February 11, 2005
An Extremist Lawyer's "Legendary
Compassion"
"Lynne F. Stewart, the activist defense lawyer convicted yesterday of aiding
terrorism, has spent her life passionately defending some very unpopular
clients.Long before Ms. Stewart took up the defense of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman,
the blind Egyptian cleric on whose account she was convicted yesterday, she was
taking cases that no one else wanted. Ms. Stewart's compassion is legendary,
her friends said.Some say that Ms. Stewart never gave up the ideals of the
1960's."
- From reporter Sabrina Tavernise's February 11 profile of extremist
left-wing lawyer Lynne Stewart, convicted on charges of aiding Islamic
terrorism.
"Clinton Haters" to Blame for
Hillary's Fundraising Controversy
"A tangled tale of a slick operator, the first couple and dogged Clinton
haters."
- Cut-out line to a February 9 story from Raymond Hernandez and Ian Urbina
on a fundraising investigation involving Hillary Clinton. The reference is to
Judicial Watch, a watchdog group that has lodged complaints against both
political parties.
How Dare Condi Call Iran
Totalitarian
"[Condoleezza] Rice was applauded and criticized, flattered and cross-examined
during her maiden voyage to Paris as secretary of state. During her 24-hour
visit, the former national security adviser and Stanford University provost and
professor charmed her hosts with her gushing praise for France but alarmed them
with her ideological zeal - which included branding Iran a totalitarian
state.Indeed, at a private breakfast on Wednesday with six French intellectuals
at the American ambassador's residence, Ms. Rice revealed her steely, deeply
ideological side. She shocked at least some of her guests by branding Iran a
'totalitarian state,' said four of those who took part."
- Elaine Sciolino, February 10.
Broadcasting Video of Captured
Iraqi Terrorists "Troubling"
"In the first week after the elections, the Iraqi Interior Ministry and the
Mosul police chief are turning the tables on the insurgency here in the north by
using a tactic - videotaped messages - that the insurgents have used time and
again as they have terrorized the region with kidnappings and executions. But
this time the videos, which are being broadcast on a local station, carry an
altogether different message, juxtaposing images of the masked killers with the
cowed men they become once captured. The broadcast of such videos raises
questions about whether they violate legal or treaty obligations about the way
opposing fighters are interrogated and how their confessions are made public."
- Christine Hauser reporting from Mosul, February 5.
Business vs. "Civil Rights
Groups" on Tort Reform
"The votes, which cleared the way for final passage of the measure, were
applauded by business groups who support it and were criticized by consumer,
civil rights and labor groups. Republican leaders in the House have said that
they will swiftly approve the measure next week if the Senate does not amend
itThe legislation is widely supported by businesses that are often defendants
in such suits. It is strongly opposed by consumer, environmental and civil
rights groups, which say the legislation would close the door to many
meritorious claims."
- Elisabeth Bumiller and Stephen Labaton, February 10.
Should Repubs Apologize to Harry
Reid?
"Mr. Reid is hugely popular in his home state, Nevada, and is appearing more
often on national television, where strategists in both parties say he comes off
as reasonable and even-handed. For his part, Mr. Reid seems determined to
respond to Republicans tit for tat. One of his first acts as minority leader was
to create a Democratic 'war room' to communicate the party's message on Capitol
Hill. On Monday, when Republicans sent the document around the country via
e-mail, Mr. Reid promptly went to the Senate floor to denounce it as a 'hit
piece' and called on Mr. Bush to repudiate it. On Tuesday, he stepped up his
complaints, again reminding reporters of Mr. Bush's campaign promise to be a 'uniter,
not a divider' and of the president's pledge after his re-election to reach out
to Democrats.'[Republican strategist Charlie] Black said there was no reason
for Republicans to apologize to Mr. Reid, and they did not."
- From a Sheryl Gay Stolberg profile of Democratic Minority Leader Sen.
Harry Reid, February 9.
Bush's "Austere" $2.57 Trillion
Budget, Take One
"By any
measure, the new budget is austere. It calls for deep cuts next year in almost
every category of domestic spending outside the mandatory entitlement programs
like Social Security and Medicare, which are based on laws adopted in previous
years."
- Edmund Andrews and David Rosenbaum, February 8.
Bush's "Austere" $2.57 Trillion
Budget, Take Two
"While drawing up an austere budget for the rest of the government, the Bush
administration has been moving to scale down its own operations, paring
positions in the West Wing and openly encouraging employees from the first term
to consider moving on."
- Elisabeth Bumiller and Anne Kornblut, February 8.
The Ward Churchill Chilling
Effect?
"Many students interviewed on campus in recent days said they feared that the
lines being drawn around Professor Churchill were also creating boundaries about
what could be freely and safely talked about in the United States."
- Kirk Johnson on radical left-wing professor Ward Churchill, who referred
to the victims of 9/11 as "little Eichmanns," February 11.
"Exclusionary Politics" by
Conservatives Over Bunny Show
"For adults, the fuss over a PBS children's television show featuring an
animated bunny - and real lesbian mothers - was nothing new. But for Emma
Riesner, 11, who was supposed to be a star of the now-controversial episode of
'Postcards From Buster,' what began as a participatory social studies lesson has
become a harsh lesson in exclusionary politics."
- Arts reporter Julie Salamon, February 5.
