is from Ann Coulter; which is from nice Catholic lady (and former... Betsy Newmark: Peggy Noonan writes one of her best columns on how puffed up with their own dignity and importance some politicians,... Attaturk: Vagina Demagogue — Peggy Noonan had a vision last night, at the point of vibrator-induced climax, a vision of Ronnie... |
| Also: Matthew Yglesias, Scott @PowerLine, K. J. Lopez, Michael DeBow | |
Lecturers overturn Israel boycott BBC — Permalink UK academics have voted to overturn a boycott of two Israeli universities accused of complying with anti-Palestinian polices. Members of the Association of University Teachers had previously decided to sever all links with Bar-Ilan and Haifa universities. | |
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Mark Kleiman: UK teachers call off anti-Israeli boycott — The governing council of the UK university teachers' union (the AUT) has,... Gary Farber: SENSE, for a change. "UK academics have voted to overturn a boycott of two Israeli universities accused of complying with anti-Palestinian polices. David T: AUT Boycott Overturned — BBC report here. Engage can be read here. |
Jim Henley: No comment yet, add yours? » Congratulations Are in Order To Chris Bertram and his Crooked Timber posse for a... Chris @CrookedTimber: BBC report here. |
Rubin urges Democrats not to reveal their hand By / The Hill — Permalink Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, the steward of President Clinton's economic policy, told the House Democratic Caucus yesterday that it needs to continue to "hold firm" in its opposition to President Bush's effort to reform Social Security and advised the Democrats not to introduce their own plan, according to aides and lawmakers in the meeting. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: If I may add yet another reason to think the "no compromise" stance on Social Security is the right one, I think looking... Chris Bowers: Feeling A Little Better on Social Security — I was definitely worried about Social Security yesterday, but seeing this... |
Josh Marshall: There's an article in The Hill today that you should read. It's about a talk Bob Rubin, Clinton's Treasury Secretary, gave to the House Democratic caucus yesterday. Taegan Goddard: Rubin Urges Democrats to Stay Firm on Social Security — With signs appearing that Democrats are "cracking" in their... |
GOP Tilting Balance Of Power to the Right By / WaPo — Permalink As Democrats tell it, this week's compromise on judges was about much more than the federal courts. If President Bush and congressional allies had prevailed, they say, the balance of power would have been forever altered. | |
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Sam Rosenfeld: There's much to chew over in Jim VandeHei's analysis of the various long-term institutional transformations the... Robert Schlesinger: He concisely outlines how the GOP Congress and President Bush are remaking the federal government along conservative lines. Taegan Goddard: Conservatives Work to Consolidate Power — A very interesting Washington Post piece by Jim VandeHei suggests the battle... |
Praktike: Matthew is essentially arguing in favor of more of this type of stuff, which the Senate is designed to check. Betsy Newmark: The Washington Post's Jim VanderHei has an article sure to scare the left about how the Republicans in Congress and the... Tim Graham: VANDE HEI-HO — Washington Post readers are treated to a news "analysis" at the top of Page One today by Jim VandeHei,... |
| Also: Jesse Taylor | |
Senate Holds Off on Bolton Confirmation Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — Republicans were not able to muster on Thursday the 60 votes needed to stop debate on John Bolton's nomination to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations despite support from two Democratic senators who had been instrumental in recent negotiations over judicial nominees. | |
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Dale Franks: So much for "Comity" — It only took 72 hours for the Senate's newfound comity and bipartisanship to break down,... |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Well the Cloture vote has failed, 56-42 "The Senate voted 56-42 to block a final vote on Bolton. Democratic Sens. |
Pretoria name change is approved BBC — Permalink A recommendation that the name of South Africa's capital be changed from Pretoria to Tshwane has been unanimously approved. The Geographic Names Council took four hours to back the change. Tshwane is the name of a pre-colonial local chief and means "we are the same". | |
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Dr. Steven Taylor: The Politics of Place Names — Via the BBC: Pretoria name change is approved [snipped quote] On the one hand, I... Gary Farber: GET READY FOR A GLOBAL REPLACEMENT on your maps and in your geographical usage: A recommendation that the name of South... |
James Joyner: Pretoria name change is approved (BBC) [snipped quote] Changing from an highly established, pronouncable name to a new,... |
An Illogical Standard WaPo — Permalink DURING THE DEBATE in the House on Tuesday over the stem cell research bill that passed on a bipartisan vote, Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) leveled a remarkable accusation: Supporters of liberalizing President Bush's restrictive approach to funding stem... | |
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Amanda Marcotte: This, of course, leads Tom Delay, who received his medical degree from the back of Bill Frist's minivan, to declare that... Nick Gillespie: Writes the Post: [snipped quote] Whole thing here. |
Ramesh Ponnuru: THE WASHINGTON POST ON CONSISTENCY — The Post objects to Tom DeLay's speech against federal funding for embryo-destructive research for two reasons. Matthew Yglesias: There's a good Washington Post editorial on the stem-cell mumbo jumbo kicking around the Hill: [snipped quote] In... |
'American Gulag' WaPo — Permalink IT'S ALWAYS SAD when a solid, trustworthy institution loses its bearings and joins in the partisan fracas that nowadays passes for political discourse. It's particularly sad when the institution is Amnesty International, which for more than 40 years has been a... | |
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David Adesnik: Although the editors of the WaPo have made the right decision to single out this absurd comparison as the dumbest and... Nick Gillespie: Speaking of Cuba... Matt Welch's col yesterday about Cuba listed a number of books which underscored the disturbing... Betsy Newmark: Kudos to the Washington Post for criticizing Amnesty International for calling the detentions at Guantanamo an American Gulag. |
Damian Penny: Update: even the Washington Post, that radical right-wing hotbed of neoconservative warmongery, savages Amnesty International for comparing Guantanamo Bay to the Gulag. Dale Franks: In response, the Washington Post gets it exactly right, saying: [snipped quote] I am maddened by accounts of prisoner abuse and killings by our troops. Tom Maguire: In behalf of the WaPo, let's note that they run an editorial denouncing Amnesty International's use of the word "gulag". |
Turmoil as Chirac plots to disregard 'non' vote Times of London — Permalink PRESIDENT CHIRAC of France is preparing to throw Europe into confusion and put Britain on the spot by backing moves to keep the European constitution alive if it is rejected in Sunday's referendum. | |
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Damian Penny: Jacques Chirac plans to keep pushing for ratification of the European constitution even if (as now seems almost certain) French voters reject it in this Sunday's referendum. |
Orrin Judd: GO FOR HIS JUGULAR, MR. BLAIR: Turmoil as Chirac plots to disregard 'non' vote (Philip Webster and Charles Bremner,... |
No Intentional Abuse of Koran at Guantánamo, General Says By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 26 - The American military commander at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, said today that investigators had found "no credible evidence" that a Koran had ever been flushed down a toilet there to unsettle detainees, and no serious incidents of intentional mishandling of the Muslim holy book by Americans. | |
