The Archives: January 16-31, 2004

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The Archives: January 16-31, 2004

Saturday, January 31, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
This theatre of the absurd Thom Yorke The Guardian (UK) Lord Hutton's damning report of the BBC is a whitewash Insider Faults CIA on Iraq Analysis Greg Miller The Los Angeles Times The beleaguered CIA faces new criticism in an internal report submitted this week by a veteran officer, who found serious fault with the agency's analysis No Evidence CIA Slanted Iraq Data Dana Priest The Washington Post Congressional and CIA investigations into the prewar intelligence on Iraq's weapons and links to terrorism have found no evidence that CIA analysts colored their judgment because of perceived or actual political pressure from White House officials Tinker, Tailor, Jurist, Spy Christopher Dickey Newsweek In Washington and London, it's the spies who are taking the heat for all that wildly misleading stuff shoveled out of the White House and Downing Street stables about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction Now even Bush admits WMD doubts Julian Borger and Richard Norton-Taylor The Guardian (UK) He said he "wanted to know the facts" about any intelligence failures but he refused to endorse calls for an independent investigation Our spies were hostage to their mistrust of Saddam Martin Woollacott The Guardian (UK) The Iraq intelligence failures built up over more than a decade Much of Europe Is Derisive About Report on Iraqi Arms Craig S. Smith The New York Times Much of Europe has given a collective snort to the testimony by David Kay, the former chief United States weapons inspector, that there probably were no illicit weapons in Iraq before the United States-led war there New Iraq Agency to Hunt Rebels Edward Wong The New York Times The Iraqi authorities, with the help of American intelligence agencies, are creating an intelligence service here that will focus on rooting out guerrilla fighters Iraqis divided as cleric's role widens Anne Barnard The Boston Globe As the reclusive Sistani emerges as the most influential figure in Iraqi politics, there are signs he is taking steps to guard against losing control of the popular movement he has unleashed Iraqi Council to Debate Plan for Transition Alissa J. Rubin The Los Angeles Times The draft law calls for a tripartite presidency, which could help balance power among the three dominant religious and ethnic groups. It is likely to be made up of members of those groups — Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds Editorial: Time for Tribunals The Washington Post The government's failure to bring people to trial has turned into a far bigger civil liberties problem than the tribunals themselves would probably be An Army of One Costs $99,000 -- and Counting Esther Schrader The Los Angeles Times That's how much, on average, each active-duty service member cost in 2002 in pay and benefits Stretched Thin Mark Mazzetti U.S. News and World Report With more missions, longer deployments, and fewer soldiers, America's all-volunteer military is confronting its first great crisis Congress stalls Bush plan for nuclear weapons James Sterngold The San Francisco Chronicle The White House's efforts to refurbish the nuclear weapons stockpile may have suddenly hit a speed bump Budget Concentrates on Modernizing Military Esther Schrader The Los Angeles Times Bush's $401.7-billion defense plan allots more for unmanned aerial vehicles, missile upgrades and research of new weapons More Caissons Rolling Along Tom Donnelly and William Kristol The Weekly Standard Our armed forces are still too small; the gap between America's strategic grasp and its military reach remains 'Sanctions Worked' Lally Weymouth Newsweek The world’s atomic watchdog, vindicated in Iraq, confronts the new nuclear landscape Russia balks at search request Alex Rodriguez The Chicago Tribune Russia reacted warily to a U.S. request that it join other industrialized nations in pledging to intercept planes and ships suspected of trafficking materials for weapons of mass destruction Pakistan's nuclear hero throws open Pandora's box Ian Traynor The Guardian (UK) Investigators have uncovered a sophisticated black market in components with Islamabad at its center Timing of Nuclear Talks Up to N. Korea, U.S. Official Says Mark Magnier The Los Angeles Times The timing of a new round of talks over North Korea's nuclear weapons program is in the hands of the isolated Asian nation, Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said A New Libya? Tom Lantos The Washington Post I just returned from Libya, where I met at length with Gaddafi and senior members of his government. Gaddafi told me I was the first official representative of the U.S. government with whom he has met since the departure of the last U.S. ambassador Pakistan Adopting a Tough Old Tactic to Flush Out Qaeda David Rohde and Ismail Khan The New York Times If 72 men wanted for sheltering Al Qaeda were not produced, they said, the Pakistani Army would punish the tribe as a group, demolishing houses, withdrawing funds and even detaining tribe members Most Iran Candidates Are Not Reinstated Karl Vick The Washington Post The governance crisis in Iran edged toward a climax Friday as conservative clerics refused to reinstate most of the reformist candidates who had been disqualified from next month's parliamentary elections Turkish leader urges Mideast democracy Steve Rosenberg The Boston Globe "Instead of blaming the outside world for the difficulties, they should put their house in order," he said in a speech at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government Russia said to be preparing simulation of nuclear war Vladimir Isachenkov Associated Press The Boston Globe Russia's nuclear forces reportedly are preparing their largest maneuvers in two decades, an exercise involving the test-firing of missiles and flights by dozens of bombers in a massive simulation of an all-out nuclear war Monsanto's chapati patent raises Indian ire Randeep Ramesh The Guardian (UK) Monsanto, the world's largest genetically modified seed company, has been awarded patents on the wheat used for making chapati - the flat bread staple of northern India	Newsweek Poll: ‘I Love New Hampshire’ Brian Braiker Newsweek As Kerry widens his lead over his fellow Dems, Bush’s approval ratings drop to an all-time low MSNBC/Reuters Zogby Poll — Feb. 3 states MSNBC Complete results of tracking poll conducted Jan. 28 to Jan. 30, 2004 in Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina Kerry Leads in Lobby Money Jim VandeHei The Washington Post Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who has made a fight against corporate special interests a centerpiece of his front-running campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, has raised more money from paid lobbyists than any other senator over the past 15 years Kerry criticized as foe of defense Joseph Curl The Washington Times The voting record of Sen. John Kerry has weakened U.S. military defenses and would make true Howard Dean's prediction that "America's military will not always be the world's strongest," Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman said D.C. becomes a Dean target Glen Johnson The Boston Globe Dean has begun highlighting his accomplishments during his 11-year tenure as Vermont's governor and contrasting them with the often glacial pace of change in Washington The John Edwards Experience Peter Dizikes Salon.com The North Carolina senator is more than just an optimist with great hair -- in fact, he might be exactly what Democrats need in November In Trial Work, Edwards Left a Trademark Adam Liptak and Michael Moss The New York Times In building his career, Mr. Edwards underbid other lawyers to win promising clients, sifted through several dozen expert witnesses to find one who would attest to his claims, and opposed state legislation that would have helped all families with brain-damaged children and not just those few who win big malpractice awards In Clark's Campaign, a Brother-in-Law as Sounding Board Edward Wyatt The New York Times Part enforcer, part court jester, counselor, filter and truth-teller, Mr. Caulfield occupies a unique spot on the Clark campaign More moderate Arizona friendlier to Democrats Vincent J. Schodolski The Chicago Tribune The state that gave the nation Barry Goldwater is changing, just as the former senator and presidential candidate did as he grew older Missouri Now the Showdown State Stephanie Simon The Los Angeles Times Analysts traditionally put considerable stock in Missouri's urban-rural split as they try to handicap political races. This year, however, there's a wild card: All the candidates are largely unknown here Democrats face mix in South, study finds Audra D.S. Burch The Miami Herald Candidates headed for South Carolina and other Southern states face an electorate that is more diverse in its thinking than Democratic voters in other parts of the nation Electing the Electable David Brooks The New York Times Kerry won the Iowa caucuses, and from that moment on the election turned into a postmodernist literary critic's idea of heaven. It became an election about itself, with voters voting on the basis of who could win votes later on Low-Income Voters Get Chance to Ask Questions Lynette Clemetson The New York Times Those living under the poverty line voted at a rate of only 38 percent in 2000, Census reports indicate. Middle- and upper-income voters had a turnout above 60 percent Liberal Donors Back Anti-Bush Groups Thomas B. Edsall The Washington Post Major liberal donors are demonstrating their willingness to fund a new shadow Democratic Party, according to reports filed yesterday by a network of nominally independent organizations committed to defeating President Bush Censored at the Super Bowl Jonathan Darman Newsweek You won't see MoveOn.org's ad during Sunday’s big game. But you will see it everywhere else Globalism Minus Jobs Equals Campaign Issue Elizabeth Becker The New York Times Democrats link trade to the loss of three million jobs during the Bush administration, but experts are split on the number of jobs lost to trade rather than to other causes Republicans Satisfied With Bush's Silence in Face of Criticism Michael Janofsky The New York Times Despite relentless attacks against President Bush from the Democrats running to replace him, Republican state party leaders said on Friday that they agreed with the White House's campaign strategy of having the president concentrate on running the country Bush budget has GOP on edge Carolyn Lochhead The San Francisco Chronicle The $520 billion projected deficit arriving Monday with the release of President Bush's election-year budget is drawing rising Republican discontent and threatening to stifle Bush's domestic agenda Reverse Gear Alan Morrison The American Prospect One of the tenets of conservative ideology is that there is a decided preference for resolving matters of social policy at the state level Editorial: How to Hack an Election The New York Times Given the growing body of evidence, it is clear that electronic voting machines cannot be trusted until more safeguards are in place
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Editorial: Kerry Nation The Wall Street Journal A Senate fixture and war hero heads for a presidential nomination. Bob Dole again? Bush vs. Kerry Jeffrey Bell & Frank Cannon The Weekly Standard For Democrats, this is likely to mean a sophisticated, predictable, low-risk national campaign, somewhat analogous to Bob Dole's 1996 challenge of President Clinton The Many Faces of John Kerry Matthew Continetti The Weekly Standard His record offers several avenues for GOP attack. Or does it? Third World sweatshops? Thomas Sowell The Washington Times By and large, multinational companies pay about double the local wages in Third World countries. As for "exploitation," the vast majority of American investment overseas goes to high-wage countries, not low-wage countries	Under eights v middle eights Johnny Dee The Guardian (UK) Gabrielle (six), Ben (six), Holly (seven), Beth (seven), Benjamin (seven) and Sophie (six) - all friends from Rokesly infant school in Crouch End, north London - were willing guinea pigs in our experiment to discover if children could enjoy crusty old rock music Translating the hits for the masses the munk Music-Critic.com The unbelievable success of songs like 50 Cent's "In Da Club" and Lil' Kim's "Magic Stick" are proof that 2003 is the worst year on record for music Upstate Man Accused Of Repeatedly Flashing Amish Associated Press NBCSandiego.com Authorities say Thomas likely targeted the Amish because they don't have telephones and couldn't immediately report the incidents

Friday, January 30, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
US deaths rise in wake of Saddam capture Charles Clover Financial Times (UK) US combat deaths in Iraq have risen sharply during January despite a drop in the number of attacks and the capture of former dictator Saddam Hussein Editorial: Intelligence lapses corrupt policy of pre-emptive strikes USA Today The failings expose the weak link in the Bush administration's doctrine of pre-emptive action against rogue states that threaten U.S. security Editorial: Weapons and war The Chicago Tribune First, we don't want to launch a preventive war unless we know that a threat against us, or our allies, is imminent. Second, we don't want to be suddenly confronted by dilemmas--or attacks--that we assumed wouldn't materialize When intelligence is corrupted Georgie Anne Geyer The Chicago Tribune The Bush administration, with its obsessive secrecy and its demands that none of its believers break rank for fear of being banished in shame, didn't know what it was getting into when it sent David Kay to Baghdad Hill Probers Fault Iraq Intelligence Dana Priest and Walter Pincus The Washington Post The House and Senate intelligence committees have unearthed a series of failures in prewar intelligence on Iraq similar to those identified by former weapons inspector David Kay, leading them to believe that CIA analysts and their superiors did not seriously consider the possibility Saddam Hussein no longer possessed weapons Bush's Risky Options David E. Sanger The New York Times The debate over intelligence about Iraqi arms exposes President Bush to political attacks or a quarrel with the C.I.A. Where's the Apology? Paul Krugman The New York Times Surely even supporters of the Iraq war must be dismayed by the administration's reaction to David Kay's recent statements Looking for Intel on the Intel Michael R. Gordon The New York Times Much of the material that is needed to evaluate the C.I.A.'s performance is readily available on the Web President Bush's Naked Envoy Tony Karon Time Like the naked emperor of the fairy tale, the Vice President is on a sweep through Europe asking for help in Iraq, at the same time as insisting that the Iraq invasion had maintained U.S. credibility: White House weighs response to Kay Judy Keen USA Today When national security adviser Condoleezza Rice turns up on every network morning news show, as she did Thursday, it's usually a sign of worry in the White House U.S. `sure' it will capture bin Laden Stephen Graham Associated Press The Chicago Tribune The U.S. military is "sure" it will catch Osama bin Laden this year, perhaps within months, a spokesman said Thursday, but Pakistan said it would not allow U.S. troops to cross the border As US exits, can Iraqis deliver? Dan Murphy The Christian Science Monitor Iraqis will either see democracy work or Iraq fall back into the pattern of autocratic and unstable leadership so familiar in the middle east Iraq War Questions Gain Momentum Janet Hook The Los Angeles Times Democratic candidates step up attacks on Bush, and GOP lawmakers urge a frank response. Analysts see a risk to the president's credibility Hostility grows over US stance H.D.S. Greenway The Boston Globe In much of the world beyond Europe, anti-Americanism is growing at an alarming and corrosive rate. President Bush seemed genuinely shocked when he heard this from moderate Muslim leaders in Bali last October U.S. General Sees Al Qaeda Evidence in Iraq Megan K. Stack The Los Angeles Times The capture of an Al Qaeda operative on the Iraq-Iran border is compelling evidence that the terrorist network has begun to take root in Iraq and is joining forces with loyalists from Saddam Hussein's fallen regime, the commander of the U.S.-led coalition forces said White House Cites Iraq's History of Seeking Arms as a Reason for War Richard W. Stevenson The New York Times In Congress, Republicans closed ranks with the White House to head off any new inquiry Iraqi City Reflects Nation's Fault Lines Anthony Shadid The Washington Post Protests in Nasiriyah to Remove Provincial Council Could Be Test Case for U.S. Plan Kurds Press for Independence Daniel Williams The Washington Post Kurdish aspirations have caused alarm in neighboring Turkey, Syria and Iran. Each has its own Kurdish minority, and all have warned of turmoil if Iraqi Kurds gain significant autonomy Powell asserts NATO 'priority' David R. Sands and Benjamin Hu The Washington Times Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said NATO's mission in Afghanistan must remain the alliance's "first priority," even as the Bush administration pushes for a NATO deployment to Iraq Pakistan: Controls on Nuclear Technology Sharon Otterman Foreign Affairs Is the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal threatened? Explosive Secrets From Pakistan Kathy Gannon The Los Angeles Times The truth is, the military itself is a more likely culprit in the sales Nuclear Inquiry Skips Pakistani Army David Rohde The New York Times Pakistan's military-led government appears to be glossing over evidence that senior military officials may have approved the sale of nuclear technology Pakistan's unraveling nuclear secrets Arnaud de Borchgrave The Washington Times Pakistan's nuclear secrets have unraveled like a knitting ball of wool that falls to the floor. President Musharraf's inclination is to pick up the ball and rewind the wool U.S. Commander Surveys Challenges in Iraq Region Thom Shanker The New York Times As Pakistan and Saudi Arabia battle internal Islamic extremists, their struggle presents America with "broader strategic problems" as significant as Iraq or Afghanistan, the commander of American forces in the region said Iran mulls allowing an official U.S. visit Barbara Slavin USA Today Iran is considering admitting a U.S. congressional delegation in what would be the first official U.S. visit since Iran's 1979 revolution Editorial: Lift the Deadline The Washington Post WE HAVE REPEATEDLY argued that Congress ought to lift the May deadline for the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States to complete its work Veto Threatened on Bill to Restrict Powers Under Terrorism Law Eric Lichtblau The New York Times The Bush administration, stepping up the debate over its antiterrorism policies, threatened on Thursday to veto a pending bill that would scale back the government's powers under the USA Patriot Act Tokyo paves way for sanctions on Korea Justin McCurry The Guardian (UK) The prospects for a quick end to the crisis of North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons programme suffered a setback yesterday when the Japanese parliament passed a law allowing Tokyo to impose unilateral sanctions S. Korea calls North's missile offer 'tactic' The Washington Times South Korea played down a North Korean offer to provide missile technology to Nigeria, saying yesterday it was a tactic to gain leverage ahead of a second round of talks Army Expansion Could Last 5 Years Vernon Loeb The Washington Post An additional 30,000 soldiers authorized this week by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on a temporary basis could swell the ranks of the Army for five years or longer, depending upon troop requirements in Iraq, Afghanistan and other potential conflicts Castro vows he'd 'die fighting' any U.S. invasion Lucia Newman CNN Cuban President Fidel Castro repeated Friday what has become a theme of his in the last few months -- that he would not take a possible U.S. invasion lying down Haiti's Neighbors Are Pressing Aristide for Reforms Richard Lezin Jones The New York Times After a nearly four-year deadlock with critics and opponents, Mr. Aristide has faced increasingly frequent protests over the past few months; in the last month, opposition leaders have called for demonstrations almost daily	MSNBC/Reuters Zogby Poll — Feb. 3 states MSNBC Complete results of tracking poll conducted Jan. 27 to Jan. 29, 2004 in Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina Polls show Kerry pulling away from rivals James Harding Financial Times (UK) The polls showed Mr Kerry winning over voters in Missouri and Arizona, two states that send large contingents of delegates to the Democratic national convention in July. In South Carolina, Mr Kerry moved into contention with John Edwards Collegial Tone Lets Kerry Focus on Making Bush His Main Rival Dan Balz The Washington Post The man who won the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary skated easily through a 90-minute debate with his six rivals here Thursday night, challenged only twice by former Vermont governor Howard Dean Kerry and the Party Establishment E. J. Dionne Jr. The Washington Post The Republican establishment knows it has a problem. That means that its claims in the coming weeks about Kerry and the other Democrats should be verified before they are trusted Kerry picks up the rhythm just as Dean screams the blues Walter Shapiro USA Today It is stunning that Dean, who had raised more money than any presidential primary candidate in Democratic Party history, is now so close to broke that he has asked staffers to defer their salaries for the next two weeks Already, GOP framing a Kerry fight Linda Feldmann The Christian Science Monitor The long-serving senator could be an especially ripe target for Bush to tag as an out-of-touch Massachusetts liberal Patriot Games Eleanor Clift Newsweek Bush strategists may feel tempted to attack John Kerry’s opposition to Vietnam. Why it’s a battle they can’t win Candidates Cast Kerry as Insider James Rainey and Eric Slater The Los Angeles Times Democrats imply that the long-standing senator is linked to special interest groups Southern Inhospitality Michelle Cottle The New Republic In recent weeks, it's been hard to watch John Edwards on the campaign trail without feeling so hopeful, optimistic, and uplifted that you want to puke Will We Remember 2004 as the Year of the Dean Bubble? Andrés Martínez The New York Times Howard Dean's implosion calls to mind the fate of too many high-flying dot-com companies in the wake of the 2000-2001 crash Dean Supporters Voice Frustration but Soldier On Adam Nagourney and Jennifer S. Lee The New York Times There was talk of soldiering on, here and in other Dean strongholds, but there were also glimpses of disillusionment and anger at the system Dr. Dean's young supporters had once wanted to embrace Seeing The Signs Richard Blow TomPaine.com Stick a fork in Howard Dean—he’s done. The story of the death of his campaign can now be written. The real question is, How could the media have missed it for so long? Bush Slips -- Among Republicans John Nichols The Nation CommonDreams.org One in seven Republican primary voters cast ballots for candidates other than Bush, holding the president to just 85 percent of the 62,927 ballots cast What was Bush doing in the Granite State? Andrew Cline National Review If the event was indicative of how Bush plans to campaign in this election year, practice saying "President Kerry." $31 Million Spent on Bush's Campaign Thomas B. Edsall and Sarah Cohen The Washington Post Facing no competition for his party's nomination, President Bush's reelection campaign spent $31.6 million last year, more than any of the Democratic candidates with the possible exception of former Vermont governor Howard Dean Givers and Takers Daniel H. Pink The New York Times Republicans seem to have become the new welfare party — their constituents live off tax dollars paid by people who vote Democratic 'Alienated' generation gets politically active Alexandra Marks The Christian Science Monitor A multi-candidate field, outreach by Kucinich and Dean, and the war drive young people to polls Whoever Is Chosen, Democrats Spoil for a Fight Robin Toner The New York Times While still very much a work in progress, the Democratic Party emerging from Iowa and New Hampshire is different from the careful centrism of the Clinton era Democrats turn to black voters for donations Susan Milligan The Boston Globe Driven by new campaign finance restrictions and a desire to shore up a traditional constituency, Democrats are increasingly targeting black voters for campaign donations, say fund-raisers and party activists Editorial: For Sale: One Congressman The Los Angeles Times Even if you've already got a job, it's prudent to stay open to new possibilities. But Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.), who heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is taking the idea to new heights Editorial: Exhausting Federal Compassion The New York Times Pernicious joblessness is spawning a new category of Americans dubbed "exhaustees": hard-core unemployed whose benefits have expired
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Editorial: GOP Wake-Up Call The Wall Street Journal House Republicans are meeting today in Philadelphia for their annual retreat, and the news is that the leadership is facing a revolt from conservatives over runaway spending Pre-emption is effective tool Danielle Pletka USA Today The concept of pre-emption, hitting an enemy before he hits you, has been integral to U.S. foreign policy for four decades The Dems use the poor as props Rich Lowry National Review Poverty in America is primarily a cultural phenomenon, driven by a shattered work ethic and sexual irresponsibility The Mad Doc Adam Wolfson National Review But the fact is that protest politics only succeed under extraordinary circumstances. In retrospect, Gore's endorsement of Dean should have been the tip-off that Dean might not make it all the way The Mind of Our Enemies Victor Davis Hanson National Review Things in the Middle East are hard precisely because the stakes there are gargantuan. But so are the rewards	New Coins Being Gobbled Up Reuters Yahoo! New coins introduced by Vietnam's Central Bank are being gobbled up -- not by collectors, but rather by children who swallow them after mistaking them for sweets Dog Issued Credit Card NBCSandiego.com Owner Sends In Pre-Approved Application As Joke

