meme orandum
| A newfangled news tangle |
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Outrage as US troops arrest moderate Sunni leader By / Telegraph — Permalink US troops outraged Iraq's new government yesterday by arresting one of the country's foremost Sunni leaders only to release him later and call the whole episode a mistake. Firing stun grenades, American soldiers burst into the home of Mohsen Abdul-Hamid, head of the largest Sunni Arab political party, shortly after dawn. | |
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Cernig: A New Definition For Incompetence in Iraq — A hat tip to Steve Soto for the link to an article from the UK's Daily... Damian Penny: Oops — This might just be the last thing the U.S. military needs right now: US troops outraged Iraq's new government... |
Steve Soto: This is incredibly stupid, and either the work of a military that doesn't want things to settle down in Iraq, or a military that is inept. |
America, a Symbol of . . . By / NYT — Permalink This Memorial Day is not a good one for the country that was once the world's most brilliant beacon of freedom and justice. State Department officials know better than anyone that the image of the United States has deteriorated around the world. | |
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Avedon Carol: It makes me want to cry: Bob Herbert, America, a Symbol of . . . Randy Paul: As for the "few bad apples theory," consider this from Bob Herbert's column today: "William Schulz, executive director... |
Barbara O'Brien: Their actions and policies make a mockery of these ideals, of course. Tom @Corrente: And, of course, this is on the same day that Chimpy makes his usual perfunctory speech at Arlington Cemetery for Memorial Day. |
Europe is an indulgence we can't afford By / Telegraph — Permalink The Eurofetishists can't seem to agree their line on this referendum business. On the one hand, the Guardian's headline writer was packing up and heading for the hills - "Europe is plunged into crisis" - and EU leaders warned that "Europe" might cease to function. | |
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Damian Penny: Mark Steyn, as usual for this kind of thing, has it exactly right: Only in totalitarian dictatorships does the ballot come with a pre-ordained correct answer. Ed Driscoll: Here's his latest for England's Telegraph on France's EU vote: [quote] On balance, Jean-Claude Juncker, the "president" of...[end quote] |
Betsy Newmark: He absolutely nails what is wrong with the European constitution. |
AP: Gitmo Prisoners Told Panel About Abuse By / AP — Permalink LONDON - One Guantanamo prisoner told a military panel that American troops beat him so badly he wets his pants now. Another detainee claimed U.S. troops stripped prisoners in Afghanistan and intimidated them with dogs so they would admit to militant activity. | |
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Norbizness: Gitmo Prisoners Told Panel About Abuse: "Americans hit me and beat me up so badly I believe I'm sexually dysfunctional. |
Jeralyn Merritt: More Torture Documents Released — The AP has received a second batch of documents from its FOIA request regarding the... |
Laura Bush/Hillary Clinton presidential matchup? Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - First lady Laura Bush would defeat U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton if the two were to face each other in the 2008 presidential contest, Vice President Dick Cheney said on Monday. | |
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Lorie Byrd: UPDATE II: Now this is one wife who will not be running, but her poise and diplomacy certainly do put Hillary's to shame. |
Patrick Ruffini: On Larry King Live, Vice President and Mrs. Cheney suggested the ultimate dark horse Presidential contenter. |
NEW CLINTON BOOK: THE LIES, THE FIGHTS, THE INSULTS Drudge Report — Permalink Summer starts with a bang as veteran WASHINGTON POST reporter John Harris traces the emotional highs and lows of the Clinton presidency. THE SURVIVOR: BILL CLINTON IN THE WHITE HOUSE drops this week from RANDOM [the book ranked #9,527 on AMAZON's sales parade Monday afternoon], but the DRUDGE REPORT can now sneak: | |
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David Sirota: And it will only get worse - the Washington Post is apparently going to run two "jumbo" stories on the Clinton lies, while continuing to relegate Iraq to the back pages. |
Lorie Byrd: Perhaps the greatest argument against a Hillary presidency is that America is not yet ready for a return to the days of the soap opera White House. |
French business fears 'heavy consequences' from upset By / Telegraph — Permalink The Left-wing flavour of France's revolt against the EU constitution on Sunday could prove a major headache for business, bringing free-market reform to a halt and forcing Brussels to adopt a more protectionist "Gallic" stance in economic policy. | |
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Charles Johnson: But it's questionable how many French voters even read the darned thing; in truth this was a victory for those who want... |
Ed Driscoll: He links to a Telegraph article titled "French business fears 'heavy consequences' from upset." |
Blog Spring Wired News — Permalink Hossein Derakhshan is on tour. In the past few years, he has become the public face of Iran's beleaguered bloggers, more than a dozen of whom have been arrested for their politics. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: WIRED has an article on Iranian blogmeister Hossein Derakshan. |
Jeff Jarvis: Hoder, Wired : Wired magazine's piece about our friend Hossein Derakhshan, by Jeff Howe, is now online. |
AP: Lawmakers Belatedly Disclose Trips By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - Scrutiny of Majority Leader Tom DeLay's travel has led to the belated disclosure of at least 198 previously unreported special interest trips by House members and their aides, including eight years of travel by the second-ranking Democrat, an Associated Press review has found. | |