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John Podhoretz: FAKE AND INACCURATE — The general in command at Gitmo says there is no "credible evidence" that the Koran was flushed down a toilet. |
Steve M.: No Intentional Abuse of Koran at Guantánamo, General Says —headline of a New York Times story about a press... |
CBS Poll: Bush Out Of Touch CBS News — Permalink (CBS) Four months into his second term, President Bush is increasingly viewed as being out of touch with the American people, according to a CBS News poll. Six in ten Americans say the president does not share their priorities, while just 34 percent say he does - the lowest numbers for Mr. Bush since the eve of his first inauguration. | |
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Patrick Ruffini: Congress for Dummies — "CBS Poll: Bush Out Of Touch" blares one headline (it's CBS, folks!) , "Poll: Bush approval mark nears low" screams another. Kos @DailyKos: Poll: Bush is out of touch — It took people this long to figure it out? |
Captain Ed: CBS Poll: Behind The Numbers — "Bush Out Of Touch," reads the CBS headline from their poll released today, and indeed that is what one of the poll's results show. Taegan Goddard: Bush Seen as Out of Touch — President Bush "is increasingly viewed as being out of touch with the American people," according to a CBS News poll. |
5 Leading Institutions Start Journalism Education Effort By / NYT — Permalink The leaders of five of the nation's most prominent journalism programs are joining in a three-year, $6 million effort to try to elevate the standing of journalism in academia and find ways to prepare journalists better. | |
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Cable Neuhaus: I had a profoundly visceral reaction to today's news that five prestigious journalism schools are joining forces — and,... Richard Bradley: Richard Bradley: Journalism's Bad News — The heads of journalism schools at Columbia, Berkeley, and elsewhere are... Jim Romenesko: Five j-schools team up to revitalize journalism education — New York Times The goal of the three-year, $6 million effort is [snipped quote] reports Katharine Q. Seelye. |
Taegan Goddard: In related news, the New York Times reports the heads of five prominent journalism programs "are joining in a... Cori Dauber: Cross Your Fingers — Some of the top journalism schools in the country have gotten some serious money to work together in trying something different. |
Non-Nuclear Fallout By / Weekly Standard — Permalink MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND begins the high season at Main Beach in California's Laguna Beach. Two-player beach volleyball is never gone completely from the beach, but during the summer it is always in play during daylight. Even a Midwesterner like me understands the game. | |
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Captain Ed: Not One Dime: Non-Nuclear Winter — Hugh Hewitt has an excellent column titled "Non-Nuclear Fallout" in today's Daily... Betsy Newmark: Hugh Hewitt assesses the political fallout from the deal on judicial nominations. |
Hugh Hewitt: My WeeklyStandard.com column, Non-Nuclear Fallout, considers the aftermath of Monday's judges deal. Scott @PowerLine: The McCain relapse — In his Daily Standard column Hugh Hewitt looks over the carnage wrought by the gang of 14 with a gimlet eye: "Non-nuclear fallout." |
Two Bush Nominees Get Panel's Quick OK By / AP — Permalink (05-26) 12:15 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Two of President Bush's blocked judicial nominees, cleared for confirmation by this week's Senate compromise on filibusters, gained quick approval Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. | |
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Gerry @DalyThoughts: Update: This AP article says: "Democrats had been blocking Griffin and McKeague at the request of Michigan's two Democratic senators, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow. |
Orrin Judd: Meanwhile, Two Bush Nominees Get Panel's Quick OK (JESSE J. HOLLAND, May 26, 2005, Associated Press) "Two of President... |
Public backs female troops in Iraq, but not in ground force By / USA Today — Permalink WASHINGTON — Americans overwhelmingly favor the use of female troops in Iraq, including having them serve in support jobs that often put them in or near combat, according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll. A majority of those polled, however, oppose women serving as ground troops. | |
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Jan Haugland: Luckily, the keep-woman-away provision was dropped by the House. Most Americans also support the female troops. James Joyner: Public backs female troops in Iraq, but not in ground force (USAT, p. 6) "Americans overwhelmingly favor the use of... |
Phillip Carter: Plus, as this USA Today story makes clear, the politics were clearly against the House GOP leaders on this one. |
President Welcomes Palestinian President Abbas to the White House White House — Permalink PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you. Mr. President, it is my honor to welcome the democratically elected leader of the Palestinian people to the White House. We meet at a time when a great achievement of history is within reach, the creation of a peaceful, democratic Palestinian state. | |
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Praktike: Bush statement on Egypt — This was at today's press conference with Mahmood Abbas: Q Mr. President, President Bush, the... |
K. J. Lopez: TO HIS CREDIT THOUGH — In front of Abbas, the president said today: "...Our position on Hamas is very clear, it's a well-known position and it hasn't changed about Hamas. |
Gay or Female, Uncle Sam Should Want You By / LAT — Permalink At a time when the Army and Marine Corps are struggling to fill their ranks, many conservatives are determined to limit the ability of women and gays to contribute to the war effort. Are they more concerned with winning culture wars at home or winning the war on terrorism abroad? | |
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Jan Haugland: Max Boot: At a time when the Army and Marine Corps are struggling to fill their ranks, many conservatives are determined... Dale Franks: Good Question — Max Boot asks: [snipped quote] 15-month enlistments. That's what we have now. |
Andrew Sullivan: Max Boot has some smart comments on that. |
Iraq Murder Charges Dropped Against Marine AP — Permalink A former Wall Street trader who rejoined the Marines after the Sept. 11 attacks will not be tried on murder charges for killing two suspected Iraqi insurgents, a Marine general decided Thursday. | |
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Michelle Malkin: LT. PANTANO: CHARGES DROPPED — Just in from AP: "A former Wall Street trader who rejoined the Marines after the Sept... |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: From AP via Fox News "A former Wall Street trader who rejoined the Marines after the Sept. 11 attacks will not be tried... |
Carlos Watson CNN — Permalink Carlos Watson is a contributor for CNN, joining the news organization in December 2003. Watson regularly appears on all of CNN's networks, offering commentary and analysis of the most current events and trends as well as business and legal issues. | |
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Garrett M. Graff: His CNN bio has the ring of a jack-of-all-trades-master -of-none quality to it, sort of airy and varied. |
Brian Stelter: "Expanded Role" For CNN's Carlos Watson? carloswatson.jpg"High-lev el executives are discussing how to expand Carlos... |
Mongol nomads like home on range IHT — Permalink BAYANZURH TOUCHO, Mongolia Before the freewheeling 1960s, before Mao led China to revolution in 1949 and before the Soviets took control of this country in 1921, Mongolia was already one giant commune. | |
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Jim Henley: Kerry Howley finds the story, Jesse Walker writes in comments that [snipped quote] The IHT report itself quotes... |