Thursday, January 29, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Transcript: David Kay at Senate hearing CNN Former top U.S. weapons inspector David Kay testified Wednesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee about efforts to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq Editorial: Mr. Kay's Truth-Telling The Washington Post What a shame that, rather than accept Mr. Kay's conclusions, both the president and his Democratic opponents prefer to play them for political advantage Editorial: George Bush, in Denial The New York Times Unlike the Britons, who can now move on, Americans are stuck in stage one with an administration still clinging to its own spin Error in Judgment Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball Newsweek A classified Senate report strongly criticizes the Central Intelligence Agency for major “errors in judgment” regarding Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction programs Crying wolf on Iraqi WMD costs US credibility on North Korea Jon B. Wolfsthal The Christian Science Monitor Seeds of doubt sown in Iraq over US intelligence now have countries in East Asia, including close US allies, openly doubting US intelligence about North Korea's nuclear program Saddam Hussein's weapons mirage The Economist (UK) George Bush and Tony Blair exaggerated, but they did not lie The future of journalism is at stake Martin Bell The Guardian (UK) This was a bad day for the BBC. I cannot remember a worse one, certainly in the 34 years I worked for what remains the greatest broadcasting organisation in the world Ex-Arms Monitor Urges an Inquiry on Iraqi Threat Richard W. Stevenson and Thom Shanker The New York Times The White House immediately turned aside calls from David A. Kay and many Democrats for an outside investigation Iraq's weapons: what they said and what we know Gail Bensinger The San Francisco Chronicle Here is a brief survey of what officials said, and what has been learned since the war ended, about Iraq's weapons program U.S. Troops Gear Up for Bin Laden Josh Meyer and John Hendren The Los Angeles Times Spring operation will aim to capture or kill Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters leaving winter bivouacs in Pakistani border region Neocons go nutzoid! Gary Kamiya Salon.com Undaunted by the Iraq debacle, uber-hawks David Frum and Richard Perle air their fevered wet dream of a national-security superstate that slaps down uppity Muslims, bombs North Korea, slices and dices civil liberties and scatters the Palestinians like birdseed Let Their People Go: Why Stop With Iraq? Ted Rall CommonDreams.org If we really want to win the war on terrorism, we've got to stop sitting around the Sunni triangle picking rose petals off our Kevlar jackets. If we're serious about liberation as a tool of terror prevention, we've got to invade every dictatorship, topple every autocracy Has global oil production peaked? David R. Francis The Christian Science Monitor Decline could lead to scarcity and higher prices, possibly recession, while prompting an urgent push to alternative fuels and conservation Enter the ayatollahs Jen Banbury Salon.com Will Iraq turn into an Iranian-style theocracy or a more tolerant Muslim state? As zero hour for America's grand experiment approaches, Shiite leaders hold the key The GI's weapon of choice in Iraq: dollars Dan Murphy The Christian Science Monitor Congress recently allocated $180 million for aid to be disbursed directly by US soldiers At Baghdad Forum, Topic Is Democracy, but Not Elections Pamela Constable The Washington Post The meeting that transpired Wednesday afternoon in the ballroom of the Palestine Hotel was a carefully scripted, invitation-only event. Officials gave speeches, questions were prepared in advance and 20 delegates had about one minute each Iraqi Communists Make a Comeback Pamela Constable The Washington Post The comeback of the Iraqi Communists is one of the most remarkable political stories of the post-Hussein era. Once ruthlessly persecuted, the party has rapidly reemerged, this time as an influential, moderating force in national life Hometown efforts to help troops hindered Gregg Zoroya USA Today To better protect themselves, members of the battalion's Charlie Company, soldiers from the villages of Foley and Bay Minette, hit on a plan to put homemade armor on their vehicles As Its Role Shifts, Hezbollah Gains in Prisoner Trade Ian Fisher The New York Times Even its supporters say Israel's withdrawal has deprived it of its immediate mission as the daily resistance in Lebanon Iranian Envoy a Guest of Congress Robin Wright The Washington Post Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed Javad Zarif, visited Washington yesterday to meet with a bipartisan congressional group, the latest in a string of recent overtures by both nations Charity Event May Have Terrorist Link Glenn Kessler The Washington Post Pentagon adviser Richard N. Perle, a strong advocate of war against Iraq, spoke last weekend at a charity event that U.S. officials say may have had ties to an alleged terrorist group seeking to topple the Iranian government The Anti-Federalist Society Gerald Robbins The Weekly Standard Why Turkey, Iran, and Syria all have worries about Iraq's new federalist outlook Individuals Supplying Nuclear Trade, Officials Say Douglas Frantz and Maura Reynolds The Los Angeles Times The global black market poses challenges for counter-proliferation efforts focused on states North Korea offers Nigeria missile deal Nicholas Kralev The Washington Times North Korea has offered to sell Nigeria advanced missile technology, the Nigerian government said yesterday, prompting the United States to warn its African ally that it might face sanctions Battle Over 9/11 Panel's Deadline Intensifies Dan Eggen The Washington Post Long-simmering tensions with the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks became a more immediate problem for the White House this week as the panel released a series of damaging revelations about missed opportunities 9/11 and the Bush Administration: Is Ignorance Bliss? Eric Alterman Center for American Progress But anyone who studies the record with any care will know that there were any number of moments when it would have been possible for a more alert administration to intervene in such a fashion as to interfere and quite possibly thwart the hijackers’ purposes Inquiries Begun Into Handling of Detroit Terror Cases Danny Hakim The New York Times In the months since the trial of four men accused of forming a terror cell ended with three convictions, the government agencies involved have been racked by turmoil Powell's Agenda Not Music to Putin's Ears Kim Murphy The Los Angeles Times In article and meetings, secretary of State faults Russia's human rights record in Chechnya and prods Moscow on media freedom and elections Bush Scaling Back Dollars for Third World Elizabeth Becker The New York Times President Bush plans to scale back requests for money to fight AIDS and poverty in the third world, putting off for several years the fulfillment of his pledges to eventually spend more than $20 billion Lula, predecessor deserve kudos Jeffrey D. Sachs The Miami Herald The biggest hidden story in international development these days may be Brazil's economic takeoff	The new target The Economist (UK) How would the White House attack John Forbes Kerry? Party Leaders Express Relief at the Emergence of Kerry Adam Nagourney The New York Times The evident relief among some Democratic leaders was testimony to their concern about what had once seemed the near-inevitability that Dr. Dean would be the party's standard-bearer in November Establishment 2, Dean 0 Brendan Miniter The Wall Street Journal With the downfall of Mr. Dean comes the vindication of Terry McAuliffe, Bill Clinton's handpicked chairman of the Democratic National Committee An Unexpected Powerhouse Harold Meyerson The Washington Post The Kerry who delivered that victory speech in Manchester on Tuesday night was the most effective Democratic politico since the fall of Bill Clinton Kerry's Army Bruce Shapiro The Nation Kerry has--at least in two states--aroused a hidden constituency of people who see him as a loyal comrade who honors with stubborn memory the horrors they lived, in Southeast Asia and back home Kerry Wins It, As Dean Yawp Becomes a Yip Ben Smith The New York Observer John Kerry’s stinging defeat of Howard Dean in the New Hampshire primary could derail a bandwagon full of recent Dean converts, from former Vice President Al Gore to New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller Campaign Manager in Spotlight as Kerry Becomes Frontrunner Johanna Neuman The Los Angeles Times Mary Beth Cahill, who is described as loyal to liberal Democratic causes, has turned around many tough races. Some political insiders credit her with ending the internal battles of the senator's staff Kerry Brings It On Michael Graham National Review John Edwards is still likely to win South Carolina, and he may even win a plurality of black votes. But it's going to be much tougher for him to win by the kind of margin that creates momentum on down the line In Shake-Up, Dean Names Gore Ally to Run Campaign Jodi Wilgoren and Glen Justice The New York Times The move by Howard Dean prompted the abrupt resignation of his campaign manager, Joe Trippi Trippi Couldn't Be Persuaded to Stay On Matea Gold The Los Angeles Times Dean and others tried to talk the ousted campaign manager out of his decision. But the 'class act' did urge staff members to remain Democrats owe a debt to Dean Mark Shields CNN Dean has redeemed his party from the debilitating squalor of its narcotic dependence on soft money by showing the nation a better and cleaner way to finance elections Wait, Dean Has the Most Delegates? Brendan I. Koerner Slate Despite winning both the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, John Kerry trails Howard Dean on the delegate scorecard. How can Kerry have fewer delegates than the man he's twice trounced at the polls? War Losing Its Footing as Dean Issue David Von Drehle and Richard Morin The Washington Post Surveys in Iowa and New Hampshire suggest that Iraq has been well down the list of most important concerns for Democratic voters, and that even among antiwar voters Dean no longer dominates the market Clark, the Four-Star Businessman Ben White and R. Jeffrey Smith The Washington Post Clark's lobbying was one of many business activities that, by his account, boosted his income almost 20-fold in the 42 months between his resignation from the Army and the start of his presidential campaign Ex-associates paint Clark as decisive, 'micromanager' Charles M. Sennott The Boston Globe Those who knew Clark offered a split verdict on his tenure: Many were very positive, but often there were countervailing criticisms Edwards banking on big win in S.C. Brian DeBose The Washington Times Although Mr. Kerry seemingly has secured the Clyburn endorsement, many members of the Clyburn machine are supporting Mr. Edwards In full voice against Bush Sidney Blumenthal The Guardian (UK) For the first time, the United States is hearing sustained criticism of its president and, though the Democratic presidential primaries have been going less than two weeks, the effect has been immediate The Dead Center Robert B. Reich The New York Times The real fight is between those who want only to win back the White House and those who also want to build a new political movement — one that rivals the conservative movement that has given Republicans their dominant position in American politics Voter polls tip Bush off to troubles Will Lester Associated Press The Miami Herald New Hampshire exit polls of discontented voters, especially independents, present warning signs for President Bush Never Say Die Michael Kinsley Slate Only a month ago I was coming in fourth among Hispanic homeowners in Lincoln, Neb. Yet I ended up a strong third in that crucial demographic. This says to me, "Kid, you've got the momentum. Don't give up now!" Voter turnouts show Dems 'energized and angry' Andrea Stone and Susan Page USA Today Democrats' record turnout in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, following similarly heavy attendance at the Iowa caucuses last week, shows that the party is organized and motivated to oust President Bush Candidates aim for middle in South Carolina William M. Welch USA Today Voters lean to conservative side on some issues, but economy may give Dems opening All Eyes on Dixie Cliff Schecter and Ruy Teixeira The American Prospect The Democratic nominee will run a strategy anchored in non-southern states. And he should, for one simple reason: It is the only way to win All Eyes on Dixie Kevin Phillips The American Prospect The South isn't all Bob Jones University, and Democrats can make inroads there Essential, and Up for Grabs Sarah Ferguson Mother Jones To beat Bush, Democrats must energize African Americans. The vote in South Carolina should show whether any of the current crop can A Wild Seven-Front War U.S. News and World Report An unlikely collection of primaries makes for a semi-Super Tuesday Editorial: Political football The Boston Globe TOO BAD the fine new MoveOn.org TV ad attacking the deficit created by President Bush won't be seen on the CBS broadcast of the Super Bowl this Sunday. It belongs there -- as does the opposing view Show me a winner King Kaufman Salon.com Looking for the man to beat Bush, polite and curious Missourians check out the goods on John Kerry Missouri often shows the way Tim Jones The Chicago Tribune Trite as the state's "show me" slogan may be, it is the moniker of a perpetual political sage, a state that has picked every White House winner except one in the past century The privileged act worried Robert Kuttner The Boston Globe Kerry and the other populists in the Democratic field should take these elite assaults as signs that America's most privileged are getting a little worried and wear them as badges of honor Democrats Can't Shake the Pack on Health Care Ronald Brownstein The Los Angeles Times Medical matters are key with voters, but no candidate has been able to distinguish his plan from those of his rivals Making of the Digital Press Corps, 2004 Katharine Q. Seelye The New York Times Campaign reporters, like war correspondents, are not necessarily gadget geeks. But the rapacious 24-hour news cycle has forced them onto the cutting edge to do their jobs better - or at least faster Apprentices on the hustings Donald Lambro The Washington Times The Democrats are anemic in the most important farm club in the country — the statehouses — so they ended up running a lot of tired, retread candidates from Capitol Hill who were not exactly political powerhouses Who benefits most from political endorsements? Ross K. Baker USA Today Dean's campaign seems to be creating a vortex into which his endorsers are gradually being sucked. And the more prominent the endorser, the greater the embarrassment has been
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Get Thee to the CIA Frank J. Gaffney Jr. National Review David Kay has, after all, demonstrated once again the qualities of intellect, integrity, and independence that are always desirable in leaders of the U.S. intelligence community, but rarely more necessary than right now The Politics of Manliness George F. Will The Washington Post Leadership, Lord says, presupposes some element of "such traditionally manly qualities as competitiveness, aggression or, for that matter, the ability to command." Because "leadership that is not prepared to disadvantage anyone is hardly leadership at all." Baathist Broadcasting Corporation Blasted Andrew Apostolou National Review The great antiwar claim has been exposed as a lie	'Duck Season!' with Antonin Scalia Mark Fiore WorkingForChange.com Decomposing Whale Explodes on Street Reuters Yahoo! The decomposing remains of a 60-tonsperm whale exploded on a busy Taiwan street, showering nearby cars and shops with blood and organs and stopping traffic for hours 'CtrlAltDelete' Inventor Restarts Career Associated Press Yahoo! David Bradley spent five minutes writing the computer code that has bailed out the world's PC users for decades CIA Confused Saddam Hussein With Vidal Sassoon Andy Borowitz BorowitzReport.com “There remains a troubling possibility that we invaded Iraq to prevent Vidal Sassoon from helping women restore body, luster and shine to even the most damaged hair.” Hasselhoff: my part in Berlin Wall fall ITV (UK) Baywatch star David Hasselhoff is still waiting for credit for his part in the fall of the Berlin Wall Q&A: Living on McDonald's Food for a Month Brian Braiker Newsweek You ate three meals a day at McDonald’s for 30 days for this film. What happened to your body over the course of that month? Rudy Park Darrin Bell and Theron Heir The New York Times Thank you for watching Fox News That doesn't mean the excitement is over Tom Toles The New York Times

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Text: Report on Arms Expert's Suicide The New York Times (PDF format) BBC chief goes as Hutton backs the government James Blitz and Tim Burt Financial Times (UK) Gavyn Davies, chairman of the BBC, resigned after the world's biggest public-service broadcaster was heavily blamed in Lord Hutton's report into the death of David Kelly Kay Cites Evidence Of Iraq Disarming Walter Pincus and Dana Milbank The Washington Post U.S. weapons inspectors in Iraq found new evidence that Saddam Hussein's regime quietly destroyed some stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons in the mid-1990s, former chief inspector David Kay said Nothing To Preempt Ray McGovern TomPaine.com According to the CIA's chief weapons inspector, there were no WMD in Iraq. So why have more than 500 troops died? Intelligence information recalls 'missile gap' gambit James Burkee USA Today This isn't the first time intelligence information -- or the public's lack of it -- has played a significant role in a presidential election What Bush has said USA Today President Bush on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction U.S. plans Al Qaeda offensive Christine Spolar The Chicago Tribune The Bush administration, deeply concerned about recent assassination attempts against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and a resurgence of Taliban forces in neighboring Afghanistan, is preparing a U.S. military offensive that would reach inside Pakistan General Urges NATO to Send Afghanistan More Troops Christopher Marquis The New York Times NATO's top commander in Europe voiced frustration on Tuesday that members were not providing enough troops for the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan Afghans still lacking security David R. Sands The Washington Times The departing U.N. envoy to Afghanistan warned yesterday that violence and drug trafficking still pose grave threats to the government of President Hamid Karzai, as a suicide bomb attack killed a Canadian soldier Iraqi whispers mull repeat of 1920s revolt Hannah Allam and Tom Lassiter Knight-Ridder The Miami Herald Whispers of "revolution" are growing louder in Baghdad this month at teahouses, public protests and tribal meetings as Iraqis point to the past as an omen for the future U.N. Faces New Dangers in Iraq Maggie Farley and Sonni Efron The Los Angeles Times Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced Tuesday that he would send a team of election experts to Iraq, a move that may significantly increase the United Nations' influence in the country but presents new political and physical risks Iran Expert Sees Need for United States and Iran to Open Dialogue Foreign Affairs Gary Sick, former director of Columbia University's Middle East Institute, forecasts a convergence of views between the United States and Iran because they "are now neighbors" and must broaden their dialogue Kadafi Fulfills Vow to Cede Nuclear Materials Sonni Efron and Douglas Frantz The Los Angeles Times Libya sends a second planeload of weapons program items to the United States. The shipment may yield data on Tripoli's suppliers Nukes: Can US practice what it preaches? Stansfield Turner The Christian Science Monitor How can the US convince the world that the Iraqs and the North Koreas must not have even one nuclear weapon when it needs 7,000? The US looks hypocritical Editorial: Pakistan and Proliferation The Los Angeles Times Pakistan's army rule stifles development of civilian institutions — judiciary, the media, political parties — that might have blown the whistle on the accused nuclear transfers Secrecy shrouds nukes Craig Nelson The Washington Times Col. Gadhafi's announcement that Libya was ready to dismantle its weapons programs caused few ripples in Israel, possessor of one of the most secretive programs of weapons of mass destruction Report to Congress on Implementation of Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Patriot Act), Public Law 107-56, directs the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ or Department) to undertake a series of actions related to claims of civil rights or civil liberties violations allegedly committed by DOJ employees 9/11 Commission Says It Needs More Time Philip Shenon The New York Times The commission wants a deadline extension to complete the investigation, raising the prospect of a fight with the White House Attendant's call is made public Mimi Hall USA Today Flight attendant Betty Ong didn't know her fate as she talked with American Airlines officials on the ground while her jet inexplicably headed for New York City's skyline on Sept. 11, 2001 Powell Seeks to Reassure Russians on New Troops Steven R. Weisman The New York Times Secretary of State Colin L. Powell sought to assure Russians on Tuesday that despite American plans to redeploy some troops to former Soviet bloc nations in Eastern Europe, the United States had no intention of encircling or threatening their country U.S. May Set Up Bases in Former Soviet Republics Peter Slevin The Washington Post Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Tuesday that the United States might establish military bases in parts of the former Soviet empire, but he sought to reassure Russians Editorial: Look Deeper Into 'Putin's Soul' The Christian Science Monitor The west should worry about Putin's growing authoritarianism America Tugs at French-Accented Lands: It's Not Peanuts Somini Sengupta The New York Times Africa once again figured in Washington's strategic thinking, and there was something to be gained for an overwhelmingly Muslim country by cozying up to the Americans and, not coincidentally, threatening the French with a loss of influence Global Chilling Paul R. Epstein The New York Times We may be able to blame the Northeast's current severe cold spell, ironically, on global warming	Winner Drew Strength From Study of Weaknesses John F. Harris and Ceci Connolly The Washington Post For a lifetime high achiever -- a war hero in his twenties, a successful prosecutor in his thirties, a U.S. senator in his forties -- it was not the easiest thing to be told that, as a presidential candidate, he was something of a clod A strong finish, broad support Thomas Oliphant The Boston Globe With months of silly conventional wisdom now in a coffin, Kerry has done more than win a rare, Iowa-New Hampshire weekly double. He has now made the only clear claim to the nomination that is based on real votes Style change rescues Kerry Jill Zuckman The Chicago Tribune Candidate quits senatorial flourish for a more direct approach to voters, and it appears to work as he revives a candidacy some thought was kaput Kerry Finances Are Said to Improve Rapidly Glen Justice The New York Times Officials at Senator John Kerry's campaign said their candidate's financial fortunes were rapidly improving as they scrambled to refill depleted coffers Kerry Notches 2nd Victory but Next Round Is Far From Certain Todd S. Purdum The New York Times As the campaign shifts from an expectations game to a fight for real delegates, Howard Dean needs to win somewhere History Favors Kerry, But Geography May Not David S. Broder The Washington Post The last two Democrats to sweep Iowa and New Hampshire in contested races were Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Al Gore in 2000 -- and both went on to win the nomination The Kerry problem Geov Parrish WorkingForChange.com Listen to him, and consider whether he would make a good... a good... zzzzzzzzz... Rivals' mission: Don't get Kerry-ed away David Jackson The Dallas Morning News John Kerry is the man to beat, but – to borrow from New Hampshire poet Robert Frost – he still has miles to go before claiming the Democratic presidential nomination Say goodnight, Howie; it's Kerry's time Cragg Hines The Houston Chronicle Voters "are more interested in nominating a possible president than in sending an angry message" Voters Went With Experience Ronald Brownstein The Los Angeles Times Survey highlights Kerry's broad appeal, but also the challenges he faces. Dean gets points for his commitment to change Russert: Kerry wins with anti-Bush vote MSNBC Following Tuesday's primary vote in New Hampshire, Tim Russert, NBC Washington bureau chief and moderator of Meet the Press, discussed the outcome and its ramifications Romney in N.H. slams Kerry's record Scott S. Greenberger The Boston Globe "I don't think I can put my finger on what he fights for," Romney said of his home state senator, who was favored to win the New Hampshire primary. "I see him coming down squarely on both sides of issues." Dean's strategy likely to have a long-lasting effect Kathy Kiely USA Today In New Hampshire, the most innovative aspect of Dean's campaign was not his technology but his people: He put together an unusual field organization that gave real responsibility to political non-professionals Regardless of place, Dean's machine still sets pace Walter Shapiro USA Today Yes, the once-derided Kerry won back-to-back victories in Iowa and New Hampshire. But Dean still controls the tempo of the Democratic contest Dean shows he's a survivor Joan Vennochi The Boston Globe THE STORY LINE that was supposed to finish off Howard Dean -- the crazy screamer married to the feminist frump -- did not entirely accomplish its mission. The Dean campaign is not totally dead. Not yet Message, fortunes shifted Joanna Weiss The Boston Globe Election night followed one of the most difficult weeks Clark has faced since he entered the race in September Clark's Run Still Clouded Sydney H. Schanberg The Village Voice Why Didn't Wesley Clark Warn Us About War in Iraq? Clark's Heavy Campaigning in N.H. Is Good for Third Eric Slater The Los Angeles Times The retired general is counting on his Southern background to push him forward as the contests head to the South and West You Say Deserter, I Say More Dessert... Michael Moore MichaelMoore.com Alternet.org When I called Bush a deserter, how did they know I wasn't referring to how he has deserted the 43 million Americans who have no health coverage? Despite his showing, Kucinich vows to press ahead Kate McCann The Boston Globe "Dick Gephardt put all his eggs in a basket called Iowa," Kucinich said. "I have a lot of little eggs in little baskets all over." Yesterday, the key was November Sarah Schweitzer and Brian Mooney The Boston Globe Electability was the watchword. New Hampshire voters most eager for a candidate capable of defeating President Bush in November broke heavily in favor of Senator John F. Kerry Fat Tuesday Heidi Pauken The American Prospect New Hampshire behind them, the candidates gear up for next week's mixed primary bag As resources wane, rush of primaries provides new test Brian C. Mooney The Boston Globe Cash-strapped Democratic presidential candidates face a costly new phase in the campaign beginning this morning that will strain their resources beyond anything they have yet experienced United against Dubya Salim Muwakkil The Guardian (UK) The Democrats can count on African-American votes, but can they offer them a candidate to beat Bush? Black voters play key role in S. Carolina, Missouri Brian DeBose The Washington Times The South Carolina and Missouri primaries next week will be the first test for the Democratic presidential candidates seeking inroads into the black vote Will Dubya Dump Dick? Jim Lobe Inter Press Service Alternet.org Moderate Republicans have started a secret campaign to take the vice president off the Republican ticket in 2004 On Presidential Politics, the Fed Walks a Tight Rope Eduardo Porter The New York Times Precisely because of the potential impact of changes in monetary policy, the Fed tries not to start raising interest rates in the months before a presidential election Bush troops out in force in NH Wayne Slater The Dallas Morning News With Democrats still picking a nominee, George W. Bush's re-election team already was at work punching holes in the opposition and touting reasons the Republican president deserves a second term Who the Man? Richard Goldstein The Village Voice Male hysteria is another story. Most women recoil from it, and most men show contempt, which is why late-night comics (all of them guys) rushed to piss on Dean
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Editorial: So Where's the WMD? The Wall Street Journal Anti-Bush partisans aren't listening to what David Kay is saying David Kay Is Right George Neumayr The American Spectator Iraq was more dangerous than we realized -- not because of WMDs but because of the terrorists in its midst Weapons of Mass Distraction Claudia Rosett The Wall Street Journal What needs to start sinking in, somehow, is that while arsenals matter, what matters even more is the set of rules and values that a regime defends and its leaders live by On Patrol With Iraq's 'Homeboys' Gary Anderson The Washington Post Since I've returned from Iraq, several people have asked me if we can win. Our troops in the field think they are winning. So do Sgt. Mohammed, Pvt. Ahmed and Pvt. Raal. From what I've seen, I believe them Kindergarten foreign policy Helle Dale The Washington Times Democratic candidates have mainly had a field day pointing fingers over Iraq, sometimes at the president, sometimes at other Democrats. Hardly ever does the level of discourse rise above the level of sandbox "nya-nya-nya" What Primaries Are For Jonah Goldberg National Review It's one of the funnier ironies of American presidential politics that the people who fancy themselves to be the most politically informed boast the silliest rationale for how they vote. I'm referring of course to "independents." Disturbing discrepancies Peter Huessy The Washington Times Mr. Kerry, on the other hand, cares about as much for national security as a giraffe. From his first days in Congress, the Massachusetts liberal has been to the very far left of the political spectrum in his national security views The End of the Road Fred Barnes The Weekly Standard Kerry is Dole without the wit. Like Dole, he's an establishment figure, an old political horse with little pizzazz. He's not identified with any particular issue or cause. His ideology is basically liberal but flexible	Infographic: Atkins-Friendly Fast Food The Onion Seven-Meat Burrito (Taco Bell) Bush 2004 Campaign Pledges To Restore Honor And Dignity To White House The Onion Bush told the crowd that, if given the opportunity, he would work to reestablish the goodwill of the American people "from the very first hour of the very first day" of his second term Spin Control: Candidates' Musical Tastes David Segal The Washington Post Music, it seems, isn't a genuine passion for any of these guys, but unless you expect them to DJ your next party, that probably doesn't really matter The Grannie Awards Will Durst WorkingForChange.com Lieberman called his fifth-place, single-digit New Hampshire finish a victory. Referred to it as a "split decision for third place." This guy is good. Or spooky