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Captain Ed: DeLay Travel Probe Reveals Massive Democrat Violations — The hounding of Tom DeLay continues to backfire on House... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Via Captain Ed, we have this story. I offer it without comment because no comment appears to be necessary: [snipped quote] Okay, one comment. |
Too Few, Yet Too Many By / NYT — Permalink One of the more bizarre aspects of the Iraq war has been President Bush's repeated insistence that his generals tell him they have enough troops. Even more bizarrely, it may be true - I mean, that his generals tell him that they have enough troops, not that they actually have enough. | |
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Phillip Carter: Today's column by Paul Krugman covers familiar ground for Intel Dump's readers — the stretching of the all-volunteer force by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Steve Antler: Wrong so many times it longer matters... Today, Paul Krugman predicts the collapse of the entire US military. |
Lambert @Corrente: [quote]"At some point, people decided they could no longer weather the back-to-back deployments." (via Times [end quote] Nice work, you chickenhawk pieces of s**t. |
Bush Honors Soldiers on Memorial Day By / AP — Permalink ARLINGTON, Va. — President Bush honored America's "brave defenders" Monday in a dual Memorial Day salute to the dead and missing in action from wars of yesteryear and those on the front lines of today's war against terrorism. | |
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Phillip Carter: I would like to reiterate those sentiments today. Once again, in 2005, we mark Memorial Day as a nation at war. |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: The Political Teen UPDATE II: More from President Bush's speech from Arlington National Cemetery. |
Pressure on North Korea: U.S. Stealth Jets Sent to South By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 29 - The deployment last week of 15 stealth fighters to South Korea, along with the severing of the American military's only official interaction with North Korea, appears to be part of a new push by the Bush administration to further isolate North Korea despite China's hesitation to join the effort. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Hmm, 2: Stealth fighters to South Korea — Of course, any deployment that makes the front pages of the Times isn't all that stealthy: [snipped quote] Well, great. Orrin Judd: SEND BOMBERS INSTEAD: Pressure on North Korea: U.S. Stealth Jets Sent to South (JOEL BRINKLEY, 5/30/05, NY Times) [snipped quote] Force should be the specific offer. |
James Joyner: Pressure on North Korea: U.S. Stealth Jets Sent to South (NYT | RSS) [snipped quote] Not a hopeful sign, to be sure. |
Editorial: Memorial Day/Praise bravery, seek forgiveness Minneapolis Star Tribune — Permalink Nothing young Americans can do in life is more honorable than offering themselves for the defense of their nation. It requires great selflessness and sacrifice, and quite possibly the forfeiture of life itself. On Memorial Day 2005, we gather to remember all those who gave us that ultimate gift. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Pascal, Pensees **Yeats, "The Second Coming." Update: Great editorial for Memorial Day. | bar.jpg Attaturk: Aggrieved — Too sad, but too true: [snipped quote] True, but it is also the destiny of we patriots, patriots of America... |
Pessimist @LeftCoaster: It doesn't matter if the war was just or if it was a bald-faced theft of territory or resources - we remember our war dead. |
Chirac's Failure To Lead By / WaPo — Permalink BRUSSELS — France's stunning rejection Sunday of a new European constitution was, most of all, a noisy protest against the disruptive, leveling force of economic globalization. | |
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Charles Paul Freund: "Chirac's Real Failure" — WaPo columnist David Ignatius, who recently spent four years in Paris as the editor of the... Joe Gandelman: The Washington Post's David Ignatius further sketches Chirac's political bungling on this issue: "Chirac will be a... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: David Ignatius examines the French decision to reject the EU constitution, and puts the blame for the failure of the... Glenn Reynolds: UPDATE: Read this column from David Ignatius, too, who stresses the fear of change I noted earlier. |
Two Americans Charged With Aiding Al Qaeda AP — Permalink NEW YORK — Authorities said Sunday that Rafiq Abdus Sabir (search), 50, a Boca Raton physician, and Tarik Shah (search), 42, a self-described martial arts expert in New York, conspired to treat and train terrorists. Both are American citizens. | |
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La Shawn Barber: We've got homegrown enemies in our midst, enemies who call themselves Americans. (Remember when traitors were executed?) |
James Joyner: Two Americans Charged With Aiding Al Qaeda — Two American Muslims have been charged with aiding al Qaeda terrorists. |
Jeff Jarvis, On the Inside Blogging Out By / WaPo — Permalink He has denounced shoddy journalism, defended whipped-cream-covered strippers on television, discussed the pope on MSNBC, called in to Howard Stern, exchanged erudite letters with the editor of the New York Times, and championed the idea that any citizen can be "a Wolf Blitzer in sheep's clothing." | |
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Matt Welch: Not to pick on today's Howard Kurtz profilee, but it wasn't so long ago that Jeff was wagging his finger at... Rex Hammock: Kurtz does Jarvis: Okay, so maybe no one reads the newspaper on a holiday, but the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz did a swell profile of Blog Boy today. Damian Penny: Blogger profiled — Howard Kurtz has a piece on Jeff Jarvis in today's Washington Post. |