Kerry Howley: But in a nation where half the people are herders, land privatization is going to take some getting used to: [snipped quote] Whole thing here. |
Rumsfeld Disputes Plane Story By / WaPo — Permalink Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld yesterday denied giving military officials authority to shoot down, if necessary, a small plane that violated restricted airspace over Washington on May 11. | |
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John @PowerLine: The Post's report was immediately met with a denial by Rumsfeld that he had ordered any such thing, as the Post reported... Jim Romenesko: Rumsfeld says plane story in WP "was totally not true" — Washington Post The Post had two sources saying that Defense... |
Garrett M. Graff: Post: We Still Think We're Right — The Post's update today on yesterday's he-said, he said of whether SecDef Rumsfeld... |
FEC fines Jackson, DNC $200,000 for violations AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic Party, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and two groups associated with the civil rights activist have agreed to pay a total of $200,000 in civil fines for campaign finance violations in the 2000 elections. | |
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James Joyner: Jesse Jackson Fined for Campaign Violations — UFEC fines Jackson, DNC $200,000 for violations (AP) "The Democratic... |
Michelle Malkin: JESSE JACKSON: BREAKIN' THE LAW — Via AP: [snipped quote] The Ankle Biting Pundits have questions. |
New Iraq Security Cordon to Ring Baghdad By / AP — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq - The government announced Thursday that a security cordon of 40,000 Iraqi soldiers and police will ring Baghdad starting next week to try to halt a spree of insurgent violence that has killed more than 620 people this month. | |
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Cernig: Comes the news that the Iraqi government plans to throw a security cordon around the city of Baghdad in an attempt to supress the runaway insurgency in the city. Red @ScaredMonkeys: Also according to an internet web site, al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist group appointed a temporary replacement for al-Zarqawi. |
Praktike: This sounds kind of wacky to me, but who knows, maybe it will work: BAGHDAD, Iraq - The government announced Thursday... |
Europeans are shouting 'no' for one reason: it's their economies, stupid Times of London — Permalink WHY ARE THE PEOPLE of Europe so angry? The standard answer, as the Germans, French and Dutch all turn against their governments, is that the European project has gone too far and that political elites have overreached themselves, losing touch with the ordinary people. | |
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Johnathan Pearce: As Anatole Kaletsky writes in the Times today, the chronic underperformance of the euro zone economy is at the heart of... Marcus @HarrysPlace: Base and Superstructure — Anatole Kaletsky thinks the real reason things are looking gloomy for supporters of the... |
Dale Franks: European Disenchantment with the EU — Anatole Kaletsky writes that the European electorate's growing dissatisfaction... |
Rep. who filed successful ethics complaint against DeLay says 'web is getting bigger' By / Raw Story — Permalink The former Democratic congressman who filed a successful ethics complaint against House Majority Tom DeLay (R-TX) last year told RAW STORY the ruling against a DeLay political action committee is a sign that DeLay's case for innocence is hemorrhaging. | |
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Charles Kuffner: The Raw Story is quick on the uptake and has some further reaction from Bell: [quote] "Obviously he was hoping the judge would...[end quote] |
Jeralyn Merritt: Judge Rules Against DeLay Pac Member — Raw Story reports the wiggle room gets smaller as a Judge finds Tom DeLay's aide committed campaign finance violations. |
Question Authorities Wired News — Permalink You think your car is a tank? For more than four years - steadily, seriously, and with the unsentimental rigor for which we love them - civil engineers have been studying the destruction of the World Trade Center towers, sifting the tragedy for its lessons. | |
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Ace: Disobedience Saved 2,500 in WTC Mass-Murder — They were told to stay put; many didn't. |
Glenn Reynolds: A PACK, NOT A HERD: [snipped quote] (Via DefenseTech). Some of us have been noting this for a while. |
Cross burnings investigated in North Carolina AP — Permalink DURHAM, North Carolina (AP) — Three large crosses were burned in separate spots around the city during a span of just over an hour, and yellow fliers with Ku Klux Klan sayings were found at one location, police said. | |
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Skippy: the ol' skippy mailbag the moderate voice wonders if the compromise was mccain's rebirth or last hurrah; judd legum of... |
Frederick Maryland: Whatever Happened to the "New South"? CNN reports from Durham, N.C. |
N. Carolina Cross-Burnings Investigated AP — Permalink Three large crosses were burned in separate spots around the city during a span of just over an hour, and yellow fliers with Ku Klux Klan sayings were found at one location, police said. | |
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Lorie Byrd: N.C. Cross Burnings — Drudge has a link to this story of cross burnings in Durham, NC. |
Steve M.: Matt Drudge is linking this Washington Post story: DURHAM, N.C. |
What Is Torture? Slate — Permalink Click here for an interactive feature about the U.S. military's interrogation practices since Sept. 11 and the Bush administration policies that have informed them. Emily Bazelon is a Slate senior editor. | |
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Phillip Carter: Torturepalooza — Emily Bazelon, Dahlia Lithwick and I have a new interactive Jurisprudence feature published today in... |
Gary Farber: WHAT IS TORTURE? Slate has a useful primer on U.S. interrogation technicques, policy, and abuse. |
French in disarray as they admit EU treaty vote is lost By / Times of London — Permalink THE leader of France's ruling party has privately admitted that Sunday's referendum on the European constitution will result in a "no" vote, throwing Europe into turmoil. "The thing is lost," Nicolas Sarkozy told French ministers during an ill-tempered meeting. | |
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Jeff Goldstein: "French in disarray as they admit EU treaty vote is lost" — From The Times Online: [snipped quote] Imagine: Chirac... Betsy Newmark: It sounds as if the French government is getting really depressed at the thought of EU Constitution losing the referendum on Sunday. Jonathan Gewirtz: Followup: French Referendum on the EU Constitution — In case anyone missed it, today's Times article appears to have... |
Orrin Judd: FINISHING HIS THATCHERITE LEGACY (via Robert Schwartz): French in disarray as they admit EU treaty vote is lost (Charles... Pejman Yousefzadeh: NON! This report indicates that the struggle to approve the EU constitution via referendum in France is all but lost. Smash: THE FRENCH will reject the European Constitution in a referendum to be held next Wednesday, The Times of London reports. |
| Also: Tom Maguire | |
Lawmakers Retreat on Women in Combat By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — In a major reversal, congressional Republicans on Wednesday abandoned an effort to limit the role of women in combat and instead instructed the Pentagon to keep Congress informed about the status of women deployed in war zones. | |
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Phillip Carter: (Patrick Baz/AFP)The Los Angeles Times reports that Congressional Republicans have scuttled the section of this year's... |
James Joyner: Lawmakers Retreat on Women in Combat (LAT, p. 1) "In a major reversal, congressional Republicans on Wednesday abandoned... |
