is Murdoch paying off terrorists?

* Chris:

"Apparently, when two Fox News journalists were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip a few months ago and held for two weeks, SOMEONE (wonder if they took up an office collection?) paid the terror orginazation that kidnapped the journalists in question 2 MILLION dollars for their release (hmmm, is Murdoch paying off terrorists?)."

* TNR via Digby:

"These and other such changes will affect Americans--and, in some respects, the entire world--for years to come. And while the voters rejected Bush's divisive political strategy, it was exactly that strategy--much like FDR's--that likely made these changes feasible. Imagine that Bush had governed as an accommodator rather than an agitator, as he promised to do as a candidate in 2000. Would he be more popular now? Probably. But would the rich still have their fabulous tax breaks? Would former industry lobbyists be running around the bureaucracy, destroying regulatory agencies from the inside out? Would U.S. troops still be in Baghdad? Probably not."

* DK at TPM:

"In the Daily Digest this morning I touched on the growing expectations that the Baker/Hamilton Iraq Study Group, in combination with the installation of Bob Gates at the Pentagon, will save the day in Iraq.

It has become the consensus view, crosses party lines, and seems to be based in part on the assumption that anything is better than the current Iraq policy and its chief implementer, Don Rumsfeld.

But there are some other assumptions--some faulty, some overly optimistic--inflating those expectations:"

read it.

* laura:

"NPR just reported that on President Bush's stopover in Moscow today en route to Asia, he and Laura Bush met with Russian President Putin, and offered Russia membership in WTO. My question: in return for Russian agreement to back sanctions on Iran?"

* kos:

"To put it bluntly, to anyone who has ever complained about Diebold, this is your chance to put your money where your mouth is. No more talk needed. No more advocacy needed. This is a real-world, legal frontal assault on those electronic voting machines.

If we win this battle, you'll be able to kiss Diebold goodbye."

heh.

* mcclatchy:

"Lebanon's political crisis deepened on Tuesday with U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora fighting to save his government and the leader of the powerful Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah predicting its collapse.

"The government will go," Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah told supporters, according to an account published Tuesday in a Lebanese newspaper."

* reuters:

"The United States or other countries will one day be forced to consider pre-emptive action if Iran and North Korea continue to seek nuclear weapons, a senior U.S. government official said on Tuesday (anonymously).
[]
A U.S. attack against Iran would set back Tehran's suspected quest for nuclear arms by less than four years, U.S. officials and independent experts say.
Some analysts have speculated Israel could consider a strike against Iran if it felt threatened. An Iranian official said this week Iran would respond swiftly if Israel attacked it."