Tuesday, January 27, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Leak against this war Daniel Ellsberg The Guardian (UK) US and British officials must expose their leaders' lies about Iraq - as I did over Vietnam White House Is Less Certain Now About Iraq's Arms James Risen The New York Times The White House began to back away from its assertions that Iraq had illegal weapons, saying it now wants to compare prewar intelligence with what may be actually found Leading players prepare to learn fate at hands of Hutton David Hencke, Matt Wells and Vikram Dodd The Guardian (UK) The leading players in the David Kelly affair, whose high-powered careers have hung in the balance for months, will learn their fate today when they receive the Hutton report under a heavy blanket of security Hutton is doomed to disappoint Philip Stephens Financial Times (UK) The political and media establishments are in a state of frenzied expectation ahead of the publication of Lord Hutton's report into the death of David Kelly, the weapons scientist The Art of Camouflage Fred Kaplan Slate Even now, Kay falls short of making a full break with the Bush administration. He continues to state that Iraq was a danger to the world, worth going to war against, even if not for the same reasons that Bush claimed Editorial: Mr. Cheney, Meet Mr. Kay The New York Times Although administration officials cling to the hope of finding some evidence of terror weapons in a cubbyhole somewhere in Iraq, surely it is time to focus on how the intelligence could have been so wrong and perhaps avoid making the same mistakes Editorial: To tell the truth The San Francisco Chronicle Although Powell still defends the decision to go to war, he now argues that it was Hussein's intention to build WMDs -- not Iraq's ability to produce them -- that justified the war. We disagree. Many nations would like to enhance their power on the world stage by producing WMDs War Issues Cloud Cheney Trip Mike Allen The Washington Post Vice President Cheney had planned to spend a five-day tour encouraging Europeans to work harder in the fight against terrorism and in promoting democracy, but his message has been eclipsed by a spate of questions about his part in the decision to go to war Cheney's favorite leak Eric Boehlert Salon.com The vice president hails an "inaccurate" leak and provokes a new battle in the White House war with the intelligence community Joe Conason's Journal Joe Conason Salon.com David Kay's conclusion is clear: Weapons inspection worked in Iraq, and the war was unnecessary Baghdad Is Bush's Blue Dress Robert Scheer The Los Angeles Times Now, can we talk of impeachment? The rueful admission by former chief U.S. weapons inspector David Kay that Saddam Hussein did not possess weapons of mass destruction or the means to create them at the time of the U.S. invasion confirms the fact that the Bush administration is complicit in arguably the greatest scandal in U.S. history For Poles, the choice was easy Michael Moran MSNBC Poland is in control of a large chunk of Iraq, becoming the third country after the U.S. and Britain to accept official responsibility as an occupying force Friendly face of the law gunned down in Iraq Rory McCarthy The Guardian (UK) Sabri was unusually popular, and the death of this particular traffic policeman was seen by his friends as especially cruel and indefensible After a Year, Soldiers See Future Out of Iraq Edmund Sanders The Los Angeles Times Troops being sent home try to stay focused as they picture life with no attacks or cold stares One Iraqi, One Vote? Dilip Hiro The New York Times All of the arguments for ruling out quick elections in Iraq fall apart on closer scrutiny Iraqi Aide Says Safety Inadequate for a Vote Pamela Constable The Washington Post Iraq's interior minister said Monday that the country is not secure enough to hold elections in the near future, as the country's leading Shiite Muslim cleric has repeatedly demanded Jihadists in Iraq Stephen Schwartz The Weekly Standard The correct name for the main influence inciting Sunni Muslim Iraqis to attack coalition forces is Wahhabism, although its proponents seek to disguise it under the more acceptable name Salafism. It is financed and supported from inside Saudi Arabia From Iraq to Libya, US knew little on weapons Peter Grier The Christian Science Monitor In the shadowy world of intelligence, judging capacities to produce biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons is among the most difficult estimating jobs of all Lantos Backs Sanctions' End After Meeting With Kadafi Mary Curtius The Los Angeles Times The congressman played a key role in initial moves against Libya. Other nations with illicit arms programs may be watching for rewards The Mess in Afghanistan Ahmed Rashid The New York Review of Books In Kabul the US backs the government of Hamid Karzai; in the countryside the US has failed to forcefully challenge the warlords and their gross abuses of human rights, their heroin smuggling, their defiance of the central government, their desire to maintain their fiefdoms, and their resistance to democracy U.S.-Turkish Ties Coming Full Circle Karl Vick The Washington Post The rapprochement was led by Turkey's general staff, which has a long history of military cooperation with Washington Prisoner Trade With Hezbollah Brings Mixed Feelings for Israelis Laura King The Los Angeles Times Jewish nation plans to free 436 Arab detainees for a businessman and troops' remains Powell Displays Tough U.S. Stance Toward Russians Steven R. Weisman The New York Times The secretary of state criticized curbs on free elections and the media, as well as the Russian military campaign in Chechnya Citing Free Speech, Judge Voids Part of Antiterror Act Eric Lichtblau The New York Times At issue was a provision in the act, passed by Congress after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that expanded previous antiterrorism law to prohibit anyone from providing "expert advice or assistance" to known terrorist groups 9/11 Panel Faults U.S. For Letting Hijackers In Dan Eggen The Washington Post The U.S. government fumbled repeated opportunities to stop many of the men responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks from entering the country, missing fraudulent passports and other warning signs that should have attracted greater scrutiny Top 9/11 suspect 'was granted US visa' Demetri Sevastopulo and Edward Alden Financial Times (UK) Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind behind the September 11 plot, was granted a visa to enter the US just six weeks before the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York North Korean refugees get harsh treatment on return Bill Gertz The Washington Times An increasing number of North Korean refugees are fleeing to China, where they are detained and sent back to face harsh treatment in their home country, according to a human rights activist China's banner year felt abroad Robert Marquand The Christian Science Monitor Economic dynamism and other recent successes are expanding China's influence, particularly in Asia	2004 New Hampshire Democratic Tracking American Research Group, Inc. Landslide Kerry Chris Suellentrop Slate As Kerrymania sweeps the Granite State, the latest Zogby Poll notwithstanding, I'm still scratching my head over the phenomenon Editorial: Primary day The Boston Globe Our choice for primary voters is Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, whose steady hand, abiding values, and deep experience make him best suited to lead the nation at this perilous time Running on Empty After Dash to the Lead Maria L. La Ganga The Los Angeles Times Admiration for John F. Kerry is starting to give way to edginess on the New Hampshire campaign trail Consultant Works His Magic on Kerry Paul Farhi The Washington Post Little known outside Democratic political circles, Whouley (pronounced Hoo-lee) is a Boston-based strategist who specializes in the unglamorous work of analyzing voting patterns and identifying a candidate's pockets of strength and weakness Shaheen 'critical' to Kerry's political upturn Kathy Kiely USA Today If Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry continues his comeback in today's New Hampshire primary, much of the credit will go to the state's former governor Jeanne Shaheen For Kerry, Veteran Voices . . . E. J. Dionne Jr. The Washington Post In 2004, everything has changed. Kerry and retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark lean hard on their service records and compete fiercely for the veterans' vote Dean holds steady in N.H.by staying low key on stump Charles Hurt The Washington Times Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has stanched the bleeding from his defeat last week in the Iowa caucuses, according to several polls The Punch and Judy Dean Show Alexander Stille The Los Angeles Times Out of the 96 questions that Sawyer asked, 90 were about personality and temperament and only six were even vaguely about issues; virtually all 96 were hostile and negative The Misunderstanding of Judy Dean Gersh Kuntzman Newsweek Instead of finding fault with presidential hopeful Howard Dean's wife, the press ought to take a closer look—at themselves I See Dean People William Saletan Slate I wonder whether Dean and his followers will ever wake up—and how many of the rest of us will have to run away before they do Crowds Size Up Edwards Vanessa Williams The Washington Post Even Edwards is amazed by the size of the crowds showing up to see him The Real Real Deal Jack Beatty The Atlantic Monthly While John Kerry suffers from "terminal Senatitis," John Edwards exudes life and optimism Top Ten Responses To -- "I Love Kucinich But He Can't Win" Tad Daley CommonDreams.org At the Kucinich campaign, we believe our single most effective strategy now to gain new votes is to move these individuals to change their minds Democrats battle for 3rd place Stephen Dinan The Washington Times The big battle in New Hampshire's Democratic primary today is for third place, because voters appear poised to give Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean a solid one-two showing Voters in search of a better future Thomas Oliphant The Boston Globe Sandra Swiechowicz and Allison Cappella remind political wise guys what today's New Hampshire primary is supposed to be about -- voters seeking a president with some awareness of their lives and some ideas that are relevant to them Six signs to watch in New Hampshire vote Tom Curry MSNBC Margin of victory, conservative Dems, 'Judy factor' Unpredictability a certainty in N.H. primaries Rick Klein The Boston Globe New Hampshire primary races have long been marked by changing fortunes, surprise finishes, and unflattering moments that define candidates in voters' minds Candidates Wait As Voting Begins in N.H. David Espo Associated Press The Chicago Tribune The first votes were cast in ritual fashion shortly after midnight in the northern hamlets of Dixville Notch and Hart's Location. Clark had 14, Kerry eight, Sen. John Edwards and Howard Dean four each and Sen. Joseph Lieberman one New Hampshire forecast aside: some campaign givens Dante Chinni The Christian Science Monitor Going into Tuesday night, a viewer's guide to the results, whatever they may be What N.H. voters want: Someone to beat Bush Jill Lawrence and Susan Page USA Today Forget the small-print provisions of the candidates' health care plans or exactly what year they say they'd balance the budget. The overriding mood here and in the Iowa caucuses last week is a ferocious focus on winning In politics, the year of the warm and fuzzy ad Alexandra Marks The Christian Science Monitor TV spots have been touting candidates' bios, integrity, and leadership skills. But they may get edgier as race moves on A No-Issues Contest in New Hampshire David Corn The Nation This is a campaign of impressions and identities. The goal: find the right knight to vanquish the evil king Democrats Hone Tactics For the Big Prizes Ahead Dan Balz The Washington Post Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who hopes to duplicate his victory in the Iowa caucuses with another here on Tuesday, has mapped out an aggressive post-New Hampshire strategy designed to amass the most delegates of any candidate in seven states with contests on Feb. 3 and dispel suggestions that he is a Northeast liberal Those With Endorsements May Lose by Winning Jim Rutenberg The New York Times The endorsements of presidential candidates have gone well beyond the litany of newspapers, unions and politicians to include singers, filmmakers and movie stars `Wholesale' politics in `retail' country Cragg Hines The Houston Chronicle Goodbye to all that until 2008. From here on out through the campaign, it's mostly the modern political rally: a couple of folks sitting in front of their television set watching 30-second ads. "Wholesale" politics Democrats Spend $3.5 Million on N.H. Primary Ad Blitz Nick Anderson The Los Angeles Times None of Dean's ads in New Hampshire last week mentioned his rivals by name — a departure from his combative strategy in Iowa Disapproval Ratings Mary Lynn F. Jones The American Prospect Bush is down in the polls and showing signs of vulnerability. Now's the time, for Democrats to take advantage of the trend Democrats attack administration over Kay's comments CNN Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut told CNN, "The fact that David Kay now says they weren't there doesn't say [Iraq] never had them." Now it gets interesting Geov Parrish WorkingForChange.com The best news, so far as I'm concerned, has been voter turnouts of late: record numbers, in Iowa's caucuses as well as last fall in California's recall Bush's Secret Weapon: Young Voters Jonathan Darman Newsweek Though it’s not clear who they’ll vote for, most 18- to 29-year-olds say for now, they’re behind both the president and the war in Iraq The Bush dynasty's dark magic Joan Walsh Salon.com One-time Republican hero Kevin Phillips dares to speak up against the Walker-Bush oligarchy that rules the American state through oil, intelligence, big money and the power of the Christian right Dishonor Guard Paul Waldman The American Prospect The press is lining up to defend George W. Bush's National Guard record -- by stubbornly refusing to discuss the facts GOP is clueless on luring blacks Jabari Asim The Dallas Morning News One year after using the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as an occasion to announce your opposition to the University of Michigan's affirmative action policies, go to Atlanta and lay a wreath on his grave in a brazen bit of election-year pandering Unsteady State Hendrik Hertzberg The New Yorker Bush and his political handlers plan to use 9/11 and its aftermath every bit as ruthlessly this year as they did in 2002, when Republicans captured control of the Senate by portraying Democrats as friends of terrorism Hung Up in Washington Elizabeth Drew The New York Review of Books The current division has brought about institutional changes, which, should they become permanent, are adverse to the future of democracy itself Deeper into debate on Iraq Joan Vennochi The Boston Globe THE DEBATE over America's war with Iraq is not ending. It is really just beginning, as the news out of Iraq continues to illustrate. Eight US soldiers died in weekend fighting and two helicopter crashes in Iraq 'Child's Pay' ad hits the airwaves George Raine The San Francisco Chronicle MoveOn.org, the politically left-leaning Internet-based advocacy group whose Super Bowl commercial criticizing the nation's deficit was rejected by CBS, is separately attacking President Bush in ads running in four states Congressman under fire for job offer Ted Barrett CNN Drug industry offer follows Tauzin's work on Medicare law DeLay's Descent Mary Lynn F. Jones TomPaine.com After ten years of steady success on the Hill, Tom DeLay's future is starting to look shaky Red Ink Realities Paul Krugman The New York Times Is domestic spending really exploding? Think about it: farm subsidies aside, which domestic programs have received lavish budget increases over the last three years? Education? Don't be silly Deficit efforts stay modest Peronet Despeignes USA Today Politicians and economists say there are many factors making it hard for Washington to take bold measures to reduce the deficit
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
General Malaise Peggy Noonan The Wall Street Journal One of the men running in New Hampshire tonight could become the next president, and lead the war on terror. And our country cannot afford a bit of a nut GOP criticizes Dean for questioning Iraqi war Bill Sammon The Washington Times The Republican National Committee yesterday assailed Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean for saying Iraq's standard of living was better when Saddam Hussein was in power Iran and Castro: October surprises Constantine C. Menges The Washington Times Both dictatorships have plans that could result in visible and sharp foreign policy setbacks that might cost President Bush the 2004 election The Trial Lawyer’s Shtick Rich Lowry National Review Edwards, who has become a media darling and will carry his fight for the Democratic nomination to the south in coming weeks, regularly unlooses such crashing platitudes One Granite State Goat Bernadette Malone National Review Just in case Howard Dean's last day of national prominence turns out to be today, and New Hampshire primary voters send the dangerously unhinged Vermonter back home when the polls close tonight, I drag myself out into the single-digit temperatures to a Dean rally Labor Under False Impressions David Kendrick The American Spectator Neither candidate was favored by the rank and file, but that mattered little to the union elite. All that mattered was that union members' dues money was there for the taking	Seventeen Other Important Swing Voting Groups Zev Borow The New Yorker Tetherball Native Americans