Inhofe: Not offended by Coburn? The Hill — Permalink Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) says he wasn't offended when his freshman Republican colleague from Oklahoma, Sen. Tom Coburn, recently questioned why anyone would want to stay in the Senate when they reach the age of 68, as Inhofe and 28 other senators have. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Campaigning as Marriage Counseling — "Nothing like a long campaign to get those romantic fires roaring again," The Hill reports. |
Garrett M. Graff: Secrets, Secrets — So anyone want to take any guesses at the location of Ron Brownstein's honeymoon and pyschoanalyze said destination? |
Loud, Proud, Unabridged: It Is Too Reading! By / NYT — Permalink JIM HARRIS, a lifelong bookworm, cracked the covers of only four books last year. But he listened to 54, all unabridged. He listened to Harry Potter and "Moby-Dick," Don DeLillo and Stephen King. He listened in the car, eating lunch, doing the dishes, sitting in doctors' offices and climbing the stairs at work. | |
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Gary Farber: LITTLE-KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH LISTENING TO BOOKS are discussed here: [snipped quote] It's probably just me that cracked up at this, but it possibly was also the serious context. |
Ann Althouse: Should people who read books look down on people who listen to audiobooks? Many do: "I like to read my books," they say. |
With the Gloves Off By / NYT — Permalink A photo of President Bush gingerly holding a month-old baby was on the front page of yesterday's New York Times. Mr. Bush is in the habit of telling us how precious he thinks life is, all life. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: However, given the preponderance of evidence that detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and at Guantánamo Bay have been... |
Attaturk: Herbert: [snipped quote] And if that does not make you angry, this will. |
Sinclair OK with 'Nightline' tribute Hollywood Reporter — Permalink NEW YORK — Sinclair Broadcasting Group said Wednesday that it has no problem with "The Fallen," a tribute to slain soldiers in Iraq that is set to air Monday on ABC News' "Nightline." It was a far cry from April 2004, when Sinclair ordered its seven ABC affiliates to not carry the show. | |
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Brian Stelter: > Hollywood Reporter: "It was a far cry from April 2004, when Sinclair ordered its seven ABC affiliates to not carry the show." |
Garrett M. Graff: Sinclair Okays "The Fallen" — Baltimore's Sinclair Broadcasting Group has decided that since this isn't an election... |
Syria Arrests 1,200 Headed for Iraq By / AP — Permalink UNITED NATIONS - Syria has arrested more than 1,200 people trying to cross the border into Iraq in recent weeks and sent many back to their home countries because of suspicions they were trying to join the insurgency, Syria's U.N. ambassador said. | |
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Praktike: Syria's cry for help continues — Now they're trying out a different spokesman: UNITED NATIONS - Syria has arrested more... |
Ace: Syria Detains 1,200 Heading For Iraq? ...over the past few weeks. So they say, at least. [snipped quote] Ah. |
Documents Say Detainees Cited Abuse of Koran by Guards By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 25 - Newly released documents show that detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, complained repeatedly to F.B.I. agents about disrespectful handling of the Koran by military personnel and, in one case in 2002, said they had flushed a Koran down a toilet. | |
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Cori Dauber: The Times on the FBI Documents — The Times also covers the FBI documents mentioning the Koran-flushing story. |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Via the NYT: Documents Say Detainees Cited Abuse of Koran by Guards "Newly released documents show that detainees at... |
Absolution for Couch Potatoes and Gamers By / NYT — Permalink Steven Johnson inadvertently illustrates his new book's main idea by providing the verbal equivalent of a video game player's experience. If games are, as he says, repetitive and often frustrating, and if they make up for monotony by offering infrequent but exciting rewards, the same can be said for his book, "Everything Bad Is Good for You." | |
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Ann Althouse: There's this theory going around that pop culture things like TV and video games improve the mind because they've become... |
Richard Bradley: But what if—contrary to Steven Johnson—Americans are just too addicted to their entertainment to pay attention to journalism? |
Graham gets heat for deal By / The State — Permalink WASHINGTON — In Washington, South Carolina's Lindsey Graham is being lauded for helping pull the U.S. Senate back from the partisan brink of a filibuster crisis. In South Carolina, the Seneca Republican is trying to control the damage. | |
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Orrin Judd: BUT I DID IT TO BE LIKED... (via AWW): Graham gets heat for deal: His mediator role in filibuster drama upsets many in S.C. |
PoliPundit: Graham — South Carolinians aren't happy with Lindsey Graham: [quote] "The calls won't quit, and they're almost all against Lindsey," state Republican Party chairman Katon Dawson said.[end quote] |
Sponsor of Stem Cell Bill Says Senate Could Override a Veto By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 25 - Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican and chief sponsor of a bill to expand federal financing for human embryonic stem cell research, issued a stark challenge to President Bush on Wednesday, saying he had enough votes in the Senate to override a presidential veto of the measure. | |
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James Joyner: Specter Says Senate Could Override Stem Cell Veto — Sponsor of Stem Cell Bill Says Senate Could Override a Veto (NYT | RSS) [snipped quote] Both Specter and DeLay could be right. Kathryn Jean Lopez: That's what Sam Brownback's hinting at, according to the NYTimes: "And at least one opponent of the measure, Senator... |
Mark Kleiman: Bring it on, George — The House has passed the stem-cell bill, and Arlen Specter says he has a veto-proof majority for it in the Senate. |
A Cheer for Mr. Mubarak WaPo — Permalink LAURA BUSH'S tour of the Middle East was cast as a way to earn badly needed goodwill for the United States in a region that her husband seeks to transform. Mrs. Bush duly promoted women's education in Jordan and the peace process in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. | |
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Praktike: The Washington Post is not happy, either, and lands some punches of its own on Laura Bush. |
Gene @HarrysPlace: Update: An editorial in Thursday's Washington Post says exactly what needs to be said, including this: ...Mrs. Bush... |
Bush Rejects Stem Cell Compromise WaPo — Permalink A key House Republican promised yesterday to search for a compromise on a bill to expand stem cell research so President Bush will not have to use his first veto on a measure that appears to be popular in polls. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Well, Bush is running up against his first legitimate veto threat, and Republicans are bending over backwards to make... Chris Mooney: Tom DeLay's Ignorance — The Majority Leader is quoted on stem cell research as follows by the Washington Post: ... |
Baldilocks: So It Goes — Francis W. Porretto is the first person that I've seen even barely touch on the morality of the fact that... |
Measuring the Impact of Blogs Requires More Than Counting By / WSJ — Permalink If you read press coverage about blogs, you might conclude that just about all Americans are reading a blog. But then you wouldn't have time to read the press coverage, because if surveys are to be believed, you're probably busy creating your own blog. | |
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Daniel Drezner: "2) Carl Bialik has a great piece in the Wall Street Journal (no subscription required) that looks behind the numbers..." Juan Cole: Blog-Casting and the Future of Blog Advertising — Carl Bialik of the WSJ has an article on attempts to count various... Tom Biro: Thursday's Wall Street Journal has an article by Carl Bialik asking if the numbers quoted in various places about how... |