Joe Gandelman: Buzz Machine's Jeff Jarvis Under The Microscope — The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz profiles Buzz Machine's Jeff... Jeff Jarvis: Posted post1.jpg: Not sure why, but Howard Kurtz devotes part of his Washington Post column today to this very blog. |
Iraq Sunni party leader arrested Forbes — Permalink BAGHDAD (AFX) - The leader of Iraq's main Sunni party Mohsen Abdel Hamid was arrested by US forces in Baghdad today along with his three sons, a party official said. No reason was given for the arrest and the US military in Baghdad was not immediately able to confirm the incident. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: The insurgents fought back. There might yet be a civil war. Nasty business. James Joyner: Iraq Sunni Party Leader Arrested — Iraq Sunni party leader arrested (Forbes - AFX) [snipped quote] This is certainly not a good sign of inter-group cooperation emerging. |
Juan Cole: US troops arrested Muhsin Abd al-Hamid Monday morning. He is the head of the (Sunni) Iraqi Islamic Party and had served on the Interim Governing Council appointed by Bremer. |
Death of a Marine By / Townhall.com — Permalink Monday night, in a special Memorial Day broadcast of ''Nightline," Ted Koppel will call the roll of the more than 900 US troops who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past 12 months. As each name is read, viewers will see a photograph of the fallen soldier. | |
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Vox Day: Semper Fi — Jeff Jacoby writes of the death of a Marine: "On the morning of Nov. 15, one week into the battle for... |
Damian Penny: Memorial Day — On a day when Americans remember those who fell in service of their country, Jeff Jacoby and Power Line offer moving tributes. |
Iraqi Offensive Met by Wave of New Violence From Insurgents By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 29 - The largest Iraqi-led counterinsurgency operation since the downfall of Saddam Hussein set off a violent backlash on Sunday across Baghdad. At least 20 people were killed in the capital, 14 of them in a battle lasting several hours when insurgents initiated sustained attacks on several police stations and an army barracks. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: I could have saved myself some trouble and gone right to Juan Cole. The insurgents fought back. There might yet be a civil war. |
Juan Cole: John Burns of the NYT says that the guerrillas are putting up a vigorous fight against government troops and that 14 died in a pitched battle between the two that lasted for hours. |
SMU lecturer takes heat for telling blog By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink DALLAS - For most of the past two semesters, nobody knew the identity of "The Phantom Professor." The educator's anonymous Web log, set at an unnamed university "in the South," spun tales of spoiled-rich "Ashleys" with their $500 sandals and $1,500 handbags, eating disorders, plagiarism and drug use, legal and illegal. | |
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Jack Cluth: Another DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener — SMU lecturer takes heat for telling blog: The 'Phantom Professor' says it was an outlet... |
Joanne Jacobs: Phantom's future — The Phantom Professor lost her job as an adjunct writing instructor at Southern Methodist... |
French Voters Soundly Reject European Union Constitution By / NYT — Permalink PARIS, May 29 - Turning its back on half a century of European history, France decisively rejected a constitution for Europe on Sunday, plunging the country into political disarray and jeopardizing the cause of European unity. | |
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Keelin McDonell: (The New York Times had the cute idea of visiting a polling station at "the Karl Marx primary school." John @PowerLine: The New York Times has a pretty good story on the referendum, which includes these paragraphs: "At the polling place at... |
Laura Rozen: Update: And it's no. Result analysis via Praktike ahd Heather Hurlburt. James Martin Capozzola: [Post-publication addendum: For more about the French vote see: "French Voters Soundly Reject European Union... |
From Jenna's Ex to a Presidential Jeeves By / NYT — Permalink When President Bush shakes 1,000 hands, Blake Gottesman is ready with the Purell. When Mr. Bush is in his daily intelligence briefing in the trailer on his ranch, Mr. Gottesman is on site to dog-sit Barney, the president's Scottish terrier. | |
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David Sirota: Critically important and breathlessly effusive profiles of the President's personal butler, naturally. |
Ann Althouse: Altoids, Sharpies, and Purell. And the question is: What's in the bag the President's personal assistant carries around? |
Trying to Thwart Possible Terrorists Quickly, F.B.I. Agents Are Often Playing Them By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 29 - Ron Grecula did not try to hide his disdain for the "wicked" American government when he sat in a Houston hotel room two weeks ago with two men claiming to be terrorist operatives linked to Al Qaeda. | |
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Cori Dauber: An article wondering if arrests of this type (remember the guy from Pa. arrested recently because he offered to make a great, big bomb for al Queda) might be entrapment. |
Jeralyn Merritt: FBI Terror Sting in Houston — Via Raw Story we learn of another FBI terror sting in Houston that sounds similar to the one involving the Boca Raton doctor announced today. |