Monday, January 26, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Judge rules out part of Patriot Act Associated Press MSNBC U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins said the ban on providing “expert advice or assistance” was impermissibly vague, in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments Power Rangers Joshua Micah Marshall The New Yorker Did the Bush Administration create a new American empire—or weaken the old one? New Global Survey Analyzes War and Human Rights Human Rights Watch The invasion of Iraq ended the reign of a brutal government, but coalition leaders are wrong to characterize it as a humanitarian intervention, Human Rights Watch said The US is now in the hands of a group of extremists George Soros The Guardian (UK) Fundamentalism has spawned an ideology of American supremacy Ex-Inspector Says C.I.A. Missed Disarray in Iraqi Arms Program James Risen The New York Times The inspector, David A. Kay, who led the government's efforts to find evidence of Iraq's illicit weapons programs until he resigned on Friday, said the C.I.A. and other intelligence agencies did not realize that Iraqi scientists had presented ambitious but fanciful weapons programs to Mr. Hussein Anti-U.S. tunes big hits in Iraq Borzou Daragahi The Washington Times U.S.-led coalition authorities have barred the media from promoting any kind of violence, but there is a hot market in the bazaars of central Iraq for cassettes by singers calling for insurrection US threshold for Iraq 'success' is modest Howard LaFranchi The Christian Science Monitor American voters care less about the exact steps toward self-rule and more about improving security Ashcroft defends war on Iraq MSNBC Attorney General John Ashcroft strongly defended the war that toppled Saddam Hussein, saying Monday that his past use of “evil chemistry” and “evil biology” justified U.S. actions Bush and Blair under fire The Economist (UK) The American and British leaders are under renewed attack over the case they made for war in Iraq and how they handled officials who questioned it Iraqi Melting Pot Nears Boiling Point Jeffrey Fleishman The Los Angeles Times This fabled city of muddy streets and hidden guns, where one person's folklore is another's atrocity, has U.S. officials concerned that ethnic tensions could ignite a civil war and spoil plans for a unified Iraq Kurds Await Iraq's Embrace, and Hope It's Not Too Tight Neela Bannerjee The New York Times Many young Kurds in Sulaimaniya, Iraq, like Darya Ibrahim, above, say they will insist on preserving their freedoms and secular lifestyles as they face having to integrate with more traditional and conservative Iraqis U.S. suspects Iraqi moles at Baghdad headquarters Rowan Scarborough The Washington Times Some senior administration officials suspect that Saddam Hussein's followers have penetrated the coalition headquarters in Baghdad and passed information to guerrilla fighters Waiting for the wealthy to sacrifice in this war Cynthia Tucker The Baltimore Sun A part of the nation is at war - a slice of America where patriotism runs deeper than pockets, where parents don't belong to country clubs and children don't attend exclusive private schools How to Spend Wisely in Afghanistan Anne Carlin The New York Times The international community, especially the United States, should realize that progress in Afghanistan should be measured in the number of successful homegrown projects that assistance makes possible, not in the mileage of roads built or the amount of aid dollars spent Algerian massacre site 'erased by police' Giles Tremlett The Guardian (UK) The Algerian authorities have erased the first evidence to appear of the graves of the hundreds, if not thousands, of people believed to have been kidnapped and killed by army-backed anti-Islamist militias in the 1990s Saudi town sows seeds of revolution John R. Bradley The Washington Times An extraordinary level of political violence in the tiny city of Sakaka, the capital of a remote province bordering Iraq, has the makings of the beginning of a popular revolution against the ruling al-Saud family Push for Democracy Has Authoritarians Unnerved Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser The Washington Post Events in Georgia Embolden Long-Frustrated Opposition Groups in Many Ex-Soviet Republics India rises as strategic US ally Scott Baldauf The Christian Science Monitor Just five years after US-imposed sanctions turned India and Pakistan into virtual pariah states for their nuclear-weapons tests in 1998, India has emerged as America's "strategic partner" in South Asia Opportunity in South Asia Richard Lugar The Washington Times The United States must actively encourage the rapprochement between the leaders of India and Pakistan Sudan shifts from pariah to partner Abraham McLaughlin The Christian Science Monitor A US target five years ago, Sudan is now being deluged with promises of American aid Cancel Iraqi Debt? What About Africa? Robyn Dixon The Los Angeles Times With forgiveness plans stalled, advocates say the West puts a low priority on the continent's needs	Dean back in dead heat with Kerry Mike Stuckey MSNBC As quickly as he sank in the surveys following his dismal third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, Dean is rising again — so dramatically, in fact, that he is in a statistical dead heat with Sen. John Kerry Kerry pulling away in N.H. Poll Kathy Kiely USA Today He enjoys an 11-point lead over former Vermont governor Howard Dean in the latest USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll, in which 56% rated Kerry as the Democrat with the best chance of beating President Bush in November ...and then it was a 7 point lead for Kerry in New Hampshire Zogby poll Dean had another good polling day, actually bouncing back to 25 points on Saturday, compared to Kerry's 28 Boston Globe/WBZ-TV N.H. Democratic primary The Boston Globe Poll: Edwards Holds Slight Lead in S.C. Associated Press Yahoo! Edwards, a native of South Carolina and senator in neighboring North Carolina, was at 21 percent. John Kerry was at 17 percent, Al Sharpton at 15 percent John Kerry's Haunted Heart Joe Klein Time Watching John Kerry circumnavigate the English language on the stump, I often think about the sparse clarity of his writing — and wonder why he is so much more compelling on the page than in person Kerry builds following, if not excitement Peter Wallsten The Miami Herald Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry appears increasingly likely to emerge from New Hampshire on Tuesday as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, but the intensity of his support among voters -- and how that translates to the nationwide battle that awaits -- remains in question Dean Loses Ground as Primary Voters Shift Toward Stability Ronald Brownstein The Los Angeles Times In 2003, Howard Dean's rise set the tone for the Democratic presidential race. Now his decline is reshaping the race in 2004 Edwards gets a delayed 'Iowa bounce' Charles Hurt The Washington Times Sen. John Edwards is gaining support in the final days before the crucial New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, according to several polls With the Race Changing Fast, Clark Adjusts Katharine Seelye The New York Times Gen. Wesley K. Clark has still not met a threshold test: convincing voters that he has a rightful claim to the Democratic Party's presidential nomination Plan to focus on N.H. fails to boost Clark, Lieberman Stephen Dinan The Washington Times For both Mr. Clark and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the gamble of skipping the Iowa caucuses doesn't appear to be paying Even His Mom Wonders Why Lieberman 'Didn't Catch On' John M. Glionna The Los Angeles Times New Hampshire seemed like a perfect match for the no-frills Connecticut senator, but polls show him on the fringes and with little momentum No New Hampshire knockout blow? Tom Curry MSNBC Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary is shaping up as an event that may not winnow the field of Democratic contenders, but instead may raise the stakes for a round of nine contests next week Momentum may be key in Missouri Yvonne Abraham The Boston Globe Missouri has favored the victor in almost every national election in the last century. Geographically and ideologically, the state is set firmly in the country's middle A drawn-out Democratic battle? Alexandra Marks The Christian Science Monitor Despite Kerry's growing lead here in New Hampshire, some political analysts believe the nomination fight could now last well into March or even later Preparing to Go Extra Rounds, Candidates Set Their Priorities Robin Toner The New York Times Strategists said they were preparing for a long, expensive march through the next five weeks of primaries and caucuses C-Span Shows Hopefuls in All Their Unedited Glory Lynette Clemenson The New York Times "All Politics Weekend" on C-Span, the public affairs cable channel, which broadcasts political events generally unedited and without commentary N.H. Race Shapes Up Along Classic Lines John F. Harris The Washington Post Tuesday's vote has come down to a classic contest of novelty vs. convention GOP growth in South masks retreat in Northeast Froma Harrop The Dallas Morning News Formerly bedrock Republican areas, including rich suburbs from Philadelphia to Seattle, are going more often for Democrats. Nowhere is the change starker than in northern New England One factor the Fed ignores - we hope David R. Francis The Christian Science Monitor Is Greenspan favoring the reelection of Bush by keeping interest rates at 40-year lows? US federal deficit to hit a record $477bn Christopher Swann Financial Times (UK) The US budget deficit is likely to be almost $1,000bn larger over the next decade than previously projected, according to the new official congressional forecast Cheney Is a Silent Partner No Longer Mike Allen The Washington Post Republican officials said Cheney's new visibility, which is likely to increase as his reelection race heats up, is partly the result of strategists' determination that his long silences had helped make him a punching bag for Democrats Republicans Relish Facing One of the 'Liberals' David S. Broder and Mike Allen The Washington Post Ask any of President Bush's Washington strategists to size up the Democratic candidates campaigning for Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and they will say they are delighted at the prospect of running against a liberal tax-raiser who is soft on terrorism GOP Hopefuls Aim to Outsmart Boxer Jean O. Pasco The Los Angeles Times Some Republican primary contenders are acting preemptively to steal the senator's thunder on appeals to the female vote, and on abortion right
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
The law and war David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey The Washington Times As early as 1801, the Supreme Court made clear that the United States can, without a declaration of war, invoke the laws of armed conflict Dean on Dramamine Mark Steyn The Washington Times Now that John Kerry is the sane alternative to Howard Dean, much of Wesley Clark's support has leached away to Mr. Kerry. But at the same time, Mr. Dean has been so subdued and demoralized that some of his wackier support has leached away to Mr. Clark A Moral Choice? Jed Babbin The American Spectator Is it ever moral to negotiate with terrorists? America -- at least publicly -- says no. But even we aren't above trying to get hostages released by paying ransom Bush's Looming Political Deficit John Fund The Wall Street Journal "The people here will vote for Bush, but their friends could be dispirited and stay home just as [White House adviser] Karl Rove said some did in 2000" Editorial: Spinning civil-war fears The Washington Times While doubt is cast on the Bush administration's public claims of progress, inflammatory phrases such as "civil war" are repeated over and over again, usually outside the original context of analyzing hypothetical scenarios Back to Earth Paul Greenberg The Washington Times The Patriot Act is one reason there hasn't been another September 11, but the danger level is still high	Boswell's Life of Jackson Patricia Marx The New Yorker On the taking seize of one’s crotch: “The triumph of hope over experience.” Caucus Machine Pat Oliphant The New York Times

Sunday, January 25, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
The Nuclear Market: An Array of Vendors David E. Sanger The New York Times President Bush moved first, and most decisively, against a country that posed a smaller proliferation risk than North Korea, Libya and Iran or even one of America's allies, Pakistan Nuclear Inquiry Heightens Divisions Within Pakistan David Rohde The New York Times Political opponents of General Musharraf predict that General Beg and Dr. Khan will go unpunished. General Musharraf, they say, must maintain the loyalty of the army The Only Superbad Power Serge Schmemann The New York Times Not unexpectedly, the rise of so contentious a new order, and the man who so unexpectedly launched it, have hatched a considerable library of condemnation, all the more as his re-election campaign gets under way Stress epidemic strikes American forces in Iraq Peter Beaumont The Observer (UK) The war's over, but the suicide rate is high and the army is riddled with acute psychiatric problems Changes In U.S. Iraq Plan Explored Robin Wright and Anthony Shadid The Washington Post The Bush administration has produced a list of possible changes for Iraq's political transition, with some U.S. and British officials acknowledging for the first time that the original plan could even be scrapped altogether Blair admits: I know my job is on the line Kamal Ahmed The Observer (UK) Saying that the findings of Lord Hutton on the death of weapons expert David Kelly would be a judgment on his integrity, the Prime Minister added that whatever the political problems he faced, it was better to take tough decisions than to look for an easier political life Chaos Under Heaven, and More to Come Jim Lobe Inter Press Service CommonDreams.org Retired Gen Anthony Zinni began warning that ousting Saddam Hussein, let alone invading Iraq, risked destabilizing the entire Middle East back in 1998, when he led U.S. Central Command Iraq's Path Hinges on Words of Enigmatic Cleric Edward Wong The New York Times The ayatollah's secular power is clear: his insistence on direct elections for a transitional national assembly before Iraqi sovereignty in June drew up to 100,000 supporters to Baghdad's streets Democracy 101 Kevin Whitelaw U.S. News and World Report Travel with `Mr. Mike' as he sets about winning hearts and minds in southern Iraq Honoring the fallen, quietly Jonathan Evans U.S. News and World Report A democracy's lifeblood, after all, is an informed citizenry, and this image is nowhere in the public mind. The men and women arriving in flag-draped caskets do not deserve the disrespect of arriving in the dark confines of secrecy Militant Flourishes in Plain Sight Paul Watson and Mubashir Zaidi The Los Angeles Times Despite being banned by Pakistan, extremist leader Fazlur Rehman Khalil, who has ties to Al Qaeda, openly runs his anti-U.S. group Syria's Door Ajar for U.S., Israel Steven L. Spiegel The Los Angeles Times Israel and the U.S. have little to lose and much to gain by testing Assad's intentions, but both appear to be letting the opportunity slip away Editorial: Our Man in Baku The Washington Post Azerbaijan, in short, might look like a good place for President Bush to start implementing his frequently declared policy of "spreading freedom" to the world -- and in particular the greater Middle East. Instead he is doing the opposite Powell Calms the Russians on U.S. Intent Over Georgia Steven R. Weisman The New York Times Mr. Powell's visit was looked upon with some suspicions, focused in part on the presence of a small contingent of American military trainers who have been here since mid-2002 Indonesia's Provincial War Traumatizes Youths Lely T. Djuhari The Los Angeles Times In Aceh province, many children have been caught up in Asia's longest-running violence. Today, police are a feared lot China's Leaders Manage Class Conflict Carefully Joseph Kahn The New York Times Tens of millions of industrial workers are struggling toward basic rights, to earn enough to send their children to school, for laws that would allow them to bargain collectively. And they are losing	Newsweek Poll: And They're Off Brian Braiker Newsweek Kerry is enjoying a marginal advantage over Bush, a first for the poll. Forty-nine percent of registered voters chose Kerry, compared to 46 percent who re-elected Bush Vietnam hero leads fight to challenge Bush Paul Harris The Observer (UK) On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Paul Harris reports on John Kerry, the Democrat who trumped Howard Dean Back to the Front Howard Fineman Newsweek How John Kerry got his groove back, mucked up the Bush battle plan—and proved Democrats are thinking hard about who's the most 'electable' Old questions arise on patrician roots Michael Kranish The Boston Globe While Kerry gave his usual response -- that Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy also had come from a privileged background -- the issue has once again become a focal point for a descendant of the Winthrop and Forbes families The General: Did Clark Fail to Salute? Evan Thomas and T. Trent Gegax Newsweek Wes Clark won a war, but ran afoul of his Pentagon masters and lost his job. Here's how Clark, Kerry Competing Over Fellow Veterans Eric Slater and Maria L. La Ganga The Los Angeles Times The New Hampshire primary pits the former Army general and the former Navy lieutenant against each other for the first time Squished Cupcakes and Polls Maureen Dowd The New York Times He seemed lost without his manic Jack Nicholson eyebrow-arching anger and devilish smile, an Oreo cookie without the filling, not sure how to proceed in a race where suddenly everyone was acting so nice, so measured, so blah The Doctor's Switch to Decaf Jonathan Alter Newsweek Dean may well prove an important factor in the 2004 campaign. At a minimum, he's the man who gave the Democrats their mojo back Dean's policies, not his TV yelp, deserve ridicule John Kass The Chicago Tribune The same TV talking heads who now gorge on the Dean video will complain that young people don't care about politics Closing Arguments Chris Suellentrop Slate Now that Dean has turned down his volume, Clark is the race's screamer, and he sounds a little unhinged Focus shifts in N.H. campaign Anne E. Kornblut The Boston Globe As the clock runs out on the New Hampshire primary contest, the Democratic candidates are shifting their focus to a single selling point -- momentum -- to persuade voters that they are more capable of beating President Bush than any of their rivals The Southern Man to See Richard Wolffe Newsweek In South Carolina, they call him their third senator, but the way the presidential candidates are courting him, he might as well be king. It's not just his distinguished presence—his salt-and-pepper hair or his years in state and federal government—that places James Clyburn on a political pedestal Beyond The Pulpit Amanda Ripley Time As the candidates eye the South Carolina primary, they are reinventing the way they court the African-American vote In Arizona, the 'First True Test'? Evelyn Nieves The Washington Post Democrats here say Arizona is the largest state where no candidate has a geographic connection and where the population is so diverse that it will test the candidates' ability to reach a wide range of voters What Becomes a President Most? Nancy Gibbs Time As Kerry's fortunes rise, primary voters say they are searching for electability. But their quest is not that simple So, who's electable? Dan Payne The Boston Globe As I've said before: Don't tell me about your grass seed, tell me about my lawn White House Rivals Running on Empty William M. Arkin The Los Angeles Times From none of the candidates have we heard anything approaching a strikingly new vision of how the United States should think about national security in a post-Cold War era marked by terrorism Issues Are a Non-Issue This Time Around Ronald Brownstein The Los Angeles Times The candidates have been downplaying their differences on issues to focus on personal characteristics Whoop, Oops and the State of the Political Slip Sheryl Gay Stolberg The New York Times The most successful politicians do not try to hide their unflattering traits, but rather find a way to use them to their advantage Davos Report: Cheney Gets Mixed Reaction Arlene Getz Newsweek Whatever Dick Cheney expected when he came to Davos, it probably wasn’t having to explain the message on his annual Christmas card Bush leaves no promise behind Clarence Page The Chicago Tribune This year's speech made little or absolutely no mention of those promises, among others, from last year. Bush had new promises to make A Concerned Bloc of Republicans Wonders Whether Bush Is Conservative Enough David D. Kirkpatrick The New York Times Conservatives complain about the administration's spending on Medicare and education and its proposed spending on space exploration, its expansion of law enforcement powers to fight terrorism and its proposed guest-worker program for immigrants Politics of the Web: Meet, Greet, Segregate, Meet Again Amy Harmon The New York Times Online political discussion has become so fragmented so quickly that some public policy scolds warn that the Internet is in danger of narrowing the spectrum of debate even as it attracts more participants to it
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Once Were Warriors Walter Russell Mead The Wall Street Journal The illusion that a Democratic administration would abandon the vigorous prosecution of the war on terror is one of the few hopes to which America's enemies can still cling The Politics of Prayer Tony Quinn The Los Angeles Times The Democrats' problem goes beyond simply being irreligious. There's an undercurrent of hostility toward religion in the highest ranks of the party Winning the peace Clifford D. May The Washington Times If the mullahs of Iran win over the Iraqi Shi'ites, and if the Wahhabis win over Iraqi Sunni, our war against terrorism and for freedom will have taken a gut shot	Inside the 'clot:' Not for faint of heart Dave Barry The Miami Herald For the record, the other candidates with strong hair are John Kerry and John Edwards. They both have what I would describe as Ken hair, as in Barbie and Ken, although Kerry is more Lumberjack Ken, while Edwards is more Star Trek Ken Iraqis Demand Faster Transition To Ineffectual Pseudo-Democracy Confusion Road The demonstrators were incited by prominent Iraqis such as Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who has called for "unconditional, immediate sham elections"

Saturday, January 24, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Text of interview with David Kay Reuters The following are excerpts of a telephone interview conducted with David Kay, after he stepped down as the chief U.S. arms hunter in Iraq Bush Seeks 7% Boost in Military Spending Esther Schrader The Los Angeles Times The $402-billion plan covers weapons and antiterrorism programs. A separate request is expected for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan Halliburton staff sacked 'for taking bribes' David Teather The Guardian (UK) The company disclosed that investigations were going on into whether two of its staff took up to $6m (£3.3m) from a Kuwaiti-based company providing support for US troops Turkey Seeks a Say in Iraq as U.S. Ties Warm Amberin Zaman The Los Angeles Times Erdogan will discuss Kurdish areas' future during his visit to Washington next week Probe of Libya Finds Nuclear Black Market Joby Warrick and Peter Slevin The Washington Post Libya's quest for atomic weapons was aided by a sophisticated nuclear black market that offered weapons designs, real-time technical advice and thousands of sensitive parts -- some of them apparently manufactured in secret factories Pakistan Chief Says It Appears Scientists Sold Nuclear Data Mark Landler and David E. Sanger The New York Times Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, acknowledged Friday that scientists from his country appeared to have sold nuclear designs to other nations probably "for personal financial gain." Pakistanis Say Nuclear Scientists Aided Iran John Lancaster and Kamran Khan The Washington Post Pakistani investigators have concluded that at least two of the country's top nuclear scientists -- including Abdul Qadeer Khan, considered the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb -- provided unauthorized technical assistance to Iran's nuclear weapons program in the late 1980s The CIA revolt against the White House Mark Follman Salon.com Former intelligence official Larry C. Johnson blasts the Bush administration's "outright pattern of bullying." Editorial: Outing outrage The Boston Globe THE 10 FORMER CIA officers who asked Congress for an independent investigation of the leaking of case officer Valerie Plame's identity ought to have addressed their appeal to President Bush Anti-Americanism May Be Fading, but Forum Is No Love Fest Alan Cowell The New York Times There was another voice, suggesting that compared with one year ago, when the forum became a bitter joust between America and opponents of war in Iraq, some of those skeptics and foes have begun to acquiesce in Washington's exercise of power Secretary General Calls on Business Leaders to Embrace Development Challenges UN Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today 'Tomorrow's Threat' Arlene Getz Newsweek A terror expert discusses how to fight groups like Al Qaeda—and what they could do next A Tougher War for the U.S. Is One of Legitimacy Robert Kagan The New York Times More than 80 percent of Americans believe that war may achieve justice; less than half of Europeans believe that a war — any war — can ever be just Time Out Laura Rozen TomPaine.com With the clock ticking, and the commission currently slated to finish its work in May 2004, family members of those killed in the 9/11 attacks are working behind the scenes to secure an extension for the commission Colombia: Flawed Certification Squanders U.S. Leverage Human Rights Watch The United States has squandered its leverage in Colombia by signing a flawed human rights certification, Human Rights Watch said Editorial: Brazil's Moment The New York Times Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a longtime labor activist, has displaced Vicente Fox of Mexico as the most influential Latin American leader, and he is an increasingly powerful presence on the global stage	GOP Campaign Strategists Turn Focus on Kerry Doyle McManus The Los Angeles Times After hoping for a Bush-Dean matchup, some Republicans start to worry about -- and to attack -- the senator from Massachusetts Kerry Showing Strength Across Board in N.H. Ronald Brownstein The Los Angeles Times In the poll, Kerry was backed by 32% of likely voters. He was followed by Dean (19%), Clark (17%), Edwards (14%) and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut (6%) As Kerry lead grows, contenders strategize Anne E. Kornblut The Boston Globe The biggest question for Kerry, Dean, Clark, and Edwards may be how to proceed after New Hampshire, with seven far-flung states holding their primary contests on a single day Dean perceives a turnaround in N.H. Glen Johnson The Boston Globe Howard Dean insisted repeatedly yesterday that his campaign had turned the corner after a run of bad days and delivered more of the straight talk -- including a rebuke of Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan -- that he said separates him from the rest Defending Dean's Scream Dick Meyer CBS News From what I have heard, the reporters in the room when Dean allegedly wigged out didn't think there was anything odd about it. It seemed appropriate and unremarkable Editorial: Defending the Rant The Washington Post The speech has caused such big trouble for Mr. Dean because it so graphically evoked already-present worries about the candidate's temperament Clark Express Is Losing Speed Paul Schwartzman and David Von Drehle The Washington Post Having hoped for a surge, Clark has been battling stagnation, spending precious days explaining past positions, grappling with current controversies, and trying to fine-tune both his rhetoric and his campaign organization For 'soft' voters, hard choices in quest to beat Bush Thomas Oliphant The Boston Globe This is the weekend historically for the late surge and the late hit that often have decided the New Hampshire outcome Note To Democrats Art Brodsky TomPaine.com Contrast the piddling little Democratic debates over subsection B of Candidate X’s Social Security plan with the mindset of these Republicans in Congress who possess absolute power and the will to use it The State of the Union Address James Fallows The Atlantic Monthly Bush says, if you were against the war, you were implicitly for Saddam Hussein. This defines out of consideration the basis for much opposition, which was disagreement about how and when such a war should be waged The States of Iowa and the Union Agree: Bush Can Be Beaten Harvey Wasserman Free Press (Columbus, Ohio) CommonDreams.org The stunning results from Iowa far overshadowed Bush's lame, malapropic stump speech. Space travel, gay marriage, steroids in baseball, these are the burning issues for a Republican Party smug enough to be certain they can steal any election Empty Words for the War-Torn Colbert I. King The Washington Post Looking at the partisan cheering and all of the leaping-to-their-feet on the Republican side of the aisle, you wouldn't know that thousands of Americans are bearing the sorrows of armed conflict
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
The Spirit of New Hampshire Matt Labash The Weekly Standard With the "Wes-wavers," Lieberman's mom, and Dennis Kucinich in Manchester Kerry's Good Intentions David Brooks The New York Times When he makes these speeches he habitually asserts that he will mount a long public crusade. But then he takes his controversial ideas, jams them into a jar and buries them in the backyard Our Most 'Corporate' President? Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. The Wall Street Journal Clinton was a far worse crony capitalist than Bush is Sobering afterthoughts Thomas Sowell The Washington Times The prevalence of image over reality was painfully apparent in the fact Mr. Dean, who never governed as many people as a mayor of Houston or Phoenix, was considered qualified to be president of the United States in a time of deadly national peril From the Courthouse . . . William Tucker The Weekly Standard Edwards is the first of the new generation of trial lawyers to run for the nation's highest office. He won't be the last Kerry Takes Flight David Tell The Weekly Standard Okay, but what about Howard Dean suggesting that John Kerry had sent American GIs to their deaths for no good reason, I wondered? Was Cleland irked by that?	Electability Whack-a-Pol William Saletan Slate By eliminating candidates with the most serious flaws, you can identify the most electable candidate in a few simple steps A Sorry State of Affairs Gregory Jaynes The New York Times What put me in mind of all this nonsense was President Bush's State of the Union address