Jeff Jarvis: Carl Bialik, the Wall Street Journal's number's guy, attacks the question of how many blogs there are. Rex Hammock: The Numbers Guy at the WSJ does the math on blogs: Bottom line, there's a lot, but nobody knows, but who cares: we're... |
EU call to re-run treaty referendums By / Financial Times — Permalink France and the Netherlands should re-run their referendums to obtain the "right answer" if their voters reject Europe's constitutional treaty in imminent national ballots, Jean-Claude Juncker, the holder of the EU presidency, said on Wednesday. | |
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Vox Day: Vote until you get it right — From the Financial Times: [snipped quote] Why not? |
Orrin Judd: LET SADDAM RUN THE NEXT ONE: EU call to re-run treaty referendums (John Thornhill in Paris, George Parker in Brussels... |
Threat to Base Sends Senator on Maneuvers By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 25 - Senator John Thune has long been a darling of the White House, handpicked by President Bush as a rising Republican star. But just months after winning election by telling voters that his ties to Mr. Bush would help save their military base, Mr. Thune is facing a new reality. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: The New York Times reports that Senator John Thune, miffed by the planned closure of an Air Force base that during his... Praktike: Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy — Looks like John Thune, who promised he could protect Ellsworth AFB because the... |
Ezra Klein: So what's a freshmen senator to do? Vote against everything the president cares about. And leak it to the New York Times. Laura Rozen: Thune wavering on Bolton? Could this have something to do with base closings? Apparently, yes. More from the Post and the LAT. |
Iran Indicates It Might End Pursuit of Nuclear Technology By / LAT — Permalink GENEVA — Averting an immediate showdown with Western powers, Iranian negotiators here indicated Wednesday that Tehran would back off threats to restart its nuclear processing activities in exchange for a promise the nation will receive a comprehensive aid proposal from Britain, France and Germany by the end of July. | |
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McQ: Iran Agrees to Stop pursuing Nukes — Apparently, if one is to believe the LA Times, Iran has agreed with the European... Laura Rozen: Iran nuclear breakthrough? A temporary one, perhaps. |
Kevin Drum: The LA Times story is quite positive, and includes this quote from the Bush administration: "In Washington, a senior... |
U.S. Troops Launch New Offensive in Iraq By / AP — Permalink HADITHA, Iraq - More than 1,000 U.S. troops on Wednesday swept into this city on the road to Syria to root out insurgents — including those loyal to terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi — after rebels damaged the hospital, knocked out the electricity and prevented police from entering. | |
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Jim Henley: No comment yet, add yours? » Ruffles and Flourishes Iraq's government announces that it's going to lock down... Juan Cole: US troops continued their Western offensive on Wednesday, moving into Haditha, a city of 90,000. |
James Joyner: New Iraq Security Cordon to Ring Baghdad (AP) [snipped quote] I'm not sure what this signals, exactly. Jayson @PoliPundit: Semper Fi — Hopefully, the Marines will bring back a nice "prize" in connection with this operation, if you catch my drift…. |
NBC News May Get New Chief By / NYT — Permalink Neal Shapiro, the president of NBC News since 2001, has told his superiors at the network in recent days that he would like to leave his post, two senior executives at NBC Universal said yesterday. Neal Shapiro presides over "Today," "NBC Nightly News" and "Meet the Press." | |
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Jim Romenesko: NBC News chief has told his bosses he wants to step down — New York Times NBC News president Neal Shapiro appears to be... |
Brian Stelter: NBC's Shapiro WANTS To Leave, NYT Says neal_shapiro2.jpgNBC News prez Neal Shapiro "has told his superiors at the... |
Wanted and Imprisoned Terrorists to Run in PA Elections Arutz Sheva — Permalink Several alarming candidates, including Marwan Barghouti and a terror chief known as "Hitler," have announced their candidacy for the upcoming PA elections. Many terrorists currently serving time in Israeli prisons will be permitted by the PA to run in the PA parliamentary elections. | |
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Colt: The democratic process in the PLO is such that even Hitler will run for office. |
Joseph Alexander Norland: Hitler running in the forthcoming Arab election — From Arutz 7: "Wanted and Imprisoned Terrorists to Run in PA... |
Counterfeit Goods Are Linked to Terror Groups, Senate Told By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — When Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. John Stedman was booking a clothing store owner last year on charges of selling counterfeit high-fashion merchandise, his attention was drawn to the large and colorful tattoo on the man's arm. | |
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Andrew Cochran: HERE is the LA Times article on the same hearing. |
Laura Rozen: Meantime, a strange and fascinating story from the LAT about Hezbollah loyalists raising $30 million in selling counterfeit goods in the US. |
For 2006, Democrats try 'back to basics' By / Christian Science Monitor — Permalink Democrats think they may have gained some temporary advantage from this week's cease-fire in the battle over filibusters of judicial nominations. But when it comes to trying to regain control of the Senate in 2006, Democrats plan to rely on a... | |
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Taegan Goddard: Back to Basics Strategy for 2006 — Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told the Christian Science Monitor that the Demcoratic... |
Orrin Judd: For 2006, Democrats try 'back to basics' (David Cook, 5/26/05, The Christian Science Monitor) [snipped quote] Except that... |
Gitmo Guards Accused of Mistreating Koran By / WaPo — Permalink Nearly a dozen detainees at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba told FBI interrogators that guards had mistreated copies of the Koran, including one who said in 2002 that guards "flushed a Koran in the toilet," according to new FBI documents released today. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Washington Post – Detainees told FBI interrogators as early as April 2002 that mistreatment of the Koran was... Barbara O'Brien: Here's Dan Eggan and Josh White in today's Washington Post: "Detainees told FBI interrogators as early as April 2002... La Shawn Barber: As a matter of fact, rags defend rags. Check out this Washington Post story about the FBI report. |
Glenn Reynolds: If you read the story that Kurtz references, though, it also says that investigators found no basis to the allegations. Jesse Taylor: Amid new allegations that military interrogators are treating the Koran like garbage, it seems to have been decided on... Kevin Drum: AFGHANISTAN...The Washington Post writes today about newly released FBI documents that describe Koran desecration at... |
| Also: Andrew Sullivan, Avedon Carol, Bill @INDCJournal, Captain Ed, Michelle Malkin, Cori Dauber, Attaturk, Tom Maguire, Dr. Steven Taylor, John Podhoretz, Jack Balkin, Phillip Carter, Oliver @LiquidList, Jeff Jarvis, Marc @USSNeverdock, Garance Franke-Ruta | |
FBI memo reports Guantanamo guards flushing Koran Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An FBI agent wrote in a 2002 document made public on Wednesday that a detainee held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had accused American jailers there of flushing the Koran down a toilet. | |