2 Accused of Conspiring to Aid Terrorists AP — Permalink NEW YORK — The FBI arrested a Florida doctor and a New York martial arts expert on federal terrorism charges, saying they conspired to treat and train terrorists, federal prosecutors announced Sunday. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: According to the AP via Washington Post, the two year FBI sting operation engaged in multiple recorded conversations with FBI agent posing as an al-Qaida operatives. Jeralyn Merritt: The AP reports the charges are out of the Southern District of New York and that the doctor is believed to have treated terrorists in Saudi Arabia. |
Cori Dauber: It's being reported today that two American citizens have been picked up after explaining to an undercover FBI agent... |
In Rising Numbers, Lawyers Head for Guantánamo Bay By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 29 - In the last few months, the small commercial air service to the naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has been carrying people the military authorities had hoped would never be allowed there: American lawyers. | |
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Charles Johnson: Lawyers Inexplicably Attracted to Gitmo — Lawyers Converge on Guantanamo Bay. |
Jeralyn Merritt: Volunteer Lawyers Flock to Guantanamo — The New York Times reports that flights are filling up to Guantanamo....with American volunteer lawyers offering to defend the detainees. |
Health Leaders Seek Consensus Over Uninsured By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 28 - At a time when Congress has been torn by partisan battles, 24 ideologically disparate leaders representing the health care industry, corporations and unions, and conservative and liberal groups have been meeting secretly for months to seek... | |
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Steve Soto: Now, with the issue of health care a probable winner for the Democrats in 2006 due to the GOP's abdication of... |
Brad Plumer: Beyond Uninsurance — Er, so first we were treated to the strange spectacle specter of Newt Gingrich and Hillary Clinton... |
Goodbye treaty, goodbye Chirac - but Europe will muddle on By / Times of London — Permalink SO, IT is "no", and by an unambiguous margin. For France, this is turmoil. A country that was a founder of the European Union — and had used that claim of superior commitment to impress its views on other EU members in countless late-night rows — has discovered in its population a many-sided antipathy to the project. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: And again from the Times of London, we have Bronwen Maddox blamiing Tony Blair???? Charles Paul Freund: "Goodbye treaty, goodbye Chirac" — The French have said "no" to the EU constitution, and if the exit polls are to be believed, by a significant margin. |
John @PowerLine: The London Times takes a more cynical, and I suspect more accurate view: "Yet it is hard to claim that the practical implications of losing the constitution will be huge. |
Some Possible Supreme Court Nominees AP — Permalink Some possible Supreme Court nominees if Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist steps down: _James Harvie Wilkinson III, appointed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., by President Reagan in 1984. He has built a solidly conservative record. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Here is a possible list of Supreme Court Justice nominees. |
Jeralyn Merritt: Some speculate he's already made his choice. Here is the list of those believed to be in the running. |
French Reject Europe's First Constitution By / AP — Permalink PARIS — French voters rejected the European Union's first constitution Sunday, President Jacques Chirac said _ a stinging repudiation of his leadership and the ambitious, decades-long effort to further unite the continent. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: From The AP: "EU leaders in Brussels, Belgium, vowed to continue their effort to have the constitution approved. Glenn Reynolds: And some people are paying the price: "PARIS - French voters rejected the European Union's first constitution Sunday,... Angry Clam: France has rejected the EU Constitution, effectively terminating that gigantic mistake for the foreseeable future. |
Joe Gandelman: European leaders have vowed not to give up on the constitution. The problem is that ALL 25 EU members have to approve it for it to go into effect by Nov. 1, 2006. Lexington Green: The Bicycle Tips Over — As predicted, the French rejected the EU Constitution. Early reports say it was a whopping 57.26 percent voting "non". Pejman Yousefzadeh: As expected: "French voters rejected the European Union's first constitution Sunday, President Jacques Chirac said _ a... |
| Also: Justin @SouthernAppeal, James Joyner, McQ, Vox Day, Alexander K. McClure | |
French Voters Deliver a Crushing Defeat to European Constitution By / NYT — Permalink PARIS, May 29 - Turning its back on half a century of European history, France decisively rejected a Constitution for Europe on Sunday, plunging the country into political disarray and jeopardizing the cause of European unity. | |
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Cernig: Anti-Europeanism In America — As the only European in the Unpaid Punditry Corps, I realise I am expected to have a... Joe Gandelman: But the New York Times notes factors that indicate brushing this off as mostly a defeat for France's president is a... Glenn Reynolds: A pretty safe bet. On the other hand, The New York Times calls this a "crushing defeat" for the E.U. Constitution. We'll see. |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: The New York Times is Appalled: "Turning its back on half a century of European history, France decisively rejected a... Jon Kay: The NY Times sees it as having turned on immigration fears and extreme rightist politics. Ken Masugi: Two Cheers for France: Lessons for California — The cheese-eating surrender monkeys may have saved Europe, at least for... |