Friday, January 23, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
The New American Century Arundhati Roy The Nation In January 2003 thousands of us from across the world gathered in Porto Alegre in Brazil and declared--reiterated--that "Another World Is Possible." A few thousand miles north, in Washington, George W. Bush and his aides were thinking the same thing US frailty doesn't just exist in the European imagination Martin Woollacott The Guardian (UK) Try this exercise: imagine that Britain had joined France and Germany in refusing to support the war on Iraq. Where would we be today? Why Libya Gave Up on the Bomb Flynt Leverett The New York Times Diplomacy and carrots, not Iraq, swayed Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi Despair Fatigue Christopher Dickey Newsweek Dick Cheney may want to talk about the war on terror. But Davos wants to hear about Middle East peace 'Everything he says is just hot air' Conal Urquhart The Guardian (UK) It is hard to find anyone with a good word for Mr Sharon in Tel Aviv, even at his party headquarters Editorial: A Multilateral Mr. Bush The Washington Post One important advantage of the initiatives is that they are based on democratization programs that proved successful during and after the Cold War in Europe Cheney Is Adamant on Iraq 'Evidence' Greg Miller The Los Angeles Times Vice president revives assertions on banned weaponry and links to Al Qaeda that other administration officials have backed away from CIA Officers Warn of Iraq Civil War, Contradicting Bush's Optimism Warren P. Strobel and Jonathan S. Landay Knight-Ridder CommonDreams.org CIA officers in Iraq are warning that the country may be on a path to civil war, current and former U.S. officials said Wednesday, starkly contradicting the upbeat assessment that President Bush gave in his State of the Union address Bush's move-on mantra bludgeons democracy Bill Berkowitz WorkingForChange Stephen Kinzer's book documenting the CIA's 1953 coup in Iran provides a footprint to the current mess in Iraq Bush's Iraq: An Appointocracy Naomi Klein The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada) CommonDreams.org 'The people of Iraq are free," declared U.S. President George W. Bush in Tuesday's State of the Union address. The day before, 100,000 Iraqis begged to differ. They took to the streets of Baghdad shouting "Yes, yes to elections. No, no to selection." U.S. helps train 35,000 Iraqi cops Jerry Seper The Washington Times The U.S. government has embarked on a massive training program aimed at putting 35,000 Iraqi police officers on the streets of Baghdad and other major cities over the next two years Iraqi police walk perilous beat Scott Peterson The Christian Science Monitor At least 280 Iraqi police have been killed since the fall of Baghdad in April, 2003 Why the U.S. is Tip-toeing Around Iraq's Ayatollah Tony Karon Time Washington's handpicked Iraqis lack Sistani's legitimacy. And the problem is that he wants nothing less than democracy Elections or caucuses? The Economist (UK) As the United Nations prepares to send a team to Iraq, to see if elections are feasible, the Americans face some awkward choices in their quest for democracy there Lessons in Elections From an Ayatollah Robert A. Pastor The Los Angeles Times Who would have believed that an Iraqi ayatollah would be teaching the United States about the importance of direct elections, and that the Bush administration would be resisting the idea? Skeptic May Take Over Iraq Arms Hunt Douglas Jehl The New York Times Mr. Duelfer recently expressed deep public skepticism that any chemical or biological weapons would be found in Iraq A Measure of Success in Iraq Thomas E. Ricks and Liz Spayd The Washington Post Senior U.S. commanders say they are making progress toward defeating insurgents in Iraq, but caution that political disputes over the country's path to sovereignty could prolong or worsen security problems Immunity Pact For U.S. Troops In Postwar Iraq Still Unsettled Walter Pincus The Washington Post The United States has yet to begin serious negotiations with Iraqis on an agreement to guarantee that American troops in Iraq will remain immune from arrest and prosecution by local authorities once a new Baghdad government takes over Aid workers: Afghanistan in jeopardy Funding delays have put projects on hold Tom Squitieri USA Today Despite several positive developments -- including agreement on a new constitution, completion of a vital highway link and an economic boom in Kabul -- deteriorating security puts more of the country off-limits to foreign workers and investment each week Azerbaijan Accused Of Using Torture Susan B. Glasser The Washington Post The United States and other allies welcomed the "rose revolution" in Georgia but have generally refrained from forcefully condemning Aliyev in Azerbaijan Bush Aims to Raise Whose Budget? Brendan I. Koerner Slate Depending on whom you ask, the NED is either a nonprofit champion of liberty or an ideologically driven meddler in world affairs A suspect emerges as key link in terror chain Peter Ford The Christian Science Monitor Global investigators say Abu Musab Zarqawi is a central figure in one Al Qaeda-related plot after another Detainee cases hit court Warren Richey The Christian Science Monitor The high court tackles cases contesting the government's treatment of 'enemy combatants.' Editorial: Terror Trials: Military tribunals need civilian review The Dallas Morning News The lawyers happen to be active-duty members of the U.S. Navy who were assigned to defend inmates at Guantanamo Bay Vietnam holds reins on religion Nicholas Kralev The Washington Times Vietnamese worshippers face raids, confiscations and arrest if they practice their faith outside of government-sanctioned	"Saddam Capture" Bounce Ends Ruy Teixeira TomPaine.com Public Opinion Watch predicted that Bush's bounce from the capture of Saddam Hussein would disappear pretty quickly, but this is faster than even he anticipated. Check out these approval figures The Compassion Puzzle Michael Kinsley The Washington Post Republicans, oblivious to the irony, used to accuse Bill Clinton of being a dangerous left- wing radical who had stolen all their ideas. Despite the irony, a Democrat listening to the president's State of the Union speech on Tuesday is tempted to feel something similar about George W. Bush CBS: 'No' to MoveOn, 'Yes' to White House Timothy Karr MediaChannel.org AlterNet CBS rejected a request from MoveOn to air the 30-second spo. At the same time, CBS is allowing ads placed on the docket by the White House's anti-drug office In search of a theme The Economist The state-of-the-union address was dull but revealing Polls: Kerry leads rivals in New Hampshire CNN Kerry had the support of 30 percent of likely New Hampshire voters in the three-day poll, conducted Monday through Wednesday. Dean, the former Vermont governor, followed with 25 percent, and retired Gen. Wesley Clark was at 18 percent Transcript: Democratic Presidential Debate in N.H. The Washington Post The Manchester Debate William Saletan Slate Thursday night, the Democratic presidential candidates met in Manchester, N.H., for their final debate before the New Hampshire primary. Here's a scorecard on each of the top five candidates How candidates scored in debate Tom Curry MSNBC Here’s an assessment of what the five major contenders should have done and what they actually did A tedious night, with a bit of humor Jeff Jacoby The Boston Globe Clark was awful -- whiny and defensive and acting nothing at all like a former four-star general. But at one juncture, he was worse than awful -- he was positively appalling Debate Losers and Winners Fred Barnes The Weekly Standard Here's how the seven Democratic presidential candidates fared in last night's debate, the final one before the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday For Candidates, Raucous Is Out, Civil Is In Robin Toner The New York Times The stretch between Iowa and New Hampshire is a very unforgiving time Next battles get bigger Liz Marlantes The Christian Science Monitor The flurry of primaries that will come just one week from Tuesday is already putting financial and scheduling pressures on campaigns, forcing them to make critical decisions on where to send staff and purchase advertising Falling fast in New Hampshire Bill Adair The St. Petersburg Times Howard Dean's revved up rallying cry to his Iowa supporters may be one for the history books Dissecting Howard Dean's implosion Howard Fineman MSNBC Like the Challenger explosion, the faltering of Howard Dean’s campaign will occupy crash-site investigators for years, maybe For Dean, a test of grass roots' tenacity Alexandra Marks The Christian Science Monitor While volunteers are vital to any campaign, especially in multi-candidate primaries, Dean's fortunes will likely pivot on the candidate himself - his message and public persona Those who know him best say Dr. Dean can make full recovery Wayne Slater The Dallas Morning News In the place that knows him best, the stoic residents of Vermont are bemused by the idea that Howard Dean is the angry man of American politics – a label his critics have hung on him like a scarlet A The Phony Dean 'Meltdown' Russ Baker TomPaine.com The feeding frenzy over Dean's yell obscures the truth: he's still the same viable candidate that he was before N.H. may be perfect place for Dean's modesty makeover Walter Shapiro USA Today The test marketing of the sadder-but-wiser Dean began Thursday morning with a well-attended rally in the old-time opera house in Lebanon Kerry still needs to explain war vote Derrick Z. Jackson The Boston Globe Kerry, either being an inattentive sucker or simply gutless, said he voted for authorization because "the administration, including the president, recognizes that war must be our last option." Kerry redeploys his forces for February primaries Patrick Healy The Boston Globe Senator John F. Kerry's campaign is laying the groundwork to capitalize on the result of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary by bulking up staff in Arizona, New Mexico, Michigan, and other states with key primaries in February Kerry Gains Endorsement From Hollings of S. Carolina David M. Halfbinger The New York Times Already looking past New Hampshire, Senator John Kerry picked up an endorsement on Thursday from Senator Ernest F. Hollings of South Carolina, one of seven states with primaries on Feb. 3 Edwards is the strong performer Scot Lehigh The Boston Globe HOW DID the top four Democrats do? If I had to pick the strongest performer, it would be US Senator John Edwards Edwards makes big investment in New Hampshire Bill Sammon The Washington Times "For a guy who says, 'Aw shucks, I'll just go to New Hampshire and see how things turn out,' he's spending a heck of a lot of money," said a strategist for President Bush Editorial: Mr. Edwards's Bundle of Secrets The Washington Post Mr. Edwards -- alone among the serious candidates for president -- declines to provide a list of his major campaign financiers A Kerry-Edwards ticket in the works? Joan Vennochi The Boston Globe Being positive, the hallmark of John Edwards's presidential campaign, is one thing. Auditioning so publicly for vice president is another. That's what the senator from North Carolina seemed to be doing Sitting Pretty? Franklin Foer The New Republic Does John Edwards have a path to the Democratic nomination? Preaching the Values of Centrism and Embracing the Style of Clinton Diane Cardwell The New York Times Senator Joseph I. Lieberman is telling voters that his record of moderation and years of working across party lines is a combination that Republicans will not know how to counter Aiming for elusive center Peter Canellos The Boston Globe Joe Lieberman doesn't yell. To hear his supporters tell it, the Connecticut senator calibrates the political mean with the patience of a Greek mathematician Gephardt's ex-staffers find Clark to liking Brian C. Mooney The Boston Globe Twenty-five field operatives from Representative Richard A. Gephardt's organization in Iowa have signed on with the campaign of Wesley K. Clark, but only after being turned away by Senator John Edwards's campaign for budget reasons 'Boy Mayor' Kucinich Took Charge in Utility Debt Crisis David Lamb The Los Angeles Times Cleveland went bust and ousted him, but his tough stand ultimately reignited his career Four E's (a Jolly Good Fellow) Jack Welch The Wall Street Journal Do the Democratic presidential candidates have what it takes to lead? Bush to Push Increase for Homeland Security Budget Edwin Chen and Richard B. Schmitt The Los Angeles Times President to propose almost no boost in discretionary spending save for defense projects Restraint Pledged on Spending Jonathan Weisman The Washington Post Under mounting pressure from conservatives angered by surging federal spending, White House officials said yesterday that President Bush's 2005 budget will hold the growth of spending outside of defense and homeland security below 1 percent Visit to N.M. helps Bush 'loosen up' for campaign James G. Lakely The Washington Times Standing in front of a sign that read like a campaign slogan — "America: Confident and Strong" — Mr. Bush warned against trusting the presidency to those who don't share his view of how to wage the war on terror After Disputes, Congress Passes Spending Plan Carl Hulse The New York Times Congress finally finished last year's spending business on Thursday, sending the president an overdue, $820 billion measure that finances most of the federal government as well as thousands of home-state projects sought by lawmakers Bad Max Matthew Yglesias The American Prospect It's a tempting story line that Sen. Max Baucus has to cast all those pro-Bush votes because of pressure back home in Montana. It's just not true
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Paradise Lost Charles Krauthammer The Washington Post Dean as Democratic nominee promised not just happiness but glory: a Republican landslide of biblical proportions. Big majority in the House. And so many coattailed new senators that Bush could have begun repopulating the Supreme Court with 42-year-old conservatives A tell-tale tally Lawrence Kudlow The Washington Times With their Us vs. Them vision of the economy and culture, Messrs. Kerry and Edwards are clear enemies of the investor class Gap widening between Bush and conservatives Jonah Goldberg The Washington Times Out in real America where most Americans -- liberal and conservative -- don't focus on politics every day, Bush is still doing very well. And, even among conservatives, Bush has considerable political support. But among ideological and intellectual conservatives, emotional support for Bush is starting to ebb The state of the union's checkbook Stephen Moore The Washington Times There seems to be in recent years a correlation between the length of the State of the Union speech and the size of the budget expansion in the upcoming year Laughing at Dean David Tell The Weekly Standard Howard Dean cannot beat George W. Bush in a head-to-head general-election match-up for the White House. What's more, Howard Dean will not get a chance to lose that race A Crisis of Faith Jonathan V. Last The Weekly Standard At the debate there are signs that the Deaniacs are preparing for the worst Rolling Over on Judges Timothy P. Carney National Review Hatch's politeness and charity towards his Democratic colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, often the source of frustration for conservatives in Washington, is now acutely damaging to the struggle to get conservative judges onto the federal bench Better or Worse? Victor Davis Hanson National Review The harangues from some of the candidates have been quite unbelievable: Saddam Hussein's capture did little to improve our security; we cannot prejudge bin Laden's guilt; we are less safe than ever before and hated to boot; and so on Mishandling Terrorism Laurie Mylroie National Review The administration probably needs to explain at greater length just how poorly the Democrats have dealt with national-security affairs, and in particular, how thoroughly Clinton mishandled the terrorist attacks that preceded 9/11 Edwards’s “Other America” Kate O'Beirne National Review Thanks to the Heritage Foundation's indispensable Robert Rector, we know that government studies paint a dramatically different picture about the well-being of our nation's poor than John Edwards's delusional portrayal The Awfulness of Wesley Clark Byron York National Review The candidate for people who want a really bad candidate	Pope Denies Praising ‘Torque’ Andy Borowitz Borowitz Report In an official statement released today, a spokesman for Pope John Paul II disputed widely published reports that His Holiness saw and enjoyed the new biker film “Torque.” Bring Back the Boom Times in California Andy Borowitz The Los Angeles Times Change name of California to "Red Sonja 2." Boondocks Aaron Mcgruder WorkingForChange Ahem...