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The Poorman: The End Times Are Nigher! John Cole is making sense: [snipped quote] I couldn't have said it better myself. Barbara O'Brien: Reuters reports, "The newly released document, dated Aug. 1, 2002, contained a summary of statements made days earlier... Michelle Malkin: Take a look at how Big Media is covering the story: - ABC News, "FBI memo reports Guantanamo guards flushing Koran" -... |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: We will look later today at the Blogosphere.p> Reuters – An FBI agent wrote in a 2002 document made public on... La Shawn Barber: So they've pounced on the story about a 2002 FBI report that repeats the same Koran-flushing story as Newsweek. Captain Ed: Allawi Corroborates Abdullah On Zarqawi, Al-Qaeda Connections To Saddam — While Western press agencies continue to... |
| Also: TheAnchoress, Joe Gandelman, Smash, John @PowerLine, Tom Maguire, Kevin Aylward, Dr. Steven Taylor, John Cole, Charles Johnson, Tom Tomorrow, Marc @USSNeverdock, Blackavar, Magpie @PacificViews, Kos @DailyKos | |
FBI Records Cite Quran Abuse Allegations By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - Terror suspects at the Guantanamo Bay prison told U.S. interrogators as early as April 2002, just three months after the first detainees arrived, that military guards abused them and desecrated the Quran, declassified FBI records say. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: AP – "Their behavior is bad,'' one detainee is quoted as saying of his guards during an interrogation by an FBI special agent in July 2002. " Tom Maguire: Fortunately, both the AP and Reuters completed the picture. And yes, if you are turning to those two sources for "fair and balanced", you have wandered a long way from home. Edward _: Even as the MSM, including Fareed Zakaria, have universally conceded that Newsweek made a mistake in printing the... |
Smash: And here's the latest release on this subject from AP (via ABCNews): "Detainees have claimed guards used the holy books as a weapon to break their will to resist interrogation. John Cole: 5.) What about the children? More here. *** Update *** I think some of you are really mistaking my position on this. Acidman: read the headline... ...and then read the article. I don't believe that the two actually go together. |
| Also: Judd @ThinkProgress, Marc @USSNeverdock, Steve Soto, Captain Scarlet | |
Fallaci charged in Italy with defaming Islam By / Reuters — Permalink ROME (Reuters) - A judge has ordered best-selling writer and journalist Oriana Fallaci to stand trial in her native Italy on charges she defamed Islam in a recent book. | |
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Jan Haugland: Let's just flush down the right to freedom of speech. Colt: Are the Bosnians against us? Oriana Fallaci has been charged with defaming Islam in Italy. McQ: Well the cradle of the Enlightenment is now taking people to trial because they may have offended a religion. |
Clayton Cramer: Not surprisingly, the modern left is doing its best to suppress her writings against Islamofascism: [snipped quote] If... Steve M.: There's a minor flurry of outrage in Blogistan right now about this: A judge has ordered best-selling writer and... Cori Dauber: Now I see via Instapundit that, given from the threats (not only of legal action), the harassment, the ugliness, came a... |
| Also: Jeff Goldstein, Amanda Marcotte, Jeff Jarvis, Joe Gandelman, John Cole, Glenn Reynolds | |
Guantanamo Detainees Had Alleged Koran Desecration By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — FBI interviews at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in 2002 and 2003 reflected allegations by detainees that guards desecrated the Koran on numerous occasions, and that perceived abuses of the Muslim holy book triggered unrest and even a possible suicide attempt, newly released government documents revealed today. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Captain's Quarters: "While Western press agencies continue to report years-old allegations of Qu'ran abuse from... Phillip Carter: [Update: the L.A. Times has the story too. ] These records include allegations of Koran desecration, including but not... |
Charles Johnson: (Hat tip: Amy.) And so does the Los Angeles Times: Guantanamo Detainees Had Alleged Koran Desecration. (Hat tip: Roger L. Simon.) Roger L. Simon: Here we ago again... Now the Los Angeles Times is citing (big surprise) unnamed sources alleging that US servicemen "flushed a Koran in the toilet" at Guantanamo. |
WE, ANONYMOUS By / New York Press — Permalink Give the American media a story about American interrogators defacing the Quran, and journalists are so appalled there's no time for fact-checking—before they dash off to see the latest exhibition of 'Piss Christ.' Ann Coulter has taken up the cause of journalistic ethics. | |
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Brendan Nyhan: Matt Taibbi on fire — Via Jay Rosen, here's New York Press writer Matt Taibbi laying waste to Newsweek and the... Jay Rosen: We, Anonymous it's called. He's cynical about the whole deal: "It was humorous to see how quickly Newsweek lost its cachet with Middle America. |
John Cole: More here and here and here: "Martin Peretz of the New Republic went so far as to draw a general conclusion about the seamy character of all journalists from the Newsweek episode. Jim Romenesko: (SW) > Taibbi on "the most absurd aspect of the Newsweek scandal" (NY Press) > Shafer: Media's criticism of Isikoff overstepped on one count (Slate) |
French fries protester regrets war jibe Guardian — Permalink It was a culinary rebuke that echoed around the world, heightening the sense of tension between Washington and Paris in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. But now the US politician who led the campaign to change the name of french fries to "freedom fries" has turned against the war. | |
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Mipe @ThinkProgress: According to the Guardian: "Walter Jones, the Republican congressman for North Carolina who was also the brains behind... Cernig: According to the Guardian, the Congressman who began the campaign to rename to change the name of french fries to "freedom fries" has turned against the war. Kehaar: Can we call them french fries again? Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Freedom fries protester regrets war jibe. |
Jesse Taylor: I Got Write-Offs Like Taxes — Aaaaaaaaagh! Only read if you want to see one giant, evolving non-sequitur, like an explosion in slow motion. Avedon Carol: French fries protester regrets war jibe: Walter Jones, the Republican congressman for North Carolina who was also the... |
Priscilla Owen Confirmed As Federal Judge By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen won Senate confirmation as a federal appeals judge Wednesday after a ferocious four-year battle, a personal triumph that also marked a victory for President Bush in his drive to install conservatives on the nation's highest courts. | |
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DeDurkheim: The Dark side in the senate has won. Darth Owen has been confirmed by the Senate. Captain Ed: Priscilla Owen Confirmed — The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Priscilla Owen to the Fifth US District Court of Appeals after four years of Democratic obstructionism. C. D. Harris: Priscilla Richman Owen was finally confirmed today to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals seat for which she was nominated on 9 May 2001. |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Extremist, Priscilla Owen Confirmed As Federal Judge — After four long years Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen won Senate confirmation by a 55-43 vote. Jesse Taylor: Bunch of idiots give the finger to justice and even the idea of competence — Unsurprisingly, the Senate confirmed... Echidne: Too bad, as Owen surely is an extraordinarily wingnutty judge: [snipped quote] Owen is going to sit on the 5th U.S... |
| Also: Scott Elliott | |