| Also: James Martin Capozzola, Steve Bainbridge | |
French Voters Reject EU Constitution By / WaPo — Permalink PARIS, May 29 — Unhappy French voters on Sunday derailed plans to further political and economic integration in Europe, decisively rejecting the proposed European constitution and thumbing their noses at the country's governing elite, which had pleaded for approval of the measure. | |
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Cernig: I've found an often subtle but pretty near universal antipathy to European unity here in the States, in the media, in the blogosphere and in conversations with Texans over coffee. Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Here is the story from the Washington Post : "Unhappy French voters on Sunday derailed plans to further political and... Chris Bowers: They might have to start liking France now: "Unhappy French voters on Sunday derailed plans to further political and... |
Captain Ed: French voters turned out in heavy numbers to send a message to Jacques Chirac and the European establishment, trouncing the proposed new EU constitution by a 14-point margin. Robin Burk: UPDATE: the WaPo attributes the loss to "widespread disenchantment over a variety of issues, including the unpopularity... Scott @PowerLine: French voters say "non" — File under the category of good news, Schadenfreude subfile: "French voters reject EU constitution." |
French voters reject EU charter BBC — Permalink French voters have rejected the European Union's proposed constitution in Sunday's referendum, President Jacques Chirac has said. The vote could deal a fatal blow to the constitution, which needs to be ratified by all 25 members states. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: The BBC is looking for a way to save the Charter, but cannot: "The BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Paris says the rejection by... Dr. Steven Taylor: Back to the Drawing Board for the EU? Via the BBC: French voters reject EU charter [snipped quote] Wowie. Alexander K. McClure: The French Vote "Non" 55%, according to exit polls. Au revoir, Jacques. UPDATE Reuters is reporting 57% voted "non." |
Damian Penny: Non — Jacques Chirac has conceded defeat in the French EU constitutional referendum - for now, at least: French voters... Kevin Drum: A rethink and a slowdown might be in order right about now. UPDATE: It looks like the noes have it. Back to the drawing board. Orrin Judd: NON FOR NOW: France 'rejects EU constitution' (BBC, 5/29/05) [snipped quote] Of course, if the Germans offer enough chocolates and nylons the French will switch sides. |
| Also: Jeff Quinton | |
French Voters Deliver a Crushing Defeat to E.U. Charter By / NYT — Permalink PARIS, May 29 - French voters dealt a crushing defeat to the European constitution today, demonstrating their determination to punish the leaders of France and of Europe after a bitter campaign that split the country in two. | |
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Gregory Djerejian: In transit airport blogging, but commenters are invited to ponder the ramifications of this "stinging repudiation." Jeff Jarvis: A historic day: I agree with the French : The French resoundingly defeated the European Union constitution. McQ: UPDATE: More here and here. |
Praktike: Much more here. The IHT calls it "a crushing defeat." French PM Raffarin will be the first casualty. So who benefits domestically? James Joyner: French Voters Deliver a Crushing Defeat to European Constitution (NYT) "French voters dealt a crushing defeat to the... |
France 'rejects EU constitution' BBC — Permalink French voters have rejected the proposed EU constitution in Sunday's referendum, according to exit polls. The polls give the "No" side 55% - in line with surveys published in the run-up to the vote. | |
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Daniel Drezner: Open 'non' thread — Well, the French said no to the EU constitution, and they said no with a pretty firm voice. David Carr: Wrong reasons, right result — To all French crypto-communists, syndicalists, marxists, trotskyites, leninists,... Chris @CrookedTimber: Non (provisoire) The exit polls say that the French electorate have rejected the European Constitution , with 55% voting "no". |
Jan Haugland: As expected, French voters rejected the EU constitution: With 85% of votes counted the "No" vote stood at almost 56%, according to interior ministry figures. James Joyner: French voters reject EU charter (BBC) "French voters have rejected the European Union's proposed constitution in Sunday's referendum, President Jacques Chirac has said. |
EU just won't take 'no' for an answer By / Chicago Sun Times — Permalink Following Sunday's vote in France, on Wednesday Dutch voters get to express their opinion on the proposed ''European Constitution.'' Heartening to see democracy in action, notwithstanding the European elite's hysterical warnings that, without the constitution, the continent will be set back on the path to Auschwitz. | |
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Michael DeBow: Thoughtful reactions can be found on Samizdata and Adam Smith Blog. Not surprisingly, Mark Steyn has already weighed in. Arthur Chrenkoff: Juncker is becoming a bit of a poster-boy for what's wrong with the European project as currently envisaged, having also... Charles Johnson: EU Won't Take 'No' For an Answer — Mark Steyn on the unelected bureaucrats of the European Union: EU just won't take 'no' for an answer. |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Mark Steyn is his brilliant self, here is a snippet, but the whole is much better than its parts "Hutton says that it's... John Hawkins: Then throw in more than a few arrogant officials like Jean-Claude Juncker, the unelected president of the European... Glenn Reynolds: MORE STILL: Mark Steyn joins the list of skeptics who doubt that the Euro-establishment will give up: "So, a couple of... |