Thursday, January 22, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Al-Qaida will do Whatever it Takes to Assure Bush is Re-elected Gwynne Dyer Salt Lake Tribune CommonDreams.org If the real goal is still revolutions that bring Islamist radicals to power, then how does attacking the West help? Well, the U.S. in particular may be goaded into retaliating by bombing or even invading various Muslim countries -- and in doing so, may drive enough aggrieved Muslims into the arms of the Islamist radicals Another World Mother Jones The media usually labels these types of activists as 'anti-globalization,' a somewhat misleading concept that seems to imply the WSF wants to roll back history Press Statement: North Korea's Weapons Programmes: A Net Assessment International Institute for Strategic Studies (UK) North Korea’s nuclear arsenal could be around 4–8 nuclear weapons over the next year. Unless new facilities to produce fissile materials are completed, this nuclear arsenal would grow at the rate of one weapon a year Testimony: “Visit to the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center in North Korea” Siegfried S. Hecker Senate Foreign Relations Committee I am honored to share with you my report of a rather unexpected and extraordinary visit to the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center in North Korea N. Korean Evidence Called Uncertain Glenn Kessler The Washington Post The delegation's observations have alarmed U.S. officials because the trip two weeks ago appears to confirm that North Korea has processed all 8,000 spent fuel rods -- giving them enough weapons-grade plutonium for as many as half a dozen nuclear weapons "An unprecedented and shameful event in American history" Salon.com Following is the full text of a letter sent by former CIA officers to House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other key House leaders on Tuesday, calling for a congressional inquiry into the Valerie Plame case Probe of Intercepted Messages Focuses on Shelby Dana Priest and Allan Lengel The Washington Post The Justice Department's 18-month investigation into the leak of classified intercepted messages is focusing on Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), who was chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence at the time Editorial: 'The Word of America' The Christian Science Monitor If no weapons are found, then any future justification for military action against terror will require the president to restore his credibility, first by an admission of a mistake and then a correction in how intelligence is used BBC Faults Itself in Review of Furor on the Case for War Patrick E. Tyler The New York Times The BBC, which as much as any institution created a distinct culture of worldwide news gathering and reportage, was described by its own producers as being too loose with language, too distracted to investigate charges that its reporting was wrong Security Seen as Greatest Obstacle to Holding Direct Elections in Iraq by June 30 Edward Wong and John H. Cushman, Jr. The New York Times To argue that security is a serious impediment, however, would be to admit that American forces are unable to quell the running war with the insurgents How Much Democracy Should Iraqis Have? Sonya Ross Associated Press Yahoo! The form of governance advocated by the United States — the world's leading democracy — is more limited than that demanded by the Iraqis, who are new to this game Sobering facts from the frontline Steve Chapman The Chicago Tribune Precedents for failure: Examples of military powers intervening in other countries and finding themselves faced with violent Back Into Baghdad's Streets Jeffrey Fleishman The Los Angeles Times With police visibility increasing and murders declining, Iraqis seem to be steeling themselves and venturing out in defiance of danger Colonel bids for hearts and minds Matthew B. Stannard The San Francisco Chronicle Such exchanges between occupier and occupied, which happen with quiet regularity throughout the country, are essential to the United States' difficult mission of winning over Iraqis at this critical juncture in the postwar era Iraqis Face Tough Transition to Market-Based Agriculture Ariana Eunjung Cha The Washington Post How food will be produced and distributed in the new Iraq is among the biggest challenges the interim authority faces as it tries to reform the slew of state-run or state-subsidized industries that existed under the previous government How to try a dictator Richard Willing USA Today There's no instruction manual on how to prosecute Saddam Hussein. The only certainty is that anything can happen once his case lands in court Next stop Syria? Timothy Garton Ash The Guardian (UK) Washington's war on terror, as it began on September 11 2001, may be over. The campaign for freedom in the Middle East has only just begun Witness in Sept. 11 Trial Links Iran With Al Qaeda Dirk Laabs and Sebastian Rotella The Los Angeles Times Ex-spy claims agents had advance knowledge of the terrorist attacks, sources say Osama bin Laden a 'narco-terrorist' Rowan Scarborough The Washington Times The al Qaeda terror group has embraced heroin trafficking to such an extent that its leader, Osama bin Laden, is now a "narco-terrorist," says a U.S. congressman just back from a fact-finding mission in Pakistan and Afghanistan Haass: State of Union Address Stressed U.S. Desire To Avoid Confrontation With North Foreign Affairs Richard N. Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former senior State Department official, says that he was struck by the emphasis on multilateralism in foreign policy in President Bush's January 20 State of the Union speech Afghan narcotics add to woes H.D.S. Greenway The Boston Globe Ironically, the Taliban suppressed the opium poppy for a short time, but since they lost power the hillsides of Afghanistan are now once again under opium cultivation U.S. set to target Afghan opium Jerry Seper The Washington Times The United States soon will begin a major drug-eradication effort in Afghanistan, targeting opium production that has risen twentyfold over the past two years to levels similar to peak production under the terrorist-tied Taliban regime Missile Defense System Doubts Paul Richter The Los Angeles Times The Defense Department won't know whether its multibillion-dollar missile defense system will be able to accomplish its mission when it becomes operational in Alaska in September, the Pentagon's chief weapons tester said Passing on their know-how Borzou Daragahi The Washington Times As much as the past year has transformed Iraq, so it has changed the U.S. Army, giving soldiers new combat and survival skills, as well as new insights into another part of the world Debate sharpens on Patriot Act Shannon McCaffrey The Miami Herald Democratic presidential hopefuls regularly bash the Patriot Act -- and its chief supporter, Attorney General John Ashcroft -- to rousing applause from party faithful who believe the act tramples on civil liberties Editorial: The political homeland The San Francisco Chronicle Politics seemingly has infected the distribution of billions in homeland security dollars. As a result, California is getting shortchanged. Big time	Editorial: State of our Union: Looking for leadership The Miami Herald If the addresses of President Bush and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Tom Daschle represent the best that we can muster, then we are a nation of promise led by people who can't see past their own agendas Riding the Crazy Train Maureen Dowd The New York Times You wonder how many votes he scared off with that testosterone festival: the taunting message, the self-righteous geographic litany of support? The Hidden State of the Union George Lakoff AlterNet The President's speech, like most right-wing discourse these days, was in a kind of code, based on a moral system that not all Americans share Editorial: Divisive Union Financial Times (UK) It was also curiously defensive for a man selling himself as a victorious war leader. The technique he employed in his defence of Iraq policy, moreover, was often dubious Special Report The American Prospect President Bush made many claims in his State of the Union address. Experts from the Center for American Progress examine his speech to find out the truth Not So Plain Text David Kusnet The New Republic Wednesday night's State of the Union address was more partisan and pedestrian than any other major speech Bush has given. Still, it was more than adequate as a kick-off for Bush's reelection campaign Editorial: America's testy union The Toronto Star (Canada) Frayed and testy might be a better description. Polls show Bush to be a divisive figure both at home and abroad who alienates as much as he impresses An Address Worthy of Enron Richard Cohen The Washington Post Within the Bush White House lies an ugly beast that never gets acknowledged: The administration misled the American people, either purposely or out of incompetence. This is not a minor matter, because war, with all its unforeseen consequences, is not itself a minor matter Planet Bush Ellen Goodman WorkingForChange There was a whole lot more Mars than Venus in the combative speech that's going to form a celestial blueprint for the 2004 election Tracking polls in New Hampshire Associated Press The Boston Globe Tracking polls Wednesday from New Hampshire measuring the preferences of likely voters for Democratic presidential candidates Granite State gives Edwards bounce Raja Mishra The Boston Globe A Boston Globe/WBZ tracking poll released yesterday indicated Edwards was in fourth place with 11 percent support in the Granite State. But with a primary looming Feb. 3 in South Carolina, where he was born, Edwards appears to be in good position Quizzing the candidates, Part 2 Jeff Jacoby The Boston Globe I ASKED the Democratic candidates for president to answer five fair but nonroutine queries, hoping that their answers might reveal something interesting about what makes them tick. Everyone except John Kerry replied Ain't democracy grand? Molly Ivins WorkingForChange My biggest reservation about the result is John Kerry, who could take the excitement out of a soccer riot BuzzFlash interview: James Carville BuzzFlash.com WorkingForChange I can address practicality. And the practicalities are that Americans not going to trust a party to defend America that fails to defend itself Take Back Values David Callahan The Nation The problem is that few Democrats--on the campaign trail or off--have done well at moving beyond the Clinton strategy of playing defense on values. Democrats tend to operate in a debate defined by the right AWOL in the Fight Against George W. Bush Byron York National Review Kerry has had many opportunities to square off with the president. Yet an analysis of Kerry's 2003 Senate voting record shows that he did not show up for most of the Senate's confrontations with the White House New Kerry: Same as old one Joan Vennochi The Boston Globe In anticipation of a long-considered presidential run, Kerry took deliberate steps over the years to shed the liberal New England label that is political poison in other parts of the country Expert Advisor Is Handyman in Kerry's Camp John M. Glionna The Los Angeles Times Michael J. Whouley thrives on engineering comebacks like the one he helped pull off for Gore in 2000 and in the Iowa caucus Editorial: Kerry in New Hampshire The Boston Globe AN ENDORSEMENT from this newspaper for John Kerry, the junior senator from Massachusetts for almost 20 years, may not seem like news. But we think our close familiarity with the candidate gives our assessment of him more credibility, not less No. 1 qualification: Ability to beat Bush Marc Sandalow The San Francisco Chronicle "If George W. Bush wants to make national security the central issue in this campaign, I have three words for him,'' Kerry says, often bringing the crowd to its feet. "Bring it on!'' Prewar analysis, postwar anger Raja Mishra and Joanna Weiss The Boston Globe Clark the candidate proclaims: wrong war, wrong time. Clark the analyst seemed to suggest: potentially legitimate war, but far too soon Clark battles on several fronts David Jackson The Dallas Morning News Gen. Clark joined the race in September to much fanfare but soon fell prey to a rookie candidate's mistakes. Now, after skipping Iowa, he puts his four-star resume before actual voters in New Hampshire Gen. Clark’s First Stand Ben Smith The New York Observer Mr. Clark didn't campaign in Iowa, but he felt the ground shake, too. He'd been preparing to run as the electable alternative to Howard Dean Clark Refining His Battle Cry Paul Schwartzman The Washington Post He offers himself up as a kind of "General Smith Goes to Washington," telling crowds he is not a professional politician, even as he is surrounded by veterans of the Clinton-Gore campaigns Republicans train sights on Clark Charles Hurt The Washington Times Opponents who had been digging for dirt on Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean have turned their attention to Wesley Clark since Mr. Dean's poor Iowa caucuses performance, and they say they have found plenty of material Dean plans return to 'who I really am' Jill Lawrence and Susan Page USA Today With the New Hampshire primary five days away, the USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll tracking daily movement of the candidates showed Kerry, the Massachusetts senator, only 2 points behind Dean Dean returns to his message Glen Johnson The Boston Globe Howard Dean is hoping to reenergize his presidential bid with a strong antiestablishment message, a process that he began yesterday with a speech denouncing corporate influence on politics and the media N.H. casts critical eye on Dean Jeff Zeleny and John McCormick The Chicago Tribune Howard Dean, whose presidential campaign burned white hot here for months, is unexpectedly getting a cold, hard look from the state of New Hampshire Vermonters see one Dean; nation quite another Stevenson Swanson The Chicago Tribune Howard Dean's attacks on the war in Iraq and President Bush's tax cuts have won him a large following in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, but they have caused a certain amount of confusion in his home state How far a positive aura can carry Edwards Linda Feldmann The Christian Science Monitor His attempt to take the high road resonates with many in the South, but not with everyone in New Hampshire Lieberman's Rebuke of Clinton Set a Tone Stephen Braun The Los Angeles Times Senate speech against an old friend was painful for both, but it helped land him on a national ticket. It's rarely mentioned now Sharpton Battles Electability Issue in S.C. Darryl Fears The Washington Post Analysts who know black voters say South Carolina is Sharpton's proving ground Images in Ads Outpace Words in New Hampshire Howard Kurtz The Washington Post For New Hampshire residents, the consultant-crafted imagery of millions of dollars of campaign commercials mixes seamlessly with news reports, neighborhood chatter and preconceived notions Republicans try to cut off 'soft money' to activist groups Jim Drinkard USA Today Alarmed by the sudden emergence of political interest groups bent on defeating President Bush, Republicans are trying to limit the groups' ability to raise millions of dollars Infiltration of files seen as extensive Charlie Savage The Boston Globe Republican staff members of the US Senate Judiciary Commitee infiltrated opposition computer files for a year, monitoring secret strategy memos and periodically passing on copies to the media Democrats Won't Get Justice Memo Dan Eggen The Washington Post The Justice Department has formally refused a demand from Texas Democrats to release a lengthy internal memo about a Republican redistricting plan that experts believe could produce a GOP gain of as many as seven House seats Bush argues history suggests US can grow its way out of deficit Stephen J. Glain The Boston Globe President Bush and his advisers say they can turn red ink into black within the decade by delivering an average of 4 percent annual economic growth. History is on their side Conservative Republicans Push for Slowdown in U.S. Spending Richard W. Stevenson The New York Times "The Republican party has long been the party of small government," an aide to a senior Republican senator said, "but the era of small government has ended for the Republican Party." Record deficit begins to curb Bush agenda William Neikirk The Chicago Tribune President Bush's State of the Union speech provided the first sign that he is beginning to scale back his domestic agenda for a possible second term because of a budget deficit that many Republican conservatives find untenable Editorial: One Case Scalia Should Skip The Los Angeles Times Antonin Scalia scoffs at the idea that his hunting trip with friend Dick Cheney might bias the Supreme Court justice when he hears the vice president's appeal to keep the details of his 2001 energy task-force meetings secret
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Editorial: Patriot Acting Out The Wall Street Journal The phony case against an antiterror law Editorial: Ready for Battle National Review President Bush's State of the Union address gave the impression of a man eager to go out on the hustings and refute his critics — indeed, frustrated that he has not been able to do so All Politics is Local Jed Babbin National Review On Monday, the United States went — again — hat in hand to the U.N. to beg for help in Iraq. This rerun of our Sisyphean diplomacy will succeed no more than previous attempts Democratic Dudgeon R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. The American Spectator Well, look around you my Democratic friends. Look at the Internet, talk radio, the Fox Network, the intellectual reviews. You are losing cultural dominance too. As the surly feminists are wont to say, "Get used to it."	Top Ten Ways I, Howard Dean, Can Turn Things Around Late Show with David Letterman "Switch to decaf" The Dean Campaign Regroups Jeff Danziger 'Yeagh,' the Remix Bret Begun Newsweek The Internet wave Dean rode to popularity comes crashing down around him as his goofy wild speech is sampled and looped online

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Bush May Seek Billions for Iraq After Election Adam Entous Reuters Yahoo! Bush is unlikely to send the request to Congress until after the November presidential election to minimize any political damage 3-star general says Army is too small to do its job Tom Bowman The Baltimore Sun "I have been in the Army 39 years, and I've never seen the Army as stretched in that 39 years as I have today." Iraq, Afghanistan are stretching U.S. troops to the limit Daniel Sneider The Miami Herald Some 8,000 troops from the two Hawaii-based brigades of the 25th Infantry Division, the famed Tropic Lightning Division, are being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. These troops are the cavalry for the Pacific Command -- they are the men and women who are designated to rush first into battle in case of a war in Korea Army Reserve Chief Fears Retention Crisis Vernon Loeb The Washington Post Most reservists went to Iraq last year on year-long mobilizations, with a belief that they would be required to spend only six months in the country. But they were abruptly informed in September that they would have to spend 12 months in Iraq Army's new battle: Signing up soldiers Charisse Jones USA Today With bombs going off, recruiters have tough job; perks may seal deal US set for Iraq election retreat Patrick Wintour, Michael White and Ewen MacAskill The Guardian (UK) The US-led coalition in Iraq is on the verge of bowing to Shia Muslim pressure for direct elections before the handover of power on June 30, the Guardian has learned In tough Iraqi conflict, civilians pay high price Dan Murphy The Christian Science Monitor The death toll for US soldiers passed 500 last week; Iraqi civilian deaths are in the thousands Sinking Ship Robert Dreyfuss TomPaine.com Seemingly adrift from reality, President Bush last night firmly tied himself instead to a failed and sinking Iraq policy Editorial: The price of deceit The Baltimore Sun "The word of America." Mr. Bush put the credibility of his nation on the line; the price of deceit, if deceit there is, will be enormous Why Do Iowans Like To Caucus But Iraqis Don't? Ivan Eland CommonDreams.org Iowa’s version of caucuses is true grassroots democracy in action, whereas the U.S. occupation authority’s version in Iraq is a sham Iraq seen as 'one big weapons dump' Ned Colt NBC News Coalition troops have already seized an estimated 2 million tons of aging explosives, but there's still another million believed spread around the country Dispatches From Iraq Wendell Steavenson Slate The Americans are not much-liked in Abu Ghraib. Resistance activity here is the highest in the Baghdad area Editorial: Why UN Must Kibitz Bush's Iraq The Christian Science Monitor A better-managed postwar occupation might have prevented the current standoff between the US and the Shiites US seeks global aid for Iraq Howard LaFranchi The Christian Science Monitor With the US-led transition in Iraq facing growing troubles on the ground, the United States is pressing for more international help on several key fronts Another Voice of Academia Is Silenced in Iraq Nicholas Riccardi The Los Angeles Times Professor backed a Shiite cleric's call for direct elections. Had he not, 'he would have been killed by the other side,' one analyst says Libya nuclear deal exposes black market Mark Huband, Roula Khalaf and Stephen Fidler Financial Times (UK) Details of Libya's nuclear weapons programme have exposed a thriving international black market in nuclear technology on an unsuspected scale Iran's Leader: U.S. Not Ready for Talks Alexander G. Higgins and Nicholas B. Tatro Associated Press The Chicago Tribune Iranian President Mohammad Khatami called for dialogue Wednesday as a solution to global conflicts but said he felt there was no chance for political talks with the United States Egyptian Satire Taps the Feelings of the Arab Street Megan K. Stack The Los Angeles Times In the hit play 'Mama America,' the conniving moneybag nurtures only Israel. But author aims his sharpest barbs at his own people Fissures in House of Saud Arnaud de Borchgrave The Washington Times Internal security in Saudi Arabia is entirely in the hands of members of the House of Saud. So the horrifying conclusion is that certain princes sympathize with al Qaeda North Korea: Denial of right to food Amnesty International Some North Koreans have been publicly executed because they have stolen food or goods to survive - school children have reportedly been taken to see the executions What I Saw in North Korea Jack Pritchard The New York Times This administration must step out from behind China's diplomatic skirt and take the lead in resolving this crisis before Pyongyang creates a real nuclear deterrent. As it is now, North Korea is calling the shots Editorial: Mishandling North Korea The Boston Globe President Bush's hesitation to remove the threat of nuclear weapons in North Korea by entering into give-and-take negotiations with Pyongyang is looking more and more indefensible An Annotated Critique of the Foreign Policy Segments of President George W. Stephen Zunes CommonDreams.org President Bush can get away with such misleading rhetoric because he knows the mainstream media and the Democratic Party will allow him to do so Trans-Atlantic troubles Michael Moran MSNBC Though both sides appear ready to set bad blood aside, the damage to the alliance between the world’s most powerful democratic states persists to this day Exclusive: How the '20th Hijacker' Got Turned Away Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman Newsweek The story of al-Qahtani is one of several new details of the 9/11 plot uncovered by the federal panel probing the terrorist attacks Protester=Criminal? Matthew Rothschild The Progressive Increasingly, some police departments, the FBI, and the Secret Service are engaging in the criminalization--or, at the very least, the marginalization--of dissent	A Reactive Tone Shows His Ears Have Been Burning David Von Drehle The Washington Post President Bush's State of the Union speech showed just how closely he and his staff have been following the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, and how conscious they are of the opposition's emerging campaign themes State of the Campaign William Saletan Slate Here's a review of how the incumbent and his challengers performed Bush loses his aura of invincibility Gary Kamiya Salon.com In his State of the Union address, the president posed once again as the indomitable wartime leader -- but it didn't play as well this time Putting words into deeds will be tough act for Bush Michael Hedges The Houston Chronicle Now comes the hard part for President Bush -- transforming the carefully honed phrases from Tuesday's State of the Union address into a strategy that can produce results with a bitterly divided Congress in an acrimonious election year Editorial: Bush's Salvo From the Right The Los Angeles Times It's an election year: For an incumbent president, that usually means a shift to the middle of the political spectrum Bush in campaign mode: a strong defense Peter Grier The Christian Science Monitor When it comes to his handling of national security, President Bush has this to say to his Democratic critics: Bring it on. Bush's Stump Speech The Nation To defend this program, Bush once again had to distort it, presenting the pre-emptive invasion of Iraq as a global coalition effort to enforce UN sanctions Back Words Andrew Sullivan The New Republic The president revealed his deep suspicion of human freedom. Yes, he says he supports it. But in every instance--even charitable and religious institutions--he believes that government needs to get involved Floridians and Oregonians Offer Mixed Reaction to Words on War and the Economy Abby Goodnough and Sara Kershaw The New York Times In the perennial swing state that is Florida, there was little unanimity among several groups watching the State of the Union address A defiant Bush stands his ground Robert Collier The San Francisco Chronicle The assertions on Iraq underscored the president's characteristic don't- give-an-inch stance when it comes to public utterances on the fight against terrorism President's address challenges Democrats head-on Marc Sandalow The San Francisco Chronicle The divisions provide a blueprint for the coming campaign and portend a combative political season once Democrats settle on a challenger Pelosi and Daschle Official State of the Union Response Nancy Pelosi and Tom Daschle The President led us into the Iraq war on the basis of unproven assertions without evidence; he embraced a radical doctrine of pre-emptive war unprecedented in our history; and he failed to build a true international coalition State of the 'Vision Thing' Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. The Los Angeles Times Is it reasonable to suppose that the son feels that his father committed two fatal errors, which he is determined not to repeat? One might be the folly of alienating the ideological right. The other — the absence of a vision Proposals push spending beyond budget Donald Lambro The Washington Times President Bush last night proposed an ambitious package of domestic spending that will drive up discretionary expenditures far more rapidly than his recent predecessors Bush's Black Hole Economic Policy Stephen Pizzo AlterNet Against all these bullish Wall Street indicators are indicators heading in the opposite direction. Gold, which generally moves in the polar opposite direction of stocks, has also soared in recent weeks Editorial: Bush's blind spot The Chicago Tribune Bush cannot claim, though, that his tolerance for ever-higher federal spending has made this nation more secure economically as well. His failure to be the fiscal steward he campaigned as in 2000 now leaves him open to attack We See That Now Tony Hendra The American Prospect A heartfelt -- no -- abject -- no -- craven apology to the right from the left for our campaign of hate, anger and malice against God's own president We Are the Majority Rep. Bernie Sanders The Progressive How do we build a political movement in this country that represents all of the people and not a handful of millionaires? Senate Democrats Stall $328 Billion Spending Bill Helen Dewar The Washington Post The 108th Congress opened its election-year session on a fractious note yesterday as Senate Democrats blocked immediate passage of a long-overdue $328 billion spending bill Dean's N.H. lead shrivels to nothing in new poll Reuters MSNBC Dean led Kerry 25 percent to 23 percent in the three-day tracking poll, which began Sunday, the day before Kerry’s stunning win New Rules of Engagement Jonathan Alter Newsweek After they put the folding chairs away in Davenport and Pella and all the other caucus sites, the party will never be quite the same Filling War Chests Key As Campaigns Progress Paul Farhi and Thomas B. Edsall The Washington Post The former Vermont governor has raised $41 million, a record for a Democratic presidential candidate, over the past nine months In one town, opinions shift along with contest Yvonne Abraham The Boston Globe Some of the residents who had initially favored former Vermont governor Howard Dean -- and there are many -- have been reassessing their choices, some moving towards retired General Wesley K. Clark Star power fails to shine on Iowa Agence France Presse The Washington Times James Taylor and Kathleen Turner proved better political barometers than Madonna, Willie Nelson or Danny Glover, but, all in all, celebrity endorsements did not make much of a ripple in Iowa's caucuses Iowa is a warning to election-calling pundits and reporters Walter Shapiro USA Today It seems quite possible that at least three major candidates could still be jousting for position on the eve of the March 2 balloting, when 10 states -- including California, New York and Ohio -- choose delegates Iowans offer tips for Dems USA Today This early measure of the public's thinking can guide the Democrats -- and Republicans -- as the battle for the White House intensifies Lessons from Iowa USA Today A look at what worked and what didn't for the candidates Labor's Iowa Implosion Harold Meyerson The Washington Post In the renaissance of political action that labor has undergone since John Sweeney became AFL-CIO president in 1995, the unions that rallied around Dick Gephardt were among the slower pupils New Hampshire loves to puncture balloons Jill Zuckman The Chicago Tribune Terrific credentials, impressive endorsements and breathless hype don't add up to much in a state inclined to give supposed shoo-ins the heave-ho The 'undeclared': New Hampshire's wild card Alexandra Marks The Christian Science Monitor As a new, potentially anti-Dean dynamic is forming, New Hampshire could become the ultimate test of whether his candidacy can survive Twists and Turns in New Hampshire Eric Slater and Matea Gold The Los Angeles Times With Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt dropping out of the race, the seven remaining Democrats emphatically disdained the frontrunner's mantle, one that Howard Dean wore so uneasily in Iowa Wesley & Me Michael Hastings Slate The connection is clear—the Columbine shooting coincided with the Kosovo bombing, violent acts that happened on the same date. One was committed at the hands of two disturbed teenagers, the other on the orders of Wesley Clark Howard Dean and the top officials of his formerly front-running presidential campaign sought Tuesday to tone down his abrasive style after his poor performance in the Iowa caucuses -- and offered a new Dean Kerry's Globe Problem Timothy Noah Slate Kerry really does get unfavorable coverage in the Globe. The paper has exposed relentlessly, and mocked frequently, Kerry's least attractive character traits Kerry's kash Greg Palast and Charles Lewis WorkingForChange.com Here is the money behind the new top dog in the Democratic dog pound, John Kerry’s Top Ten Career Patrons Kerry finds he's not in Iowa anymore Stephen Dinan The Washington Times Iowa caucus voters preferred Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's credibility on national security to Howard Dean's electricity on Monday, but the Iowa victor will have a tougher go in New Hampshire Kerry Confident as Race Turns to New Hampshire David M. Halfbinger The New York Times Senator John Kerry has emerged from the political cellar with momentum, buzz, a fired-up campaign staff and Democratic delegates to boot Dean's New-Voter Strategy Seemed to Work, for Others Katharine Q. Seelye and Marjorie Connelly The New York Times Although bringing out first-time voters was central to the strategy of Howard Dean, they largely supported Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina in the Iowa caucuses A Concession Rattles the Rafters (and Some Dean Supporters) Jim Rutenberg The New York Times Senator John Kerry's victory in Iowa may have been a big surprise, but it was Howard Dean's guttural concession-speech battle cry that was the talk of the political world A Meltdown in History Al Kamen The Washington Post This was political history in the making, right there on television. Dean joins the ranks of famous political meltdowns, instances in which candidates revealed something of their psyches Dean: Too Old to Cry William Safire The New York Times Feisty, irreverent Howard Dean got whupped in Iowa because he wore the favorite's mantle badly Can He Come Back? E. J. Dionne Jr. The Washington Post Howard Dean was exactly what the Democratic Party needed -- last year. Having learned one lesson, Democrats moved on to the next Dean Supporters, Don't Give Up Michael Moore AlterNet Seventy-five percent of those voting in Iowa said that they are "anti-war." And whom do we have to thank for that? Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich Speech Lessons Michael Tomasky The American Prospect Why did Howard Dean collapse? Maybe because he kept talking like an insurgent instead of a front-runner Dean Now Candidate in Most Need Ronald Brownstein The Los Angeles Times He must retool his image, as Kerry and Edwards did to change voters' perceptions Dean revamps image after his loss in Iowa Peter Wallsten The Miami Herald Ideology isn't enough Eileen McNamara The Boston Globe On Monday, when it was clear that the Ohio representative could not win enough votes to be viable in the Iowa caucuses, Kucinich asked his supporters to throw their votes behind North Carolina Senator John Edwards Edwards woos Gephardt backers Associated Press MSNBC John Edwards’ campaign to help the middle class may put him in position to pick up many of Dick Gephardt’s supporters in South Carolina, including labor groups and black voters Big-Picture Politics Robert Moran National Review John Kerry did not win all of Iowa's convention delegates Monday night. He won approximately 38 percent of its delegates. This means that if we were to see the results in Iowa replicated in each and every upcoming primary contest (which we won't), there would be no nominee with the delegates to lay claim to the nomination
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
State of the Union Address The White House Some in this chamber, and in our country, did not support the liberation of Iraq. Objections to war often come from principled motives. But let us be candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam Hussein in power Big Test for the Contenders David Frum and Richard Perle The New York Times We have to be prepared to take the war to the enemy — and when it comes to offense, too many of today's Democrats are hesitant and vague Turning Right Holiday Dmitri National Review PC campuses beware: The "under-30 generation" is rebelling against rebellion itself. Across the country, College Republicans are mobilizing Foreign policy counts Harlan Ullman The Washington Times None of the viable Democratic candidates has advocated abandoning the commitment to rebuild Iraq. No clear policy alternative has emerged, and the contenders prefer to rest judgment and criticism on how well, or badly, the occupation is proceeding “Roll Up the Map” Michael Knox Beran National Review The president's success was easily gauged: you had only to look at the faces of his demoralized opposition on the floor of the House Prez Calls Dems Patriot Games Bluff Barbara Comstock National Review You gotta love a president who is not going to seek a permission slip to protect the American people, especially when compared to the Democratic presidential contenders, who check with the ACLU before defending American security Bush in Charge Wlady Pleszczynski The American Spectator A political president, wholly in command, cruising toward re-election. That’s what his State of the Union conveyed Let the games continue Tony Blankley The Washington Times For the Republicans, the revealed Deanless Democratic presidential ticket evokes conditional disappointment Wesley Clark Speaks Out Hugh Hewitt The Weekly Standard Questioning the patriotism of the president or the religious sincerity of every Republican in the country are just evidences of a bedrock unsuitability to lead a country even in peacetime, much less in wartime	Yee-Haw! My Vote Cancels Out Y'all's! Duane Bickels The Onion America's president needs to be the kind of old boy who, in the first place, kicks him some damn ass, and in the second place, don't listen to all that bitchin' about how he shouldn't be kickin' so much ass. And, if you ain't like me, guess what? My vote cancels out y'all's! Mixed Results For Howard Dean In Iowa Chortler Finishes Third In Caucus But Gets Gorillas At Des Moines Zoo To Mate After Hearing His Primal Scream Don DeLillo, Stadium Vendor Ryan Boudinot McSweeney's Hot dogs who wants hot dogs. Hot dogs cloaked in foil wrappers. Who wants. Labor Secretary Has Her Hours Cut The Onion Chao inhaled on her cigarette and added: "God, and I'm still making payments on that stupid rear-projection television." Late-night jokes Ron Brackett The St. Petersburg Times Howard Dean's speech Monday provided plenty of fodder for the late-night TV comics Tuesday

