Stories Worth a Read

Rich Liberals Vow to Fund Think Tanks: “At least 80 wealthy liberals have pledged to contribute $1 million or more apiece to fund a network of think tanks and advocacy groups to compete with the potent conservative infrastructure built up over the past three decades.”

Why Robert Novak Stormed Off the Set: Jay Rosen calls bullshit on Novak’s, err, calling bullshit. Rosen’s, however, is genuine, while Novak’s probably wasn’t.

9/11 Group Says White House Has Not Provided Files: “The White House has failed to turn over any of the information requested by the 10 members of the disbanded Sept. 11 commission in their renewed, unofficial investigation into whether the government is doing enough to prevent terrorist attacks on American soil, commission members said. The members said that the Bush administration's lack of cooperation was hindering a project that was otherwise nearly complete.”

Clueless Condi: “Although trained as a foreign policy realist who has argued the U.S. should act based on a cold calculus of national interest, rather than to advance ideological goals, Rice has more recently embraced Bush's gauzy belief that pursuing the ambitious aim of bringing political reform to the Arab world represents the best possible salve against the threat of Islamic terrorism. … [T]he biggest question facing the country's top diplomat is not so much whether she can spread the Bush doctrine but whether she can save it.”

Soldier Just Back From Iraq Kills Wife, Self: Yet another compelling argument for nationalized healthcare—he joined the army when his wife became pregnant because it guaranteed them health insurance.