| Also: Scott @PowerLine | |
French Voters Reject First EU Constitution By / AP — Permalink PARIS - French voters rejected the European Union's first constitution Sunday, a stinging repudiation of President Jacques Chirac's leadership and the ambitious, decades-long effort to further unite the continent. He said the process of ratifying the treaty would continue in other EU countries. | |
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Joe Gandelman: The bottom line: Chirac put his reputation and clout on the line — and lost, bigtime: "Chirac, who had urged... Charles Johnson: France Rejects EU Constitution — French Reject Europe's First Constitution. |
John Hawkins: The EU: An Idea Whose Time Should Never Come — There has been a lot of fretting and hand-wringing about the consequences of the French voting "non" on the EU Constitution. |
French vote 'non' to EU Constitution By / Times of London — Permalink French voters resoundingly rejected the EU Constitution today, sending a message of defiance to their own political establishment and leaving European plans for closer integration in tatters. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: And the Times of London sounds very happy: "French voters resoundingly rejected the EU Constitution today, sending a... Hei Lun: THEIR VOTES SAY 'NO', BUT THEY MEAN 'YES' ... EVENTUALLY — I don't know whether the "No" vote for the EU Constitution... |
Glenn Reynolds: "NON!" "French voters were said tonight to have resoundingly rejected the EU Constitution, sending a defiant message to... |
A decisive rejection of EU constitution IHT — Permalink PARIS French voters dealt a crushing defeat to the European constitution on Sunday, demonstrating their determination to punish the leaders of France and of Europe after a bitter campaign that split the country in two. | |
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Jayson @PoliPundit: Sheer Political Reality Denial — Over in Western EUrope, that is. Sacre bleu. |
Jeff Jarvis: Says the International Herald-Tribune: [snipped quote] It's about trying to turn Europe in to a faux nation. It's about protectionism. |
Doctor faces terror charges in Palm Beach County Sun-Sentinel — Permalink West Boca A 50-year-old doctor was arrested Saturday morning on a federal terrorism charge. Dr. Rafiq Abdus Sabir was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Spokesmen from the FBI declines to comment. "FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela also declined to comment. Jeralyn Merritt: Boca Raton Doctor Arrested on Terrorism Charge — Update: New details are available from the 18- page Complaint... |
Charles Johnson: Florida Doctor Arrested on Terrorism Charge — Doctor faces terror charges in Palm Beach County. (Hat tip: SoCalJustice.) |
It's Not a Bubble Until It Bursts By / LAT — Permalink Although ignoring real estate bears has been profitable lately, doom is again on some lips. The chief economist for the Mortgage Bankers Assn. is worried enough about the torrid housing market to get out of it. | |
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Kevin Drum: HOUSING BUBBLE UPDATE....How can you tell if you're really in a bubble? One tried and true method is the Nexis test: how much is it being talked about in the news media? Lambert @Corrente: Great headlines of our time — It's not a bubble 'til it bursts [snipped quote] Find a bigger fool while you still can! |
Ezra @EzraKlein: Home, Home Out of Range — The LA Times has a great article on the housing bubble, and its stubborn unwillingness to pop, this morning. Matt Welch: These Aren't the Bubbles You Were Looking For: From the L.A. Times: [snipped quote] Also, Southern California has never suffered from a natural or man-made disaster. |
White House researching potential justices By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — The White House has laid the groundwork to place more conservatives on the Supreme Court, scrutinizing the backgrounds and legal views of a shrinking list of candidates amid speculation that ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist soon will step down. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: However, for anyone to think that Democrats are not going to filibuster President Bush's first nominee to the Supreme Court , one would have to live in fantasy land. Orrin Judd: THEY'RE AWFULLY GOOD AT SURPRISES: White House researching potential justices (Deb Riechmann, May 29, 2005, Associated... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Potential Supreme Court Nominees — The White House is busy researching potential Supreme Court replacements, in... |
Short attention spans tune out watchdog journalism Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Permalink A subtle but dangerous threat is building toward mainstream media in America and the wider, professional view they bring to our public dialogue. The business model that for decades produced independent, watchdog journalism is hemorrhaging --- and we have no new, supportive business model in sight. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Speaking of the evil "MSM," a professor of journalism unfortunately named Conrad Fink writes in the Atlanta... Captain Ed: Er, no. Instead, he lionized the journalism industry for — get this — actually reporting on Kyrgyzstan and criticized... |
Ed Driscoll: For example, Ed Morrissey, of the great Captain's Quarters Weblog just had such an essay written about him in the... |
RAF bombing raids tried to goad Saddam into war By / Times of London — Permalink THE RAF and US aircraft doubled the rate at which they were dropping bombs on Iraq in 2002 in an attempt to provoke Saddam Hussein into giving the allies an excuse for war, new evidence has shown. | |