Unintelligent Design By / Reason — Permalink Who needs to make monkeys out of the Kansas Board of Education when its members are doing such a good job of it themselves? Members of the Kansas board convened hearings this month to hear testimony from proponents of the theory of intelligent design that the theory of evolution is bunk. | |
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Jan Haugland: The IDiots — Ronald Bailey on Unintelligent Design: Who needs to make monkeys out of the Kansas Board of Education when its members are doing such a good job of it themselves? Glenn Reynolds: RON BAILEY REPORTS on the Kansas Intelligent Design hearings: [snipped quote] Personally, I'm a Tiplerite. Roger L. Simon: William Jennings Bryan — He's bad and he's back. (ht: Charles Martin) |
Ed Cone: More non-science — Ron Bailey scorches the Kansas anti-scientists: [snipped quote] (via Instapundit) John Cole: Creationism Update — Reason (via Instapundit): [snipped quote] "Heh." |
Egyptians Vote on Reforms Amid Unrest By / AP — Permalink CAIRO, Egypt — Plainclothes government agents beat protesters Wednesday, then watched as President Hosni Mubarak's supporters punched other demonstrators in scattered violence that marred a referendum the 24-year ruler has called a crucial step toward democracy. | |
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Steve Soto: Which of course explains why our friend Hosni, after Laura left town, allowed his own goons to beat up pro-democracy... Praktike: Damn. You're a hero, Alaa. ... this AP story confirms Alaa's tale of woe. |
Colt: Pro-democracy protestors were beaten by riot police on referendum day, if that helps swing you. Gene @HarrysPlace: The Associated Press reports: Police and plainclothes security men beat and arrested demonstrators calling for a boycott... |
Senate Confirms Owen Fox News — Permalink WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Priscilla Owen (search) as a federal judge, ending a four-year effort by Democrats to derail one of President Bush's prime judicial nominees. The vote was 56-43 in favor of sending Owen to the federal bench. | |
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Atomizer l: I guess that's all fine and good for the time being...he bit his tongue today as the folks in the Senate actually sat down and did their job for a change. Joe Gandelman: UPDATE: But, even as the confirmation seemingly showed the moderates' compromise as putting the Senate back in... Dale Franks: Owen Confirmed — Dangerous right-wing extremist Priscilla Owen has been confirmed by a vote of 56-43 in the Senate, after a brief confirmation period that lasted only four years. |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: It is one filibuster away from being broken and the "nuclear" Constitutional option brought back into play. Paul @PowerLine: At long last — After four years of mostly needless delay, the Senate has confirmed Priscilla Owen by a vote of 56-43. |
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan White House — Permalink The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room Iraq and Afghanistan/ U.S. there by invitation? MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everybody. I want to begin with one statement by the President. And then I have an announcement to update you on for the President's schedule. | |
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Mimus Pauly: poor scottie... that mean old helen woman in the white house press corps picked on him again yesterday — and i'm mean... Magpie @PacificViews: Check out the following exchange from today's White House press briefing conducted by Scott McClellan |
Judd @ThinkProgress: BREAKING: New Evidence of Koran Desecration and Administration Deception — From today's White House press breifing:... |
For the Benefit of Others By / Slate — Permalink Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed legislation to expand federal funding of human embryonic stem-cell research. President Bush said he would veto the legislation because it "violates the clear standard I set four years ago. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: Take A Life, Save A Life — Will Saletan says it's inconsistent to say you shouldn't take life to save life in the... Spoons: At Slate?!? I'm shocked that Gene Volokh would accuse Will Saletan of base hypocrisy in an attack against the President. |
Eugene Volokh: The Innocent and the Guilty: Slate's Human Nature says, under the subhead "Bush's hypocrisy on stem cells and the death... Ramesh Ponnuru: STEM CELLS AND THE DEATH PENALTY — William Saletan notes that President Bush argues against embryo-destroying research... |
Bloggers Take Center Stage By / WSJ — Permalink This notebook contains highlights from The Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital conference, which was held Sunday through Tuesday. Paul Otellini, the new CEO of Intel Corp., showed off a number of whizzy demonstration products and discussed a... | |
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Vanderleun: INTEL CEO Paul Otellini "had a startling confession: He spends an hour a weekend removing spyware from his daughter's computer. Pejman Yousefzadeh: But even if I did have ambivalence regarding my desire to get a PowerBook, Intel's CEO, Paul Otellini, smashes said... |
Kevin Aylward: Bill Gates Stars In Napoleon Dynamite Parody napoleondynamite_gates.jp g Poor Photoshopped approximation Jason Fry at The... |
Harold Ford Officially Enters '06 Senate Race AP — Permalink NASHVILLE, Tenn. — U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (search) filed the federal paperwork Wednesday to become the second Democratic candidate in the 2006 U.S. Senate race. | |
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Gerry @DalyThoughts: Harold Ford Officially Enters '06 Senate Race — Hat tip, Richard M. The Associated Press: "Ford filed the Federal... Orrin Judd: SHOULDA SWITCHED: Harold Ford Officially Enters '06 Senate Race (Fox News, May 25, 2005) [snipped quote] Good candidate, but a Republican state. |
James Joyner: Harold Ford Officially Enters '06 Senate Race — Harold Ford Officially Enters '06 Senate Race (AP) [snipped quote] Ford will be a formidable candidate—especiall y in an open seat. |
The Senate's Real Leader By / WaPo — Permalink The Monday night agreement to avert a showdown vote over judicial filibusters not only spared the Senate from a potentially ruinous clash, but also certified John McCain as the real leader of that body. | |
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Joe Gandelman: This has definitely been Senator John McCain's shining moment (for some) — but does this mean he is the Senate's "real leader"? Avedon Carol: I see Atrios got to Broder before I did, and of course Broder is as usual doing his "common wisdom" trip that is really... Brendan Nyhan: Goo-goo watch: David Broder — More McCain fetish nonsense from David Broder, dean of the "can't we all get along" wing... |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Who could not have guessed that the media would gush over Senator John Mc Cain as the real leader of the Senate? Nick Gillespie: First up is the David Broder's extended brain fart regarding John McCain (aka "the Senate's real leader"). Atrios: Broder Examines His Colon — The Dean goes in deep: [snipped quote] Um, no. No one gives a s**t. |
| Also: Orrin Judd, K. J. Lopez | |
Controversy colors teen book By / USA Today — Permalink A battle could be brewing in the book stacks over a new novel about teens and oral sex. The editor of Rainbow Party hopes the book about teens and oral sex will 'scare' young readers. | |
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Harkonnendog: For the USATODAY review, which I'll be talking about, click here. A couple things about the USATODAY review/article pissed me off. |
Michelle Malkin: USA Today's coverage of the book—aimed at 14-year-olds—is here. So, what's a rainbow party? |
After 4 Years, Senate Votes to Confirm Owen for Federal Bench By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 25 - Justice Priscilla R. Owen of the Texas Supreme Court was confirmed by the Senate today for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit after four years of frustration. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: The New York Times reports Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R.I.) was the only Republican to vote against the nomination. James Joyner: After 4 Years, Senate Votes to Confirm Owen for Federal Bench (NYT | RSS) [snipped quote] Finally. |
