CAIRO, Egypt — Al-Qaida has invited journalists to send questions to its No. 2 figure, Ayman al-Zawahri, in the first such offer by the increasingly media-savvy terror network to “interview” one of its leaders since the 9-11 attacks. The invitation is a new twist in al-Qaida’s campaign to reach a broader audience, and represents an attempt by al-Zawahri to present himself as a sophisticated leader rather than a mass murderer. The advertisement, issued by the group’s media arm Al-Sahab on an Islamic militant Web site, invites “individuals, agencies and all media” to submit written questions for al-Zawahri by sending them […]
HOORAY FOR CLARITY: Time Shitcans William “The Bloody” Kristol & Charles “The Hammer” Krauthammer
NEW YORK OBSERVER: Two conservative Time magazine columnists are on their way out the door: Neither William Kristol nor longtime contributor Charles Krauthammer will be on contract with the magazine starting next month. Mr. Krauthammer confirmed the news to Off the Record, and a spokeswoman for Time said Mr. Kristol’s contract would not be renewed. The exact reasons for the departures of Mr. Krauthammer and Mr. Kristol, both high-profile backers of the Iraq war, are not entirely clear.“ I was very happy to work with them,” said Mr. Krauthammer on the phone from his Washington office. Asked if he would […]
ST. JOHN ALLIANCE: The Perfectly GOOD Explanation
PICTURE NOT RELATED: “Stigmatization of St Catherine of Siena” by Domenico di Giacomo di Pace “Beccafumi” il Mecherino SHE SAID: “The innuendoes and lies that have appeared on the internet and in the National Enquirer concerning John Edwards are not true, completely unfounded and ridiculous. My video production company was hired by the Edwards camp on a 6 month contract, which we completed December 31, 2006. When working for the Edwards camp, my conduct as well as the conduct of my entire team was completely professional. This concocted story is just dirty politics and I want no part of it.” […]
THIS JUST IN: Giuliani Hospitalized
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Republican Rudy Giuliani was admitted to a hospital Wednesday night for flu-like symptoms, his campaign said. The former New York City mayor felt the symptoms while campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination in Missouri, and they soon became worse, campaign spokeswoman Katie Levinson said. The mayor decided to go to a St. Louis hospital and spend the night there, she said. “The symptoms worsened as the day wore on and shortly after taking off from Chesterfield, Missouri, for New York the mayor became uncomfortable enough that our plane returned to the airport in Chesterfield,” Levinson […]
DELIVERANCE: The Ballad Of Huck And Dogboy
UTOPIA ANIMAL RESCUE: (Miller County, Arkansas) Two boy scout counselors, 17 year old Clayton Frady and 18 year old David [Huckabee], the son of Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, have admitted to catching a stray dog during their summer session at Camp Pioneer in Hatfield, AR, and hanging the dog by his neck, slitting his throat and stoning him to death. Camp officials, who did not report the crime to law enforcement officials, have admitted that the act did occur and have fired the boys from their positions. However, no charges have been filed against the young men. Arkansas State Police […]
DIRT BOMB: The John Edwards ‘Love Child’ Blues
THE NATION: If the story is true, John Edwards is finished as a contender for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. The story is the National Enquirer cover piece — which will go on the racks at the supermarkets and drug stores of Iowa, New Hampshire and the other 48 states Wednesday morning — that claims the former senator from North Carolina is the father of a soon-to-be-born “love child.”The article claims Edwards, who has long burnished an image as the consummate family man and whose wife Elizabeth is a key player in his campaign, had an 18-month affair with female […]
HOT DOC: Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon
Dear jonathan, Last weekend, I was proud to travel through Iowa with John Edwards during his “Main Street Express” bus tour as he met with caucus goers and discussed his specific ideas for providing universal health care, ending the war in Iraq, stopping global warming, and taking back our government from the powerful corporations and special interests who run it. Now, I am happy to help him kick off his final push before the caucuses. Today, John’s campaign is launching a great new video you really should check out. It’s a movie trailer, actually — a preview of all that […]
WORTH REPEATING: It’s The First Amendment, Stupid
Despite all our Vento-bashing, let us be clear: Joey Vento has a constitutional right to hang whatever asshole sign he wants on his cheese steak casino shack. That is the price of free speech: Sometimes people say things you don’t want to hear. Sure, it makes him look like a tone-deaf xenophobic bully in the best case scenario and a paranoid ignoramus deeply mistrustful of anyone a shade darker than Caucasian in the worst case scenario. And it reflects poorly on the city, VERY poorly. But barring some proof of denial-of-service based on racial discrimination — and to date there […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
MONSTER: Father Stomps Mother To Death In Front Of 7-Year-Old Son Ferman said the youngest son told police his father became angry Saturday night over a takeout food order and began “punching his mother in the mouth.” The boy tried to call for help, but his father ripped out the phone cord, locked the front door, and continued beating his wife. “The boy related that his mother then said to him, ‘I’m going to die. I love you,’” the criminal complaint said. The boy told police his father left the kitchen and put on a pair of shoes, “returned to […]
TRAILER: Persepolis
This looks cool, Punky Brewster comes of age in post-Revolution Iran. RELATED: TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iranian police have closed down 24 Internet cafes and other coffee shops in as many hours, detaining 23 people, as part of a broad crackdown on immoral behavior in the Islamic state, official media said on Sunday. The action in Tehran province was the latest move in a campaign against fashion and other practices deemed incompatible with Islamic values, including women flouting strict dress codes and barber shops offering men Western hair styles. “Using immoral computer games, storing obscene photos … and the presence of […]
BE VERY AFRAID: The Walls Have Ears
CBS NEWS: Two months ago, President Bush made a strong argument for updating a law which oversees the government’s ability to engage in surveillance of Americans and non-citizens, which requires warrants from a secret court. He spoke of the importance to our nation’s security to have a bill ready for him to sign, so as to not “limit” his administration’s anti-terrorism activities.But underneath this urgency was a threat: Even if Congress sent him an updated Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) bill with the provisions he said were required to pursue wiretaps of individuals with a minimum of judicial oversight, Mr. […]
SMILE, YOU’RE ON ‘PAY-TO-PLAY’ CAMERA: Inquirer Obtains Video From FBI City Hall Corruption Probe Showing Sharpton & Street Bagman Cutting A Deal
UPDATE: So this has gone national in a big way, Drudge has it upper left in flaming red. BY JOHN SHIFFMAN INQUIRER STAFF WRITER With a hidden FBI camera rolling inside a New York hotel suite in 2003, an unsuspecting Rev. Al Sharpton, Democratic candidate for president, spoke candidly. Sharpton offered to help Philadelphia fund-raiser Ronald A. White win a multimillion-dollar business deal, if White helped him raise $50,000 for politics. White offered $25,000. “If you bring my guys up on this hedge fund, and I have the right conversation,” White said, “I’ll give you what you need.” “Cool,” Sharpton […]
POT CALLS KETTLE: Vento Lawyers Decry ‘Unfairness’
INQUIRER: This afternoon’s hearing was supposed to be about the fairness of a “speak English” sign at Geno’s Steaks, but the initial focus was the fairness of the hearing itself. Attorneys for Geno’s owner Joey Vento argued that the proceedings were unfair for two reasons and asked that the case be thrown out. Making most of the arguments for Vento’s team was Shannon Goessling of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, based in Atlanta. MORE WORTH REPEATING: EXCLUSIVE: JOEY VENTO IN BED WITH SOUTHERN AGENTS OF INTOLERANCE & INDECENCY? OH MY! So, as you may well have already heard, the running sore […]