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Congressman John Conyers: This diary from the esteemed Congressman is based upon the following story: [snipped quote] These are revelations of not... Jason Van Steenwyk: Military cluelessness at the Times of London — The Times of London notes that the US and UK increased the number of... Cookie Jill: how many more smoking gun memos need to come out before this is newsworthy? or are we going to have to place it in the michael jackson trial briefs? |
Jon Henke: US and RAF bombing raids on Iraq — It's remarkable what passes for news these days: "THE RAF and US aircraft doubled... Cernig: In response to a parliamentary question by Liberal Democrats, the new Minister of Defence has revealed that the air war was begun as early as May or June 2002. Jeralyn Merritt: This is bound to cause a stir, from the Sunday Times OnLine (UK): [snipped quote] The numbers detailed in the report are pretty convincing. |
| Also: Steve Soto, Orrin Judd, Attaturk | |
First Day of Iraqi Push Against Insurgents Leaves 20 Dead By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 29 - The largest Iraqi-led counterinsurgency operation since the downfall of Saddam Hussein set off a violent backlash on Sunday across Baghdad. At least 20 people were killed in the capital, 14 of them in a battle lasting several hours when insurgents launched sustained attacks on several police stations and an army barracks. | |
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Praktike: The rest of the article is a fairly content-free update on "Operation Lightning." ... more on Operation Lightning from the Times' John Burns. |
Armando @DailyKos: Operation Lightning Commences With Thunder — The Baghdad offensive by Iraqi and US troops, dubbed Operation Lightning,... |
Cowboy Culture NYT — Permalink Q: Your new book about Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley and their famed Wild West Show credits Buffalo Bill with inventing American-style celebrity and ''the beginnings of superstardom,'' as the title puts it. But isn't that an exaggeration? No. I meant it in show-biz terms. | |
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Ogged @Unfogged: Now, Larry McMurtry isn't evil; in fact, he's good, but you can still see what I mean if you read the interview. |
Ann Althouse: I liked the very cranky interview Larry McMurtry gave to the NYT Magazine's Deborah Solomon, who asked that question. |
EU Constitution on the line CNN — Permalink PARIS, France (CNN) — A high turnout was reported Sunday in France's crucial referendum on the EU constitution which promises to set the ground for the political future of Europe. All polling stations across the country have closed except those in Paris and Lyon, where voting will end in less than an hour. | |
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Kevin Drum: The polls suggest the French will indeed vote against the constitution, and I suspect that might not be such a bad thing. |
RJ Eskow: france eu constitution voted down. |
Terrorist link to copyright piracy alleged By / CNET.com — Permalink Counterfeit DVDs and cigarettes may be funding terrorists. That's what the Senate Homeland Security committee heard Wednesday from John Stedman, a lieutenant in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department who's responsible for an eight-person team of intellectual property (IPR) investigators. | |
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Jim Henley: Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security busts movie pirates, claiming that 99% of them are hard core Trekkies - I mean, Hezbollah agents. |
John Cole: According to CNET's Declean McCullagh: 'Even though Stedman's evidence is circumstantial, his testimony comes as... |
Employers of Illegal Immigrants Face Little Risk of Penalty By / LAT — Permalink Nearly every day, immigrants newly arrived from Mexico pick up job applications at Car Wash on Sunset. Owner George Garcia insists that they provide proof, such as Social Security or green cards, that they are authorized to work. "I run a business," he said. | |
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Ken Masugi: We set rules, and then we don't enforce them. [See Times' report on non-enforcement against employers. |
Orrin Judd: THE UNSERIOUS IN PURSUIT OF THE UNREALISTIC: Employers of Illegal Immigrants Face Little Risk of Penalty (Anna Gorman,... |
Review May Shift Terror Policies By / WaPo — Permalink The Bush administration has launched a high-level internal review of its efforts to battle international terrorism, aimed at moving away from a policy that has stressed efforts to capture and kill al Qaeda leaders since Sept. 11, 2001, and toward what a senior official called a broader "strategy against violent extremism." | |
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WoW Team Monday: In what may portend major policy shifts, a high-level internal review in the Bush administration may lead to broadening... Derek Chollet: More on GWOE — The Washington Post leads this morning with more detail on the Administration's slow shift from the GWOT... Barbara O'Brien: The Drifter — Susan Glasser writes in the Washington Post that the Bush Administration has launched an internal review of its terrorism policies. |
Jim Henley: Comments () » The Adaptive Organization The article of the day is Susan B. Glasser's story for the Washington Post on possible shifts in American anti-terror policy. Praktike: Duh — This story has been told before, but now WaPo has finally noticed: The Bush administration has launched a... Steve Soto: All The Bush Administration Knows About The War On Terror Is This: Re-election — Remember all the talk about how... |
| Also: James Joyner, Josh Marshall, Kevin Drum | |
If It Dies, C'est La Vie By / LAT — Permalink The French vote today on whether to OK the European Union's draft constitution, and if they say no, as most opinion polls indicate, the document will be effectively killed. Big deal? That one can even ask such a question when constitutional matters are on the table is remarkable. | |