Tuesday, January 20, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Editorial: The Taliban Creep Back The New York Times Making Afghanistan secure will require a stronger effort from Pakistan's Gen. Pervez Musharraf to contain the Taliban Dutch Confirm Possible Spread of Arms Secrets Douglas Frantz The Los Angeles Times Nuclear technology developed by European consortium apparently made its way to Libya, Iran and North Korea, perhaps via Pakistan Combat fatigue? In some ways Iraq duty helps Army Ann Scott Tyson The Christian Science Monitor Tens of thousands of tanks and other vehicles are encrusted with desert sand and dust, and weary troops are eager for home. Yet the demands of fighting, while exacting a toll, also benefit armed-force preparedness in ways that are often overlooked Give Iraqis the Election They Want Robert Scheer The Los Angeles Times Proving again that Martin Luther King Jr. had the right idea, the peaceful demonstrations by thousands of Iraqi Shiites demanding direct elections have been a far more effective challenge to the arrogance of the U.S. occupation than the months of guerrilla violence Annan Signals He'll Agree to Send U.N. Experts to Iraq Warren Hoge The New York Times The move could help end the stalemate over how to turn over authority to an Iraqi-led government Hussein's trial: Make it an unabashed media event Amatzia Baram and Gabriel Weimann The Christian Science Monitor If properly handled, the accusations, evidence, and testimony would become, through the mass media, lessons for future generations Japan's Iraq deployment gets little airtime at home Bennett Richardson The Christian Science Monitor The Japan Defense Agency last week asked that all Japanese media "depart immediately from Iraq and give serious consideration whether or not to travel to Kuwait." Bringing the Afghan experience to Iraq James Dobbins The International Herald-Tribune The appointment of Lakhdar Brahimi, the former UN envoy to Afghanistan, as a senior adviser to the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, opens the possibility that the United Nations and the United States may be able to achieve in Iraq what they have just achieved in Afghanistan Iraq's Halting Progress David Ignatius The Washington Post How are things going in Iraq, six months before the planned handover of power to the Iraqi people? The honest answer is "not very well." Of mullahs and warlords Hiwa Osman The Washington Times Whether Shia or Sunni, Arab or Kurd, the liberal and democratic majority in the country have not yet found a voice for themselves. Moreover, the United States has not deemed to consult with the people of the country Roadblocks await U.S. plans for Iraqi self-rule Jim Michaels USA Today A delay or significant change in plans to transfer power risks more violence in Iraq as ethnic and religious groups take advantage of the instability to pursue their own, sometimes violent agendas Lawless in Guantanamo Richard Cohen The Washington Post To an amazing degree, the word Guantanamo has become shorthand throughout the world for American arrogance and unilateralism Exile alliance to push reform Paul Martin The Washington Times An international alliance of Syrian exile groups, buoyed by events in Iraq, announced yesterday that it plans to confront Syria's authoritarian regime by chartering a plane to fly dissidents to Damascus Editorial: Time running out in North Korean crisis Financial Times (UK) Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, is probably delighted to see confusion in Seoul and divisions among those who want him to abandon nuclear weapons Ethiopian Genocide Doug McGill In These Times The United States, which gave Ethiopia $32 million in foreign aid last year, is investigating the massacre, in which eyewitnesses say uniformed Ethiopian soldiers were aided in the murder of more than 400	How John Kerry Won Iowa Douglas Waller Time With advice from outsiders like former President Bill Clinton, Kerry had sharpened his populist message on the stump, delivering shorter, less rambling speeches with snappier bight lines that connected with audiences Iowa kicks the campaign wide open Susan Page and Jill Lawrence USA Today In most campaigns, the Iowa caucuses narrow the field by pushing candidates toward the exits. But this time, they propelled to center stage two contenders who had seemed to be out of the running Kerry Again Able to Come Through at Crunch Time Maria L. La Ganga The Los Angeles Times When did Kerry finally start to click? "Apparently four days ago," Meehan said Senator's message hits home Patrick Healy The Boston Globe Faced with the strong union support behind Dean and Gephardt, Kerry drew on the advice of his closest Republican friend, Senator John McCain, a fellow Vietnam veteran, and put a high priority on organizing military veterans Shattering Iowa Myths Todd S. Purdum The New York Times Senator John Kerry proved wrong the conventional Iowa wisdom that organization is all, but the race has just begun At Precinct 21, Politics Played Out in a Barn David Maraniss The Washington Post It was not without reason that Dean's strategists in Des Moines called Dubuque "our Sarajevo," a symbolic reference to feeling besieged As Dean Slips, The Democrats' Drama Rises Dan Balz The Washington Post Dean's vaunted grass-roots movement, which fueled the former Vermont governor's rise to the top of the Democratic field with money and energy in 2003, failed its first test at old-fashioned politics Iowa exit poll data MSNBC Victors Show Wide Party Appeal Ronald Brownstein The Los Angeles Times Positive messages by Kerry, Edwards pushed them ahead in most groups, poll finds Upbeat Message Proves To Be a Big Positive in Iowa Vanessa Williams The Washington Post As recently as November, Edwards was polling in single digits in Iowa, but his fortunes changed just after New Year's Day, when he won the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, the state's largest newspaper Howard Dean's No Good, Very Bad Night Chris Suellentrop Slate In his final days in Iowa, Dean's campaign was about his campaign. To the extent issues were at stake at all, Dean's message focused on the past A good night for the Dean-o-phobes? Not so fast! Jonathan Chait The New Republic Now the anti-Dean vote is terribly split. And Dean's vote is not going to go away. We could be looking at a long slog, and Dean has the money and intensity of support to stay in that game Little Familiar With Setbacks, Dean Stumbles Jodi Wilgoren The New York Times As televisions on the press bus showed Mr. Kerry make his victory speech, Dean aides snarked about him stealing their lines, their message, their voters, and their thunder Slowed by 3rd-Place Finish, Questions About Electability Jim VandeHei The Washington Post This much is certain, strategists say: Dean needs to win next Tuesday in New Hampshire to revive his campaign Gephardt's Poignant Echo at Site of His 1988 Victory Rachel L. Swarns The New York Times Mr. Gephardt implied that he was abandoning his presidential bid after a fourth-place showing in the caucuses here, and acknowledged that someone else would be the nominee Domestic Issues Hurt Bush in Poll Richard Morin and Dana Milbank The Washington Post When matched against a generic Democratic presidential candidate -- the party held its first nominating contest last night in Iowa -- Bush narrowly wins, 48 percent to 46 percent State of the Union Dictionary Center for American Progress A guide to understanding many of the Bush Administration's oft-used phrases. Print this out for the State of the Union and you will have no trouble following along The state of the Bush economy Mark Gongloff CNN / Money In speech, Bush to tout stronger economy, promise jobs -- but also to raise controversial proposals Bush's place in the pantheon David M. Kennedy The Christian Science Monitor A Pulitzer Prize-winning author takes an early look at Bush's place in the American presidential pantheon Bush aims to use state of the union speech to steal Democrats' thunder Julian Borger The Guardian (UK) A new study by the Pew Research Centre in Washington, showed that average voters saw themselves as closer ideologically to mainstream Democrats than to Mr Bush Going for Broke Paul Krugman The New York Times The striking thing about the "visionary" proposals floated in advance of the State of the Union is their transparent cynicism and lack of realism Bush to Portray Libya as an Example David E. Sanger and Neil MacFarquhar The New York Times The president plans to return to the theme of reform in the State of the Union, though he will not repeat the phrase "axis of evil." Domestic focus for Bush talk Carolyn Lochhead The San Francisco Chronicle He will ask the nation to persevere in Iraq and in the war on terror but will make a decided shift in focus to the economy and a new domestic agenda Trophy or albatross Bruce Fein The Washington Times Contrary to conventional wisdom, war has proven more a liability than a political bonanza for incumbent presidents. President George W. Bush's irresolution over governing post-Saddam Iraq may prove a fatal electoral albatross Michael Moore, McGovern Surrender to Clark Matthew Rothschild The Progressive It is the inexorable logic of the anybody-but-Bush position that even a nominal, newly minted Democrat who favors business and lauds the School of the Americas is acceptable All Quiet on the Northern Front James Ridgeway The Village Voice In the flesh, Clark presents a puzzle. Portrayed as a charismatic figure, he strikes one as a little wacky. (One of his political opponents likened him to a Stepford Wife.) Clark Vows to Protect Black Electorate Paul Schwartzman and Jonathan Finer The Washington Post While most of his Democratic rivals awaited results in Iowa on Monday, Wesley K. Clark flew to South Carolina, where he celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and appealed for black votes Clark's criticism of Iraq war distances him from the pack DeWayne Wickham USA Today By accusing the president of intentionally misleading the public about his reasons for launching the Iraq war, Clark has positioned himself alongside Dean as Bush's harshest critic. He also makes himself a bigger target Four-Star Staying Power? David S. Broder The Washington Post Dean's support here is skewed liberal -- not just on the war but on social issues as well. As Clark competes for that vote, he finds himself moving left Pulp Friction Kareem Fahim The Village Voice A New Hampshire Mill Town's Primary Concern: What Else but the Economy? Next Week's Primary Suddenly Takes On a Different Look David E. Rosenbaum The New York Times Dr. Dean cannot rely on his strong organization to propel him to victory in the New Hampshire primary next week A Dem the Street might like Alexandra Twin Money / CNN History shows the stock market does better under Democrats Keeping the Faith David Brooks The New York Times At the center of the Democratic Party are optimistic moderates who want to return to the confident mood of the early 1960's A Republican Nader? Timothy Noah Slate Democrats should think hard about how they can help entice a third-party candidate to enter the race who will draw votes away from the Republican nominee. It's time to begin the search for the Republican Ralph Nader The new discimination against the nonreligious Cathy Young The Boston Globe Dean has been the target of something dangerously close to a religious witch-hunt -- and that should concern all of us, whatever our party affiliation or our political, religious, and moral convictions How to Fix Politics? Believe It or Not, More Politicians George Kenney The Los Angeles Times There is no constitutional rule that says the House has to remain at 435 members. On the contrary, the framers assumed that the House would keep up with population growth Parties gravitate to center during Bush presidency Ralph Z. Hallow The Washington Times In 2002, 19 Senate Republicans amassed 100 percent conservative voting records. Not one did for 2003, according to an American Conservative Union (ACU) tally Big leftover spending bill faces block by Democrats Amy Fagan The Washington Times Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said Friday there is "strong support" among Democrats to block the bill in a procedural vote scheduled for this afternoon
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Iowa: Winners and Losers Fred Barnes The Weekly Standard There were less visible but important winners and losers in Iowa and here are some of them Editorial: Drunken GOP Sailors The Wall Street Journal Amazing as it may sound, the ostensibly small-government GOP seems totally oblivious to the fact that all this spending puts its future economic agenda in jeopardy. Appropriations do mean taxes after all, even if they're deferred taxes	Foul-mouth parrot mimics Churchill's wartime thoughts Agence France Presse Yahoo! The inner thoughts of Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill live on, thanks to the foul mouth of his 104-year-old parrot who lives at a garden centre in southeast England Enrichment Is Wasted on Me: Remembrances of Unfinished Continuing-Education Jason Roeder McSweeney's Spanish 1: Just when I thought I couldn't get any whiter, I am asked to pronounce barrio New York Nixes Brooklyn's 'Oy Vey' Sign Associated Press Yahoo! The city earlier nixed a sign reading "Leaving Brooklyn: Fuhgeddaboudit!" at the Verazzano Narrows Bridge for what agency spokesman Tom Cocola said was the same reason: "a lack of directional information."

Monday, January 19, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Editorial: When King was a target The Boston Globe IF MARTIN Luther King Jr. were alive today he might feel a chill of recognition in a government going too far to gather intelligence on its citizens in the name of national security Arms Issue Seen as Hurting U.S. Credibility Abroad Glenn Kessler The Washington Post The Bush administration's inability to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq -- after public statements declaring an imminent threat posed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein -- has begun to harm the credibility abroad of the United States and of American intelligence 9/11 Panel Unlikely to Get Later Deadline Dan Eggen The Washington Post President Bush and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) have decided to oppose granting more time to an independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, virtually guaranteeing that the panel will have to complete its work by the end of May Damage From the Alert System Is Alarming Edward N. Luttwak The Los Angeles Times Congress has a rare opportunity to greatly advance the well being of the nation at no cost to the taxpayer, simply by declaring that no government official, high or low, will be blamed or punished for failing to warn of a terrorist attack Al-Qaeda launches online terrorist manual Jason Burke The Observer (UK) In a terrorist manual published on the internet, Osama bin Laden says: 'After Iraq and Afghanistan will come the Crusader invasion of Saudi Arabia. All fighters all over the world must be ready.' Shadows at the Assassin's Gate: 'homicide bomb' tests resolve in lawless Iraq Rory McCarthy The Guardian (UK) Yesterday's blast - as the Americans called it yesterday the "homicide bomb" - marking the most serious attack since the capture of Saddam last month, highlights Iraq's unchecked slide into lawlessness MLK might have had ideas about Iraq William Raspberry The Houston Chronicle The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous 1967 "Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam" as a commentary on America's presence in Iraq U.N. in Pivotal, Difficult Iraq Role Sonni Efron The Los Angeles Times In deciding how to aid the political transition, Annan must weigh the risk of being seen as irrelevant against security concerns The Mullah Behind the Curtain Michael Hirsh Newsweek Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani's brand of Shiite democracy may be George W. Bush's best hope for transforming Iraq—and the Arab world Why the US is running scared of elections in Iraq Jonathan Steele The Guardian (UK) Washington's plan to transfer power without a direct vote is a fraud The Rise Of The Jihadists Romesh Ratnesar and Phil Zabriskie Time With Saddam in captivity, are Islamic extremists playing a larger role in the anti-U.S. insurgency? Critics want Israel to admit, abolish its nuclear program Susan Taylor Martin The St. Petersburg Times The nation, widely believed to rank fifth in atomic weaponry, doesn't need the bomb, some say Hotbed of weapons deals George Jahn Associated Press The Washington Times A former Moldovan official said Transnistria, a region the size of Rhode Island, also was a repository of rocket-mounted "dirty bombs" — warheads designed to scatter deadly radioactive material — that now are missing Nuclear scientists questioned Matthew Pennington Associated Press The Washington Times Pakistan has expanded an investigation of its premier nuclear weapons laboratory, detaining as many as seven scientists and administrators U.S. bomb said to kill 11 Afghan villagers Associated Press MSNBC A U.S. helicopter attacked a house in a village in southern Afghanistan, killing 11 people, four of them children, Afghan officials said The Monster Within Tim McGirk Time Once nurtured by Musharraf, the violent group Jaish-e- Muhammad now seems bent on killing him Iraq riches whisked to Syria Paul Martin The Washington Times Syria's Central Bank and the Medina Bank in Lebanon are holding at least $2 billion in cash, as well as gold bullion and platinum, that was smuggled out of Iraq, according to a letter written on the stationery of the Syrian army's intelligence department A Lefty Takes Bogota Maria Cristina Caballero Newsweek International Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzon will complicate Uribe's agenda (With a quote from this site's owner) U.S. Actions Toward Cuba Worry Envoy George Gedda Associated Press The Miami Herald Dabogerto Rodriguez, Cuba's top diplomat in Washington, spends his days looking for hints about what the Bush administration has in mind for his country. He doesn't like what he sees 'Managed democracy' puts Putin ally in race Anna Badkhen The San Francisco Chronicle So tight is Vladimir Putin's iron grip on Russian politics that all major opposition leaders have refused to run against him in the March 14 presidential election	Campaign Contributions: The Currency of our Democracy Color of Money Project The great amounts of cash come from neighborhoods where wealthy, non-Hispanic white populations dominate. Neighborhoods where African Americans and Latinos live are particularly underrepresented in terms of campaign dollars Timing of Address No Accident, Official Says Elisabeth Bumiller and Carl Hulse The New York Times White House officials scheduled President Bush's State of the Union address only 24 hours after the Iowa caucuses to draw attention from the Democratic victor Bush strategists hedge bets, prepare plans for Dean loss Bill Sammon The Washington Times President Bush's political strategists, who have been "war-gaming" against Howard Dean for weeks, have begun to prepare for the growing possibility that Mr. Dean might not win the Democratic nomination GOP chief expects close fall contest CNN Despite an improving economy and President Bush's strong poll numbers, Republicans expect a tight race this fall, the chairman of the Republican National Committee said Kerry keeps slim lead on decision day Reuters MSNBC Kerry led Howard Dean 25.0 percent to 22.0 percent in the three-day tracking poll, with John Edwards at 21 percent and Richard Gephardt at 18 percent Invitation? What Invitation? Karen Tumulty Time Howard Dean says Jimmy Carter asked him to church in Georgia. Carter doesn't think so In Ga., Dean Embraces Carter John F. Harris The Washington Post Carter said he was flattered by the attention for a "has-been politician" -- but he also seemed eager to ensure that Dean did not take liberties in his pursuit From Vermont, A Surprise Visitor John F. Harris The Washington Post The appearance of the candidate's spouse was the highlight of Dean's day here Iowa's outcome sets the stage Tom Curry MSNBC MSNBC.com interviews with several voters over the past four days confirm the slippage in support for Dean that is evident in polling Beyond Belief Ryan Lizza The New Republic John Edwards will need more than new converts to make a strong showing in tonight's cacuses. He just may get it Iowa Surprise? Michael Graham National Review There are three good reasons to keep your eye on Edwards tonight Analysis: Gephardt then and now Jeff Greenfield CNN It is, to put it mildly, highly doubtful that Gephardt's supporters surf the Web with anything like the frequency and enthusiasm of Dean's backers Kerry: Snaps up undecideds Andrea Stone USA Today Meehan and others trace the campaign's resurgence to a staff shake-up in November Kerry camp was sure of upswing ahead Patrick Healy The Boston Globe The timing and trajectory of Kerry's surge -- in which he has wooed voters from other campaigns and won first-place status in recent polls -- cannot be tied to any one transformative moment Kerry belittles Edwards, then takes it back CNN The 60-year-old senator from Massachusetts talked about his experience and then said, "When I came home from Vietnam in 1969, I don't know if John Edwards was out of diapers then yet or not, I'm totally not sure. I don't know." Wesley Clark's Pro-War Manifesto Byron York National Review The quotes are from two op-eds Clark wrote last April for the Times of London. Taken together, they suggest that Clark's approval of the war was even deeper and more far-ranging than originally thought Lieberman languishes in the second tier Carolyn Lochhead The San Francisco Chronicle Senator fading despite spot on 2000 ticket Carter Put It on the Map, and Iowa Hasn't Budged Since Todd S. Purdum The New York Times Depending on your viewpoint, the Iowa caucuses have become either an established ornament of American democracy or an unrepresentative abomination The Question all the Candidates Must Face Joe Klein Time Can you make us feel safe? Not every Democrat has a convincing answer Meany vs. Deanie John Fund The Wall Street Journal The rising power of the public-sector unions is one reason why even a leading official from a union backing Mr. Gephardt gives Mr. Dean a good chance to win tonight Nothing Like a Good Wait on the Campaign Trail Paul Farhi The Washington Post If you're interested in the Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa, get ready to wait. The blur of campaign events leading up to Monday's caucuses are mostly about things not happening on time Democratic only on map, county's values lean right Yvonne Abraham The Boston Globe Exhibit A in the decline of the Democratic Party in the South: the meteoric rise of Chester County party chair Alex Wylie Editorial: Today, every American has reason to fear their loss The Houston Chronicle This year, as evidence mounts that Americans' civil rights are eroding and under attack, every American has reason to commemorate the life of Martin Luther King The no jobs president James K. Galbraith Salon.com Don't believe the Bush administration's hand-wringing over its pathetic record on employment. The president's backers want a stagnant job market -- it keeps the help from getting uppity Cheney's Lack of Flair Is Just the Ticket for Many in GOP Maura Reynolds The Los Angeles Times In crowds like this — friendly, pro-military — his charm arises precisely from his unadorned style, which enhances the sense that he's leveling with his audience A Democratic Rallying Cry: Vote Bush Out of Rove's Office Elisabeth Bumiller The New York Times To the Democratic presidential candidates, the powerful White House political strategist they consider President Bush's evil genius might as well be on the ballot He Came Not to Praise King but ... Rev. Timothy McDonald The Los Angeles Times After a brief "official business" visit to the grave site — read: taxpayers foot the bill — Bush rushed off to a $2,000-a-plate fundraiser that same evening, picking up a cool $1.3 million States ranked as most corrupt Guy Taylor The Washington Times Mississippi is the most corrupt state, with North Dakota and Louisiana a close second and third, respectively, according to a report released Friday by a D.C.-based legal newsletter Same Budget, Different Year Janet Hook The Los Angeles Times Funding for almost half the government is teetering on a partisan brink in Congress, with its fate thrown into question by disputes over a motley array of issues
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Howard Dean's decline Robert Novak TownHall.com The last week has been a nightmare for Dean. Beginning with a run-in on Sunday, Jan. 11, with a Republican heckler, he has looked increasingly less presidential Wising Up to Dean David Hogberg The American Spectator Dean is bit of a charlatan, and an arrogant one to boot. Some likely caucus-goers, it seems, are getting wise to it The Curse of the Creative Class Steven Malanga The Wall Street Journal A far more serious--indeed, fatal--objection to Mr. Florida's theories is that the economics behind them don't work The Risk of Velvet Gloves Gian P. Gentile The Washington Post I truly hope the Marines' velvet glove works, that it saves the lives of Marines and Iraqis, and leads to a stable and secure region. But I also fear that this approach, by dismissing the cultural and tactical differences in the Sunni Triangle, will ignore the hard-won gains of Army units Undoing the party herd Mark Steyn The Washington Times If the rap against Mr. Dean is that he's gaffe-prone, shoots from the hip, says loopy stuff — that goes tenfold for Mr. Clark The witless challenge the wits Suzanne Fields The Washington Times Mr. Franken is going unarmed into a battle of wits and humor against Rush Limbaugh	The State of the Union Address Drinking Game DrinkingGame.us “nukular"= 1 drink Aristotle on Relationships Frank Gannon The New Yorker I propose to treat of sexual relationships of various kinds, noting the essential qualities of each Farmer's Diamonds Go to Waste But Are Recovered Reuters Yahoo! It's not quite the goose that laid the golden egg, but an Indian diamond merchant's prize cow is producing bejeweled dung

