NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST March 19, 2008

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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
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Court Weighs Right to Guns, and Its Limits
WASHINGTON - A majority of the Supreme Court appeared ready on Tuesday toembrace, for the first time in the country's history, an interpretation ofthe Second Amendment that protects the right to own a gun for personal use.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/washington/19scotus.html?hp
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Mr. Obama's Profile in Courage
There are moments - increasingly rare in risk-abhorrent modern campaigns -when politicians are called upon to bare their fundamental beliefs. In thebest of these moments, the speaker does not just salve the current politicalwound, but also illuminates larger, troubling issues that the nation iswrestling with.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/opinion/19wed1.html?ref=opinion
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Citizenship, Thwarted
The director of the federal Citizenship and Immigration Services agency,Emilio Gonzalez, is stepping down next month, leaving behind a gummed-upbureaucracy and perhaps a million empty promises. That's about how manypeople are stuck waiting to have their citizenship petitions approved by theagency, which was swamped last summer by a flood of applications that itfailed to predict or prepare for
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/opinion/19wed2.html?ref=opinion
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Pakistan Elects First Female Speaker
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Pakistan-New-Speaker.html
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Estimates of Iraq War Cost Were Not Close to Ballpark
Five years into the conflict, experts estimate the cost of the war to beanywhere from $600 billion to $4 trillion - tens of times more thanoriginally projected.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/washington/19cost.html
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Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
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Senator Misstates Which Extremists Are Aided by Iran
By Cameron W. Barr and Michael D. Shear
AMMAN, Jordan, March 18 -- Sen. John McCain, in the midst of a trip to theMiddle East that he hoped would help burnish his foreign policy expertise,incorrectly asserted Tuesday that Iran is training and supplying al-Qaeda inIraq, confusing the Sunni insurgent group with the Shiite extremists whoU.S. officials believe are supported by their religious brethren in theneighboring country. The mistake, which he quickly corrected after a briefwhisper from a colleague, was an unwelcome stumble as McCain (Ariz.), theall-but-certain Republican nominee for the White House, spends seven days inthe Middle East and Europe.
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McCain Mixes Up Iraqi Groups
Senator Misstates Which Extremists Are Aided by Iran
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/18/AR2008031802973.html?wpisrc=newsletter
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China's True Face
The Host of the Olympics or the Thug of Tibet?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/18/AR2008031802596.html
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Obama's Road Map on Race
Once again, the conventional wisdom proved stunningly unwise. Barack Obamawas supposed to be on his heels, forced into a backpedaling, defensivecrouch after racially charged remarks by his former pastor, delivered fromthe pulpit years ago, suddenly became the hottest story of the presidentialcampaign. But instead of running away, Obama issued a challenge to those whowould exploit the issue of race: Bring it on.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/18/AR2008031802649.html
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Singer Was Bush's Mystery Dinner Host. No, Not That Singer.
The mystery is solved. Thanks to a devoted Loop Fan, we now know that thehost of Friday's $1.4 million Republican National Committee fundraiser atthe famed Beresford co-op in New York -- headlined by President Bush -- wasnone other than Paul Singer, the hedge fund billionaire and renowned"vulture capitalist."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/18/AR2008031802693.html?hpid=sec-politics
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Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
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Democrats made this mess; here's how they can clean it up
As a sunbird who really doesn't care whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obamais nominated, I would like to offer a suggestion as to how Florida andMichigan could participate at the Democratic National Convention. I think itwould be wise for the party to immediately promulgate this plan, or asimilar plan that does not involve new primary elections.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-pbmail851sbmar19,0,2986123.story
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Two Florida legislators throw a curve for Hardball
When MSNBC talker Chris Matthews invited U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultzand Robert Wexler to appear on his cable TV show, he probably expected thekind of verbal sparring that passes for political discourse on Hardball.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbhardball0319sbmar19,0,5388052.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
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IRAQ ANNIVERSARY
In the wrong place, for the wrong reasons
This week marks the beginning of our country's sixth year of war in Iraq,and still the questions are: Why? When will it end?
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/460466.html
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4,000 Americans, innumerable Iraqis, $3 trillion
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
And five years later, here we are. There were no weapons of massdestruction. We were not greeted as liberators. The war did not pay foritself. The smoking gun was not a mushroom cloud. There was no connection to9/11. The course we stayed led over a cliff. Worse, Iraq has become arecruiting station for Islamic terrorists. One presidential candidateforesees a 100-year occupation. Electricity is still a sometime thing inBaghdad. The war that was supposed to pay for itself was recently projectedto cost us $3 trillion -- that's trillion, with a ''t,'' that's a threefollowed by 12 zeroes, that's three million millions. And American forceshave sustained more than 33,000 casualties, including 4,000 dead and 13,000wounded too severely to return to action. Pundits and politicians will spenda lot of time debating the war in Iraq on this, its fifth anniversary. Theywill analyze what we have achieved, pontificate on where we should go fromhere. I will leave those arguments to them.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard_pitts/v-print/story/461978.html
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Clinton discusses Iraq with young vets
LANCASTER, Pa. -- Hillary Rodham Clinton told a group of young veteransTuesday that one lesson of the Iraq War is not to commit troops "unless youare prepared to go all the way and are prepared to be successful."
http://www.miamiherald.com/889/story/461818.html
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CAMPAIGN 2008 | DEMOCRATS
Clinton attacks rival in Florida
Democrat Hillary Clinton accused rival Barack Obama on Tuesday of impedingnew elections in Florida and Michigan.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/461952.html
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MoveOn.Org
http://www.moveon.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
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In the middle of a presidential contest tainted by racism and sexism, BarackObama did something amazing today. He gave one of the most honest,courageous, and thoughtful speeches we've ever seen.