David Cohen: PRISCILLA OWEN CONFIRMED 56-43 We congratulate Judge Owen, President Bush and all those whose hard work and dedication have made this possible. |
A food fight in the Big GOP Tent By / MSNBC — Permalink WASHINGTON - I'm wondering if we haven't just witnessed a turning point in politics. Years from now, when we look back on the "Gang of 14" deal, will we see it as the moment when the tide of conservative Republicanism crested? American public life moves in cycles. | |
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Cernig: Update 9.10am Central It looks like Harold Fineman has much the same thoughts on the split in the GOP, and sees the... Pejman Yousefzadeh: OH, STOP IT — This editorial is not even worth reading. David Cohen: A food fight in the Big GOP Tent: The week conservative Republicanism lost some traction (Howard Fineman, MSNBC,... |
Glenn Reynolds: HOWARD FINEMAN SUGGESTS — perhaps a bit hopefully — that the filibuster compromise represents a political turning... Tim Graham: Newsweek's Howard Fineman wonders: "I'm wondering if we haven't just witnessed a turning point in politics. |
NASA: Voyager I enters solar system's final frontier CNN — Permalink (CNN) — The Voyager I spacecraft has moved into the solar system's final frontier, a vast area where the sun's influence gives way to interstellar space, NASA's Web site reports. | |
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Robert Tagorda: But the following item in the CNN account, flagged by my good friend PJ Aspuria, is even more intriguing to me: NASA:... Jonah Goldberg: ONE SMALL STEP... closer to that bald chick with the funny voice. Note: I am trying to see how many references I can sail over K-Lo's head. |
Brian Keegan: NASA: Voyager I enters solar system's final frontier If you don't get my title, check out here. Scroll down to Chuck Berry in Outer Space. |
Fox Freudian slip: Asman asked Lott why a compromise was needed when "we" had the votes for the nuclear option Media Matters for America — Permalink Responding to Sen. Trent Lott's (R-MS) suggestion that Senate Republicans had the necessary votes to invoke the so-called nuclear option and that such a step was necessary, Fox News anchor David Asman asked Lott why Republican senators had compromised on the issue. | |
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Josh Marshall: MediaMatters catches Fox News David Asman in this exchange with our man Trent Lott ... [snipped quote] We, indeed ... |
Atrios: I Wish I Could Say "Only on Fox" — But, at least, it's only on Fox that they don't even bother to pretend to pretend... |
For GOP, Deeper Fissures and a Looming Power Struggle By / WaPo — Permalink The fallout from the Senate compromise that averted a showdown over judicial filibusters fell most heavily on the Republican Party yesterday, signaling intraparty warfare that is likely to shape the battle for the party's 2008 presidential nomination and further strain the unity the GOP has enjoyed under President Bush. | |
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Taegan Goddard: As a result, the Washington Post notes that "by leaving open the option for Democrats in the Gang of 14 to filibuster... Faiz @ThinkProgress: If senators who are inclined to demonstrate their independence for justified and conscientious reasons are treated as... |
Bill @INDCJournal: Related: For GOP, Deeper Fissures and a Looming Power Struggle UPDATE: * I hastily parroted Bill Quick's linked language with the "big government" description. Jo Fish: Oxymoron — Heart of the republican party. Jumbo Shrimp. Military Intelligence...you get the idea. |
Democrat Says Bolton May Have Mishandled Classified Data By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 25 - The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said today that John R. Bolton might have mishandled classified information by sharing with another State Department official details about a communication intercepted by the National Security Agency. | |
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Laura Rozen: See this for more, and stay tuned. Bolton's nomination is now being debated on the Senate floor. |
Praktike: He begins by reading his letter. And Rockefeller has come out somewhat agressively after all. Good work, Steve! |
Letters Salon — Permalink [Read "Friend Fatale," by Rebecca Traister.] I could not agree more with Rebecca Traister in "Friend Fatale." I "lost" a female friend of mine several years ago and was completely devastated. I had been with her through grad school, the death of her mother, a bad marriage, a good divorce. | |
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Amanda Marcotte: What about MEN?! I wrote about Rebecca Traister's article on female friendships in Salon when it came out over the weekend. |
Tim Cavanaugh: Last week a Salon letter-writer dropped a factoid that set me back on that analogy: Using the World War II schedule, if... |
AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool (aet) BBC — Permalink Liverpool beat AC Milan 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out to win the Champions League after sensationally coming from three goals down at half-time. Paolo Maldini gave Milan a first-minute lead and Hernan Crespo's double gave Milan a seemingly unassailable lead. | |
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Jan Haugland: This year's Champions League final in Istanbul will go down in the history books of football as the greatest comeback ever. |
Chris @CrookedTimber: Unbelievableâ One of the best comebacks ever, dead and buried at half-time, Champions of Europe…. |
Listen to My Wife By / NYT — Permalink "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world," wrote George Bernard Shaw. "The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." Note: Maureen Dowd is on book leave. | |
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Gary Farber: Matt Miller pleads from the Op-Ed page of the NY Times (which, incidentally, doesn't make it an editorial! It isn't! LeanLeft: He has a column that he apparently thinks is groundbreaking on . . . the fact that corporations pressure people to sacrifice their personal lives and goals. |
Matthew Yglesias: Matt Miller drops his facade of moderation and comes out as a pretty hardcore feminist, arguing (rightly!) that the... |
Al-Zarqawi has Fled Iraq - Report PA — Permalink An Islamic website statement claimed today that Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaida in Iraq chief, has fled to an unidentified "neighbouring country" with two Arab doctors treating him for gunshot wounds to his lung. There was no way to verify the authenticity of the claim. | |
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Joe Gandelman: But here are the latest details, via The Scotsman: "An Islamic website statement claimed today that Abu-Musab... Red @ScaredMonkeys: Also from the Scotsman, [quote] Today's statement said al-Zarqawi "was secretly smuggled to a neighbouring country a few days ago in a complicated and organised operation."[end quote] |
Roger L. Simon: UPDATE: Now there are rumors that the wounded Zarqawi has "fled" Iraq. AND NOW: Some of his aides have apparently been arrested. |
Statement on Maciel not issued by agency responsible for sex abuse cases By / National Catholic Reporter — Permalink In a potentially significant twist to the case involving the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, NCR has learned that the office that recently released a statement saying there is no case against Fr. Marcial Maciel regarding sex abuse accusations is not the office with responsibility for making that judgment. | |
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James Martin Capozzola: NCR Rome correspondent John L. Allen, Jr. reports ("New Legionaries Intrigue"): "In a potentially significant twist to... |
Andrew Sullivan: MACIEL UPDATE: This gets weirder and weirder. |