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Laura Rozen: Writing in the LA Times, the Project for the New American Century's Gary Schmitt analyzes why the EU constitution may be rejected today in a referendum in France. |
Ken Masugi: The Project for the New American Century's Gary Schmitt in the LAT Opinion, on the eve of the vote, noted the European... |
U.N. Party Planners Wonder, Will Bush and Friends Attend? By / NYT — Permalink SAN FRANCISCO, May 28 - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has indicated she will not attend. So has former President George H. W. Bush. The controversial nominee for United Nations ambassador, John R. Bolton, has not been heard from, nor has President Bush, who was sent an invitation in February. | |
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Captain Ed: According to the New York Times, it's that President Bush hasn't RSVP'd for their big anniverdary celebration in San... Orrin Judd: BAD TIMEZONE: U.N. Party Planners Wonder, Will Bush and Friends Attend? |
Charles Johnson: UN boosters in San Francisco are already feeling slighted, even though the celebration hasn't happened yet: U.N. Party Planners Wonder, Will Bush and Friends Attend? |
Karl's New Manifesto By / NYT — Permalink I was in the library reading room when suddenly a strange specter of a man appeared above me. He was a ragged fellow with a bushy beard, dressed in the clothes of another century. He clutched news clippings on class in America, and atop the pile was a manifesto in his own hand. | |
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Echidne: David Brooks on the Class Struggle — According to David Brooks, if Karl Marx came back from the realm of the dead he'd... Joanne Jacobs: Class struggle in the classroom — The class struggle today is between the educated elite and the undereducated masses, writes David Brooks, channeling Karl Marx. Orin Kerr: David Brooks flirts with being Marxist. Well, sort of. |
Ezra Klein: The Return of Brooks — David Brooks's column today is the best I've seen him write since signing on with the Times. Mike Rappaport: David Brooks updates Karl Marx in this new column. Pretty powerful. |
There's Democracy, and There's an Oil Pipeline By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Samuel Bodman, the new secretary of energy, led the United States delegation to Azerbaijan last week to celebrate a huge moment in America's effort to diversify its sources of oil: The opening of a pipeline that will carry Caspian oil to the West, on a route that avoids Russia and Iran. | |
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Nico @ThinkProgress: Democracy Hypocrisy: Strike a Pose — Apparently, in the Bush administration, a policy of "democracy promotion" includes... |
Praktike: Trapped by their own rhetoric — David Sanger continues to do fine work for the New York Times: Every week, the White... |
The Lure of Opium Wealth Is a Potent Force in Afghanistan By / LAT — Permalink Like a frustrated hunter, the head of the local anti-drug squad keeps snapshots of the ones who got away. One photo shows a prisoner wearing a flat, round pakol hat, standing in front of 10 pounds of opium packaged in plastic bags laid out on a table. | |
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Praktike: In other Afghanistan news, that country sure does have a drug problem. Stirling Newberry: Failed States — The LA Times warns Afghanistan treads towards becoming a nacro-state. |
Norbizness: Sunday Excerpts: Fictitious Country Edition — I don't like this new edition of Risk, the names they're using for the countries sound more fake than ever. Jeralyn Merritt: Bush Administration Warns of Narco-State — The L.A. Times continues it drug theme today with a very long report on Afghanistan's poppy production. |
Zarqawi Followers Clash With Local Sunnis By / WaPo — Permalink BAGHDAD, May 28 — For four days this month, U.S. Marines were onlookers at just the kind of fight they had hoped to see: a battle between suspected followers of Abu Musab Zarqawi, a foreign-born insurgent, and Iraqi Sunni tribal fighters at the western frontier town of Husaybah. | |
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Jan Haugland: PS: But this signals a very encouraging development: For four days this month, U.S. Marines were onlookers at just the... Praktike: Zarqawi vs. Sulaiman tribe — Ellen Knickmeyer has a story about the fighting that broke out in Husaybah between followers of Zarqawi and members of the Sulaiman tribe. Orrin Judd: SHOULD HAVE TELEVISED IT: Zarqawi Followers Clash With Local Sunnis: Battle That Left Marines on Sidelines Reveals... |
Captain Ed: Another Sign Of Insurgency's Failure — Today's Washington Post notes a significant event in the foreign-based... Pejman Yousefzadeh: LOSING HEARTS AND MINDS — For all of his bluff and bluster, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is alienating Iraqis left and right:... Marc @USSNeverdock: Iraq - Zarqawi's Clash With Local Sunnis — The Washington Post reports on local Iraqis fighting Zarqawi. |
Goals Reached, Donor on Right Closes Up Shop By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 28 - Without it, the Federalist Society might not exist, nor its network of 35,000 conservative lawyers. Economic analysis might hold less sway in American courts. The premier idea factories of the right, from the Hoover Institution to the Heritage Foundation, would have lost millions of dollars in core support. | |
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Avedon Carol: Goals Reached, Donor on Right Closes Up Shop: Part Medici, part venture capitalist, the John M. Olin Foundation has... |
Juan Non-Volokh: A profile in today's New York Times labels Olin "part Medici, part venture-capitalist," and notes the foundation was... |