It was unlike any political speech in recent memory. And notsurprisingly,the media have almost totally missed the point-reducing the whole thing to afew soundbites and hashing over whether he "did enough to condemn hispastor."
We've got to spread the word ourselves.
If you haven't seen the speech yet, please check it out below. And thenplease forward it to all your friends and family. We've set a goal: reachingout to 100,000 people.
Click here to tell us how many people you can pass it on to (and towatch our progress nationally):
http://pol.moveon.org/obamaspeech/?id=12333-5533006-LN9zQI&t=545
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Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
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PEJ's Annual Report on American Journalism
The Project for Excellence in Journalism finds that the current crisis injournalism may be less the loss of audience than the decoupling of news andadvertising. On the upside, some news organizations have become places ofrisk and innovation with growing connection with audiences. Read more
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Financial Woes Overshadow All Other Concerns For Journalists
A new survey of national and local reporters, producers, editors andexecutives finds soaring economic woes eclipse traditional worries aboutquality of coverage and credibility. Read more
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Election '08 - What Foreign Policy Agenda?
Presidential challengers -- and the ultimate winner -- will face a publicthat is disillusioned, downbeat and partisan about foreign affairs but farfrom clear about what it wants done. Read more
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Rumors and Red Phones Capture The Public's Political Attention
Americans are paying close attention to all aspects of the election thisyear, but the most widely recognized item involves rumors that Barack Obamais a Muslim. Read more
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Religious Reading
Relativism vs. Fundamentalism: Is There a Middle Ground?
In a Pew Forum event, eminent sociologist of religion Peter Berger setsforth his view that doubt is ultimately a key element of religious faith inliberal democracies. Read more
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A Daily Number for the Wearing of the Green
61% - St. Patrick's Day Drinking
As many head to the bars for St. Patrick's Day, not everyone will becelebrating; more than six-in-ten Americans think drinking alcoholexcessively is morally wrong.
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Democrats made this mess; here's how they can clean it up
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-pbmail851sbmar19,0,2986123.story
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Two Florida legislators throw a curve for Hardball
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbhardball0319sbmar19,0,5388052.story
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
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Dems support class-size change
School districts could gain flexibility to deal with class-size changes inmid-year, under a bill that cruised through a House council Tuesday
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/CD/20080319/CAPITOLNEWS/803190354/-1/capitolnews
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Science committee opposes Storms' bill
Thirty-seven members of the committee that drafted the state's new sciencestandards have lined up against the recently filed "academic freedom" bills,saying in a statement this morning that the bills are a subterfuge forinjecting the religious beliefs held by some into the science classroom."
http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2008/03/science-committ.html
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Sex ed, stats, polls and politics
Democratic lawmakers probably see the press conference they're holding inTallahassee tomorrow as a way to jump-start support for comprehensive sexeducation. We at The Gradebook see an opportunity to shamelessly promote arecent and relevant St. Petersburg Times education poll, and to throw in arecent and relevant federal study for context.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2008/03/sex-ed-stats-po.html
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Jesse Jackson: Obama Just Turned Crisis Into Opportunity
Reverend Jesse Jackson, who is no stranger to America's racial battles andwhose own runs for the White House have been, on occasion, used as abarometer for Sen. Barack Obama, offered effusive praise for Obama's addresstoday on the topic of race and politics.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/18/jesse-jackson-obama-just_n_92109.html
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Obama's Bold Gamble on Race
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1723302,00.html
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Obama's lead over Clinton narrows: Reuters poll
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/03/19/obamas_lead_over_clinton_narrows_reuters_poll/
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Saying a mouthful
Obama makes audacious move in race talk
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0319pagemar19,0,2124866.column?track=rss
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Council to mayor: Resign
DETROIT -- The Detroit City Council, in a dramatic move thathighlights the ever-growing divide at City Hall over the handling of the$8.4 million whistle-blower settlement, overwhelmingly passed a resolutionTuesday calling on Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to resign.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080319/METRO/803190403&imw=Y
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Obama's critics overlook an important point: Ideas matter
Recently, conservative columnists have derided Barack Obama's rhetoric as,well, just rhetoric.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004290744_neem19.html
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Acknowledging our complicity in five years of needless war
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist
And five years later, here we are.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004290742_pitts19.html
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Back-and-forth attacks miss larger election picture
I have thrown my hands up over the constant pettiness in the race betweenBarack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/03/back-and-forth.html?csp=34
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