Sunday, January 18, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs	U.S. Politics / Election 2004
Iraq Blast Kills 18; U.S. Toll Hits 500 Patrick J. McDonnell, Edmund Sanders and Jeffrey Fleishman The Los Angeles Times At least six Americans are hurt in a suicide bombing at coalition headquarters, a day after three soldiers die in a roadside attack Iraq Rebels Seen Using More Skill to Down Copters Eric Scmitt The New York Times A classified Army study of the downings of military helicopters in Iraq found that guerrillas have used increasingly sophisticated tactics and weapons — including at least one advanced missile — to attack American aircraft US stars hail Iraq war whistleblower Martin Bright The Observer (UK) Gun appears in court tomorrow accused of breaching the Official Secrets Act by allegedly leaking details of a secret US 'dirty tricks' operation to spy on UN Security Council members in the run-up to war in Iraq last year A Dishonest War Edward M. Kennedy The Washington Post Of the many issues competing for attention in this new and defining year, one is of a unique order of magnitude: President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq. The facts demonstrate how dishonest that decision was Iraqis make life dangerous for new police Tom Hundley The Chicago Tribune Being a cop in Iraq these days can feel a little like being the pop-up duck in a carnival shooting gallery Iraq attacks complicate UN role plans Paul Reynolds BBC (UK) The latest bomb in Baghdad makes the attempt by the United States to bring the United Nations back into Iraq even more difficult US plan angering new Iraq parties Anne Barnard and Farah Stockman The Boston Globe The United States is scrambling this week to defend its controversial plan to form a sovereign Iraqi government through regional caucuses, rather than direct elections U.S. Tries to Give Moderates an Edge in Iraqi Elections Edward Wong The New York Times Complicating the task, the Americans feel pressure to satisfy a caldron of restive Shiites, Kurds hungering for autonomy and Sunni Arabs who fear being marginalized The Cleric Spoiling U.S. Plans Susan Sachs The New York Times Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has effectively commandeered the Bush administration's planning for Iraq's postwar democracy A Foreign Policy of Try, Try Again Steven R. Weisman The New York Times "It's nice to think that when there is a challenge, the United States goes in with a well-formulated plan and sticks to it," said John Lewis Gaddis, a professor of history at Yale. But "there is no historical precedent for that happening." Electing Chaos Jennifer Bremer The Washington Post There are two election scenarios that could lead to disastrous outcomes for the Iraqis and ourselves: (1) the Shiites win and (2) the Shiites lose Broadcast Blues Bruce B. Auster US News and World Report A defense contractor got paid big bucks to train Iraqi journalists, and botched the job Editorial: Finding Elusive Bin Laden The Los Angeles Times Finding Bin Laden will require another tip; getting that requires men and women who understand the tribal culture of the Afghan-Pakistani border where Bin Laden is thought to be hiding Afghan Town Languishes as No Aid Comes Hamida Ghafour The Los Angeles Times Gandomak is in a region where foreign staffers fear to tread. The village has a proud history but no school, clinic or roads The Syrian Connection Mark Hosenball Newsweek George W. Bush has said the United States will relentlessly hunt terrorists and anyone who helps them. So why did the Germans and Americans give up the trail of a company that, according to their own investigators, may have been harboring jihadis? War of Ideas, Part 4 Thomas L. Friedman The New York Times The Bush team destroyed the Iraqi regime in three weeks and has not persuaded Israel to give up one settlement in three years. To think America can practice that sort of hypocrisy and win the war of ideas in the Arab-Muslim world is a truly dangerous fantasy My Secret Talks With Libya, And Why They Went Nowhere Gary Hart The Washington Post My experience of 12 years ago suggests a missed opportunity to curb Libya well before Iraq North Korea Reaches Out to Japan in a Series of Quiet Signals James Brooke The New York Times Facing a choice of Japanese sanctions or Japanese aid, North Korea is quietly taking steps to unblock its longstanding political logjam with Japan India, Pakistan and Peace Without Borders Anand Giridharadis The New York Times In a region accustomed to war, peace is, quite literally, in the air. The question now is whether it can take hold on the ground Chinese Move to Relax Severe Judicial Penalties Philip P. Pan The Washington Post The Chinese government is planning to implement judicial reforms that could sharply reduce its use of the death penalty and is debating new legislation to abolish the power of police to send people to labor camps without trial Revealed: how Pakistan fuels nuclear arms race Antony Barnett The Observer (UK) Antony Barnett investigates the illegal global market in nuclear equipment and expertise and how the weapons programmes of Iran, Libya and North Korea all lead back to Pakistan Air Forces Eyed to Fill Combat Power Gap Robert Burns Associated Press The Miami Herald The moves, which have not been publicly announced, are designed to lower the risk that commanders in the Pacific - especially those responsible for the defense of South Korea against a strike by the North - might be left with too little firepower to deter an attack Talking Back To the Global Establishment Tom Hayden AlterNet Developing countries at the WSF are saying no to Washington's agenda. Will anti-Americanism become the driving passion of global politics?	Poll Bolsters Bush on Terrorism but Finds Doubts on Economy Robin Toner and Janet Elder The New York Times His overall approval rating now stands at 50 percent, comparable to President Bill Clinton's 47 percent in January 1996 Kerry holds slim lead in four-way Iowa race Reuters MSNBC Kerry led Howard Dean 24.4 percent to 23.1 percent in the three-day tracking poll, with Richard Gephardt at 18.8 percent and John Edwards at 18.4 percent Investors Point to Iowa Winner John Tierney The New York Times Howard Dean is the choice of two political futures markets, where thousands of speculators, unlike journalists, put their money where their punditry is Journalists Not Loath to Donate To Politicians Howard Kurtz The Washington Post More than 100 journalists and executives at major media companies, from NBC's top executive to a Fox News anchor to reporters or editors for the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, CBS and ABC, have made political contributions in recent years Beyond red and blue Robert David Sullivan The Boston Globe Aiming somewhere between the reductionist red-and-blue model and the most accurate (but least useful) subdivision of the United States into infinity, I split the country into 10 regions The 10 regions of US politics Robert David Sullivan The Boston Globe Each region represents about one-tenth of the national electorate, casting between 10.4 million and 10.8 million votes in the 2000 presidential election. To win in 2004, a candidate will have to win at least five regions, and preferably six The New Electoral Sex Symbol: Nascar Dad Jeff MacGregor The New York Times "Joe Six-Pack," they called him once, and "the Angry White Male." Like the political holy ghost, he's everywhere and he's nowhere. At least until Nov. 3 Get Real Michael Signer The Washington Post The authenticity strategy, at first such a boon, ultimately undermined all their candidacies. It became clear that the flip side of "straight talk" was often intemperateness, eccentricity and political inexperience Divided We Stand Peter S. Canellos The Boston Globe In this presidential election year, the country finds itself in the midst of a surprising cultural clash — between the forces loyal to George Bush and those loyal to, yes, Bill Clinton Quizzing the Democratic candidates Jeff Jacoby The Boston Globe I invited all the candidates to answer five questions that I hoped might elicit some insight into their political ideals. Only John Kerry and Dick Gephardt didn't respond An Excess of Foot-in-Mouth Is Linked to a Lack of Shut-Eye Diane Cardwell The New York Times The candidates, working 14-, 16- or 18-hour days, often in subzero temperatures, have been snapping at voters, flubbing their well-worn lines and fighting the many maladies of the road with pills, potions and catnaps they catch any place they can Going Deep With Iowa's Meta-Voters Matt Bai The New York Times Dick Gephardt's pollster needs to dig into the psyches of Iowa's ultra-savvy voters and find out how they feel — really feel — about the guy Grins and Grenades Howard Fineman and Michael Isikoff Newsweek Showtime: The system was supposed to produce a quick outcome. But these are the Democrats, after all. How the dogfight is heating up—and why it just might last 'til spring Living in Bill's Shadow Nancy Gibbs and Matthew Cooper Time Clinton may be everyone's campaign consultant, but that does not mean the former President defines his party anymore—or that he ever really did Power struggle roils Democrats Donald Lambro The Washington Times The contest for the Democratic presidential nomination is also a political power struggle about who will control the party apparatus and its agenda, and the liberals are winning it Don't be surprised if there's no surprise Cragg Hines The Houston Chronicle Thirteen had been contacted most by Dean. When all those hands went up, Luntz commented that Dean's organization is "hot and operating and out there and loud." Dean's attacks on press hint at coverage gone sour Mark Jurkowitz The Boston Globe The tenor of that coverage prompted William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard magazine, to conclude that "the media really turned on Dean," and Salon.com writer Eric Boehlert to decry the candidate's "increasingly caustic treatment from the media." For Dean's brigade, an 'Iowa storm' watch Rick Klein The Boston Globe Many crucial organizing tasks -- door-to-door vote canvassing, phone-banking, and logistical support like organizing rides to caucus sites for senior citizens -- have fallen to untested volunteers from outside Iowa Critics find Dean less than liberal Bennett Roth The Houston Chronicle Vermont record tilts to social left and fiscal right The WASP's Nest Evan Thomas and Daniel Klaidman Newsweek Howard Dean keeps his past to himself. But one key to the feisty contender lies at a quaint Eastern prep school Dean May Have Lost His Lead, but Not His Air of Confidence Matea Gold The Los Angeles Times He dismisses Iowa polls showing a four-way tie, saying they can't gauge his backers' dedication Ill-suited for the road Roger Simon US News and World Report Dean wears the same suit day after day on the road, because he travels with only one suit. If he brought along a second suit, he says, he would have to carry a suit bag, and he will not carry a suit bag How Dean became the darling of the left Marc Sandalow The San Francisco Chronicle Dean's history shows an unmistakable progression toward his party's left wing The Yankee Al Gore Debra J. Saunders The San Francisco Chronicle I want to understand how a man can be so brave that he earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts in Vietnam, yet he then can be so craven that when he protested the war, he threw away other people's medals in protest Edwards could attract second-choice caucus vote Charlie Savage The Boston Globe Inside the Iowa caucuses tomorrow night, John Edwards may end up attracting a disproportionate share of those voters who are forced to pick a second choice under the quirky election rules Wesley Clark Remains Cagey on the Stump James Ridgeway The Village Voice He has strongly supported the School of Americas, a U.S. military training school that taught scores of Latin American army officers the techniques of modern warfare, including—according to a declassified Pentagon report—off-the-books skills like execution, torture, and kidnapping Peace, and Kucinich, Gets a Chance Jennifer S. Lee The New York Times The home of Maharishi University of Management and a center of the Global Country of World Peace, Fairfield and the surrounding area is home to 2,000 practitioners of Transcendental Meditation who began settling there in the early 1970's Pestering or politics? For Iowans, a fine line Christy Hoppe The Dallas Morning News Many undecideds find a persistent downside to the personal attention Iowa Squeaker Could Complicate Rather Than Clarify Campaigns Ronald Brownstein The Los Angeles Times The Iowa caucuses are supposed to provide the first answers in the presidential nomination race. But this year, they may only supply questions Tight Race Amid Shifting Views Dan Balz The Washington Post Two days before one of the most competitive caucuses in the state's history, Iowa voters are working almost as hard as the candidates CALIFORNIA: Close race could make state relevant Marc Sandalow The San Francisco Chronicle For every candidate but the front-runner, California's March 2 primary looms as a pivotal stop in the march toward the Democratic presidential nomination Cheney playing 'Dr. Doom' to president's Dr. Feelgood James Sterngold The San Francisco Chronicle The president and his often dour running mate are known for their sharply differing personalities; with his paper-dry wit and droning delivery, Cheney has occasionally been called Dr. Doom Bush fulfilled about 46 percent of campaign 2000 promises, analysis shows Ron Hutcheson and William Douglas Knight-Ridder The Miami Herald A Knight Ridder analysis shows that Bush has fulfilled about 46 percent of the promises he made during the 2000 campaign, leaving a lot of work to do in the last year War protesters proud they got to jeer Bush Jeffry Scott The Atlanta Journal-Constitution For two years, the antiwar movement in Atlanta has waited for the moment Thursday when President Bush's motorcade pulled up at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center Address Will Depict Bush as Above Politics Mike Allen The Washington Post Bush strategists have long been concerned that Americans would become complacent about confronting terrorism and would question whether it is a war. But the war on terrorism is Bush's justification for deficits, for the attack on Iraq and, to some degree, for his reelection Ashcroft's Way Chitra Ragavan US News and World Report America's top cop has been demonized and lionized. He's a complex guy all right, just not the guy everyone thinks he is Hopes for Civility in Washington Are Dashed Dana Milbank and David S. Broder The Washington Post As Bush begins the final year of his term with Tuesday night's State of the Union address, partisans on both sides say the tone of political discourse is as bad as ever -- if not worse Editorial: Fixing Democracy The New York Times If this year's presidential election is at all close, there is every reason to believe that there will be another national trauma over who the rightful winner is The Pope's Thumbs Up for Gibson's 'Passion' Frank Rich The New York Times The marketing of "The Passion" plugs into the spiritual McCarthyism of our cultural moment. It demeans the pope to be drafted into the scheme American Dream Finds New Home Joel Kotkin The Los Angeles Times Driven chiefly by soaring housing costs on the East and West coasts and the growing appeal of traditional values, the region from the Mississippi River to the Rockies has stopped hemorrhaging people and, in some places, even begun to outperform economically some of the much-hyped "cool" cities of the late 1990s boom Congress Reconvenes Tuesday To Open Election-Year Session Helen Dewar The Washington Post The 108th Congress reconvenes Tuesday for an election-year session that will likely see few legislative breakthroughs and more of the partisan acrimony that has stalled action on key issues Broward's Deutsch woos voters far from home Lesley Clark The Miami Herald Rep. Peter Deutsch, who represents some of the most liberal turf in Florida, works on courting the Panhandle's conservative Democrats in his run for the U.S. Senate
The Right Wing	Funny stuff
Minority Opinion Ryan Gorsche Newsweek Dean rules Dartmouth, but the school's conservatives are hanging tough I'm proud of Halliburton Kevin Wilson The Houston Chronicle I am a Halliburton general manager in Baghdad, and I work as part of the Restore Iraqi Oil, or RIO, team. In the execution of this mission, I have been constantly astounded and disturbed by the inaccuracies and, what seems to be, blatant media sensationalism Reality check Oliver North The Washington Times Mr. Record's contention that we are somehow failing in the War on Terror because of a "detour" and "distraction" in Iraq simply denies the realities of what was and is happening in Mesopotamia	See nice and manly men at a rally near you Dave Barry The Miami Herald Edwards is surging in Iowa because (a) we in the media are severely bored with the other candidates, and (b) Iowans are big on nice Saluting `dad's best friend' Catherine Gabe The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer The Houston Chronicle The Avon Heritage Duct Tape Festival is to take place Father's Day weekend -- June 19-20

Saturday, January 17, 2004

National Security / Foreign Affairs

U.S. Politics / Election 2004

"The Intelligence on Iraq's WMD: Looking Back to Look Forward"
Congresswoman Jane Harman
In remarks given before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, Harman offered the President suggestions for reform and a critique of the process that created the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq
Court May Hear Case of Terror Suspect
Anne Gearan
The Washington Post
The Bush administration asked a federal court yesterday not to force the release of a U.S.-born suspected terrorist, and immediately appealed the case to the Supreme Court
Libya's black market deals shock nuclear inspectors
Ian Traynor
The Guardian (UK)
The ease with which the complex bomb-making equipment was acquired has stunned experienced international inspectors
U.S. Officials Try to Trace Illegal Sale of Nuclear Technology
Eric Lichtblau
The New York Times
American officials are investigating whether Pakistan took part in a scheme to export devices that could be used to trigger nuclear weapons
U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 500
Associated Press
MSNBC
The number of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq since the war began last March reached 500 on Saturday after a roadside bomb detonated north of Baghdad, killing three
The Daily Body Count
Medea Benjamin
AlterNet
I fear that the American people been lulled into accepting these daily casualties, processing them as lightly as they do the day's weather report or the sports figures
Attacks down, but threat of foreign fighters seen
Bill Glauber
The Chicago Tribune
Attacks against U.S. and other coalition forces have been cut in the wake of last month's capture of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but America's senior military commander in Iraq warned Friday of foreign fighters becoming a "greater threat" in the future
Learning from the Pros
Christopher Dickey
Newsweek
As it turns out, these old pros, the insurgent and the counterinsurgent, think a lot alike these days, and Waghelstein, along with his former nemesis, is still trying to figure out how the people in the U.S. administration who planned for so long to eliminate Saddam managed to plan so poorly for what came after
U.N. Support Crucial in Iraq, U.S. Says
Robin Wright
The Washington Post
The United States plans to ask the United Nations on Monday to play an active role in virtually every aspect of the political transition in Iraq, from overseeing the selection of an Iraqi government and writing new laws to the transfer of power
Editorial: In Search of Rescue
The Washington Post
WITH ITS STRATEGY for Iraq on the verge of unraveling, the Bush administration has belatedly embraced an idea it should have accepted long ago: that a political transition conducted by the United Nations is more likely to be accepted by Iraqis
Clerics Urge Shiites to Protest
Daniel Williams
The Washington Post
Preachers in Shiite Muslim mosques appealed to their followers Friday to prepare for demonstrations, strikes and possible confrontations with occupation troops to back up demands for elections
Halliburton Gets More Iraq Work
Jackie Spinner
The Washington Post
The U.S. government yesterday awarded a Halliburton subsidiary, under fire for how much it paid to import fuel into Iraq, a competitively bid contract worth as much as $1.2 billion
The danger of latter-day mercenaries
Raenette Taljaard
The International Herald-Tribune
This widening use of private military organizations presents new practical and ethical challenges that must be addressed before they get out of control
Fresh Recruits
Eleanor Clift
Newsweek
"We've extended so many people, we look like we're conscripting people," says California Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher, who has 25 cosponsors for her bill to expand the military by 8 percent over three years
Editorial: Some troops inadequately trained and equipped
The Houston Chronicle
That some National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers are being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan undertrained and ill-equipped is appalling and calls for a congressional investigation
Editorial: Arising in Iran
The Boston Globe
The sham quality of the system's democratic facade was on display Wednesday when Iran's unelected supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told the 12 clerics he had appointed to a watchdog committee they should reconsider their disqualification of 3,600 reform candidates for Parliament
Hamas Founder Shrugs Off Israeli Assassination Threats
Ken Ellingwood
The Los Angeles Times
Yassin is accused of approving a recent suicide attack, which he denies. Thousands of his supporters demonstrate in Gaza
Abuses force America to end aid to Uzbekistan
Nick Paton Walsh
The Guardian (UK)
The withdrawal of the aid, due to US laws that prohibit Washington from supporting regimes considered too abusive of human rights, could have damaging consequences for the Pentagon's strategic presence in central Asia
Pla